January 2009
1 post
Alex Chediak Blog: More than 70,000 Christians... →
Pray for the persecuted believers in India.
December 2008
2 posts
Christmas Gift Idea « Fundamentally Reformed →
Support missions with one of your Christmas gift choices.
2 tags
The Church of Jesus Christ and Its Impact around... →
Several articles from last month’s Tabletalk magazine that focus on missions. Great reading.
~~posted by Bob
November 2008
2 posts
7 tags
Intolerance, the Dali Lama, and the Bible
No one is more known for peace and tolerance than the Dali Lama. At least that’s what the world at large thinks of him. A Tibetan Buddhist, he crusades for world peace and harmony.
Sunday at our church, one of the leaders of an Indian church planting organization (directed and funded by Indians primarily, he did not ask for or even tell us how to give money) told a fascinating story about...
1 tag
Almost Done
Almost done! I’ve got 10 posts left to cart over from Blogger to Tumblr. Then just a few minor housekeeping items to finish around here and we’ll be set to start posting again. I may not have as much support from my cohorts, but I think we should keep the blog afloat….
Stay tuned, y’all. Blessings….
~~posted by Bob
June 2008
3 posts
Jesus and Buddha on Happiness :: Desiring God →
Great read!
~~posted by Bob
Prayer Update
Thanks for praying. My brother and wife made it back to Moscow safely. They were unable to use a phone or internet while in the region they visited. All went well, they are safe. And the trip was good. Continue to pray for them as they hope to go back to that area in Central Asia for longterm missions as a family as early as this January.
~~posted by Bob
Please Pray →
Pray for my brother and his wife who may be in harm’s way right now somewhere in Central Asia. Click on the link above for a fuller description.
~~posted by Bob
May 2008
4 posts
Advice to Missionaries (and All of Us) :: Desiring... →
~~posted by Bob
A Love for Missions Starts at Home :: John Piper →
~~posted by Bob
“In the midst of growing Christian persecution and terrible world calamities,...”
– click below to read the whole post:
A Call to Revolution | Pitchford’s Ramblings
~~posted by Bob
Economic Stimulus Payment & Christ :: Desiring God... →
John Piper challenges us to think differently about our tax rebate checks. If possible, lets redeem those checks for Christ by giving radically to support the cause of world mission!
~~posted by Bob
April 2008
2 posts
1 tag
Good News
Good news for our readers, all 2 or 3 of you :^) . We will be moving this blog to kingdomsurge.tumblr.com and we intend to keep posting. There will be more posts that simply link to other missions themed articles, as the new blog is geared more toward links, pictures and videos. But we plan to still contribute articles and posts from time to time. It will take a while to move the blog from...
The Surge Rolls On
I’m in the process of moving our Kingdom Surge blog from Blogger to Tumblr. This will enable us to more easily update the blog and keep it rolling, even when our own contributions run low. We’ll be able to easily add links and quotes relating to missions from the tumble blog, and thus keep the fervor for missions alive. So hang on for a while, and we should soon have our move...
March 2008
2 posts
8 tags
Ultimate Easter Egg Hunt: Reaching Hidden People...
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance...
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How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the...
…continued from part 3.
The Doctrine of the Trinity and the Source of the Christian Mission
Finally, we must notice that the doctrine of the trinity is the source from which the Christian mission flows. We have already observed that mankind was created to show forth the image of the triune God, as a diverse and yet unified covenant people, reflective of the diverse and complementary...
February 2008
5 posts
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How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the...
…continued from part 2.
The Doctrine of the Trinity and the Means of the Christian Mission
Not only does trinitarian theology shape the goal toward which the Christian mission is striving; it also clarifies the means which are to be used in the pursuit of that goal. Redemption is ultimately an accomplishment of the triune God; he alone is the doer of the work, and therefore, any human...
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How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the...
…continued from part 1.
The Doctrine of the Trinity and the Goal of Christian Mission
The most basic application of the doctrine of the trinity to the goal of Christian mission is simply this: if the inter-relationships of the ontological trinity are indeed covenantal, then the goal of Christian mission must also be covenantal. When God first created man, it was explicitly for the purpose...
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How the Doctrine of the Trinity Shapes the...
In any discussion of Christian theology, it is virtually axiomatic that the doctrine of the trinity is the foundational doctrine which distinguishes a peculiarly Christian theology from the theology of any other religion, especially of the other great monotheistic religions. Likewise, in any discussion of Christian missiology, it is virtually axiomatic that the core pursuit of the Christian...
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250 Million Persecuted in 2007?!?!
Yes, this is quite shocking.
It is estimated that nearly 250 Million Christians were persecuted throughout the world in 2007. Many were martyred, imprisoned, beat, and ridiculed for their faith in Jesus Christ.
