“Jesus said to them again, ‘...as the Father has sent me I also send you’” -John 20:21. This verse shows us Christ’s will for Christians to proclaim His Father’s word. But why would mission work be so important that the Holy One Himself would feel the need to implore Christians on His Father’s behalf to go forth and teach as Christ himself taught? The answer is simple, not encoded within the context of vague scriptures. In 1 John 2:2 the Bible says, “He himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only, but also for the whole world”. With this logic it stands to reason that mission work is a necessity, for if our sins have been acquitted does it not also mean that we ourselves should share this way of miraculous salvation with those who need salvation that much more than we do? Throughout this essay we will delve deeper into the purpose of missions and God’s intent for missions. We will also take a look at one specific mission agency’s goal, purpose, and mission. Then to conclude we will view the results of the Gospel within North Africa, and challenges that missionaries face when among the inhabitants of the countries who are hostile to the teachings of the Gospel.
In the view of the facts, “A missionary is someone sent by Jesus Christ as He was sent by God” (Chambers). The primary goal of a missionary is to be loyal to the one whom they were called by, to accomplish and implement His plans, not their own selfish, fleshly desires (Chambers). Thus, a missionary is an individual who has committed their life, one who has been bound through union with the holy and righteous Lord, to the objective and ambition of the one who he calls Lord and the Master of his fate (Chambers). The propensity when considering the life of a g...
... middle of paper ...
...form of work a missionary might have to do in order to progress the Gospel for the Lord’s sake. We also looked at the goals and purposes that a typical mission agency can have. Finally, we concluded by taking a glimpse at mission work within a country, and how mission work must be carried out within hostile countries. So from this we see that God’s mighty work is prevalent even within hostile regions, and that mission work is a necessity for progressing the gospel.
Works Cited
Chambers, Oswald. My Utmost For His Highest. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Edwin, and Sylvia. "Missionary Interview." Personal interview. 28 Feb. 2014.
"Partners International | Connecting the Global Church to Reach the Least Christian and Least Resourced Places with the Gospel of Jesus Christ." Partners International. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
World Map. N.p., n.d. Web.
Wuthnow, R. (2009). Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches. California: University of California Press.
Missionary- A person who teaches their religion to other people who believe in something else
Dorothy L. Sayers defines a Christian’s work as a “...natural exercise and function of man- the creature who is made in the image of his Creator” (Sayers 194). Sayers summarizes her view on work by saying, “...it is the duty of the Church to see to it that the work serves God, and that the worker serves the work” (Sayers 198). Sayers finds the duty of work to rest not only with the Christian, but also with the church.
St. John, at his introduction in the novel, is a clergyman with plans to become a missionary someday soon. This is not surprising for clergymen, according to Andrew F. Walls, author of The Missionary Movement in Christian History, since "a missionary was essentially a preacher, and a preacher should normally be a minister" (161). At this time, it was considered normal for a clergyman to become a missionary. But a missionary did have to be more than a clergyman. He also must have "common sense" and "competence," Walls says. St. John has all of these qualities and more, making him perfect for a life of sacrifice.
Oxbrow, Mark. "Anglicans And Reconciling Mission: An Assessment Of Two Anglican International Gatherings." International Bulletin Of Missionary Research 33.1 (2009): 8-10. Religion and Philosophy Collection. Web. 2 Nov. 2013.
Without this theology, not only the believer, but the missionary has no foundation to build upon. Believers in general, but especially missionaries must prepare themselves through prayer in order to lead churches to preach and teach the Word of God. Paul tells us in 1 Timothy that those that labor in preaching and teaching” should be considered worthy of double honor. (1 Tim. 5:17) This is important because Christian’s understanding their role as a believer, or again even more importantly, the role of a missionary is extremely vital in advancing God’s kingdom. Winter and Hawthorne rightly say in our text that “If we in the West insist on keeping our blessing instead of sharing it, then we will, like other nations before us (Israel, Rome, etc) perhaps have to “lose” our blessing in order for the remaining nations to receive.” Although there are times in today’s world that may seem like the world has turned their backs on God, Christian’s should look with great anticipation for the days that are coming when God will reclaim the earth and believers will be redeemed. The reason that believers practice missions is the end result. Redemption from sin, and receiving an inheritance from God including “full rights as sons” is only part of what is in store for the child of
In the bible we see that one of the first well-known missionaries was the Apostle Paul. Even though we see that Paul had background work in taking care of or killing those who did not share the same mind set as he did, he did however experience a life changing moment where he was able see the importance of acceptance and bringing Christianity into ones own identity. The work of the Apostle Paul was given by God to serve all people and share with them God’s grace and message through Jesus Christ. 3 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for[a] Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,.” Paul traveled to many places and was known for sharing the...
Christianity has its challenges. It places demands on us that set us apart from the rest of our world. The bible calls us a peculiar people, who navigate the challenge of living IN the world, without being OF the world. When we say ‘no’ to temptations that are enjoyed by the masses, we are labeled as self-righteous snobs, religious weirdoes, or worse. But we persevere, and we press toward that invisible line the Apostle Paul drew in the sands of time…for the high calling in Christ Jesus.
Missionaries were a contradiction, one that is not easily sorted. The goals and objectives of the missionary themselves were often purest of heart. Missionaries’ goals were to spread of the gospel, the convert heathens to Christianity and enrich the communities they work in by providing education and medical assistance. On the contrary missionaries were also often “agents of cultural change.” (Stipe p.1) They carried with them American ideals, democracy, individual rights, free enterprise, universal education, and delayed gratification. (Clifford Putney p.7)
Many years ago, a friend and pastor whom I dearly loved and respected told me that there are three areas of responsibility in sharing the gospel. They are ours, the Holy Spirits, and the one that hears the gospel. Our responsibility is to go where we are called. That is it, to go and allow our self to be used. The Holy Spirit’s
...Today as a Christ follower, we will never be satisfied if our life is not bearing lasting fruit because we are not fulfilling the purpose for which we were “grafted “into the Vine. Let’s examine the “fruit” of our lives. Is it the kind of fruit that reveals the character of Christ? Let’s not settle for fruitless Christianity. God will do the work of making us fruitful – we must only abide, surrendering our lives to His mission of making disciples of all nations through us. The whole notion of mission is to stretch out to work the work of evangelism not through hierarchy, sovereignty, rather through humbleness, hospitality, affection love for the others. That is what Jesus who portrayed as the one who we do not deserve to untie His sandals straps in the first Chapter of John, later become feet washer, intimate with humanity leaving His equality with God.
This article places emphasis on evangelism within the Baptist belief, evangelism is every believer’s opportunity and responsibil...
A casual look at the world today reveals the evidence that Jesus’s efforts were effective. Christianity is currently throughout most parts of the world, and ...
“Our work for Christ is to begin with the family, in the home ... There is no missionary field more important than this.”
Evangelism is one of the key component for changing people’s lives. McRaney states, “The word evangelism comes from a combination of Greek words for “good” and “messenger.” Evangelism involves bringing the goods. Kent Hunter reminded us that “when Christians witness, they tell how Jesus Christ has changed their own lives. The change in their own lives gives them the desires to share the Good News with others.” Christians must share their testimony to people and spread the gospel so that they can bring lost souls to Christ. God has commissioned every Christian to evangelize so that people will learn about Jesus Christ and accept Him as their personal savior. Matthew 28:19 states, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Christians are required to spread the Gospel throughout the world and can no longer just attend church. Christians must plant seeds and water the seeds so that lost souls will be saved.