{"id":839,"date":"2014-09-19T21:28:35","date_gmt":"2014-09-20T02:28:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/?p=839"},"modified":"2014-09-19T21:31:57","modified_gmt":"2014-09-20T02:31:57","slug":"a-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/2014\/09\/19\/a-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"A Challenge? ? ?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h3>\n

Dearest Friends,<\/span><\/h3>\n

Judge not????<\/span><\/h3>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0“The harvest is past <\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The summer is ended <\/strong><\/div>\n
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0and we are not saved.” – Jeremiah 8:20<\/strong><\/div>\n

This is the final eulogy for so many around the world, not because they did not believe the gospel but because they COULD NOT believe the gospel. They had never heard and would not hear because people who had this treasure in earthen vessels could not or would not take it to them. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As I sit here in a coffee shop listening to the chatter of people around me (and this is a Christian coffee shop) it becomes apparent that many people do not have a clue as to the plight of the lost. \u00a0Caught up in a life of self-fulfillment, the “coffee-creatures” travel through time wondering what the next person is thinking of the “selfie” that they just posted or what the latest trend is in clothing to either attract each other or make a statement. I can’t escape the conviction that I am just as vapid and selfish as these folks and I am forced with two options; either excuse them because I don’t want to be judgmental or judge myself with the same judgment that I would judge them. I choose the later. \u00a0I realize that I am neither better nor worse than them and so I judge myself guilty and keep pressing on for the Master’s sake. \u00a0He is worth it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Good Metaphor<\/span> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

New Tribes Mission has a periodical magazine called “NTM@Work” and a few issues ago it posted a picture that I thought was so metaphorical that I decided to use it. \"jeep\"<\/a>Dean, a former field chairman for NTM in Papua New Guinea, took this picture and it is such a good metaphor for missionary work. \u00a0We want to get to the other side (the field) but to do so, we have obstacles that we are going to encounter. Looking at the river below and the bridge that has to be crossed can be quite scary. \u00a0Broken blanks, nails sticking up out of boards, rusty cables and that doesn’t even include the vehicle that we have to travel in but a question needs to be asked and it is an important one; “At what point is Christ no longer worth it?” At what point are we going to say, “Lord, you are worth an awful lot, but just not this much!” \u00a0What is it going to take in our lives to just give up and turn back. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The “other side” is just that, the other side. \u00a0It is the goal that the Lord has set for each of us and to get there we have to cross the bridge. \u00a0It doesn’t look safe, the consequence of the bridge failing is daunting, the vehicle we are traveling in is old but I think another question can bring the whole picture into focus and it is this, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

“Would it make any difference to you to know whether Jesus Christ built this bridge or not?” \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you know that the Lord Jesus built this bridge, would you have any hesitation traveling on it and crossing to the other side? I believe that the Lord purposely builds bridges like this in our lives in order to get us to think about the Architect of the bridge and not the bridge itself. \u00a0Life is simply God’s opportunity to prove to us that He is telling the truth. \u00a0He builds our bridges with broken planks, rectangular and round boards, nails sticking up, rusty cables and rivers (consequences) to show us that He never leaves us or forsakes us. \u00a0He wants us to walk by faith, not by sight. \u00a0No matter what the bridge looks like, it may as well be the Autobahn. \u00a0We can do wheelies in our monster trucks going across this bridge because we know the Builder, not the bridge and our trust is in WHO built the bridge, not what the bridge looks like. \u00a0As a friend reminded me this last week, <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
\n<\/span><\/span>Look full in His wonderful face,
\nAnd the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
\nIn the light of His glory and grace.<\/p>\n

Passing the Baton<\/span><\/p>\n

\"IMG_2351\"<\/a>A couple of weeks ago, some friends of mine invited me to help take some students from the University of Arkansas to our Missionary Training Center. \u00a0We had a wonderful time and I trust that the Lord will use this visit to be a challenge to these young folks of the need for people to sacrifice it all to bring the name of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard of Him and what He accomplished for them at Calvary. Please pray that they will look beyond their reality to see His reality.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Visiting Supporters<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cheryl and I just returned from visits to two of our longest-supporting churches in\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Hindman, KY and Kosciusko, MS. \u00a0What a wonderful time we had and trust that\u00a0the Lord will encourage all of us to keep pressing on. \u00a0Everyone was a blessing to us and I trust that we were to them also.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks<\/strong> Cheryl and I thank you all for working with us to reach those who have not heard that there is a God who cares and who has provided a way out of their eternal dilemma. \u00a0As you go about your daily life, remember how many churches you pass on the way to your church. \u00a0It is a matter of perspective. \u00a0Love you all. \u00a0Keep the faith.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Your servants for His name’s sake,<\/p>\n

Doug & Cheryl Schaible<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At what point is Christ no longer worth it???<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":279,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,3324,3325],"tags":[637,6862],"class_list":{"0":"post-839","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-family","7":"category-ministry","8":"category-news-article","9":"category-prayer-request","10":"tag-new-tribes-mission","11":"tag-ntm-videos","12":"entry"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/279"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ethnos360.org\/doug-schaible\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}