Love Wins Because Jesus Died For Sin

A few nights ago I read Rob Bell's new book, "Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived."  If you've not been paying attention to the Christian blogosphere you may not realize that this book has created an enormous amount of attention and has been roundly condemned by evangelical scholars like Al Mohler and John Piper.

The controversy surrounds Bell's contention in the book that he does not believe a loving God will send billions of people to a place called hell.   He believes that given enough time in eternity that every single person who has ever lived will eventually have their heart melted by the love of God and will choose to spend eternity with Him.   In the end, Bell argues, love wins.

Of course the controversy is that this belief, that everyone gets to heaven no matter what they believe in this life, is known in theology as "universalism", a heresy that has been condemned by Christian orthodoxy since the fourth century.   

This kind of argument has wide appeal.  In fact,  I would say that there are many Christians in conservative churches who buy into some form of universal theology.  The complaint that a loving God surely would not send good people to hell is not a new one with Rob Bell.  So what's the problem?  Why all the uproar from Christian scholars and conservative pastors?

The problem is that although the idea that in the end everybody wins has a lot of appeal, in order for a person to buy into this logic you would have to ignore or deny some very significant biblical teachings about the nature of man, God's grace and the blood atonement of Jesus.  In order for us to embrace the idea that everyone eventually goes to heaven without their hearts turning toward Christ in this life, we would have to believe that man is basically good, Christ's death on the cross was unnecessary and that man's natural tendency toward sin and rebellion is not as bad as we might think or the Bible says.  

But of course, the Bible teaches that we were all born in sin and rebellion against God (Romans 3:23) and that our situation is so dire we can't even know the depths of our wickedness and deceit (Jeremiah 17:9) and that the only remedy to our idolatrous heart is the substitutionary death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Bell gets past all of this by speculating that surely after death a loving God will give all of us a second chance at redemption.  The problem of course is that the Bible teaches we all get one death and then the judgment (Hebrews 9:27).  But remarkably the entire premise of the book rests on this one bit of speculation on his part.  He puts it like this:

 “And then there are others who ask,  if you get another chance after you die, why limit that chance to one-off immediately after death? And so they expand the possibilities, trusting that there will be endless opportunities in an endless amount of time for people to say yes to God.  As long as it takes, in other words.” (p.55)

Again, this logic, though appealing, runs contrary to the plain teaching of scripture.  An example is found in the teaching of Jesus himself.   In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus taught a parable about a man named Lazarus and a rich man who were both existing in a kind of eternal state of awareness after death.  Lazarus was in heaven and the rich man was in hell. Remarkably, the rich man begged Abraham to allow Lazarus to go back to earth and tell his brothers of their need for repentance.  Abraham's answer was that if his brothers would not listen to Moses and the prophets, they would not listen to a man who came back from the dead (v. 31).  In this fascinating parable, Jesus reveals to us that the human heart is in such rebellion against God that not even appeals in the afterlife would be able to budge it.  

This is not a new controversy.  In fact it seems like every generation has examples of this kind of thing.  One of my Dad's favorite biblical scholars when I was growing up was William Barclay.  Barclay was a prolific writer and theologian and his commentaries were a must in every conservative pastor's library.  Late in his career, Barclay caused a similar controversy when he announced that he was a convinced universalist.

The reason this particular event has become such a big deal is that Bell, like Barclay in my father's generation, has been extremely influential.  He is a very gifted communicator, whose Nooma videos have been played and replayed for years in worship services and youth ministry events in countless evangelical churches.   There is a lot to like about Rob Bell.  He is extremely creative and really a genius when it comes to communicating in popular media.   One of the best sermons I ever heard in fact from the book of Leviticus was preached by Rob Bell.  It was one of those sermons on the atonement I will never forget.  

In fact there were parts of the book I enjoyed.  I thought his treatment of heaven on earth in chapter two was masterful.  But in chapter three his theology started going off a cliff and it never recovered.  As a friend of mine remarked, the parts of the book that were good were really good but the parts of it that were bad were terrible.  

To be fair the book was obviously not written as a book of theology.  He is not making arguments for biblical scholars and theologians to pour over so they can develop counter arguments.   He is pithy and sarcastic and bombastic in his approach to conventional Christian belief.   Reading the book is like watching one of his Nooma videos.  For the most part, Rob Bell paints pictures, he doesn't develop scholarly arguments.    

