Hey everyone!
Thank you so much for your prayers and support! I have been so blessed on outreach and filled with joy as I was able to share God's word with many hungry people. By God's grace we were able to spend 8 weeks sharing much of what we had learned during SBS. My favorite part was to share the Bible Overview, which was a short summary of the entire redemptive story of the Bible. There are so many stories in the Bible that have so much encouragement, revelation and application to offer us. During the teaching time my greatest joy was to see people get excited about the Lord and His plan for the world and respond in love and obedience to Him. Thank you all the opportunity to share God's word with Philippines for 6 weeks and Taiwan for 2 weeks. I hope and pray that the past 3 months of training and application has started me on a journey of enjoying God's word and sharing that with others.
I hope that this video is encouraging as you see the pictures and some videos that we took from outreach:
Nathan's Adventures with Jesus
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Paying taxes for the glory of God
For the last couple years, I've really struggled with paying taxes. Not only struggling to have the right attitude in my heart, but dealing with the conscience of giving money to a government that pays for stuff that morally I'm opposed to. I actually once considered not paying taxes as a protest against the government's use of my money to pay for abortions. That was a little intense...
Yet this year the Lord has done a change in my heart, and there have been some biblical texts that have changed my mind and heart.
The first is realizing God's heart for giving and obedience: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Cor 9:7 ESV)
The second is realizing that paying taxes was God's idea: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” (Matthew 22:21 ESV)
"6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." (Romans 13:6-7)
So I've come to the conclusion from Scripture that paying taxes is not just the mandate of the U.S. government, but also the mandate of heaven. That really makes it more exciting when I get to obey God by giving money to someone that may not know Him. I'm also confident that the people who handle that money will answer to the most just Judge that ever existed. So I can vote, speak my mind publicly and pray constantly, and after it's all said and done GOD will right every wrong and clean up the mess we've made, and those that have rejected Him will receive their just punishment. God is in control! And yet at the same time I'm grieved when I hear the statistics of how my money is being used, even it's for one intentional abortion, because for whatever reason is one death is still too many.
So what do we do in this tension of being citizens of heaven while living in a dark world that needs the light? There are many godly responses, (and however we do it, paying taxes is a must) but for me as I've been led by the Spirit the words of Paul have been a comfort to me while thinking about taxes:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Why rejoice? Because ultimately all government comes from God, and is responsible to God and He loves a cheerful giver. So why not turn that frown upside down and pay our taxes with joy this year? If we don't have enough money to pay for it this year, let us pray with thankfulness with all that we've already received. God has given us so much in Christ (Eph. 1:3ff)! And then let us work hard for the glory of God, making the most of every moment we're alive so that we can give even more away to those that may be in need. I guarantee no matter how poor we are, God has a plan to provide for us everything we need and there is always someone in greater poverty than us. And of course, let us pray for the government that they will have the fear of the LORD, for the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Pr 1:7, 9:10).
So, I appeal to you, if you call yourself a Christian and want to submit to the authority of the Scripture, pay your taxes with joy and thankfulness, out of obedience to a generous, just and holy God who is watching everything that we do, and pray that our government will walk in the fear of the LORD and use those taxes for His glory as well. And pray for me that I will do the same. We are all in need of His grace :)
Yet this year the Lord has done a change in my heart, and there have been some biblical texts that have changed my mind and heart.
The first is realizing God's heart for giving and obedience: "Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Cor 9:7 ESV)
The second is realizing that paying taxes was God's idea: “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” (Matthew 22:21 ESV)
"6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed." (Romans 13:6-7)
So I've come to the conclusion from Scripture that paying taxes is not just the mandate of the U.S. government, but also the mandate of heaven. That really makes it more exciting when I get to obey God by giving money to someone that may not know Him. I'm also confident that the people who handle that money will answer to the most just Judge that ever existed. So I can vote, speak my mind publicly and pray constantly, and after it's all said and done GOD will right every wrong and clean up the mess we've made, and those that have rejected Him will receive their just punishment. God is in control! And yet at the same time I'm grieved when I hear the statistics of how my money is being used, even it's for one intentional abortion, because for whatever reason is one death is still too many.
So what do we do in this tension of being citizens of heaven while living in a dark world that needs the light? There are many godly responses, (and however we do it, paying taxes is a must) but for me as I've been led by the Spirit the words of Paul have been a comfort to me while thinking about taxes:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Why rejoice? Because ultimately all government comes from God, and is responsible to God and He loves a cheerful giver. So why not turn that frown upside down and pay our taxes with joy this year? If we don't have enough money to pay for it this year, let us pray with thankfulness with all that we've already received. God has given us so much in Christ (Eph. 1:3ff)! And then let us work hard for the glory of God, making the most of every moment we're alive so that we can give even more away to those that may be in need. I guarantee no matter how poor we are, God has a plan to provide for us everything we need and there is always someone in greater poverty than us. And of course, let us pray for the government that they will have the fear of the LORD, for the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Pr 1:7, 9:10).
So, I appeal to you, if you call yourself a Christian and want to submit to the authority of the Scripture, pay your taxes with joy and thankfulness, out of obedience to a generous, just and holy God who is watching everything that we do, and pray that our government will walk in the fear of the LORD and use those taxes for His glory as well. And pray for me that I will do the same. We are all in need of His grace :)
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Journal entry after outreach in Philippines
Dear Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, I come before you in humility to thank you for all that you've done. Thank you that all things started with you, that you are the Creator and we are your creation. Thank you for the Bible, and that in the Bible we see your constant revelation to humanity. Thank you for all the prophecies, the predictions, the miracles, the warnings, the commandments, the promises, the judgements, the stories, the psalms, the songs, and the joy that I've found in your word. Thank you Jesus so much that more than 4 years ago you reached down and you grabbed my life in such a way that I've never been the same. Thank you for revealing yourself to me.
And thank you so much for the last 9 weeks of my life. Thank you so much for the Titus Project, that you sent teachers to teach us how to teach others. And thank you that by your grace for the last 6 weeks I've found such delicious joy in proclaiming who you really are. Thank you for the Bible Overview, for the opportunity to share the redemptive history that we see in the Bible. Thank you for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the hope, redemption and life we have through simple faith in Jesus Christ. Thank you that you're coming back again, and as Bible teachers we were simply able to proclaim the greatest story ever written, and thank you that it was completely inspired by your Holy Spirit. Thank you that the power of your Spirit was with us to preach and teach with all boldness, having confidence of the tradition that was passed down to us from Jesus Himself.
Thank you so much for the Philippines, that you have created those beautiful people to love you and adore you and live their lives for you. Thank you for the gracious hearts that they have had. Thank you that even in their weakness they are so loved by you. God I pray that you would pour out your Spirit upon them even more, that they may know you as you can be known, so that they may love you as you can be loved. Jesus you are so worthy of all the honor, glory and praise. Fill them up with the knowledge of you!
And God as I look forward to the next 2 weeks in Taiwan of outreach and 1 week of debrief, above all else I desire that you would pour out your Spirit, that through our weakness you would be seen as great and glorious, and that every high and lofty thought that raises itself up against the knowledge of you would be taken down. God pour out you Spirit upon Taiwan like never before and raise up a church that glorifies you!
In Jesus mighty name I pray, amen.
Your son that was purchased by the blood of the Lamb,
Nathan
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