What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............
All the great religious leaders of history have one thing in common: they are dead. Only one man has risen from a grave never again to taste death. Jesus Christ died, was buried, remained in the grave for 3 days, then was raised to life again.
Jesus is unique. He is the only one proven to be the Son of God because God validated His Kingship and accepted His payment for our sins all with one incredible stroke: He raised Jesus from the dead!
Paul opens his letter to the Romans with this evidence about who Jesus is:
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:1-4
Because Jesus Christ is very much alive, five things are true right now that wouldn’t be true if He were just another dead religious leader like Confucius, Mohammed or Buddha.
Because Jesus was raised from the dead and is alive…Prayers are answered, We can talk to Jesus 24/7
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Some have asked me to pray for them because they tell me that God answers me. t
This is of course total nonsense..........
Please tell me honestly how often have you prayed and then forgot about it?
See here it is; When you have prayed expect an answer maybe not in the time you want an answer but stay in the expecting mode and the answer will come guaranteed!
Does the Lord not already know what we need or want? Sure He does but the great Almighty has it set up this way that if we have needs, He wants us to ask Him.
Yes, the Lord wants us to communicate with Him. Pretty amazing me thinks
Do you remember when you were little and trying to dress yourself you would run into trouble and your parents seeing this would say; " Come here child let us help you"
What was your answer? "I can do it myself"
Only when we were stuck having put two feet into one pajama leg were we willing to let daddy help. This is nature and today even as grown-ups we often still try to fix and solve things on our own.........................until we to get stuck
Sing the wondrous love of Jesus
Sing His mercy and His grace
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place
(When we all). When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
(Of rejoicing that will be)
When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory
(Shout the victory)
Onward to the prize before us
Soon His beauty we'll behold
Soon the pearly gates will open
We shall tread the streets of gold
(When we all). When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
(Of rejoicing that will be)
When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory
(Shout the victory)
(When we all). When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory
On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross
The emblem of suffering and shame
And I love that old cross where the dearest and best
For a world of lost sinners was slain
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross (rugged cross)
Till my trophies at last I lay down
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
To the old rugged cross I will ever be true
It's shame and reproach gladly bear
Then he'll call me some day to my home far away
Where his glory forever I'll share
And I'll cherish the old rugged cross (rugged cross)
Till my trophies at last I lay down
And I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
I will cling to the old rugged cross
And exchange it some day for a crown
O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy pow’r thru-out the universe displayed!
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Verse 2
When thru the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees,
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze,
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Verse 3
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in –
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin!
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Verse 4
When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
Chorus
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
I’m not angry with myself like I was, no sir. I’ve got good people around me, Vestal Goodman, bless her heart. I see life in a different way, the way I feel like I should have seen it all my life. I feel like it’s been wasted, but there’s nothing I can do about that. I just thank God I’m still here, and the main thing is to try to get closer and closer to Him.
Barbara Mandrell
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer and actress. She is known for a series of Top 10 hits and TV shows in the 1970s and 1980s that helped her become one of the country’s most successful female vocalists of that period. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.
Barbara calls her faith in God “a simple faith.” She was brought up in the church as a young girl and was saved at 10 in her Lutheran church. Barbara says God has given her the most marvelous life. He’s been teaching her the biblical passage from the Lord’s Prayer – forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. We have to forgive, which means forget. Barbara says if it’s hard for her to forgive someone, she envisions Jesus on the cross and what was done to Him for our sins.
Thomas, who died May 29 at age 78, had a spiritual awakening in 1976. After his born-again experience, the pop and country singer with 15 singles in the Top 40 charts got off drugs and reunited with his wife, Gloria. He put out a massively successful album of Christian music. And he was confronted by an evangelical culture eager for stars but also instantly, angrily critical of them.
Thomas was hailed as a new evangelical icon and then heckled, booed, and berated by born-again fans who didn’t think he was performing his Christianity right. Other celebrities who have wanted to express their faith in pop music but struggled with the demands of believing fans—including Bob Dylan, Amy Grant, and Justin Bieber—would go through similar experiences in subsequent decades.
“I think it’s a really sad commentary when people who want to refer to themselves as quote-Christians-unquote would want to come out and hear someone just to boo them,” Thomas said in a 2019 interview. “That to me was always tough to deal with, and I just stopped making 100 percent gospel records.”
Thomas’s most public clash came in 1982, after he won his fifth gospel Grammy. He sang a string of his secular hits to an Oklahoma audience of more than 1,800, and a woman started shouting at him to talk about Jesus. He told her he wished Jesus would make her be quiet and then said, “I’m not going to put up with this” and walked off stage. Someone shouted, “You’re losing your witness, B. J.,” and there were scattered boos.
The singer returned to the stage and continued the show, but not before critiquing the fans.
“You people love to get together with your gospel singers and talk about how you lead all the pop singers to the Lord,” he said. “But when you get them in front of you, you can't love them, can you? I've got Jesus, but you can't love me.”
