Papers by MarkandAngie Powell
Reformed Theological Review, 2020
The Old and New Testament Scriptures reveal that the Lord sovereignly calls people to be involved... more The Old and New Testament Scriptures reveal that the Lord sovereignly calls people to be involved in His saving purposes for the world. Both testaments describe people being set apart to serve Him, with the terms 'called' and 'sent' being commonly used whenever people are sovereignly commissioned by the Triune God. As such, the concept of being 'called' to Christian service is a valid expectation for believers today despite a number of recent challenges to the contrary. Finally, the reason why this understanding of vocation is important is because there are a number of practical, pastoral and personal implications regarding the nature of one's ministry now. 1. The Divine Initiative What do the Old and New Testament Scriptures reveal regarding the Lord 'calling' or 'sending' people to serve Him? 1 Is involvement in cross-cultural mission or pastoral ministry a decision based solely upon human reasoning, or does it also involve a response to divine leading. 2 Consistent with a theistic-as opposed to deisticworldview, the God of the Bible is one who sovereignly calls and sends people into the world to bear fruit as His witnesses, 3 since our mission both 'flows from and participates in' his mission. 4 As Eckhard Schnabel rightly observes: 'In the New Testament neither the Twelve nor other apostles, such as Paul, volunteered for missionary ministry. They became involved in the task of reaching other people with the news of the arrival of the kingdom of God and, after Easter,
An examination of the Egyptian background to the "arks" (Heb "tebah") of Noah and Moses arguing t... more An examination of the Egyptian background to the "arks" (Heb "tebah") of Noah and Moses arguing that both should be viewed as mini-temples.
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Papers by MarkandAngie Powell