Category Archives: Mission

Committed to Christlikeness (2 Cor. 3:16-18)

Posted on January 22, 2023 by salooper57

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. But their minds were made dull, for … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Church, Mission, Sermons, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

No Angst Over Declining Political Clout

Posted on September 24, 2022 by salooper57

What changes would the Republican Party make if Christians, who have been a key bloc within their base, could no longer deliver enough votes to compete with Democrats for national offices? How would the party react to a 12 percent … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, In the News, Mission, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Ascension: A Post-Resurrection Disappearance

Posted on March 16, 2022 by salooper57

Reading time: 4-5 minutes. (This Wide Angle look comes from Acts 1. Verses not otherwise identified by book and chapter are taken from there.) When Jesus was crucified, and his followers had despaired.  When he was raised, they were astounded.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Christianity, Mission, Theology, Wide Angle | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Virtual Fingerprint for Identifying Christians

Posted on March 12, 2022 by salooper57

(Reading time: 3-4 minutes.) I worked for the Ford Motor Company during my college years. One afternoon, I climbed the steps to the paint department, walked through the door into the smoldering heat, and was almost immediately met by another … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Lifestyle, Mission | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Submission Is for the Mission (1 Peter 3:1-7)

Posted on February 14, 2022 by salooper57

Christian marriage as part of God’s Big Plan. A few years ago, a cartoon was published that showed a pastor behind a pulpit that had been armored so that it was like a fortress. There was something like a gun … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Family, Marriage and Family, Mission, relationships, Sermons | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

1 Peter 2:9-25: Your Mission If You Decide to Accept It (or not)

Posted on January 24, 2022 by salooper57
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Lifestyle, Mission, Sermons | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Mission Trips? Go For Those Who Stay

Posted on October 20, 2021 by salooper57

I am just back from the Baja Peninsula. Not Cabo, or Mazatlán, or Acapulco, but Tijuana. We did not go to soak up the sun on a stretch of white sand beach or to get in a few rounds of … Continue reading →

Posted in Mission, Worldview and Culture | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Kingdom Commission

Posted on August 15, 2021 by salooper57

Earth is in a civil war – a spiritual war, really, though we must understand that spiritual means more than religious, or mystical or emotional. Spirit is un-bodied personal power, and earth is caught in a cosmic struggle between opposing … Continue reading →

Posted in Lifestyle, Mission, Sermons, Theology | Tagged , | Leave a comment

I Want to Be Like Bob

Posted on August 11, 2021 by salooper57

I met Bob and his wife about thirty years ago. He was just back in the states after a span of years in an east African country. Bob performed surgeries in a hospital there for people who otherwise would not … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Lifestyle, Mission, Spiritual life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Stumbling Block or Steppingstone?

Posted on April 1, 2021 by salooper57

Follow my example, he says. Live the way I do. Be ready to make personal sacrifices in order to help people come over to Jesus’s side. Everything you do, religious or otherwise, must make God look good – that is, “do it all for the glory of God.”

This involves both a negative (what we should not do) and a positive (what we should do). We do certain things and do not do others based on the impact our actions will have on people who have not yet come over to Jesus’s side.

Paul states what we should not do first (verse 32): “Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks, or the church of God.” Stumbling here and throughout the New Testament, is not just about falling down but about falling away—from God. Our attitudes, actions, and words can make it harder for people to believe in God and confess Jesus Lord. We can cause them to stumble. Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Lifestyle, Mission | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment