Missions Minded Church

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ARTICLE – 14 August 2016Globe

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a minister in the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa. In 1901 he wondered “why, with millions of Christians in the world, the army of missionaries fighting the hosts of darkness is so small.” His answer: “Lack of Heart”. “The enthusiasm of the kingdom is missing because there is so little enthusiasm for the King”. No vision on the part of the leaders results in no vision. within the people – “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18 KJV).
Here are 3 matters for consideration for today’s Missions Minded Church:

  1. INFORMATION: A missions-minded Church comprises of people who are informed about what God is doing in our world. With the easy availability of information today, we should not be ignorant about mission.
  2. INTERCESSION: A missions-minded Church is an interceding Church. Patrick Johnstone of “Operation World” fame says: “Prayer is fundamental in the Kingdom of God. It is not an optional extra, nor is it a last resort when all methods have failed. Prayerlessness is a sin; without prayer God’s plan for the world cannot be achieved. Prayer lifts Christian activities from the realm of human effort to the divine. Someone made the statement, ‘When man works, MAN works; when man prays, GOD works.’ Through prayer we become co-workers with the Lord God Almighty. We move from time to eternity.”
  3. INVOLVEMENT: An informed and interceding Church is an involved Church. Church leaders are actively leading the congregation in the area of missions.

Spiritual immaturity can pose a problem for today’s Missions Minded Church. Andrew Murray emphasised: “To the leaders belong the privilege and responsibility of resolving missionary issues. Only spiritual men and a Church in which spiritual men have influence are capable of rightly carrying out Christ’s commands.” Church leaders should therefore consistently stir their people to give themselves wholly to God’s kingdom work in their own sphere of influence. “To equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12).

Today’s Missions Minded Church has to:

  1. Increase exposure to what God is doing around the world by improving communications.
  2. Teach consistently about God’s global mission from the Bible’s perspective.
  3. Devote times for fervent prayers for missions.
  4. Stretch resources to increase giving to missions.
  5. Develop fully the recruitment and training of missionaries.
  6. Excel at sending, engaging and sustaining missionaries.

Whenever the matter of “Overseas Missions” is raised, the question usually come up: Should I go? We need a good reason not to go, rather than to go. And we must also be able to say with the prophet Isaiah, “Here am I, Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).