Tag: Missions

Missions Focus – SGA

On By BrianIn Uncategorized2 Comments

My goal on Fridays is to focus on missions.  I might highlight a missions group, book, quote, or a collection of posts.

SGAToday I want to focus on Slavic Gospel Association (SGA).  Eric Mock, one of their guest speakers, came to my church a few weeks ago.  We were very impressed with the ministry.

SGA has been assisting the church in the former Soviet Union countries since 1934.  During the years of communism, SGA covertly distributed millions of Bibles and Christian books under the Iron Curtain into the hands of believers throughout the Soviet Union, while producing and broadcasting thousands of Christian radio programs over the Iron Curtain.

SGA’s founder Peter Deyneka traveled the globe holding prayer meetings, often overnight, encouraging the Lord’s people to pray for the opening of the Soviet Union for the preaching of the Gospel. His motto became, “Much prayer, much power. Little prayer, little power. No prayer, no power!”

Today, SGA assists the church in the former Soviet Union countries in many ways.  They sponsor national pastor/missionary/church-planters.  They help to support several Bible institutes and seminaries to train new leaders.  They have help to support numerous children’s ministries including Orphans Reborn, Immanuel’s Child, and Summer Camp.  They help to equip youth for ministry.  They help translate good Christian books.

They have many resources to communicate to the American church what God is doing in the former Soviet Union countries including a monthly update and prayer guide.

MyMissionAdventureOne free resource every church should check out is called My Mission Adventure, two 5-week missions studies for children.  With DVDs, a leader’s guide, activity sheets, and more, it teaches the children about Russia and about how they can be part of reaching people for Christ right where they are.  Children also have the opportunity to learn songs in Russian.  My church took our children through the first study and the kids loved it.  We plan to do the next one soon.

Since taking a trip to the Ukraine 15 years ago, I have always had a heart for the people there.  I am excited to begin supporting SGA as they help our brothers and sisters in Christ in the former Soviet Union countries.  Their website is here.  Check it out – maybe God would lead you invite them to your church or help support the ministry in some way.

Acts Articles – Witness 01

On By BrianIn Book of Acts1 Comment

You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth. – Acts 1:8b

Jesus spoke these words to the 11 apostles (identified as his listeners back in v2).  They were given the special task of being witnesses to the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, and especially to the reality that Jesus rose from the dead (see v21-22).  From their witness, thousands were saved who then themselves became witnesses to the apostles’ testimony about Jesus and their own testimony of what Jesus had done in their lives. 

And so it is for us today.  We are witnesses of the apostles’ testimony found in the Word of God.  We are witnesses of what Christ has done in our lives.  We must share the good news with others.

Jesus called the 11 apostles to be his witnesses starting in Jerusalem, then moving out to Judea and Samaria, and then to the end of the earth.  This is exactly what happened, and it makes a good summary of the book of Acts.  Chapter 1-7 are centered in Jerusalem.  Chapters 8-12 find the gospel moving out to Judea and Samaria.  Chapters 13-28 show the gospel beginning to go out to the end of the earth.

This pattern is good for us as well.  We should begin in our own Jerusalem, the people we know, our own community.  There are many without Christ.  Our local churches need to be missions posts from which we go out to a very real mission field. 

From there we go out to our Judea and Samaria– perhaps our state and country.  I found statistics showing that 50% of Americans have no religious affiliation at all.  Of those who do, it takes little consideration to realize many of them are also without the gospel.  We have a mission field right here in our own country.  What can we do to reach our Judea and Samaria?  Our churches can send out missionaries and church planters who will minister in our own country.  Larger churches might partner with smaller churches struggling to reach their small communities.  We can raise our own children to be witnesses, many of whom will eventually live in another city or state – our Judea and Samaria– as witnesses.

And then we are to go to the end of the earth.  And so our churches send missionaries around the world.  Perhaps in light of Jesus’ call, we need to increase our commitment to world-wide missions, with a focus on reaching people with no gospel witness, training pastors around the world in the Word, and helping churches in other countries with the many resources we have been blessed with.  Perhaps God would call some of us to go.

