{"id":9015,"date":"2018-01-16T01:37:39","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T23:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?p=9015"},"modified":"2018-01-29T18:27:04","modified_gmt":"2018-01-29T16:27:04","slug":"gods-holiness-motivates-our-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/gods-holiness-motivates-our-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"God&#8217;s Holiness Motivates Our Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FGod_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fgods-holiness-motivates-our-mission%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-3\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/God_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=9015-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/God_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"God_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 37:33 &#8212; 34.4MB) | <a href=\"#\" class=\"powerpress_link_e\" title=\"Embed\" onclick=\"return powerpress_show_embed('9015-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Embed<\/a><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_embed_box\" id=\"powerpress_embed_9015-podcast\" style=\"display: none;\"><input id=\"powerpress_embed_9015-podcast_t\" type=\"text\" value=\"&lt;iframe src=&quot;https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FGod_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fgods-holiness-motivates-our-mission%2F#mode-Light&amp;border-000000&amp;progress-000000&quot; scrolling=&quot;no&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;165&quot; frameborder=&quot;0&quot; id=&quot;blubrryplayer-4&quot; class=&quot;blubrryplayer&quot; title=&quot;Blubrry Podcast Player&quot;&gt;&lt;\/iframe&gt;\" onclick=\"javascript: this.select();\" onfocus=\"javascript: this.select();\" style=\"width: 70%;\" readOnly><\/p><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_subscribe_links\">Subscribe: <a href=\"https:\/\/subscribebyemail.com\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe by Email\" rel=\"nofollow\">Email<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/feeds.blubrry.com\/feeds\/nowisthetime.xml\" class=\"powerpress_link_subscribe powerpress_link_subscribe_rss\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Subscribe via RSS\" rel=\"nofollow\">RSS<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Announcement:<\/h1>\n<p>My book &#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/amzn.to\/2DBjWCO\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Is God Calling Me to Missions? 10 Questions to Help Determine Your Calling<\/a>&#8221; is now available here on Amazon.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/God-Calling-Missions-Questions-Determine\/dp\/0999415700\/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1516057070&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=caleb+suko&amp;linkCode=li2&amp;tag=sukfam-20&amp;linkId=3c9bb1f00d7dd1b8a6b81a44050fcb32\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?_encoding=UTF8&amp;ASIN=0999415700&amp;Format=_SL160_&amp;ID=AsinImage&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;WS=1&amp;tag=sukfam-20\" border=\"0\" \/><\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=sukfam-20&amp;l=li2&amp;o=1&amp;a=0999415700\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Before you head over to Amazon to grab a copy you should know that I&#8217;m sending a copy of the book out as a token of our gratitude for anyone who gifts a gift to the ministry during January.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/myaccount.abwe.org\/p-1787-suko-caleb-and-christina.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">US donors can give through ABWE USA here.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canadahelps.org\/en\/dn\/2373\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Canadian donors can give through ABWE CA here.<\/a>\u00a0(Choose &#8220;Suko, Caleb and Christina&#8221; from the drop down list)<\/p>\n<h1>Sermon notes<\/h1>\n<hr \/>\n<h1><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God\u2019s Holiness Motivates our Mission <\/span><\/h1>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the worst things we can do in the Church, in the ministry, and in missions is to do the right things for the wrong motivations. When I say \u201cmotivations\u201d what I\u2019m really talking about is the driving force of the heart. I\u2019m talking about that inward factor which pushes us on, gives us reason for what we do, and provides fire in our bones to continuing doing what we do even when things get tough.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Christianity is unique among the religions of the world because it makes these intentions and motivations of our heart primary. We find throughout the Old Testament prophets that God laments the fact that his people would offer sacrifices and outwardly make good-looking attempts to keep the law yet inwardly their hearts were far from him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isa 29:13<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">13 The Lord says: &#8220;These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I want you to think with me today about the proper motivation for missions. This is important because God is not only concerned with what we do in missions but individually he is concerned with why we do it. Yes, a wrongly motivated missionary may preach a true gospel and some may even come to faith by the grace of God through their ministry but wrong motivations set us up for failure, they are at the best temporary motivations which will sooner or later come crashing down on our heads. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, worse that, wrong motivations do not please our Heavenly Father. God our Father has given us a task and he doesn\u2019t want us to pursue that task for any outside reason, for mere secondary motivations. Even above understanding the task God wants us to comprehend the reason and motivation for the task he has called us to do. In fact, I would say that understanding the proper motivation for the task is foundational to understanding the task itself and soon you will see why. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Isaiah\u2019s experience with God\u2019s holiness and glory<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isaiah 6:4<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 And they were calling to one another: &#8220;Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5 &#8220;Woe to me!&#8221; I cried. &#8220;I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.&#8221;<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h2><b>About King Uzziah<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He had the 2nd longest reign of all Judean Kings and one of the most peaceful and successful, he built an army of over 300,000 men which was greater than the army that his father Amaziah had built before he was conquered by Israel. He conquered a number of other peoples around and had taxes coming in from them. He developed the area around Jerusalem significantly. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He developed war technology.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.