"Passion for the Heart of God"

I am reading a book called "Passion for the Heart of God" by John Zumwalt. I've heard John speak twice in Perspectives of the World Christian Movement, a college level course - basically concerning missions. He is a riveting speaker with stories of God's glory all over the world. He stayed in our home this year when he spoke at our Batesville class. Mickey and I enjoyed his company very much. I knew that I would like any book that he had written. I am not disappointed.

I have been reading it slowly - trying to soak it all in. I know I will go back and reread it, maybe many times. John gets it!! He expresses it, well, too. Sometimes he is a little sarcastic but it is well placed sarcasm. I like it.

You may ask, "What does he 'get'?" The ultimate purpose for our being is to glorify God by allowing Him to use us to bring the nations to know Him and to participate in the increase of his Kingdom. He has already won the victory - now He is preparing a place for some of every tribe, tongue, and nation to gather around Him, rejoicing together in Heaven. That we must participate by praying for the nations and for God to get and receive His own glory - and that He loves us enough to include us in His plan. That when we pray - we pray for this end and not so much about our petty problems and our personal comforts. That our blessings come from participating in His work - even though it means suffering with and for the sake of Him. That hard times bring us closer to Him and in the end, others can see our enduring of suffering and His compassion and will come to know Him - His goal for our suffering, as it was His Son's. Most of all, that He calls us - all of us - to "go" to the nations.

Yes, I do believe we are ALL given a MANDATE to go!! MANY of us need to actually simplify our lives, put on courage and physically go to a dark place in the world who has never heard the name of Jesus and are ALL dying and going to hell because they don't know Him. Yes, He does expect us to leave our jobs, our families, our homes, our comforts and our comfort zone to follow Him. Some of us need to give large amounts of our money - simplify our lives to enable us to do so, get out of debt, seek out those who will physically go - commit to a different lifestyle so that others may go. Some of us need to commit LARGE amounts of time to praying for the nations and those who will actually go and those who will actually send. The world is also coming to our doorsteps. We have the world coming to us by way of the Universities and Colleges in the US. If we give them Jesus while they are here, then THEY can go home and can be much more effective among their own people than we ever could. BUT we have to engage them while they are here, and the door of opportunity is small - usually four to five years. We must prepare our young people to go - to be spiritually prepared and aware of His mandate. We must teach our brothers and sisters and children about the mandate and hold them to a high standard, expecting them to be goers, too. We must pray for our children to be used in other lands, for His sake.

He gets it! The end is near - the time when every tribe, tongue and nation will be reached and we will gather around His throne. There is an urgency to tell! He is coming again - but not until every nation knows of His love! I believe that it will not be tonight unless He chooses to reveal Himself in a supernatural way to all those nations who have never heard. I am grateful that He includes us in His plan and we get blessings because of it. We must fall in love with Him enough to want to see His return! We must "love His return". I still pray for that to be my "true love".

Wow! I didn't know I am so passionate about this! But, praise God!!

Take "Perspectives" if you get a chance! The information is life changing and the fellowship is sweet. I'm not sure how you can get John's book, but I recommend it!