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Our Convictions
- People around the world are actively looking for hope. Common myth: People are basically content and shouldn't be bothered.
- All Christians are called to share their reason for hope and to make disciples. Common myth: You must be in full-time ministry or have the gift of evangelism.
- Young people are looking for a cause to join. Common myth: Young people are cynical and lack initiative.
- When hungry Christians experience Jesus' model of discipleship, they find it irresistible and they are mobilized. Common myth: Jesus' model of discipleship is so hopelessly spartan and rigorous it must be modified to be embraced.
- Efficiently equipping others is the key to the Great Commission. Common myth: More Bible studies are the key to the Great Commission.
- To succeed, we must constantly attempt things which are doomed to fail without God. Common myth: I can only do what I have already done.
- Prayer is the basis for our direction and power. Common myth: Plans are the basis for our direction, hard work the basis of our power.
- Resources are God's problem. Common myth: If it's not in the budget, it can't be done.
- Partnership with churches helps involve the whole body of Christ in the Great Commission. Common myth: Missions agencies are not intimately linked with the Church.
Let's look at each of these convictions in greater detail:
1. People around the world are actively looking for hope. As humans, we are born adrift in uncharted waters, not knowing what our end will be. From an early age, we are looking for a place to anchor our souls. Hebrews 6:19 says, "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast..." Most of us intuitively know we are lost, we know we need a savior. All the activity we immerse ourselves in acts as noise drowning out the silence which makes our lostness so obvious. Peel back the layers and you see that people everywhere have their beggar clothes on and are desperate for hope. In some societies, this fact is more obvious than in others. In Mexico for example, frequently the word will spread that one of our short-term groups is going door-to-door sharing the gospel and people will come outside in hopes of talking to them. We have had people chase us down because they were so desperate for prayer. We have had so many seeking us out that our evangelism groups have led a dozen or more to Christ without ever moving down the street. In places where people are physically needy, they often are more in touch with their spiritual need than they are when
2. All Christians are called to share their reason for hope and to make disciples. Jesus gave a final command, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations..." This is our objective, our focus, our raison d'être. 99% of Christians never go, many because they never felt they were called. But Jesus has already called us to go. We have it exactly backwards when we say we can't go because we haven't been called. Jesus has waved the checkered flag and most of the cars are still on the starting line. Believing this, we don't have to hold back when we talk to other Christians about their call to be involved in the Great Commission. While people should wait on God to confirm His call to our particular team or any other team, everyone should be making disciples.
3. Young people are looking for a cause to join. The old paradigms of success are bankrupt and young people know it. They are looking for ways to make a difference. They are cynical and streetsmart. They may not know the verse in 2 Timothy which states, "Men will...hold a form of godliness, although they have denied its power", but they have seen that this describes the Church and they want to have nothing to do with it. It's not real. On the other hand, once shown the real thing, young people will embrace it with passion. They are looking for something bigger than themselves to believe in and to be a part of. The way to realize the Great Commission is not by lowering the bar so that more would-be missionaries might consider it. Rather, it's by keeping the bar high and showing that it is possible to jump over it.
4. When hungry Christians experience Jesus' model of discipleship, they find it irresistible and they are mobilized. Luke 10:17 tells us the results of Jesus' model of discipleship: "And the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.'" Jesus is in the business of raising up tightrope walkers who work without a net. When he sent out a large group of his disciples on a short-term mission trip, he essentially said, "As for the packing list on page 85, don't bother. Not only will you not be packing anything, you can leave the suitcase behind too." Literally he said "Carry no purse, no bag, no shoes..." Nor did he promise them fun and adventure. In Matthew 10:17, Jesus told his disciples that they would be put on trial by the legal system, publically whipped, and brought before other governmental authorities. The bottom line he declared was that these short-term missionaries would be hated by everyone and maybe even killed. Jesus was describing for them the narrow road that leads to salvation. Yet they could not have been more ecstatic when they returned. By leaving all encumberances behind, immersing themselve in ministry, and depending completely on God, they were wildly successful. Jesus' model of discipleship is not easy, but if we will follow it we'll be successful. We'll get on board with God's plan for the world.
5. Efficiently equipping others is the key to the Great Commission. 2 Timothy 2:2 says, "And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also." This is the game plan. Unfortunately we as a church either stop short of completing the task or we embrace inefficient models of equipping. True equipping involves a sustained, intentional relationships using Jesus' model. Equipping nationals according to this model is far more efficient than the old method of equipping expatriates for several reasons: a)It costs less to train them (about fifteen times less - $1000/year vs. $15,000/year), b)It costs less less to send them (about twentyfive times less - $1000/year vs. $25,000/Year), c)Nationals don't need language or culture training, d)Nationals are often more passionate in their faith.
6. To succeed, we must constantly attempt things which are doomed to fail without God. We Christians, armed as we are with all truth and with the Holy Spirit, would have taken over the world by now if something hadn't gone wrong along the way. One of the things that messes up the church over again over again is that we settle for what seems reasonable. We've become cautious in our approach. We make timid calculations about what is possible and so bring God down to our size. ..." 1 Timothy 1:7 says "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power." When we exchange our limited view of what is possible for what God is prepared to give us, we not only consign people to hell through inaction, we also miss out on the adventure of a lifetime. God wants to prove Himself strong on our behalf. He has given us the broad parameters of our mission, He would rather that we fail gloriously and frequently in the endeavor than that we measure each step carefully before taking it.
7. Prayer is the basis for our direction and power. Too many Christians are functioning as independent contractors. Geared for action, they charge into battle with their radios turned off, unable to receive any updates from their command and control. We are called to spend much time in prayer because God desires to be in relationship with us, but He also has a practical reason for asking us to as Colossians 4:2 says, "Devote yourselves to prayer..." He wants to be able to tell us where to go and what to do. And when we're in the midst of running His errands and need something that only He can supernaturally provide, we need to be in touch with Him. Through prayer God directs us, and through prayer He empowers us.
8. Resources are God's problem. Matthew 6:30 says "But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith." To call someone "a man of little faith" is to belittle him, it is to put his weakness on display so that he will change his behavior. God wants to be our resource-provider. He wants us to trust Him for whatever we need to be successful. God is not surprised when we announce our needs to Him. He knows what our needs are before we tell Him. When we take this job away from Him, we are saying "I don't trust you." God wants to be trusted, so we must rely on Him for the resources we need to do what He has asked us to do.
9. Partnership with churches helps involve the whole body of Christ in the Great Commission. As Ephesians 4:16 tells us, when the body works together, it grows. To realize the Great Commission within our lifetime, we need to get many more people involved. We need to mobilize not only more goers, but also more senders. Because the local church is God's chosen instrument to accomplish His purposes, we must work hand-in-hand with it. Partnership between missionaries and churches is something which dates back to Paul's time. Without such a partnership, there are only individual senders, not a collective body. By involving the local body, we not only avail ourselves of more resources, we cast a missions vision for it.
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