Vision4Living

A few weeks ago I had the privilege to attend a conference that I have wanted to go to for a very long time. Always love it when God opens doors like that. It has been one of my bucket list items to attend T4G [Together4Gospel] and to check it off was pretty sweet. You may be thinking, “bucket list? T4G? Ok”. Yep, it was on there.

I know people say this a lot after they attend a conference – and believe me I have been to a bunch of them – but it was truly the best conference I have ever attended. Not so much because there was so many like-minded people there or that the worship in music was so rich and glorious. It was Awesome! No, it was the focus of the conference that made it so sweet, and the word that was preached still reverberates in my mind and heart.

The gospel is the main thing. I know you hear me speak of this often, and I make no apology for it. Paul’s command, “be not moved away from the gospel”, burns within my heart, and I prayer that I will only grow in how I live it more and more each and every day that I have breath.  It’s all I have in this world that will last.

However, this conference only served to solidify this like a rock in my life. I will not go into each message that was preached, but I will wet your appetite, hoping it will motivate you to go and listen to each message. Each one built on the other, the biblical reality that the gospel is broad in its application in our life. Yet, as the theme focused us, we underestimate the power of a spirit wrought application of the gospel. Whether it is the Lord breathing life into a lost soul or the aged believer who is still fighting the good fight of faith. And that underestimation affects everything – family, leadership, relationships, church life, missions, worldview, how we engage culture, etc. It is eternal in its scope to change the depraved heart for the wondrous and glorious God of the universe.

So. Take some time to listen to the messages of T4G. I have left you the link below to where they are. And never ever underestimate the power of the gospel.

T4G Audio / T4G Video

Be not moved away,

Daniel

Let’s take a look at what go looks like for a college student!

Now that you know what Go looks like for Brandon, What Will Go Look Like for You?

[you can also view this video at Vimeo]

Brandon is an alumni of P4C and highly recommends you attend! He will be there this year.

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Passion4Chrsit 2012 | October 24-28 | Perrysville, Ohio

Registration open! Register now!

Vision4Living.org

Let’s take a look at what go looks like for a missionary couple in Mexico.

Now that you know what Go looks like for Steven & Grace, What Will Go Look Like for You?

[you can also view this video at Vimeo]

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Passion4Chrsit 2012 | October 24-28 | Perrysville, Ohio

Registration opening May 1^st

Vision4Living.org

Tornados are a blessing. The very statement itself flies in the face of our modern humanistic way of thinking.  No god, who is good or loving, could possibly allow such a travesty to happen. I mean, we might concede to the fact of it happening to a city like Las Vegas but not a city in the quant small rural towns of the Midwest and South [borrowing from a thought by John Piper].  Especially not those places which are filled with such “good” people. This can often be the feeling that comes from both those who call themselves believers and those who don’t. Further, believers can even be guilty of finding the “good” in a “bad” situation as though they have to make God look good. This attitude, however, finds its roots in a profound misunderstanding of who God is and how He works.

We live in a fallen world. We often forget that the sorrow and pain that we see and experience is a direct result of the curse after the fall of man [Gen. 3:1-19]. In the middle of all, the struggles of humanity is sin.

Yet God has not left us without hope. He sent His son into this fallen world to redeem His own from the destruction of sin [John 3:16, Col. 1:11-14].  In all truth, we are living the grand demonstration that God has planned to bring glory to Himself [Eph. 3]. And yes, even the suffering in which each of us finds ourselves – to whatever degree – is a part of that grand demonstration. God’s word tells us that even the evil in this world is a part of the cosmic demonstration of God’s glory [Ps. 19].

Then there is the age-old promise that God works all things for good to those who love him [Rom. 8:28]. And this is true. We as believers rest on this promise when times are bad and so we should. But fundamentally, is there a difference between the “good times” and the “bad times” that we receive from God? We often view it that way. Is it possible that they both could be equal blessings from God?

