| WORLD EVANGELISM MINUTE
"electronic epistle"
Greetings!
Some believe that Solomon penned the following words of his dying father:
"His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed...and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen" (Psalm 72:17-19).
David's passion (inspite of his failures) was that God would be known globally as God. No one could deny that David really loved the Lord. This passion was one he apparently carried for God since his youth. When facing off with the giant, Goliath, David revealed his motivation to kill the giant: "That all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel."
How about you? Is your heart's motive in what you do for the Lord that He, and He alone, would be worshipped globally as God? May we pray and work that it will ever be so.
Missionary "Mountains"
Why Missionaries Need Specialized Training
Family Separation is an ongoing issue for missionaries. It's not just about pulling away for the initial departure. It regularly confronts missionaries through the approach of holidays, weddings, funerals, and birthdays. Missionaries are people just like us. They need our understanding and prayer concerning family separation. How do they cope with these things? They cling to Matthew 19:29, "And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life."
Language learning is a humbling process. When most missionaries go to the field, they start all over again at the level of a kindergartener in order to learn a new language. They labor in this necessary process while making many mistakes, being misunderstood, and experiencing times of
embarrassment.
Cultural differences can squeeze a missionary like a vise. Differences in areas such as food, worldview, waiting in lines, water and power shortages, and civil unrest can pound and pressure anybody to the limits. Some people adjust better than others. And although these things can become more bearable with time, they require a deep-seated commitment on the part of the missionary (and family) to endure and embrace this new life for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual warfare will tear at every missionary's efforts to take the Gospel to those who have not heard. Missionaries experience sickness, theft, discouragement, depression, and other hardships at the hands of the wicked one. They must go expecting these things. They must go covered in the armor the Lord has provided (Ephesians 6). And they must remember the words of one who himself was targeted by the lion, "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you" (1 Peter 5:8-10).
Missionaries will suffer in various ways. When we send missionaries out who do not expect to suffer, they come right back as soon as they experience these things. Although we do not enjoy it, we will all suffer if we follow our Lord, "For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Peter 2:20-21).
Muslim Evangelism Module
Sept 19-23
 We have a weak history of reaching out to Muslims. Right now, there's only one Christian missionary (of any stripe) for every one million Muslims. Although we were not a part of the the Crusades, can we as blood-bought children of God convince Him that our current status of ignoring them is much better?
It's true that some Muslims (or many) have become terrorists; but is
an alarmist attitude really Christian? We all realize that faith can't be found where's there's fear.
Let's learn how to present Christ to Muslims without fear. David Mowen will be showing us how at Biblical School of World Evangelism from Monday, Sept 19 through Friday, Sept 23rd. Don't miss it.
Missionary Dropouts
Four Major Reasons
One large missionary sending agency recently cited four major reasons for its current missionary candidate attrition rate:
- Not wanting to leave family and friends
- Not wanting to raise funds or live in the insecurity of low income
- Concerns of health and safety for themselves and their family
- Not wanting to accept the low standard of living they associate with missionary work
Additionally, this agency reported that its veteran missionaries found it tough to keep an eternal perspective when they faced the sacrifices Jesus said would be normative for His disciples.
Fulltime Service?
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"Look at me. I've gone into the ministry!"
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phone: (513) 239-0000
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"Some there are who speak disparagingly of the blessed and holy work of evangelization. We tremble for them. We feel persuaded they are not in the current of the Master's mind, and hence we utterly reject their thoughts. It is to be feared that their hearts are cold in reference to an object that engages the heart of God"
(C.H. Mackintosh).
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