The Field is the World (Matt. 13:38)

S: (1/22/11-Romans 7-8) “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:22-26, KJV. O: All this groaning—the whole natural creation, we who have the Spirit living in us, and the Spirit groaning within us in ways we can't express. It can't be wrong for us to groan in anticipation if the Spirit Himself groans along with us. A: How many times have I heard people "groan...

S: In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD at its border. It will be a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt. When they cry to the LORD because of oppressors, he will send them a savior and defender, and deliver them. And the LORD will make himself known to the Egyptians, and the Egyptians will know the LORD in that day and worship with sacrifice and offering, and they will make vows to the LORD and perform them. And the LORD will strike Egypt, striking and healing, and they will return to the LORD, and he will listen to their pleas for mercy and heal them. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria, and Assyria will come into Egypt, and Egypt into Assyria, and the Egyptians will worship with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth, whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, “Blessed be Egypt my people, a...

S: “Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will never again see good. The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone. As the cloud fades and vanishes, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come up; he returns no more to his house, nor does his place know him anymore. “Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me? When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, my couch will ease my complaint,’ then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I would choose strangling and death rather than my bones. I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Leave me alone, for my days are a breath. What is man, that you make so much of him, and tha...

For over two years now, I have been doing a new devotional routine called "SOAP" that my Pastor, Rick Fiechter, taught me from his experience with Pastor Wayne Cordeiro of New Hope Church in Oahu, HI . It seems such a simple process, and maybe even part of what many of you go through every day in your own devotional reading, without the formal name. But I have really benefited from the structural reminder. The idea is like how the acronym ACTS helps us for prayer, reminding us that a prayer life according to God's will should never lack Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication. SOAP stands for Scripture, Observation, Application and Prayer, reminding me each day that along with my reading of Scripture, I should pay careful attention to details of the true, grammatical meaning and its implications for the historical circumstance, I should listen to God for application to my own life. Because I believe God is always here with me and really experiences my devotio...

There are certain statements that get thrown around in Christian circles and even become conventional wisdom, even though they don't agree with the Word of God. One that comes to mind is, "God helps those who help themselves." You have to wonder what the inventor of that phrase was thinking...because I can think of about a dozen verses that would contradict what people generally mean when they use that phrase; one of them would be, "Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm..." (Jeremiah 17:5) Some sayings of conventional wisdom have a firm root in Biblical truth, however. One is "Where God guides, He provides," (See 1 Thessalonians 5:24 for the proper version)... and "God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called." (See Isaiah 6:8; Ezekiel 22:30) God is looking for workers for the harvest, and avail ability is the ability that is primarily required, to use another appropriate maxim. I have an example today t...

The old man had been a slave in a foreign land his entire life. Today, as he was spending his customary time with God, he had come to understand that his people’s captivity was about to come to an end. He must have felt delight to know that bondage was about to end for his people. But he also felt an overwhelming sense of shame. He and his people ought to have known this was coming. They should have prepared. The Law told them what to do. Have you been looking for clues to God’s will for your life? What the prophet Daniel did in Daniel 9 forms a great model for us all in seeking God’s will: First, he was consistently reading the Bible. That’s a way of hearing from God regularly, knowing Him and putting His plan first. Second, this had prepared him to know what to do in a specific situation. He found out (by reading Jeremiah 25:11) that the captivity would be seventy years long. But from Leviticus 26:32-45 he knew that meant he could be the one to intercede for Israel. Experience applyi...

My kids love lizards. Living in Florida as we do, we get to see a lot of them. The ones we see around our house all have a fascinating trick. They change their body color against whatever background they crawl on. They do it to blend in with their surroundings so that they are safer from the attacks of predators. It also makes them more effective predators because it enables them to ambush insects who can't detect them as easily. After rolling down my garage door last week, I made a sad discovery. One little fellow's camouflage had been all-too-good! I didn't see him as I closed the door and he had been trapped and crushed in the seam. Under certain circumstances it's better to stand out than trust your camouflage. We can either embrace conformation to the image of Christ, or be squeezed into the pattern of the world. Sometimes it's better to stand out than trust your camouflage. In Numbers 22-24, a strange prophet named Balaam tried to "sit on the fence" ...

