Cross-Cultural-Transformational Truth

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Isa 55:10-11

The trip to Malawi was a pleasant and awesome surprise. We learned of Chet and Leanne Burns' invitation to minister in Malawi after we arrived in Lusaka, Zambia. We were told that there was a great need for solid biblical teaching there. We were also informed that Malawi was more rural and dependent upon farming than her Zambian neighbor. Her people had not been forced to gather in the big city in search of work and food. They were content to stay in their local villages and live off the rich farmlands that blessed the Malawi landscape. Consequently, Malawians are not as influenced by the ways of the West as the Zambians. As we prepared ourselves for the trip, I personally wondered if their lack of education and our ignorance of their culture might be too great of an obstacle for our teaching to be understood and applied.  

Being Berean While Reading Rick Warren

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness."   Romans 1:18

Rick Warren's Purpose Driven philosophy has had an unbelievable influence upon the American church. His book, "The Purpose Driven Church" has sold over 1 million copies and has been translated into 20 languages. That book has been noted as one of the "100 Books that changed the 20th Century." However, even that book has been surpassed in influence by his 40 day devotional called "The Purpose Driven Life." It is directed toward the common man, not the church leader. Its positive message and encouraging note has struck a chord in both the laymen of the church as well as the common man in the streets. Its positive message has even caused such secular groups as the Oakland Raiders, Coca Cola, WalMart, NASCAR and the White House to seek out its wisdom. It seems that you can't open up a church bulletin across the U. S. A. without finding a small group gathered around the words of Rick Warren. Some of the evangelical "heavyweights" who have given their unqualified endorsement to the book are Billy and Franklin Graham, Bruce Wilkerson, Lee Strobel and Max Lucado. The book's claim to be a "blueprint for Christian living in the 21st century," may prove to be true.

Bible Saturated Thinking

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:10-11

We at GMTB believe that the Bible is God's Word spoken to men; all of it. It is not just the "basis" of all we do, it is the "dynamic" of all we do. When we approach the Bible in faith, it comes alive by the Holy Spirit. It is not just what God has said; it is what God is saying, now. It is not just concerned with "religious" things, but speak to all of life. God has purposed to glorify himself through his people and He has chosen to do this by revealing Himself and His ways through His Word.

There is a great battle presently being waged over the authority and sufficiency of God's Word. The Enemy hates God's Word. He will do anything to keep God's people from pursuing Christ in His Word. Sometimes his attacks come directly from unbelieving forces.

Hungry For The Word!

"The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land — not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. Amos 8:11-12

"Preaching is hazy; heads are muddled; hearts fret; doubts drain strength; uncertainty paralyzes action, For two generations our churches have suffered from a famine of hearing the words of the Lord." J. I. Packer