GOING GLOBAL FOR GOD

#1 · October 21, 2002, 4:08 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on October 21, 2002, 4:08 pm
Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

GOING GLOBAL FOR GOD
October 20, 2002

Text: 2 Timothy 1:8-14

Im going to ask you to do a little remembering and reflection for a
moment. First, on a personal level, recall someone who was influential in
your decision to accept Christ as Savior. Place that person, or people,
in the context of where you were when they influenced you - maybe church
or a special service or on the job or in your family. OK, now also recall
the church that you best consider your childhood church, if you attended
one. It may be this church, FBC, Bunker Hill. Got it? A little
reflection?

Now let us ask this: where did the faith of those people and those
congregations come from? From the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I know,
but on the human plane it came from someone else who witnessed and shared
the Gospel with them. And so it was with the ones before them and the
ones before them. Tracing back far enough, we eventually discover that
those witnessing the Christian faith came from overseas. And then,
eventually, we can trace the lineage of faith back to the believers in
the first church of Jerusalem.

Now, friends, my purpose for this exercise is to remind you that sharing
the Christian faith has always been a worldwide endeavor. Christianity
has always been a global mission! Consider Scriptures most prolific
author, Paul. Shortly after his conversion and subsequent acceptance into
the Jerusalem church, Paul sought to be commissioned as an apostle to the
Gentiles. The church commissioned him and a few partners in ministry as
missionaries to proclaim the Word and establish churches in far away
areas. So even today with have some familiarity with the ancient
locations of Ephesus and Philippi and Galatia and Corinth and others.
Paul lived out what he wrote: So do not be ashamed to testify about our
Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for
the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy
life - not by anything we have done but because of his own purpose and
grace And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a
teacher What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching,
with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was
entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in
us. Imagine. The lineage of the Christian faith that reached us or
established First Baptist Church in Bunker Hill might have started with
someone who heard Paul preaching in the church at Ephesus!

Overseas mission has not stopped in our day. Quite the contrary. Overseas
mission is a vital, necessary ministry for a lost and dying world like
never before. American Baptists have about 85 commissioned missionaries
and missionary families serving in five continents. Like their missionary
predecessors over the centuries, each of these missionaries and
missionary teams make an impact in the areas they serve.

One such testimony is shared by Charles Fox, serving in far-away
Thailand. Sharing the Gospel cross-culturally can often present
obstacles. But God has a way of intervening so that the story of
salvation in Jesus Christ may be told in even the most unlikely
circumstances. Missionary Charles Fox, who serves in Thailand, witnessed
Gods intervention in the Akha village of Mehter, not far from the Burma
(Myanmar) border.

Charles had been traveling with two evangelists when he first visited
Mehter, a large village of five hundred people, built on a hillside high
above a valley. The Akha are traditionally animists, which means that
they constantly think about the world of spirits, both good and evil. In
the belief of animists, if something bad happens, they wonder which evil
spirit has been offended.

Charles and leaders of the Akha Churches of Thailand set a goal to
establish a friendship with the headman. The headman controls everything
concerning the village. If they were to share the Gospel with the people
of Mehter, they would need this headmans permission. Although the
village is non-Christian, and the headman a dedicated spirit-worshiper,
Charles and his coworkers received a warm welcome when they arrived. It
was answer to their prayers! They ate a wonderful Akha meal with the
headman and conversed with him for several hours, during which they
offered to help the village of Mehter in any way they could. The headman
was grateful for the offer and took his guests on a tour of the village.
He revealed to them Mehters greatest need.

He told them of thirty-five men addicted to opium who needed help
overcoming their addiction. Charles found a drug rehabilitation program
that included one month detoxification and two months of Christian
discipleship training. When Charles explained what the program involved,
the headman enthusiastically agreed to allow the men to attend. God truly
opens doors of opportunity for the sake of [His] kingdom! (Evangelism
and Discipleship, 2002 WMO Promotional Workbook, ABCUSA, p. 20)

This is but one of many of the testimonies coming from our overseas
missionaries. Just as Paul ministered throughout the Mediterranean basin
as a missionary, so our commissioned ministers serve God throughout the
world. They can claim with authority that they have been appointed a
herald and an apostle and a teacher of the Word of God.

