People group formal definition: this refers to a sociological grouping of individuals who perceive themselves to have an affinity for each other due to language, ethnicity, location, occupation, and/or geographical location. Usually there is a common self-name and a sense of common identity of individuals identified with the group. A common history, customs, family and clan identities, as well as marriage rules and practices, age-grades and other obligation covenants and inheritance patterns and rules are some of the common ethnic factors defining or distinguishing a people. What they call themselves may vary at different levels of identity, or among various sub-groups. People group working definition: A group of people through whom information can travel unhindered.
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EDITORIAL Doctrine is unchanging but methodology must sometimes be adjusted. Our methodology must change if we are to reverse the present situation of leaving one-half of the world unreached. This guest editorial by Dr. Mike Norris presents a new approach which makes the task of world evangelism believable, manageable and measurable. PAGE 4
FIRSTBIBLE INTERNATIONAL E X PA N D S N AT I O N A L LY A N D I N T E R N AT I O N A L LY Updates from both the national and international ministries of FirstBible are submitted by the respective leaders of each ministry. PAGE 9
STRATEGY S T R AT E G Y Dr. Charles Keen describes the process through which God leads us in order to see His work accomplished. Accomplishing the Great Commission begins with prayer, but where does it go from there? PAGE 12
HOW TO BE A WORLDVIEW CHRISTIAN In this excerpt from Thinking Outside the Box, Dr. Charles Keen states that perhaps the single greatest need in fundamentalism is to instill in every individual a worldview. A worldview will cause us to see that everything we do must become a means to one end: world evangelism. PAGE 5
4 BIG THOUGHTS FOR CHURCHES T H AT WA N T T O REACH THE UTTERMOST Ken Fielder offers encouragement and admonition to the increasing number of churches that are becoming interested in the unreached people groups. A more deliberate methodology is necessary if we are to reach the unreached. PAGE 10
CHANGES IN WORLD RELIGION New statistics reveal the growth or decline of the world’s major religions. PAGE 14
A N E N Q U I RY - A RT I C L E 2
MONGOLIA REPORT 15 travelers, 8 days, 18,000 miles. The FirstBible Team’s February trip to Mongolia was both eventful and blessed of the Lord. Great progress was made in our effort to translate the Scriptures for these needy people. This article explains why we believe God led us there. PAGE 13
This is the second of four chapters of William Carey’s An Enquiry. Editor Charles Keen declares it to be the most important document in modern times on the subject of missions. PAGE 15
MISSIONARIES TO THE UNREACHED A short list of missionaries and the countries they are working in as well as contact information. PAGE 18
Unpublished WORD - Editor – Charles Keen, Assistant Editor – Ken Fielder, Circulation/Advertising – Jerry Rockwell, Graphic Design – the graphic edge, Frisco, TX, Production/Printing – Clark’s Printing Co./Ventura, CA Some of the authors and their material featured in UW Journal are not necessarily in agreement with the theological position of the UW Journal. Their writings are included because of their insight into the particular subject matter published in the UW Journal. The Unpublished WORD Journal is a quarterly publication of FirstBible International. All correspondence should be sent to the editorial offices at: FirstBible International, 3148 Franklin Road, Murfreesboro, TN 37128. Phone (615) 796-0043, email: info@firstbible.net, website: www.firstbible.net. FirstBible International is a ministry of Franklin Road Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, TN, Dr. Mike Norris, Pastor.
Rethinking Our Missions Approach “…a fundamental approach to the 10/40 Window.’’
GUEST EDITORIAL by Dr. Mike Norris
Obviously we cannot adjust doctrine to times and culture, but we have historical evidence to show that methods of ministry can be culturally sensitive. The safeguard is to establish that ministry methods cannot override or violate scripture. We have several illustrations of rethinking the approach to missions in modern church history. • William Carey challenged the church to rethink its approach in the 1700’s from a fatalistic attitude to one of outreach.i •
In the 1800’s Hudson Taylor challenged men to penetrate countries, moving from coastal evangelistic efforts to inland ministries. He founded the China Inland Mission and many others followed his pattern such as the Sudan Interior Mission, etc.