My sense is that he probably doesn't care what conservative scholars think anyway or else he wouldn't have written such a provocative book.  Instead he is appealing to a large audience of unbelievers and others who are offended by the traditional teaching of the church.  Believe me that is a BIG audience.  There will be many who no doubt will be attracted to this spin on the gospel.  

Sadly, it's not the gospel of scripture and so it's not the gospel that transforms lives and changes hearts.   

It's another gospel.  

Which is to say, it's no gospel at all  (Galatians 1:6-8)

In his promotion video, Bell raises lots of questions about conservative biblical teaching regarding the atonement.  Denny Burke does a good job in answering those questions:

In the video Bell begins with an anecdote about a person who once suggested that Ghandi is in hell. Bell is astonished that someone would make such a pronouncement, and it leads him to pose a litany of questions--questions that he apparently intends to answer more fully in the book. I thought it would be worthwhile to take a crack at answering each of his questions here from a biblical point of view. So here are my answers to Bell's queries.

Bell: Ghandi's in hell? He is? And someone knows this for sure?

Answer: The Bible teaches that there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). The Bible also teaches any person who does not believe in Jesus falls under the judgment of God (John 3:18). Anyone (including Ghandi) who refuses to trust Christ alone for salvation will die in their sin and will not be able to follow Jesus into eternal life (John 8:21).

Bell: Will only a few select people make it to heaven?

Answer: Yes, that is true. Jesus taught that a select number of people would make it to eternal life. Most people will choose the broad way that leads to destruction, but a few will choose the narrow way to life (Matthew 7:13-14; Luke 13:23-28). Nevertheless, the Bible also teaches that there will be a great multitude which no one will be able to count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9).

Bell: And will billions and billions of people burn forever in hell?

Answer: I don't know if anyone knows what the exact number will be, but the Bible teaches that at the end of the age there will only be two groups of people: those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life and those whose are not. All those whose names are not written in the book will be thrown into the lake of fire. This will no doubt be a countless throng of people (Revelation 20:10-15).

Bell: And if that's the case, how do you become one of the few? Is it what you believe? Or what you say? Or what you do? Or who you know? Or something that happens in your heart? Or do you need to be initiated or baptized or take a class or be converted or be born again? How does one become one of these few?

Answer: There is nothing that any person can do to be counted among the saved. Salvation from the penalty of sin is all of grace. God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him might not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). God offers us His Son, and the only way to receive Him is by faith. Jesus said it this way, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent" (John 6:29). If you want to become one of the few, then you have to trust in Jesus alone for your salvation.

Bell: And then there is the question behind the questions. The real question: What is God like? Because millions and millions of people were taught that the primary message, the center of the gospel of Jesus, is that God is going to send you to hell unless you believe in Jesus. So what gets subtly sort of caught and taught is that Jesus rescues you from God. But what kind of God is that that we would need to be rescued from this God?

Answer: What is God like? This is the ultimate question and how one answers this question will determine how all the others get answered. God is holy. He loves righteousness, and He hates sin. He is the most valuable, precious being in the universe. He is worthy of all our worship, devotion, and obedience. All people fall short of their obligation to love and worship God, and this falling short is called sin (Romans 3:23). Through our sin, we all have earned God's just sentence of death (Romans 6:23). In fact, God says that He is angry with those who do not repent of their sin. The Bible says that God is storing up His anger for impenitent sinners (Romans 2:5) and that it will be a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of an angry God at the judgment (Hebrews 10:27, 31). The Bible teaches that God is both the treasure of heaven and the terror of hell. God will punish His enemies.

Bell: How could that God ever be good? How could that God ever be trusted? And how could that ever be good news?

Answer: You are asking how can God be good if He sentences sinners to eternal damnation, but I think you have the question backwards. The real question is how can God be good if He doesn't send sinners to judgment. In other words, how can God be good while forgiving sinners? This is the question Paul wrestled with in Romans 3, and he concluded that God set forth His son Jesus as a propitiation for sin. That means that all of the wrath and anguish that would have taken us an eternity in hell to endure, God poured out on His Son in the moment of the cross. God is good because He settles our sin debt in the cross of Jesus Christ, our substitute. This is good news because God clears away guilt through the cross and offers eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus. Anyone who believes in Jesus in this way can have forgiveness and eternal life. This is more than good news; it's the best of news.

