Loud Thinking: Do not be Anxious

Do not be anxious for anything, for the Lord hasn’t denied anything good to you, for His word says that everybody who trusts Him wont be disappointed and everything works together for the good of those who belong to Him.

May the wait, may the struggle, may the circumstances be hard to endure but hasn’t He empower you with the promise Holy Spirit to seal His salvation? I am so helpless when I trust my own device, when I often I look back  and regret of no getting what I want the easy way. what I need to understand is that the Sovereign God has allowed that to gives us time to appreciate the greatest gift we have which is to have Him.

Do not be anxious precious child for everything for eternal life can only be given to you through Christ and if you posses it, thats more than enough. Do not give room to the devil to make you think that Christ is not enough, do not let him twist your worldview to low your standards in order to do it the cheap way. 

Do not envy the unsaved, for yourself underestimate your position in Christ if you happen to have the same worldly standards, you have been made for more. You have been made for the Glory of God, then live in light of such truth. 

1 Peter 5:6-8 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Self support or supported missionaries? A realistic view of financing missions

This is a very important topic in which I've heard a lot of opinions from people who have spent more than 3 months in the mission field. This being said, there are very unrealistic goals that people set for missionary standards. But to explain further, let me define what I mean with self-supported and supported missionaries.

Self-supported missionaries are those who have a full time job in order to sustain themselves and do ministry at the same time. Most self supported missionaries go to certain countries to do professional work because proselytism of the Gospel is not legally allowed. Other self supported missionaries work part time because the church is not able to fully finance them, so they have to work as well.

Supported missionaries are those fully financed by churches or individuals. The majority of missionaries are supported directly or through mission agencies. They mostly live in places where it would be hard to make an income, even having a profession. 

Should missionaries be self supported or supported?

Depending on where they are, there are places where missionaries could never be fully supported by full time work, or by the local church. Even though the whole church could tithe, it would be impossible since in some countries, people make minimum wage or less. If there is a chance for a missionary to enter a country by using their profession or some form of business investment, that would be great; but this is not the case for every missionary. Let me give you an example, I've heard people say, "If ten people give ten percent, the missionary would make the average income."  If the ten people who give ten percent make minimum wage or less than minimum wage, they would be tithing between ten to thirty dollars a month, which means that the missionary would make one hundred fifty to three hundred dollars a month. 

With people earning that amount, how would they survive?

Normally in countries where people earn minimum wage, they survive because they are part of a family team, which helps financially, or they have already inherited a house or apartment.

Why do missionaries ask for financial help? Why don't they work to save money for the church?

They ask for financial help because that's how most of the New Testament missionaries were sustained (Luke 8:1-3, 1 Cor 9:1-23, 2 Cor 9). They're not just asking for money, but giving the opportunity to participate in the mission work of the Gospel. I've heard people say that missionaries should work in their furlough to earn their wages. Most missionaries who come for furlough endure intense work, spiritual warfare, and are drained by being in difficult places without the comfort of fellowship.

Although some missionaries willingly work because they enjoy laboring for the gospel, much of the work they do is under-appreciated. If you think missionaries do nothing, you should read the book of Acts and potentially repent.

How long should I support a missionary? 

Supporting a missionary until they can establish a church to support them can potentially be dangerous. People may not have bad intentions by thinking this, but the following should be considered:

1. Missionaries can become mentally clouded when they're concerned with raising funds for expenses along with evangelizing.

2. It's uncertain how long a missionary will need to have a self- sustaining church and there's question as to whether it's possible.

3. You can unconsciously pressure a missionary to water down the Gospel in order to bring people to church at the expense of true converts.

4. You should think outside your bubble.

In conclusion, it doesn't matter what you think, research is needed. Missionaries often have to prove the legitimacy of their needs. It's easy read a book about missions but do we really think that missionaries who take the word to other nations deserve to be judged this way? Do you feel you're wasting your money by investing it in the expansion of the Gospel?

Take a look, pray, read your bible and pray again. There is a need for the Gospel and we participate by going ourselves or by supporting the robe of those who go. Is the kingdom of God not ours also?

               

                     We may think differently about how ministry should work without having to share the Gospel with our neighbor or we can talk about the experience of battle without ever having scars but I hope the Lord gives us a sense of living in the reality of the Gospel which we profess and to honor those who spread the good news.

“And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!””