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In the early 1900’s Cameron Townsend saw the need for Bible translation work in world evangelism.
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May I suggest that we fundamentalists in the twenty-first century need to rethink our mission approach, moving from reaching individuals to reaching individual people groups.
Personally, as a Christian I seek to reach the individual. As a pastor, I lead our church to reach our city (a corporation of individuals). And, of course, the goal of the local church missionary is to reach individuals on foreign soil. However, individual people group thinking makes our task of world evangelism: believable, manageable and measurable. If we are individual minded in our missions approach, we must see our remaining task to number 3.4 billion individual souls. This is a daunting task beyond our comprehension and outside most people’s faith limits, but individual people group thinking makes our assignment: A. Believable: If we become “nation” or people group minded, we do not reduce the goal of “every creature evangelism,” but we do reduce our assignment to 6,000 remaining unreached people groups. In theory, if we plant 6,000 self-supporting, self-propagating, and self-governing churches, one in each individual unreached people group, then every creature could be reached through the ministry outreach of the church plants. B. Manageable: We can track the areas with the greatest needs, those where progress is being made and those that are still overlooked by the church. (These are the areas the Bible calls the uttermost.) We can, through prayer, preaching and counsel, guide men and women to reach the unreached. We can involve our lay people to pray and give by providing people group profiles that define the people and their existing needs within any given group. This is what Jesus said to do in Matthew 9:38 and is what the church at Antioch did in Acts 13:1-3. C. Measurable: We can start to realize that we not only have the pledge of Jesus’ power, presence and provision, but also that our existing resources far exceed our remaining assignment. When we shift our approach to people group thinking, we realize we are only 6,000 strategically planted churches from eliminating the unreached category in world evangelism. Our resources exceed 12,000 fundamental independent Baptist churches. (We have 2 churches for every unreached people group.) Another encouraging and, at the same time, discouraging fact is that it is estimated only 3% of our present membership has an active plan for world evangelism in place. This is encouraging in that if we have accomplished what we have done with only 3% active in the Great Commission and still have a large pool from which to draw (97%), what could we do if we experienced revival and that 3% grew to 30%, 60%, or more who would become involved in the Great Commission? A third sad fact is that it takes four of our churches to produce one missionary. Through revival, that number could change. We believe the amount of funding would increase for the unreached as prayer increases. continued on page 14
by Dr. Charles Keen
This is the age of specialization. A specialist knows more and more about less and less. In the medical field, a specialist must first be a general practitioner. He must first know how all the parts (members) relate to each other to make the body. Then he narrows his focus to one area. In sports, athletes first excel at a particular game and then become proficient in one area: extra point kicker, punt return specialist, relief pitcher, or designated hitter, etc. Though they are experts in their areas, specialists cannot lose sight of the team (or the body) as a whole. They cannot see their contribution as an end in itself but as a means to an end. And that end is to win the game or heal the body. In our specialized 21st century, the days of “playing both sides of the ball� are long gone. What is true of medicine and sports rings true in the Christian world. We have become specialists. This is probably good, but it has caused us to look at the world through the keyhole instead of the doorway. In other words, because we have been taught to discover our gifts and talents, and because we have colleges that can hone our skills in the area of our call and giftedness, we have become better and better at less and less. Unfortunately, this approach to the Lord’s work has reduced our vision to a specific contribution while robbing us of a worldview. Now is the time to step back and discover the panoramic view. What do we need to see? We need to increase our peripheral vision, become hemispheric in our outlook, and recognize the whole picture of world evangelism. Over the ages our thinking has been that the missionary is that part of the body of Christ with a worldview or a global call. Hence, we leave the responsibility of world evangelism up to them. It is true that they must be global-hearted because when misUnpublished WORD
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sionaries lack a worldview, so do the churches they plant. But it is also true that they are not to be the only global-minded members of the church. Though we are not all called to be missionaries, we are all commanded to have a worldview lifestyle. We are all to be a part of world evangelism. Jesus said to the whole church membership, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel.” He did not utter that to just a few select ones in the congregation. In other words, every member of the church needs a worldview that dominates their life’s decisions, whether their energies are applied as “goers” or “senders.”
