What is the resource about?
-This book is a sequel to The Insanity of God. Rather than being biographical, this book is more of a teaching tool for individuals who desire to reach places hostile to Christianity. Ripken discusses the character and skill set of those who want to reach others as well as strategies for being effective in reaching others.
Why is it important?
-We may wonder why the church is growing in many places around the world and not in North America. Several of the reasons given for that is that North America (and Europe) has had the Gospel preached to it for centuries and it is now the turn of other places around the world. Ripken would argue against this idea. He would postulate that it has more to do with the softness of the North American church (euphemism for being disobedient and self-centered) than with the hardness of the general population.
What should I do?
-The hymn writer said it well, ‘Trust and obey/for there’s no other way/to be happy in Jesus/than to trust and obey.’ We are skilled at living for self but not nearly as skilled in living for God. We may talk about being prepared to die for Christ, but we do not even show that we are willing to live for Him. I say that to my own shame. Here we have no excuse for not knowing what God expects of us; if we know the truth of God’s Word, let us live it out so that all the world may see.
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