In CCM, Thomas complained that Christians “can’t seem to hear somebody sing. It’s always got to be some kind of Christian cliché or Bible song, or they feel it’s their right before God to reject and judge and scoff.”
Thomas continued to produce gospel records and Christian-themed music for the rest of his career, but he also recorded country and pop hits, including “Whatever Happened to Old Fashioned Love,” “New Looks from an Old Lover,” “Two Car Garage,” and “As Long as We Got Each Other,” the theme song for the sitcom Growing Pains. His shows were primarily secular, with a few religious songs mixed in.
He had, nevertheless, many committed Christian fans who mourned his passing over the Memorial Day weekend.
Steven Curtis Chapman
Saddened by the news of the passing of a great artist and a brother who inspired and influenced me as a boy...Welcome Home BJ Thomas.
DUANE ALLEN
I AM SO SAD TO READ THIS....BJ WAS A DEAR FRIEND AND ONE OF MY FAVORITE VOCALISTS....MY PRAYERS ARE WITH GLORIA, THE FAMILY, AND THE MANY FANS AND FRIENDS.....M
I come to the garden alone
While the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear falling on my ear
The Son of God discloses
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
He speaks and the sound of His voice
Is so sweet the birds hush their singing
And the melody that He gave to me
Within my heart is ringing
And He walks with me
And He talks with me
And He tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known
However, I have a friend at work and we used to meet up at lunchtime, and we discussed different topics including religion. And after a while we got interested in religion and Christianity in particular, and through his invitation I went to some talks which explored the values of Christianity in various aspects of life.
And after much thought I decided to go to the Christianity Explored course to find out more about it, and I think the main drive behind this move was the realisation that I had been ignoring the spiritual aspect of my life, having spent most of it building up my career.
I remember being extremely nervous and uneasy and uncomfortable because I wasn’t really accustomed to discussing religious matters. Secondly I was afraid of exposing my ignorance in public in this area. But having said that, my fears were quickly allayed when I went to the first two courses. The main strength was the people were very accommodating, understanding and supportive. They encouraged you to ask questions, and with time I began to open up and became more confident and started challenging certain areas that was written down in Christianity and that helped me to understand it better.
More importantly, no question was too simple. So it allowed me to actually explore the various issues I have in my mind.
Attending the course has allowed me to find out more about Christianity compared with other religions, because that’s one of the issues I had in my own mind, and it allowed me to understand and be aware of these strengths.
At present I’m doing Bible studies with my friend, and I want to learn more and understand better about Christianity - in particular about applying the Christian values to one’s daily life, because that’s what’s important. So I’m in the process of finding out more about Jesus and hopefully getting to know him better so that I will embrace Christianity in due course.
My wife asked me to go on the Christianity Explored course. She’d been on it two years ago. But I was rather reluctant to go on the course. However, by going to church I’d spoken to people - Christians at church - who’d said it was a good course. And I’d also noticed how happy and contented Christians seem to be. So I thought perhaps there might be something in it that was worthwhile for me to go and see. So I rather reluctantly agreed with Maureen yes I’d go along.
I found the Christianity Explored course very interesting. It was informative, it was well structured and well organized, but most importantly it answered many questions that I had. The two major questions that I had was whether I could believe the Bible - that it was an actual factual representation of what happened. And the second one was whether I could believe in the resurrection.
And the minister and the Christian leaders who were on the course were always able to go to the Bible to give me the answers, and the Bible always provided the answers to me which I found pretty conclusive.
The second part was whether I could believe the resurrection, and I was given other references to read which helped me to understand the proof behind the resurrection. The course opened my eyes to who Jesus was, why he came to earth, and he came to save us. And that was the most important question that was answered for me.
I’m not sure that I was a Christian when I finished the Christianity Explored course but I’d certainly learned enough from the course for it to make me want to know more about becoming a Christian. So I met up with the minister on a one-to-one basis for a few sessions where we discussed the questions and also talked the doubts that I had. And I explored with him the fact that I wasn’t perfect and I didn’t think that I was cut out to be a Christian. But it became more and more obvious that Christians know that they’re not perfect and that it wasn’t something that I should worry about because Jesus had come to earth to save us from the fact that we’re all sinners and that we’re not perfect. God understood that – that’s why he sent Jesus who was there to save us from that sin.
And so I realized, with help from the minister, that I had become a Christian because I believed in Jesus.
Since I became a Christian I’ve become more content. I’m certainly more tolerant of people, and I feel that I’m now leading a better life. I was the only non-Christian in my family, but now I feel that my wife and my son and myself are more of a family now – we’re part of God’s family - and that we can enjoy our life living the way that Jesus wanted us, needs us, to lead our life. And we’re very happy to do that.