Bell: This is why lots of people want nothing to do with the Christian faith. They see it has an endless list of absurdities and inconsistencies, and they say, "Why would I ever want to be a part of that?"

Answer: Sin will always appears as a trifle to those whose view of God is small. If you were to discover a little boy pulling the legs off of a grasshopper, you would think it strange and perhaps a little bizarre. If the same little boy were pulling the legs off of a frog, that would be a bit more disturbing. If it were a bird, you would probably scold him and inform his parents. If it were a puppy, that would be too shocking to tolerate. You would intervene. If it were a little baby, it would be so reprehensible and tragic that you would risk you own life to protect the baby. What's the difference in each of these scenarios? The sin is the same (pulling the limbs off). The only difference is the one sinned against (from a grasshopper to a baby). The more noble and valuable the creature, the more heinous and reprehensible the sin. And so it is with God.

If God were a grasshopper, then to sin against Him wouldn't be such a big deal and eternal punishment wouldn't be necessary. But God isn't a grasshopper, He's the most precious, valuable, beautiful being in the universe. His glory and worth are infinite and eternal. Thus to sin against an infinitely glorious being is an infinitely heinous offense that is worthy of an infinitely heinous punishment.

We don't take sin seriously because we don't take God seriously. We have so imbibed of the banality of our God-belittling spirit of the age that our sins hardly trouble us at all. Our sin seems small because we regard God as small. And thus the penalty of hell--eternal conscious suffering under the wrath of God--always seems like an overreaction on God's part. If we knew God better, we wouldn't think like that.

Bell: [You] see, what we believe about heaven and hell is incredibly important because it exposes what we believe about who God is and what God is like.

Answer: You couldn't be more right. But I question whether the god that you are describing is the same One I am describing.

The Real Saint Patrick and Nine Other Things

1.  Yesterday was Saint Patricks Day.  I asked my son if he knew who Patrick was?  "Was he an alcoholic?" was his answer.  So on the day after St. Pats day I thought I would post a good synopsis of the actual story which is much better than the myth.   If you've not read the history of Patrick before, you may be shocked that the way the world celebrates one of the most effective evangelists in Christian history is by getting plastered on green beer.

2.  I have been receiving emails from Christian friends in Japan who are asking for Christians around the world to pray specifically for the wind direction in Japan to remain low and eastward.  One article that explains the importance of this can be found here.

3.  The most effective way for us to give to the need in Japan is through the IMBs emergency fund.  We have people already on the ground assessing the needs and allocating the resources in effective ways that accomplishes both the short term and long term objectives for Japan.  You can allocate your offering through the church or you can give online here.

4.  Fellow Oklahoman Tom Eliff has been named the new president of the International Mission Board.  I believe Tom will do a terrific job as the new leader of our missions organization.  He is a proven leader who has experience not just as a pastor but as a missionary on the field.  He is widely respected and loved and brings much needed confidence and competence to the IMB.   Tom will face many challenges in the months ahead but I believe his most daunting challenge will be to simplify the organizational structure so that it is more effective at accomplishing it's mission.   If I were to summarize the biggest problem with the IMB right now I would say we are entirely too top heavy.

5.  I am excited about Eliff's new vision for the IMB to challenge local churches to partner with the board to reach unengaged and unreached people groups around the world.  I know there will be many challenges to pull this off, but it is a worthy vision at the right time in our history.  In many ways,  CRBC is already well positioned for this strategy, as our church has already partnered with the IMB in several different regions around the world.   I would like to see us ramp up our efforts in the days ahead however, especially now that we are out of debt and are positioned to allocate more of our resources toward missions.

6.  It's time for us to fix the roof over our heads.  For many years now our worship center roof has leaked like a sieve.  This problem needs to rectified before we can make any further improvements to our worship space.  The reason the problem hasn't been addressed sooner is the projected cost of the project has been so astronomical it was impractical.   We have recently received a much more favorable bid however and so we will soon  be bringing a recommendation to the church for finally resolving the problem.

7.  This is a time of terrific transition and opportunity in the MIddle East and North Africa.  I believe there is tremendous opportunity in the uprisings we are reading and hearing about.  We need to pray that the new governments that emerge will be intent on every kind of freedom for their populations, including freedom of religion.  One thing we know for certain, wherever there is turmoil and change, there is opportunity for the gospel.

