God's Vision for Man

“When the New Testament speaks about evangelism or missions it isn’t a new idea and it’s not separate from God’s plan for us in Genesis 1. God’s vision is the fulfillment of his commission in Genesis 1—that man would fill the earth with his glory. This is the eschatological hope of the prophets and is stated beautifully in Habakkuk 2:14: ‘For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.’” -- Dustin Crowe

Photo by Makena Zayle Gadient

The Truly Full Life

“The truly full life is the one surrendered to God in every square inch of it. It’s the life packed in every nook and cranny with Christ as Lord, the gospel our hope, and the Kingdom as mission.” -- Yancey Arrington

Photo by Joe Philipson 

A New Humanity

“Contrary to some perceptions, Jesus didn't die and rise from the dead so we could attend religious services. Instead, Jesus was raised to be the first of a new humanity, a new creative work of God. As part of this work, we enjoy relationship with God and join him in his mission.” -- Jonathan Dodson

Gospel Quote - No Spectators

"God has saved you, Christian, to send you out . . . into your city, and into the nations to tell the good news that Jesus has lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserve to die, and conquered the enemy that we cannot conquer. Christ has risen from the grave, and everyone who turns from their sin and trusts in Him will be reconciled to God forever. Every single Christian is on the earth to proclaim Christ. Every single one—no spectators." -- David Platt

Photo by Andrew Hart

Gospel Quotes - Our Vocation

"Mission lies at the heart of God. It doesn’t begin here in Acts 1-2, in fact it began in Genesis 3. Here in Acts the vocation of God’s people to be witnesses of what God has done in and through Jesus Christ becomes our calling. Witness is the vocation of God’s people. Witness involves being keepers of the story, proclaiming the story of who Jesus is, and living out the ongoing reality of the story in this world!" -- Mark Steven

3. The Big Picture - The Mission - Slides & Notes - Eng & Ro

3. The Big Picture - The Mission from William Anderson

Here are the slides of my teaching that I will use today with the young people in the Nouă area of Brașov. In this teaching we will look at the role of our mission in the big picture. To download the slides and notes just click on the links below the embeds which will take you to SlideShare.

3. Imaginea de ansamblu - Misiunea from William Anderson

3. The Big Picture - Mission Notes from William Anderson

3. Imaginea de ansamblu - Misiunea notite from William Anderson

1. The Big Picture - Jesus - Slides & Notes - English & Romanian

1. The Big Picture - Jesus from William Anderson

Here are the slides from the teaching I will do today with the young people in the Nouă area of Brașov. In this teaching we will begin to look at the "big picture" of what Christianity is about. When a person repents and puts their faith in Jesus it is helpful to understand the big picture in order to know what is important and what to focus on in order to grow. To download the slides and notes just click on the links below the embeds which will take you to SlideShare.

1. Imaginea de ansamblu - Isus from William Anderson

1. The Big Picture - Jesus Notes from William Anderson

1. Imaginea de ansamblu - Isus notițe from William Anderson

Gospel Quotes - The Two Dimensions of Gospel-Centeredness

"Being gospel-centered has two dimensions. First, it means being word-centered because the gospel is a word. The gospel is good news. It is a message. It is a message that can be summarized in simple gospel outlines or even the three-word confession, 'Jesus is Lord.' Yet is is also a message that fills the entire Bible. It is the story of salvation from creation to new creation. It is a word that has become incarnate in Jesus Christ. It is this word that brings new life to people and shapes the life of the church.

Second, being gospel-centered means being mission-centered, for the gospel is a missionary word. The gospel is good news. It is a word to be proclaimed. You cannot be committed to the gospel without being committed to proclaiming that gospel." -- Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church, pg. 32.

Discipleship Links

Here are some more discipleship links:

1. Community Shaped Discipleship: A Plea to Youth Workers
2. The Challenge of Making Disciples on Campus
3. Imitation: Getting Beyond Information-Based Discipleship
4. How to Create a Discipling-Making Culture in Your Church
5. From Moralism to Evangelism

Send Us Out!

Let this be our heart cry!

Mission's Flame - Matt Redman

Let worship be the fuel for mission's flame
We're going with a passion for Your name
We're going for we care about Your praise
Send us out 

Let worship be the heart of mission's aim
To see the nations recognize Your fame
'Til every tribe and tongue voices Your praise
Send us out

You should be the praise of every tongue (Jesus)
You should be the joy of every heart
But until the fullness of Your kingdom comes
Until that final revelation dawns
Send us out

Every tribe, every tongue
Every creature in the heavens and the earth
Every heart, every soul
Will sing Your praise, will sing Your praise
Every note, every strain
Every melody will be for You alone
Every harmony that flows from every tongue
We'll sing Your praise, we'll sing Your praise
We'll sing Your praise, we'll sing Your praise 

Food for Thought 3

It is easy to think of those who go overseas of doing missions work but every Christian, according to Jesus, is to be a missionary right where they live. Below are some links that will give you some "Food for Thought" about the "mission" Jesus gave us.

     Evangelism as a Practice Not a Program

     10 Things that Keep Us from Mission

     Too Busy to Be Missional

     Lies That Keep Us From Mission

     Great Expectations Require Great Resignation

     The Meaning of Missional- Jeff Vanderstelt - Video (5:35 min)

     Are You a Trader? Video (2:24)

These "Food for Thought" posts are sent out in an email usually once a week unless I am very busy or traveling. The last one sent out was "Food for Thought 8" so you can see I delay before posting them online. If you would like to receive "Food for Thought" by email let me know.

Food for Thought 2

How should normal everyday Christians be involved in life, evangelism and missions and what should motivate them? Here are a few links that will give you some "Food for Thought" in regards to these things. 

http://www.alanknox.net/2011/01/missions-every-christians-job/

About the impact "normal everyday" Christians had on the growth of Christianity

http://www.skyejethani.com/redefining-radical-part-1/751/

The call to radical mission is NOT the solution to consumer Christianity - Part 1

http://www.skyejethani.com/redefining-radical-part-2/768/

The call to radical mission is NOT the solution to consumer Christianity - Part 2

http://straighttotheheart.highpointeaustin.org/2011/06/24/the-glory-and-goal-of-missions/

The Glory and Goal of Missions

http://takeyourvitaminz.blogspot.com/2011/06/attributes-of-god-in-light-of-cross.html

The Attributes of God in Light of the Cross

http://vimeo.com/23498421 - video - Dallas Willard on Spiritual Formation - 16 minutes

http://theresurgence.com/2011/06/29/spirituality-isnt-inward

Spirituality isn't Inward

Lording willing I will be sending out my newsletter next week. You can check it out you can at the link Time, Traveling and Teams and if you would like to receive my newsletters just go to Subscribe.