Missions
The Gospel Gone Viral . . .
Posted by jodiegaston
Someone I follow on Twitter recently shared this video of a man’s marriage proposal to his girlfriend. For obvious reasons the video quickly went viral. With more than a million downloads in just a few days, the video even landed the couple an interview on the Today Show.
Church planting movements are what happens when the gospel goes viral. As men and women come to know Christ the gospel spreads through networks and communities and nations. Obviously, this is a work of the Holy Spirit, but we can help facilitate the spread of the gospel by teaching and discipling others in a way that communicates the importance of sharing the gospel with others. As we disciple others, we are investing in the lives of others to teach them to be obedient to God and to share Christ with others. When Jesus called his disciples he told them, “Follow me [obedience] and I will make you fishers of men [evangelism].”
As I’ve been preparing for missions work in Wales, I’ve been learning to be more intentional in my own teaching. I’ve come across a method of reading and studying the Bible that naturally cultivates the spread of the gospel. I call it the SOS method of Scripture reading. SOS stands for Say, Obey, Share. After reading a passage of Scripture I ask myself three questions.
- Say: What does this passage say?
- Obey: What does this passage require me to do or believe?
- Share: Who needs to hear this?
I then spend a short amount of time in prayer for that person and resolve to share the message with that person at the next available opportunity. I can’t say that I’m always faithful to share as I should, but I have found that its made me more intentional in my relationships. As we all become more faithful to share the gospel with others, my prayer and vision is to see the gospel go viral in such a way that our culture and world is transformed for the glory of God!
Read MoreGastons in Wales — Jodie & Tina
It’s Official…We’re going to Wales We are pleased to announce that last week we were offered and accepted an appointment to become missionaries in Wales with Greater Europe Mission. We are extrememly excited about what God is doing in Wales (and in many other parts of Europe as well). We know that a lot of…
Read MoreGastons in Wales — Jodie & Tina
It’s Official…We’re going to Wales We are pleased to announce that last week we were offered and accepted an appointment to become missionaries in Wales with Greater Europe Mission. We are extrememly excited about what God is doing in Wales (and in many other parts of Europe as well). We know that a lot of…
Read MoreErskine Spring Break Widow’s Service Ministry Project
A dozen students, a dozen widows?
12 Erskine students spent the week of Spring Break ministering to about 12 widows in the Honea Path, SC area doing various yard and house cleaning projects. The week of ministry included having conversation and prayer with the widows in their homes and beginning to build relationships with them that can continue to grow over the course of time.
Campus Ministry at Erskine has partnered with Widow’s Watchman Ministries (Bill and Janae May) of Honea Path, SC to incorporate college students into ministry-service opportunities that attempt to fulfill the ‘true religion’ spoken of in James 1:27. For the week, the guys camped outdoors and the girls camped indoors while the days were filled with work projects and the nights were filled with conversations, devotions and fellowship with one another. Each student was asked to raise $150 to cover the expenses of their meals and to raise support for Widow’s Watchman Ministries. It was a great week of growing together and serving together as we sought to ‘be’ the kind of people we have been created, called and redeemed to be!
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Erskine Spring Break Widow's Service Ministry Project
A dozen students, a dozen widows?
12 Erskine students spent the week of Spring Break ministering to about 12 widows in the Honea Path, SC area doing various yard and house cleaning projects. The week of ministry included having conversation and prayer with the widows in their homes and beginning to build relationships with them that can continue to grow over the course of time.
Campus Ministry at Erskine has partnered with Widow’s Watchman Ministries (Bill and Janae May) of Honea Path, SC to incorporate college students into ministry-service opportunities that attempt to fulfill the ‘true religion’ spoken of in James 1:27. For the week, the guys camped outdoors and the girls camped indoors while the days were filled with work projects and the nights were filled with conversations, devotions and fellowship with one another. Each student was asked to raise $150 to cover the expenses of their meals and to raise support for Widow’s Watchman Ministries. It was a great week of growing together and serving together as we sought to ‘be’ the kind of people we have been created, called and redeemed to be!
Read More
Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor
Bruce Wydick Concern for the poor is a fundamental pillar of Christian identity and calling, a constant theme throughout the Old and New Testaments (Deut. 15:4; Prov. 14:31; Gal. 2:10; James 2:2-6). A definitive mark of the church throughout history is its members caring for the poor in their midst. Today, thanks to economic globalization…
Read MoreErskine College Sophomore takes Christmas break mission trip to Kenya
Written by Erskine News During the mission, the team conducted “a fantastic worship service,” Putnam said, in which two members of the mission group spoke, “and there was very lively music and joyous praise.” Some 250 people responded positively to the gospel message during the mission, she said, “which is pretty amazing.” As the fall…
Read MoreSowing the Seed for Church Growth
Rev. Sam Roper Jesus teaches about the kingdom of God, using two parables. We see Jesus employing farming imagery in order to teach us that the kingdom of God is a growing kingdom. The kingdom of God on earth is imperfect and incomplete, so growth is very important. The analogy of farming, then, is…
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