8.  This past week a famous evangelical pastor released a book in which he challenged the longstanding Christian doctrine of hell.  The news about Rob Bell was disappointing but not all that surprising to me.  Bell has been moving down the neo-liberal theology road for a few years now.  I will write a more comprehensive blog on this subject later but to summarize my thoughts to you I believe Bell has not just stepped outside of biblical doctrine with this book, but has removed an important lynch pin in Christ's teaching on salvation.  After all, Jesus talked more about hell than he did about heaven.  There was a reason for that.   Read Al Mohler's thoughts on this subject here.

9.  There is nothing funny to me about what is happening to Charlie Sheen.  Watching the video of Sheen's drug induced rant is a poignant illustration of the depth of human depravity residing within every human heart.   The fact people are so interested in watching his self destruction is also instructive.  I believe cultures obsessive fascination with the Charlie Sheen's of the world is evidence of our collective depravity.

10.  This Sunday I will be teaching again on Colossians 3:1-11.   The money point of this entire series is that our understanding of our need for personal righteousness is what drives our motives, ambitions and our most important decisions in life.  Conversely, an understanding of how we find His solution is what brings us ultimate meaning, peace and lasting joy.  In a world that seems so upside down and changing rapidly, this is an immensely important truth.

Boasting Only In The Cross

Today begins what I believe is the most important time of the year for Christians around the world - the season of Lent.  It is the forty days of the Spring season that we focus on the most important truth of our lives- that Jesus Christ gave His life for us as a substitutionary atonement on the cross.  Although this is certainly the case for us every day of our lives all year long, I truly believe there is great value in taking roughly a tithe of the year leading up to Easter Sunday to bring this truth into greater clarity.  It is a time of fasting, reflecting and meditation on the meaning of the gospel.

Here is an excellent quote from John Piper that I think nails the point:

Only boast in the cross of Jesus Christ. 

It is a single idea. A single goal. A single passion. Only boast in the cross. The word can be translated “exult in” or “rejoice in.” Only exult in the cross of Christ. Only rejoice in the cross of Christ. Paul says let this be your single passion, your single boast and joy and exultation…

All exultation in anything else should be exultation in the cross. If you exult in the hope of glory you should be exulting in the cross of Christ. If you exult in tribulation because tribulation works hope, you should be exulting in the cross of Christ. If you exult in your weaknesses, or in the people of God, you should be exulting in the cross of Christ.

Why is this the case? For this reason: for redeemed sinners, every good thing – indeed every bad thing that God turns for good – was obtained for us by the cross of Christ. Apart from the death of Christ, sinners get nothing but judgment. Apart from the cross of Christ, there is only condemnation. Therefore everything that you enjoy in Christ – as a Christian, as a person who trusts Christ – is owing to the death of Christ. And all your rejoicing in all things should therefore be a rejoicing in the cross where all your blessings were purchased for you at the cost of the death of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.

Don't forget our Ash Wednesday worship is tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the Worship Center.  Mark Clifford will be leading worship.  

Breaking Down Islam's Barriers

Teri and I have had many incredible experiences on this trip.  We have traveled from Europe to the Middle East visiting with IMB personnel.  We have fellowshipped with dozens of Muslim and Jewish background believers and have made many new friends.  We've participated in Bible distribution in Marseille France and street evangelism in Paris.  We have prayer walked in Madrid and interviewed Iraqi and Palestinian refugees in Jordan.  We went on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee with Messianic believers and spent a few hours in Jerusalem visiting Palestinian friends.  One of our most unique experiences however was lunch at the largest mosque in Europe.  Before going in we took turns praying that God would break down the barriers of Islam that have such a strangle hold on such large population groups in this part of the world.  The rest of our time here gave us many examples of how this is beginning to happen.

Three nights ago I was in the home of an Iraqi family that lives in a slum neighborhood in Amman.  The family has no furniture, no beds and lives on four hundred dollars a month they get from the UN.  Because they have been given refugee protection status, they qualify for a small compensation for living away from their war torn homeland.  Unfortunately, in this country they are discriminated against and have little chance of finding work.  Four hundred dollars doesn't go far where they now live when you have ten kids and one on the way.   Our friends that work in this country have been helping as much as they can.  They're hope is to get permission to come to America.

Hassan, the father, is particularly upset today because he just came from the UN office where he learned that because of a computer glitch they won't be receiving compensation this month.   "I want to take my ten kids and pregnant wife to their office and ask them how they think I will take care of them this month!"  He says to us in Arabic in a kind of fit of agitation.

