Beginnings

Dear Friends,

So here begins the journeys of young men of faith.

But first, a brief introduction to this blog, its name, and its purpose.

The Name
Some of you may be wondering why we've named it "mocha press." And while I wish I had a better (and more significant) reason other than, "I was talking about coffee with my friends," I really don't. Nonetheless, here's an attempt: we hope that this virtual space will become a place of open dialogue about Christian theology, where friends can openly share thoughts on Scripture and all sorts of heresies. The atmosphere will be informal (as in a coffeehouse) and the dialogue satisfying, God-willing. It'll be as informal as sipping mocha on the porch; yet, hopefully, deeper and richer than your usual coffee conversation.

And I hope that is a satisfactory explanation for its name.

The Purpose
Our purpose in starting and contributing to this space is three-fold. Our prayer, however, is that our work here would eventually blossom into something greater, which is, as we will outline later, our ultimate goal.

1. Magnify Christ in our Study of Scripture
   

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

As highlighted by Paul, all Scripture (at that time, Scripture encompassed the Old Testament--how blessed we are to have the entire canon!) is useful "for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness [...]." Therefore, we intend this blog to be Christ-centered by being Scripture-focused. In making our writings public, we hope to put our thoughts to the test and to grow together "in righteousness, that [we] may be competent, equipped for every good work." Toward that end, we will scrutinize Scripture.


2. Correct and Sharpen our Minds in Conversation
   

Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17).


As with 2 Timothy, we know that Scripture is useful for teaching, correction, and training in righteousness. Furthermore, not only do we make this a public space, but we also make it a corporate blog--instead of an individual blog. The desire is that through our dialogue amongst each other and through our wrestling with the Word, our minds would grow together as we critique and debate together. The hope is that our fraternity would sharpen our minds and prepare us for the Goal.


3. Encourage our Brothers and Press On to the Goal
   

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you. Only let us hold true to what we have attained. (Philippians 3:13-16).


Again, we quote Paul. The third and final goal of starting this endeavor is to encourage each other to press on toward the goal. Consider this our "cross-country" training team; together we train in preparation for our individual races. Where God will place us individually, we cannot say just yet, but we hope that the accountability and dialogue afforded by this virtual space will train and prepare us for our place in the Kingdom.

Therefore, the purpose of this blog is threefold--to study Scripture together, to sharpen each others' minds, and to encourage each other to press on toward the Goal that is Christ.

The Purpose
And lastly, but most importantly, we pray that the final fruits--Lord-willing--of our labor will be another step forward in response to the Great Commission.

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20).

Through our labor, we hope to take the deeper understanding of the Gospel with us wherever we should go. And by bringing the Gospel to the nations, we pray that Christ would be magnified, even if we should perish.