Life and Faith

Tag: Missions

  • The Advance of the Gospel: Selfish Motives vs. True Intentions

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    Jon
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    In Philippians 1:15-18, Paul provides insight into how the message of Christ is being proclaimed and how the gospel is advancing, despite his imprisonment. Intriguingly, there seem to be two groups of people within close proximity to Paul, possibly in the city where he is imprisoned, each preaching Christ but with divergent intentions. One group…

  • The Advance of the Gospel: In Suffering

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    Jon
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    When baking, it’s often wise to follow a recipe, as it guides us to create the delicacy we envision. It instructs us on the ingredients to add, how to mix them together, and even specifies the right oven temperature to bake that perfect cake you’re dreaming of right now. In the grand scheme of Christian…

  • 5 Ways To ‘Recover’ From A Short-term Mission Team

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    Jon
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    When leaving the gym I often observe people immediately drinking their protein shakes. I’m not entirely convinced of their usefulness for an average fitness plodder like myself. However, I can understand the need for these recovery shakes to be consumed by those involved in elite sport. You see, recovery is viewed as an important part…

  • Is Mission Optional For Discipleship?

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    Jon
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    OK, let’s be clear from the outset. To be a disciple is to be a student of a teacher. To be a disciple of Jesus is to learn from Him. This learning and growing process is known as discipleship. I imagine for the majority of those who call themselves disciples of Jesus, discipleship involves some…

  • Short-Term Teams: Purpose – Partnership – Preparation

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    Jon
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    As we continue our series on short-term mission teams it’s time to talk about frameworks. Previously we’ve thought about defining short-term teams, and looked at the benefits of such teams. Now we turn to the more philosophical aspects of this kind of ministry, helping us do them well. In broad terms there are three main…

  • The Benefits of Short-Term Teams

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    Jon
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    Questions are raised about short-term teams all the time. As I defined in my previous post, short-term teams are: “A group of up to a dozen Christians, spending up to three weeks, specifically exploring the idea of mission in a context that is culturally and linguistically different to their home culture.” And even a definition…

  • Defining The Short-Term Mission Team

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    Jon
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    In recent years there has been much written decrying the short-term mission trip. Thankfully, there has been much written promoting healthy ways to engage in short-term mission trips too. But for a number of year now there have been a plethora of articles on the issue of short-term teams and whether they are actually beneficial…

  • Missions Sub-Committee Approves Short-term Mission Team to Neighbours

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    Jon
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    For the last nine months Huntingdale Heights Community Church has been actively pursuing the idea that it should reach out to its neighbours. On Monday night the short-term missions sub-committee taskforce formally approved its first short-term missions team to do just that. Over the past three years Pastor Jeff Hines has been preaching through the…

  • The Relevance Of Jim Elliot For Youth Ministry

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    Jon
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    Let me tell you about Jim. Jim was an active young man who enjoyed sharing his faith with others. He was a social kind of guy. He liked people and people liked him. He grew up in the United States and was an excellent student in high school and university. During these years he became a Christian,…

  • Published: The Encounter At The Well

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    Jon
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    Having been on staff for Global Interaction here in Victoria I’ve been able to write a few things for them in the past. I ended up helping out in writing some of their May Mission Month bible study material for young adults this year. You can find it here.