I was born in Iraq. I come from a mixed religious and cultural family—my dad is an Arab Muslim, but kind of a liberal Muslim, and my mum is Armenian, so she's culturally Christian. My dad had to flee Iraq because of the political problems with Saddam Hussein, so when I was a teenager I was sent to study on my own in Czechoslovakia. I lived there for eight years, and I embraced materialistic philosophy and became an atheist and a communist.
To me, religion was basically a waste of time. I had no respect for religion because I thought it was all made up of fantasies and myths: that people twisted things to suit their agendas and they created systems of belief to manipulate weak and disillusioned people.
One day I got very angry and lost my temper with the woman I loved at that time, and the relationship ended—she just left me. And I just couldn't face that loss, I just couldn't deal with that. And that was amazing to me because I had thought I was able to go through life and nothing would phase me, that I could go through any problems. But the reality was that it uncovered my weakness, and I realised that all this inner strength that I believed in was nothing, was worthless.
And I suddenly realized, I am to be pitied like those people I pitied before.
I started reading the Bible from the book of Genesis, and later on I was starting to go to church to hear the sermon explaining what the Bible is. And there was this Christianity Explored course, so I decided to go and join the course.
It was amazing actually because, me being from the Middle East, we always have a suspicious mind; we always think there's something not true in what people say. So it was funny because I tried to ask all the questions to find out if the leaders on my table would tell me the truth or if they would try to manipulate me, or try to twist things or soften things up so I would think, “Actually it's not so bad.”
I discovered that no, they were just plainly explaining what the Bible was saying.
And also I just started to realise who the person of Jesus Christ really was. I had had all sorts of ideas about him before; but I started reading his words, I started hearing the stories he said, I started understanding what he did—and he blew me away. I thought: “This is the person I always wanted to be like in my life. I never thought there was anyone who can be like this!” I was totally blown away by his integrity, and the things he did and the things he said.
It was when I went on the weekend away, which is part of the course, that I just came to the conclusion that I could not keep denying the truth about Christ and who he is. And I just said: “That's it—I don't know what this is going to do to me, but I trust you and I'm ready to follow you whatever and wherever you take me.” And that was it.
Life now has no meaning without Jesus Christ. It's like a journey I am on with him - with the one person who we were created for. I can go walking all my life knowing that in the highs and the lows, in the sorrows and the joys, he is standing there with me, never leaving me or abandoning me.
Not just that: this relationship doesn't end with my death; actually it carries on forever. And that's what I can look forward to - that's what life is all about - not just now but also forever. I will enjoy that loving relationship with Jesus Christ forever.
Most of them are getting very tired as they have been taking care of patients for a very long time now.
Firefighters had also to fight the high temperatures making their work even more difficult.
....................
Since the release of her hit song "Jesus Take the Wheel" in 2005, country star Carrie Underwood has made her religious beliefs apparent in her songs. In 2012, she responded to questions of whether she was ever worried the content of the song would deter potential fans. "It wasn't a worry to me at all," she told Glamour Magazine. "Country music is different. You have that Bible Belt-ness about it. I'm not the first person to sing about God, Jesus, faith any of that, and I won't be the last. And it won't be the last for me, either. If you don't like it, change the channel." Carrie's husband, retired NHL player Mike Fisher, is also a devout Christian. "Every Wednesday, my husband and I have a study group with our friends," she said. "I attend church. We try to devote time in the morning say a prayer. I'm not a big reader though. I have to feel it, hear it, touch it be involved in it."
Halle was a relatively prosperous city, home of a salt-mining industry and centre of trade (and member of the Hanseatic League). The Margrave of Brandenburg became the administrator of the archiepiscopal territories of Mainz, including Magdeburg when they converted, and by the early 17th century held his court in Halle, which attracted renowned musicians.Even the smaller churches all had "able organists and fair choirs", and humanities and the letters thrived (Shakespeare was performed in the theatres early in the 17th century). The Thirty Years War brought extensive destruction to Halle, and by the 1680s it was impoverished. However, since the middle of the war the city had been under the administration of the Duke of Saxony, and soon after the end of the war, he would bring musicians trained in Dresden to his court in Weissenfels.
The arts and music, however, flourished only among the higher strata (not only in Halle but throughout Germany), of which Handel's family was not a member. Georg Händel (senior) was born at the beginning of the war and was apprenticed to a barber in Halle at the age of 14, after his father died. When he was 20, he married the widow of the official barber-surgeon of a suburb of Halle, inheriting his practice. With this, Georg determinedly began the process of becoming self-made; by dint of his "conservative, steady, thrifty, unadventurous" lifestyle, he guided the five children he had with Anna who reached adulthood into the medical profession (except his youngest daughter, who married a government official). Anna died in 1682. Within a year Georg married again, this time to the daughter of a Lutheran minister, Pastor Georg Taust of the Church of St. Bartholomew in Giebichenstein, who himself came from a long line of Lutheran pastors. Handel was the second child of this marriage; the first son was stillborn. Two younger sisters were born after the birth of George Frideric: Dorthea Sophia, born 6 October 1687, and Johanna Christiana, born 10 January 1690.
