I like this video from OMF.
"This holistic program alleviates poverty and opens us opportunities for Calapan's urban poor on the island of Mindoro through a livelihood project and scholarship scheme.
One of the 250 sponsored students, Apple, describes coming to know Christ in a real way through the program's Bible studies.
Olga, one of the mother's involved in the card-making project, explains how the income is helping her meet her family's needs."
Click here to watch the video.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
What is required for us to become a missionary congregation?
I have come across a series of articles entitled "What is required for us to become a missionary congregation?"
I think it's really worth reading. Here is an excerpt.
It is only as we are a living pulsing community of God's love to the world, living with Him as the centre, that we can be a sign, that we can not just bring the Gospel but live the Gospel. In order to do this our centre must be God Himself, we must be grounded in the Word and empowered by the Spirit. We must indwell the Scripture so that it becomes a part of us, so that it not only informs us but forms us. If we are the only way for the world to understand the truth of Christ then we must live this story in a way that both make sense to the world and yet points to something much greater than ourselves.
I like the author's call for us to be shaped by the Scripture, so that we may live out the story of Christ as we bear witness to the world.
Click here for the article.
I think it's really worth reading. Here is an excerpt.
It is only as we are a living pulsing community of God's love to the world, living with Him as the centre, that we can be a sign, that we can not just bring the Gospel but live the Gospel. In order to do this our centre must be God Himself, we must be grounded in the Word and empowered by the Spirit. We must indwell the Scripture so that it becomes a part of us, so that it not only informs us but forms us. If we are the only way for the world to understand the truth of Christ then we must live this story in a way that both make sense to the world and yet points to something much greater than ourselves.
I like the author's call for us to be shaped by the Scripture, so that we may live out the story of Christ as we bear witness to the world.
Click here for the article.
Friday, July 2, 2010
More recent reflections
More recent reflections.
Intellectualism can stifle the church, making it less passionate about God and its mission. It produces an elitism that is the direct opposite of the humility of Christ. But anti-intellectualism has produced a superficial form of Christianity, making the church conform to the pattern of the world because it is not transformed by renewing the mind - doing the exact opposite of Romans 12:1-3.
"Jesus modeled innocent suffering in two respects. He suffered even though he did not deserve it, and, in the midst of abuse, he did not retaliate." (Joel Green on 1 Peter 2:21-25)
We all come to the Bible with our biases. For many, it's likely to be our middle-class, Western Christian tradition from the church fathers to the Reformation, and to its 21st-century forms. We, generally speaking, either embrace that heritage or react against it.
I think there is at least one difference between a person living in poverty and injustice overseas and a middle-class Westerner who has chosen to live among the poor overseas: The former has no choice, but the latter has made a choice, and has the freedom to make that choice.
Intellectualism can stifle the church, making it less passionate about God and its mission. It produces an elitism that is the direct opposite of the humility of Christ. But anti-intellectualism has produced a superficial form of Christianity, making the church conform to the pattern of the world because it is not transformed by renewing the mind - doing the exact opposite of Romans 12:1-3.
"Jesus modeled innocent suffering in two respects. He suffered even though he did not deserve it, and, in the midst of abuse, he did not retaliate." (Joel Green on 1 Peter 2:21-25)
We all come to the Bible with our biases. For many, it's likely to be our middle-class, Western Christian tradition from the church fathers to the Reformation, and to its 21st-century forms. We, generally speaking, either embrace that heritage or react against it.
I think there is at least one difference between a person living in poverty and injustice overseas and a middle-class Westerner who has chosen to live among the poor overseas: The former has no choice, but the latter has made a choice, and has the freedom to make that choice.
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