When an employer gives us a task, we are expected to do it.  Our Lord has given us a task.  Let’s be his faithful witnesses to a world that needs Jesus.

A Pastor’s Longing

On By BrianIn Missions Quotes

One of the great longings of my life is that we at Bethlehem [Baptist Church] would be the sending base of ever-increasing numbers of missionaries to the unreached peoples and that we would send them with ever-increasing effectiveness and ever-increasing faithfulness and ever-increasing care for them and their families.  When I think about not wasting my life, this is what I think about as often as anything: study and pray and write and speak and lead in a way that results in more and more visionary young people and restless mid-career people and wise, mature retired people who pull up their stakes, pack their tents, and go with Jesus and the gospel to unreached peoples of the world, no matter where they are – far or near.
– John Piper in A Holy Ambition

May we have the same passion for missions!

Missions and Worship

On By BrianIn Missions Quotes

Missions is about the worship of Jesus.  The goal of missions is the global worship of Jesus by his redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.  The outcome of missions is all peoples delighting to praise Jesus.  And the motivation for missions is the enjoyment that his people have in him.  Missions aims at, brings about, and is fueled by the worship of Jesus.

– David Mathis in A Holy Ambition

A Passion for Missions

On By BrianIn Uncategorized

We had four people from Partners in Evangelism International at our church yesterday.  Two serve the mission here in America and two are pastors in the Ukraine.  It was a great day.  As we listened to the Ukrainian pastors through an interpreter, I was struck with their passion for missions.  Their great desire was to reach the people in their country who had no gospel witness.  There was an intensity expressed that I have not seen in awhile.  And the challenge for me was clear:  Do I have a passion for missions?

A passion for missions goes right along with the theme of this blog.  Jesus had a passion to reach us, and came to die for us that we might be reconciled to God.  If I have a passion for God, I will want to share the good news so more people will know and honor God, so God will be glorified by more and more people.  If I have compassion for people, I will want to share with them how they can be forgiven of their sins, have a new life with God, and the hope of the resurrection.

To live by the three passions, I must have a passion for missions.  So do I have a passion for missions?  I confess my passion had waned, but yesterday’s challenge awakened it.  By God’s grace it will continue and grow.  But how to live out this passion?  Three ideas:

Give: My wife on our way home last night was asking what we might cut out so that we might be able to give more to missions.  We have so much compared to much of the world.  We need to re-evaluate our priorities.  How might we sacrifice for the sake of the gospel? 

Go: What might we do to share the gospel in our own neighborhood, in our own community?  And might God send us on a short term trip sometime?

Pray: Those who go out need our prayers.  We need to get more serious about praying regularly for missionaries our church supports and other missionaries we know, as well as praying for the outreach of our own church and sister churches.

Father, grant us a greater passion for missions that plays out in our daily lives.

Humble Giving

On By BrianIn Book of Luke, Virtue of Humility1 Comment

We often think of the 12 disciples when we think of those who followed Jesus, but he had many other followers – including many women.  These women not only followed Jesus, but they provided for him and his ministry from their own means.  They give us an example of humble giving to God.

Are we following their example?  Are we providing for the ministry of our local church out of our means?  Not occasional token gifts, but true regular giving to the Lord out of what God has graciously given to us?  Have we discovered the joy of giving?

I know of numerous missionaries who are stranded in our country, unable to go to the missions field because they can’t find the support.  Yet we are the wealthiest country in the world!  This is a huge indictment upon the American church.  Are we serving God with our money or ourselves?  Are we bowing down to the Lord or materialism?

How we need to follow the example of these dear women.  How quickly we could send out these missionaries if all of God’s people regularly and joyfully gave back to God a portion of what he has given to them.  Not a meager portion.  But a generous portion for his work and his glory.  Father, grant that we would humbly give to you.

(Luke 8:1-3)