We are partners in ministry with them. We are called to make these
missionary ministries happen. Locally, we engage in Christian outreach
directly in ways that bring the Word of life to those in our communities
and in ways that are beneficial to them for the Kingdom. Globally, we
support ministers in places where we cannot be ourselves. This is what
partnership in missions and ministry is all about. The Word of God is
carried to many, many parts of the world.

Once the seed of the Gospel is planted at some of these places around the
world, it begins to grow. New Christians tell their neighbors; some of
those neighbors accept the Lord and they tell others; before long, the
need for local trained leadership is noticed. Part of the American
Baptist missionary initiatives include equipping local men and women to
be leaders in their Christian communities, just like Paul instructed to
Timothy, What you heard from me, keep as a pattern of sound teaching,
with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Two decades ago, at the brink of autonomous leadership for the Baptist
Convention of Costa Rica, the national leaders faced tremendous
challenges. Their needs were urgent, including the need to train
Christian educators and leaders and minister within their own church
family. Even today the convention is continuing to take steps toward that
vision. With the help of ABC missionary Ruth Mooney, who serves in Costa
Rica, the convention has produced its own Sunday school materials for the
first time. More than 25 people - some of whom complete a four-part
Teacher Training Course led by Ruth - participated in writing various
lessons. Last November the convention celebrated its accomplishment and
the impact it will have on those seeking to serve Christ, says Ruth.
The Costa Ricans expressed thanks to American Baptists for our important
role in making this dream come true: Bible studies that will strengthen
the churches in the understanding and practice of their faith.
(Equipping Leaders in Costa Rica, 2000 WMO Promotional Workbook,
ABCUSA, p. 22)

Imagine it. Just like we can trace the lineage of our faith through
others back to other parts of the world, so can some of these Costa
Ricans and others trace the lineage of their faith back to America and
then on back to other parts of the world. Christianity is truly a global
faith. As Christian brothers and sisters, we do not need to worry about
boundaries because this great faith cuts across them all. Faithfulness to
the ministries and missions of Christ is one of the elements that have
resulted in so many wonderful blessings from God. As the rain and the
snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the
earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the
sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11) So says God.
By being obedient to God and living and growing as Christs disciples, we
become a part of Gods global mission plan. So do not be ashamed to
testify about our Lord

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

Posted by: bhfbc <bhfbc@...>

GOING GLOBAL FOR GOD
October 20, 2002

Text: 2 Timothy 1:8-14

Im going to ask you to do a little remembering and reflection for a
moment. First, on a personal level, recall someone who was influential in
your decision to accept Christ as Savior. Place that person, or people,
in the context of where you were when they influenced you - maybe church
or a special service or on the job or in your family. OK, now also recall
the church that you best consider your childhood church, if you attended
one. It may be this church, FBC, Bunker Hill. Got it? A little
reflection?

Now let us ask this: where did the faith of those people and those
congregations come from? From the conviction of the Holy Spirit, I know,
but on the human plane it came from someone else who witnessed and shared
the Gospel with them. And so it was with the ones before them and the
ones before them. Tracing back far enough, we eventually discover that
those witnessing the Christian faith came from overseas. And then,
eventually, we can trace the lineage of faith back to the believers in
the first church of Jerusalem.

Now, friends, my purpose for this exercise is to remind you that sharing
the Christian faith has always been a worldwide endeavor. Christianity
has always been a global mission! Consider Scriptures most prolific
author, Paul. Shortly after his conversion and subsequent acceptance into
the Jerusalem church, Paul sought to be commissioned as an apostle to the
Gentiles. The church commissioned him and a few partners in ministry as
missionaries to proclaim the Word and establish churches in far away
areas. So even today with have some familiarity with the ancient
locations of Ephesus and Philippi and Galatia and Corinth and others.
Paul lived out what he wrote: So do not be ashamed to testify about our
Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for
the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy
life - not by anything we have done but because of his own purpose and
grace And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a
teacher What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching,
with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was
entrusted to you - guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in
us. Imagine. The lineage of the Christian faith that reached us or
established First Baptist Church in Bunker Hill might have started with
someone who heard Paul preaching in the church at Ephesus!

Overseas mission has not stopped in our day. Quite the contrary. Overseas
mission is a vital, necessary ministry for a lost and dying world like
never before. American Baptists have about 85 commissioned missionaries
and missionary families serving in five continents. Like their missionary
predecessors over the centuries, each of these missionaries and
missionary teams make an impact in the areas they serve.

