Lupton's Discussion Of Missions

In Let the Nations be Glad, the emphasis in the first chapter is that missions is not the most important aspect of the church, but worship is. Worship is the glorification of God by man and creation, and anything that gives God glory is attributing to worship. The fall however, ruined the intended perfect worship that man mas designed to give to God, in eating of the forbidden fruit Adam and eve distanced themselves and all of their offspring from God until the end of the age. Missions exists only because worship does not, because of the fall, missions must take place in order to share the love of Christ with those who are distanced from him by sin, and show them that a reparation of this separation is possible in Christ alone. Missions can work as an aid to worship, in that it brings glory to God by introducing the nations to him, and

Lesslie Newbigin diagnoses the present missionary movement as exclusively interested in Christ and lacking the richness of trinitarian doctrine.4 This is dangerous, he writes, because “the mission of the church is to be understood, can only be rightly understood, in terms of the trinitarian model.”5 A study of early theologians identifies similar shortcomings in missiology. Craig Ott, et al. find that while Augustine and Thomas Aquinas presented a theology of divine missions rooted in the Father sending the Son and the Father and Son sending the Spirit, they failed to connect the sending action of the Godhead to the sending of the church.6 Ott emphasizes that rooting missiology in trinitarian activity highlights God’s initiative in missions.7 Bryan Stone adds that evangelism, as part of this God-initiated directive, cannot be confined as an offer of Christ to the world, but must be part of the single motion began by the Father through the work of the Son and the power of the Spirit.8 This places missiology squarely in the territory of trinitarian doctrine.

Last Sunday at church Father Ron said something that hit home for me. He said that a mission begins with an invitation. I grew up in a rural area in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya. Life was not easy and I always made a point of maximizing the opportunities I got. I grew up knowing that I wanted to be in a profession that really helped people improve their wellbeing. When I got the opportunity to go to university I choose to do Biomedical Science because I was very good at science and I thought that being a scientist was my calling. However, becoming an adult and having varying experiences like volunteering in a children’s home, working in the field doing research, working in a laboratory and currently working as a nurse aide has taught me

Some estimate that 70 percent of the worlds bible-believing Christians (as opposed to nominal or cultural Christians) now live in the majority world.”1 This reality should entirely changes the way we think about missions. If the greater part of Christians no longer live

As a convert to the Church i felt prompted to serve a Mission, Having no clue what a Mission was or what to prepare for was a great lesson i learned to love.

We have spent some unbelievable time in Brazil, Nicaragua (X 5), Honduras (X 5), Africa, and Hungary. We are rolling to Mexico this June, and I am looking forward to serving in Haiti in the very near future. During these trips, my ministry focused on women and children. I have been called to be a carpenter, painter, roofer, journalist, photographer, teacher, evangelist, pharmacist, concrete mixer, story teller, clown, softball/soccer coach, and singer to name a few. God called me to be an ambassador for Christ, and He has never failed to be my provision. Any menial task that was my responsibility, He smiled as I enthusiastically performed my calling. From dodging scorpions and poisonous toads to running from a brood of chickens, I never had a dull moment on mission with God. My travels began in 1999, and the following pages are stories

Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do (“Steve Jobs Quotes”).” In order to be successful, a group of individuals work for something they are passionate about. During the summer of my eighth grade year, I embarked on a mission trip to South Dakota along with 25 other individuals. The purpose of this trip was to spread the love of Jesus Christ with the people of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation that may not know who He is. Despite the differences and challenges, the reward at the end of the trip made it all worth it.

# Mission is not just another task that the church should engage in, but is the very essence of its nature. Christ “founded his church as the sacrament of salvation and sent his apostles into the entire world just as he himself had been sent by his Father.” (#5) The Word became incarnate in order for humankind to share in the life of GOD. Through Christ and in the Spirit we are knit together and taken up as one people into the love of God. We must walk the path paved by our founder, Christ, a path of poverty, obedience, service and self-sacrifice. We walk in hope, knowing that even in trials and sufferings, our sacrifices will serve as a seed to bring about the plan of GOD, which is a plan for unity. The church becomes itself as it participates in the mission of the Trinity—going out in love to others.

