Have you ever discussed a case in your college ethics class where 5 people are tied to the railroad tracks with a runaway train fast approaching? You are in charge of the switch at a fork in the tracks that changes the tracks and thus the path of the train. If you don’t change the path, the people will die. If you do change them, there is one person tied to the second track who will die. It usually comes down to how you justify saving the 5 people on the first track by rerouting its path and thereby killing the one person on the second track.

Well, in a challenging chapter from Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper uses an interesting ethical case of his own to show that the gospel turns worldly notions of love and greater good on their heads. The challenging part of the message is that many believers today operate with false notions of God’s love and are astonished to learn that his purposes to glorify himself in missions might not include saving the five for the one either.

Piper points to two sinking ocean liners with hundreds of people on there who cannot swim. You are the head of a rescue team that comes upon the first boat to find all of its passengers hopelessly scrambling to save their lives . You engage your rescue boat’s crew to save as many as possible. Then you are confronted with the fact that there is another ship some distance away and that the passengers there are in the same situation as these people except no one to rescue them. What do you do? What is the most loving thing to do? Piper argues that in the end it is very likely that you would keep the team where it was in order to maximize the time and energy you would lose in getting over there because in the end saved lives are saved lives. Therefore you would not save any from the second boat.

Piper argues that what we discover from Scripture is that God in fact does leave the first ship to save some from the second. This difficult truth reflects what is at the heart of God’s call upon the life of every missionary, to go to “all the nations.” A missionary is essentially sent out to leave the place of great harvest and easier labor (a reached people) to go and reap a harvest from a place with more difficult ground and with likely fewer results (an unreached people). God’s heart for his people to be ransomed from every tongue, tribe and nation (Rev 7:9) means that his priority is on the spread of his gospel to all the peoples (or people groups) of the world and not on the most individuals saved. I found this to be tough to understand at first but essential in our understanding of God and his call on our lives to go to “all nations” (Mat 28:19).

I want to finish this post by setting a challenge:

To those who are wrestling with the call to missions in their lives - will you consider that the Lord might be calling you to minister in another place around the world where faithful ministry means 50 converts in your lifetime versus the potentially greater impact that you would have as a minister here

OR

To those who are confident with the call to missions in their lives - will you consider that the Lord might be calling you to minister to a people who have never heard the gospel before and do not have the gospel or the Bible even in their heart language though you might have a greater harvest in a different place overseas?

This is a challenge indeed. ….all for the glory of God in the face of Christ to be displayed through the power of the Spirit among all the peoples of the earth!!! “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” Ps 96:3

-Nick Miersma for the Missions Team
(Excerpts taken from Let the Nations Be Glad, the chapter entitled, “Supremacy of God among ‘All the Nations’”)

Elections are coming very soon. One of the abiding issues on the table is the war and its effects on the country and people of Iraq and on our troops and our country.

The ironic thing about it is that the cares and concerns, even the priorities and pursuits, which shape my daily routine (and I think, the routine of many of the people throughout the US) resemble more and more the mentality of a time of peace and prosperity rather than a mindset in the midst of war. In fact, I think that unless you have a family member or a close connection with someone in the war, the prospects of the election have roused more people to attention than the actual war has.

I do not wish to overstate my point. And the point that I make is this: There is an uncanny parallel between our nation’s mentality about war and the mentality of missions held by numerous Christians today. Unless we know someone who is a missionary or have been to the frontlines ourselves (though some of the short-term trips could hardly be called such), we are almost completely oblivious to the work of our brothers and sisters in places all over the world to spread the news of the gospel against the wishes of those who are presently enemies of Christ.

Knowing that I speak as one who himself does not often think from a wartime perspective, I still want to persuade us to think about and evaluate the kinds of cares, concerns, priorities and pursuits we have now and how they would be affected by a more constant awareness of the continuous battle that rages for the gospel all over the world.

I suggest as a first step shifting our focus in prayer. Now, I speak as one who struggles greatly to do anything consistently, let alone pray, so do not consider brushing off the proposal. Therefore, it is my prayer that we as believers would grow not only into greater conformity with our Savior Jesus Christ, who alone is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, but also to grow in our desire to see the work of reconciliation and rescue, to which Christ has called us, be furthered all over the world by lifting up in intercession the cares, concerns, priorities, and pursuits of our Triune God and his ambassadors, as they battle what is not of flesh and blood to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

To this end, we hope, as the missions team, to begin putting in front of you all lists of prayers and requests from those we know who are serving as missionaries to better enable us to pray for the work and unassailable plans of our Almighty God.

