Now facing its third millennium, the Christian church faces a moment of great historical importance and opportunity. The modern missionary movement is now over two centuries old. Looking back over those years, it is clear that God mobilized His people to make great strides in taking the gospel to many parts of the world.
This missionary movement has seen the evangelization of millions of persons representing thousands of ethnic and cultural groups. The Bible has been translated into hundreds of languages and dialects. Over the last several decades, new areas of the world have shown a remarkable response to the gospel, and the continent of Africa may now be the center of the world missionary enterprise. In fact, the last half of the twentieth century saw an enormous evangelistic response throughout the Pacific Rim and the African continent.
Today, the Christian church faces new challenges. Without exaggeration, we can point to the twenty-first century as a new era in Christian missions, and recognize it as a vast new opportunity.
Looking at Christian missions today, we may be seeing the birth of a new missiological movement. This new era in missions will build upon the accomplishments of the last 200 years, but it must also be adapted to the new realities of our world context.
Read more at http://www.albertmohler.com/2014/02/10/christian-missions-in-the-third-millennium-3/
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Dr. Mohler correctly emphasizes how we must approach people groups, rather than the old assumption of national identities that ignored cultural and tribal differences. But I did not see in his full article an emphasis on the increased persecution of Christians in many countries. This would include ordinary believers and anyone who seeks to evangelize, even if that is just a bible study in one’s own home. Persecution has increased to such a degree that it is suppressing the Gospel in many areas – even driving out Christians entirely from some areas.
In many mainline denominations, including PC(USA), there is a focus on the methods of evangelizing in various cultures, but with an absence of recognition of the damage persecution is doing to the message. There is not a major (or even minor) category of focus on the increased dimension of persecution that is interfering with conventional “missionology”. And there is a paucity of support, prayerful or tangible, for the victims of persecution — their need for shelters, safe houses, education for their children and safety from kidnapping and forced conversions, legal representation for the denial of the civil rights, prosthetic limbs and other medical treatment for injuries from persecution, etc.
Let it be clear that I am not referring to conventional aid for refugees of all backgrounds. There are billions of dollars and major international organizations addressing that need. I am referring specifically to Christian victims of persecution, which is the largest persecuted group in the world, according to several studies. There are only a handful of organizations dedicated to this focused aid for Christian victims, and the suppression of the Gospel that results from such persecution.
It is not enough to just talk about peace, reconciliation, and love in bringing the Gospel to various locations. The Christian denominations need to gear up to major focus and tangible contributions to the survival and well-being of Christian persecution victims — for that is where the Gospel message is spread among peoples — and that is where it is suppressed.
Jesus said that we would be persecuted for His Namesake. That’s a given in following Him and most of us have lived rather pampered easy livesl with little persecution in our nation. We have been most blessed and fortunate compared to most of the saints that came before us and our brothers and sisters that live in other parts of the world. It is changing rapidly for us here and I pray for our nation as well as the rest of the West.
What may seem as driving out Christians and suppressing the Gospel will actually prove to be quite the opposite but we have limited vision and do not see the complete picture. is actually the opposite and sowing the seeds in ways we cannot see with our limited vision. Mao broke up Christian families and churches to bring about an end of Christianity in China. By dispersing those Christians throughout China to jail and persecute them, Mao actually sent missionaries all over China and many were able to here the Gospel and come to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Many in my family as well as friends from my youth have served as foreign missionaries in the Southern Baptist Convention. Everyone of them has stories of great hardships and various types of persecution. They also have greater stories of God’s miracles being performed, His peace that passeth all understanding that comes from Him and His power to deliver them from as He wished. They all knew they may very well die in spreading the Gospel and gladly picked up their crosses to follow Him.
One of my favorite hymns was written by B.B. McKinney “Wherever He Leads, I’ll Go.”
Pick up your cross and follow me, I heard my Master say.
I gave my life to ransom thee, Surrender your all today.
Wherever He leads, I’ll go. Wherever He leads, I’ll go. I’ll follow my Christ who loves me so. Wherever He leads, I’ll go.