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the vocation of the messianic covenant community gathering the covenant harvests introduction !!God’s eternal purpose for creation… !!a covenant community •! revealing his essential nature—his glory •! revealing his purposes for his creation •! co-operating with him !!partnering with Messiah in gathering “covenant harvests” of the earth covenant harvests a harvest of gentile peoples a harvest of “all nations” every ethnos go and make people from all nations into disciples, baptising them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you —!Matthew 28.19 nations = ethnos = ethnic people groups •! different by ethnic origin •! different by language •! different by culture, religion, caste •! different by political nationality nation, tribe, people, language I looked and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb… —!Revelation 7.9 who? •! ethné = race, ethnic people •! phulé = tribe, clan •! laos = nation, people •! glossa = language great commission !!after-thought of Jesus? no: God’s eternal, unchanging purpose !!“bible explains mission” no: “mission explains the bible”!
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!!“bible explains mission” no: “mission explains the bible”!
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!!option for committed core of believers? no: calling to entire Christian community world mission movements !!early church : ~ 450 AD •! Mediterranean to India !!Celtic church : 500-800 AD •! West, Central Europe !!Nestorian church : 480-1250 AD •! Asia !!Orthodox church : 800-1100 AD •! Eastern Europe, Russia !!Roman Catholic mission orders : 1209- AD •! mainly north, western Europe; North Africa, China marginalisation of mission !!mission movements exception, not rule !!16th century Reformers denied importance •! battling RC, rather than evangelising heathen •! imminent return Christ •! obligation fulfilled by apostles •! “election” made mission unnecessary! !!mission marginalised theologically, organisationally… !!until 18th-century protestant missions… Moravian Brethren, 1727!!godly leadership •! Count Zinzandorf !!community •! persecuted protestant refugees !!prayer •! 24/7 prayer vigil lasting over 100 years! !!dedication to world mission •! declared “every Christian a missionary” •! 1 missionary to every 60 community members •! ratio 1 : 5000 within Protestantism generally Moravian missionaries !!worldwide network •! Virgin Islands, North America, South America •! Greenland, Lapland, Labrador •! South Africa, Tanganyika (Tanzania) !!missionaries •! unselfish dedication •! evangelists, not theologians
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•! unselfish dedication •! evangelists, not theologians •! artisans, trades-people •! self-supporting •! economic influence; led to spiritual influence father of modern mission movement William Carey, 1792 !!vision, leadership, prayer, dedication !!1st global statistical survey: •! populations •! evangelistic progress !!formed Baptist Missionary Society !!Serampore, India, 40 years •! schools •! bible translation; printing •! college for missionaries, evangelists William Carey expect great things from God attempt great things for God five breaking waves of modern world mission movement five breaking waves 1.!mission to continental coastlands 2.!mission to continental interiors 3.!mission to geo-political countries 4.!missions to ethno-linguistic peoples 5.!mission by non-Western movements first wave, 1792 - 1865 coastlands of unreached continents " ! discipling, church planting •! islands, coastlands of Asia, Africa •! extremely long journeys •! slow, difficult communications " ! denominational •! inter-denominational co-operation •! London Missionary Society " ! extraordinary pioneers •! William Carey second wave, 1865 - 1910 continental interiors of Africa, Asia " ! preaching to every person
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" ! preaching to every person •! geographical penetration of inland regions •! AIM, SIM, Heart of Africa Mission (WEC) •! major threat of death by tropical disease " ! interdenominational organisations •! China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor •! faith •! field autonomy •! “three-self” approach •! “go native” approach second wave, 1865 - 1910 continental interiors of Africa, Asia " ! world evangelisation before 20th century •! much excitement pre-1900 •! afterwards momentum slowed by discouragement of nonachievement " ! “Student Volunteer Movement” •! 100’s missionaries •! huge educational impact •! non-theological personnel •! virtually halted by savage first world war third wave, 1910 - 1966 geo-political nations, countries " ! almost every one entered or targeted •! slow, steady missionary advance •! supported by Evangelical movement •! theological, social, economic, political hostility " ! moderate non-Western church growth •! church planting •! training indigenous leaders •! western domination stifled native Christianity fourth wave, 1966ethnic people groups " ! ethnically-defined people groups •! measured, analysed, targeted •! reached, unreached, progress •! change in missiological strategy " ! zones of regional darkness •! “10/40 Window” —!theoretical ‘window,’10o and 40o N
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—!theoretical ‘window,’10o and 40o N •! Silk Route —!traditional router for silk traders strategic terminology “people group” largest group within which Gospel can spread as a churchplanting movement or people movement to Christ… without encountering significant barriers of understanding or acceptance strategic terminology “unreached / least reached” " !people groups without a viable indigenous church sufficiently developed to be capable of evangelizing its own people without cross-cultural assistance " !at least 50% of population have little or no access to the Gospel, either indigenous or cross-cultural " !statistically < 2% evangelicals and < 5% nominal Christian adherents strategic terminology " ! “ethno-linguistic” defined by language, dialect, ethnicity " ! “ethnic” defined by language, dialect, ethnicity, religion, caste, culture " ! “unimax” “maximum sized group, sufficiently unified to allow a people movement towards Christ” defined by language, dialect, ethnicity, religion, caste, culture, education, politics, ideology, historical bonds, customs, behaviour 10 / 40 window gospel-resistant darkness " !86% least-evangelised people " !78% least-evangelised p/g’s •! 2.5 billion Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists " !82% of poorest people •! 2.4 billion < $1.40 / day " !overpopulation, disease "! AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis
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"! AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis " !prejudice, abuse, illiteracy "! dictatorships, corruption "! children, women, Christians 10 / 40 window " !Christian workers " !94.5% among evangelised " !4.8% evangelised / resistant " !0.7% among unreached " !for every unreached ethné " !580+ evangelical, great commission churches " !40,000+ believers fourth wave, 1966ethnic people groups " ! massive prayer-based growth •! still accelerating… •! 170 million praying daily for “revival” •! 20 million prayer “primary ministry” •! worldwide Christian radio coverage " ! centre of gravity no longer in West •! ‘60’s Africa •! ‘70’s Latin America •! ‘80’s East Asia •! ‘90’s Eurasia fifth wave, 1980non-Western mission movements " ! vibrant, emerging force in world mission •! vibrant, vast numbers •! non-western Pentecostal movements engaging seriously with world mission " ! close to unreached peoples •! geographically •! culturally " ! huge biblical educational requirement •! partnership opportunity: YSC’s / OSC’s what difference have waves made? number of non-Christians per believer ratio of congregations to people groups what remains to be done? the great imbalance why it can be done…
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the great imbalance why it can be done… " ! 500 million Christians committed to act •! annual growth rate 6.9% •! faster than global population growth •! 100 million are young believers " ! annual ‘disposable’ earnings $2.5 trillion •! $8 billion given to missions (33c per $100) •! Christians own 60 million computers " ! 3 million full-time Christian workers •! 285, 000 career missionaries •! 30, 000 broadcasting cross-culturally a harvest of gentile peoples a harvest of “all nations” covenant harvests the eternal purpose academy of mission a series of presentations published by Eternal Purpose Institute for Missiological Research and Education downloadable under licence, free-of-charge the eternal purpose academy of mission this work is licenced for use and distribution under the terms of a Creative Commons licence to understand operation, terms of licence precisely visit: http://academy.eternalpurpose.org.uk/licence
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