To prepare for Missions Emphasis Week, which begins this Sunday, watch this short video by John Piper answering the question, “Who Are the Unreached?”

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By way of reminder, here is a list of what’s going on at DSC this week:

Sola Aqua | October 20-30

We’re in the middle of this! If you haven’t started already, fast from beverages except for tap water and pray for God to bring living water to the peoples of Native America, Guatemala, and North Africa. Then, donate the money you save to DSC’s water projects in Guatemala.

Special Guests on Sunday Morning | Sunday, 9:00 AM and 10:45 AM

At our Sunday Services, Matt Ellison will preach from 3 John and Philippians, a sermon titled, “Caring for Missionaries in a Manner Worthy of God.” Matt, a member at DSC, is co-founder and Chief Ministry Officer at Sixteen:Fifteen, a church missions coaching organization that has been instrumental in the formation of DSC’s vision for missions.

In addition, Rodrigo Barrera, our beloved missionary and Wycliffe Bible Translator, will share about he and his wife Carol’s ministry among the Mayan Rabinal Achi in Guatemala.

Dinner with the Missionaries | Sunday, 5:00 – 8:00 PM (Registration closes Friday at 11:59PM)

“Dinner with the Missionaries,” including a Q&A with Carol Barrera, Cindy Harper, and Mrs. G. Click here to for more information and to register. Enjoy a nice Pacific Rim dinner, free child care (12 and under), and access to the Silent Auction.

Silent Auction | Sunday Morning – Wednesday Night

The Silent Auction will be open Sunday morning at 8:00 AM, then on Monday and Tuesday from 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, and on Wednesday from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM, just before our Lord’s Supper service. Click here, here, here, and here to read about the various things and services that have been donated bye DSC members for this auction.

Lord’s Supper Service | Wednesday, 6:30 PM

Mr. G, our SNAP Team Leader will be sharing about the progress and upcoming transitions for him and his family. They look to launch to France en route to North Africa in January. Click here to learn more about the Sunrise North Africa Partnership (SNAP).

Also, swing by the Book Nook for several featured books on Global Missions.

It’s going to be a great week!

Here’s what D.A. Carson had to say about Tom Nelson’s fine book on Christian vocation, Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work:

“Not many pastors are adept at encouraging the Christians they serve to think deeply about the work they undertake during the six days when they are not gathering for corporate worship. So many of our applications and exhortations, as important and as faithful as they are, deal with prayer, Bible reading, family relationships, and evangelism, and not with the work that takes up much of our time and that we are called to offer up to God. I first heard Tom Nelson bring some clarity to these matters in some addresses at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and I am delighted to see his reflections expanded and put into print. This book is greatly needed.”
—D. A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

On Saturday, October 26, from 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM, Hope Church will host a half day conference with Tom Nelson, “Work Matters: Integrating Faith and Work.” If you’d like to join, the cost is free, but you’ll need to register here.

If this subject has your interest, check out Nelson’s sermon, “Is Work a Four-Letter Word?,” this video interview by Crossway, and this written interview by The Gospel Coalition.

Tom Nelson is the Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church in Leawood, Kansas, and a council member of The Gospel Coalition.

DSC’s fourth annual Cause for Praise worship concert is this Friday, October 18, at 7:00 PM at Desert Springs Church. We use the word “concert,” but this event is more precisely a special and extended evening of corporate worship in song. The event will be recorded and several songs from the evening will be released over the next year.

As has become our tradition, we will learn a few new songs together. One new song we’ll sing is part of a future DSC recording project called, “Songs of Revelation.” As the title makes clear, this will be an album of songs based on texts from the Book of Revelation.

For a taste of what’s to come this Friday, here are the lyrics to a song based on Revelation 7:

Revelation 7
Chris Elliot, Drew Hodge

1. O eyes, behold the multitude
of souls amassed from ‘cross the globe;
No tongue from lyrics to preclude
a cry of praise to God enthroned.

Before the Lamb, clothed in white,
all in accord they cried . . .

Chorus
Salvation belongs to our God!
Salvation belongs to our God!

2. Saints and angels gathered round,
elders and the creatures sang;
Before the throne all faces down
beyond all time God’s glory rang.

Before the Lamb, clothed in white,
all in accord they cried . . .

As you are probably aware, DSC’s musicians have written a number of songs over the past few years, many of them recorded and available for listening and download at DSC’s Bandcamp Page.

Yesterday we had the joy of witnessing the baptism of ten brothers and sisters, five in each service. As a new tradition, we will post the baptism testimony videos following our baptism services. Below are the video testimonies from Sunday morning! You will be blessed by these testimonies of grace.

As we listen to these testimonies, let’s praise God for his salvation of these people and remember these words from the Apostle Paul for all of us who are in Christ:

… all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
— Romans 6:3-4

9:00 AM Service

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Isabel Betancur, Larry Gallegos, Ramona Gallegos, Carlos Stearns, Courteney Gurule

10:45 AM Service

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Melissa Velez, Eric Lewin, Amber McBride, Campbell Beck, Emma Beauchamp

DSC’s annual Global Missions Emphasis will take place this month from October 27-30. Follow the Missions Blog for details, and be sure to register for our second annual Dinner with the Missionaries, Sunday, October 27 (learn more here).

While we have a column of shelves dedicated to missions and evangelism, this month we are featuring three books on global missions. Below you’ll find Amazon links and descriptions for each.

Finish the Mission: Bringing the Gospel to the Unreached and Unengaged, by John Piper and David Mathis

“This is no ordinary missions book. The theme isn’t new, but the approach is refreshing and compelling, as contributors David Platt, Louie Giglio, Michael Ramsden, Ed Stetzer, Michael Oh, David Mathis, and John Piper take up the mantle of the Great Commission and its Spirit-powered completion.

From astronomy to exegesis, from apologetics to the Global South, from being missional at home to employing our resources in the global cause, Finish the Mission aims to breathe fresh missionary fire into a new generation, as together we seek to reach the unreached and engage the unengaged.”

The Gospel for Muslims: An Encouragement to Share Christ with Confidence, by Thabiti Anyabwile

“There are between five and eight million Muslims living in the United States today. They either are, or soon will be, your neighbors and co-workers. Does the thought of reaching out to them with the gospel make you nervous? How can you effectively communicate the good news with such large theological differences? The Gospel for Muslims can help make sharing your faith easier than you think.

Thabiti Anyabwile, himself a convert from Islam to Christianity, instructs you in ways to share the good news of Christ with your neighbors and friends. The Gospel for Muslims allows you to focus on the people rather than the religious system. Meant for the average Christian, this book is not an exhaustive apologetic or a detailed comparative study of Christianity and Islam. Rather, it compellingly stirs confidence in the gospel, equipping the reader with the basics necessary to communicate clearly, boldly, and winsomely.”

Window on the World: When We Pray God Works, by Daphne Spraggett and Jill Johnstone

“Stunning photographic visuals complement this A to Z collection of countries and people groups providing an exciting learning experience and guide for prayer. Short stories about featured countries or people groups help relate foreign lands and people to children in the West. Each page includes a small map putting the country into perspective with neighboring countries and a fact box with essential country and people information. . . . This invaluable resource develops cultural, political, and geographical awareness through a Christian lens . . . [in order to help all of us] pray more effectively for [our] world.”