I am reminded of the book of Job where every imaginable “bad thing” came upon Job [Job 1:16-22]. His friends tore at him with accusations that his suffering was all because of something he had done wrong somewhere, somehow [Job 4]. Yet, God’s word tells us He was a righteous man [Job 1:1-5]. Then there is Joseph. Here is a man who was given a raw deal at every turn. Yet at the end of it all – as His brothers stand before His throne in shame and petition of forgiveness – He gives a response so profound we often overlook it: “you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.” [Gen. 50:20] Wow! Did you catch that? Joseph had a grasp on how His God worked. Even the evil – cause by man who is responsible – was meant for good.

We must grasp the significance of God’s grand demonstration. He is working all things for good both now and for eternity. He even uses disasters to soften people’s heart to the gospel and to mobilize the church to share it. So, maybe tornados are a blessing after all. Let us take the hope of the gospel to the hurting in times of trials and as believer let Paul’s words be our mantra:

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” [2 Cor. 12:9&10]

Be not moved away,

Daniel

In the last couple of weeks, I have embarked into a wonderful book called, ‘What is the Mission of the Church?’ [By Kevin DeYoung & Greg Gilbert] For this week’s post, I wanted to leave you with a section I read that hits the issue of ‘missions’ square in the heart. It deals with a viewpoint that is often forgotten when it comes to a proper theological belief on the subject. In fact, I am afraid it is a sickness that plaques our churches in whatever issue we teach and deal with on a daily basis. It addresses the problem of developing our beliefs through proof texting or a failure to see the importance of an issue from the narrative of scripture as a whole.  I hope as you read this brief section it will encourage you to read this sound and excellent work on the issue of missions. More importantly, I hope it encourages a personal study in the scriptures in order to draw your beliefs not just from a few texts, but the Word of God in its entirety – whether it is missions or any theological issue.

“Its never a good idea to make a biblical case for something – especially something a monumentally important as the mission of the church – from just a few text. The Bible isn’t just a potpourri of pithy sayings from which we can pick up a nugget here and a nugget there. No, it’s a grand, sweeping, world-encompassing story that traces the history of God’s dealings with mankind from very beginning to very end. If we really want to understand what God is doing and what he would have us to do as his people, we need to have a good grasp of what that story is, what its main themes are, what the problem is, what God’s remedy to the problem is, and what it all looks like when the story ends.

Though we started this book with a look at some specific texts, our thesis – that the mission of the church is to proclaim the gospel and make disciples – does not rest on the Great Commission texts alone. Rather, we believe that those texts are so important and have gained their nickname precisely because the entire story line of the Bible presses forward toward them.” – ‘What is the Mission of the Church?’

So, get into the Word. Never ground yourself on issue with a couple of verses. Build your understanding and belief from the entirety of the Word. Never think it is not important. Realize, it will affect in what manner you GO – whether it be your own or God’s.

Be not moved away,

Daniel

The door has opened for the Cavanaugh Family to go to Ecuador this Summer 2012 and conduct a Family Leadership Conference with multiple churches in the city of Esmeradles, Ecuador. We will also be conducting a one night leadership training event with many of the city leaders. The excitement of our heart over this opportunity cannot be put into words. This is a continued fulfillment of the burden that God has placed in our hearts to proclaim the gospel to all nations that the generation to come might know. Many years of prayer and intense life preparation have brought us to this point, and we are humbled at the door God has opened. Our work will be building on the foundation of relationships built by Global Encounters Ministries with pastors and laymen of that country. Both Vision4Living and Global Encounters will be partnering together for this trip. We will be working directly with pastors and their families in extensive training on what it means to raise a gospel centered family.