Early in his life Handel is reported to have attended the Gymnasium in Halle, where the headmaster, Johann Praetorius was reputed to be an ardent musician. Whether Handel remained there, and if he did for how long, is unknown, but many biographers suggest that he was withdrawn from school by his father, based on the characterization of him by Handel's first biographer, John Mainwaring. Mainwaring is the source for almost all information (little as it is) of Handel's childhood, and much of that information came from J.C. Smith, Jr., Handel's confidant and copyist. Whether it came from Smith or elsewhere, Mainwaring frequently relates misinformation. It is from Mainwaring that the portrait comes of Handel's father as implacably opposed to any musical education. Mainwaring writes that Georg Händel was "alarmed" at Handel's very early propensity for music, "took every measure to oppose it", including forbidding any musical instrument in the house and preventing Handel from going to any house where they might be found. This did nothing to dampen young Handel's inclination; in fact, it did the reverse. Mainwaring tells the story of Handel's secret attic spinet: Handel "found means to get a little clavichord privately to a room at the top of the house. To this room he constantly stole when the family was asleep". Although both John Hawkins and Charles Burney credited this tale, Schoelcher found it nearly "incredible" and a feat of "poetic imagination" and Lang considers it one of the unproven "romantic stories" that surrounded Handel's childhood.[ But Handel had to have had some experience with the keyboard to have made the impression in Weissenfels that resulted in his receiving formal musical training.
Musical education;
Sometime between the ages of seven and nine, Handel accompanied his father to Weissenfels where he came under the notice of one whom Handel thereafter always regarded throughout life as his benefactor, Duke Johann Adolf I. Somehow Handel made his way to the court organ in the palace chapel of the Holy Trinity, where he surprised everyone with his playing. Overhearing this performance and noting the youth of the performer caused the Duke, whose suggestions were not to be disregarded, to recommend to Georg Händel that Handel be given musical instruction. Handel's father engaged the organist at the Halle parish church, the young Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow, to instruct Handel. Zachow would be the only teacher that Handel ever had. Because of his church employment, Zachow was an organist "of the old school", reveling in fugues, canons and counterpoint. But he was also familiar with developments in music across Europe and his own compositions "embraced the new concerted, dramatic style". When Zachow discovered the talent of Handel, he introduced him "to a vast collection of German and Italian music, which he possessed, sacred and profane, vocal and instrumental compositions of different schools, different styles, and of every master". Many traits considered "Handelian" can be traced back to Zachow's music.[ At the same time Handel continued practice on the harpsichord, learned violin and organ, but according to Burney his special affection was for the hautbois (oboe).[Schoelcher speculates that his youthful devotion to the instrument explains the large number of pieces he composed for the oboe.
A Brief Background on Handel’s Messiah
Handel’s crowning achievement, Messiah, was not an immediate success. In 1741, Handel was heavily in debt following a string of musical failures. It seemed that his career was over and he may even be forced to go to debtors’ prison. On April 8, 1741, Handel gave what he believed to be his final concert.
Later that year, two key events changed the course of Handel’s life and the landscape of music forever—his friend Charles Jennens wrote a libretto taken from the Bible, based on the life of Jesus Christ, and gave it to Handel. Then, Handel was given funding by a group of charities from Dublin, Ireland, to compose a new work for a benefit performance that would help free men from debtors’ prison. Handel would also receive his own commission for composing the work, which in turn helped him on his path to reversing his own misfortune.
The composition of Messiah, the complete 260-page oratorio, began on August 22, 1741, and was composed in just 24 days, when Handel finished the final orchestration on September 14, 1741.
Handel composed Messiah without getting much sleep or even eating much food. When his assistants brought him his meals, they were often left uneaten. His servants would often find him in tears as he composed. When he completed “Hallelujah,” he reportedly told his servant, “I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself seated on His throne, with His company of Angels.”
Although the first performance in Dublin on April 13, 1742, was a huge success, Messiah wasn’t met with the same excitement in London the following season. Six scheduled performances were cancelled by Handel in 1743, Messiah was completely removed from the 1744 schedule, and it wasn’t performed in London until 1749.
In another reversal of fortunes, London’s Foundling Hospital held a fundraising concert, where Handel performed a mix of new music and well as older pieces including the “Hallelujah” chorus. At the time, Messiah was still somewhat unknown to London audiences, but the concert was so well received that Handel was invited back the next year, where he performed the entire Messiah oratorio. Performances of Messiah became an Eastertime tradition at the Foundling Hospital until the 1770s. Earnings from many early performances of the oratorio were used to help the poor, needy, orphaned, widowed, and sick.
In 1910 the Tabernacle Choir made its first recordings, which included the “Hallelujah” chorus; this was most likely the first recording of Messiah music outside of England. It was also the first recording of a Messiah piece to use an established choir, as all early recordings were made using temporary choirs comprised of provisional singers.
