Pray For…Syria

Stats
•Population – 22,277,000
•Percentage of Evangelicals – 0.1%
•Total Number of People Groups – 33
•Number of Unreached People Groups – 15
•Language Spoken – Arabic
•Major Religion – Islam
•Human Development Rank – 107

In 1946 Syria was granted its independence from France, which acquired it following World War I. The first few decades of Syria’s independence were plagued with military coups and instability in the government. In 1958 the United Arab Republic was formed with Syria’s unification with Egypt. But soon after that the Republic was disassembled and Syria reestablished the Syrian Arab Republic in 1961. Political stability would soon follow with the forced power and control of Hafiz al-Asad. Since then Syria has found itself in the role as peacekeeper and moderator of many of the issues in that area of the world. Bashar al-Asad was elected in 2007 to his second term as president. The economy in Syria is based around 3 important factors: oil, agriculture and tourism. Like most countries, Syria was affected greatly by the global economic crisis in 2009. Declining oil production, high unemployment and a lack of water supply because of the 4 year drought are a few of the economic constraints Syria is facing. A severe drought over the last 4 years has caused Syria’s people to suffer greatly. This drought has put a tax on the already low water reserve. Mostly agriculture suffers, and a large percentage of farmers are moving their families to the city in search of a better job. Many Syrian refugees are living in the city in refugee camps in hopes to receive food and water from humanitarian relief workers. It is estimated that the drought has pushed 2-3 million people into extreme poverty. The loss from the four year drought has been significant for the population of Syria. The Church is small but growing in Syria. The need for more leaders is great. The task to help the poor and needy is overwhelming and more workers are needed.

•Pray for the severe drought to end. Pray for rain to help restore the land and allow people to provide basic needs for themselves.
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•Lasting peace in the Middle East cannot exist without the stability of Syria’s government and active role. Pray for God to somehow use this nation to bring peace to this area.
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•The Church is small in Syria. Pray for more leaders to train pastors and new believers. Pray that all the believers will gain a deep desire to grow in godliness and outreach.
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•Pray for the millions of impoverished people in Syria. Pray for relief. Pray for sustainability in an uncertain time. Pray for the church to be obedient to meet the needs of the poor. Pray God will use this time to draw people close to Him.

Don’t forget that the messages from the Foundations class on Sunday morning are available under the Adult Bible Study link on the right side of the web page.

Jared Tabor sent this to me and I thought it was excellent. Read on…

Don’t create a new law for yourself
via The Resurgence by Tullian Tchividjian on 10/17/10

I’m ecstatic about the resurgence of gospel centrality taking place in the evangelical church. The idea that the gospel is not only for those outside the church but also for those inside the church; that it not only ignites the Christian life but is the fuel that keeps Christians going and growing every day, may seem like a new idea, but it’s really old. I’m glad it’s re-gaining traction, but as far as we’ve come, we need to go further.

For all the talk of gospel-centeredness, there’s still some fear and trepidation fueled by a common misunderstanding regarding the radical nature of grace. Even amongst the proponents of gospel-centrality, I still hear talk about there being two equal dangers that Christians must avoid: legalism and lawlessness.

The False Balance of “Legalism vs. Lawlessness”
Legalism, they say, happens when you focus too much on law, or rules. Lawlessness, they say, happens when you focus too much on grace. Therefore, in order to maintain spiritual equilibrium, you have to balance law and grace. Sometimes, legalism and lawlessness are presented as two ditches on either side of the gospel that we must avoid. If you start getting too much law, you need to balance it with grace. If you start getting too much grace, you need to balance it with law. But I’ve come to believe that this “balanced” way of framing the issue can unwittingly keep us from really understanding the gospel of grace in all of its radical depth and beauty.

The Primary Enemy of the Gospel
It’s more theologically accurate to say that there is one primary enemy of the gospel—legalism—but it comes in two forms. Some people avoid the gospel and try to “save” themselves by keeping the rules, doing what they’re told, maintaining the standards, and so on (you could call this “front-door legalism”).

Other people avoid the gospel and try to “save” themselves by breaking the rules, doing whatever they want, developing their own autonomous standards, and so on (you could call this “back-door legalism”).

In other words, there are two “laws” we can choose to live by other than Christ: the law which says “I can find freedom and fullness of life if I keep the rules” or the law which says “I can find freedom and fullness of life if I break the rules.” Either way you’re still trying to “save” yourself—which means both are legalistic because both are self-salvation projects.
There is one primary enemy of the gospel—legalism—but it comes in two forms.
So, it’s a mistake to identify the “two cliffs” as being legalism and lawlessness. The one “cliff” is legalism but it comes in two forms—what some call license is just another form of legalism. And if people outside the church are guilty of “break the rules” legalism, many people inside the church are still guilty of “keep the rules” legalism.