On the way to Hassan's house,  our friends explain to us that this entire family has now declared they want to convert to Christianity.  They have seen such horrible abuse and violence in Iraq that their perspective on the Islamic religion completely changed.  One day a couple of years ago Hassan snapped and questioned everything he had always believed.  So he announced to the family he was no longer Muslim.

His suffering began in 1994 when his father was killed by Saddam Hussein.

At that time they lived in Basra after the first war.   When the US forces pulled out of this area Saddam's thugs moved in and started randomly killing men in the community as a way of regaining control and spreading terror.

Hassan walks over to the only picture hanging on the wall- a picture of his beloved father and takes it down and holds it out to us.  When we are finished looking it at it he holds to the picture to his chest as if to demonstrate the depth of his loss.

After his three best friends and one brother were killed in the same manner after the second Iraq war, Hassan was done with Islam and the hate and violence it brought to his life.  He had seen enough Muslims killing Muslims to convince him that this was not a religion he wanted anything to do with.

"After you've lived in this land very long you learn that most everyone's a Muslim and most Muslims carry a degree of hatred and anger in their hearts..." one of my friends who has been in a North African country for close to fifty years told me a few days ago.  "They say they are all one but when you barely scratch the surface you find out that's not true" he continued.  "If a Sunni Muslim finds out someone is a Shia they will say 'he's not a real Muslim!'

"Most violence around here is Muslim on Muslim."  He says to me.

Our friends in Amman come to the Iraqi families house weekly to teach them some scripture.  They are thrilled the family wants to become Christian but know that simply saying you are no longer a Muslim and want to be a Christian does not necessarily translate to genuine faith in Christ.  They have developed a close relationship with this family the past few months and are encouraged that  they are  now going to a house church and have genuine interest in learning scripture.  It is apparent to all of us that this entire family will one day call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

Our friends assure Hassan that they will make sure he is taken care of this month and that they are there for him.  As we get up to leave he tells us he is sorry his home is so small and that he has nothing to offer us.  We tell him that he has honored us with his hospitality and will be praying for him.

It is examples like this that have convinced me that Islam's strangle hold on this area is is beginning to loosen ever so slightly.  Hassan and his family are but one example of the many who are coming to Christ by unusual means in Muslim controlled lands.  We have talked to scores of Muslim background believers who tell stories of dreams, visions and other somewhat dramatic events that precipitate their introduction into Christianity.  In a place in which it is difficult to find the Word of God the Spirit of God is moving in ways not seen in the States or in other parts of the world.

But once a Muslim background believer (MBB) comes to Christ it is incredibly important that there are means of discipleship available to them.  So it important not just that the gospel be proclaimed, but that along with that proclamation a dynamic functioning church emerge where new believers can find fellowship, Bible teaching and accountability.

So it is not surprising that along side the movement of the gospel,  God is also raising up young leaders who fill the void of sound Bible teaching and discipleship.  One interesting example of this is the Tunisian couple we met for dinner one night.  Both of them came from very traditional Muslim families in small villages in Tunisia, but left their Islamic past behind after deeply questioning the things they had learned in the Koran.

So much of what they read in the holy book made no logical sense to them. With the help of a radio ministry that broadcast Bible teaching into Tunisia they converted to Christianity.  Both of them were summarily kicked out of their homes and ostracized from their families.

Muslims who come to Christ face immediate persecution from family and tribal leaders.  One of our friends from Tunisia told us that many Islamic governments gives support to religious freedom with one side of their mouths but with the other side give support to tribal leaders and family heads who carry out honor killings of family members who become Christians.  It is a convenient way to seem modern and tolerant while simultaneously maintaining the archaic sharia law and it's brutal 7th century type violence.

"Islam is a terrible religion." My friend says to me.  "Before Islam came to this part of the world mostly what you had was isolated tribal violence.  But now what you have as a result of Islam is ingrained and universal hatred, violence and family abuse.

"Wherever Islam takes over, it destroys.  That's why it's so vitally important we have a presence here."


On more than one occasion while we were in Europe and the Middle East, we walked around mosques and prayed against them, asking God to neutralize and destroy their effect on this land.  Our friends here passionately pray against the demonic influence of this abusive and debilitating religion.  More than most Christians I meet in America, they see themselves as being on the front lines of a desperate spiritual battle.

