Jesus Has Given You Many Invitations

One cannot overlook the multiple invitations that Jesus offers in the gospels to “come to Him.” Over and over again, Jesus invites people to come to Him for life. He invites the weary and heavy-laden in Matthew 11:28, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.” He invites people to follow him in Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” Jesus invites those seeking treasure in Mark 10:21, “And looking at him,

Filed under: Jesus, John Owen, Justification, Missions, Salvation

The Missionary Vision of Jonathan Edwards

Many consider Jonathan Edward only as a theologian and pastor and give no credence to the fact that he was constantly concerned with the spread of the gospel around the world. They see his deep commitment to Calvinism and the sovereignty of God as a hindrance to his missionary vision. However, from the time he was a pastor of a small congregation in New York from 1722-23, his missionary zeal has been a flame in his heart. Edwards reflects on twenty years prior in his Personal Narrative, written probably in 1740. He notes of his early days as a believer:

I had great longings for the advancement of Christ’s kingdom in the world. My secret prayer used to be in great part taken up in praying for it. If I heard the least hint of anything that happened in any part of the world, that appeared to me, in some respect or other, to have favorable aspect on the interest of Christ’s kingdom, my soul eagerly catched at it; and it would much animate and refresh me.

…I very frequently used to retire into a solitary place, on the banks of Hudson’s River, at some distance from the city, for contemplation on divine things, and secret converse with God; and had many sweet hours there. Sometimes Mr. Smith and I walked there together, to converse of the things of God; and our conversation used much to turn on the advancement of Christ’s kingdom in the world, and the glorious things that God would accomplish for his church in the later days.

Private prayer, conversation with others, and mediation were avenues by which Edwards gained a heart for the spread of the gospel around the world. His Calvinism spurred him to trust enough in the complete sovereignty of God to accomplish the missionary purpose. Edwards was a theologian, pastor, revivalist, and missionary.

Filed under: 18th Century, Jonathan Edwards, Missions

Book Review: The Savage, My Kinsmen

The Savage, My Kinsmen by Elisabeth Elliot

In January of 1956, the world received with shock the news that five American missionaries had been speared to death in the Equadorian jungles by Auca Indians – reportedly the most savage tribe on earth. Years later, it became clear that what seemed to be the tragic ending of those missionaries’ dreams was only the first chapter of one of the most marvelous missionary stories of the twentieth century.

The Savage, My Kinsman tells the story, in beautifully written text and pictures, of Elisabeth Elliot’s venture into Auca territory three years after the death of her husband, Jim Elliot. Elisabeth and her daughter Valerie, then tree years old, returned to the jungle along with Rachel Saint, the sister of one of the other slain men. The linguistic work of these women brought Christ’s message of salvation to the tribe that had killed their loved ones. They became the first to enter the Auca territory and live to tell the story. This is a courageous story of family, love, and above all, trust and confidence in a sovereign God to open doors of opportunity for the gospel.

Summary

The Savage, My Kinsmen chronicles one of the greatest missionary stories of the twentieth century. It begins by recounting the horrific news of five missionaries who had been speared to death on a beach in the territory of the Auca Indians. The family members of these men were overwhelmed with the news but were previously aware of the danger knowing that this tribe was said to be the most dangerous on earth.

After much praying, thinking, and weighing the options, Elisabeth Elliot decided to venture into the Auca territory to build on what her husband began. She, along with her daughter Valerie and Rachel Saint, began to meet the people, observe their daily lives, and learn the language. Through years of language study with the Dayuma, Mintaka, and Mankamu, Rachel Saint and Elisabeth create a filing system and recordings in order to learn the language of the Aucas. Years of service and labor among these Indians proved to be worthwhile as they saw them come to the knowledge of Christ. Their acceptance of the gospel was without question an act of God and a movement of the Holy Spirit. It was out of the death of the five missionaries that life began to flow to the Auca people through the witness of Elisabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint.

Elisabeth recounts the story of when she first entered the village of the Auca people. She said the Aucas were the personification of death in her mind as she could only associate them with the death of her beloved husband. It was possible, in her mind, that death also might be the fate of both her and her daughter Valerie. She describes the first Auca people she came in contact with. They were naked besides a cotton string around their hips, with large holes in their earlobes which were filled with disks of balsa wood.

Elisabeth soon learns that if she is going to live with the Aucas she must do exactly what they do – and nothing else. Her days were filled with writing down their language so she could give them the Bible and educating Valeria through correspondence courses. Their time was spent in a small straw hut with a hammock swinging between two beams of wood that made a nice relaxing place. This story is filled with ups and downs that only missionaries experience and can understand. It is filled with stories of triumph and disappointment, praises and hardships. It is a story of love.

