Christians often feel caught in the tension between caring for their own families and churches and their broader desire to impact their nation—and the world—with the gospel of Christ. Yet these responsibilities are not mutually exclusive. For centuries, believers have found clarity through the biblical order of love, known in Christian tradition as the ordo … Continue reading Love for the Church Leads to Love for the Nations

As both a church leader and a missions leader, I often hear Christians ask how to set the right priorities in life. Is “family first” really biblical? How much love for country is healthy? And how do we know when we are being faithful at home while still caring about people across cultures and borders? … Continue reading The Order of Love in the New Testament

Not long ago, I sat across the table from a man who has spent more than a decade working in the Middle East. At one point in the conversation, he said something I had to ask him to repeat. “You could serve as a pastor in Iraq today. Openly.” I confess my mental map had … Continue reading 4 Ways We Get Closed Countries Wrong

In the summer of 1727, a ragged community of religious refugees gathered on a Saxon nobleman’s estate called Herrnhut. Lutherans, Reformed, separatists, and Moravian exiles had lived together on this crowded property for five years, and their bickering over doctrine and practice seemed ready to tear it apart. Then, during a communion service on August … Continue reading Missions Exists Because Worship Does 

Tomorrow, America turns 250. The semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence comes with fireworks, parades, and—for more than a few missions-minded Christians—perhaps a measure of ambivalence. For some, this ambivalence stems from the tumultuous economic and cultural circumstances and strained moral fabric experienced by our nation as of late. For others, such ambivalence stems from … Continue reading Missions and Patriotism: 7 Quotes From Andrew Fuller for America’s 250th

We have an unfortunate way of domesticating the Great Commission. We nod along at “go and make disciples,” then quietly file it under the work of professionals—the missionary, the pastor, the unusually bold few—while the rest of us go about our worldly affairs. I have caught myself doing exactly this: applauding the goer while keeping … Continue reading A Manual for Mission: 6 Lessons for Senders and the Sent From Luke 10

God is a global God—and it’s also clear that he has had a heart for Africa from the beginning of redemptive history. The earliest sojournings of the patriarchs found them in Egypt, witnessing to the one true God in a pagan land (Genesis 12:10). Later, those same people saw the glory of God through the … Continue reading Four Biblical Keys to Flooding Africa With the Gospel

The lack of a backup plan is not a sign that God wants you to wait. A friend of mine preached recently from Luke 9, the passage where Jesus sends out the Twelve with nothing—no money bag, no extra tunic, no backup provisions of any kind. Two of his observations have stuck with me. Here … Continue reading No Safety Net in Obedience