Group items tagged

Missionaries must be more vigilant on the field than in home situations. They need to be able to discern between cultural differences and spiritual opposition, but the spiritual authority to resist evil attacks is even more vital. These can come through many means, including physical health and disease, attacks upon the mind and attitude, in relationships and in physical threats such as violent attacks and hostage taking.

assurance that God has guided one to a particular ministry is often the only anchor to retain workers in difficult situations, misunderstandings, broken relationships and “impossible” crises. Pray that none may leave a place of calling for a negative or superficial reason, but only because of a positive leading from God.

Success should be understood as having been achieved when the missionaries are no longer needed for the role for which they came. The ideal goal of all missionaries should be to train their own replacements from among local believers.

both persecution and Church growth are prominent include China, India, Sudan, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Iran and Myanmar, to name but a few

local congregations. Each should be an organic entity, a community where all members participate in body life. Each believer has gifts to contribute to the up-building of the whole, yet rarely do congregations function in this way

Missionaries are often accused of “destroying cultures”. The 20th Century demonstrated that it was actually the missionaries who preserved and ennobled cultures when the Scriptures were translated. It was rather the insensitivity, greed and ecological degradation of soldiers, traders, loggers, drug cartels that have done the damage. Without the translation of the Bible, many languages and cultures will disappear. Many cultures where the Gospel has been preached but do not have the Scriptures will be anaemic and without a strong Christian core embedded in their corporate life.