Text for “Hallelujah” comes from the book of Revelation in the New Testament. Revelation 19:6: “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” Revelation 19:16: “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.” Revelation 11:15 reads, “And he shall reign for ever and ever.”
"LIFE ends when you stop DREAMING
HOPE ends when you stop BELIEVING"
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, don't let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on, to light
Take my hand Precious Lord
And lead me home
When my way grows drear
Precious Lord linger near
When my life is almost gone
Hear my cry, hear my call
Hold my hand, lest I fall
Take my hand Precious Lord
And lead me home
When the darkness appears
And the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river, I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand Precious Lord
And lead me home
Precious Lord, take my hand
Lead me on, don't let me stand
I am tired, I am weak, I am worn
Through the storm, through the night
Lead me on, to light
Take my hand Precious Lord
And lead me home
Lead me home
I Wasn't Meant to Live My Life Alone
All the times I've fallin' victim to my pride
Patiently, you have waited by my side
My guiding light through my darkest night
You're the one thing I do right
No, I wasn't meant to live my life alone
The load is just too heavy
And the road is just too long
When I try to do it all myself
It always turns out wrong
No, I wasn't meant to live my life alone
But I've tried a million times to take control
But I find, I always dig myself a hole
And there I stand with a broken plan
Reachin' for your hand
'Cause I wasn't meant to live my life alone
The load is just too heavy
And the road is just too long
When I try to do it all myself
I find I'm not that strong
No, I wasn't meant to live my life alone
I truly need you with me in this life Lord Jesus
I grew up on a steady diet of missionary stories.
During the long Alaskan winters of my childhood, we had hours of read-aloud time. Curled up around our trusty wood stove, we soaked in the words and the life experiences of some of the greatest heroes of faith: missionaries. David Livingston, J. Hudson Taylor, “Ai-weh-deh“, Mary Slessor, and many other lesser-known missionaries were familiar names in our home, almost like family friends.
But it wasn’t just foreign missionaries and stories from generations ago that filled my childhood. My parents regularly practiced the art of hospitality, and we were honored to house and get to know modern-day missionaries as well. Seeing them live today on the foundations built by the great missionaries of the past was a gift that has encouraged and inspired me in my own daily walk in all the years since.
As an adult, I look back fondly on those evenings around the fireplace, remembering the words of the missionaries, both past, and present, that graced our home. Thanks to that heritage, I am determined to raise my daughter knowing and loving these heroes of the faith, as well.
For generations, missionary stories have inspired the next generation to go and serve, as well. Two of my siblings have also served extensively overseas, and my brother and his family are preparing to launch to Africa early next year.
Missionaries aren’t always born with exceptional gifts or outstanding talents. It’s the every day, simple people like you and me who let God completely guide their steps who He uses to do great things–here, or far away.
If you are feeling low on faith or have never read much about the missionaries of the past generations, I hope the stories of these fourteen missionary heroes and their companions will inspire you like they have inspired me every day.
Missionaries You Should Read About
Adoniram (1788-1850) and Ann (1789-1826) Judson
At the age of 25, Adoniram Judson was the first American missionary to Burma. He and Ann married two weeks before they boarded a ship bound for India, from which they eventually were able to make their way to Burma. Judson would spend the next nearly forty years of his life living among and witnessing to the Burmese people. Until her death, Ann was the friend of many and even more fluent in the Burmese language than her academically inclined husband. Judson’s efforts were slow-going. He was imprisoned and tortured, but he never gave up on his God-given calling to reach Burma for Christ. Before his death, Adoniram Judson had not only established several churches in Burma, but he had also given Burma one of the greatest gifts: the Bible in their own language.
At the age of 25, Adoniram Judson was the first American missionary to Burma. He and Ann married two weeks before they boarded a ship bound for India, from which they eventually were able to make their way to Burma. Judson would spend the next nearly forty years of his life living among and witnessing to the Burmese people. Until her death, Ann was the friend of many and even more fluent in the Burmese language than her academically inclined husband. Judson’s efforts were slow-going. He was imprisoned and tortured, but he never gave up on his God-given calling to reach Burma for Christ. Before his death, Adoniram Judson had not only established several churches in Burma, but he had also given Burma one of the greatest gifts: the Bible in their own language.
Christian missionary stories have made a huge impact on our culture’s generation today.
Through prayer and introducing Biblical principles, Christian missionaries have influenced education systems, belief practices, lifestyle behaviors, and economic structures. Their faithfulness to God and His Word is a testimony of cultural history, as well as traditional rituals, having been challenged and developed because of their devotedness to the One who is worthy to receive all the glory.
These people were by no means perfect, fully prepared, or fully equipped for the life they would live. Their faith was tested and tried countless times through endurance and suffering, and many were on the verge of giving up. Yet because of their obedience to God, their stories continue to motivate us today.
While we believe that the foundation for missions is based upon scripture, we also recognize that pioneer Christian missionaries have been the first to carry out the Great Commission. Through the impact of their stories, God is raising up another generation who has a burning desire in their hearts for His love to be known by every person on earth.
