Missions Where Do You Fit

Missions – Where Do You FitMissions – Where Do You Fit
Six Practices of MissionsSix Practices of Missions
George N. Chin, MD
ECC Summer Conference
Camp Berachah, Auburn,
Washington
August 11, 2007

Missions – Where Do You Fit?
Jesus' call to "go and make disciples of all nations" is a
challenge for all Christians to get involved with God's work
around the world. As OMF founder Hudson Taylor once said,
"The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is
a command to be obeyed." But that doesn't mean we're all
called to be cross-cultural missionaries to the remotest parts of
the world. The six (6) Practices of Missions outlines the
importance of missions and discusses six avenues of missions
involvement: going, praying, sending, mobilizing, welcoming
and learning. Each practice is needed as God pursues people
from "every tribe, tongue and nation."

State of the World
As we look at how to make disciples of all nations, it
seems wise to first do a brief survey of the status of
Christianity in the world.

State of the World
A trend in missions circles is to view the world in
terms of ethnic people groups. Organizations like
Joshua Project have done extensive research in this
area. Among their findings:
 The world is home to 6.4 billion people scattered among
10,000 ethnic groups.
 Roughly 2 billion people are "Christian" in some form
(Perspectives on the World Christian Movement estimates
there are 680 million "active" Christians in the world).

State of the World
75 Million Christians in China

State of the World
 Another 2 billion or so are non-Christians who are "within
reach" of the gospel.
 That leaves 2.5 billion people in more than 6,000 people
groups deemed to be "unreached". Most of these live in
the “10/40" Window," an area that stretches from 10
degrees latitude north to 40 degrees latitude north, form
Africa to Asia. "Unreached" is defined as not having a
Christian population that is able to evangelize the rest of
this group.

馬太 24:14 “ 這天國的福音要傳遍天下 , 對萬民作見證 , 然後末期才來到
The Gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as
a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
- Matthew 24:14
10/40 window

The Bad News
For many, Christianity is still a "Western religion"
associated with the Western imperialism of colonial
times. But, as we know, Jesus Christ died for the
world, that people from every tongue, tribe and
nation on earth would know Him and give Him the
glory due His name.

The Bad News
Sadly, this is not happening in most places. In East
Asia, 95 % of the 2 billion-plus souls who live there
do no know Christ. Places like Thailand, Japan and
Tibet are gripped by the idolatry of Buddhism. In
other parts of East Asia - Indonesia, Malaysia,
Brunei and parts of Western China - Islam is
prevalent. Animism, polytheism, Daoism and
atheism all have large numbers of followers as well.

The Bad News
In the Middle East. Islam reigns supreme,
sometimes in a fundamental form that stifles
attempts to spread the gospel.
Africa, a continent that has long drawn the interest of
missionaries, is continually being ravaged by war
and is in the midst of an AIDS epidemic. Animism,
polytheism and Islam blind the hearts and minds of
many.

The Bad News
Europe, the historical heartland of Christianity, is
falling prey to an increasingly secular culture.
Christianity is regarded as a relic of the past as
materialism and atheism take hold. North America is
quickly following suit. In South America, the rituals
of folk Catholicism and tribal animism remain.

Good News, God At Work
But there is good news. God is still at work in the world. In
some places, the gospel of Christ is advancing with great
momentum. Places like Brazil, Nigeria, Kenya and China are
all home to relatively new, vibrant evangelical church
movements. As Phillip Jenkins noted in his book The Next
Christendom. The Coming of Global Christianity, there is a
decided "southward shift" in the growth of Christianity to the
continents of Africa, Asia and South America. Jenkins quotes
Kenyan scholar John Mbiti as saying: "The centers of the
church's universality (are) no longer in Geneva, Rome, Athens,
Paris, London, New York, but Kinshasa (Congo), Buenos Aires,
Brazil, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Manila (Philippines).

A sampling of encouraging statistics and news from
around the globe:
• In the past century, Africa Christian population has grown
from 10 million in 1900 to 360 million in 2000
• The number of Christians in China has grown from close to
1 million in 1949 to possibly 70 million today. One expert
has said this is "probably the greatest church growth since
Pentecost."
• In Nepal, more than 100,000 former Hindus have come to
Christ in the past 20 years.

 In 1900 Korea was said to be "impossible to penetrate".
Today 30% are Christians and South Korea is a major
missions sending country.
 It is expected that by 2010, a majority of people in Brazil,
Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador will be evangelical
Christians.

