God of All Peoples

God of All Peoples from Frontiers USA on Vimeo.

The "Idolatry" of Missions?

Is the "Idolatry of Missions" really a big problem in our churches today? Do people look up to missionaries and missionary work too much?  Some think so. I think not. In fact, I would guess almost the exact opposite is closer to the truth! There is a severe lack of interest and passion for the nations for whom Christ died! This may be the biggest problem in the church today - A lack of passion for Christ and for His Name to worshiped in all the world.

I'd be curious to hear what you think of this article by Jonathan Trotter, a missionary in Cambodia. He argues that there is "missionary idolatry" rampant in the church and among missionaries today. I have posted my comments already in the comments section. I'd love to have you join me in this discussion, either here or there. One thing I really agreed with: I really hope I never come off as a "super-Christian". I surely am not. I am a very normal Christian, a sheep, just like every other Christian. Perhaps this is what Jonathan is reacting to. Missionaries and missionary senders should have the same focus: Not missionaries themselves but Christ and His gospel of good news for all the nations!

Key Verses Concerning Total Depravity

There are literally too many verses to consider when considering the doctrine of Total Depravity.

We are faced with an embarrassment of riches, as it were. God obviously wanted to make this doctrine very clear -

Throughout Scripture we are continually confronted with the fact that we must come completely helpless, 

bringing nothing to the table in our own salvation. Regeneration, salvation and justification

are by grace alone, through the gift of faith. Therefore all the glory belongs to God alone.

Romans 3:9-19 

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks,

 are under sin, as it is written:

 “None is righteous, no, not one;
  no one understands;
  no one seeks for God.
 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
  no one does good,
  not even one.”
 “Their throat is an open grave;
  they use their tongues to deceive.”
 “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
 “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
  in their paths are ruin and misery,
 and the way of peace they have not known.”
  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
 
  Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be

 stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

While there appears in our eyes that non-Christians have much outward goodness, 

In God's eyes there is no spiritual goodness left in man with which he can summon up faith.

Mark 10:18/Luke 18:19 - And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone." 

Titus 1:15-16 - 

 To the pure, all things are pure, but to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their

 consciences are defiled. They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient,

unfit for any good work.

We all start out as unbelieving and impure in God's sight. Therefore there is no hidden purity with which faith can

suddenly be summoned up from. We need to be made pure before we have purity of faith in God. We need to be made

into the right kind of tree before we bear the good fruit of faith. 

Paul goes on in Titus:

 For we ourselves (believers) were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures,

 passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving 

kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to

his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through

Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
(Titus 3:3-7)

We cannot come to faith on our own because we are enslaved to our sinfulness, which cannot do what is right.

 John 8:34 - Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin." 

Paul agreed: For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. (Romans 7:18)

We are not born neutral in relation to God. We are born enemies of Him.

Psalm 51:5 - Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. 

Genesis 8:21 - the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, 

for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth."

Apart from effectual calling and subsequent regeneration by God, a person cannot (morally speaking) come to faith, 

because He will not come to faith in his sin.

1 Corinthians 2:14 - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and 

he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 

1 Corinthians 1:21-24 - For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God

through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we

preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and 

Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Deuteronomy 29:2-4 - And Moses summoned all Israel 
and said to them: "You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes 
in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his 
land, the great trials that your eyes saw, the signs, and those great 
wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.

 Matthew 11:27 - no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father 
except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

John 14:16-17 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of

truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.

Romans 9:16 - So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. 

I realize that many will say Romans 9 speaks of nations, not individuals. But this exegesis will not hold up.

Obviously God is talking about both here. The plain reading of this verse will not allow us to take a purely corporate/

national election here for the simple fact that over and over in this context, including in this very verse, actual individual

lives and wills are in view, including our own. 

Summary: 

After the fall man did not immediately die physically, even though God had said that "on the day you eat of (the fruit) you

shall surely die." (Gen 2:17) This can only mean that Adam and Eve died spiritually in the fall. This would lead to their 

physical deaths. (Gen. 3:19) As they died spiritually, their spiritual ability to do good and fellowship with God was 

completely lost. Only by regeneration (a new birth) can spiritual life, and thus faith, begin again. And if we are 

alive, we breathe. If we have spiritual life, we breathe the life of faith, and God keeps his own and loses none. 

(John 6:37-39)

The Greatest Opportunity

This same message, given by Dr. Charles Stanley over 20 years ago, still sticks with me today. It is a message that changed the way I live my life. Don't get distracted and miss the greatest opportunity you have right now.

Views of Kyoto

We are enjoying the cooler days of "summer" here in Japan. Here are some random pics of things we see.

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." - Luke 10:2

These last two are my favorite.

What does "Unreached" Mean?

Sometimes I hear Americans say, "But America is still unreached." or, "We have lots of people here who need Christ too." While Americans have responsibility to help other Americans, we have an even greater calling to make disciples of ALL nations, not just in America. (Matt. 28:18-19) Why?

When Jesus said, "Go make disciples of all nations" he did not mean only for some of the disciples. All of us are to be engaged in this passion of God's to reach the world for Christ!

"Nations" or "Ethnos" in Greek, means an ethno-linguistic grouping with a common self-identity that is shared by its various members. For strategic purposes it is the largest group within which the Gospel can spread without encountering barriers of linguistic or cultural understanding.