over the ages our thinking has been that the missionary is that part of the body of christ with a worldview or global call. Their worldview may take the shape of going, giving, or praying. The issue is not so much what you do but what is your worldview and what are you doing to fulfill it. We need to eliminate this idea of home and world missions. It is all world missions, even if it is in that part of the world next door to you. The goal is to eliminate areas of the world that do not yet have the Gospel available. I had the privilege of pastoring a church that was a headquarters for world conquest for over 35 years. We cannot rest until the world is rid of unreached peoples. I can be blessed but not satisfied with my hometown victories. I need to see my local blessings from God as His way of equipping me to fulfill a worldview. My personal gifts and talents enable me to become a better member, and in doing so, I help my church better fulfill its world responsibility. Everything is a means to an end: world evangelism. Where we fail is letting a means to an end become the ultimate end. Budgets, ministries, growth, and revivals are great endeavors that make the church more damaging to the kingdom of darkness, worldwide as well as locally. However, if we are not careful, we overlook the fact that it is the proper worldview of 6.
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the church that allows the missionary to fulfill his call to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Probably the greatest single need in fundamentalism is to inject the individual with a worldview and make that the motive for all local ministry. We should not discount our special God-given gift, but neither should we disconnect it from the whole. We were not commissioned to preach, sing, or teach, but to evangelize the world. Though my particular gift may be in some ways my largest area of contribution, it is not my only area nor is it profitable if it is the goal of my ministry. I am to join my gift to yours and together with others keep our eye on the goal given to us by Jesus to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Maybe the question that needs to be addressed is why do we do what we do? If what we do does not in some way better equip us to the fulfillment of Jesus’ worldview for the church, is it of any value? On the other hand, a thing is only of value to God in proportion to how it contributes to His goal of world evangelism, which is the building of a multi-ethnic global group that will worship Him forever. My friend, Gerry Baughman, has said, “I do not fear failure, but I fear that I will learn to succeed in areas that matter not to God.” If what you do does not help the church toward its goal of global significance, it matters little to God regardless of how good you may be at it or how much people enjoy it. What would give real purpose to our lives would be to do what we do for God’s glory and to the fulfillment of His stated purpose for His church. Let us ask ourselves, “Why?” Why do I want a saved husband or separated kids? Is it for God’s glory and the strengthening of my church? Do I want to contribute saints for the battle, or do I want them to be moral for lesser reasons? The same question could be asked of revival, church growth, increased budgets, and ministry among the membership. These are good but lesser reasons. They are neither the wrong nor the best reasons to want God to visit us. The highest reason is His glory. The issues of the day become idols when they become ends within themselves. Why do we preach separation, have music standards, defend the King James Bible, and go soul winning? If they are ends within themselves, they soon make us Pharisees and idol worshippers. Those things only stay in right proportions in our lives as they stay attached to our worldview. Our major agenda as set for us by the divine
Head of our church, the Lord Jesus, is to be that of exporting the gospel. All other church ministries are only designed to strengthen us for the task. We all have known good men who have gone to seed in some areas, become unbalanced, developed personal agendas, and lost their perspectives of ministry not because they fell into sin but because they overemphasized a good thing until it became the focus of their ministry and an end within itself. A. W. Tozer
probably the greatest single need in fundamentalism is to inject the individual with a worldview and make that the motive for all local ministry. was right: “Our differences lie within the degree we pursue the disciplines and doctrines of the Christian life.” Many of us do not believe wrong things, but maybe we believe some good things too much or some right things too little. A worldview is the only thing that will keep all other beliefs in their proper relationships to each other. It alone gives balance and sanity to our ministry approach and creates kindness toward each other among our ranks. Before you write me off as a shallow thinker without Bible basis for such an assumption, consider the fact that every major initiative in the Scriptures that God launched had a worldview as part of its founding purpose and platform. Consider the following examples: • Creation – After placing Adam in the garden of Eden, God told him to “...Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Gen. 1: 28). • The Flood – In the restoration immediately following the flood, God told Noah to “...Be fruitful, and multiply and replenish the earth” (Gen. 9: 1). • Israel – God told Abraham, “...in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12: 3). • The Church – Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15 and four other times after his resurrection).