Why We’re Afraid of Grace
This is super important because the biggest lie about grace that Satan wants the church to buy is the idea that grace is dangerous and therefore needs to be “kept it in check.” By believing this we not only prove we don’t understand grace, but we violate gospel advancement in our lives and in the church. A “yes, grace…but” disposition is the kind of fearful posture that keeps moralism swirling around in our hearts and in the church.
Any obedience not grounded in or motivated by the gospel is unsustainable.
I understand the fear of grace. As a pastor, one of my responsibilities is to disciple people into a deeper understanding of obedience—teaching them to say “no” to the things God hates and “yes” to the things God loves. But all too often I have (wrongly) concluded that the only way to keep licentious people in line is to give them more rules. The fact is, however, that the only way licentious people start to obey is when they get a taste of God’s radical unconditional acceptance of sinners.

The irony of gospel-based sanctification is that those who end up obeying more are those who increasingly realize that their standing with God is not based on their obedience, but Christ’s.

The people who actually end up performing better are those who understand that their relationship with God doesn’t depend on their performance for Jesus, but Jesus’ performance for us.

Imperatives Minus Indicatives Equal Impossibilities
People need to hear less about what we need to do for God and more about all that God has already done for us, because imperatives minus indicatives equal impossibilities. If you’re a preacher and you’re assuming that people understand the radical nature of gospel indicatives, so your ministry is focused primarily on gospel imperatives, you’re making a huge mistake. A huge mistake!

Long-term, sustained, gospel-motivated obedience can only come from faith in what Jesus has already done, not fear of what we must do. To paraphrase Ray Ortlund, any obedience not grounded in or motivated by the gospel is unsustainable. No matter how hard you try, how “radical” you get, any engine smaller than the gospel that you’re depending on for power to obey will conk out in due time.

So let’s take it up a notch. Don’t be afraid to preach the radical nature of the gospel of grace. For, as the late Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “If your preaching of the gospel doesn’t provoke the charge from some of antinomianism, you’re not preaching the gospel.”

Adapted from Tullian Tchividjian’s book Surprised by Grace.

Pray For…Spain

Stats
•Population – 44,729,000
•Percentage of Evangelicals – 0.4 %
•Total Number of People Groups – 53
•Number of Unreached People Groups – 6
•Language Spoken – Spanish
•Major Religion – Christianity
•Human Development Rank – 15

Located at the intersection of the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, Spain is one of the most richly diverse cultures in the world. Through exploration and conquest it became a world power in the 16th century and maintained its place as a powerful empire until the early 19th century. But refusal to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolution caused Spain to fall behind Britain, France and Germany in economic and political power. Although Spain remained neutral in both WWI and WWII, it suffered through a devastating 3 year civil war of its own in 1936. Following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, democracy was introduced and adopted by the people. Rapid economic modernization was the result. In fact after joining the EU in 1986, Spain’s economy grew rapidly and made it a global powerhouse of freedom and human rights. Until 2008, Spain’s economy was regarded as one of the most dynamic within the EU. However recently the country has suffered severely from the economic downturn and experienced a great recession which has led to over 19% unemployment of its people. The Evangelical Church in Spain has grown significantly over the past 50 years. During Franco’s dictatorial rule, the Catholic Church was the state religion. Non-Catholics were discriminated against and even suffered persecution. Not until recently in 1992 did the constitution guarantee equal rights for all religions. Discrimination is still evident today, but the church is growing and more and more are coming to know Christ.

•The Catholic Church is dwindling in Spain and is in serious crisis. The mistrust and disillusionment it created has caused many to be turned off by any religion and therefore the consideration of a more biblical Christianity is hindered. Pray for God to overcome the legacy of corruption and that people would be drawn to His grace and come to know Him.
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•Spain’s economic downturn has caused large percentages of people with job loss. The gap between the rich and poor is growing larger each day with very few in the middle. Pray for God to encourage the poor and for the Church to rise up and care for the needy as they should.
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•Over 13 million people live in towns, villages and districts where there is no evangelical Church. Pray for God to raise up Christians in Spain who will go and spread the Gospel to these forgotten places.
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•Spain’s society is plagued by Drug use. Hundreds of thousands are addicted to heroin and cocaine. The results of this on society have been significant. Pray for God to make his name known and for life transformation to take place in Spain’s people.