Revelation 4:1-11 S: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created. (Revelation 4:11, KJV). O: Exodus 28:17-20 lists the stones on the breastplate of the High Priest: And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. (Exodus 28:17-20, KJV). The Jasper is the last, the sardius is the first stone. Whatever else God's appearance in this vision suggests, it demonstrates that He is the first and the last. He is the central figure of history and creation. The 24 elders and living creatures bow down and confess that everything was created by Him and for His pleasu...

This is the first installment of the WebEx "Webinar" conducted by GMO to publicise the launch of our Jesus2020 campaign. Jesus2020 Segment1 View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

This is the second installment of the WebEx "Webinar" conducted by GMO to publicise the launch of our Jesus2020 campaign. Jesus2020 Segment2 View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

This is the third installment of the WebEx "Webinar" conducted by GMO to publicise the launch of our Jesus2020 campaign. Jesus2020 Segment3 View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

This is the fourth installment of the WebEx "Webinar" conducted by GMO to publicise the launch of our Jesus2020 campaign. Jesus2020 Segment4 View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

This is the fifth installment of the WebEx "Webinar" conducted by GMO to publicise the launch of our Jesus2020 campaign. Jesus2020 Segment5 View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

This is the sixth installment of the WebEx "Webinar" conducted by GMO to publicise the launch of our Jesus2020 campaign. Jesus2020 Segment6 View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own.

By Mark Winz , Worldwide Challenge Magazine: Numbers in graphic include countries and territories -- Graphic by Tina Meyer In less than 30 years the JESUS film's reach has met or surpassed that of long-standing companies like Levi Strauss & Co., founded in 1853, and Coca-Cola, founded in 1886. Even Federal Express, founded in 1971, can't deliver the film to every place it's been shown. The JESUS Film Project's ® goal is to reach every person on earth with the message of Jesus in a language he or she can understand. It has been translated into more than 1,000 languages.

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You may not yet have heard about the new movie from the creators of “Facing the Giants” and “Flywheel,” (two films I highly recommend for the spiritual issues they raise!), but on September 26, Sherwood Pictures' film “ Fireproof ” will be given limited release nationwide. I was invited to see a preview of the film at a local theater and was very impressed. There were no paid actors in the film; everyone volunteered their time—yet the drama, both in the tension between the main characters and in the action scenes onscreen, was intense. It is a very enjoyable film that will inspire and challenge viewers. Spontaneous applause burst out in the theater on several occasions; and when the Kendrick brothers (producers of all three films) addressed the audience, they received a standing ovation. More importantly, the strength of the movie is in the truth of the message it communicates. Kirk Cameron plays Caleb Holt, captain of a fire station who is a great leader, an honorable friend and ...

YWAM founder's talk about the use of Internet Evangelism as God's gift to reach the world today (see Episode 19!) Click here to get your own player. Please do pray God would continue to meet our needs, make our work effective and send other laborers to help us!

Here's a review of the movie "Expelled" which I submitted for the Orlando Sentinel last month. (It was rejected) I was trying to be as single-minded as I was capable of, focusing tightly on the concept to which the film also tries adhere, that true academic freedom would demand that students be able to evaluate honest portrayals of each idea. Currently, the way the law is being interpreted, that is not possible. Scopes and Darwin, it appears, lived in an era of more academic freedom than is possible today. In 1925, the famous " Scopes Monkey Trial ," in Dayton, TN, was about whether a teacher violated what was then accepted law in Tennessee--that no theory should be taught by a state-supported school which denied Biblical Creationism and substituted instead that man descended from a lower order of animals. At the time, the American Civil Liberties Union advertised in the local newspapers for a willing teacher to violate and challenge this law in court. John Scop...

Isn't it comforting to know that you're being prayed for? I know during Emily's recent Emergency Room visit dear friends in our hometown had contacted everyone they know and asked them to pray for Emily. When I learned that, it was real comfort in what could have been a desperate situation. Today (May 3, 2007) is National Day of Prayer, as well as Emily's 8th birthday. I want to ask anyone who might read this to pray for her, and drop me a line at sowers {at} thefieldistheworld {period} com, if you will. In case we haven't contacted you through e-mail or telephone, in case you haven't read our update in our prayer letter, or you need a summary, here's the situation: On Saturday, April 21, at about 12:30PM, Cindy was in line at a store with Emily and Luke, and Emily started telling Cindy she was tired and wanted to go home. That would have attracted no attention, except that Emily said it with a pronounced slur, like someone who needed speech therapy. We had ...