A century ago people had a different
view of missions, church and religion. They saw religion as something everyone
needed and had. Technology was also much different, making ease of travel and
ways to spread the gospel more limited. Even a decade ago technology and views
of religion and mission were different. People in this country saw mission as
something that people were called to do and not necessarily for everyone. There
are some similarities though. Missions still emphasizes going to people everywhere
and preaching and living the gospel. In the future there will be the same
trials and similarities. Technology and mindset will keep changing, and going
to people near and far will still be considered important.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Monday, October 20, 2014
David Livingstone
David
Livingstone is a missionary inspiration even today. As an explorer and missionary
in Africa he went through many troubles to serve the kingdom of God. Even separated
from his family for years, Livingstone continued to serve God and the African
people. When he finally went home he arrived to the death of his father. Going
back to Africa, his wife followed several years later where she contracted a
disease that killed her there. The world saw the things Livingstone was
accomplishing and sent Henry Stanley to report on his life. This changed Stanley’s
life and exposed Livingstone’s work even further. I want to have an effect on God’s
kingdom in a significant way also. Following Livingstone’s example, this means
sacrificing everything to follow the plan of God.
A
video with information about David Livingstone can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0HXUnaUL3A
Monday, October 13, 2014
Motives for Mission
The churches that I go to have
several mission motives. One that they have a right view of is the obedience to
the Great Commission. It is given as a command to the church overall, but it is
also a command to the individual churches and the individuals in the church. My
church believes that as a body Christians should be working together and in
their daily lives to missionally impact others. Of the nine motives for mission
that emerged after the Enlightenment, the one that my church may overemphasize,
if not careful, is the motive of missionary fervor. As a group, we believe that
the whole world can be reached. The church will play a big part. What
Christians must be aware of is that God has his agenda that we must follow. Missionary
fervor can also take away from the here and now in looking too much at the
other parts of the world. The motive that could be brought to light a little
more is the motive from the glory of God. If the world followed the way of God,
it would be a much better place. The church can sometimes wander from bringing
the glory of God and his way of life because of their missionary fervor. To
complete the mission of God, his kingdom must be demonstrated in all areas of
life.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Anabaptist contributions
Of the three marginal movements
during the time of the Protestant reformation, I find the best mission model in
the Anabaptists. They were radicals of their time. One thing that they stood
for was the idea that baptism did not automatically make a person a Christian,
but that it must stand for something personal. The Anabaptists saw everyone as
a part of the mission field, regardless of geography, church standing and every
boundary. Another extreme idea of the time that they stood for was the idea
that the church and the state should not work together for missions, but that
it was solely the job of the church. These radical ideas for this period helped
some groups later on to start breaking away from the Protestant reformation
time period and start focusing on a different view of missions.
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