mission

Human Trafficking

May 30, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

Jesus began His ministry by standing up in the Synagogue and saying God had sent Him “to proclaim freedom to the captives” (Luke 4:18). There were all kinds of captives in His day and in ours. There are those held captive by spiritual darkness, prisoners of war, hostages held by terrorists, and those imprisoned by their own fear. Of course there are many others, but one type of captive that gets very little play in most circles are those trapped in the world of human trafficking.

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Sure, there are many who give lip service to this horror, but we simply don’t do justice to an industry that enslaves over 27 million people. These are people just like your sons, daughters, friends, and family. Twenty-seven million people who have unsurpassable worth in the eyes of God. And yet Christians remain far too silent.

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Crucify Yourself

May 23, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

In his book, “Counter Culture”, David Platt echoes a common theme of this blog. He writes, “In a world where everything revolves around yourself – protect yourself, promote yourself, comfort yourself, and take care of yourself – Jesus says, ‘Crucify yourself. Put aside all self-preservation in order to live for God’s glorification, no matter what that means for you in the culture around you.’”

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We are by all measures the wealthiest people to have ever walked the earth. At the same time, I would suggest we are also the most self-centered generation in history. We care for ourselves first, showing compassion for others with anything left over, if at all. Far from living a crucified life, we are living a conceited life.

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Shallow Prayers

May 16, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

Why is it when we have the power of God at our fingertips we confine our prayers to such small boundaries? We pray shallow prayers, content to focus on things immediately in our purview rather than dare to pray extravagant, deep prayers. Sure, there are exceptions, but I have rarely met someone whose prayers are regularly focused on the deep things of God and the ultimate mission of His Son.

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The God of the Universe resides within you, waiting for you to recognize the role He has given you to bring His Kingdom to earth. Jesus promised we would do greater things than He did (John 14:12-13), but we’ll never see that promise come to fruition as long as we are praying such safe and shallow prayers.

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Letting Go

May 12, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

We love Jesus and want to dedicate our lives to Him, but our stubborn old self keeps getting in the way. How do we conform our will to that of God? Francois Fenelon once wrote, “The way to have a good will that conforms to God is to give up our desires and fears and to leave ourselves completely in His hands. Those who do so… can never be moved, because their only desire is for God.”

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Living God’s will for your life necessitates a complete letting go. Too often we make the mistake of trying to figure out how to use our dreams and passions in conjunction with God’s will. That’s a totally backwards approach.

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Which Presidential Candidate Looks Most Like Jesus?

May 5, 2016 by Tim Sherfy

While some of our readers in other Countries might be unaware, it is hard to escape the fact in America we are in an election cycle. As with every cycle, there is an emphasis on candidates trying to win the “evangelical Christian vote”. Prominent Christian leaders come out of the woodwork to endorse one candidate or another, espousing why one follows Christian principles, while another does not.

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I saw a quote from a Christian musician I have held in high esteem that said, “You cannot be a Christian and vote for {candidate X}.” That made me really sad. As someone who used to be heavily invested in political things, I understand the fervor and rhetoric. But almost thirty years removed from those days, I now have much greater clarity.