I also think it is important to note that each person in the Godhead is clearly represented: • God the Father developed a worldview in Adam (Gen. 1:26), Noah (Gen. 9:1), and Abraham (Gen. 12:3). • God the Son gave the church body a worldview in Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:49, John 20:21, and Acts 1:8. Look at the report of some of the New Testament churches (Rom. 1:8 and 16:19, 26 and Col. 1:6). Reread Paul’s worldview in Rom. 15:21. • God the Holy Spirit came to gift, energize and administrate the church so she can fulfill her founding purpose (Acts 1: 8). I do not think you can have a proper worldview until you have settled in your heart God’s goal for Himself. Contrary to the thinking of many, God’s goal is based, not only on multitudes worshipping, but also in the diversity of the worshippers (Rev. 5:9 and 7:9). Of course He wants as many in heaven as will come. And for the longest time we have overlooked the unreached tribal areas of our world and focused on the larger population centers with a mentality of getting as many saved as possible. That is admirable, but that is not the basic passion of God. His goal is to be worshipped by a diverse representation from every tribe, nation, tongue, and family (Gen. 12: 3), which is why our worldview must be global and all-inclusive. After we understand the goal of God for Himself, we must then back up and discover what part we have in the process of Him achieving that goal. That part is our worldview. It is developed after we properly assess our gifts, talents, passions, opportunities, responsibilities, and call. Our worldview may change as some of those things change. I am not suggesting that God needs help because He has weaknesses that our service will cover. That is just the way He has chosen to do His works. He allows us to help as a way of getting in on the blessing. Most of the biblical miracles were done with human assistance (water to wine, rolling away the stone, and feeding the 5,000) not because He could not do the part but so His “helpers” could be both blessed and a blessing. Therefore, in His goal for Himself of worldwide worship He has assigned to you a critical role that, when fulfilled, will enrich your life beyond measure. ❖
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What is the difference?
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Missionary describes an action.
A Worldview Christian describes an attitude.
Missionary describes a calling.
A Worldview Christian describes a command.
Missionary describes going.
A Worldview Christian stays.
Missionary involves a few in the church.
A Worldview Christian involves everybody in the church.
Missionary invokes thoughts of receiving.
A Worldview Christian invokes thoughts of giving.
Missionary suggests clergy.
A Worldview Christian suggests laity.
A Missionary gives the Worldview Christian what they do not have (time and call).
A Worldview Christian gives the Missionary what they do not have (resources and prayer support).
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FirstBible International / Florida Pastor Shane Skelton, Director “The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad” (Psalm 126:3). Our hearts echo the overwhelming gratitude that David felt when he first penned these words because the Lord has done some truly great things for us here in Florida over the past several months. In December of 2007, the Lord moved me from the panhandle to central Florida to pastor Calvary Baptist Church in Lakeland. With this move to central Florida we will be located more efficiently to reach our state. The Lord has given us a great church in which to minister that has an enormous burden to reach the world for Christ. The Lord has not only added to us a new ministry, but also new personnel as well. Rev. Gary Wimberly has been a fulltime representative with FBI for five years and we are happy to have him serve with us now in Florida. Please pray as this transition continues; we are trusting God for great things.
FirstBible International / Mexico Rev. Mark Brown, Director As director of FirstBible International / Mexico, I believe there is power in working together. The Bible says, “Two are better than one”(Ecc. 4:9). It is because of this that we have established a partnership with Dr. Luis Ramos and the Bible Baptist Church of San Luis Potosi, SLP, Mexico. We have the following goals. First, to see the Mexican national churches become true missionary sending churches with a world vision. Second, we want to present the needs of the unreached peoples of the world to the rapidly expanding and untouched work force in Mexico, trusting God to thrust forth laborers into His harvest field. It is especially exciting to think of Mexico as a platform for the launching of missionaries directed to those people groups which are yet unreached. Please stand with us in your prayers and support in this exciting endeavor.
