Hardness of heart is a very fearful thing, and the Bible gives terrifying warnings against it. However, is it possible for a Christian to go through a season of hardening-

Psalm 141-5 - Let a righteous man strike me-- it is a kindness- let him rebuke me-- it is oil for my head- let my head not refuse it. Yet my prayer is continually against their evil deeds.

How should someone in a church react when the elders are disagreeing over matters in the church- Are elders able to have different views on issues in the church- What if the pastors are disagreeing over how sin is being dealt with in the church-

The teachings of Jesus Christ on money are incredibly radical, and it's so fearful becuase we can become desensitized to them. We can become so accustomed to making excuses and protecting ourselves from the true implications of them. When Jesus tells us to not lay up treausre on earth, do you take Him seriously for what He says- Do you really believe His words for what they are-

If we wish to see where the character of Christ has been displayed in amazing ways, we don't need to look much further than in the history of missions in the Church. The Spirit of Christ is a Spirit of missions. May He breathe upon us in a fresh way to carry out this impossible task of reaching all the nations for Christ.--Excerpt from the full sermon, The Missionary Spirit - Permission of use was granted by Banner of Truth and David Vaughn