Worship=Missions=Worship

Missions exist because worship doesn't.

-John Piper

I read this quote in a class last year and it has stuck with me ever since then. I have even gone back to read that article several times since the class has ended. I have marked and highlighted something in nearly every paragraph. The gist of the article is this: God is ultimate, we are not. Piper says that worship is the goal and fuel of missions. I find this to be resoundingly true. We do missions because of the passion we find when we worship, thus it is the fuel. Because of the passion we have for God we desire that others may experience the same, thus worship is the goal. 

When we do not have a passion for God, we do not have a passion to go out into the mission field. When we do not have a passion for the salvation we have received we do not have passion to see others saved. We have this passion only when we spend time in worship, reflecting on the beauty of God. Our time in worship fuels our excitement for missions. 

A "good" missionary isn't a "good" missionary just because of their methodology or the ministries they lead. No, a missionary can have the best plans and ideas for ministry but without God's heart for the lost their work will be in vain. When compassion for the lost is lacking, it is likely that our worship is lacking. Missionaries must share the passion that God has for those who are lost. The more we worship, the more we  grow in appreciation for our salvation and desire for others to be saved.

I gravitate to the Psalms when I am not sure how to worship. When I don't know how to pray, I find that some of the best prayers are already written for me...

 ^"May the peoples praise you, O God;

    may all the peoples praise you.May the nations be glad and sing for joy,    for you rule the peoples justly    and guide the nations of the earth. May the peoples praise you, O God;    may all the peoples praise you."
-Psalms 67:3-5

"Sing to the Lord a new song;

    sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, praise his name;    
proclaim his salvation day after day.
 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous deeds among all peoples"

-Psalms 96:1-3

The Love Offering

A man and his wife sat quietly in the pew as the preacher spoke compellingly about missions. When the preacher was finished with his message he called for the ushers to come forward. He sent them out to collect an offering. The man, sitting by his wife reached into his coat pocket and pulled out an envelope. The wife looked at him knowing that inside the envelope was his two week pay check. The ushers reached their aisle and the plate was passed to the man. Without hesitation he placed the envelope in into the offering plate.

The woman was rightly concerned. Though they were not poor, she wondered how they would purchase groceries for the next two weeks. What would they eat? What if they needed something? But she said nothing.

Once the ushers had returned to the front they emptied the plates and the preacher stood up. This time he said, "Men, many of you are wearing gold watches. In these offering plates are tin watches. They tell the time just fine so I'm asking you to take off your gold watch and replace it with a tin one. We will sell your watches and use the money for missions."

Once again the plate reached the couple and the man removed this watch and replaced it with a tin one. The wife again watched in silence as her husband put on the new tin watch. She said nothing but was wondering what had overcome her husband.

The ushers reached the front of the church again and emptied all of the watches out of the plates. Again the preacher stood up. This time he said, "Ladies, many of you are wearing expensive jewelry that you really do not need. Take it off and place it in the offering plates. We will sell it and use the money for missions."

The man quietly took his wife's hand and she was comforted. When the plate reached their row, he lifted her and gently slipped off her diamond engagement ring. Stunned, she sat in silent as her eyes filled with tears. With a quiet "plink" the ring dropped into the offering plate.

One last time the ushers emptied the plates at the front of the church and the preacher stood up. Now he said, "For this last offering, I will not send the ushers out. Instead, this time you will offer yourselves. If you are led, come to the front of the church and give yourselves to missions."

The man took his wife by the hand and together they went to the front of the church. They knelt beside a Japanese couple and prayed.

The man and his wife were Charles and Lettie Cowman. The Japanese couple were Juji and Katsuko Nakada. Together with E.A. and Julie Kilbourne they would later form Oriental Missionary Society which is now known as One Mission Society.

Three Things Thursday: Orientation, Church Visit & Newsletters

One: Orientation was great! We spent two days with eight other missionary candidates learning more about OMS and getting to know each other. Most of the time was spend going over our Birkman tests and discovering how our personalities will effect us in our ministry on and off the field.  It was  also interesting to see how Jeremy and I work together according to our results. While I tend to be a "let's go" leader, Jeremy is a "let's be careful." So, while I am pulling us ahead, Jeremy is making sure everything is done well. I guess we are a good complement for each other!
It was a great time to spend with each other and the other candidates as we continue to work on raising our support.

Two: We drove up to Salem EMC in Salem, VA early Sunday morning. The congregation  graciously welcomed us to share the story of our call to Spain. We are so thankful for those who gave and supported this ministry. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Orientation group with Dr. & Mrs. Wesley Duewel

Three: Newsletters! If you are interested in receiving our newsletter please click the page above to sign up! We hope to send these out regularly to keep everyone updated on our progress. We will keep an archive of past newsletters so that you can catch up if you missed anything! I promise not to spam you or send you an inordinate number of chain emails.