This startling statement comes from an article by the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission [HT: Kevin Stilley]. Their article goes on to detail a year’s summary of the worst...
January 2008
1 post
7 tags
Global Conquest: Missions, Ambitions, and New Year...
Set your sights higher. Instead of diets and disciplines, why not resolve to conquer the world this year? Say no to Atkins and yes to armies. Alexander the Great. Genghis Khan. Napoleon. You. Why not? You don’t have to be some sick megalomaniac like Nero or Hitler to pursue global conquest. After all, despite much fanciful propaganda to the contrary, Genghis Khan himself—who conquered twice as...
December 2007
2 posts
3 tags
Merry Christmas
With Christmas and traveling, we will be putting new posts on hold here at Kingdom Surge. We have several posts in the works, with plans for regular posting beginning in January. Here is a Christmas letter I shared on my family blog. —————————————— Merry Christmas, everyone. We hope this season finds you well, and...
7 tags
Immanuel & Islamabad
A Meditation on Isaiah 9:7
The “increase” of Jesus’ domain, we are told, will have no end. So chew on this: Christ’s kingdom is not merely eternally existing, but eternally expanding. The rule of the Holy One infinitely and exponentially spreads and grows and conquers. The dimensions of Christ’s domain—though universal and absolute from the divine perspective—are greater and more glorious in...
November 2007
2 posts
5 tags
Pray for the Persecuted
I came across an interesting article highlighting the European Union’s recent resolution against the persecution of Christians [HT: Kevin Thompson]. It is good that free governments like the EU and the US push against regimes that persecute Christians. Yet such should not be our only response to persecution. We should seek to apply these verses and remember our brothers and sisters in...
5 tags
Thankful for Jesus
Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! This Thanksgiving, I encourage us all to spend time thanking God for more than just the food on the table, or the football on TV. So often we sing generic songs of thankfulness for harvest come, and forget to be specifically thankful for God’s working in our lives and most of all for Jesus and his Death in our place on the Cross. Keep in mind a harvest-thankful...
October 2007
3 posts
3 tags
Firstfruits from the Nations 8: The Command to...
The Command to Multiply and Fill the Earth
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Genesis...
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The 7 Year Itch: Faithfulness or Success?
Faithfulness in mission can sometimes be threatened by our pragmatic views of success. Mission agencies, local churches — even missionaries themselves — get overly focused on success. How many converts? How many church plants? How can I go on if I’m not seeing fruit from my work? This problem only intensifies when one speaks of missions in the hardest corners of the world....
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Music for Our Mission: Across the Lands
Across the Lands
Words & Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
You’re the Word of God the Father From before the world began. Ev’ry star and ev’ry planet Has been fashioned by Your hand. All creation holds together By the power of Your voice. Let the skies declare Your glory; Let the land and seas rejoice!
CHORUS You’re the Author of creation; ...
September 2007
11 posts
3 tags
Firstfruits from the Nations 7
Rahab the Harlot
“But Rahab the prostitute and her father’s household and all who belonged to her, Joshua saved alive. And she has lived in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” Joshua 6:25 ”By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies....
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Music for Our Mission: Hope of the Nations
Hope of the Nations
by Brian Doerksen
Jesus hope of the nations Jesus comfort of all who mourn You are the source of Heaven’s hope on earth
Jesus light in the darkness Jesus truth in each circumstance You are the source of Heaven’s light on earth
In history You lived and died You broke the chains You rose to life
CHORUS You are the hope living in us You are the rock in whom we trust ...
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200 Years of Missions in China
September 5th was the 200th anniversary of Protestant Christian Missions in China. It took almost 7 years for the first convert to be baptized, and the first missionaries could never have dreamed that today the tally of converts would number into the millions. Praise God for how marvelously he has worked to call out a people for His name from among the Chinese! I encourage you to read this brief...
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Doing Your Work as to the Lord, For the Sake of...
continued from part 1 3. Redeem the time by educating yourself about the world. William Carey was a humble shoemaker before he launched the modern missions movement. While his hands were engaged in constructing footware, his mind was engaged as a student of geography, peoples and movements. He kept a large map in his shop, with information pieced together from his readings. He poured over accounts...
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Doing Your Work as to the Lord, For the Sake of...
I believe it is Christ’s intention for the task of the Great Commission to be the task of His entire body. There are no exemptions to the call to “make disciples of every nation.” Every true follower of Christ is to follow Him in His mission to gather worship for the Father out of all of the peoples over which He has dominion. But it is also a sensible and biblical expectation that the...
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Firstfruits from the Nations 6
The Imagery of the Feast of Tabernacles When we read of the institution of this feast in Leviticus 23:24-44, we immediately notice several features which set it apart from the other feasts, as follows: First, its timing as the last great feast of the year, and specifically, as the feast which took place immediately after the Day of Atonement, is significant. After the most solemn day of the year,...
