Mission In Praise Word And Deed

Listening to the Voices of Global Practitioners In Christian mission, we cross boundaries between the people of God and the not-yet people of God, declaring “[God’s] glory among the nations” (Ps 96:3). Mission begins and ends in worship. In mission, we proclaim the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. We also care for the whole person. Thus, at its core, mission intertwines praise, word, and deed. This book represents the latest in missiological thinking. Though some contributors are scholars and even professors, most are field practitioners —evangelists, church planters, Bible translators, medical professionals, refugee workers, and community development specialists. Based on decades of faithful service, they report on what they have learned about mission. Mission in Praise, Word, and Deed addresses a wide range of critical concerns, such as informal theological education, Bible translation, business as mission, trauma care, and working on multicultural teams. As we ponder best mission practices, it’s wise to hear from global practitioners—those who have been at it for a long time. This book represents the diversity of the global church. They are men and women from Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe who have served or presently serve in places across the world. These contributors share the conviction that the future of missions involves a growing global church and missionary workforce joining hands to complete the Great Commission amid severe opposition and disruption.

Lauded for his thoughts, Augustine of Hippo (354-430) has influenced virtually every philosopher of the last fifteen hundred years. But his personal character and ministry are even more remarkable, for in a time when most monastery dwellers sought solitude, Augustine was always in the company of friends, visiting disciples and writing mentoring letters to those he knew. Augustine as Mentor is written for modern day pastors and spiritual leaders who want to mentor and equip other evangelical Christians based on proven principles in matters of the heart like integrity, humility, faithfulness, personal holiness, spiritual hunger, and service to others. Author Ed Smither explains, “Augustine has something to offer modern ministers pursuing authenticity and longing to ‘preach what they practice.’ Through his thought, practice, success, and even failures, my hope is that today’s mentors will find hope, inspiration, and practical suggestions for how to mentor an emerging generation of spiritual leaders.”

The most complete collection of hymns and songs from the Mission Praise series, this new edition includes music and lyrics for 1,250 traditional and modern worship songs and hymns, including over 100 extra new songs. For 25 years Mission Praises's unique blend of old and new has met the needs of churches of all denominations and sizes, in the UK and around the world. This new, expanded edition of Complete Mission Praise includes the whole of the existing collection of over 1000 songs and hymns, and adds more than 100 of the best new songs from the past few years. This is the ultimate collection of traditional hymns and modern worship songs for all churches, an invaluable resource for all musicians and worship leaders. - 1,250 hymns and songs in all, from long-standing classics to new favourites - Includes full sheet music and guitar chords - 106 new additions - the best hymns and songs of the 21st Century - Fully compatible with the previous edition of Complete Mission Praise and Mission Praise Combined - Easy-to-use alphabetical index - All the words for Complete Mission Praise in one volume - Photocopiable under the CCLI Music Reproduction Licence

Theology disconnected from mission is not Christian theology at all. The pastors, professors, and missionaries writing Theology and Practice of Mission provide a clear biblical-theological framework for understanding the church's mission to the nations. Toward that goal, the book holds three major sections: God's mission, the church's mission, and the church's mission to the nations. Part one explores the canon of Christian Scripture from narrative and systematic angles, explaining how the mission of God-to redeem a people who will be a kingdom of priests to the praise of his glory, bear witness to his gospel, advance his church, and dwell with him forever on a new heaven and earth-is communicated in the Bible's four movements: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. Part two sees the mission of God's people in the light of God's mission, emphasizing not only preaching and church planting but also gospel witness in every dimension of human culture-glorifying God in family, church, work, community, through the arts, sciences, education, business, and the public square. The writers encourage us to live missionally, leaving all of our resources at God's disposal for the sake of his kingdom. Finally, part three contends that the North American church must come to terms with its missional calling-just as international missionaries do-and gives a starting point and parameters for conceiving the church's mission to all people groups and cultural contexts. Chapters here include ones on unreached people groups, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Postmoderns.

How did Christian missions happen in the early church from AD 100 to 750? Beginning with a brief look at the social, political, cultural, and religious contexts, Mission in the Early Church tells the story of early Christian missionaries, their methods, and their missiology. This book explores some of the most prominent themes of mission in early Christianity, including suffering, evangelism, Bible translation, contextualization, ministry in Word and deed, and the church. Based on this survey, modern readers are invited to a conversation that considers how early Christian mission might inform global mission thought and practice today.

The Bible teaches that the church is called to a balanced ministry of both preaching the gospel in words and showing it with deeds. Yet the church has often found it difficult to find and maintain this balance. Today some are emphasizing deeds at the expense of words, while others hold fast to "talking" and forsake the doing. This is an imbalance that must be righted. Standing at the helm of a leading Christian college, Duane Litfin has had a first-hand look at the issues students and alumni are talking about. Many Christians are excited to debate the importance of social justice and evangelism now more than ever before. Seeking to level the balance, Litfin steers the conversation toward the biblical harmony of word and deed, pointing out the church's tendency to overcorrect—either cutting out the preaching of the gospel or forgetting the application of action. An elder statesmen in the church, Litfin's training in communication theory and in detailed exegesis is brought to bear on this important subject, bringing verbal proclamation in sync with the witness of one's actions.

Keller explores a life of justice empowered by an experience of grace.

Building on Common Ground All the prophets are to be taken seriously by Muslims. They know the names of many Bible characters and often know Islam’s version of their stories. Most Muslims, however, are also aware that they do not know the whole story. This book is about sharing the precious truth of the gospel by referencing characters on whom Muslims themselves set a high value. Calling on the Prophets offers helpful, practical conversational habits to initiate, navigate, and steer conversations through the common ground of our prophetic heritage. This is not a method to replace all others; it is an extra ability to add to our skill set. In the first four chapters, Colin Bearup lays out the principles and sets ground rules for respectful, fruitful conversations. The next ten chapters apply these principles to fourteen Bible characters known to Muslims as prophets. If we master the approach, we can engage in these example conversations and successfully delve into others. None of these ideas are totally new, but they are brought together in one slim volume with real-life examples. Here is an opportunity to learn new ways to enhance our effectiveness in sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.