But much work remains to be done. Thankfully, the
burden for reaching the more than 4 billion non-
Christians and 6,700-plus unreached people groups
of the world is not all on us. As our Lord said in the
Great Commission: "And surely I am with you
always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20).
As we take on this incredible task, we are joining the
all-powerful, sovereign and loving God of the
Universe. And He will be glorified.

The Six Practices of Missions – Go
"But you will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes on
you, and you will be my witness
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea
and Samaria and to the ends of
the earth."
Acts 1:8

Being a missionary can be risky, illogical step, at
least in the world's eyes. Missionaries often give up
the life they've always known, perhaps a life of
comfort and relative ease, in exchange for a life in a
new culture, among people who speak a different
language, eat different foods and usually have a
much lower standard of living. It can be dangerous.
Diseases, violence, natural disaster-all are possible.
It's not an easy life.

Without people willing to go, missions would cease
to exist. In 21st century, missionaries come in many
forms: English teachers, language students, doctors,
engineers, physical therapies, agricultural
consultants, the list goes on. Don't worry, you
probably won't live in a hut.

Even if you're not called to be a long term
missionary, you could still go on a short term trip. As
many as 500,000 Americans go on a short term
missions trip each year. Such trip often lead to a
deeper commitment to the Lord and to lifelong
missions involvement.
 Go long term as a missionary
 Go on a short term trip
 Organize a short-term trip through your church
 Go as a businessman or doctor. Be a tentmaker, using
your profession to share the gospel among the nations.
 Go on a vision trip to East Asia or another part of the
world.

The Six Practices of Missions – Pray
"And pray for us, too, that God
may open a door for our
message, so that we may
proclaim the mystery of Christ."
Colossians 4:3

Believers at home can do as much for overseas
missions as those actually on the field. I believe it will
only be known on the last day how much has been
accomplished in overseas missions by the prayers of
earnest believers at home.
-J.O. Fraser, Pioneer Missionary to the Lisu People.

Prayer is a powerful weapon in the Christian's
spiritual arsenal. God hears and answers prayer.
Hudson Taylor once said: When we work, we work.
When we pray God works. History belongs to the
intercessors. Join in God's redemptive purposes and
make an eternal impact through prayer.
 Join an OMF prayer group
 Start a missions prayer group through your church or
among your friends
 Go through one of OMF's 30 day prayer guides

 Read the newspaper with an eye for prayer
 Go to a "prayer house"
 Stadium prayer events
 E-mail prayer chain
 Sign up for OMF Prayer Powerlines e-mail or bulletin
 Sign up for OMF Global Chinese Ministries prayer bulletin
 Participate in an online virtual prayer journey
 Get Operation World and pray.

The Six Practices of Missions – Mobilize
"Someone must sound the
rallying call.. Mobilizers stir
other Christians to active
concern for reaching the world.
They coordinate efforts
between senders, the local
churches, sending agencies
and missionaries on the field.
Mobilizers are essential."
-Phil Parshall, Missionary,
Author, and Mobilizer.

Before one becomes a missionary, or a sender, or a
welcomer, or even a missions prayer partner, he or
she must be mobilized. They must be educated,
made aware, motivated and moved to the point of
involvement.

The church must be mobilized to take the gospel to
the ends of the earth. The current status quo will not
do. Some people-mobilizers-must light the fire and
call God's people to action.
 Organize a missions emphasis week at your church
 Organize a missions emphasis week at your school
 Organize a missions emphasis week among the Christian
community (churches) near you.

 Set up a missions table at your church
 Encourage your pastor to allow you to show videos related
to missions in services
 Organize a small group or Sunday School class with a
missions focus
 Join OMF or another mission agency's mobilization team.

The Six Practices of Missions – Send
"And how can they preach
unless they are sent?"
Romans 10:15

Missionaries haven't just gone, they've been sent.
They've been supported and encouraged by God's
people.
Some sobering statistics from the Traveling Team, a
US based missions mobilization ministry,
demonstrate this:
1. In the US, 95% of church offerings go to home-based
ministry; 4.5% go to cross-cultural work among already-
reached people groups; 0.5% go to work among
unreached people groups.
2. The global church's income is $12.3 trillion. Only one
percent of that goes to work among the unevangelized.

Some people think you have to be rich to be a
sender. This is not true. In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul
commends the Macedonian church for its generous
giving, in spite of persecution and meager resources:
"Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy
and their extreme poverty welled up in rich
generosity... they gave as much as they were able,
and even beyond their ability." Sometimes it is those
with the least who give the most. I am often
surprised at who financially support us and how
much they give. Some of the best givers are those
who don't seem to have much to give.

