Walking away at crunch time!
I was blow away when I read this article not knowing what to expect and truly think it is an incredible article. Written by a staff missionary out of our home church, I was encouraged and challenged by this article and wanted to share it with you for your consideration.
Note that his heart in the article is not an ‘either / or’ proposition but a ‘both / and’ proposition. I am looking forward to reading the future post that deal with this subject (make sure to subscribe to his blog for the follow up post).
Missions needs to be more strategic and less exotic or adventurous. Here is a good way to start that conversation, enjoy!
Walking away at crunch time – part 1
Can you imagine spending long, exhausting days plowing and preparing a vast field? Can you imagine then carefully planting your crops and waiting for weeks to see that crop begin to sprout and grow ever so steadily? See yourself pulling weeds, keeping away the birds and small animals that would love to feast on the tender new shoots. As the heated summer days give way to the cool fall, you know harvest time is nearing. Imagine the time comes to start harvesting the fruit of all the labor, toil, and patience. As you begin to fill the first baskets and rejoice in the bountiful, plentiful crop, you suddenly turn your back on the ready harvest and walk away to look for another unkept, unworked field. The remaining harvest sits untouched on the vine while you and others deliberate about the next ‘more exotic’ challenge in some adjacent field.
This is what our missions movement has done in large part in Latin America. In the early 20th century, missionaries boldly planted the first gospel preaching churches in Latin America. They faced persecution and often imprisonment. Over the following decades more and more attention was given to this area of the world. In the 70s and 80s many missionaries began to see hundreds and even thousands come to Christ. In the 90s the momentum continued. But things have radically changed in the last decade. Now, most have lost interest in Latin America. When it came to crunch time in the harvest, at the peak of evangelism and church planting, most missionaries walked away.
As a young missionary serving in Chile, we have seen people saved essentially every week for six years and multiple men called to full time ministry. There is no doubt that if more workers would concentrate their church planting efforts in Latin America we could see thousands, if not hundreds of thousands come to Christ in our lifetime. We are in the early stages of a total religious revolution in Latin America. Now is the time to up our efforts not to retreat and abandon.
In the next post, we’ll see why this shift has happened and what have been some of the consequences to this shift.
Source: BiblicalMissions.com
JOHN, GRIFFITH (1831-1912)
JOHN, GRIFFITH (1831-1912)
Welshman sent to interior China by theLondon Missionary SocietyBorn at Swansea, educated at Brecon College, and ordained to the ministry of the Congregational Church (1855), John was an explorer for the London Missionary Society (LMS) after China’s ports were opened to foreign commerce (1842). He passed through the Yangtse gorges and penetrated Szechuan province even before Hudson Taylor, the first missionary to inland China. He eventually settled in the city of Hankow.
John was as fluent, eloquent, and persuasive a public preacher in Chinese as in Welsh and English. Mighty with his pen, he also contributed greatly to the united Protestant literary ministry. He chaired the Central China Tract Society. He produced in Mandarin (the national spoken language) the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs, as well as the New Testament in Wenli (the literary language).
Protestant lay people and missionaries throughout China held him in high honor, and he was equally esteemed in Great Britain. The University of Edinburgh bestowed the D.D. degree on him (1889). The Congregational Union of England and Wales elected him chairman (1888). The large Griffith John College (a high school for boys) in Hankow kept his memory fresh until the communist regime closed the institution about 1950. P.BEAVER
Douglas, J. D., Comfort, P. W., & Mitchell, D. (1992). Who’s Who in Christian history (372). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.
| Posted in Articles, China Profiles, Chinese History, Quotes | No Comments »
Hudson Taylor – Radical Missionary
Here is a quick excerpt about Hudson Taylor from a book. I don’t endorse everything he did, but this short introduction to his ministry is interesting and encouraging! Pray for more laborers that truly want the Christian faith taken to the interior of China.