\u201d 2 Chr 26:15<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although Uzziah is referred to as a righteous king early on in his reign, he later ran into problems. As is often the case, with his success came pride and with pride came his destruction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2 Ch 26:16-22<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">16 But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">17 But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor,<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">18 and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, &#8220;It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">19 Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">20 And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">21 And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD. And Jotham his son was over the king&#8217;s household, governing the people of the land.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">22 Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz wrote.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We see a very logical and clear progression in the life of Uzziah. He started off well, he did the right things, yet is seems that possibly he didn\u2019t have the right motivation. So what happens later in life is when he sees his success rather than attributing it to God Almighty, he grows proud and he believes that his success is because of his own abilities. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pride leads him into the temple with a censer in his hand doing what was clearly laid out in the Law as a job that was given only the the priests who had properly prepared themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There were two others instances when someone offered unauthorized fire in the temple. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-Nadab and Abihu Lev 10:1-3<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-Korah\u2019s rebellion Num 16:18 Where 250 were burned up in God\u2019s wrath. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">-Saul makes an unauthorized burnt offering 1 Sam 13<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What these examples show us is the emphasis God himself places on his holiness and his glory. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately the end of Uzziah\u2019s reign is typified by a complete disregard for the holiness of God. It\u2019s interesting that there is evidence of an earthquake in Uzziah\u2019s reign. Some historians say that the earthquake happened when Uzziah entered the temple to burn unauthorized incense. This could be the case and if it is then it makes sense that later we see Isaiah in the temple and once again an earthquake. This earthquake which accompanied the proclamation of God\u2019 holiness and his glory again emphasize how important, how powerful, and how dangerous God\u2019s holiness really is.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>Context of Isaiah\u2019s vision<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s think about the context of Isaiah\u2019s vision. <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judah had just experienced an extremely successful and long reign of King Uzziah<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Advancements in technology had been made<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Military conquest<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall the economy was doing well<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was peace on their borders<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yet understanding of God\u2019s holiness and respect for his glory. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0was at an all time low!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a dangerous situation for any country, any church, or any person to be in. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unfortunately, there is something about man\u2019s fallen nature that lulls him away from a holy God when the present circumstances are more or less comfortable and prosperous.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isaiah was called to preach to a people who were deaf to God\u2019s glory because of their own prosperity and false sense of security. We know that these people would not listen to the message that God gave to Isaiah because just a few verses down God tells Isaiah:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cMake the heart of this people dull, <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And their ears heavy<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And blind their eyes.\u201d (Isa 6:10)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<h2><b>What is Holiness?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The primary meaning of \u201cHoly\u201d is: Separate, other, different<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When God tells us he is holy, he is telling us that he is different!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How is he different? <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He is omnipotent, we are weak and failing<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He is all knowing, we are limited in our knowledge<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He has not beginning and end, we are finite<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He is Creator, we are creation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He is pure, we are sinful<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He is perfect in all his ways, we are terribly lacking<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God\u2019s otherness applies not only to the relationship between us and him but to everything! <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another way to look at it is, you and I are ordinary but God is extraordinary!\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another word that could be used in place of holy is \u201cstrange\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have you ever noticed how we often fear that which is strange and unfamiliar?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We love the familiar, it makes us feel secure and comfortable<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Notice that God\u2019s holiness is always unsettling<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It certainly unsettled Isaiah \u201cWoe is me!\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It unsettled Moses at the burning bush<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It unsettled the Israelites when God came down on Mt. Sinai <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It unsettled anyone who has every really caught a glimpse of God\u2019s glory<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is in some way similar to culture shock<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It unsettles you because you can\u2019t understand it!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then there\u2019s reverse culture shock that is experienced when you go back to your home culture and you notice things you didn\u2019t notice before!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">God\u2019s holiness also helps us to see into ourselves.