IPC Messenger
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V olume 18 • N o 9
MARCH 2018
Other Sheep
IPC 2018 Missions Conference
IPC Messenger
“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold.
I must bring them also, and they will listen to my
voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
John 10:16
I
n one of the most beloved passages in
the gospels, Jesus’ “Good Shepherd”
discourse (verses 1-21), we find a
strong indication that the gospel is for
the world. The Old Testament has
many references to God as the Shepherd
of His people. In the Gospel of John,
Jesus applies that metaphor to Himself,
adding to His claims before the Jews
to be equal to God, the Son of God,
and the Messiah. He indicates that His
Kingdom will extend far beyond the
nation of Israel. This is not the first
indication in the Bible that the gospel
is for the nations, but it is certainly a
striking one. You and I fall into Jesus’
category of “other sheep.” We can give
thanks that God has seen fit to offer
redemption and the abundant life (which
Jesus refers to in verse 10) to the whole
world. If not for the obedience of many
early disciples and others through the
ages, how would we have come to know
the good news of Christ? If not for the
vision of reaching out to “other sheep,”
how can the gospel be spread? We’ve
come into the flock as “other sheep” and
now have the privilege of reaching those
who are still on the outside. As those
who’ve tasted the goodness of the Good
Shepherd, don’t we care that many, many
others have that opportunity as well? We
CONTENTS
take comfort and encouragement that
Jesus does the calling and the bringing—
making it certain—and we are struck
with the reality that He does so through
His Church. How can we be obedient
in this matter of calling “other sheep?”
The 2018 I.P.C. World Missions
Conference (March 8-11) will help us
to better understand our call to take
the Gospel to the world. We have a
responsibility both individually and
corporately (as a church). This year’s
missions conference will help us to think
widely through these matters. Perhaps
some will be called to go to the mission
field. All will be called and encouraged to
pray and give. We will also become more
knowledgeable about how our tithes
and offerings are used by the church
in our Gospel mission. Each of us is
called in some way. Please use this year’s
conference to grow in your understanding
of missions.
It is a great pleasure every year to
host our missionary guests. They always
encourage and challenge us and this year
will be no different. I.P.C.’s support of
missions reaches into a wide variety of
ministry types and we try to get a good
representation of the various ministries.
This year we’ll have church planters (a
Continued Page 2
3 Family Corner
4 Student Ministry
5 Intern Corner
6 Career Group
Women’s Ministry
7 Moral Concerns
8 Announcements
9 Children’s Ministry
10 Spring ‘18 Adult Classes
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