Radical missionary
Taylor was born to James and Amelia Taylor, a Methodist couple fascinated with the Far East who had prayed for their newborn, “Grant that he may work for you in China.” Years later, a teenage Hudson experienced a spiritual birth during an intense time of prayer as he lay stretched, as he later put, “before Him with unspeakable awe and unspeakable joy.” He spent the next years in frantic preparation, learning the rudiments of medicine, studying Mandarin, and immersing himself ever deeper into the Bible and prayer.
His ship arrived in Shanghai, one of five “treaty ports” China had opened to foreigners following its first Opium War with England. Almost immediately Taylor made a radical decision (as least for Protestant missionaries of the day): he decided to dress in Chinese clothes and grow a pigtail (as Chinese men did). His fellow Protestants were either incredulous or critical.
Taylor, for his part, was not happy with most missionaries he saw: he believed they were “worldly” and spent too much time with English businessmen and diplomats who needed their services as translators. Instead, Taylor wanted the Christian faith taken to the interior of China. So within months of arriving, and the native language still a challenge, Taylor, along with Joseph Edkins, set off for the interior, setting sail down the Huangpu River distributing Chinese Bibles and tracts.
Galli, M., & Olsen, T. (2000). 131 Christians everyone should know (251–252). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.
09.8.11
Of Coffee Shops, Indigenous Worship Leaders, English Classes, and Boy’s Homes
Here is a great article from a missionary friend who was just in our city. He and his family are missionaries serving in a creative access country and reaching Muslims with the Gospel. I wholeheartedly agree with his perspective in the article below. I too, with the one life I am given, want to preach Christ, disciple men, and plant churches. May there be more laborers raised up to do the same!
Of Coffee Shops, Indigenous Worship Leaders, English Classes, and Boy’s Homes
I am in Northern China right now and in a city with over 300 missionaries among 10 million people. I spoke with one of these missionaries at a house church on Sunday. He is attending the church after being in the country for three years he has no disciples and no real results from his specific efforts. I asked him what his goal is in being in the country and he said, “I would like to develop indigenous worship leaders in the country.” This missionary’s goal is to ignite church planting movements among college students whom they have identified as the future influencers of society.
Another missionary in the same city has been here even longer with similar results, measurably speaking. He has started a coffee shop in the downtown area where I ate breakfast this morning to the sound of Casting Crowns and Third Day. Their goal in being here is also to assist in and ignite church planting. I sat in their shop for over an hour and the only Christian influence being exerted were the subliminal messages you could get from the music. The owners have a strict rule to not use words in their shop like Jesus, God, church, missionary, etc so as not to cause their front problems with the police.
I was speaking with a local pastor named Stephen who was reached by my friend Jake here four years ago when Jake first arrived. I asked him if he had ever met a Christian before Jake. He said, “Yeah, sure! I had many teachers at the university who are all here to spread Christianity but I never knew it. They never told me about the Gospel or invited me to church. I learned English from them but not Jesus.” Jake and his wife shared Christ with Stephen and many others. This week I worshipped Christ together with almost 80 Chinese in the church they started. They are one of maybe 5 missionaries in this city of 300+ missionaries who have started a church.
Several months ago I was speaking on a Bible college campus about missions to Muslims. A student approached me and shared with me his plan to start a boy’s home in the West of the U.S. He wanted to know what I thought about this. I told him in so many words, and would still tell him: Mathew 4:19.
Jesus called his disciples here to be fishers of men. He spent two to three years with them teaching them to be bold preachers of the Kingdom of God. He modeled for them everything they were to do. He sent them forth to replicate what he was teaching them. He continued to instruct, mold, and build their faith and skills. After his time of training by fire he sent them out, equipped with the Holy Spirit to fish in all the world for men. He taught them to start churches and make disciples.
Would the disciples have started a boy’s home? Would the disciples, having learned at the feet of Jesus, have made it their goal to train indigenous worship leaders? Would the disciples have started businesses and café’s in every city where they would enter? NO!