‭‭Romans‬ ‭10:15‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Loud thinking: if the church had barriers

If the church had barriers all the walls of divisiveness would segregate to form groups of selective worshippers according to their race, social status, culture and language. If the church had barriers gatherings would have sections of worship where the rich would worship separately from the poor, where the white would worship separately from the African American and Latinos. If the church had barriers people would worship according to their countries, first world, deloped and third world countries in different assemblies.

But the church doesn't have barriers, for the rich and the poor have been bought by the same blood. For He has saved people from every ethnicity and every culture. For within the church there is not class of saints, as if one sinner could be better than the other; for the blood of Christ has made us new. We don't have different kind of believers, but believers on different kind of contexts where their context doesn't make their worth but their worth is in Christ. For in eternity the differences won't make any difference for the Lord will call all His saints MINE. 

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 

Loud Thinking: Secure in Christ

“…… If God is for us, who can be against us?”   Romans 8:31b. Who can present any charge against God’s children in order to steal that confidence which is in Jesus? May the devil try to use our past sin to attack our conscience, may he whisper about our insufficiency to obey God in the past. Also he may use present struggles to saturate your mind of how miserable your carnal body is, better is for you to quit than to keep fighting he says. For it is easy to forget who is our captain when the storm comes through, as if we're holding the wheels. Dear children doesn't matter who is around you if you are holding your Heavenly Father’s hand. His direction is his protection, although the path is narrow, it is safe.

Saints are untouchable, not by their spirituality or their efforts but because they belong to God in Jesus. God goes on their defense when the enemy tries to bully on one of His children, for they are under His care. He is our anchor, He is our rock, He is our shield, He is our castle, He is our Salvation, He is our Lord, He is our Father, He is our Mighty Fortress, how could we be stolen if such a great God hold us unto His hand for His Glory? For God is with you, nothing will shaken you, just never grow weary or get tired of knowing who is the God holding you.

Thinking out-loud: “Christian” is a cheap label

A sophisticated society can't rest until their morality is justified by some sort of creed.  The label:             “Christian”seems to be the cheapest of all of them. You can add theword "Christian” to music, books, ideologies and philosophies, which do not find any agreement with the Scriptures. It will be sold, it will be popular, it will be highly emotional, but it will lack of the divine certification since it evidently contradicts the Word which God inspired. A “Christian” song can have an angelical melody but its lyrics will exalt the supposed spirituality of men through humanism. A “Christian” book may have eloquent and fancy writing but be in clear contradictions to the Scriptures. We may “Christianize” a tradition but it may be full of humanism. 

Things that may be labeled as “Christian” can push morals and standards in order to fit into the pseudo       “Christian”category but never be a Christ centered object or practice. It may be introduced into a political system but not into the hearts of man, it may be a push into a reformation but with no conversion. In actuality it denigrates God and exalts men, the majority may agree with it but if God doesn't, it is not worthy of our time. 

The Christian label in people is the most deadly of all.  It can have its assurance in outward expression without ever entering the heart; it can be eloquently superficial but never truly appreciated.  It means to fake conversion without regeneration, you may pretend to be a new creature and still be an old one. 

We should be ashamed of our self preservation, because of it we don't call things by their name, and we would rather have people like us than please God. We participate in the demeaning of our Savior as we share approval of that incomplete philosophy of miss-labeling things as “Christian”that are not. By acting as if His life was not worthy enough, as if His blood were not sufficient, and as if His love wasn't great enough, we insult our Savior by making Him something common or cultural. The label is cheap but the life is costly, it demands our death in order to live in Him. True Christianity is not a label.  It is Christ-centered living and if the Gospel or the glory of God is not the main priority in one of the“Christian” systems then it's not Christian, it is religious self-deception.

Self-Righteous Missionary Mindset

The gospel is our banner, our identification as ambassadors of Christ. Clearly we are called to proclaim it through all the world. It's a message worthy of our lives, because it demonstrates the glory and wisdom of God through it. Could there possibly be wrong or self righteous reasons for us to proclaim it? Why should we preach the Gospel? Why should we do missions? What should be the motivation behind our actions?

Before I keep going, let me define the word self-righteous: it is to pretend to have a moral superiority in contrast to others; a higher status not justly gained, but acquired by pretense.

With this definition of self-righteousness, here are some of the ways we can be self-righteous about our missionary efforts:

1. Ethnic distinctions: although it is true that a lot of indigenous people who live in remote areas haven't been reached with the Gospel, it is not their ethnicity that makes them a target for evangelism. They are men; that's what makes them a mission field. There is no one ethnicity better than another, for all have been damaged and cursed under the same malady.                

