Miscellaneous Missionary

God kept His word throughout all His dealings with Noah. He judged the earth. He saved the family. He rescued the species that were in danger through the ark as well. In the end, God reigned sovereign over man, judged sinfulness, saved sinners, and made the world a better place for man to receive His blessings. It is all for the glory of God. This is a very important point. We get the idea that God was a different person back in those days, that He dealt with man much harsher, or much differently than He does today. The fact is that God has always had the same mission. throughout history, He has faithfully saved sinners, judged sin, and blessed mankind through His gracious working. This is the testament that comes to us through the flood and is best evidenced by the exit of Noah and all those in the ark safely after the flood. They quickly were able to worship God out of a heart of pure thanks for what God had done to save them. They saw God's hand at work in the promise never to flood the whole earth again.

The flood has been and continues to be the center of argument for the young earth that the Bible depicts. Rather than being gradual erosion and scattered natural disasters that made the mountains, canyons and fossil beds over billions of years, the creationist viewpoint is that they happened mostly at the same time--the time of the flood. I am not an expert on these things, but I do have a couple of good sites at the left to help. In the end, as Ken Ham says, I was not there. I have to rely on interpretation of history passed down by others. Aside from the obvious philosophical problems that arise from this, we have the basic need to trust someone to tell us what happened. I do not like to do this. I love picking holes in the evolutionary viewpoint, such as what scientific evidence ever shows that life comes from non-life and the endless failures to contact life on other planets, and the lack of evidence for real change from one species to another. But in the end, they remain convinced. Every time I look at a mountain cliff, or even a map, I think of how God judged the earth with a flood and how radically it changed everything, but this is a question of faith. People who believe otherwise also have their faith.

Does it matter? A thousand times yes. God gives this message not so that we can get a groovy feeling in the emotions, but so that we can know Him. If we cannot trust His historical record to be true, than that calls into question His character. If God is faithful (and I believe He is), then He will keep His word, just as He did with Noah, and come again, proving once and for all What really happened. WE can trust Him for that. Just as He kept His word for Noah, He also would continue to keep His word from the time of Adam and Eve. That is why the reality of the flood is so important. It is a matter of defending God's faithfulness, which is essential to His character.

Finally, as I am so inclined, I have to adress those fearful skeptic atheists who try to say that my faith is exactly what is wrong with this world (people convinced of religious truth and willing to defend it). I am not trying to force my way into government or public places and force all others out. I am not trying to shout you down and call you ignorant or blame the world's problems on you. I am trying to speak the truth as I see it. I am secure enough that I do not have to play political games and try to force my faith into power. It is you, however, who is trying to exclude all Christian and biblical voice from public expression. That shows me that your theories do not give you the security to have an open mind. My belief in God's faithfulness makes me let Him defend His own Name.

Learning From My Friends

I had some experiences this weekend that upon reflection are good illustrations of what it means to be a missionary.

OK, I fell into temptation. I watched several of the Football (soccer) World Cup games. It was notable that the first game I watched with a bunch of non-Christian friends and acquaintances. There were some there who loved to show me how well they know the English language by cursing loudly in English. Others, were conversational, and I learned a bit about the culture of sports and its importance here (by the way, there is no other news right now, only the World Cup). The impression and illustration was the challenge of maintaining a good testimony and living and speaking truth, while having "secular friends." I put that in quotation marks because it is so strange talking about friends and people that way. The point is this: the missionary is that person who goes out of the circle of Christian contacts, and actively lives for Christ in a secular community. A lot of times I feel really strange, because I have a different set of presuppositions, but that is what being a missionary is al about.

The second observation happened with some friends in the park. We were all standing in a circle kicking a soccer ball around and each showing what he could do (I showed very little). Some of the guys were so confident that they were joking in good fun about how good they were, and then one guy did a series of kicks and tricks that was incredible with the end in kissing the ball mid air and basically juggling with his feet. Just a few minutes later, we went to play basketball. I played lightly, but I had to show off a little, since I felt a little more at home. Those guys most confident with the soccer ball were shaking with nerves trying to find the ball with their hands. The observation is this: the missionary leaves his home and comfort, and goes to strange situations. They left their home to "minister" in a foreign context. This is what the missionary does. In this sense, the missionary is a student much more than a teacher.

The third observation was just yesterday. I was with a group of people mixed in nationality and origin. We were again involved with the World Cup, and Portugal was playing. When they played the national anthem, I observed the pastor of the church (Brazilian) singing with pride the Portuguese anthem. What an example of a missionary heart. I do not know what will happen if Brazil plays Portugal in the later rounds, but I noted that he was able integrate in his ministry such that his new home is as much his home as his old one ever was. This is the task of the missionary. He leaves behind some things to take up new ones. He takes on a new identity that is more interested in who he is in Christ and making that identity the focus of his ministry.

Not all of these things have come true fully in my life, but these are some of my goals. My time in Mozambique is coming very soon, and I want it to be marked by these things. As I move toward a new phase in ministry, I trust that God will "let this mind be in me.

Please pray for my upcoming summer plans, and in particular my travels very soon back to the States.
Please pray for my support to reach the necessary level.
Please pray for the field of Mozambique, as they move forward in the ministry that is just being established.
Praise for the good friends that God has allowed me to have here.
Praise God for a good return on the final exam.