In the meantime, pray:

that God would be glorified among the nations,

that it would proceed through the faithful proclamation of the gospel,

and that the proclamation would go forth in power that stems from the earnest prayers of his children!

Inspiration and some thoughts taken from Let The Nations Be Glad and its chapter on prayer and missions.

~Nick for the Missions Team

Below are excerpts taken from Chapter 1 of Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper.

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever.

Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. ‘The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!’ (Psalm 97:1). ‘Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!’ (Psalm 67:3-4).

But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, ‘Let the nations be glad!’, who can not say from the heart, ‘I rejoice in the Lord…I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praise to thy name, O Most High’ (Psalm 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.” -pg. 11

Piper goes on to address specifics:

“The zeal of the church for the glory of her King will not rise until pastors and mission leaders and seminary teachers make much more of the King. When the glory of God himself saturates our preaching and teaching and conversation and writings, and when he predominates above our talk of methods and strategies and psychological buzz words and cultural trends, then the people might begin the feel that he is the central reality of their lives and that the spread of his glory is more important than all their possessions and all their plans.” -pg. 38

Here is part of Piper’s summary of chapter one:

“God is calling us above all else to be the kind of people whose theme and passion is the supremacy of God in all of life. No one will be able to rise to the magnificence of the missionary cause who does not feel the magnificence of Christ. There will be no big world vision without a big God. There will be no passion to draw others in to our worship where there is no passion for worship.

‘Great and wonderful are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the ages!
Who shall not fear and glorify your name, O Lord?
For you alone are holy.
All nations shall come and worship you,
for you judgments have been revealed.’ (Revelation 15:3-4)” -pg. 40

Do we share the gospel often and does the frequency of our witnessing reflect for better or worse the intensity of our passion for God and his glory in our own lives?

I pray that the Spirit would help us to examine ourselves in light of these points with the end result being a greater love for and worship of God in our lives and a heightened effort to see him worshiped and glorified among all the peoples of the earth!!

~Nick Miersma for the Missions Team

CNN reports today: “Gunmen killed a Christian businessman and wounded his nephew in a drive-by shooting in Mosul, police said Monday…At least 900 Christian families have fled in recent days, reportedly frightened by a series of killings and threats by Muslim extremists ordering them to convert to Islam or face possible death, Iraqi officials said.”

As I sit here in my Seminary apartment writing this, with a glass of sweet tea and some pistachios at my side and the NLCS on the TV, I think of the Psalm I read this morning and what a drastically different perspective it takes on tonight as I think of our brothers and sisters in the Middle East: “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever” (Psalm 145:1-2a). And, then I read v. 4 and think of what this Christian businessman’s nephew might tell his kids one day: “One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.”

Friends, let’s be faithful to pray for our family in Iraq - that they will, even now, bless the Lord’s name, that their faithful witness in the face of this persecution would win many a Muslim to Christ, and that these trials may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

With our sweet tea and pistachios and you fill-in-the-blank, let’s not allow the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches to choke away our consistent devotion.

~Adam Graig for the Missions Team

Well, friends, Ramadan has come to an end, and as we continue to lift up the Muslim world, let us now turn our immediate attention to the large Jewish community that is here in Louisville. Last week, several students at Louisville Collegiate School were allowed an excused absence from school to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This Wednesday, Jewish students will also be excused from classes, and teachers are not allowed to assign homework, as the Jewish community celebrates Yom Kippur, or the “Day of Atonement.”

Yom Kippur is comparable on some levels to the Christian celebration of Christmas. It is the most solemn and important of the Jewish holy days. Most secular Jews, who may not strictly observe other Jewish holy days, will fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, where the number of worshippers attending is typically double or triple the normal attendance.

The biblical rites for the Day of Atonement are given in Leviticus 16. The themes of substitutionary atonement and repentance are among the central themes in the text.

So, Wellum’s Couples, as many of our neighbors gather this week to observe this holy day, may we – partakers of the blood of the new covenant – remember those whose eyes have not yet been opened to the One who has atoned for all sin and called every man to repentance.

~The Graigs for the Missions Team

Click here for today’s focus on Suriname.

The following information was taken from the 30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World website.

The last ten days of Ramadan are considered highly blessed. They are marked by a heightened spiritual intensity.

