HAS AMERICA STOPPED SENDING MISSIONARIES?

In the past few years I keep hearing rumors that churches in America have stopped sending missionaries to other countries.  I read recently that one reason for this was because American churches have become too selfish and their tithing money no longer goes to supporting missionaries.  I have also heard the American church is no longer missionary minded, focusing more on new building projects within our own communities.  Whatever the case may be, the rumors are not true. 

In a recent study done by Todd Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts, America is still the leading country for missions work.  This past year, an estimated 400,000 missionaries were sent were sent abroad.  Of those, 127,000 of them came from the United States.  That means almost one of every four missionaries in the world was sent by the United States.  The next closest country is Brazil, who sent out an estimated 34,000.  Read the full article here.

God isn’t done with using the United States yet!  May we always remember that God has called all of us to further His kingdom.  We don’t have to leave our country’s soil to do His work.  “Whatever you do, do for the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

REVELATION 10 OVERVIEW

“The Mighty Angel and the Little Book”

I.                   Intro

1.     This chapter begins another interlude, a break between the judgments, just like halftime at a sporting event.  This interlude is between the sixth and the seventh trumpet judgments. 

2.     This interlude begins with a mighty angel.  What do you guys know of angels?  Do you think there are different classes?  Different ranks?  Who’s the baddest of them all?  Here’s some things you need to know about angels:

3.     Definitions of angels:

A.    Hebrew:  מַלְאָךְ (messenger, courier, class of beings)

B.     Greek:     ἄγγελος (messenger, envoy, class of beings)

4.     Classifications of angels:

A.    Angel of the Lord: Preincarnate Christ

B.     Michael the Archangel: Protects Israel

C.     Angel Gabriel: Protects Messiah

D.    Cherubim: Protects (God’s) Holiness

E.     Seraphim: Worship Leaders

II.                 Revelation 10:1

1.     “another mighty angel coming down” (v.1):

A.    Who is this mighty angel?  We are not told.  This could be Michael, Gabriel, or it could be some other class of angels we don’t know about.  Some even think this could be Jesus Christ.

B.     The purpose of this angel is quite clear – to announce the final judgments upon the Earth.  He introduces the seventh seal judgment, which ushers in the seven bowl judgments, the worst of them all. 

C.     His description is actually kind of similar to Jesus Christ in chapter one, but far too different for Him to actually be Christ.

PROVERBS 31 OVERVIEW

“The Virtuous Woman” Part I

I.                   Intro

1.     Have you ever had your mom or dad sit you down and say, “we need to talk.”  And it’s super awkward.  And they begin to give you some advice on something that you didn’t want to hear.  I had that happen too many times.  We’ll, this chapter is kind of like that.  (Kind of…)

2.     This is part one of a three part series on the virtuous woman.  In this section we will get introduced to a mother and her son.  This mother is giving advice to her son.  Before she tells about what kind of wife he should look for, she exhorts him about what kind of wife not to look for.  She gives him some warnings before he gets to hear the good stuff. 

II.                 Proverbs 31:1-2

1.     “words of King Lemuel…which his mother taught him” (v.1):

A.    We don’t know exactly who King Lemuel is.  There was no king of Israel of Judah by this name.  Lemuel means “belonging to God.”  Some infer that Lemuel is a pseudonym (stage name) for Solomon.  And these are words that his mother taught him. 

B.     His mother, of course, was Bathsheba.  Since we don’t know who this is, let’s just use Solomon and Bathsheba for this story just to make it interesting.  Let’s start with familiarizing ourselves with Bathsheba before we here her advice to her son. (2 Samuel 11:1-17, 26-27; 12:15, 18, 24-25).

PROVERBS 30 OVERVIEW

“Wisdom Using Common Sense” Part II

I.                   Intro

1.     Agur continues his common sense wisdom on life.  He uses lists to grab our attention.  We are going to learn about self-control, repentance, foolish behavior, wisdom, confidence, and reaping what we sow.

2.     A lot of Agur’s examples involve animals, so it’s something we all can observe and relate to.  (story about ‘spirit animal’).

II.                 Proverbs 30:15-17

1.     “leech has two daughters – give and give” (v.15):

A.    Leeches are blood-sucking little creatures.  They are pretty gross.  But they are never satisfied, they drink the blood of its host until it cannot physically hold anymore.  Kind of like how we eat on Thanksgiving or Christmas.  It’s two daughters might refer to its two suckers, who are just asking for “more and more.” 

2.     “three things never satisfied…four never say enough” (v.15):

A.    Just like the leech, there are three other things in this world that are never satisfied.  The grave is never satisfied because people keep dying.  Ben Franklin famously said there are two things every human experiences, death and taxes.

B.     The barren woman is never satisfied because she always desires to have a child.  In that culture, women didn’t have a lot going for them, and bearing children was their only claim to fame.  So it was a big deal if they couldn’t get pregnant

C.     Earth is not satisfied because it always needs water.  Lakes need water, animals need water, vegetation needs water, humans need water.  No one is ever satisfied with enough water.

D.    Fire is never satisfied because it will never burn itself out, it will keep going till it gets put out.  We live in SoCal, we all know how fire can spread every summer.

E.     These examples sum up the evil generation that Agur talked about earlier in the chapter.  A generation that lacks self-control and is never satisfied; always looking for new ways to please their flesh.

3.     “mocks his father…scorns his mother” (v.17):

A.    The Bible doesn’t take disrespecting your parents lightly.  I mean here Agur says creatures will attack you if you mock your dad or disobey your mom.  So watch out next time you back talk your parents, your dog might attack you.  Or your cat might rebuke you.