While there are still cities in the world by the thousands without churches, while there are still billions who have not heard of Christ, while there are still young lives ready to be trained, how can we “disciples of Christ” do anything but focus our efforts on the preaching of the Gospel, the discipling of men, and the planting of churches? Can we not trust the methods of Christ to be more effective than all our plans? With the one life I am given, I want to preach Christ, disciple men, and plant churches.
Source: projcectna.com
| Posted in Articles, BCWE, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Missions | No Comments »
Happy to be Persecuted
Here is a timely article from my pastor on persecution. He has been a great help and encouragement to us. I wholeheartedly agree with his thoughts below. Enjoy!
Matthew 5:1-12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
This is so opposite of what we think. We are blessed when we get persecuted. We are happy when we get persecuted if we know that they are persecuting us for doing right.
God has promised to reward us in Heaven. We know that when they persecute us we are just another in the long line of so many that have gone on before us.
So what should our attitude be when our missionaries are arrested for preaching the gospel in a closed country (where it is illegal to preach the gospel)?
Some would question whether or not we should even be there but I must remind you that we were commanded to take the gospel to the whole world.
Others would err on the side of too much caution. They want to avoid persecution so they make up good “spirit;” excuses for being quiet and hiding their light under a bushel.
Others question whether they should support such a missionary and what do we do when they get kicked out of the country. Which is better, to get kicked out for preaching, or to not preach and get to stay.
What do you think Jesus would have done? Would He have risked death to do the job He was sent to do? Would Paul have tried not to get into trouble or would He have rushed in where few would dare to go?
Jesus said that if we get persecuted for preaching that we are blessed, happy, and rewarded. How can you argue with that?
Source: austingardner.net
| Posted in Articles, Boldness, Devotionals, Persecution | No Comments »
Missionary Wife Robbed at Gun Point
Please read the following from our Pastor about the Bush Family. They Bush family is a tremendous family serving in Argentina as missionaries (I as able to visit and stay with them back in 2005). I hope you will pray and consider giving to help this family recover the things stolen. Read the following:
Missionary Wife Robbed at Gun Point
I just got off the phone with missionary Jeff Bush in La Plata, Argentina. They were just robbed in their home at gunpoint. If you remember Mindy is pregnant. Two thieves met them as they opened the door to their garage and home.
They put a gun to Mindy’s head. They stole their wedding rings, engagement ring, both laptop computers, camera, cell phone, jewelry, all the cash in both dollars and pesos that they had, which was about $1,000.
The thieves went into the house. They grabbed the necklace around Mindy’s neck and were going to jerk it off but were kind enough to take it off as they held the gun to her head.
There were two men and with two guns. They were told that if they report this to the police that they will come back and steal the baby, Alexandra.
This is a horrible set back. They have lost down to their wedding rings. They have been held at gun point, they were threatened. The $1,000 was money that is needed for ministry needs this week and must be taken out in cash so it is gone.
They are ok. That is the good news. Mindy, Jeff, and the girls are all ok. But this will be a scare for the family as you know.
Will you pray for them? Would you consider giving a love offering to help get their rings, their computers, camera, etc.
If you want to send a special offering you can send it to
Jeff Bush
MWBM
P O Box 519
Braselton, GA 30517Their web site http://reachingall.com/main.html
If you would like to get more information you can call me at 770-500-8021.
I ask you to help. They are in real need!
Source: austingardner.net
07.14.11
Roosevelt, Missionaries, China & Willingness
If you haven’t already noticed by now, I have a thing about putting out quotes that reference China and missions. A friend recently wrote an article on his blog and included a quote about missionaries and in specific missionaries in China. Thus, not only a repost of the quote but the whole post was great and I thought that I would share it with you. Enjoy!
All they which dwelt in Asia heard…
Acts 19:8, “And he went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God.”