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Online Missions Networking
Today I want to highlight a great new missions resource tool I’ve found. IAM (International Association for Missions) has recently created an interactive site for members. The site is designed to facilitate online networking and cooperation toward reaching the world for Christ. The site provides forums, personal websites and a blog. Members can contribute articles and comment on other...
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Sowers of the Gospel as Rich Men or Starving
Some time ago, I had the opportunity to read a book I wish to soon reread, Roland Allen’s Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? (Wm. B Eerdmans Pub Co., 1962). Writing in the middle of last century, Allen, an Anglican missionary to North China, spoke ahead of his time on issues of control and indigenization. He calls his readers to abandon paternalistic snobbishness in the missionary...
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Music for Our Mission: O Church Arise
O Church Arise
by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
O Church Arise and put your armour on Hear the call of Christ our Captain For now the weak can say that they are strong In the strength that God has given With shield of faith and belt of truth We’ll stand against the devil’s lies An army bold whose battle-cry is Love Reaching out to those in darkness
Our call to war to love the captive...
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Firstfruits from the Nations 5
The Call of Abraham “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing… And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-4 For many Christians, the Old...
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The Christian Mission: An Overview (part 3)
continued from part 2 These problems, and many others like them, pose no little difficulty to the completion of the great commission. It is the burden of this article that they may be overcome, in God’s grace, only by an intentional and widespread examination of the entire biblical corpus as it pertains to the great mission of the Church. If we would begin to see the winds of change beginning to...
August 2007
22 posts
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The Christian Mission: An Overview (part 2)
continued from part 1 The second problem, a narrowness of perspective, may be viewed from two different angles: historical and geographical. With respect to the first, it is easy to lose the clarity of vision that may be gained by perceiving our era of mission as the culmination and continuation of a history-long movement which defines and gives impetus to our current task. When we are diligent to...
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The Christian Mission: An Overview (part 1)
part 1 of 3 As we approach the point which marks a two-thousand year lapse of time since our Savior left us on earth with a great task to accomplish, namely, the evangelism of the nations, it is imperative that we pause to consider what precisely we are striving to accomplish; how far we have advanced on our goal; and what strategies we have in place for the continuation and ultimate completion of...
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Empty Boats
“Don’t be so hard on yourself…” “Come on, man, walk in victory, not defeat!” More than one missionary friend has tried to convince me that any form of self-demeaning is foolish and needless. After all, we’ve been “raised with Christ”! And certainly we have, we who lean on Jesus alone for our righteousness. We are free indeed, and have prepared for us an inheritance that is infinitely durable and...
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A Challenge from the Third World
Yesterday’s post stressed that we Westerners should not abandon our involvement in cross-cultural missions. Yes the “Third World” is more and more doing a fantastic job in spreading the Gospel of Christ. Today I thought we could ponder the fact that the “Third World” should challenge us in the West. We are so comfortable and so blessed monetarily, that we easily...
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The Validity of Crossing Cultures in the Work of...
The missionary advance of the gospel can no longer be mistaken as a Western enterprise alone. More and more nations from the two-thirds world are sending their own workers, and, not surprisingly, without American passports and unaccustomed to Western comforts, they are getting into some of the most difficult and limited access regions of the world. Believing nationals from within under-evangelized...
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Let the Nations Be Glad!
Let the Nations be Glad! is the book which we here at Kingdom Surge believe encompasses a truly Biblical view of missions. John Piper shows how our desire for God to be glorified and treasured is what should fuel all efforts to take the gospel to the lost. If you have not heard of this book, please consider the following endorsements:
The most important book on missions for this generation. John...
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Temple-Building: Lessons for the Task of Missions
“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” ( Eph. 2:20-22) “For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling...
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Book Review: Salvation to the Ends of the Earth,...
Synopsis: In light of the overwhelming abundance of materials on the practical aspects and New Testament examples of Christian mission, the relative scarcity of works intending to set forth the foundational principles of mission from the entire gamut of scriptural witness is conspicuous. This self-styled “biblical theology of mission” admirably fulfills a much-needed role in the pursuit of a...
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Muhammed & Mother Teresa: Affirming the Oneness of...
Paper dolls, anyone? You remember those things. One piece of paper, folded over many times, cut into the shape of a doll. Then, Voila! You spread out the paper doll figurine to reveal not one, but many dolls. Well, sort of. It’s still one piece of paper. At the end of the day, whatever minute differences or blemishes show up among them, each doll shares remarkably identical features. Separate but...
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How To Keep Missions Before Your Church
Today, I just want to point us all to a great post on the topic of how to keep missions before your church. Chris Anderson, a pastor, asks that question of his readers. The discussion that follows is well worth your time. I’m thinking this could generate some discussion here. Any other ideas for how we can promote missions practically on the church level? I know at my church (Pastor John...