Missions Opportunities #001 – Porn convention outreaches
Fireproof Ministries, the parent organization of XXXChurch and Strip Church ("Sin City's Little Church House" on the Las Vegas Strip) has some upcoming conventions they need volunteers at. Want to reach into dark places with the love and truth of God? Want an excuse to go to a pron convention, even a Gay erotica show, and keep your faith? Here you go:
- Sexpo Australia in Brisbane February 26-March 1, 2009 – FULL
- EXXXotica Miami in South Beach May 8-10, 2009
- Erotica LA in Los Angeles June 12-14, 2009
- Gay Erotica in NYC October 10-12, 2009
Finding freedom’s promise
Human trafficking is the second largest organized crime industry in the world. Annually, over 600,000 are trafficked internationally, while more than 14,500 are trafficked through out the US in a year.
Just last year, Amber Barron saw a news article on the modern slave trade and she was touched. The 28-year-old felt compelled by God to leave her job and form Freedom’s Promise to help the victims of human trafficking, particularly the young women and girls who are sold into the sex slave market.
You can find out more about Amber and her organization at FreedomsPromise.org
Persecution update
I’m working on a post about the possible political shift of Evangelicals and the latest Pew Research findings about the changing religious landscape of America. Those are two huge topics and two areas that interests me greatly. Because of the breadth and depth of those issues (and my crazy work schedule right now), it may take me awhile to get something up on those. Hopefully I can get to them before they are no longer newsworthy.
Another area that always grabs my attention is the persecuted church. Too often it goes unnoticed by American Christians more concerned about the inconvenience of rainy weather or expensive coffee, but around the world followers of Christ are routinely persecuted to the point of death. Their situation concerns me, while their faith inspires me. Perhaps you will be motived to pray for them and learn from them along with me.
Why social justice is important to Christianity
Unfortunately as Christianity becomes politicized with the religious right and the religious left, issues are lumped on to one side, discouraging the other side from supporting that cause. Just as many on the religious left have ignored the evils of abortion, too many on the right shy away from issues of social justice.
Islam’s Worst Nightmare – Not America, but Christian China
D. James Kennedy died today at age 76, and what a significant and great evangelical leader he was. Among his latest and greatest contributions, beyond highlighting the Darwin/Nazism link, is raising our awareness of the Back to Jerusalem movement.
In one of his latest broadcasts, he discussed how Chinese Christians are training and planning to release over 100,000 missionaries to the Muslim world. Chinese seminaries are teaching their missionary students Arabic and Farsi. And while Muslim countries “lock the front door facing the West,” they are “leaving the back door wide open.” In fact, in the next 25 years, some estimate over 400M Christians in China, many of whom will push the gospel across the middle east.
A little less talk
This coming week I will be away from the computer and blogging will probably not cross my mind. So often I get caught up in talking about issues, but not actually doing something about them. It’s one thing to talk about evangelism, missions and helping people come to know Christ. It’s something else to go be about it.
Next week I will spend my mornings in the inner city of Memphis ministering to some kids. The afternoons will be filled up with service projects in the ghetto. The nights are for fellowship and Bible study with youth from my church and other churches. I can’t wait.
Remembering a Missionary Hero – John G. Paton
100 years ago today, the great "missionary to canibals" died at the ripe old age of 83. Many sites are celebrating him, and you read the highly rated biography below.
- You Will be Eaten by Cannibals! Lessons from the Life of John G. Paton (sermon by John Piper, with audio)
- Missionary Patriarch: The True Story of John G. Paton (amazon)
- Missionary Hero (brief bio)
- John Gibson Paton (wikipedia)
Riding the Gospel Bike
Since 1998, a young man nicknamed “Bike” has ridden his bicycle over 10,500 miles to tell others about Jesus. He has riden trains for several days simply so that he can share with other passengers about his faith. He hands out business cards which list his profession as “evangelist.” Bike also has a Bible study that meets in his home.
What makes any of this significant? Bike’s home is in Beijing, China.
Voice of the Martyrs Conference
This year’s annual VOM conference is called Wear the Crown, and Todd over at the Persecution Blog has been blogging the testimonies of many of the speakers – amazing testimonies of people who’ve lost loved ones and continued to minister in closed countries like Iraq and Iran. It makes you realize how little most of us have given for the gospel, and how little we’ve suffered.
As she lay in a hospital bed, dealing with her own injuries and also the pain of finding out that her husband had not survived his injuries, God reminded her, "This world is not your home."
"That is why we are compelled to go running into that darkness. That is why we take the love God has placed in our heart and run to the nations."
As much as I hate to…
I really have been enjoying the lively debates over the last week. I hate I have gotten to participate more, but I have been swamped at work and one of the reasons is I will be out of town and away from a computer all next week.
Why Christians share their faith
Mike Seate, a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, doesn’t like people sharing their faith with him in a public place. He doesn’t want a stranger to pray for him. He also feels he has found the perfect example to prove the hypocrisy of Christians when it comes to talking about their beliefs, too bad for him, he hasn’t.
Heartfelt response to IMB issues
I wanted to point any readers interested in the current controversy in the South Baptist Convention over “private prayer language” to this letter written by Dr. Allen McWhite.
Porn Again*
While atheist at the University of Texas in San Antonio are using porn to lure Christians, believers are also making their presence felt in the pornography industry.
Tribes rally in support of missionaries
Many indigenous Venezuelan tribe members rallied in support of U.S.-based missionaries threatened with explusion by President Hugo Chavez.
How Christianity Liberated South Korea
As the first piece of Hangul literature, the Korean Bible proved to be a thorn in the side of imperial Japan. It sparked a "Hangul movement," leading to the publication of newspapers, poems, and novels in the indigenous tongue. Throughout Japanese occupation, the Koreans’ desire for independence became closely linked with their desire to use their own language. As one student of Korean nationalism, Vernon Blake Killingsworth, has written, "The Bible did more than just sustain hope; for Christians and non-Christians alike, the Hangul Scriptures served as a symbol of Korean culture."
The independence nurtured by Korea’s indigenous church stood directly opposed to Japan’s imperial policies. Indeed, many congregations took risks to promote Korean freedom. Unlike other countries, where missionary congregations sometimes found themselves entangled with colonial powers, Korea’s church was always allied with Korean nationalism—an alliance that proved beneficial for both church and state.