One night in particular (this past Saturday to be exact), called the Night of Power or Night of Destiny, Muslims prayed for blessings and forgiveness all night long. In fact, one translation of the Hadith (Qur’an commentary), has the Prophet Muhammad declaring that “whoever prays during the Night of Power with faith and hoping for its reward will have all his previous sins forgiven.” Muslims believe that the prophet Muhammad had his destiny fulfilled by receiving the first revelation of the Qur’an on that night.

And so it was on this special night and in weeks to follow, that significant numbers prayed and will continue praying in desperation genuinely seeking help from God concerning their destinies. Many will even experience supernatural encounters with God for the supernatural is very much an accepted part of Muslim life.

Because they are open to dreams and visions, Ramadan is a strategic time for Christians to believe that God would in His sovereignty reveal Himself to those who do not yet know Him. There are many stories throughout the Bible where God spoke through a dream or vision (Genesis 41, Genesis 46:2 & 3, Daniel 4, Judges 7:10-15, Ezekiel 11:24, Matthew 2:12, 19, Acts 10:3-20, Revelation 1:1). In many of these cases the end result was for the purpose of salvation or physical safety.

Here are a few contended yet surprising statistics to consider about dreams and visions:

-80% of new Christians in South Asia come to Christ as a direct result of supernatural encounters.

-More than half of new believers in Iran have had a dream or vision of Jesus.

-At least 35% of all recent Turkish conversions were in response to a dream and/or vision.

Furthermore, as Ramadan draws to a close, Muslims from Abu Dhabi to Zanzibar will end their 30 days of fasting with a celebration feast called Eid al-Fitr. In many places this can last up to three days and include a special congregational Eid prayer and recitation that is normally performed at mosques or open areas like fields or squares. Apparently, Muslims are so open right now that conversation about faith could be easily initiated. Although Ramadan is over, the necessity for prayer and action towards Muslims continues.

So, let us fervently pray that:

-God would continue to draw people to himself through faith in his Son to the praise of his glory!

-as Muslims seek their God for favor and assurance of prosperity and fortune, the Lord would be gracious toward them and address their deepest need, their unbelieving hearts, by sending his Holy Spirit to convict them of sin and to bring about despair in their hope of Allah.

-believers around them would grow in boldness during this time of spiritual awareness to proclaim the light of Christ into their world of darkness.

-dreams or visions of Jesus might lead those who have heard the message of Jesus or even read parts of the Bible to put their complete trust in Him for their salvation!

~Jennifer Miersma for the Missions Team

This will be a short post so as to not reiterate much of what has already been said concerning Ramadan. If you’re just now joining us on this 30 day focus of loving Muslims through prayer, please feel free to check out the last two Missions Monday posts:

30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World/What is Ramadan?
Continued Prayer for the Muslim World

Click here to read about today’s focus on Nagpur, India.

May God help us remain faithful in prayer for Muslims these last 9 days. For as they seek Allah’s approval through arduous praying and fasting, yet they will not be heard by the LORD because their faithless hearts are far from Him!

“The LORD is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayer of the righteous.” (Proverbs 15:29)

Thanks be to Christ, through whom our prayers are heard!

~Jennifer Miersma for the Missions Team

Last week, as part of the first Missions Monday, we introduced “30 Days of Prayer for the Muslim World.” This week we’re simply reminding you to continue loving Muslims through prayer as Ramadan is rolling right along into Day 8!

Click here for today’s focus on Ghana, a small country in West Africa made up of nearly 20% Muslims. Once you get there, be sure to spend some time browsing. For each day not only provides a unique video (from a documentary-type of some sweet spirited children who partook in the Ghana Youth Photo Project to an inside look at one Saudi woman’s life), but you will also find convicting testimonies, related articles and a handful of starter prayer requests for each country all in a precise and non-overwhelming format. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t know much about Ghana. So, if you’re interested in learning more, click here. Making use of the 30 Days website has been an easy way to see other parts of the world and immediately remember how they live without the gospel.

For example, Day 2 focused on Saudi Arabia and it listed many clans by name to pray for that the gospel would go forth powerfully among them. I was personally reminded of the great need for the specific peoples/clans to be prayed for by name, since the daily post mentioned that we may be some of the first ever to pray for those particular people groups!! The reality that there are hundreds even thousands of people groups in the world who have no gospel workers, let alone people who are consistently in prayer on their behalf should grieve us!

Did you know? [Click here for more stats.]

1 in every 5 people alive today are Muslims.

9 out of 10 Muslims don’t know any Christians.

