The Missionary Psalm: 2 of 4

For the LORD is great and is highly praised; He is feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.-Psalm 96:4-6

Last week we examined three commands from God found in verses 1-3. This week we are examining verses 4-6 and discovering three reasons why we should sing to the Lord, proclaim His salvation, and why we should declare His glory among the nations.

We should sing to the Lord because He is great and is highly praised. There is no other god in all the Nations as great as the God of Christianity. When we compare the God of Christianity to other god’s we notice a stark difference. For example, the followers of Islam live in fear of appeasing Allah, and never have assurance of salvation; in contrast, followers of Christianity honor and revere Jehovah and all those who have trusted in Christ are sealed by His Spirit, held in God’s hands and no one will pluck them out of His hands. The gods of Animism are ever-changing; in contrast, followers of Christianity understand that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He never changes. Hindus follow multiple gods and have to be reincarnated hundreds of times before reaching enlightenment; in contrast, followers of Christianity understand that God is the way, the truth, and the life no-one comes to the Father except through Jesus and to be absent from the body as a follower of Christ is to be present with the Lord.

We should proclaim the Lord’s salvation from day to day because all the gods of the people are idols. Idols are made by human hands; however, God has always existed and is truly autonomous. Idols have eyes but do not see; God’s eyes roam to-and fro over the whole Earth seeing all. Idols have hands that do not move; God’s hands knit us together in our mother’s womb. Idols have mouths but do not speak; God spoke the world into existence. All the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.

We should declare God’s glory among the nations because to behold Him is to behold true splendor, majesty, strength, and beauty. God’s splendor refers to His magnificence, His brilliant or gorgeous appearance. We see a picture of God’s splendor in the Old Testament when Moses asked to see God’s face and God responds to Moses saying, “No-one can see my face and live.” God’s splendor is so magnificent that to behold it would kill us. God is majestic. His majesty refers to His kingship or His Lordship over the Earth. There is no-one like our God. God is strong. He spoke the world into existence and up-holds the world by His power. God is also beautiful. God puts His beauty on display in nature. God’s beauty is seen in the dazzling display of colors and designs put force in creation. God is worthy of worship from every tribe, language, tongue and nation.

In conclusion, why should we sing to the Lord, why should we proclaim His salvation, why should we declare His glory among the nations? The answer to these three questions is found in verses 4-6. We sing because He is great and is highly praised. We proclaim His salvation because the gods of the peoples are idols and we declare His glory among the nations because to behold God is to behold true splendor, majesty, strength, and beauty.

The Missionary Psalm: 1 of 4

Sing a new song to the LORD; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to Yahweh, praise His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples.-Psalm 96:1-3

Psalm 96 should be re-named the missionary Psalm. The heart-beat of every missionary is summed up in Psalm 96.

Psalm 96 opens with a command to sing to the Lord. Humans aren't the only ones commanded to sing, rather, the whole earth is commanded to sing to the Lord. Rocks, trees, mountains, animals, etc. are all commanded to sing of the Lord's praises. In the early morning hours listen to the crickets chirping praises to God. When the wind blows through the trees, it blows praises to Him. The waves pound against the shoreline to the glory of God. The Earth rotates on its axis in worship to God. In the midst of creation's worship God desires to hear His creatures singing and worshiping Him. We are to sing to Yahweh and praise His name.

We are to proclaim His salvation from day to day. Everyday we should be taking time to share with others. We could share our testimony, a Gospel track, bible stories, the power of prayer, the list of possible ways to share is as long as our imagination and gifting. The command in verse 2a is tied to the command in verse 1 to sing His praise. If we believe God is worthy of the worship from all 7 billion individuals on this planet than we will make it a priority to proclaim His salvation. Imagine how our communities would change if we were to proclaim His salvation from day to day.

Finally, we are commanded to declare His glory among the Nations. We are commanded to share with the Nations about the mighty riches, honor, miracles and glory of God. Every other god is false and an idol. No-other god is worthy of the worship of 7 billion individuals on Earth, therefore, we go to share with others the glory of God. Pastor John Piper says, "missions exist because worship doesn't." People don't worship the God who made them, therefore, we go singing a new song to the Lord. People don't worship the God who made them, therefore, we go proclaiming His salvation from day to day. People don't worship the God who made them, therefore, we go to declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples.