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The seraphim\u2019s full time job is simply to proclaim God\u2019s holiness. <\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They proclaim God\u2019s holiness because it is his holiness that is the sum of his perfections<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in power<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in moral purity<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in love<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in grace<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in mercy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in judgement<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in knowledge<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in his plans<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in his actions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in his words<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in his creation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Perfect in all his ways<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even in the seraphim we see evidence of God\u2019s holiness in how they cover their face and their feet. <\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How does the holiness of God motivate our mission?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It focuses our message upon the God who gave the message.<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This may be the greatest factor, we need a mission that is first and primarily about our God!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It reminds us of how much greater our message is than simply saving people from hell.<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Saving from hell is good but it can\u2019t be our main motivation factor.<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We may not always want to save everyone from destruction (example of Jonah)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to save from something we must have something to save them to.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fear of hell, while it may spur someone on to hear the gospel message never saves anyone. <\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The gospel message is always one of faith in a holy and glorious God. Not one of fear of hell.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes few will listen to our preaching of the gospel (example of Isaiah)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It helps us to communicate the majesty, the beauty, and riches of God in our gospel. (Example of how Paul writes in Ephesians and Romans 11)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It helps us to avoid a gospel of legalism<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometime people think that too much of a focus on holiness can lead to legalism but nothing could be further from the truth. So called \u201choliness\u201d movements are fake holiness, they\u2019re facades, they\u2019re carefully wrapped garbage that looks great on the outside but falls apart and starts to stink once you open it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Legalism takes our eyes off of a holy God and puts them on ourselves until we are so far removed from that holy God we think that we could possibly attain his holiness by our own self-will and self-imposed standards.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just as Isaiah was blown out of the water by his contact with a holy God so also God\u2019s holiness understood through his Word will always annihilate all forms of legalism that tend to creep into the gospel. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It makes the gospel personal<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Isaiah had to be personally affected by the holiness of God before he could become an ambassador of the holiness of God.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It keeps us from falling into the trap of \u201cMethodism,\u201d \u201cProgramism,\u201d \u201cTechniqueism\u201d<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A realization that it is only the supernatural working of the Holy Spirit in the life of a person to bring them to belief, to change their unholy heart and give them a holy life in Jesus Christ breaks us free from the ever changing landscape of mission techniques, methods, and programs. We realize that no one is saved by a method or a program as good as they may be.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It provides unchanging motivation in all circumstances<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the mission is good we recognize that God is still holy and we have a long way to go<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the mission is bad we recognize that God is still holy and we have a long way to go<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understanding God\u2019s holiness balances us!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><b>How can we keep God\u2019s holiness central in our mission?<\/b><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make God\u2019s Word Central in your life and in your mission<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His Word is holy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His Word reveals a holy God<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">His Word shows us that we are unholy<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make daily personal Bible study central in your life<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without consistent and regular exposure to God\u2019s Word you will drift away from the concept of a holy God just like Uzziah did.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that your mission is a personal calling from a Holy God.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember that your job is to point people to God<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grow daily in your awe of the perfections of God<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read Tozer, and Sproul, and J.C. Ryle and others who help explain the depths of God\u2019s holy character to us.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make your life a holy example<\/span>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grow in your disdain for sin<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grow in your longing for perfection<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grow in the fruit of the Spirit<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Grow in the out working of the truths of the Scripture <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mat 5:16 let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Emphasize faithfulness to God\u2019s holy calling over other outward signs of the missions success.