By attending the missionary trip to South Africa, I have touched the lives of many just as they have for me in their own ways. However, they may not even realize that they have changed my life for the better. Some touches are like a ripple in the water; blending and mixing to create a beautiful harmony. Others are like a splash. They transform people's lives with grace, mercy, and forgiveness; they bring people closer. When one thinks of a mission trip, what is the general assumed illustration? A group of Christians reconstructing non-believers into religious disciples? Churches being built so that worshippers have someplace to go to interact with Christ? For me, a mission trip can be that or something small, like we seemed to do while recently visiting Southern Africa.

First, See short term missions are good, just like in Paul Journey you can use short term missions as one step at a time. See Paul never planted to stay in one place for 1-2 years. In Acts 14 the Holy Spirit had called Paul to go on a mission trip. But Paul did not expect to do three different missionary journeys. Paul mission’s journals prove that a many different short term mission trips can lead to a long term mission trip. Meeting a physical need around the world, one example was in Acts 16: 16- 18 Paul had met a girl who was a slave and had a gift of predicting the future. Paul prayed for her and she was delivered from that spirit which made her free. That’s just one of the miracles that happen to the short term mission trips. Being delivered from these evil spirits is a physical need. Opportunities to reach into the lives of others, there are many people out there that need help and motivation in their lives to do better. See going on a short term mission gives the missions and the ones that they are going to serve the opportunities to meet each other.

The Experiencing God class set the pace for her expectations, and she was ready to experience God some more. She was eager to put into action her revelation. There was a timely opportunity assigned to her upon completion of her class. She enlisted with several others and headed to Brazil for her first foreign mission. As a child, she had a desire to travel the world to tell people about Jesus, but she allowed the enemy to rob her of that dream. God was resurrecting the dormant dream with her first mission trip, and she was chomping at the bits to go. Her Christian walk was lacking and she was at a spiritual low, but God called her out to go. She remembers walking the aisle one Sunday morning after the pastor made the trip announcement. “Here am I, send me Lord,” was her cry. As a single mother experiencing the shame and defeat of three divorces, she lifted her eyes unto the hills from where her help comes from. The accusing words of the enemy almost convinced her that she was of no further use to the Father. How could God use someone like her? Cassandra was used merchandise. God’s people are better than her, but apparently, Satan did not know God’s plan. The team was prohibited to talk about divorce. Even more shame filled her heart at the first team meeting where the leader advised them to not discuss divorce or anything that would appear as sin. Why was she getting to go on this trip? Everyone else seemed flawless and perfect, the way God’s people are designed to be. However, her excitement to serve overruled her shame. They were headed to El Paraiso which translates to Paradise in Portuguese. Cass was the most excited person on the trip. She could not sleep for the anticipation and expectation were so elevated. We had the incredible task of building a church, evangelizing the town, and teaching Vacation Bible School to the children. We were told to not give the

However, I ascertained that the ultimate level that was made about missions is that we are to build disciples. Mathew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. The disciples taught them to keep all that was required. The Lord let them known Leo, I am with you always, even to the close of the historic period. "According to Gailey, this would be the missionary station. Missions and so would be the things we do to reach our mission (Feeding the poor, clothing the naked)

The post provides a superb mission principle of the power of prayer. The ability to communicate with God is foundational to the mission call. Christian missions are essential to reaching the lost. The Apostle Paul explained that everyone who calls on God for salvation will be saved, but there must be people who declare that information (Rom 10:13-14 [NASB]). Those who are called to missions must realize the significance of their job. Faithful prayer is a direct principle needed in order to continue to declare the Gospel. Arthur F. Glasser reminds that the missionary must be willing to endure hardships and be prepared because those who serve will suffer. Those who follow the cross still experience affliction and agony. Jesus warn that those

At the knees of his father, Zaphus sat with pure content as he listened to the stories of passed missionary explorers. Having heard tales of men who live their lives radically serving the Lord their god, Zaphus looked into his father’s eyes and said, ‘Daddy, I want to be a missionary someday.’ Zaphus grew till he was old enough tell tale as those of his own. ‘Lord take me where you wish I to go. I shall preach your word as it were my own. I lay my life in your hands, now guide me to teach your will, for your will shall be done.’ Zaphus traveled Africa from top to bottom, through thick and thin, nothing stood in the way of him and his ability to spread Christianity and salvation through the Word of God. He made family, he had a love, but nothing separated him from his ultimate love, Jesus. His goal

The last of the initial tasks for missions is spreading the Gospel. Once a strong, healthy body of believers has been organized that is well provided for and self-sufficient it