a stolen blog--from "Christ for all nations"

-please note this was copied and pasted from my email...something to think about..always pray for the nations, to know the Truth and to be free-

What Are You Waiting For?

Matthew 24:14 (NKJV), Matthew 28:19 (NKJV), Hebrews 10:12-13 (NKJV)
I heard a minister recently talking about the rapture and trying to make the point that every prophecy necessary to the return of Christ has already been fulfilled. One of his points was that the Gospel has already been preached in all the world according to the promise of Jesus in Matt 24:14 (And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.) “Now,” he said, “We’re just waiting for Jesus to come back.”
If you are one of those standing in line waiting for the rapture like a ride at Disney World, consider these statistics on world evangelism that I have collected from a variety of sources. As you read these, keep in mind, that in the United States there is 1 ordained minister for every 200 people. Yet…

• For every million unreached Muslims there are less than 3 missionaries.
• In Afghanistan there are 17 million people, 48,000 mosques…but not a single church.
• In Turkey there are 44 million people, but less then 200 Christians.
• In India alone 500 million people have yet to hear the Gospel.
• 30% of the world’s population (more than 2 billion people) have had virtually no exposure to the Gospel.
• The New Testament has been translated into the mother tongue of over 80% of the world’s population. However the remaining approximately 20%, will require over 5,500 new translations.

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19). The word, “Nations” is “Ethne” in the Greek, meaning ethnic people groups. Yet…

• There are an estimated 6,700 unreached or nearly unreached people groups.
• The countries with the most unreached people groups in descending order; India, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh.
• 98% of all unreached people groups are located in the “10/40 Window."

THE GREAT COMMISSION IS STILL UNFULFILLED! Oswald Smith said, “We talk of the Second Coming; but half the world has never heard of the first.” Regardless if you are “pre-trib,” “post-trib,” mid-trib,” or some other “trib,” we must all confess that there is something desperately wrong with this type of doctrinal philosophy that makes us happy to escape with our own hides while the world burns and billions of people are lost. Where is the heart of Jesus in that? “…that none would perish, but that all would come to repentance.”
Here’s some food for thought; Jesus died more then 2,000 years ago. If it was God’s ultimate goal to rapture us all out of this “old god-forsaken world,” then why are we still here? What are we still waiting for? One person told me, “Jesus is building my mansion in Heaven.” Really? It took Him 6 days to create the entire cosmos, yet He’s been hung up with your “mansion” for 2,000 years? Not likely.
Heb. 10:12, 13 says, “but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD, waiting from that time onward UNTIL HIS ENEMIES BE MADE A FOOTSTOOL FOR HIS FEET.” Since we are His hands and feet, then He must be waiting for…us. If He is waiting for us, and we are waiting for Him, it would seem we are at an impasse. This is why Jesus told His disciples, “GO” into all the world and preach the Gospel. No more waiting and debating…just Go and PREACH.

“In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been” — Robert Moffat.

this week in reas news...relocation

our family has relocated this week, into a real life log cabin. as beautiful as it is, as peaceful as the views are, as lovely as the song of birds through the windows sound, it's still not "home." i know it's only been 6 days, but i still feel so displaced. like a fish out of water, flopping around on the floor of a boat, gasping for air and pleading with its catcher to throw it back into the sea...that's how i feel. i'm homesick, not necessarily for my old house, but for the feeling of comfort and home. and then i realize how terribly selfish and ungrateful that sounds.

sure, my "feelings" are validated simply because they are mine. but i have to take responsibility for any feeling that goes against the truth. what is truth? the great pontious pilate that ultimatley sentenced the Savior of the world to death asked this same question..."what is truth?" as a side note..this is why i have a tattoo with the word "truth," to remind myself of pilate's question and what that answer was... let's see, the truth, as my house is concerned, is this:

-this place is a direct blessing from my Creator and GOD, He purposefully chose this place for us and blessed us with it

-who am i to grumble about feeling displaced when right now, thousands,  maybe millions world-wide have literally been displaced as a result of genocide, tornadoes, hurricanes, war, hunger, poverty, tsunamis....earthquakes, like in haiti?

-and while some people have tents to live in, some have nothing to live in. no type of covering over their head in the rain, the cold, the heat. some are homeless and would give their right arm to be where i am

so that's the truth. no matter what my feelings say to me, the above is truth and no feeling or thought of mine is going to stand up against any of the truths i've listed. so for now, when i start to feel "home"-sick, i'll remember my real home is with my Savior. He is my shelter from the storm, my refuge to run to, my permanent home where i will never feel displaced. He is my home, and that home resides within me, no matter what roof is or isn't over my head.

look in the mirror and say this......

hey! YOU! yeah, you..the one who is reading this because you followed my link from facebook, or you may be one of the ones worldwide that reads this (yup, i know..i check my stats...i see you,"Germany") and YOU, friend of mine who keeps up with my writings. yes, i'm speaking to you, to me, to your neighbor, to your boss, to my neighbor, to my boss....

did you know, you have value? you have worth simply because you are....merely because you breathe. that places value on you. it doesn't matter what you LOOK like, the clothes you have, the job/car/spouse/house you have. it doesn't matter if you do a million good things or just one....it doesn't matter if you're in prison for the filthiest crime imaginable...you have value and worth. not value that the world gives, but value from a Creator who adored His creation so much that He gave His only Son in death, and in life, for YOU. for ME. OUR CREATOR GOD SEES VALUE IN WHO WE AAAARRRRREEEEE. not what we do, what we don't do....our efforts to Him to be "good" are as "filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6).

for me personally, it's doesn't and shouldn't matter if i don't receive the love and approval of the ones i need it most from...because i've already been approved of. i already have worth. there's a Father in heaven that is so much more important than anyone's opinion on me. i have value simply because i am a creation of GOD Almighty!!!!! i was born, not able to do great things as a baby....and yet, my parents found worth in me just because i was. the same with my girls...before they could even tell me they loved me, or even knew who i was...they mattered and had immense priceless value to me!!! AND THE SAME WITH OUR SAVIOR!!! before we even knew He loved us, before we even knew Him....He thought us to be worthy of His love and of His Son. oh how stinking unworthy are we that He should love us so....but in His mind, we are worthy....we are valuable...we do matter!!!!

so to you, reader of mine....look in the mirror. say to yourself "i matter. i'm important. i'm valuable. i'm full of worth. simply because i'm me." and then, go out into in the world and make a difference, just by being your valuable self.

"For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16