In this blog, we are introducing 10 pioneer Christian missionary stories that have inspired thousands of people for centuries. Over the course of the next few blogs, we will look at the life of each missionary and the legacy that is still being carried out to this day.
1. David Brainerd: Pioneering a Legacy in Missions
Born in 1718, David Brainerd was one of the first missionaries to translate and carry the good news of Jesus to the Native Americans of New Jersey in their own language until the day of his death in 1747. His faith and passionate pursuit of God’s holiness has inspired countless missionaries such as William Carey, Adoniram Judson, and Jim Elliot. His story is still being told today to rekindle the beating heart of missions that every Christian should have: That the love of God would be made known to every lost soul on earth.
2. William Carey: Pioneer to India and Father of Modern Missions
William Carey was born in 1761 and is often called the father of the modern missions movement because of his forty-one years of service on the mission field until he passed away in 1834. He was the first missionary to India and the first Baptist preacher to believe that the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 was a binding command on every generation of Christians. He is known for translating the entire Bible into Bengali and transforming culture through business and education. Read the full story about William Carey.
3. Adoniram and Ann Judson: Pioneers of Overseas Missions
Adoniram and Ann Judson were the first American missionaries who were sent overseas to serve on the mission field in both India and Burma—now known as Myanmar. Both Adoniram and Ann worked on translating the Bible into Burmese until Adoniram was thrown into prison when accused of being a spy during the First Anglo-Burmese War. Ann, known as the mother of modern missions, fought to get her husband out of prison by going to every government court of law, raising awareness, and writing books on being a missionary in a foreign country. Their stories reflect that it is God who plants the seed and makes it grow.
Pioneer missionaries have been some of the first Westerners to enter into unengaged cultures and share the gospel with the indigenous inhabitants.
For years, there has been a big debate over whether or not Westerners ruin other cultures. In this section, we will look at the wrong and right ways pioneer missionaries have approached culture, and how that has made an impact overseas.
The Wrong Approach: Westernizing Culture
In the past, there have been some pioneer missionaries who entered into a new culture with the mindset that the locals were pagans and needed to be converted to Christianity. Rather than try to study the underlying beliefs that affected the native’s behavior, they shunned the very people that they had come to share the gospel with.
These missionaries also introduced medicine, food, clothes, politics, machines, and legal traditions from the West into the native culture. However, rather than teaching the local people how to sustain themselves, the missionaries poured all their resources into their own ministries and businesses. While Western practices and values are not bad, the local people began to depend on the Western missionaries for bringing in goods to support their economy.
When the missionaries left, the economy and culture would decline into a worse state than when they found it. In the years that those missionaries had been among the people, there was little lasting spiritual impact and no disciples were made. The missionaries had focused only on physical needs instead of addressing the spiritual needs of the people also. Thus, there was no permanent transformation. You need both to make an impact.
The Right Approach: Studying Culture
On the other hand, there have been pioneer missionaries whose faith in God has driven them to find people who have never heard the name of Jesus. They were burdened with the desire to share the gospel and make disciples who make more disciples.
Rather than try to ‘fix’ a culture, these pioneer missionaries immersed themselves among the local people. They dressed as they did, learned the language, and became learners of the culture by studying the social behavior of the natives. In doing so, they discovered the needs of the people and recognized what was valued in that culture. Often the natives did not have a Bible written in their own language, and pioneer missionaries were able to translate the Bible into the indigenous language of the people they were with.
It takes years to share the full gospel with someone, and see any fruit from their work. Yet these pioneer missionaries knew how to contextualize the gospel and reach people with the love of Christ and endured through faith in building long-lasting relationships.
They also recognized that the people needed to be equipped with skills and trained how to help their own people. Medicine, education, business, and disciple-making became their primary focus of teaching. They also introduced Biblical values that shaped the culture’s social interactions and lifestyle. This produced a long-term impact and has brought greater transformation to these cultures today.
“Today’s missionaries are concentrated less in the far distant, less “civilized” parts of the world due to the unreached masses of people groups in the world’s large cities. But pioneer missionaries have left a legacy of strong commitment to reaching the unreached under extreme difficulties.”
There are still 6,500 unreached people groups in the world. That means that roughly 2.2 billion have never heard the gospel in their own language and there are less than 2% believing Christians in their community.
Today, you can be a pioneer missionary and go where no missionary has ever gone before.
Pioneer missionaries have the potential to raise up the next generation of leaders to seek after the heart of God and reach all peoples, together. They can inspire the younger generation to rise up in spiritual maturity and carry the torch where the previous generation was unable to go. With God’s strength and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we can have the stamina and strength to do the hard things and partner with God in the work He is doing all over the world.
“The supreme and crying need of this lost world is the Gospel. Shall we not rise at Christ’s command to carry the blessed saving news to every perishing one?”