Send Me Your Short-Term Missionaries

Title: Send Me Your Short-Term Missionaries
Author: Mike Pettengill
Link: Send Me Your Short-Term Missionaries

Since the summer of 2008 our full-time mission team in Honduras has hosted 50 short-term teams consisting of 500 short-term missionaries. Many people ask, "Wouldn't it just be better if all those people sent you money instead of wasting their resources and your time?" Our answer is an emphatic no. Money cannot hug a fatherless child or enjoy fellowship with Christian brothers. Money cannot play soccer with drug dealers or wipe the tears from a hungry child. We Christians are called to serve the poor, sick, widows, and orphans. Money can buy food for the poor and build houses for the homeless, but just as Christ touched the leper (Matt 8:3), the poor also desire the touch of a loving and merciful hand.

In 2005, 1.6 million U.S. church members took part in a short-term mission trip. Yet despite the popularity of such trips, church leadership and laypeople increasingly question the wisdom of sending short-term mission teams. Some argue short-term missions cause more harm than good. Objections include increased dependency, lack of compassion for local cultures, incorrect motivation, circumvention of existing ministries, and excess costs.

As an experienced host of short-term mission teams I will be the first to admit the problems when hosting teams. However, those problems can be reduced if not eliminated with communication and altered attitudes.

Before the Missions Trip

To the short-term missionaries: Churches sending short-term missionaries must stress that participants are going to assist and serve the long-term ministry. They seek to provide love, fellowship, and resources to people who minister in that community. Short-term missionaries must leave their expectations and cultural biases at the airport and trust the indigenous leaders and long-term missionaries. A mission trip should be approached with the desire to be a servant and not a burden.

To the long-term missionaries: Long-term missionaries and national partners who host short-term mission teams must establish guidelines before the short-term missionaries leave home. Then they must enforce guidelines on the field. The hosts must protect their ministry and advance God's plan for their calling. If a short-term missionary did something to harm a ministry, you probably let it happen.

The leadership in your home church would never allow a visitor to walk in the front door and demand your pastor preach a different text or the worship leader play a new style of music. Short-term missionaries should go on short-term trips to serve as the long-term ministers deem appropriate. As John Piper has said, "If older people, or young people, or multi-generational teams are really serving, pouring themselves out according to the needs of the missionary, then it's the best of both worlds."

Why Are Short-Term Missions Positive?

As an former leader in my home church and a current international missionary I see short-term missions as beneficial to both the home church and also the receiving ministry. Here are a few reasons:

Christianity is a global fellowship. Christ calls us regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity. or socio-economic status. Yet we frequently tarnish Christianity by viewing it through our cultural biases. Short-term missions allows those serving and those being served to see they have brothers and sisters throughout the globe. "I support short-term missions," author Philip Yancey says. "Despite their drawbacks, such trips provide two distinct cultures a taste of the harmony that exists between members of the body of Christ."

Believers can give and receive love. I often tell short-term missionaries that I don't just need people to come to Honduras who have construction or language skills. I would welcome a team willing to sit on a soccer field and hug children for a week. We work in a culture where few homes have a father and mom is off working. The kids in our community don't know unconditional love and seldom interact with adults. You can send a check, but I'd rather you hug a skinny, dirty, snot-nosed kid.

Missions can be expanded in our home churches. Missions is at the heart of Christianity. Unfortunately, it is under-taught and under-valued in our Western churches. Short-term missions can increase the importance of missions in the sending church. If your church sends a short-term team it is reasonable to think your congregants are thinking and praying more about their role in the Great Commission.

Increased prayer and giving in Christ's name. If your church sends 10 people on a short-term mission trip, it's likely each of those missionaries asked 10 others to pray for them and 10 more to write checks supporting the trip. Realistically, your short-term mission trip results in 100 additional people praying in the name of Christ and for the advancement of God's kingdom and 100 people writing checks to the glory of God.

Increased participation in long-term missions. Our mission team consists of nine full-time, adult missionaries. Each of them got their first taste of missions through a short-term mission experience. Most current missionaries younger than 50 got their start in missions during a short-term experience. Not every short-term missionary is called to long-term service. But increased exposure to missions results in increased prayer and financial support for missionaries.

Let's Go

The apostle Paul was a long-term missionary who advanced Christianity through short-term missions. Paul seldom stayed longer than a few months or even weeks in a single location. What about Jonah, Jesus, the 12, the 70? We see evidence in the Old and New Testaments how short-term mission principles were used to expand God's kingdom on earth.