President Roosevelt said:
“Since becoming President, I have come to know that the finest of Americans we have abroad today are the missionaries of the Cross. I am humiliated that I am not finding out until this late day the worth of foreign missions and the nobility of the missionaries. Their testimony in China, for instance, during the war there, is beyond praise. Their courage is thrilling and their fortitude heroic.”[1]
Our desire is that the whole earth would know Who the true and living God is! The only Way to the God is through Jesus Christ. In this passage (Acts 19:10) all of Asia hears the truth of God’s Word. In other parts of Scripture (Colossians 1) every creature is said to have the Gospel preached to them. May God help us to see that HE is able to do this through us in OUR GENERATION. Here is one of four thoughts that will be coming out:
BE WILLING AND OBEDIENT (Acts 19:8)
Boldness comes from our prayer life (Acts 4), but here this boldness is seen in the fact that “…he went“! I personally cannot speak as the the specific location that God would have you to be in this world. There is much to be done in America to train leaders and much that needs to be done to encourage the cause of Christ worldwide; but I must be willing to go where the Lord would have me to go, and so do you! For the world to be reached, we must have a generation that is willing to go unto the ends of the earth! Do not simply ask God a generic request, but ask Him to help you to be made willing.
[1] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times. Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.
If you enjoyed that article I encourage you to check out Max Fernandez’s blog. Max is the Associate and Youth Pastor at Grace Baptist Church in Middletown, Ohio. We enjoyed getting to know him and his family a little while we were on deputation and we are excited to see how the Lord is blessing their ministry. Also, we are looking forward to seeing him and a few others when they visit China this fall.
| Posted in Articles, Devotionals, Missions, Mobilization, Quotes | No Comments »
Youth Pastors and Mobilization
Last week I was able to guest post for a friend, Trent Cornwell. Trent serves on the pastoral staff at our home church. He leads the student ministries and is a mobilizer of this generation. I encourage you to check out his blog and follow the great content that he puts out.
The topic I wrote about was dealing with youth pastors and mobilization. How can they better prepare their teens for missions, like China. (I have never been a youth pastor, but I had an incredible youth pastor throughout my teen years.) I have challenged youth pastors before when I was invited to be involved in an event called “Youth Pastors Mobilized.” I think this is a good continuation from that.
You can watch the video from that event here or read the transcript here.
I hope that video and this article will be an encouragement to youth pastors as they seek to train the next generation of missionaries! Here is the article I wrote and was originally posted on his blog:
What Can Youth Pastors Do to Mobilize for Missions?
It is an interesting question to sit and think about, “what can youth pastors do to mobilize for missions?”
Another way to say it could be “what can youth pastors do to prepare and organize the next generation of missionaries to serve on the foreign field?”
I think these questions should be something that youth pastors are asking themselves and then answer. There should be active conversation going on around this topic and youth pastors need to be constantly working at doing more to truly train the next generation of missionaries.
Here are a few thoughts:
Become! – They need a real leader!
If you are a youth pastor, then it starts with you! It starts with you deciding that you are going to live a radical and exciting life for the glory of God. It starts with loving God and His word (you do or you shouldn’t be a Youth Pastor). It’s having a passion that last longer than the missions conference to see the nations reached with the Gospel. Mobilization is not something you do but someone you are.
Invite! – They need to know they have permission.
Invite your teens to partake of your life and your mission. This is and invitation to life-on-life discipleship. The hard part about inviting someone into your life is that you have to make sure that you have or are becoming the person that you want them to be. They will learn from you and be like you in many ways even though you don’t notice. Inviting your teens into your life is scary, time consuming, and hard work…but how else do take them from attender to disciple. Give them the permission to be involved in your life.
Train! – They need right instruction.
You are becoming the mobilizer you need to be, never “arriving” but always learning and reading. You have invited your teens into your life and many have taken you up on the offer. Now it is time to train. Teach them the Bible, this is the single most important thing you can do to train a missionary, help them get grounded in the Word of God. Encourage them to read about missionaries, have missionaries come through and teach them lessons from the mission field, and take them on mission trips. You are the coach.
These three ideas, like many things in life, are easy to say but hard to do. You can do it. Become! Invite! Train!