Meet Pastor Louis Chanez: This brother has become a dear friend and fellow laborer in the gospel. His precious family and church minister there day after day in that dark city of Esmeraldas. This coastal city is raught with crime and immorality. A common theme of high poverty, broken homes, and streets that run with kids is burned into my memory. However, there is the light of hope that is being shed abroad through the work of this brother and the churches he partners with. It was so exciting to sit with Pastor Louis on my last trip to Ecuador and talk about how we could partner together to raise up leaders to equip the next generation to proclaim the gospel. He shared with me their need for training and equipping the families of the local assembles. With tears, he told me of American missionaries that had come many years ago and shared the glorious gospel and because of that he was sitting with me today. He went on to share how his health was deminishing and that he was burdened to raise up others who could carry on the work even after he was gone. He realizes he cannot do it alone and wants to partner with people like you and me to accomplish the task of disciple making and training others to make disciples. I can’t tell you how humbled I was that he would want to work with us. Equally, I was struck with a burden for the great need in this city – the need for the life changing gospel. I could do nothing but respond to my dear brother with an affirmation that we would work with him by the grace of God, together, to accomplish this great task.

Before we had left that conversation, plans where made for the Cavanaugh Family to return in the Summer of 2012. We are so excited, yet, overwhelmed at the door God has opened to equip His people to go and make disciples for His glory – to produce worshipers of His great name. It is our desire that the nations would be glad!

For His Renown,

Daniel

Keep up with happenings! Follow ‘Cavanaughs in Ecuador’ on Facebook.

We ask you to commit to pray for us and financially support us for this trip.

How to Give: 

Checks are made payable to “Vision4Living Ministries”. We suggest that you write our name in the memo line of the check.

You can also donate online at vision4living.org/support

In my last post, we looked at God’s global plan of redemption. We touched on the fact of its evidence throughout the Old Testament. However, in viewing this evidence, it is only proper to understand that until the ushering in of the New Covenant, the plan of redemption through the God man – Jesus Christ – was always a mystery.  The Apostle Paul proclaims this mystery to us and gives his following credentials to reveal in Ephesians 3:1-8 [ESV];

“For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”

Though not an Apostle, we are still compelled to take the wonder of this mystery to the ends of the earth.  Three things are very evident in this passage so lets take a moment to expound on them.  There is:

1. The Plan of the Mystery

For the first time in history it is revealed that the Gentiles are partakers of the promise of Christ, members of the body of Christ, and joint heirs with Christ. This was so counter to the Jewish way of thinking. For the Gentiles, it was glorious news, but for the Jews a total shift – missions, if you will, was being ushered into the newly established church of Christ for the first time. We are so accustom to this concept now that its familiarity leaves us lethargic in our motivation for proclaiming the gospel. But Paul is laying out the mission’s plan – to bring God’s people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. You can almost sense Paul’s excitement as you read chapter 3. He is revealing a mystery that has been hid for ages. The promised seed of Abraham had come and through that seed all nations were to be blessed. Paul is proclaiming the missional application to the theology of Christ work – the mystery revealed.  Our mission is clear: take the good news to all people who will partake “of the promise in Christ Jesus in the gospel.” How exciting is that?

2. The preacher of the Mystery

This mystery is what made Paul a minister. This mystery is what gave Paul his mission. As I said, you can sense his excitement and passion to be a part of this mission. How about us? Are we passionate to proclaim the mystery revealed? Are we giving of our life for this mission? Remember the words of Paul:  “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? [Romans 10:14 ESV].”

3. The Person of the Mystery

The Person of the mystery is clear. We find Him in the risen Son of God – Jesus Christ. He alone compels and gives the passion for our mission. If your passion for Christ is dull and your desire to proclaim Him lethargic, maybe you need to spend some time getting to know Him better. Pick up the word of God where the mystery of Christ is revealed. Be fueled in your passion for Him. Find renewal in your vision for the mission. If you do so, you will GO. You can do nothing else.

Be not moved away,

Daniel

The global plan of the gospel of Jesus Christ has always been at the forefront of God’s heart and mind. Yes, the Israelites where God’s chosen people, but it must be distinctly understood that it was through His chosen people that God planned to send His Son – the hope of Nations.