Because Ramadan is a special and very spiritual time of year for Muslims, please make an effort to lift them up in prayer. Even if you print off the brief stories and requests for each day and then read over them before going to bed, that’s a huge step! Other ideas, and ones involving your family, include incorporating this somehow into your family’s worship time or being prepared to talk about it over a meal and then spending some time praying after wards! Simple, right? We just have to be intentional and make the decision to do so today!

I hope and pray you have been able to keep up with this. I am learning so much and at the same time being reminded again and again of how Jennifer-focused I can get! Reading about other cultures and remembering how they have little or no access to the precious message of the gospel of Jesus Christ has been a great help to me this week against those selfish moments where temptation tries to keep me from thinking of others rather than myself. I ask myself, “Why don’t I do this more often?!?!” In light of this, may we take the words of Paul in Colossians 4:3 as our initiative, praying that “God would open to workers in these places a door for the Word, to declare the mystery of Christ that people might embrace the Holy King of glory and be freed from their enslavement to Islam!

~Jennifer Miersma for the Missions Team

What is Missions Monday?

As the Missions Team, we (the Miersmas and the Graigs) hope to serve our class in sustaining a measure of attention and due appreciation of God’s plan to see his gospel proclaimed among all the different peoples of the earth through the ministry of his Word and his Spirit to the praise of his glory.

One way we hope to encourage you in this is by highlighting one (or more) of the following every Monday here at the Wellum’s Couples’ blog:

1. Pointing to Scripture as the source for all things missions
2. Offering prayer requests in a missions-conscious way
3. Informing you about God’s people and work around the world
4. Incorporating testimony from those involved in the missions effort
5. Recapping whatever was addressed on a Missions Sunday (last Sunday of each month)

In case you weren’t there, yesterday was one of those days! Nick had us look briefly in Psalm 67 at God’s global plan, touching then on ways that we as Christians could think and pray in light of what we read/see in the headlines/the daily news. Essentially, believers should not be calloused or worried about the strife and suffering in the world, but consider both the greater severity of the coming judgment upon those who reject God and his mediator Christ (the imprecatory psalms hit this) as well as the immeasurable riches of his grace as God demonstrated his love to the rebellious world by sending his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for sins on our behalf. These two truths should move us to pray earnestly and frequently for God’s message/messengers of salvation and reconciliation to go forth that all the different peoples of the earth might come to God and worship Him!

In an attempt to apply this idea on Missions Monday, let’s focus our attention on an article I found at CNN.com entitled Pakistan suspends offensive for Ramadan.

What is Ramadan?

Today marks the first day of the month-long Muslim religious observance called Ramadan. Over the next 30 days all good muslims all over the world will fast from food and drink (as well as a selection of other things) during daylight hours. Fasting, one of the five Pillars of the Islamic faith, demonstrates obedience and causes Muslims to remember the qualities of Allah. Because of the spiritual dimension to fasting, many Muslims spend more time in prayer, reading the Koran/Qur’an, doing good to those less fortunate and making more visits to the mosque. They believe that adherence to this Pillar (as well as the other four: reciting their profession of faith, praying five times a day facing Mecca, obligatory and voluntary giving to the poor, and making a once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca) increases their piety and ultimately earns atonement for their sins as they plead with Allah for mercy. Their salvation is dependent on their acts of holiness!

How should we respond to this most venerated and blessed month of the Islamic year?

1. Learn a little more about Islam, specifically Ramadan! That way if you encounter someone of the Muslim faith over the next month, you would have an understanding about their faith, be able to relate to them during this special time of year, and perhaps share the message of hope found only in the gospel of Jesus Christ!

2. We would like to challenge you to pray for Muslims this month. As Muslims around the world meditate on spiritual things, pray that many will come to know the gospel through workers living in their area or through dreams/visions and as a result entrust their lives to Jesus. Don’t know what or how to pray? Don’t worry! Specific prayer for different areas of the Muslim world has already been organized online! Click here to follow a day-by-day prayer guide over the next 30 days, or click here for today’s focus on Tajikistan.

3. And last, spend some time meditating on the beauty of the gospel, Christ in you - the hope of glory! Anticipate Christ’s second coming when all of creation will be restored, sin will no longer have its divisive and destructive effect over the world, Satan will be crushed forever and we will all find unspeakable delight and satisfaction in our Triune God completely! Come, Lord Jesus, come!

~Jennifer Miersma for the Missions Team