Conflict Caused by Gospel Advance
Wherever there is forward movement of the gospel there will be conflict. We anticipate conflict with unbelief and false religious systems, but the story of the early church Jerusalem Council reminds us that sometimes there is conflict between our traditions and cultural norms, and what God is doing as He brings people to Himself. The deliberations of the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 demonstrate a proper understanding of the balance between doctrinal absolutes and cultural norms. The lessons from Acts 15 are not just for missionaries on the front lines of ministry. They are for churches at home as we strive to be doctrinally faithful and culturally effective.
Proclamation
Missionaries serve in settings that are often quite different from their homeland in terms of worldview and culture. They must learn to communicate the gospel to their target audience in ways that are both biblical and effective. It seems, however, that more and more we too are living in a society which is quickly changing its social and moral values. It is easy to be fearful or frustrated with that. Yet, we are called to proclaim the hope of Christ in the time and place where God has put us. The Apostle Paul’s encounter with Greek philosophers in Athens, recorded in Acts 17, provides helpful guidelines for missionaries who must communicate truth in challenging environments. But the account can also be helpful for us both in highlighting the crucial need to proclaim Christ and in modeling effective communication to an audience with very different perspectives than ours. Listen in as Mark Vowels begins our three-part series, Mile Markers for the Mission.
Portrait of a Gospel Ambitious Congregation
The first of a two-part series in which we focus our attention on God’s global purposes for the nations. In this first sermon – brought to us by Mark Vowels – we hear the Word preached from Romans 15:7–13. Paul writes to the Romans because he wants them to share in his passion for reaching the unreached with the gospel. He wants to be sure that, in preparation for his coming to them and partnering with them, they are a gospel driven congregation. What does that look like? This is true when the spread of the gospel among the nations is our primary ambition as a church. We want to see churches established among those who have limited or no access to the gospel. We want to see those churches led by their own people and replicating without outside help.
God Is on Mission
As we have been learning from Pastor Trent’s series in Genesis, the foundations of who man is and how he relates to God are found in the stories of this ancient book. This week we will look again at Genesis chapter 3 and the story of mankind’s fall from perfection. We will focus in on how God responds to man’s fall by continuing to pursue His eternal purpose, which spans the entire story of humanity and culminates in a glorious future.
Tracking with the Apostle Paul
After writing the longest of all of his theological discourses and several chapters of instructive application, Paul brings his letter to the Romans to a conclusion in chapters 15 and 16. In verses 14-33 of chapter 15, he reviews his ministry to that point, explains his future goals and asks for help from the church at Rome. Those verses give us marvelous insight into Paul’s thinking and help us shape our goals for HBC’s engagement with world missions.