In Matthew & in Revelation it is guaranteed that every ethnos will be reached, or have believers in it on the last day. An "ethnos" or a people group is considered unreached (UPG) when there is no indigenous community of believing Christians able to engage this people group effectively with the gospel. Technically speaking, the percentage of evangelical Christians in this people group is less than 2 percent.  Lower than 2 percent would mean (theoretically) that they are in danger of becoming 0 percent again without sustained missionary effort from the outside! Japan is currently less than 1% Christian, and therefore the second largest unreached people group in the world.

So is missions simply caring for the sick or feeding the hungry? Is it simply educating the savage? Obviously, when we look at the Bible the answer is a resounding "No". While missions should include mercy and practical forms of love, Jesus' final words - the Great Commission- was one command and only one.  We are to make disciples of EVERY ethnos, every people group. We must not be distracted from this greatest calling and heartbeat of God expressed throughout the Scriptures. When this mission is completed the end will come, according to Matthew 24:14! And this is the key to ALL good missionary endeavors: Are we making disciples? In these terms Japan is a spiritual wasteland in great need of our prayers and investment.

"There is MORE of God's Heart for You to Enjoy!"

Watch this powerful message called, "God's Whole Heart"

How to be Rich

God wants you to be truly rich in Him.
I love this message.
(Full Disclosure: My friend Andy Kampman has a passion for all peoples as Jesus does.)

The Adventure of Missionary Heroism

I'm thoroughly enjoying reading this old book with my family for devotions. I saw you can get the original book for free here for any e-reader. I encourage you to give it a read also. It will move you to pray more and be more engaged in God's plan for all the nations.

Behold Your God: His Love

I had the privilege to share a message at my twin brother's church this summer. I learned a lot (deep into my heart) just in preparing this message. I encourage you to take a listen also.

Pray for Japan Video

I took some old and some new videos, did a little editing and came up with this. Hopefully it will allow you to think and pray about Japan more. (Please click on Settings and set to HD mode.)

あなたの人生を無駄にしないでください Don't waste your life (Japanese)

8 minutes of one of the best messages I've ever heard - with Japanese subtitles.

An Interview about our Mission in Japan

Take a listen to a great new podcast that has been started by a good friend and fellow missionary, Rudy V.

He interviews me here in two parts concerning our work and missions in Japan in general. He asks very good questions that I hope are helpful for you also. Please do pray for us and consider giving to our mission as the Lord leads you.

#1 - Sharing our Faith - 4 Steps to Prepare: 
(Check out part 1 of my interview at the 23:00- 29:09 mark.)

#2 - Strengthening our Conversation about Christianity:
(Part 2 of my interview continues here from about 19:00- 25:00.)

* Part 2 has a fun true story... "When I die I'm going to become a fish." :)

New Trailer for the "Unbroken" Movie

Should Missionaries Ask for Financial Support?

Having raised financial support for the last 16 years it comes as a surprise to me when otherwise strong Christians question the legitimacy of missionaries raising financial support. As America faces more and more if its own problems, I believe it is essential that missionaries continue to put God's heart for all the nations front in center in all the recruiting and support raising they do. Support raising isn't about raising money, it is about raising a team of like-minded people who are passionate for the all the nations to be reached. 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 says,“Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” Paul’s epistle to the Romans was a support letter. Check out Romans 15:22-29. He was writing them that they might glory in the gospel and share in his zeal for taking this same message onward to Spain. He needed teammates! Note a couple of key phrases… “to be helped on my journey there by you”, and “I will leave for Spain by way of you”. Here Paul is not even asking, he is expecting support to come from gospel-centered Christians. He is expecting that the believers will want to help reach their neighboring country with the gospel. 3 John 1:5-8 says “Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth." For those who do not see missionaries asking for financial support in the Bible – the prophet Elijah even asked a poor woman for support - for food and water in 1 Kings 17. God wanted to test her faith. I think he also wants missionaries to ask for support in order to test the hearts of His people. Do we love money or do we love the mission of the gospel? In Nehemiah 2 Nehemiah prays and then asks the king for support to go on a mission to rebuild Jerusalem. He knew that God could even use even a foreign king to further God's kingdom. As a missionary I know that I cannot do it alone. I am not a "superman of the faith" while other Christians can just easily go to the company and expect money. We all work by faith. Just like everyone else I am also called to WORK through faith in order to build a team of people (from the rest of the body) with a like heart to build the kingdom of God, to reach the nations and make disciples in them, just as Christ commanded each and every disciple to do. Teaching and preaching are the means we use. We do not expect fish to jump into the boat. We put down nets and God brings the fish. In the same way, we missionaries (with great humility) call for the teamwork of the other members of the body who have the same calling from their Lord. We cannot do this alone, nor are we meant to. We are simple sheep just like the rest. The apostle John (who was also a missionary) tells us that we are to support such people who go out for the sake of the Name. He probably learned this from Jesus while walking with Him for three years. Jesus and the twelve, including John, were also supported by the women who followed Jesus. (Luke 8:1-3) How humbling! Let us not be slack in our calling as senders or goers. Let us not be slack in our calling to send or slack in our efforts to call forth senders and goers! While some missionaries today do go out without asking for any support, this is in no way commanded or even recommended in the pages of Scripture. We must be very careful concerning our Biblical understanding of this all important work.