– Robert Jaffray
Jesus is worthy to be praised, and yet, there are people whose languages have not yet reached His ears. There are tribes and tongues whom He has never heard the sound of, saying: “Jesus, we love You! Jesus, we need You! Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for my sins and rising again and rescuing me!”
It is clear that there is a desperate need for people all over the world to be told of God’s great love. People’s eternity is at stake. How can we say that we have no part in the Great Commission?
Be on a lookout for full stories of each Christian missionary. God is still using their stories to change the trajectory of people’s lives, and He may use it to change your heart.
May we be a people who are wholly consecrated to Christ and utterly devoted to the glory of God so that He may be known among all the nations.
There are few of us whose lives have been as heavily dosed with heartache and loss as that of Ashlee Birk. Her decision and dedication to share her story with the world is remarkable. Ashlee had a wonderful family with five beautiful children. Although blessed with all the makings of hope and happiness, Ashlee watched in despair as her husband, Emmett, became distant, angry and hurtful. Whatever Ashlee’s suspicions were as to the cause of his sudden change, nothing could’ve prepared her for what was coming next. One night, in the midst of the most harrowing feelings that something was very very wrong, two detectives appeared at her door to tell her that her husband Emmett had been shot and killed by his lover’s husband. She writes on her blog,
“I remember walking into my closet that night to beg Heavenly Father for a ‘do over.’ I begged Him for answers to why all of this was real. I fell to my knees and pleaded for the peace that I needed. “The most peaceful feeling came over my body. A still, small voice whispered to my heart: “BE STILL . . . I have been here, and I am still here. Angels have guarded this home and each of you. None of that has changed. It will be hard, but you have to keep moving forward. You have to have faith for a brighter day, which will come as long as you keep protecting these sweet children and having faith in Me.The Agony in the Garden“You are not alone. You have been watched over, and I am proud of you. I believe in you. Now is the time when you have to decide if your testimony has been in your perfect life and your husband, or if your testimony is in Me. Ashlee, be still. Breathe. You did all you could. You did your best. I am so proud of you. “You were an amazing wife; you are an incredible mother. You are still you. Do not let this define who you will become. You are still the Ashlee you have always been, and I see so much good in you. Believe in yourself and do not doubt who you are because of the pain you now feel so deeply. Find forgiveness and peace. This is the time to find the beauty that is still all around you. Make the world a better place for those children I have blessed you with. I will carry you when it gets unbearable, but I need you to STAND.”
Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They
may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you
do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake.
I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring
if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.
10. LOVE YOURSELF:
As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were
created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in
return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors.
But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so
angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious
to me. Don't ever forget......
Be a blessing to someone with your love.
Rather than focus upon the thorns of life, smell the roses and count
YOUR blessings.
Jesus Christ, You are alive. You have given the good news. Life is
abundant, and now life is eternal to those who know You and that includes me.
"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten, Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
You have promised it, Lord. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." You have promised that if I
have faith as the grain of a mustard seed, I can say to my mountain, "move
and nothing will be impossible. Jesus Christ, look at me. You know who I am.
You know where I come from. You know what problems I carry in my heart,
and my mind, and in my physical, organic body.
O Lord, you know a lot more about me than I do. A lot more about me than any
doctor, any psychiatrist, or any counselor knows.
O God, give me the gift of faith. I receive this gift, and I feel a warm glow. Your
faith is flowing from my mind, across my face, across my lips, down my neck,
and through my body. I am feeling the healing presence of the God of all
eternity. In the name of my Lord, I praise You, and I thank You, Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Thank You, Father, that my mind is designed to pick up Your thoughts and that
my heart has been created to welcome the feeling of love, Your Spirit within.
Thank You, Father, that I can in this time of prayer, have the freedom to reach
out and let the thoughts that are in me come out. Touch them, bless them, and
ordain them to become the seeds of better living. Grace, mercy, and God's
peace is with You now.
Amen.
Thank You, Lord, that You have called me to develop the potential and the
possibility that is built into every one of Your children and that includes me.
Release, O God, within me the attitude, "I can do it, with the help of God."
Let it begin with me now.
Jesus Christ, I want to thank You, that You have come to be my Savior, my
Lord, my Best Friend. Thank You for walking with me and talking with me.
Thank You for the joy we share as we walk in prayer. Father, whisper in my ear
to give me a dream for today, a dream that makes life wonderful and eternity exciting.
Amen.
I was becoming a little concerned about you
Hope you're doing well and feeling better
Have been in pain since September 6th and still am.
Doctors tried to use pain pills etc. but none of them worked so this morning I told them you tried so now I am going with out any more pain pills.
Where the shingles were all that is burning like someone threw hot oil on me, plus the itching, got to go Jenny
Always after night there is a new day. Always after
the winter there is a springtime. Always after the seed
is dropped in the soil to die, new life springs forth. Always
after the tough times, there comes the recovery. Always,
my Father, when a penitent, contrite heart bows in
repentance before you, there comes the joy of fresh
pardon. And so now, my Father, I come, expecting good
things to happen, for I have stepped into the circle of your
love, and I find mercy and Your peace here. Strength is
coming like a warm rain driven by warm winds. Healing
is coming through the living Christ. Thank You, Father, Amen.