The young Tunisian couple who came to Christ told us that after becoming Christians they moved to Lebanon and attended seminary where they earned their masters degree in Biblical studies.  Today they host a popular television program that is broadcast via satellite throughout the Middle East.   As a result, their family, most of whom are still Muslim, is  constantly harassed and persecuted because of their bold television ministry.  The speak of their families suffering with obvious pain.

The more I heard this young couples story the more I was amazed at their incredible courage and keen intellect.   We met them at a restaurant in a European port city where they are trying to lay low during the Tunisian revolution.  They live under constant threat for their lives.  But they live this way with such obvious joy and happiness.   As the dinner winds into the night I realize that I am in the presence of true greatness.  Here is a couple who has forsaken all for the sake of the gospel.

I leave this part of the world with a fresh sense of how to pray, but more than that I now have faces to put to those prayers.  They are faces, young and old of brothers and sisters in Christ who are living out their faith in ways many of us in the States may never understand or appreciate.   And yet with all the hardships and often terrible injustices they face, I somehow find myself longing for what they have.  I find myself feeling a sense of jealousy for their boundless joy, courageous faith and hope in Christ.

Perhaps of all we have brought back with us this trip, these lessons are most important.  And of all we have tried to bring to our friends in these parts of the world with our encouragement and prayers, what they have given to us in return is exponentially greater.

The Time is Now

On this trip we have worked hands on with many of our missionary friends as a way of identifying with their strategy and mission.  We have participated in street evangelism, Bible distribution and have sat in on various training sessions.  Much of what our teams do here involves a lot of hard work with very little tangible (earthly) reward.   Our team in one of the French port cities, for example, will often work 14 hour days with only 2 days off a week.   They talk to a lot of people who spit on them, insult them and throw things at them.  But they are passionate about what they do and tell us they wouldn't want to be anywhere else or do anything else.

I agree with John Piper who says the missionary is the ultimate Christian hedonist.  The more one gives his or her life away, the more joy flows from them.  This is certainly true of the amazing group of young missionaries we have met here.  And for all the rejection and insults, occasionally something miraculous happens that reminds them their work is Kingdom work.

Like the story we heard of the Tunisian who came to Christ after reading a New Testament he was given at the border and then sought out believers in a town near his hometown.  Today he is a pastor who has planted many churches.  When I asked his friend who told us the story how many Christians there are today in this part of Tunisia, the man thought about it a minute and said with a smile, "Too many to count."

"Too many to count" is a significant answer for a part of the world where a few short years ago you could count the number of evangelical Christians on one hand.  But today the churches are multiplying exponentially.  The reason for their rapid growth is that these are not just random examples of a few people here and there coming to Christ, these are full fledge house church movements.  House churches are planting house churches.  Because of the way they are multiplying they are not confined to church buildings.  "The governments are helping us out by not allowing them to build churches and by persecuting believers, this keeps the movement alive."  John Brady tells us.

Our friends in this part of the world are involved heavily in leadership training to encourage church planting movements.  They tell us that there are three basic objectives to the discipleship in these churches;  1.  Bible teaching  2.  Practice or application of what is learned and 3. Accountability through prayer.   They have learned through the years that when these three things are in place in the discipleship of the house church, not only will the people grow in Christ, but they will plant other churches.  This is how the church is spreading like wild fire all over Asia and is now beginning to take hold in the Middle East in some of the most surprising places.

We watch the news and are amazed at the  cataclysmic changes taking place in North Africa.  Our friends here have a completely different perspective- one that is purely spiritual in nature.  They see it as the work of the Spirit to evoke changes on the political landscape so that His Kingdom work can be accomplished more readily.  They believe the leaders of these countries were getting in the way of the work of gospel, and so God took them out.

I've thought about that a lot the past few days and am intrigued not just by the enthusiasm and worldview of our missionaries, but also the sense of urgency they feel as they see world event change and the cracks of opportunity open up.   "We don't have five years, we don't have several months, the time is now!"  John Brady passionately told the trustees yesterday.  "If Baptist people will give us the opportunity now to reach the Arab world, our people on the ground will shed their blood if necessary to get it done!"

He pauses for a moment to gather himself before continuing,  "I've buried seven missionaries in this land the past few years and I don't want to cheapen their sacrifice by not giving it my best."