Critical Evaluation

The Savage, My Kinsmen is written from the perspective of a grieving wife that turns into a God-sent missionary to those who murdered her husband. The reader can actually hear Elisabeth Elliot speaking from her heart through these pages as she speaks of her dependence upon God for everything while living with the Auca Indians. This book tells of the journey into the dark jungles of South America in a real autobiographical way. The reader learns who Elisabeth Elliot is and her work among the Auca people. It is almost like reading a diary or journal.

Another advantage of this book is the pictures that fill its pages. They show the daily life and faces of the people Elisabeth Elliot learned to love and care for. They show a daughter growing up in a foreign territory and the contrast of her curly blonde hair against the savage warriors. The pictures add a quality to this book that nothing else can add. The reader automatically sympathizes with the condition and work that lay before the feet of both Elisabeth Elliot and Rachel Saint.

This reviewer has read many accounts of the five missionaries that were killed on ‘Palm Beach’ by the Auca Indians but The Savage, My Kinsmen is another type of book. It shows another side to the story that many Christians know and love. It shows how the work of Christ and His kingdom must continue even after tragedy and lose. It shows how the gospel must be shared even with those we despise in our hearts. This book is a story of grace; grace in the life of Elisabeth Elliot and grace given by Christ to the Auca Indians.

Conclusion

The Savage, My Kinsmen is a work that I would recommend for anyone desiring a closer look at foreign mission work in a hostile part of the world. It is well written from a first-hand perspective which gives credence to its content. It will prove to be inspirational, eye-opening, and enjoyable to all who read it. Elisabeth Elliot and her family are examples to all missionaries and those who desire to do mission work. She is clearly a Godly woman who can teach us, drawing from years of experience, that complete and total surrender is the only way to serve God and make an impact upon his kingdom.

Filed under: Book Recommendations, Book Review, Books, Evangelism, Missions

The Congregational Effort in Missions Work

A congregational effort to do the work of missions should be the natural outworking of missions teaching, prayer, and giving. Evidence from Scripture is abundant that the early church saw its task as nothing less than the evangelization of the entire world. Each generation of Christians must find ways to reach the lost in its own generation. With the bulk of the world’s people still unconverted after two thousand years of church history, the conclusion is inevitable that evangelizing the world is a formidable task. Along with motivation to do the work of missions there must be a strategy by which to reach the world for Christ. When a missionary heart is developed in the lives of the members of the local church they will become uncomfortable in simply hearing teaching or giving, they will want to be engaged in this missionary effort. The members of the local church will desire to see the gospel spread throughout the nations of the world by their own efforts. The congregational effort in missions work should be a natural part of the activity of the church. When implementing a new missions work it may be a good idea to form a new committee, or it could be an ongoing Church Missions Committee to oversee and organize the new projects and mission work. Regardless, this group requires a mandate from the congregation to give positive and enthusiastic leadership to the implementation of the mission projects.

Many local churches have never had anyone from their congregation travel on a foreign short-term mission trip. In order to gain a proper perspective of missions around the world this is necessary. The members of the church might provide support, such as child-care, education advancement, preaching ministry, food distribution, and much more. Members with medical skills, construction abilities, and others will be greatly beneficial to such a venture. Short-term mission trips give a clear focus of what is going on outside the walls of the church. They however provide only a small window to see the grand work that lay before the church.

In addition to short-term projects, which can involve many members of the church, pastors should consistently encourage members to seriously consider moving to a place where the Gospel is needed and planting their lives there. This encouragement should include serious teaching of the “call to ministry”. It should be made abundantly clear that all members of the congregation are expected to engage people with the gospel in their daily lives and vocations. If they are willing to take the gospel to their neighbors, family, and coworkers perhaps they would be willing to take the gospel to areas which it has never been heard.

An important thought when focusing a local church in the area of foreign missions is to concentrate the effort in one central location. While it is important to go and send teams to all parts of the world the local church will see that it is more beneficial and productive to concentrate their efforts in one place, with one people. This will create a more focused prayer effort, giving effort, and sending effort. The church will grow to love these people to whom they are sharing the gospel and think of them as an extension of their own congregation. Effective foreign mission work comes only through a disciplined effort to concentrate the work of the local church in one area. Congregations, in obedience to Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8, are to pursue relationships with other congregations for the purpose of intentional mission strategy of global proportion. Relationships with churches on foreign soil will create ministry opportunities that are centralized in one location. After years of work among this group the church may begin to send full-time missionaries to continue the churches efforts. This is a very biblical way to do missions and one which will be most effective in developing a true love for people and the gospel among the local church.