Thank you, Lord, that You have come to give us affir-
mation as persons, salvation as sinners, to turn us into
the potential people of being a part of this world's solu-
tion, messengers of real love. Thank You, Jesus Christ,
I accept You as my Savior. I accept You for all the for-
giveness that I need. I embrace your holy cross, and by
the sacrifice of Your precious life, I have been made clean.
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Amen.
You all know the problem: Why is it that you pray for one person, who is not healed, and then the next person gets out of the wheelchair and walks?
One woman, for example, has tumors on the side of her neck that you can actually see and feel. While you pray you see them go down and, in fifteen minutes, they are gone. You pray for another woman with the same kind of tumors — and, apparently, with the same spiritual outlook — and nothing seems to happen (at least, not on the level of the cancerous tumor).
If you are a healing evangelist, praying with a crowd of thousands in a one–night appearance at the Civic Auditorium, you can call all the healed people up to the stage to give their testimonies, and you don't have to counsel all the others. But if you are a pastor, and those cancer patients are in your congregation, you may have to give them an explanation as to why God doesn't seem to answer their prayer.
That perception is not true, of course. At some level we are sure our prayer is answered, for we do believe that God hears and answers all our prayers. Yet, although that may be true, it may not be satisfactory to the patient who suffers from the cancer.
The deeper answers explaining why people don't seem to receive physical healing are, however, very helpful and I would like to share several of them that have guided me in that spiritual direction that does lead to physical healing, for I do believe that, ordinarily, God wants us to be physically whole and healthy.
1) The first, of course, is our real need for faith, an ardent belief in Jesus' desire to heal us. Sometimes healing is blocked by our lack of faith —sometimes in the sick person, sometimes in the minister of healing. Much has been written, as well as spoken, about the key importance of faith, and I need not comment further, except to say that lack–of–faith is not the only reason the sick are not healed. When people get that idea about lack–of–faith then sick people who are not immediately healed take on a burden of guilt which only intensifies their physical sickness with the added sorrow of spiritual darkness. I have known some patients dying in hospitals devastated by well–meaning Christians (who have usually disappeared at the end) who keep telling them that they will be healed if only they have faith.
What Does the Bible Say About Healing?
Biblical Reasons God May Not Heal
One of the names of God is Jehovah-Rapha, "the Lord who heals." In Exodus 15:26, God declares that he is the healer of his people. The passage refers specifically to healing from physical disease:
He said, "If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you." (NLT)
The Bible records a considerable number of physical healing accounts in the Old Testament. Likewise, in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples, healing miracles are prominently highlighted. And throughout the ages of church history, believers have continued to testify of God's power to divinely heal the sick.
So, if God by his own nature declares himself Healer, why doesn't God heal everyone?
Why did God use Paul to heal the father of Publius who was ill with fever and dysentery, as well as many other sick people, yet not his beloved disciple Timothy who suffered from frequent stomach illnesses?
Why Doesn't God Heal Everyone?
Perhaps you are suffering from a sickness right now. You've prayed every healing Bible verse you know, and still, you're left wondering, Why won't God heal me?
Maybe you've recently lost a loved one to cancer or some other terrible disease. It's only natural to ask the question: Why does God heal some people but not others?
The quick and obvious answer to the question rests in God's sovereignty. God is in control and ultimately he knows what's best for his creations. While this is certainly true, there are several clear-cut reasons given in Scripture to further explain why God may not heal.
Psalm 100
A Psalm of Thanksgiving
1 Make a Joyful shout to the Lord,
all you lands!
2 Serve the Lord with Gladness;
Come before His presence with
singing.
3 Know that the Lord, He is God!
It is He who has made us, and
not we ourselves.
We are his people and the sheep
of his pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with
thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless his
name.
5 For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
and His truth endures to all
generations.
They started in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and
cried. I cried out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The
rows of file shelves swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever,
ever know of this room. I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as
I pushed away the tears, I saw Him.
No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly
as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to
watch His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at
His face, I saw a sorrow deeper than my own.
He seemed to intuitively go to the worst boxes. Why did He have to read
every one? Finally He turned and looked at me from across the room. He
looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was a pity that didn't
anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my hands and began to
cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me. He could have said
so many things. But He didn't say a word He just cried with me.
Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end
of the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name
over mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find
to say was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't
be on these cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, so
alive. The name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He
gently took the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the
cards. I don't think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but
the next instant it seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back
to my side.
He placed His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished." I stood
up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door. There
were still cards to be written.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."-Phil. 4:13.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
If you feel the same way tell as many people as you can so the love of
Jesus will also touch their lives.
My "People I shared the gospel with" file just got bigger, will yours?