What are some other ideas that you have that answers the question “what can youth pastors do to mobilize for missions?”
| Posted in Amazing Journey, Articles, Missions, Mobilization, Training, Training Leaders | No Comments »
A Dangerous Undercurrent – Mobilize NOW!
Christianity is growing in China. Not all of it is healthy, but never-the-less it is growing. The Chinese government recognizes this and are being informed about this situation. The following quotes are translate from an article entitled: “An Analysis of the Reasons for the Rapid Growth of Christianity in Today’s China” by the China Social Sciences Press (Beijing in June 2010).
The article shows that the government recognizes that growth of Christianity in China:
“Researcher Duan Qi points out that the non- institutionalised church has thrown off the restrictions placed on evangelism by the TSPM and Christian Council, believing they have received the ‘Great Commission’ from Jesus to spread Christianity. They have ignored government prohibitions; so the government has found it hard to control them, and they have gained a great number of converts. We can see that one of the reasons for the growth of the house- churches is they avoid government control.”
With the amount of Christians and Christian activity in China, persecution is considerably low. I haven’t met one Chinese Christian since living here that had to endure persecution by the government because of their faith in Jesus. Most missionaries that I know are operating without much interference from the government. There are cases of persecution but it is not the majority compared to the amount of Christians in this country. Therefore, I think it is safe to say that the Chinese government has been relaxed on the oppression of Christians. I currently am led to believe there is a unofficial open door to spread the gospel and plant churches in China. We must mobilize and use this opportunity NOW!
While the waters seem to be calm and peaceful, there is a deadly undercurrent developing. The problem is Christianity is being painted as a Western political force that wants to change and overtake the Chinese government. This doesn’t seem to be something that is new, but if people in the government really starts to embrace and believe this type of propaganda that is being fed to them, then persecution could become a majority problem.
The articles continues to warn the government of the potential dangers of Christianity:
“It is not that the government’s religious policy has led to the so- called loss of balance between religions, but rather that illegal Christian evangelism has challenged the government religious policy and finally brought about the break-up of the religious situation in China.
Their basic aim is to use Christianity to change the character of the regime in power in China and to overturn it.”
“Faced with this abnormal growth, we must undertake State interference, and to take legal and administrative means so that religion does not have a free market and expand out of control. This interference has two sides: firstly, undertaking every kind of work to strengthen our foundations, and heighten our joint national strength, strengthening the racial pride and self- confidence of the Chinese people. Also, strengthening the system of core socialist values and propagating the superior cultural traditions of the Chinese people and eliminating the present fertile bed causing the disorderly expansion of Christianity, as well as resisting infiltration from abroad which uses religion.
Secondly, as regards Christianity’s growth inside the country, we must use the method of combining government policy leadership to control it according to the law and undertake ideological education, so gradually the Christianity fever calms down and we can establish normal religious order.”
“…we must formulate a strategic plan and take comprehensive action to resolve the problem.”
Download the PDF and read the entire article from OMF.
We must mobilize and use the open door that we have NOW! The lamb of God, Jesus, will overcome the dragon of China!
| Posted in Articles, China, Chinese Christianity, Missions, Mobilization, Persecution | No Comments »
Training Should Be The Priority Ministry!
Here is a six part series from my Pastor Austin Gardner called, “Training Should Be The Priority Ministry!” We desire to train Chinese leaders who can train other leaders to reach their own people with the Gospel. These articles will give you a better understanding of not only our pastor’s desire and perspective, but our desire as well.
Here are the links to the whole series. Enjoy these great insightful, helpful, and encouraging articles!
- Training Should Be The Priority Ministry! (1 of 6)
- Training Should Be The Priority Ministry! (2 of 6)
- Training Should Be The Priority Ministry! (3 of 6)
- Training Should Be The Priority Ministry! (4 of 6)
- Training Should Be The Priority Ministry! (5 of 6)
- Training Should Be The Priority Ministry! (6 of 6)
Let me know what you think in the comments!
| Posted in Articles, BCWE, Church Planting, Discipleship, Missions, Project China, Training, Training Leaders | No Comments »