Sending is not all about money. Sending is about
enabling "goers" to go and serve effectively.
Sending can be a creative avenue to missions
involvement for example:
 Financially support a missionary
 Financially support a project in the mission field.
 Support communication projects of mission agencies
 Donate frequent flyer miles to a missionary needing to
travel

 Offer a place for missionaries to store their possessions
while on the field.
 Offer a car for missionaries to use while on furlough
 Offer a home/apartment for missionaries to use while on
furlough.
 Offer a vacation spot (beach house, chalet, etc) for
missionaries on furlough.
 Write letters to encourage missionaries on the field.

The Six Practices of Missions – Welcome
"You are to love those who are
aliens, for you yourselves were
aliens in Egypt."
Deuteronomy 10:19

Today, on average, 22 million internationals visit the
US each year. In many ways, the world is coming to
us. The presence of internationals in our
communities is a golden opportunity to share the
gospel and show the love of Christ. Someone from
an "unreached" people group may live next door.

More than 500,000 of the internationals in the US are students,
usually graduate students who often become future leaders in
their countries. Currently 40% of the world's 220 heads of state
studied in America, including international figures such as
former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, former Mexican
President Vicente Fox and Jordanian President King Abdullah
II.

Ministry to internationals can
make a strategic Christian
impact on our world. As a
senior Chinese official
recently told a Western
professional, "We are
sending thousands of our
best students overseas into
your care. They are truly
Chinese treasures!"

Living as a foreigner is often
a difficult experience.
Loneliness, culture shock
and homesickness all can
take a toll. Sadly, 80% of
international students who
come to America will never
enter an American home
(much less a Christian
home). Show the love of
Christ by welcoming them
who are dearly loved by
God.

 Start an international student Bible study
 Go to international holiday events to meet internationals
(i.e. Chinese New Year, Japanese Spring Festival,
Oktoberfest etc.)
 Partner with organizational like ISI or ISC
 Adopt an international friendship partner
 Offer English classes for internationals through your
church
 Join one of OMF's ethnic ministry teams.
 Go to ethnic restaurants (Mexican, Korean, Chinese, etc)
and build friendships with the workers there.
 Offer rides to Wal-Mart or the grocery store for
internationals in your town.
 Host an "Around Town" event for internationals who are
new to your area. Show them different points of interest
around town.

The Six Practices of Missions – Learn
"Learn all you can"
-President Thomas Jefferson
to Meriweather Lewis before
the Lewis-Clark Expedition n
1803.

Of the six practices, "learning" undergirds them all.
Each practice includes an element of learning.
Learning involves the word of God and the work of
the Holy Spirit. God desires to teach us His ways, He
wants us to "learn" more about Him for the purpose
of knowing and loving Him more deeply. Learning
will include the use of many missions resources -
books, web sites, videos etc. We are life-long
learners. Use this knowledge to increase your
knowledge and vision for the world.

 Read a missionary biography
 Pay special attention to world news reports in the media,
use as prayer information
 Take a Perspective Course
 Go to the library and check out books about countries of
interest to you
 Use the internet to explore different areas of the world.
 Use missions resources like the China Resources Pack,
Caleb Project also has many resources.

Now What?
"As a fire exist by burning, so the Church exists by
mission, if there is no burning, there is no fire, if
there is no mission, there is no Church"
-Emil Brunner, Swiss Theologian
"One life to live, 'Twill soon be past. Only what's
done for Christ will last".

Now What?
Where do you fit? How has your heart been stirred?
Remember - no practice is more "spiritual" than another. Which
one do you feel called to? You may be called to send and pray.
Maybe you're called to welcome and mobilize. Or to go. During
different phases in your life, it's possible that you'll be involved
in all of these at some point.
Whatever the case, God is with us and He's given us an
incredible vision to pursue - a people from every tribe, tongue
and nation in worship before Him (Rev 7:9). May we serve the
Lord faithfully.. until every nation knows.

I am only one,I am only one,
But still I am oneBut still I am one
I cannot do everythingI cannot do everything
But still I can do somethingBut still I can do something
And because I cannot do everythingAnd because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the somethingI will not refuse to do the something
that I can dothat I can do
EdwardEdward Everett HaleEverett Hale

I started by asking God to
help me do the work.
Later I asked God if I might
help Him do the work.
Finally I asked Him to do His
work through me.
-Hudson Taylor:
(founder of the Inland
China Mission)

"And the gospel of the Kingdom will be
preached in the whole world as a testimony
to all nations, and then the end will come."
Matthew 24:14

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