Missions on Point

We now begin a series of missions insights from the New Testament. Appropriately, we begin with the birth of Christ. Through the record of Christ's birth and the people involved, we see God's clear intent to bring salvation to all nations. This was prophesied in the Old Testament, demonstrated even through the lineage of Jesus, and confirmed by many people connected to His actual Incarnation and young childhood. God is faithful, in Christ, to fulfill his Word to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham.

It is fitting for us to consider Christ in the Old Testament. His life, ministry, death, and resurrection are the basis of the Gospel message of missions. Christ Himself teaches that the whole Old Testament speaks of Him as well as predicts His life and work in God's plans for His glory. So, it is a wonder to behold Him throughout the Old Testament. The Old Testament uses over 100 titles and names for Christ. Particulars of His position, His majesty, His perfections, and His cross-work are pictured, described, and portrayed in many ways. Jesus Himself appears in His pre-incarnate state to individuals in the lives of Old Testament saints. Types or pictures of Christ and of His saving work are modeled or shown to pre-figure His salvation in the Old Testament Scriptures.

In this episode we take a look at a couple of unique Old Testament missionaries - reluctant Jonah and captive Daniel. We also see God's purposes in the last words of the Old Testament before 400 years of silence until the coming of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. We clearly see God's heart for the nations, His clear purposes to be glorified and worshiped among all nations, and His faithfulness to give spokesmen who proclaim His majesty and greatness no matter the circumstances.

Psalm 67 is an outstanding example of a missions Psalm. The key phrases highlight for us how to read and look for God's missions purposes woven throughout the Old Testament. The purpose of God's blessing on His people is so that those resources would be used to draw people from all the earth to acknowledge and worship the one true God.  We see similar phrases and usage in the great books of Isaiah and Ezekiel.

In our selective insights, we'll look at the purposive statement recorded about the story of David and Goliath. The phrase "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel" is a key phrase used in various forms to show God's intent to spread His glory to all nations. Jesus reinforces this interpretation with His own statements in Luke 4 and the conduct of His own ministry. We see this repeated phrase, or equivalent, by other leaders and servants of God repeated many times throughout the Old Testament. It is a billboard-sized sign of God's intent to win people from all nations to a right relationship with Him for His glory. Stay tuned for more. Also, check out the book "Missions on Point" here.

We start a new series to introduce you to missions insights from the Old Testament. There are an abundance of things we could mention. But this series will focus on whetting your appetite with some personal favorite instances to highlight. The story of God's call and promise to Abraham is a crucial development in God's overarching purpose to bring glory to Himself in all nations. Genesis 1-11 can be regarded as an introduction to the main story of redemption, which unfolds here.

We've settled on a shorter, clearer book title -- Missions on Point: The Local Church's Role in Missions.  This episode is a reprise that corrects the previously announced draft title. There are current thoughts in the missions world that missions agencies should give up on local churches' participation. Agencies are seeking to  harden themselves to become independent of local churches. That thinking is dangerous and unbiblical! Local churches must rise up and take serious responsibility for their role in world missions. There is a lot of clear biblical support for the primacy of the local church in God's program. Working against that mindset could be disastrous for missions agencies. The local church needs to step up to reclaim their birthright. We've seen wonderful positive growth in a number of churches as they grasp this teaching. We'd love to see regional intensive weekend trainings spring up across the US: SW, NW, Central, East Coast. Pray with us to that end. Pray for the impact of the book as it comes out. Visit https://propempo.com/resources/missions-on-point-book/ to find out more and show your interest.

This is the last episode of the preview series of a book underdevelopment on the centrality of the church in missions. Please let us know if you're interested in being on the list to be notified when it is published. This episode is the capstone and summary of the main ideas presented in the previous episodes, starting with Ep. # 142. The local church is God's agent to accomplish His will on earth. The local church is central, by design, in missions as per biblical principles and precepts. The local church is the goal of missions ministry, as evidenced in many ways, including the Great Commission.

Let me know how this series affects you, your ministry, and your church.

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There are people and ministries who identify themselves as "missions mobilizers." We review the need and definition of missions mobilization. Yet, the missing element in most missions mobilization is the neglected role of the sending church. Mobilization would have stronger and better long-term results if more attention was given to developing the mobilization capacity of local churches! The best mobilization is by, with, and through the local church for the end goal of planting local churches among every people group on earth to the glory of Jesus Christ. cf. Eph. 3:8-21

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What difference does this biblical orientation toward local-church-centric missions make for the missionary training school? There are lots of types of missionary training programs and institutions. Many are quite specific in what things they tackle in missionary training and preparation. Others are traditional Christian colleges and universities with a degree or diploma program specifically aimed at training missionaries. Yet, in light of our study, most do not include a seat at the table for the home or sending church of their student/candidate. This episode talks about fixing that gap. It is essential that some change be made in order to produce the best qualified, most effective, long-term missionaries being sent to bring the Gospel and plant churches among the final frontiers of people groups yet to be reached.

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