Missions equals Evangelism?

The word "missions" is not in the Bible so I can understand how somebody could disagree with somebody else about what it means. The difference between missions and evangelism is not semantics. When I became a Christian in college I was with Campus Crusade for Christ. We had worship every Thursday night, training about sharing your faith, speakers to be brought in to the campus (Josh McDowell, etc.), sharing you faith, going on trips to Florida on Spring Break to share your faith, going on a summer project in Ocean City, NJ, again, to share your faith. Everything I did was called evangalism and wasn't missions. Take a look at the book you said you had, called, "Perspectives on the World Christain Movement". (Perspectives is a "class" that meets weekly for 12 weeks all over the country; the Arizona courses are called "Pathways" and are held in two places January through March.) There are many books about about both biographies and non-fiction. This is a basic book and if I were to teach a class on "Missions" I would use part of this book (as well as other books). My version was published in 1981 but your's might be newer. Chapter 32 was written by Ralph D. Winter. It's called "The Task Remaining: All Humanity in Mission Perspective". We are all involed in evangelism and that includes missionaries. Read the section called "Evangelism and Missions". You'll get a better picture of what I am trying to say. There's E0, E1, E2 and E3. E2 and E3 are missions (going across cultures, learning a language, etc.). April 23rd I remember back in the 70s when "CB"-talk (Citizen Band radio) was quite common (breaker 1-9, breaker 1-9, what's your 10-20?, etc.). I believe it still exists today primarily among truck drivers. Paula's uncle (and some cousins) drive trucks. We get along with them real well. Their "truck driver lingo" doesn't affect me at all when I ask them "Where are you at?". I would not consider myself as learning another langauge or learning another culture just to share my faith with them. (Although, once a person becomes a Christain they have a tendecy to want to return to the same place where you were saved from and share your faith.) Our daughter is getting to the age of "texting"-talk when you use abbrievations and numbers for words. But she still understands "Go do your homework!". They use a different "lingo" rather than another language (and culture).Evangelism is something that all Christains are to do. A missionary is a type of person who travels overseas, learns another language, lives in another culture, on foreign land, etc. to do evangelism; i.e. share the Good News about Jesus.

The meaning of Ephesians 5:18: "...be filled with the Spirit..."

What Paul says in Eph. 5:18 "...be filled with the Spirit..." is a command. If we are truly a Christian we must obey it. But, it is possible to disobey this command too. The question is, "How do we obey this?" Verses 19-21 are built around five participles (“speaking”, “singing”, “making music”, “giving thanks” and “submitting”) following the imperative verb "be filled" (in Greek it's plerousthe) in verse 18. Each participle has a function describing how it is used in the sentence. The question that we need to ask is how are these participles related to the verb plerousthe of verse 18? First, they could be imperatival and function simply as imperatives in their own phrases. This is possible because many translations reflect this interpretation. Second, they could be adverbial under which there are numerous sub-types:

• instrumental/modal—“be filled by speaking...”
• telic/purposive/result—“be filled in order to or and so speak...”
• or circumstatial/concomitant—“as you are filled also speak...”
• or a combination of sub-types

If the participles are taken as instrumental/modal then Paul has in fact told us how to be filled with the Spirit. This, however, does not seem likely because it is hard to see how an imprative verb could be followed by five modal participles (five ways of doing something). On the other hand, the imperatival force is not lost if the participles are taken as concomitant (attendant circumstances).

I found no author who really discusses this issue. In a private discussion with Dr. M. J. Harris, he offers the suggestion that the participles function as both telic and concomitant. He suggests that there exists aspects of each: the actions described by the participles are both simultaneous (not subsequent) to and the results of being filled. If this is indeed the case then Paul is offering some solid objective evidences for the fullness of the Spirit. If they have the function of "by" or "through" these participles show us "how" to be filled with the Spirit. But, this has the wrong idea of "be filled with the Spirit". The Spirit here means the "Holy Spirit". The Holy Spirit is a person. The person is God himself. I don't know how you can be filled with the person of the Holy Spirit by "...addressing one another...", "...singing and making melody...", "...giving thanks..." and "...submitting to one another...". Thus, the function of the participles mean "simultaneous to and as the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit".

But the function of these participles is not modal ("by" or "through") so, once again, how do you be filled with the Spirit? The first part of verse 18 has to go with the second part of the verse--"...do not get drunk with wine...". It is the filling of wine contrasted to the filling of the Spirit. Do not be filled with wine but by the Holy Spirit. If we remember that the Holy Spirit is a person "being filled" means to let the person of the Holy Spirit repeatedly and constantly infiltrate you with intangible qualities and be overly-supplied by him. "...addressing one another...", "...singing and making melody...", "...giving thanks..." and "...submitting to one another..." inherently comes simultaneous to and as the result of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

This is important because "how to be filled with the Spirit" is defined. And that will be part of my book, Be Holy.

My first entry!

Greetings! This is my very first blog entry. I would like this blog to contain parts of my book, Be Holy, and my thoughts on things. And, of course, may God be the glory forever!