Treasuring Him - DWYL Sermon Jam (Desiring God/1031SermonJams)

Sermon jam: Treasuring Him (produced by www.1031sermonjams.com)
Video: Produced by Desiring God (Seth the Intern)
Sermon excerpts: John Piper

Don't Waste Your Life Sermon Jams Album available at www.1031sermonjams.com or iTunes.

All I can say is...Yup...

Muslim Ministry Assistance

I am selling DVD's (More than Dreams) that tell the stories of Dreams and Visions that were given to Muslims in closed countries and locales as a precursor to their hearing of the Gospel. Funds from these sales will help raise support for Muslim evangelism here in the Metro-Detroit and Dearborn areas. The purchase of these DVD's will help provide funds for training of others to reach Muslims, education in the Arabic language and the Qur'an, and Arabic Bibles and gospel literature. You can check out the ebay auction to make a purchase. If you have special requests for larger volumes those are also available, just contact me through this link.

Peace be with you,

Dearborn MI: Arab Festival and the Abrogation of Free Speech II

Here is the third video from the final encounter that occurred between the Christians and the Muslims at the Arab festival. Remember, go to AnsweringMuslims to get more updates and information on Muslim debate, videos, and updates on the ministry of Acts17. Good stuff.

Dearborn, MI: Arab Festival and the Abrogation of Free Speech

Believe it or not, things are still winding down from the conference. There has been so much going on that it would take days to share all the blessings, trials, speakers, prayers, professions of faith in Christ, and oh yeah the stifling of constitutional freedoms, the silencing of Gospel proclamation, and good ol' fashioned persecution.

Some of the debates went exceptionally well, and some were just a dogs' breakfast, but all of the training and information has been priceless. I can honestly say that for the third year in a row I've become increasingly more concerned about the Muslims here in Dearborn and will be (and in need of yours) prayer regarding the direction of ministry and future evangelism efforts. I hope to be posting some updates about what I've learned, some insights I want to share, and information about the direction I hope to go. Plus, the best part, some stories that are glorifying to God as I witnessed Him raise up many laborers to go into the field to harvest!

In the meantime, check out some of those who were here with us for the debates and to do outreach at the festival. They've had some interesting experiences and would direct you to their blog to hear it in their own words at AnsweringMuslims. I've included the videos from their two most recent posts and encourage you to consider (if you are from Detroit) joining us in reaching our lost Muslim neighbors for Christ!

Why Church? An Essay Written by David Black

I think this essay piggy backs off the question posed in the "Question of The Day?" recently. In it he sheds some insights on various nuances that we see in the modern system of things and just how detrimental these practices have been. The issue does not appear to be a call to deconstruct institutionalization, it actually appears to be a synopsis of how the Church could be healthier, it's body parts function more adequately, and the model given by scripture implemented in order to benefit the saints.

Here's a quote,

Leadership, thus defined, calls for people who will be catalysts to mobilize the people of God for mission in the world. These people lead best when they themselves model, illustrate, and perform service to the world. On the other hand, leaders must be wary of assuming a “clergy” role in ministry. One reason the so-called laity are so passive is because leaders have made “ministry” and “missions” the professional roles of a few ordained people. Leaders lead best when they do the tasks and teach others to do them. Effective ministry calls for participation by all.

Check out the essay for yourself and form your own opinion. Let me know what you think.

Question of the Day

Does family (ie. marriage) come before Christian mission, or has the concept of missions seen in today's evangelical landscape changed the priorities of the laity to think that mission can only be carried out by a special delegated or elect few?

Muslim Outreach Needs Prayer

The training for outreach began today in Romulus at Calvary Church. Tomorrow there will be more training sessions and the day will be filled with door to door outreach in Dearborn. The evening will then begin with a dinner with Josh Mcdowell at Woodside Bible Church in Troy, MI. This will then be followed with a message called "Bridging the gap of understanding with Muslims." David Wood, an Apologist to Muslims; Nabeel Qureshi, a Former Muslim from Pakistan; Wally Magdangal (See a 10 minute video from his website here), a Pastor in the Saudi Arabian underground church and Josh McDowell, Apologist, Author and Evangelist will be sharing how you can reach your Muslim neighbors and friends with the message of Jesus Christ.

Please lift up in prayer a few things concerning the outreach, first there were a few encounters that have been of nothing but the God kind, showing the preparation and softening of hearts that have become typical occurrences over the past few years with this Muslim outreach, praise God for that! One such occurrence involved a Muslim man sitting at a restaurant table, being approached and spoken to by some of those attending the conference and then telling them his heart is open to the words they have come to speak. He did not contend the deity of Christ in the least bit and will be meeting up with some local ministries to arrange continued discipleship once the training and outreach has ended. Praise God!

Secondly, there has been an agenda from the police to restrict all access and outreach to the festival to one corner. No doubt a response to previous outreaches in years passed, and quite possibly raised by the Muslim Imam's and communities. Today a suit was filed in Federal Court and the ACLJ will be assisting in the advocacy of fist amendment rights. Please pray for these things, we need all the help we can get out there.

God has sent forth labors for the harvest in Dearborn, and while many of you can't or won't be in attendance, you can pray to the Father on our behalf. We ask that you please do. If you can fast, or pray, or both, please do so.

Cal.vini.st is Giving Away Bibleworks 8

To signify the first anniversary, Cal.vini.st will be giving away two copies of Bibleworks 8. This software is valued at over $349.00 and is well worth every cent. However, most of us can't afford it, so i'm going to try and win it as well!

Click here to enter yourself today!

Hope you win...But hope I win more!