Dr. George Murray on Hope

Hope—“a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.”  I love people of hope. They inspire me.  I love to hang around people whose relationship with God and experience in this world birth hope.   They are often people of great faith and courage.  One of those people was C.T. Studd.  He was a man of relentless hope and courage.  He once said,  “"Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell."  You can’t help but be encouraged when you are around people of hope.  They give you a bigger view of God.  They see obstacles as opportunities.  They inspire you.  This weekend at Priority One we are going to have one of those hope-filled men with us.  Dr. George Murray has a big view of God.  He has traveled the world and when he speaks you will come away not discouraged, but ready to charge the gates of hell.  I asked Dr. Murray what gives him hope today.  Here is his answer.  If you want more hope, be sure to attend Priority One (www.fbcsalem.org).  I have hope because: 1. We are living in the most unprecedented time of spiritual harvesting the world has ever known.  More people are coming to personal faith in Jesus Christ right now than any other time in the history of mankind. 2. The church in the majority world has caught the vision for world missions and is sending out missionaries in increasing numbers. 3. Technology is enabling us to reach more people than ever before via computers and cell phones. 4. The three biggest Christian radio networks in the world (HCJB, Trans World Radio, and Far Eastern Broadcasting Company) have formed a partnership that is enabling them to reach more people, and more rapidly, than ever before. 5. The "Jesus Film" (produced by Cru) is being rapidly translated into all the world's written and spoken languages and is being seen by billions of people. 6. Technology is enabling Bible translators to reduce unwritten languages to writing and to translate the Bible into those languages so much faster than ever before. Plus, Bible translation teams (where each member has a particular area of expertise) are cutting in half (or less) the time it takes to get the Bible into a particular language. 7. Missionary aviation is enabling missionaries to get quickly to spots where otherwise they could not go (including places like Afghanistan). 8. The Orality movement is growing worldwide, putting the message of the Bible and the gospel into oral form that is reaching millions of people who cannot read or write. 9. The migration of the world's peoples is relocating many unreached people in places where there is a strong Christian presence, and where those unreached peoples are more open to the gospel than they would be in their homeland. 10. Jesus said "I will build my Church" and He always keeps His promises! Written by George Murray   First Baptist website: www.fbcsalem.org to respond to this email: fbc@fbcsalem.org twitter@markwhanke

Get a Head Start on Priority One!

Here is a rundown of all the things you will need to know for Priority One this week!

• Priority One Prayer Meetings - 6 a.m. Room 424 each day this week - come for an hour and pray for those involved in the weekend.

• Thursday, October 24, 7:30-9:00 p.m. in the CLC Cafe - Professionals who want to know how God can use your skills in His global plan to restore hope in the world.  John Brian and LaVonne Buhler as they share a brief update on their work in India and introduce you to Vernon Laverty, President of IDEAS, and his team as they share how IDEAS can help you to use your profession to bring real hope and transformation to Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. RSVP - Scott Grandi at, scott.grandi@ideasworl.org or phone him at 619-321-9005.

• Friday, October 25, SFB Leadership Training with Dr. George Murray

• Saturday Morning, October 26,  Dr. Murray, "Raising up the Next Generation of Missionaries"

• Saturday Evening, October 26, 6:00-7:15 p.m. Dr. Murray, "Making God Great in Our Hearts"  

• Saturday Evening, Hope Alive - 6th-12th Grade Students, Dessert & Perspective, 6:00-7:15 p.m. - CLC Student Room #429

• Sunday Morning, October 27, 9:00 & 10:30 a.m., Dr. Murray, "Making God Great in Our Hearts"

• Sunday Evening, October 27, 6:00 p.m. "What is Missions Today?"  Panel discussion - church auditorium

First Baptist website: www.fbcsalem.orgto respond to this email: fbc@fbcsalem.orgtwitter@markwhanke