One such testimony is shared by Charles Fox, serving in far-away
Thailand. Sharing the Gospel cross-culturally can often present
obstacles. But God has a way of intervening so that the story of
salvation in Jesus Christ may be told in even the most unlikely
circumstances. Missionary Charles Fox, who serves in Thailand, witnessed
Gods intervention in the Akha village of Mehter, not far from the Burma
(Myanmar) border.

Charles had been traveling with two evangelists when he first visited
Mehter, a large village of five hundred people, built on a hillside high
above a valley. The Akha are traditionally animists, which means that
they constantly think about the world of spirits, both good and evil. In
the belief of animists, if something bad happens, they wonder which evil
spirit has been offended.

Charles and leaders of the Akha Churches of Thailand set a goal to
establish a friendship with the headman. The headman controls everything
concerning the village. If they were to share the Gospel with the people
of Mehter, they would need this headmans permission. Although the
village is non-Christian, and the headman a dedicated spirit-worshiper,
Charles and his coworkers received a warm welcome when they arrived. It
was answer to their prayers! They ate a wonderful Akha meal with the
headman and conversed with him for several hours, during which they
offered to help the village of Mehter in any way they could. The headman
was grateful for the offer and took his guests on a tour of the village.
He revealed to them Mehters greatest need.

He told them of thirty-five men addicted to opium who needed help
overcoming their addiction. Charles found a drug rehabilitation program
that included one month detoxification and two months of Christian
discipleship training. When Charles explained what the program involved,
the headman enthusiastically agreed to allow the men to attend. God truly
opens doors of opportunity for the sake of [His] kingdom! (Evangelism
and Discipleship, 2002 WMO Promotional Workbook, ABCUSA, p. 20)

This is but one of many of the testimonies coming from our overseas
missionaries. Just as Paul ministered throughout the Mediterranean basin
as a missionary, so our commissioned ministers serve God throughout the
world. They can claim with authority that they have been appointed a
herald and an apostle and a teacher of the Word of God.

We are partners in ministry with them. We are called to make these
missionary ministries happen. Locally, we engage in Christian outreach
directly in ways that bring the Word of life to those in our communities
and in ways that are beneficial to them for the Kingdom. Globally, we
support ministers in places where we cannot be ourselves. This is what
partnership in missions and ministry is all about. The Word of God is
carried to many, many parts of the world.

Once the seed of the Gospel is planted at some of these places around the
world, it begins to grow. New Christians tell their neighbors; some of
those neighbors accept the Lord and they tell others; before long, the
need for local trained leadership is noticed. Part of the American
Baptist missionary initiatives include equipping local men and women to
be leaders in their Christian communities, just like Paul instructed to
Timothy, What you heard from me, keep as a pattern of sound teaching,
with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Two decades ago, at the brink of autonomous leadership for the Baptist
Convention of Costa Rica, the national leaders faced tremendous
challenges. Their needs were urgent, including the need to train
Christian educators and leaders and minister within their own church
family. Even today the convention is continuing to take steps toward that
vision. With the help of ABC missionary Ruth Mooney, who serves in Costa
Rica, the convention has produced its own Sunday school materials for the
first time. More than 25 people - some of whom complete a four-part
Teacher Training Course led by Ruth - participated in writing various
lessons. Last November the convention celebrated its accomplishment and
the impact it will have on those seeking to serve Christ, says Ruth.
The Costa Ricans expressed thanks to American Baptists for our important
role in making this dream come true: Bible studies that will strengthen
the churches in the understanding and practice of their faith.
(Equipping Leaders in Costa Rica, 2000 WMO Promotional Workbook,
ABCUSA, p. 22)

Imagine it. Just like we can trace the lineage of our faith through
others back to other parts of the world, so can some of these Costa
Ricans and others trace the lineage of their faith back to America and
then on back to other parts of the world. Christianity is truly a global
faith. As Christian brothers and sisters, we do not need to worry about
boundaries because this great faith cuts across them all. Faithfulness to
the ministries and missions of Christ is one of the elements that have
resulted in so many wonderful blessings from God. As the rain and the
snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the
earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the
sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and
achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11) So says God.
By being obedient to God and living and growing as Christs disciples, we
become a part of Gods global mission plan. So do not be ashamed to
testify about our Lord

Rev. Charles A. Layne, pastor, First Baptist Church, Bunker Hill, IN

________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.