Last Friday – the last day of the Ministry Training Course week – we began with an eternal perspective as Harrison preached through the later chapters of Acts and brought out Paul’s single-mindedness, heavenly focus and willingness to be the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies to bring fruit.
I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. (Acts 20:24)
I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13)
The CT Studd poem was remembered and the classic Bonhoeffer quote – “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” And many of us thought of the nothing-held-back life of Helen Roseveare, know personally to one of our staff families, recently gone to be with her Lord.
All this fitted very well with the eternal-hope-filled perspective of the letter of 1 Thessalonians that we had been working through all week. This is what fuels the un-wasted life:
in the midst of severe suffering… you turned to God… to wait for his Son from heaven (1 Thess. 1:6,9-10)
the Lord himself will come down… the dead in Christ will rise… we will be with the Lord… encourage one another with these words ( 1 Thess. 4:16-18)
Here are some resources from the MTC – more to follow:
- Doctrine of Man
- Doctrine of the Cross (Nicholas Pande)
- Preaching from OT Prophecy
- Loving the imperfect church and feeding from imperfect sermons
- 7 marks of biblical servant leadership