For centuries, there have been prejudices that have characterized man and, unfortunately, Christians have been the biggest perpetrators of such thinking. However, nothing could be more unbiblical or un-Christ-like than failing to realize God’s plan includes His chosen from all nations.

Furthermore, for those of us who are “American Christians”, our patriotism has created a pitfall. [Don’t misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with being a patriot.] However, we have generally created an atmosphere that somehow we have a corner on the market when it comes to God and missions – we act as though we have some special dispensation. This kind of thinking is faulty, and its fault lies in unbiblical thinking that has crept into our hearts and minds over the years.  This thinking – whether it is American, South American, European, etc. – is unbiblical because it fails to understand God’s plan of redemption for His chosen people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. It fails to see that God’s kingdom is made up of all nations.

1. The Foundation

To address these bold statements, we need to go to the foundation of the above concept, which is found the book of Genesis.  God gave Abraham a foundational promise that, “In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”[Genesis 22:18] This single promise alone is packed with meaning. Yes, we know from the narrative of Abraham that God promised to give his offspring great and vast amounts of land. The promise of physical blessing is very evident. But, the real significance of what God promised Abraham is found in the phrase “in thy seed”. Through the seed of Abraham, God sent His Son to die a sinner’s death on a cross so that all nations might be blessed [see Matthew 1].

2. The Focus

Though clearer through our current 20/20 hindsight as we look back and see all of God’s promises from the Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament, we only need to read through the Old Testament with an observant eye to see God moving towards this plan. God made provision in the law for the stranger that dwelt among Israel [see Deut. 10:9; 23:7; 24:14, Lev. 23:22; 25:6]. Sure, God commanded the Israelites to destroy the nations of the land He had promised Abraham and his seed. Yet, don’t forget that He held Israel accountable for their wickedness and multiple times brought judgment upon them. In our previous post, we saw the Psalmist declare a blessing to Israel for the purpose of God’s ways being known on earth – His “saving power among all nations”. The Psalmist then declares: “Let the nations be glad and sing for joy [See Psalm 67].” God’s ultimate plan that runs through the whole of the Old Testament is that through His chosen people, He would bring the Hope of nations – the Messiah.  Israel, by their identity and blessing, was to declare to the nations God’s “saving power”.

3. The Follow Through

Then we come to the New Testament. Paul gives us clear thinking when it comes to what people groups Christ’s salvation included – all who come to Him in repentance. He give a broad statement that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus [Gal. 3].” Christ commanded His disciples to go unto all of the world and make disciples [Mt. 28]. So, let us do it. Don’t waste time. Give your life to spreading the gospel to the entire world in whatever you do. Make it your driving motivation. Reach your neighborhood. Reach your community. Reach you country. Reach your world. If you can’t go to another country be faithful in the one you are in. Give your resources for the furtherance of the gospel. Expend your energy. GO! Reach your world with the gospel! And you will hear in the end: “Well done thou good and faithful servant”.

Be not moved away,

Daniel

Last fall I started an in depth look at the whole concept of missions. After a break during the holidays, I am ready to tackle this subject again – especially since our theme this year for P4C will be on missions. So, I invite you to join me in the study of what the Scriptures have to say. I can promise you this: I am going to try and make each post a little shorter. My desire and hope is to value your time and interest. So let us begin again…

Before the break, we considered what the motivating focus of missions was. Our conclusion was the gospel [see previous post]. But now we want to understand ‘why missions exist’. In reality, they both have the same answer.  In the ‘Motivating Focus of Missions’, we saw that we could not be moved away from the gospel. The gospel must be at the core of motivating missional work. It demands the center of everything we do.  But lets go deeper in the motivation of missions. Why does it exist? Why are we commanded to GO unto the entire world?

Simply and profoundly: missions exists to glorify our God by making much of his great and matchless name.  To understand this, we will take a look at Psalm 67:1-6 [ESV].

“May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise you, O God; Let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!”

