tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128413133068142254.post5645634426087276272..comments2023-10-22T14:35:39.935+03:00Comments on Hearing My Heart: Church OR Mission? - How We Need To Get A Better Understanding Between These TwoAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06605204341808935762noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1128413133068142254.post-72053790294748371022014-07-29T07:19:22.564+04:002014-07-29T07:19:22.564+04:00I agree with Tim's analysis and viewpoint on c...I agree with Tim's analysis and viewpoint on church & missions; sender, goer or disobedient in this blog. I like to point out that the wrong understanding he cited is not only in here in the West but also in Africa. I was recently sent a Christian movie in an East African setting portraying the same old view which I felt is not only wrong, can be undermining and also divisive within the body.<br />I take my clue from 1 Sam 30:21-25 in which David made a binding law that puts on equal footing those going to war and those who remain behind. Further more in the New Testament we are told that the church as a body has different part fulfilling different functions. We are told that God’s intention is that there should be no division in the body, rather that there should be the same care for one another (1 Cor . 12:25). <br />I also agree with Tim that what qualifies a person to go should be the recognition of a Call in a person's life e.g. Paul (Acts 26:16-18) or a Burden in a person's heart carried before God, with a passionate desires to do SOMETHING about the situation at hand not just talking or praying about it e.g. Nehemiah (Neh 1:11,2:5).<br />Tim's challenge as to the reconsideration of the location of the 'missions field' is important since either a person’s Call or Burden does not have to be located overseas. Missions for all starts from and includes our Jerusalem, the believer's immediate sphere of influence (e.g. neighbours, work) while the 'ends of the earth' for some simply means all areas outside of their immediate sphere of influence. <br /> Rediscovering and walking in these truths are important in order to properly engage the WHOLE body of Christ in missions not just an elite few. <br /> The end time church today like the early church is faced with similar threats/challenges of becoming effective witnesses of a risen Saviour to a world that sees Jesus Christ as dead and irrelevant. My belief is that the place Signs and Wonders (S&W) played in helping the early church resolve this no doubt will be necessary today. How they went about this is well documented in several places in the book of Acts e.g. Acts 4:29-33. <br />Still continuing on the theme of engaging the whole church, Stephen and Philip, 1st church deacons proved in Acts 6:8 and Acts 8:6, that S&W are not just for an 'elite' few (apostles or leaders) but for whosoever is daring enough to believe the Lord Jesus and His words (Jh 14:12). <br />More of these truths needs to be declared as part of the process of the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry these end times (Eph 4:12). One person God has raised up doing such is Aliss Cresswell, a simple housewife based here in Chester, North West England. Check her out in the links below <br />http://sidroth.org/television/tv-archives/aliss-cresswell and http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=frdJ8g_wL3o<br />Her books e.g. ‘The Normal Supernatural Christian Life’ and CD audios ‘How to move in the Power of Healing and Miracles’ are available on Amazon. Aliss is passionate about the empowerment of the laity (body of Christ). <br />It is clear that the Holy Spirit these end times is breaking down the various walls of partition separating the clergy from laity a hall mark of the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6) preventing the church entering into her fullness. We owe it and it is our responsibility as faithful servants to ensure the right food is getting out in the right season to the church (Matt 24:45) to enable her fulfil destiny (Isa 60:1-3)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00495906485273578555noreply@blogger.com