This applies as well to people who look at skin color and say that "those" people groups need the Gospel. There is no racial distinction of sinners before the eyes of the Lord; ethnic features are never the problem, but our silly mindsets of inherent racial superiority in who we are, can be an issue. 

2.  First world - third world mindset: some people do missions based on the fact that there are third world countries--as if the country's status made sin any better. This mindset can make people fall into the danger of making communities in third world countries more like first world ones, instead of simply preaching the Gospel. Let it be said that at the final Day, there won't be those distinctions of first world or third world countries, but simply the reign of our sovereign King. To think that men are a mission field just because they live in a third world country is to not see the implication of the missionary calling at all. It's not their sophistication that is at risk, but their spirituality.

3. Rich - poor mindset: this one can go both ways. Sometimes, rich or more wealthy people think that the poor need the Gospel simply because they are poor and they don't have a lot of the privileges the wealthier people have. Yes, there is a call in the Bible to help the poor; indeed, the Bible says that some in the early church would sell what they owned in order to help each other within the church with their financial needs (Acts 2:45). But again, being poor is not the real problem; a person's sin nature is the issue. It is equally wrong for the poor to think that rich people are in need of the gospel simply because they have more; the rich are men and they need the Gospel as well. No financial status makes a person better than another. Although one can harden your heart more, the need for Jesus is an equal reality for both societal classes.

4. Cultural mindset: although some cultures are more open in their paganism than others, it doesn't mean that those cultures where Christianity has been more influential aren't a mission field. There is one thing you need to know about culture: there are men in them, and they are sinners. So sin can spring from open paganism to a false sense of security in performance(??????????????????????????????????????idk what you're trying to say). Yes, there are men who need the Gospel in countries where they physically bow to idols, but there is also a need for the Gospel in countries where going to church is so common that it can give a false assurance. It's not just about going to church, it's about being the church. History tells us that there is no assurance for us that a society where Christianity has been highly relevant will not turn into a mission field later. Therefore, in all cultures we must preach the Gospel, for in all of them there are men in need of a Savior.

So in conclusion, the reason to evangelize, to do missions, is because men are sinners--men from every part of the world. There are unconverted people in the church, in third world and first world countries, among the rich and the poor, among every culture. Therefore, let's preach Christ to all the nations! There is not one human thing that makes one person better than another in our basic need for the Gospel. We all need it.

Without Christ:

The police man is going to be in the same place as the criminal.

The good father is going to be in the same place as the bad father.

The church attendant will be in the same place as the unchurched.

The soldier is going to be in the same place as the terrorist.

The conservative is going to be in the same place as the liberal.

The obedient son is going to be in the same place as the rebellious son.

Before God, we are all the same, which is why Paul says: “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin;” Romans 3:9

Loud thinking: Modern Christianity

Christianity, to be a follower of Christ, to imitate Christ in such way where dying for Him wouldn't be a concern but a privilege. Oh Christianity, too  modern now, how much you've have changed, you've changed dignity for reputation, aligning yourself with the trends of the world and the culture to make yourself so relevant. You long to be the cool kid that gets along with everybody but instead have become the obnoxious kid that everyone avoids because you are pretending to be someone else in order to get along with everyone. What God commanded became an option for you, and only you seem to aim to moral changes, your singing is so loud but empty, you can play good melodies with no significant content. Your expositors and preachers can be eloquent, sofisticated and charismatic but so many times they forget that they work for God not for the people. Palatable sermons with too much sugar but no nutrients, too exciting but not instructive.

Your demands must be met because to agree or disagree is more important for you than to recognize Authority of God's word, you stone sincere and true prophets for the sake of just listening to a message of peace. You sell sheep clothing to wolves instead of giving the true Gospel that can turn wolves into sheeps. You claim to believe in fellowship but you don't realize that it just seems to be a mechanic activism of group of people with superficial struggles. You claim to go to heaven, and to be heavenly minded but your judgement is so earthly minded that it makes other religions sound more spiritual. You are willing to fight till the end over things that don't matter and you avoid the battles that will define eternity for many. Easily offended, you think that you are so worthy of respect that no one can confront you. You praise earthly titles and ignore great faith, you use the Bible for prejudices and not to set others free. You trust the arm of your efforts as if the Holy Spirit wasn't a helper but an expectator of your devices.

Oh please repent, that God is not done with you, despite of your silliness and naiveness He still loves you, that if in any form you find conviction of sins He still calling you. Oh can it be that I should gain an interest in my Savior's blood? No I can't, but He is interested in us. A love that wasn't born in us doesn't die in us, a love that dwells in the eternity of who God is remains forever.