A single object can be a source of comfort to one person and a source of fear to another. The same object can make one person breathe a great sigh of relief and another to recoil in terror. The one holding tight to the grip of a gun feels very differently about this firearm than the one who is staring toward its business end. The one who is being robbed feels very differently about the sound of approaching sirens than the one who is robbing him. It all depends on perspective.

All throughout the Bible, God reveals himself through the use of metaphors, pictures that are meant to tell us what he is like and how he relates to us. One of the images that appears repeatedly is that of a fortress or a tower, a castle or a stronghold. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,” says the Psalmist, “my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). “Lead me to the rock that is higher than I,” he prays, “for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:2–3). “The name of the LORD is a strong tower,” echoes the Sage, “the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Proverbs 18:10). Like a castle upon a hill or like a tower upon a giant rock, God offers safety, refuge, and comfort to those who are his.
And often we find great encouragement in this word picture. When we are in times of fear and uncertainty, we understand that God offers safety and stability. When we are facing trials and even persecution, we claim the truth that God offers us refuge, the conviction that no matter what may happen to our bodies, our souls will be kept safe. God is the strong castle we run to for defense, for shelter, for protection. And what a blessing to know that he is present, that he cares, and that he takes action on our behalf.
But what about those who are not his, those who are his enemies instead of friends? When this is the case, the metaphor is one of fear rather than comfort, of terror rather than relief. For a castle or stronghold is there to defend you if you are on the side of its King but to destroy you if you are not. A tower brings joy to the heart if it offers a place of safety but dread if it offers a place of destruction. For how many have died attempting to storm a castle, attempting to scale its walls, attempting to break through its gates? How many armies have been broken and smashed against castles and strongholds?
Our God is a fortress, a tower, a citadel. Yet as we know, a single object can be a source of comfort to one person and a source of fear to another. How you relate to this metaphor all depends upon your position. If you are a friend of the King and have been welcomed inside the walls, there is no greater blessing, no sweeter comfort. If you are an enemy of the King and remain outside the walls, there is no greater curse, no more bitter terror. The Lord is a refuge—the righteous man runs within its walls and is safe while the unrighteous man is dashed against its walls and is destroyed.

This week the blog is sponsored by Propempo International which invites you to explore a revolutionary take on missions on today!

What would happen if the local church took its rightful role in global missions?

Providing a refreshing look on missions, “Missions on Point,” written by experienced church planter and missionary David Meade, proposes this simple thesis:

The Bible teaches that God has always planned to declare His wisdom and glory through local churches.

The New Testament shows local churches as the quintessential means and ends of His design for proclaiming the Gospel to every people group on earth.

Missions ministries on the field and all stakeholders of the global missions enterprise would be more effective if aligned with this understanding.

This thesis encourages the repatriation of missions to the biblical local church-centered framework. “Missions on Point” presents the biblical defense of church-centered missions. Then, it outlines principles for implementation by local churches and all those involved in missionary training and sending.

On earth, our goal is for believers to worship Christ together in healthy, indigenous churches. Share

“Missions on Point” will include some anecdotes of churches we’ve helped to become aligned with this teaching. Woven through the book is an illustrative, composite serial narrative of “Hopewell Bible Church” based on real experiences. It is all based on real-life situations, anonymized for privacy and security purposes. That story fleshes out the highlights of applying the principles presented. The book also has plenty of resources in the Appendices for further study and development. The goal is to align missions with its core priority. Missions begins and ends with local churches.

On earth, our goal is for believers to worship Christ together in healthy, indigenous churches. The way to achieve it is through the sending church’s ownership of missions ministries, which results in better-equipped missionaries, less attrition from the field, and more effective, long-term field ministries for the glory of God alone.

The position proposed by “Missions on Point” does not imply that local sending churches do all the equipping, sending, field management, and shepherding on their own. It does, however, awaken and challenge church leaders, missions leaders, missionaries, and everyone involved in the support and administration of missions to align with God’s plan for His glory in and through the local church. All stakeholders are offered suggestions for adjusting practices to a more biblical local-church-centered reality. These principles have been proven by a thoughtful examination of biblical values, decades of experience in the missionary field, cross-cultural missions leadership, and local church pastoral experience.