With a Christ-centered, servant's heart, short-term missions can be used to aide the needy, educate fellow believers, and spread the gospel in all corners of the globe. Short-term missions has and will continue to have a healthy role in the advancement of Christianity.

September Newsletter 2

After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with them. There was a great deal of weeping with everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again.-Acts 20: 36-38

Our desire is to shatter the silence!

Storytelling cloth used to explain Bible stories in Africa

Julia learned how to sew a skirt.

Julia learned how to host an African tea.

Julia receiving her shots.

T receiving his shots.

We visited an African restaurant in Richmond.

Great food. We will be well taken care of.

The staff introduced us to African tea. It's great!

God has done amazing things to send us to Ghana. Read about the wonderful works of God in our lives...(We Will Remember). Have you ever desired to see God? If so, check out what God has been showing us these past three weeks... (The Image of the Invisible God). 
Praises:

1. Julia and I have completed Field Personnel Orientation (FPO)!!! God has sustained us through eight weeks and three days of non-stop classes, lectures, role-plays, SKYPE interviews, physical activities and strategy sessions. We are thankful for the investment Southern Baptists have made in our ministry and we feel better equipped to take the Gospel overseas.
2. On September 19^th, 80 families graduated from training. These 80 families are taking the Gospel all over the world. We have been humbled to sit next to each of them in class and hear about God’s amazing grace in their lives. IMB missionaries are truly the cream of the crop!
3. We have completed all of our shots. Julia received ten shots and I received eight. No-one cried! We calculated the cost of our shots; if we had to pay for our shots out of pocket it would've cost us $3,400. We are thankful for the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering which pays for everything.
4. We have received our passports, visas, and plane tickets. We will be leaving for Ghana on October 15^th. Praise be to God for bringing us this far.

Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for our hearts as we will be spending our last weeks with family and friends. Pray that we would redeem the time and create memories with everyone.  The other day Julia and I were sitting around discussing holiday traditions which we will miss in Ghana. A few of them included; KFC on Christmas Eve and Dunkin Donuts on Christmas, getting up very early on Christmas morning and opening presents before the sun comes up. We will miss playing games with aunts, uncles, and cousins, and hanging out at Grandma Hamilton’s house watching Hamilton TV. We will miss our friends and family deeply in Ghana. Please pray for our hearts.
2. Please pray for traveling mercies. We will be doing a lot of traveling over the next month. We will be with my family September 20-29^th. We plan on spending a day at Liberty University on the 22^nd and a day in DC on the 24^th. We will leave Williamsburg, Virginia on the 29^th and travel to Wake Forest, NC in order to spend Sunday, the 30^th with one of our sending churches. Please pray that we would be able to re-cast the vision. We will leave Wake Forest and travel to Charlotte, where we will spend the remainder of our time in Charlotte with Julia’s parents. Pray that with all of the traveling and hours in the car we will take time to grow closer together as a couple.
3. Pray that we would abide in Christ every day. God has impressed upon our hearts Exodus 33:15-16 in which Moses prays to God and says, “If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us?” Moses pleaded with God to go with them. We are praying for God to go with us to Ghana. We are incredibly serious about this request, so much so, that we are willing not to go unless God goes with us. We know that God will go with us, if we abide in Him. Please pray John 15:5 over us. Pray that our walk with God would be our top priority.
4. Please pray that we would be obedient and submissive to the Holy Spirit. We know that God is already at work among the Mamprusi people and we desire to join Him. Please pray that we would develop rapid immediate obedience to the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would convict us of sin and conform us into the image of Jesus. Pray that we would learn to rely on Him on a daily basis.

Serving Him,

The Welchs

We Will Remember

       I have been reading through the Pentateuch (first five books of the Old Testament). While reading through these books I have been amazed at the number of times God instructs the Israelites to remember all that He has done for them. The Israelites are instructed to write down everything God has done in order to remind them and help teach their children about God's faithfulness. When future generations read about all God has done these generations will glorify Him.

        The process of remembering all God has done in the past for Israel caused me to sit down and write out all God has done in our lives to send us overseas. God's faithfulness has been evident throughout the course of our lives. Below is an incomplete (it would be a long blog if I included everything) list of all God has done. My prayer is that this list will encourage you to expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.

