Featuring Christopher Mitchell

Christians have often truncated the scope of Christian witness one way or the other, depending on the person or group with whom you are speaking. For example, sometimes witness is understood purely in terms of evangelism and missions. Other times, bearing witness for Christ is framed exclusively in terms of social action.

Instead, the church is at her best when she views and practices her witness as a both/and… not an either/or. It’s what George Grant called in his book by the same name, The Micah Mandate (a very, very important book in my life that did much to shape me).

Bearing a faithful witness for our King and his Kingdom involves introducing folks to our King and helping them come to know him in a meaningful, transforming, personal, and saving way. Yet it also involves representing our King in the midst of the lesser kingdoms of this world. He desires to rule and reign in every sphere of life and we must go out into the highways and byways to stand for… and even fight for… his mercy, justice, and peace, according to his way of doing things. Of course, all of this is to be done with great humility, and always in the context of loving our neighbors by serving them and sharing his truth with them.

At all times we are under his authority and are not at liberty to pursue our own agendas and preferences. This means we must dig into what his Word says. The Great Commandment, Great Commission, and Cultural Mandate all require loving, serving, and obeying our King for his glory and the good of our neighbors. This is our Christian witness. It’s what I’ve elsewhere referred to as Kingdom Discipleship.

May God help us clarify our focus and strengthen our faithfulness as we seek to bear witness to and for our King.

Grace and Truth,
Dale​

Here's a little information about a great ministry at the church I serve...

While I'm sharing excerpts from Packer, I thought I should also share this snippet from one of Packer's books that I have read a number of times, A Quest for Godliness. I've been listening to an audio course of Packer's lectures (from 1988) on the Puritans, and it inspired me to share this little list from Packer on why the church really does need to sit at the feet of the Puritans and learn from them. Here's a little from his list...

1.) There are lessons for us in the integration of their daily lives. As their Christianity was all-embracing, so their living was all of a piece. There was for them no disjunction between sacred and secular; all creation, so far as they were concerned, was sacred, and all activities, of whatever kind, must be sanctified, that is, done to the glory of God.

2.) There are lessons for us in the quality of their spiritual experience. In the Puritans’ communion with God, as Jesus Christ was central, so Holy Scripture was supreme.

3.) There are lessons for us in their passion for effective action. They had no time for idleness of the lazy or passive person who leaves it to others to change the world.

4.) There are lessons for us in their program for family stability. It is hardly too much to say that the Puritans created the Christian family in the English-speaking world.

5.) There are lessons to be learned from their sense of human worth. Through believing in a great God, they gained a vivid awareness of the greatness of moral issues, of eternity, and of the human soul.

6.) There are lessons to be learned from the Puritans’ ideal of church renewal. The essence of this kind of renewal (what they called “reformation”) was enrichment of understanding of God’s truth, arousal of affections Godward, increase of ardour in one’s devotions, and more love, joy, and firmness of Christian purpose in one’s calling and personal life.

A wonderful presentation on the life and ministry of J.I. Packer, in his words. I’m so grateful to God for both. Also, click here to visit the Crossway’s website on Packer.

What is The Fellowship of Ailbe? The website states, “The Members of The Fellowship serve the larger Christian community through prayer, teaching, mentoring, and resources for growth and ministry.” You’ll want to make sure to watch the video below to get a better introduction to this very helpful ministry.

Each day T.M. Moore and the members of the Fellowship provide some very rich resources to help you grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here’s a sampling of today’s resources…

• The Sabbath – Seriously by T.M. Moore
• Isaiah 40:21-26 by John Nunnikhoven
• The Thousand Years by T.M. Moore
• Always Preparing by T.M. Moore

Full Disclosure – I have been mentored by T.M. Moore over the last few months. But I hasten to add I was reading T.M. long before I met him and have been blessed by his writing ministry for many years now. Truly, his website is not to be missed. You too will be blessed by it. So check it out.
Grace and Truth,
Dale