Prayer for the ‘Senders Summit.’
The Missions Commission of WAGF is hosting the second ‘Senders Summit’ in September focusing on ‘Sending to the Unreached People Groups‘ to fulfill the Great Commission
(See report of the first Senders Summit)
We invite you to pray specifically for a deeper understanding God’s Mission and the commitment to fulfill the Great Commission by all AG National Councils. (See Prayer Requests below)
Introduction: ‘Missions and Nations‘
In recent times, the words ‘Missions’ and ‘Missionary’ are frequently used to refer to various activities in ministry and to those involved in them. Often it is said that “Everyone is a Missionary,” and I remember walking out of a large Church sanctuary where a large sign hangs above the exit: “Now You are a Missionary to the World!”
However, it is most puzzling that both words ‘Missions’ and ‘Missionary’ are not in the Bible! Therefore, how can one justify activities that we frequently identify with such unbiblical terms?
A. The Mission of God – ‘Missio Dei.’
First, the term ‘Missions’ can be understood as being derived from the very nature of God, as the Latin theological term ‘Missio Dei‘ literally means ‘the Sending of God.’
The common English word ‘Missions’ is derived from this term ‘missio,’ which means the ‘Sending’ process in which the whole Trinity is involved:
God the Father’s sending of the Son in the incarnation, and the sending of God the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
The early theologians who defined this saw that the ‘Mission’ is not a ‘Church-cantered’ activity but primarily a ‘God-cantered’ act.
B. From The ‘First Commission’ to the ‘Great Commission:’
a. The Bible is a Book about Nations.
The ‘Mission of God’ can also be understood when we read the Bible as a ‘Book about Nations’, revealing God’s plan for Nations. The ‘First Commission’ to Adam at creation was to multiply and have dominion by saturating the earth;
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the… every living thing that moves on the earth.”’ (Genesis 1:28)
The purpose of God in creation is summarized by Paul in Acts 17 how God intended a multitude of Nations spreading across the planet earth and the ultimate redemption of all humanity.
‘From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. ‘
Acts 17:26-27
The culmination of this is found in Revelation 5:9: “…with Your Blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.
b. Nations from Adam.
Genesis 4-5 records several people and families from Adam’s sons, Cain and Seth – as the seedbed of nations up to Noah. However, after the destruction of mankind at the Flood, God reaffirmed the ‘First Commission’ to Noah:
“God blessed Noah and his sons…Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. ‘Genesis 9:1
Consequently, Genesis 10 lists more than seventy nations from the genealogy of the three sons of Noah.
The word “nations” used in the Old Testament most often refers to ‘goyim,’a word thought to derive from a word meaning “body” of a person and thus by extension, the corporate body of a people. (Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary )
c. Abraham and Nations:
Then, in Genesis 12, God called Abraham to become a great Nation with a greater purpose:
‘In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed ‘ Genesis 22:18.
d. Israel and Nations:
Although Israel was to carry out this blessing to ‘All Nations,’ they failed, and God sent them into captivity and exile, where they became a blessing to whatever nation they went to (Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah).
King David, who prophetically spoke of the redemption of Nations, sang many Psalms about this:
e. Jesus and Nations:
Although Jesus’ initial ministry was to the ‘lost sheep of Israel’, His vision and purpose were ‘Missio Dei,’ confirming the ‘First Commission’ through the ‘Great Commission’ to ‘Go and make Disciples of All Nations.’ (Matthew 28:19-20)
In the New Testament, the Greek word ‘ethnos’ is what Jesus used for ‘Nations.’
However, out of the 129 references, it is rendered “nation(s)” only 36 times. Sadly, other terms such as “pagans,” “heathens’ and “Gentiles” are used 93 times to reflect the distinction between Jew and non-Jew in first-century Palestine – and does not necessarily highlight God’s mission to ‘All Nations’ through Christ.
f. The Early Church and Nations.
The above prejudice blinded the Jerusalem Church, which was initially hesitant to reach out to the ‘Nations’. Some even tried to convert the ‘ethne’ to Judaism, rather than fulfilling the Great Commission of Christ. (Acts 15). It was the Antioch Church that began the “Sending Mission’ by sending out Paul and Barnabas to the Nations. (Acts 13:1-5)
The above summary of the Bible can be described as the ‘Mission of God’.
C. Why is that “Everything we do is NOT MISSIONS?”
a. Where did the words ‘Missions’ and ‘Missionary’ come from?
As previously mentioned, the Latin word missionem (nominative missio), meaning “act of sending, a dispatching and releasing,” is derived from the Greek word ‘apostéllō’, which means to ‘Send.’ The ones who are sent – the ‘missionary’- in Greek is ‘apóstolos.’
When Jesus “chose twelve whom He also named apostles (apóstolos)” and He appointed them “be with Him and that He might send them out (‘apostéllō)” (Luke 6:12-13; Mark 3:13-14)
Jesus extended the ‘Missio Dei’ by commissioning the Apostles saying “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ‘John 20:21.
Therefore, the GREAT COMMISSION is: “Sending the Church to “Go and Make Disciples of ALL NATIONS.”
While the ‘Going’ part has been continuously done through Evangelism and Church Planting activities, the aspect of ‘Sending to the Nations’ has been neglected and even ignored by the Church.
This is why the question arises:
“Why Are Missionaries Going in the Opposite Direction? “
This question is posed by Joshua Bogunjoko, the International Director of SIM, in a Lausanne Paper, citing the lack of ‘Sending Vision’ in the Church today. Here are some statistics at a glance:
- Three percent of missionaries go to unreached places; 97 percent go to reached or unevangelized places.
- Globally, 87 percent of all Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists do not personally know a Christian.
- The world’s 1.9 billion Muslims have only 5,000 missionaries: one missionary for every 400,000 Muslims. Yet Brazil received 20,000 missionaries in 2010.
- Ninety-five percent of the 5.5 million full-time Christian workers in the world are working within the Christian world.
- Eighty-two percent of all Christian giving goes to the ministry of the local church and is spent on the local congregation itself and its pastors. Only 1.7 percent goes towards reaching the unreached.
This is why the WAGF Missions Commission is holding the ‘Senders Summit’ and we ask you to pray earnestly, so that the whole AG Movement will embrace the true Vision of the “Missio Dei’ – the “Sending of God.”
Prayer Requests for The Senders Summit.
We request prayer for this event in Minnesota, USA from 23-26th September.
- Pray for the Missions Commission Leadership Team organizing this event – for the Chairman, Rev. John Easter and Coordinator Rev. Brad Walz
- For the hosts – for the AG Minnesota District Team, organizing logistics and other details.
- For all the participants from over 120 Countries, for safe travel, visas, and other details
- Pray for all the speakers and presenters for the anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit.
- Pray that a Prophetic voice and a clear direction and vision to reach the Unreached People Groups.
- Pray Luke 10:2 prayer for more laborers to go to the Unreached.
‘He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ‘
Thank You for Praying!
Next Week: Part 2: How can we Send to the Nations?
Sources:
Lausanne Paper – Global Analysis.
Etymonline.com
Bakers Evangelical Dictionary
Travelling Team.org
Pics: Dascompassion.wordpress. Instagos – Instant Logos.