1. God saved me my freshman year at Liberty University.
2. God gave me a burden for missions my Freshman year.
3. God placed me on a hall and brought friends into my life who had a heart for the Nations.
4. God provided through other people the resources necessary to spend two weeks in the Amazon region of Brazil.
5. God opened the door to have the privilege to go out witnessing every weekend in down-town Lynchburg and in the bar section of Roanoke.
6. God provided the opportunity to work with Internationals at LU. He also provided an opportunity to assist with an international chapel every Tuesday.
7. God provided the opportunity to teach conversational English to five Korean students.
8. God brought Julia into my life. She has a heart and a desire to take the Gospel to the Nations. She is my better half.
9. God provided through other people the resources necessary to spend two weeks in India and see the unreached and unengaged with my own eyes.
10. God opened the door for me to continue my studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminay in their 2+2 program.
11. God allowed me to marry the woman of my dreams.
12. God provided Julia with a teaching job at a wonderful Christian School. The principal said in an e-mail that she was drawn to Julia's application.
13. God allowed Julia's car to run without any major problems. For two years she drove forty minutes to and from work five days a week. She put a lot of miles on her car.
14. God provided a job as a janitor. I cleaned five office buildings five nights a week.
15. God provided a job as a swim instructor. I started teaching swim lessons to two kids and after two summers God had brought over fifty kids into the program all of whom learned to swim.
16. God provided the Keesee Grant which allowed me to attend Southeastern free of charge.
17. God worked through my education at Liberty and I was able to test out of five classes.
18. The IMB informed Julia and I that she had to travel over-seas before they could send us for two years. God provided all of the resources for Julia to travel over-seas within one week of learning that she had to travel over-seas.
19. God provided a second job for us. I taught gym and Julia taught after-school care. The extra money allowed us to no-longer live paycheck to paycheck.
20. God opened the door for us to be hired by the International Mission Board.
21. God allowed me to receive the International Church Planter award at Southeastern.
22. God allowed me to finish the first portion of my 2+2 degree in two years. This is almost unheard of.
23. God provided for us through our family and friends allowing us to stay at their houses during our time of transition from Wake Forest to Africa.
24. God sent us to training at ILC for eight weeks and three days.
25. God allowed us to graduate from training.
26. God sent Julia and I to Africa.

God has provided for Julia and I every second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day. God has been working and preparing the both of us for our time in Africa. We know that the same God who called us and provided for us to travel to Africa will continue to provide for us while we are overseas. We are learning lessons which we will teach to our kids and future generations for years to come. May our story inspire you to expect great things from God and attempt great things for God.

The Image of the Invisible God

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by Him, in Heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-all things have been created through Him and for Him.-Col. 1:15-16

      Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. When I read the Gospels and study the life of Christ I catch a glimpse of who God is. Many individuals who are not followers of Jesus comment on how much they like him. I believe this is because everyone has a God-shaped hole in their hearts which ONLY He can fill. As unbelievers learn about Jesus the Spirit testifies to them that Jesus is the one they have been looking for. Jesus amazes everyone who studies His life.

       Jesus Christ, as the second member of the Trinity is over everything. The Word (Jesus) created it all. He created the land, sea, mountains, valleys, sun, moon, and stars. He created man and woman in His image. He created angels and all of the Heavenly hosts. He created Satan and his demons. He created everything.

  

        Jesus not only created all, but, He is over all. He is over every disease, wars, genocidal dictators, and corrupt governments. He is over all religious, political, and economic leaders. He is over every angel or demon. He is over the stock market, job recovery, and the national debt. He is over the Republican and Democratic party. He is over Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, Syria, Nigeria, Niger, Pakistan, Ghana, USA, and every nation on Earth. He is over every school and university no matter what they teach. He is over every natural disaster, car-jacking, mugging, and kidnapping. He is over every birth and He is over every death. As Abraham Kuyper beautifully said, "There is not one square inch on planet Earth over which the living Savior does not say mine!"

        All things have been created through Him. Everything must pass through Jesus. Everyone on the planet who breathes, is breathing because Jesus has given them permission. Everything which happens, happens because Jesus gave it permission. 

          Everything is for Christ's glory. Christ's greatest aim is to magnify His glory. Everyone/everything which exists whether visible or invisible, thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities exists to bring glory, honor and worship to Jesus.  Every event which takes place on Earth is allowed to take place because the event will bring greater glory to Christ. Everything is for His glory.

           
          Christ has created it all. He is over it all. All things have been created through Him and everything has been created for His glory. We have nothing to fear! Jesus is on His throne! He is over it all, therefore, we must trust and surrender our lives to Him! Have you submitted everything to Jesus?