Kindle Notes & Highlights
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July 1 - July 29, 2020
In academic circles today missions (with the final s) is the word used for the specific task of making disciples of all nations. It is seen through the work of mission agencies, churches, and missionaries around the world.
It refers to everything the church does that points toward the kingdom of God.
In sum, missio Dei is a comprehensive term encompassing everything God does in relation to the kingdom and everything the church is sent to do on earth The term mission represents something narrower: everything with redemptive purpose that the church is sent to do. Finally, missions is the most specialized of the terms, describing the activity of churches, agencies, and people in making disciples and planting churches.
the early church did not have the luxury of constructing a theology. Rather, the exigencies of life and the desire to bring Christ to the world drove theology in such a way that “mission became the ‘mother of theology’”
What, then, is our “foundation” for mission? In the most general sense, the only possible foundation is the Bible itself. The Bible alone has the authority to guide the church through the complex questions that face each new generation. It alone provides the general principles on which a theology of mission must be built and the specific instructions given to the church by God that inform our view of mission today.
The core theme may be split into three concentric elements: (1) calling those who do not know Christ through the activities of evangelism and church planting, (2) growing in the capacity to live God-glorifying lives through the processes of discipleship and church growth, and (3) reflecting God’s glory to a needy world through living lives of salt and light
We are saying that the core of our responsibility of reflecting God’s glory through worship is (1) to engage in evangelism and church planting, as well as (2) discipling those who enter the kingdom and enabling local churches to thrive and grow, (3) while glorifying God by living lives that act as salt and light in a hurting world.
we choose six motifs integral to mission that build on our foundational theme of mission as rooted in evangelism, church planting, discipleship, church growth, and salt-and-light living: (1) the kingdom of God, (2) Jesus, (3) the Holy Spirit, (4) the church, (5) shalom (the Hebrew term for peace), and (6) the return of Jesus
Finally, we note that Jesus permeates all three levels of our missional foundation: (1) it is he who both calls people to himself and enjoins them to go and make disciples; (2) discipleship and growth, both individual and corporate, come through obeying all that he taught and through teaching others to do likewise; and (3) his example of salt-and-light living inspires Christians to keep their focus Godward as they live lives that cause people to glorify the King of kings.
The Holy Spirit permeates all three levels of our core theology of mission: (1) he convicts those in the world of sin and woos them to come to Christ; (2) he empowers Christ’s followers to witness and acts as agents of change in the lives of those who have committed themselves to following Jesus; and (3) he prays for Christians with groanings too deep for words, guiding them in making wise decisions about the best way to live salty lives that shine the light of God into dark situations.
No matter how broadly Christians may choose to define mission (or missio Dei), they must not lose sight of the eternal perspective. The central need of people is to be reestablished in a living relationship with a loving God—to love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength.
Mediators serve with one overall purpose: reconciliation between two estranged parties.
The first phase is bearing witness that reconciliation is possible
The second phase is that of building up those who have entered God’s kingdom through discipleship and appropriate enfolding in local groups of believers collectively known as the church.
The third phase is that of living lives that shine light into dark places, acting as preservatives in the world to effect healing of hearts, minds, souls, and bodies.
The mission of the church is that it be used by God (1) to witness to people about the reconciliation offered in Christ; (2) to invite people to worship their creator by leading them to Christ; (3) to incorporate those led to Christ into local church contexts; and (4) to teach them, as people reconciled to God, to obey all that Christ commanded in being salt and light in the world. All four components are necessary and integral to the mission of the church.
Edict of Toleration,
The overall goal of missionary training is to equip the prospective missionary to be a godly person who is both competent and effective in his or her missionary service.
1. Genuine growth toward spiritual maturity.
2. The ability to carry out one’s assigned task.
3. The ability to interact well with people in the new cultural setting.
4. The ability to adjust well by coping effectively with culture stress and dealing with the adaptation process
5. The ability to facilitate adjustment and manage stress for family and significant others.
6. The ability to develop genuine partnerships with national Christians in which both parties have something to offer each other.
Scripture provides the foundational spiritual focus for the missionary, and intercultural communication research adds elements that typify people who successfully cross cultural boundaries and are effective in their work.
1. Genuine dependence on God.
2. Humility and teachability.
In fact, a person who never receives from others is not allowing them to grow and develop.
3. The fruit of the Spirit.
For the missionary, of course, the ability to understand how the fruit is perceived in cross-cultural perspective is also important.
1. More emphasis on people, less on task.
2. Ability to withhold unproductive criticism.
3. Tolerance of ambiguity and flexibility.
4. Empathy.
5. Openness in communication style.
6. High cognitive complexity.
7. Good personal relational skills in the home culture.
8. Perseverance.
Three foundational spiritual disciplines for any missionary are study, memorization, and meditation on God’s word
he had hidden God’s word in his heart.
praising and thanking God in all circumstances.
Christians grow to love God by enjoying and pursuing him; submitting to him in obedience; repenting before him; communing with him through prayer and worship; and fearing, trusting, and thanking him in all of life’s circumstances. They pursue him as people empowered by the Holy Spirit whose hunger for him comes from the Spirit’s work within them.
discipleship,
build good relationships
leadership development and delega...
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