Jesus was absolutely confident that the Great Commission would be achieved. He said in Matthew 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." I wonder how soon that wil be?

The Lord also calls us to be absolutely confident He will help us as we carry out the mission. He promised in Matthew 28:20, "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." He promises that His authority and power will be with us as we carry out this Great Commission. I suppose that means He will show up as we share the good news of Christ! Do you have a story of how the Lord was with you as you shared the good news?

Lord, I pray that you will send out workers into your harvest. Check out this song by one of my heroes back in the day or video of the need in Africa. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHjdRDBS25k  

Charles Spurgeon, the "Prince of Preachers" in the 19th Century, wrote that the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) "is the Church's right." Spurgeon evinced boldness when he wrote,

All power is given to Christ . . . What then? Why this. Kings and princes . . . are [you] aware that your thrones have been given away? . . . Do [you] pass decrees forbidding the gospel to be preached? We laugh at you! You have no power to prevent it, for all power is given to Christ . . . [The church] has rights . . . rights in heaven without limit, and rights in earth without bound; for all power is given to her Head  . . . What is that man doing on yonder shore? . . . He is an intruder, banish him at once! Sirs, mind what you do, for surely [you] fight against God. But the man is sent away, he comes back again . . . A severer edict is passed this time, "Let us slay him . . ." But another comes, and another, and another.

What do you think about Spurgeon's zeal? [Check out Psalm 2; Isaiah 50:7]

(http://spiritlessons.com/images/File_PassionMovie_CrossWalk2.jpg)

If you were to change the world how would you do it? Jesus had an amazing plan!

His plan is all about investing in His followers and then unleashing them. During His ministry, He first showed His disciples His power. Then He gave it to them (Luke 9:1ff). And then He sent them into the world to share the good news of the kingdom (Luke 10). Jesus showed them, empowered them, and sent them. That's how He made disciples.

So when He gives the Great Commission it's no different. He says, "All authority . . . has been given to Me. Therefore, go and make disciples . . ." Jesus gives us the authority to be conduits of His authority as we make disciples.

How has the Lord Jesus empowered you to advance His kingdom? (Check out 1 Corinthians 12; 2 Timothy 1:6.)

Yesterday's message focused on the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 (click on "Messages" at www.shalombaptist.org).

Tait Hoglund has arrived at Shalom as our new Student Ministries Director! It's exciting to have Tait on staff and he's off to a great start.

As I thought about Tait coming and my message last Sunday, it struck me that there was a time when there was no such thing as "youth ministry" in churches. Not until the 1950s did the group called "teenagers" in America actually become a significant social unit. Teenagers had spare time and cash, and thus a youth movement began in America. Churches who wanted to reach families for Christ naturally decided to start youth groups. This evolved into "youth rooms" and "youth ministry" with "youth directors."

This is a great idea as long as parents do not neglect building relationships with their teens and teaching them Christ's ways. Let's not forget that this is God's will. Deuteronomy 6:5-8:  "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up." How is that going?

Jesus said in Matthew 19:6: "What God joins together, let man not separate." When wedding vows are spoken, the marriage is not the action of a man or a woman. God acts. God joins a man and a woman in marriage.

But we also must act to build marriage. Carl Sandberg's daughter wrote that her dad had quite a temper but her mom always coaxed him out of it. Once, when Carl had grown old, he pulled at the handle of a screen door and it was stuck. He shouted in anger. But his petite wife looked up at him, patted his chest, and said, "What a fine strong voice!" Carl Sandberg was disarmed by her love and no longer able to be mad. Keep building.

 So how can we transform a marriage? I've noticed that the Bible points to the New Covenant as the key to Covenant Marriage. One example is Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. Jesus' death on the cross is the husband's inspiration, empowerment, and source of forgiveness -- all crucial elements to transforming marriage. How crucial is this concept to transforming marriage and why?

The essential difference that the concept of covenant marriage makes is that God is in the mix. In a world where there is a tsunami of destructive values that tear marriage apart, we need God more than ever. (More on that in my next post.)

The graph below comes from  Boomers, Xers, and Other Strangers. It shows how American values have changed so much. Which values in this graph seem particularly damaging to marriage?

Is what we're doing in America working when it comes to building marriage? My message yesterday displayed the graph below that demonstrates a huge increase in divorce in the 1970s. I've noticed that our conversation about marriage and divorce rarely mentions covenant marriage -- a crucial concept for a healthy marriage. 

Covenant Marriage is a lifelong commitment by two believers to remain faithful to God and to one another. The difference covenant marriage makes is that the couple knows they are accountable to God and experiences the power of God working in them to build a positive, healthy marriage. Any thoughts?

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/mvsr/supp/mv43_09s.pdf

An influx of Somali Muslims and Latino workers has created an interfaith conflict in a Grand Island, Nebraska meatpacking plant. Muslims have asked management to adjust the factory schedule to fit their prayer times and holidays. American Christians might debate this matter by pointing out the tension between the right to religious freedom and the economic cost to stopping the factory for prayer. What would you say?

Why not answer from the story of the Bible? The Bible says we are to "love your neighbor as yourself"? But not everyone in Grand Island would view Somali Muslims as neighbors--the view might be that they are intruders or enemies. (This probably happens in communities across America.) And if they are viewed as "enemies", what does the story of the Bible say? Jesus says, "Love your enemies" (Matt. 5:44).

We are called to be Good Samaritans -- to love across religious and racial lines. Every person is created in God's image and therefore loved by God (Matt. 5:44-47). God is never seen more clearly in us than those moments in which we love our "enemy."

How does the story of God's Word help you move past barriers toward reconciliation?

(Sunday's message on the Word brought to mind this story that is found in Leadership magazine, Spring 2009.)

(http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/us/16immig.html)

A number of people have asked me about the TNIV. Every person has expressed concern that this is a corrupted translation. They have also all been convinced that this is a new translation. I'm not sure why all the questions have popped up.

So I decided to look into it. I invite you to check out their website http://www.biblica.com/bibles/tniv/ and see what you think. I've learned that the original TNIV put out a number of years ago was more of a concern than this one might be. It appears that the translators are making a diligent effort to be faithful to the original biblical text and to be relevant to today's culture.

I personally like the NIV for it's readability and accuracy. I use the NASB and the ESV when I want a translation more close to the original text. I also use the NLT for young people or new Christians.

Enjoy the Word! Share the Word!