The Beauty of Our Savior's Mission

I recently read a few chapters in The Bible and Mission written by Helen Barrett Montgomery. She is an incredible woman that you should look up if you haven't heard of her. I wanted to share with you some of her beautiful imagery regarding God's Word and the church's mission:


"The Bible is great literature. Big books make their way. They fly over seas, they tunnel the mountains, they bridge the centuries. By the common consent of man the Bible is supreme as literature. In its poetry of grandeur and of tenderness, in its sublimity and terror, in its tragedy and doom, in its lofty teachings and profound philosophy, in its story of the matchless life and words and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth, the Bible has a unique claim to be the Book of books, the Book of man." (pg 12)



"The gospel will not fail. The gospel will not fail. The Lord Jesus shall see of the travail of his soul and be satisfied. The kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. But the Church may fail, may be set aside for another instrument. Today is the day of salvation for our Protestant churches. If we harden our hearts and close our eyes and refuse the plain call of God, other generations may see in us another Israel whose narrowness of vision was condemned by the very Scripture in which is our boast." (pg. 23)




(Speaking of the Psalms) "They take the wings of the wind and fly to the uttermost parts of the earth; wherever a human heart is found they create their own agencies of transmission. The pure water of life from out the hills of God must find its way to the ocean of man’s need."



"[The early church] told because their hearts were glowing in the consciousness of a great salvation and they could not but speak of what they had themselves seen and heard and felt."



"Only a compromising church finds smooth sailing. When opposition fails to materialize in the life of the present day it is because the Church is not aggressive in asserting Christ’s lordship over life, as was this Early Church. A compromising church finds smooth sailing. A missionary church can always count on her full share of head winds and tempests."


 "A reliance upon spiritual means. Prayer pervaded the life of this Early Church like fragrance. They really expected prayer to be answered, and they dared to pray for hard and difficult things. They walked in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, who honored their faith by working mightily through and with them. Foreign missions contemplate tasks impossible of realization if we are depending upon human resources alone."




Does this give you a little more love for the Word of God? Does it remind you of its beauty and its purpose, as well as your own? Does it speak to your heart? I hope that this has sparked a passion to open up that beautiful book and truly look deeply at its meaning and purpose. 

Disclaimer: All of these quotes are from Helen Barrett Montgomery's first two chapters in The Bible and Mission, edited by Shawn Barrett Redford. The emphasis on certain words are my own. 




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