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"9019\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/gods-holiness-motivates-our-mission\/holiness\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png\" data-orig-size=\"1280,720\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Holiness\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-1024x576.png\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-9019\" src=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"720\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness.png 1280w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-1080x608.png 1080w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-483x272.png 483w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-360x203.png 360w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Holiness-263x148.png 263w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/player.blubrry.com\/?media_url=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2Fcontent.blubrry.com%2Fnowisthetime%2FGod_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3&amp;modern=1&amp;podcast_link=https%3A%2F%2Fsukofamily.org%2Fgods-holiness-motivates-our-mission%2F#mode-Light&border-000000&progress-000000\" scrolling=\"no\" width=\"100%\" height=\"165\" frameborder=\"0\" id=\"blubrryplayer-1\" class=\"blubrryplayer\" title=\"Blubrry Podcast Player\"><\/iframe><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/God_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/?powerpress_pinw=9015-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/content.blubrry.com\/nowisthetime\/God_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"God_s_Holiness_and_Missions.mp3\">Download<\/a> (Duration: 37:33 &#8212; 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Maybe that's why holiness is not very popular in the pulpits of \"cutting\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Books&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecx.images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/31hk0zrRSdL._BO2%2C204%2C203%2C200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click%2CTopRight%2C35%2C-76_AA278_PIkin4%2CBottomRight%2C-67%2C22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9723,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/is-god-calling-me-to-mission-free-on-kindle\/","url_meta":{"origin":9015,"position":1},"title":"&#8220;Is God Calling Me to Mission?&#8221; Free on Kindle","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"September 17, 2018","format":"video","excerpt":"My book that I published earlier this year is now available for preorder on Amazon Kindle. If you purchased the paperback version you can get the Kindle version absolutely free! It's my gift to you! Preorder on Kindle Once you preorder the book it will be automatically delivered to your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Video Updates&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Video Updates","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/video-updates\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-07-at-10.48.41-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-07-at-10.48.41-PM.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/Screen-Shot-2017-09-07-at-10.48.41-PM.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9758,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/what-is-missions-mobilization\/","url_meta":{"origin":9015,"position":2},"title":"What Is Missions Mobilization? |Season 4 Episode 13","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 6, 2018","format":"audio","excerpt":"What is missions mobilization and how do mission agencies really help churches and missionaries do the work of missions? In this episode of \"Now Is the Time\" I talk with Scott Dunford,\u00a0Vice President of Mobilization and Communications for ABWE and Alex Kockman, Director of Long-Term Missionary Mobilization at ABWE about\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;The Gospel Today&quot;","block_context":{"text":"The Gospel Today","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ibrahim-rifath-787485-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ibrahim-rifath-787485-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ibrahim-rifath-787485-unsplash.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ibrahim-rifath-787485-unsplash.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/ibrahim-rifath-787485-unsplash.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7002,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/is-god-calling-me-into-missions-10-helpful-questions-to-ask-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":9015,"position":3},"title":"Is God Calling Me Into Missions? | 10 Helpful Questions to Ask Yourself","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"October 26, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the most common questions I get from young people is this: \u00a0\u201cIs God calling me into missions?\u201d This is a great question for anyone to ask themselves and especially for a young man or woman to ask. Your understanding of this question and your answer to this question\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/photo-1466357955653-f8a10d011dcb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/photo-1466357955653-f8a10d011dcb.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/photo-1466357955653-f8a10d011dcb.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4086,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/33-the-churchs-acceptable-sins\/","url_meta":{"origin":9015,"position":4},"title":"#33 The Church&#8217;s Acceptable Sins","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"June 28, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Every time and every culture has certain sins that it excuses, ignores or tries to justify. We are no exception to the rule! American churches are hiding some pretty big sins simply because they don't think they're so bad. In this episode of Now is the Time\u00a0I talk about the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Ministry&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Ministry","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/ministry\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC07138-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC07138-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/DSC07138-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5049,"url":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/are-you-a-holy-person\/","url_meta":{"origin":9015,"position":5},"title":"Are You a Holy Person?","author":"Caleb Suko","date":"February 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"What do you think of when you hear the word \"holy?\" For many it calls up scenes of monks in meditative prayer who have given up the worldly life and all its trappings in order to devote their days completely to communion with God. For others it might conjure up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Writing&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/category\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/photodune-880125-bible-s-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/photodune-880125-bible-s-001.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sukofamily.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/photodune-880125-bible-s-001.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9015"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9022,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9015\/revisions\/9022"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukofamily.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}