Five Year Anniversary of the Murder of Turkish Christians in Malatya
[From Voice of the Martyrs] Today is the five-year anniversary of the martyrdom of three very special men. On April 18, 2007, Necati Aydin, Ugur Yuksel and Tilmann Geske were brutally murdered at a Christian publishing house in Malatya, a city in southeastern Turkey. Five young Islamists bound and tortured the two Turkish Christians and one German Christian before killing them at the Zirve Publishing House.
Five suspects, Emre Gunaydin, Salih Guler, Cuma Ozdemir, Hamit Ceker and Abuzer Yildirim, were arrested while trying to leave the crime scene. Their trial, which began on Nov. 22, 2007, has yet to be completed. Prosecutors have tried to show that the murders were related to a sweeping plot to destabilize the Turkish government. Read more >>
Swiss Missionary Abducted in Mali
“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. (Matthew 24:9 ESV)
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[Source: BBC] A Swiss woman has been abducted in the rebel-held northern Malian city of Timbuktu, officials and residents say.
The woman, a Christian missionary in her 40s called Beatrice, was taken from her house by armed men, residents said.
Most foreigners fled Timbuktu after Tuareg and Islamist rebels seized the town early this month in the aftermath of a military coup.
The kidnap comes amid concern the area could offer a safe haven to an al-Qaeda branch operating in the country. Read more >>
Matthew 24:14 Part Three // The Message
Behind the prophecy and at the heart of the mandate of Matthew 24:14 is a message—the Gospel of the Kingdom. Without the message of the Gospel of the Kingdom, the Great Commission is like an empty shell with no pearl and the prophecy of global penetration is meaningless. The Gospel of the Kingdom is the focal point of the Olivet Discourse. It is the purpose and meaning of history.
In order to faithfully bear witness to the Gospel of the Kingdom, we need a revelation of the Kingdom, and we need to understand how the Bible describes the Gospel. Both the Gospel and the Kingdom deserve much study and contemplation. The Kingdom was Jesus’ primary message. And the Gospel was Paul’s. The Gospel of the Kingdom is to be ours. Consider what the following passages say about the Kingdom. Read more >>
Matthew 24:14 Part Two // The Mandate
There are two kinds of Christians—those who take Matthew 24:14 as a prophecy to affirm, and those who take the affirmed prophecy of Matthew 24:14 as a mandate to obey.
Jesus’ declaration concerning the Gospel of the Kingdom is a prophecy. But it is more than that. It is a prophecy that will come to pass as individuals embrace it as a personal mandate and obey it as a personal command.
If the Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed in all nations, then it is safe to say that the Gospel of the Kingdom should be and must be proclaimed in all nations. In light of Matthew 28:18-20, none can deny that we are commanded by Jesus to go into all the world to proclaim the Gospel so as to make disciples of all nations. But history and statistics show that few are willing to actually obey it and go. Read more >>
Matthew 24:14 Part One // The Prophecy
[ read the introduction to the series here ]
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 ESV)
We begin with the assumption that Matthew 24:14 is prophetic. Jesus said that, “the Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed through the whole world as a testimony to all nations.” He did not say, “must be” or “should be.” He said, “will be.” This means that Matthew 24:14 is first and foremost a prophetic decree. The penetration of every people group with the Gospel is an ironclad promise from the lips of the Godman Himself. Jesus said it will happen, and “heaven and earth will pass away” before His words fail (Mt. 24:35). Read more >>
Follow Jesus and Love Him Well
Part 2 of a series of videos explaining the story and message behind “Unto Death.” Part 3 coming soon . . .
Unto Death Part One // He Has Been Enough
Part one of a 3-part video series explaining the story and message behind my new book “Unto Death”
The Most Important Verse in the Word of God for Our Generation // An Intro
Matthew 24-25 is Jesus’ famous sermon about His glorious second coming and the end of the age. Right in the middle of it we find what may be the most important prophetic statement in the entire Bible on a number of profound levels.
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 ESV)
Within this monumentally important prophecy we identify a mandate, a message, and a motive, which–when rightly understood–force us to ask an ultimate question.
The answer to that question has the potential to dramatically alter the course of history and determine the eternal fate of innumerable multitudes from many nations, tribes, and tongues. This is why in his exceptional book The Gospel of the Kingdom, George Eldon Ladd called Matthew 24:14 “the most important single verse in the Word of God for God’s people today.” [1]
After wrestling through the implications of Jesus’ holy decree, I’m coming to agree with him.
In a series of subsequent articles I aim to explain why.
. . . to be continued
[1] George Eldon Ladd, Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God (Eerdmans Publishing Co) Kindle Edition, 123.
Young Man, Young Woman: Pour Yourself Out
This makes my soul sing:
Minimizing Comforts for Maximizing Joy from Desiring God on Vimeo.
“It is Emphatically No Sacrifice…It Is a Privilege”
David Livingstone‘s response to a student at Cambridge University, on December 4, 1857 when the word “sacrifice” was used to describe his ministry in Africa:
“Away with the word in such a view, and with such a thought! It is emphatically no sacrifice. Say rather it is a privilege…I never made a sacrifice. I beg to direct your attention to Africa. “