The church should also be working to maintain and build relationships with full-time career missionaries. In addition to financial and prayer support, groups can make regular trips to visit and encourage long-term workers. The church may consider hosting a missionary or missionary family while they are on furlough or stateside assignment. In this way, a local church can provide pastoral care and take pastoral responsibility for long-term workers in giving spiritual encouragement and refreshment.

As soon as the early disciples reached out to their Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, they set about the task of reaching the remotest parts of the earth and evangelizing all the nations. These disciples were involved in the work of church planting in each city they went. Church planting was not a special pet project or an experimental endeavor; it was in direct fulfillment of the Great Commission. After years of support and work among a people group the church may begin to consider planting a church among the people and supplying them with full-time missionaries from their own congregation. C. Peter Wagner said, “the single most effective evangelistic methodology under heaven is planting new churches…Not to make an explicit connection between evangelism and the local church is a strategic blunder.” Church planting is evangelism and missions. A church planting expert states, “The idea is that planted churches reproduce themselves and make disciples by planting other churches. This is the true meaning behind the Great Commission.”

When people think of mission work they automatically think of traveling overseas to unreached lands with native people. It is necessary to understand from the beginning that mission work is not restricted to foreign lands or unreached people groups but is also around the community of your own church. The local church can engage their local community in a number of ways. A church may be surprised as to how many in walking distance of their own church have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel. Outreach is vital not only in foreign lands but also in the local community and location of the church. Regular evangelism visitation, youth and children outreach, and many practical labors are necessary to reach your community for Christ.

Filed under: Ministry, Missions, Sunday School, The Church

A Consistency in Giving to Missions

Many times the local church feels they have meet their responsibility to missions when they give financially. They feel if they give a portion of the church tithes and offerings to missionary work they have meet their obligation to fulfill the Great Commission. As important as giving is to the missionary effort this does not fulfill the local church mandate to be engaged in missions.

To give effectively to missions the church must be educated in the discipline of proper biblical stewardship. Far too often the church knows to give but they are unsure as to why. People often question the churches division of the funds for missionary efforts around the world never seeing what purpose it serves in the fulfillment of the Great Commission. The congregation knows they give but they are not knowledgeable as to what the money accomplishes. This great mistake must be quickly resolved in educating the congregation as to exactly what their financial support actually does in the missionary effort. Proper biblical teaching and preaching in the area of missionary giving is essential.

If the church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, it has access to a tremendous tool for supporting worldwide missions: the Cooperative Program. This program is a collaborative effort among Southern Baptist churches to unify together in their giving and support of the International Mission Board, as well as other Southern Baptist entities. The Cooperative Program is one of the most effective programs that is in existence for the propagation of the spread of the gospel around the world through the financial support of individual churches. The Cooperative Program was designed to aid churches in implementing a New Testament missiology in congregational life.

By giving to the Cooperative Program, a church of any size can have an important role in supporting thousands of missionaries around the world. However, while many Southern Baptist churches give to the Cooperative Program many in the congregation had little to no knowledge as to what the program accomplishes. There is an utter disconnect and for members of the local church to more effectively engaged in giving they must be educated in the division of their funds to the Cooperative Program. Therefore, there must be a clear understanding that the Cooperative Program begins with individual stewardship, which encompasses all of life.

As important as Cooperative Program giving is to the advancement of the gospel through the Southern Baptist Convention it is not, however, the only means by which a church should give to the missionary effort. Cooperating with organizations like the International Board or the Home Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention can often give the impression that the local church has fulfilled its task in missions. Local churches should be engaged in giving to missions through their own efforts. The sending of missionaries should be the responsibility not only of mission boards but the local church. Find individual missionary families to support. Learn about that family, engage with that family, and pray for that family. This is an excellent way for the church to become more personally familiar with missions and an excellent way to see more fully where you giving is making a difference.

There should be careful leadership in the area of giving to missions. The pastor and board of elders should prayerfully consider its obligation to missions giving. A reevaluation should be taken annually of the percentage given to missions with the sincere hope that the percentage would increase. Not only should the church budget what it gives to missions but it should also partake in special offerings such as Annie Armstrong Offering for North American Missions, Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions, and state missions offerings for a special missions emphasis.

Every ministry of the church can be engaged in giving to missions. There are countless programs that can be implemented in this area. Youth groups can give, children’s Sunday school classes can have special missions giving emphasis, women’s groups, and the like. Everyone in the congregation can be involved not only in learning about the importance of giving to missions but actually giving.

Filed under: Ministry, Missions, Southern Baptist