Though most missions organizations founded their organization to serve local churches in the missions’ geographical, cultural, institutional, or technical specialty, they typically become independent in operation and in calling, which they unashamedly protect, promote, and propagate. Yet, they expect churches to support the agency rather than vice versa. Rarely does the agency enable and facilitate the local church’s missions ministry. Vision, field strategy, personnel management, and accountability have become the agency’s exclusive realm. Missions agencies may too easily show little or no respect for the rightful role of the local church in missions.

Local churches bear some blame here. They have too easily given up their biblical role and responsibility to missions agencies (even to denominational entities). Local churches should reclaim their ownership. It’s prime time for them to repatriate world missions to the local church while seeking appropriate partnerships with sending agencies to lend their particular expertise. This book aspires to provide a pathway to corrective change in this state of affairs.

Buy your copy of this revolutionary take on missions on Amazon today!

This sponsored post was provided by Burke Care which invites you to schedule care today with a certified biblical counselor.

During the middle of COVID, Burke Counseling was launched with the simple goal of partnering with remote churches to provide online Biblical Counseling services for individuals and couples. Due to the pandemic, more people needed intentional care but couldn’t leave their homes. With a quick pivot to a home office business model we were able to continue to meet the increased demand. It has been a blessing to care for those who have been impacted by some of the toughest years many of us have experienced. Due to current cultural trends, we felt led to re-emphasize biblical language though a renewed vision as Burke Care.
Two ways Burke Care can help your ministry.
Provide Biblical Discipleship to your church members, staff, or community. Being able to disciple the Word and equipping others to disciple the Word has been a humbling and rich experience for us. Burke Care does not pretend to be “the” Biblical Discipleship and Equipping solution, but we may be “a” solution at this time and for a season. Ultimately, we want to bring glory to God which we know is for our ultimate good.  Our desire has been to have an eternal impact on the Biblical Counseling movement while utilizing the unique gifts that God has given us. At Burke Care, we have a desire to disciple others in the midst of their struggles and to meet with them where they are.
The value of Burke Care is rooted in the generosity of God, our hope in Jesus in community with one another.
Equip certified biblical counselors within your church and community. The Association of Biblical Counselors (ABC) asked to partner with Burke Care to shepherd their online, self-paced students through Level 1 Certification training. This move reinforced the mission of Burke Care and increased our ability to bring biblical discipleship to remote parts of the English-speaking world. ABC certification can be done through an online regional cohort or through an online, self-paced course. Burke Care is prepared to work with you to discuss available options to get the best training solution in front of you. The ABC Level 1 Certification training, “Equipped to Counsel” authored by Dr. John Henderson, is designed to allow the counselor in training (CIT) to develop a biblical philosophy in the work of discipleship, gain an understanding of biblical counseling and acquire a basic understanding of the general and specific methods.
ABC exists to enlist, equip, enrich, and encourage people everywhere to live and disciple the Word, applying the Gospel to the whole experience of life.

ENLIST believers with a heart to grow in their knowledge of Scripture as it practically applies to the myriad of issues related to discipleship.

EQUIP the church and community by providing training and certification in the work of biblical discipleship.

ENRICH members by offering ongoing resources with a robust biblical worldview of people and their problems while promoting Scripture as the supreme source wherein healing truth may be found.

ENCOURAGE followers of Jesus Christ to know, cherish, and honor Him as they minister His Word to one another while supporting each other.

Virtual Training. The ABC Called to Counsel Conference will be held in Texas but is also now offering livestream. We are so excited to have Tim Challies as one of the keynote speakers and leading out on the grief track. The 2023 dates are Thursday, 4/27 through Saturday, 4/29. Attending this conference is another way to learn more about the role of Biblical Discipleship in the local church and how your church might benefit from this type of ministry.
To sign-up for the Called to Counsel Conference, you can go on-line and register at www.calledtocounsel.com.
Please consider how Burke Care and ABC can assist you and those around you with your Biblical Discipleship and Equipping needs. Email me at [email protected]