The Gospel Is Not Easy !

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.

Acts 8:26-40 teaches us a variety of things about mission as well as evangelism’s role within it. It reminds us whose mission it is, that radical inclusion is anticipated, that evangelism is an important aspect of but is not in itself mission, and that the Holy Spirit plays a fundamental and essential role in mission and effective evangelism.

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

Sustaining missionaries already on the mission field is absolutely critical in the expanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

It has been said that worship is the core or center of mission. The ultimate goal of any missionary is to bring people (entire people groups) into a passionate, relationship with God. John Piper states,

God has a plan to reconcile His relationship with man after sin entered the world. This plan revolves around making His name known throughout all tribes and nations. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Bible presents God’s missionary purpose for humanity. For this reason, Christians involved in missions will travel to dangerous places to proclaim God’s name and saving power.

Being an outsider in any faction of life is never an easy thing. When you are someone trying to fit into a life that isn’t yours it seems different and sometimes scary. People in the group look at you differently for thinking different than them but you also look at them differently for making their own thoughts. Seeing as the Christians in Philippi were persecuted for thinking different; they had a letter to help them try and deal with the persecution I know it doesn’t change things. Transitioning through the process of being an outsider isn’t an easy task, if only there was guide lines or letter to help people like there was in Philippians. The New Testament is made up of 27 books, 21 out of the 27 books are letters. When epistles were

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

The missionary activity of today’s church directly relates to God’s purposes which He revealed in the Old Testament. God makes it very clear in the Old Testament that He expected His followers to engage in world-wide missions. When Genesis 1-11 ; the fall of man (Gen. 3), the great do-over: the story of Noah and the flood (Gen. 6-9), and the Tower of Babel dispersion (Gen. 11); is viewed as the introduction to the rest of God’s story, the universal and international range of His purpose is revealed. Nearly each book of the Old Testament demonstrates God’s desire for world-wide missions. Abraham was told by God that “…in you

I always thought that I knew the meaning of the term ‘missions’ although the past experience of my church home never explicitly talked about or participated in what I understood missions to be. In fact, my comprehension of missions was attributed to TV shows and movies. Naively, I thought that missions only occurred in foreign lands by saved individuals who often died from obscure diseases. As one may guess, because of watching those ill-fated pictures, the work of missions never appealed to me. It was not until I became an adult that I understood missions could occur anywhere, not just in foreign, third world countries. What could be construed as a pious sense of relief, I recognize that missions have always been a part of my Christian life.

The word of God says “where there is no vison the people perish”. This is why church leaders, should be involved in missions because they, should give the people the vision from God, through the leading and understanding of the Holy Spirit. They are to prepare men and women for the mission. This may be the training of the called missionaries or even the training of the other saints to pray for the missionary work and to support financially. As the leader present the vision to the congregation, it here through the obedience of the Holy Spirit, the body should become faithful to the directives given.

The Bible tells us to go and make disciples, which is to be on mission. But what else does the bible tell us about being on mission? God wants us to learn more about missions, pray for missions, give to missions, and do missions. By looking into specific scripture, along with other notable resources, it will be determined what mission/missions are, why we are to go on mission, and how Christians are supposed to go about doing the mission work of God.

Authors, Gailey and Culbertson in chapters 8-14 introduced some important factors concerning missions. Chapter eight talked about “Intercultural Communication” and the importance of language, both verbal and nonverbal in communicating the gospel. Language has powerfully affected the world since God spoke the universe into existence. Language was one dramatic sign of the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost. Language, whether vocal, written, or signed with the hands, is used to share ideas, cast visions, exchange information, express feelings, and deepens relationships. For everyone involved in Christian mission, language learning is a part of life (Gailey, Culbertson p 105).

The world has become a global village with the current unprecedented interconnectedness. More people have heard and the good news of Jesus Christ in the present generation than in any other time in history. It is estimated that more Christians in Africa, South American and Asia than there are in Europe and North America. With the current population explosion and various distractions brought by the technological advancements and other forces, more people than ever remain unreached. The church globally needs to reexamine how it implements theology and missionary work to set the stage for evangelism.

Jesus made it clear to the disciples that they had to be born again of the Holy Spirit once He ascended to Heaven. This Holy Spirit would give them power to do the things that He did and more. This Holy Spirit would be their comforter and guide. Through the spirit Jesus would be with them forever.