A quick look at this passage may cause some to say, “but what about the blessings that are spoken of in this passage?” This is true – blessings are spoken of. But, let us conclude that the blessings are only a byproduct. What is this passage really saying? Why are we being blessed?

The answer lies in the following portion of text: “that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.” This is speaking of the gospel being made known – proclaimed. To what end? That “the nations be glad and sing for joy…” God’s blessings exist so His people will glorify His great name. God blesses to the end that His “saving power” is proclaimed among all nations and in so doing He is glorified. The ultimate end is that God is glorified in the hearts and minds of His people from every tribe, tongue, and nations. And, we can further say that true joy is discovered in the glory of God.

So missions exist, not to rid the world of social injustice – though that is a worthy endeavor – or to just bless people, but it exist to let God’s people of every nation “be glad.”  And what is it we are glad in? Our great God. So, when you engage the world with the gospel, whether in another country or your own backyard, GO make disciples with the gospel as the core motivation. Let the end be that God is glorified in the gladness of those who know Him from every nation. May our prayer of blessing and praise be: “Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you!” Amen.

New Year’s resolutions are being made. After all, its New Years and that is what we do.  We are committed and determined to accomplish them with every ounce of human ability that is within us. We write them down. We set achievable goals to step us toward success.  We begin the process to achieve success – to become that better person that everyone expects us to be. For the first 2-3 months, we often find success. We are accomplishing what we set out to do with much fervor. Then, before you know it, it’s the holidays again, and we find ourselves looking back wondering what happened to the resolutions. Where did we sidestep? When did we take that first bite of junk food? When did we start hitting the snooze button multiple times only to find no time left to hit the gym? When did bible reading and memorization weasel its way out of our busy schedules? What happened to all those great things we were going to do to better ourselves so that God would be pleased?

I don’t know about you, but I have found myself in this spot more times than I really wish to admit. We try and try only to discover failure over and over again. But herein lies the problem: we strive in our own strength for our own glory – painful to think about, but true all the same. However, are resolutions bad? No. I am not saying that at all. But often at the root of these resolutions is our pride – the promotion of self. Sure, we cloak it in “God terms” but in the end, it only produces, at best [even when achieved], promotion of self. For the believer, this is not what he or she strives for. We live for something bigger and far more magnificent. We make resolutions, but we make them from a different perspective – from a different motivation.

As I think on the idea of New Year’s resolutions, there are some basic and profound things from God’s word that I think we should remember when making “New Year’s Resolutions”.  We find such convicting yet reassuring truth in Philippians 2 so let’s take a look.

First and foremost, as a believer, you can do nothing apart from the grace of God. We have been saved by grace and so we are sanctified by grace. Scripture tells us: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” [James 4:6 ESV] Yes, we are to “work out our own salvation” but don’t forget that it is “God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” [Phil. 2:12&13 ESV] Remember this: you can do NOTHING apart from God’s grace.

Secondly, if we can do nothing apart from God’s grace then it must not be about us. It’s all about Christ. It is for His glory that we breathe and move. It is for His glory alone that we live. As its states in Philippians 2, it is for “His good pleasure”.  We were created for the pleasure and glory of God. We were redeemed and made new for the pleasure and glory of God.  Revelation 4:11 sums it up beautifully: “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” [ESV]

So as you make your “New Year’s Resolutions” remember that they are a resolve to glorify our great God. I am not sure that we can say that Paul is speaking of “New Year’s Resolutions” in Philippians 2. But, he is telling us to “work out our own salvation”. We can’t just sit around. We are to be about our heavenly Father’s business. We are to be as Timothy and “fight the good fight of faith”.  But never forget that it is through His grace for His glory that we strive. This resolve is a lifelong pursuit.  Any striving not found through and in the person of Jesus Christ is at best striving that will amount to complete and utter failure.  It will find you looking back asking: “What went wrong?” But, a life lived for the glory of a sovereign, holy, yet loving God– now there is something worth a believer’s resolve.