No farmer would expect to reap a harvest of wheat in a field where he had not sown seed. Photo credit: CIMMYT (Creative Commons) Why do we believers expect to reap a harvest of souls where we haven’t sown spiritual seed? There are similar principles of multiplication behind both physical and spiritual reaping and sowing.… Read More
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If I were a missionary…
Photo Credit: rogiro (Creative Commons) Some people might say that Tony and I are already missionaries. Firstly, we have crossed cultures from the UK to the USA. (I sometimes wonder why here to the affluent West which is already so heavily Christianized when we would have willingly gone to any country in the world.) And… Read More
Photo credit: SadieMaeGlutz (Creative Commons) We have friends in India who are seeing large numbers of both high-caste Hindus and people from other religions become followers of Jesus. They use the sacred books of those religions to point to Christ. When they have clearly demonstrated Christ within those books, they can then point them to… Read More
Photo credit: Themikelee (Creative Commons) How are people in simple/organic churches currently actively engaging in cross-cultural missions? People move with their job. Because they already are familiar with simple church principles of mission (find a person of peace and start something around them), it is natural for them to make disciples and start churches in… Read More
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Abundant Gospel Sowing
Photo credit: david a lea (Creative Commons) When I was a new Christian, the group of believers I was part of participated in many forms of evangelism. We were trained by some of the best organizations in the Christian world. We went door-to-door, we distributed tracts, we told people about the Four Spiritual Laws, we… Read More
Photo credit: maudandoscar In India a few years ago, we were taken to visit a church building that had twelve paintings, each portraying the death of one of the 12 apostles. (I think it was St. Thomas Mount in Chennai, but I’ve been unable to verify that via the Internet.) Those images have never left… Read More
Photo credit: Alvaro Canivell (Creative Commons) What does Jesus think about missions? The Great Commission was given by Jesus to the eleven disciples after his resurrection. Here’s the Matthew version: Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them… Read More
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Missions: the ugly
The last two post have looked at the good and the bad of missions. Now the ugly! We have friends in India whose best church planters (and their churches) have been “stolen” by Western missionary organizations offering to pay them more money. The lure of money in a very poor culture is often difficult to resist.… Read More
Here is how Jesus characterized his own ministry in Luke 4: 17-21: And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written, "THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR. HE HAS SENT… Read More
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First apostles?
First Corinthians 12: 27-28 says this: All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church: first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who… Read More