{"id":1280,"date":"2014-03-30T13:10:44","date_gmt":"2014-03-30T17:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=1280"},"modified":"2014-05-08T16:31:59","modified_gmt":"2014-05-08T20:31:59","slug":"pre-prayer-for-worship-5302014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=1280","title":{"rendered":"Fruitful Living (4 of 5): “Risk Taking Mission” (3\/30\/14)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The sermon on Sunday March 30 introduced practice #4 of our five part series on the “Five Practices of Fruitful Living”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 During this season of Lent, we are following the companion devotional guide by Robert Schanase entitled in \u201cForty Days of Fruitful Living.\u201d<\/em> The sermons introduce the week\u2019s topic, and we discuss and study these topics during our small group meetings that\u00a0 week.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Risk Taking Mission and Service<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Joy<\/a>

Joy Phillips at PUMC on 3\/30\/14<\/p><\/div>\n

This week’s\u00a0 \u201cpractice of\u00a0 fruitful\u00a0 living\u201d\u00a0 was presented by guest speaker Joy Phillips who is a missionary in Africa.\u00a0 Her sermon may not have been specifically about the material in our devotionals, but her life’s story provides a vivid picture of “Risk\u00a0 Taking Mission” in action.<\/p>\n

For\u00a0 21 years, Joy was a missionary in Kenya Africa, working in the Tenwick hospital.\u00a0 Seven years ago, she felt the call to South Sudan, and has been the director of World Gospel Mission’s “Mango Ministry<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>” since that time.<\/p>\n

If you wanted to put yourself out of your comfort zone…\u00a0 or even Safety Zone, South Sudan would be a good place to go.\u00a0 The country has been undergoing civil war for the past 50 years.\u00a0 Armed soldiers in “technicals” (pickup trucks with mounted machine guns) armed with AK-47 rifles routinely rumble through the streets exacting revenge on their enemies.\u00a0 And if that’s not enough to stretch your comfort zone, the temperature frequently soars to over 100 degrees.<\/p>\n

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“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” <\/span><\/p>\n

– Bud Pierce (founder of Samaritan’s Purse)<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

Joy’s message was based on Matthew 9:35-37<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>, and it was entitled “Brokenhearted.”\u00a0 God breaks our heart to hear His voice and to motivate us to compassion and service.\u00a0 We hear the voice of God when we see people who are “helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Matt.9:36).<\/p>\n

To Joy, the real “war” in South Sudan doesn’t have anything to do with “technicals” or tribes or armed vigilantes.\u00a0 The war is poverty, hunger, and illness.\u00a0 The war is fought on the battlegrounds of hearts that don’t know Jesus.\u00a0 The “war” deals with the “things that break God’s heart.”<\/p>\n

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Joy related the story of one man who dared to share the Gospel with friends in his home country of Eritrea. His reward was to be arrested and imprisoned on multiple occasions. <\/span><\/p>\n

He, and his wife and two daughters managed to escape his home country and cross over the boarder into South Sudan. On foot. <\/span><\/p>\n

He is now living out his call and passion by sharing his faith and teaching others how to teach the Bible to others. He saw the things that broke God’s heart, and his heart was also broken. He answered God’s call and took the risk to share and teach the Gospel.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

What breaks Your Heart???<\/span><\/h3>\n

Joy related how she is now deeply concerned about the people in the “10-40 Window<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>“; the region of the world between Africa and the far East that lies between the 10 and 40 degree north latitude lines.\u00a0 This includes places like Turkey, Greece, and “Asia Minor”… places in the book of Acts where Paul preached.\u00a0 Places where our faith was birthed.\u00a0 Less than 1% of the people in these countries- the people who were among the early church-\u00a0 are now Christian.\u00a0 This region is among the poorest in the world.\u00a0 And, it also has the lowest concentration of missionaries of anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n

The rejection of Christ is something that “breaks the heart of God”.\u00a0 Preaching the Gospel in the Muslim world is “risky business.”\u00a0 But could God be calling Joy to mission in this area of the world?<\/p>\n

And what about us? What breaks our heart?\u00a0 Where might God be leading you???<\/p>\n

+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +<\/span><\/p>\n

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Read more about Joy’s ministry, check out her Blog: \u00a0 Journey with Joy<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

You can also learn more by viewing her page on our website:\u00a0 Joy Phillips<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Click Here<\/a> to learn more about this sermon series.<\/p>\n

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Check out more about the violence in South Sudan by watching the following video.\u00a0 There are many things in this video that must break God’s heart… how might you be motivated to help in the “risky business” of service and mission?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n