MIssions - A Dinosaur among the Baptist?

Missions – Becoming a Dinosaur in our Faith?

2Co 10:16 - To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

Friends – I’m venting right now, but yet consider the words below.

Missions are becoming more and more of a dinosaur in the Baptist walk of life.

Many Baptist churches today have never even seen a missionary, must less spoken to one.

When we mention the 10-40 Window, people are clueless.

When the Baptists are told that the 10-40 Window is now open, we marvel?

When the Baptists are told that the cults are pouring in, we shudder.

When the Baptists are told of the struggles of the Christians in the 10-40 Window, they pity them.

When we talk about missions and the millions who have never heard, we might even shed a tear.

When Baptists talk of missions, we talk of the past heroes of the faith. Why always the past? Why no talk of the present?

Missions in the Baptist faith are fast becoming archaic. Its something that our forefathers did but isn’t something that my children should consider.

Missions have become something that only young people do for a summer while they are in college or something that retired people do for a holiday when they take a summer trip.

What does the Baptist talk about?

We spend countless hours arguing scriptures instead of carrying the “good news” to others. Maybe if we were busy getting the “good news” out, we would have less time to argue.

We spend countless hours debating if the Bible is inspired or preserved. If it isn’t, than why preach or believe?

We spend countless hours discussing salary packages and retirements – shame on you!

We spend countless hours doing everything, but praying that God’s people will carry out the Great Commission. Even when we do pray, we do not pray what we can do. We just pray for that poor unfortunate soul who has no chance to hear the gospel. We pray with an unbelieving heart to reach, to go, to help, but we do pray.

I wonder what God thinks of our prayers? What does he think when we pray with no feet to our prayers or no efforts to carry out the great commission?

Rom 10:15 - And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Pastors, Preachers, Sunday School teachers, Christians, please tell your people that missions is real, missions is for today as it was for yesterday.

Missionaries are not super saints. We are just common fishermen, carpenters, tax collectors, and doctors.

Tell them of the millions that died today without a chance to hear, BECAUSE we didn’t tell them. Tell them of those who are searching for hope and peace, but never find it because no one is here to tell them. Tell them that the Devil is happy and excited that the Baptists are not as active as in years past. Tell them that while we wait, talk and tell stories of missions, the cults are pouring in.

Its time we understood it’s a shame that the Mormons, Jehovah’s Witness and Seven Day Adventist are pouring in and there is not a Baptist to be found?

It still begins with a simple – “Here am I; send me”. Why are we afraid to say “here am I; send me”. Why has it become “there they are, let’s hope that some else tells them”,

Isa 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Has your church ever had the privilege to send a person to the missions’ field? If your church has never commissioned a person to the field is that not something we should consider.

What is your church doing to get the Gospel to the regions beyond? I realize what we are doing in the “apple orchards” around our churches.

Psa 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Let’s learn to sow in tears and not to shed tears over lost opportunities since we were too busy to labor in HIS Fields.

Pray for us as we work here in China. It’s heart breaking to watch so many talented and loving Chinese teachers and students fall into hell because no one wants to join the harvest.

 

4His-Glory – I agree but still believe there needs to be an emphasis on the 10-40. An emphasis on the 10-40 does NOT mean the other fields need to be de-emphasized. The whole world is HIS harvest field. They are equal!! No one should or can speak of one field being higher than the other. In simple terms, “Its His harvest fields”.

Also, I realize that workers in fields outside the 10-40 now feel like their fields are being de-emphasized, and sometimes feel left out when they attend mission’s conferences. Anytime I attend a mission’s conference, I make it a very big point to honor those who have been carrying the load in these established fields. It’s very important to honor them and give them the honor they deserved. I also realize it might be poor terminology to say “established fields”, but by that I mean where the gospel has been open for decades and we’ve been sending missionaries previously.

Many great works have been accomplished in various fields around the world. The Baptist was always ready to step forward into these fields. In the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Germany and even Africa are some excellent works and past works. Does this mean these fields have no need, of course not? Can you use more workers; of course all fields need more laborers?

However, presently with the 10-40 Window we are not stepping up to the plate as we have in times past. Therefore, when some hear of the 10-40 Window, they are clueless and wonder why the importance. This is what I wish to address. Please do not think that means I desire to de-emphasis other fields or that God is finished with the other fields.

It should be noted that over half the worlds population that is unreached lies within this window. Therefore, strategies need to form to reach these people. If not, they will go unreached due to the hardships that fall into these areas. Here, and in other places, missionaries have to enter through tent making platforms. It’s frustrating that I have to teach English. I would love to be able to hang out my shingle, build a building, build the pews, buy the songbooks and run buses to bring the locals in. However, here, we just can’t do that. Truly I’m very envious of you guys who can do that.

Concerning the lostness and the glory of God is like a coin. Of course a coin has two sides. For me to understand the two I show the people here their lostness as one side and the other as the glory of God.

If the Baptist doesn’t see what God saw, as reference in the verses below, no one will go. The Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

The world is lost and if we don’t look at it through those eyes, no one will go. I believe that’s the primary reasons the Baptist is falling behind others in carrying out the Great Commission. We no longer see this world as a lost and dying world.

Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Mat 18:11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.

Luk 15:4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Luk 15:24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

2Co 4:3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:

Once someone goes to the field, then the other side of the coin becomes evident and it’s for the glory of God. I marvel in his glory that he would have ever chosen me to go to China.

I marvel in his glory in what has been done here in China. I marvel at the opportunities that we have available to us at this present moment, and it all because of his glory. This is my primary focus when I return to the US for furlough is to stress his glory and what God can do in your life if you will see that the world is lost and dying.

If we are ever to see that “God focused balance” that you refer to and to reach the every tribe, tongue and nation, than we’ve got a lot of catching up to do. Churches will have to re-evaluate their missions programs since less than 2% of all missions’ dollars go to the 10-40. In this window, 42% of the countries have no missionary presences. This isn’t balanced!

We can no longer make excuses that the doors are closed. They are opened, but it seems that we Baptist are not willing to step up like we have in times past when doors opened to other countries. This is what saddens me as the cults pour in.

If we don’t re-evaluate and change mindsets, then we will let some of the greatest opportunities in Church history, slip out of our reach. Why, because we were not willing to recognize what God is doing in these new harvest fields. Lets not be jealous of each other nor promote a field over another, but do recognize what is NOW open that wasn’t open before.

God bless and keep each one of you in each field, rather it’s home or abroad and lets recognize what’s now opened and make the proper adjustments to reach these areas. If not, the cults will.

 

Tom - YOu are right. MIssions varies from church to church. In some areas of the USA, they are renewing their hearts for missions. In other areas, there are still churches, pastors, deacons and church leaders who have never seened the field.

Some churches really need to challenge their pastor or church leaders to at least visit the field so missions won't be story in a book, but a real life spiritual adventure in their life.

I challenge all to get their pastor to the field and watch what God does when he returns.