mission

Will You Let Them Starve?

September 26, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Regular readers know that I rarely write time-sensitive pieces, but today I must make an exception. A situation has been developing in the horn of Africa that requires action from those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus. With a severe famine plaguing the land, over 13 million people face dire food shortages. Making matters worse, food prices have been dramatically rising, making it impossible for these impoverished people to be able to purchase what they can no longer grow. World Vision estimates that 35% of all children in the area are already malnourished. Crops and livestock have been wiped out. Disease is running rampant. These dear people, loved by God and worth infinitely much to Him, need our assistance immediately.

Should Christians Attend Church? (Part I)

September 22, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Our modern churches look very different from the early church in the New Testament. This is particularly true in the West. In America, our landscapes are dotted with mega-churches on sprawling plots of land where thousands of people gather to worship freely each week. Contrast this with the house churches in Asia where believers gather in small spaces under cover of the night in fear of torture and imprisonment if caught. The Asian churches much more closely resemble the early New Testament churches in virtually every way. With that in mind, does that make attending the safe, luxurious churches in America wrong for the follower of Jesus?

Asking the Tough Questions

September 15, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Following Jesus in an authentic Biblical way brings us face to face with some of the toughest questions in life. When we choose to abandon what Christianity has come to represent and instead follow Jesus with all of our heart at any cost, we will find ourselves walking a very lonely path. It is far easier to say a simple prayer and attend church an hour each week than it is to forsake everything you have and pursue Christ with relentless passion. Being a follower of Jesus will rarely gain you popularity, wealth or respect. Jesus warned us that we will be despised by our own families, persecuted and even killed (Matthew 10:16-26; Matthew 24:9). For those of us in the West, these can seem to be extreme and foreign concepts. Meanwhile, every day in countries around the world, people are ripped from their homes, tortured and put into prisons with squalid living conditions for the rest of their lives. These people understand what it means to give everything for Jesus.

The Danger of Nationalism

September 5, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

I’ve lived in America for all of my adult life, and I certainly appreciate the freedoms that privilege has afforded me. Like many in this country, I am deeply concerned about the direction we are heading, and I miss the heady times of the past. Yet a disturbing trend I’ve noticed among believers is to elevate this concern to their chief topic of conversation. They put far more energy into political causes than they do into the mission of the Kingdom. I understand the emotion; I spent ten or fifteen years heavily wrapped up in politics as well. This is a dangerous game for Christians, and I believe it is a sinister weapon of the enemy.

Competition In the Kingdom

August 14, 2011 by Tim Sherfy

Racing Swimmers

Too often the church can be a very competitive place. As we have allowed materialism to penetrate our faith, pressures have grown to keep up with what others are doing and to draw attention to our product or places of worship. Entire industries exist to service the Christian population with the requisite favorite authors, speakers and musicians. We squabble over who’s more talented, who’s better spoken and who is most effective. It reminds me of when the twelve disciples were arguing about which one of them was greatest in the eyes of Jesus (Mark 9:33-37). Jesus made it clear that they were asking the wrong question and that the only way to become great was to sacrifice all thoughts of becoming so.