FirstBible International / Tennessee Dr. Mike Norris, Director What a blessing it is to be a part of the ministry of FirstBible International. Our church has had the privilege of being the representative for the state of Tennessee. Locally, our church made an official motion to take on the nation of Mongolia in an effort to give them their first Bible. This year Franklin Road Baptist Church has committed to send $3,000 each month to aide in the translation and printing of the Book of John for this nation. We also financially support many of the missionaries on the FirstBible International / Mongolia translation team. Our church has targeted unreached people groups and shifted much more of our mission dollar to these areas. Throughout the state of Tennessee, we are encouraging other churches to adopt a nation and work at getting them their first Bible. We are encouraging them to consider the unreached people groups of the world as they make out their mission budgets for the year. There has been a tremendous response from the pastors in our state to take a fresh look at their missions programs.
FirstBible International / Mongolia Rev. Mickey Cofer, Director FirstBible International / Mongolia exists because of the providence of God. While serving as a missionary in the Khatgal Province of northern Mongolia, God brought us into contact with Dr. Keen and people of FirstBible International. We have been blessed to see great progress toward reaching the unreached through three different ministries which reflect the three-fold goal of FirstBible. First is the establishing of local churches both in Khatgal and in the capitol city of UlaanBaatar. Second is the Bible Institute led by Martin White which is training men for ministry to the neighboring countries of China, Russia and the five “Stan” countries. Third is the fully operational printing ministry where Scriptures and other good literature are already being printed, and we look forward to printing the new translation recently undertaken by FirstBible International / Mongolia.
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by Ken Fielder
The tide is turning in missions. Churches are becoming increasingly aware of the need to specifically target the unreached people groups of the world, taking responsibility to get the gospel to them. Yet there are still many of these groups that are unreached and unengaged. More churches are needed that will adopt one of these groups and begin the prayer effort through which God will call a missionary to go there for the purpose of church planting, national training and as God allows, help get a Bible translation project started. For pastors and churches that are interested, the following thoughts are offered. 1. ANY SIZE CHURCH CAN DO IT. There is a quote credited to Dwight D. Eisenhower concerning the fighter planes of World War II which were often smaller than the enemy planes with which they had to do battle. He said, “What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.” In reaching the uttermost, please let this be an encouragement to you: “It is not the size of the church that matters, but the size in the church’s heart and passion for God.” Any size church has the potential to reach into the uttermost with great impact if we do not overlook the God who wants to work through the church. Although there are many churches in the United States, there are few churches that really have a heart to reach the uttermost. God wants to reach them and when He finds a group of people in whom He can place His burden to reach them, He will work in amazing ways. His work will cause all of us to conclude without any question that He did it. No church that is preaching the gospel at home and desires to preach it abroad is a small church to 10.
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God. There are so few churches who take the Great Commission seriously that God will work through those who do in mighty ways. 2. IT’S A LONG-TERM COMMITMENT BUT IT’S WORTH IT This is not something that will see instant results. It may take some time to get a missionary on the field and preaching the gospel. We might not hear glowing reports of huge numbers of souls saved. It could be several years before measurable results are seen. It could be even longer before men are trained to carry on the work and even longer before Scripture can be translated into their language. But is it worth it? Ask Lewis Young who has already given twenty-five years of his life to reach a tribe of less than 500 people in Papua New Guinea. He developed a written language, wrote a language primer, taught the people to read their own language and then began the tedious work of translating Scripture. Ask Gene Scott who recently returned home to America after laboring just sixteen days short of fifty years among the approximately 1200 people of the
Sharanahua tribe of Peru. He gave them the New Testament, Genesis, portions of the Psalms and selected Old Testament passages dealing with Bible characters. Turning the tide of 2000 years of missionary effort which has left one-half of the world still ignorant of the gospel will require long term dedication and the diligence to see the project through to the end. 3. DON’T BE MISSIONS-MINDED; BE MISSIONS-HEARTED. The church must begin to take a more active role in missions. The burden must come from our church and our people. It must become personal. Every member must be involved in the praying and giving and some of our members must be involved in the going. We must initiate the process of targeting some unreached people group and take personal responsibility for getting them the gospel. We must pray God will allow us to send some of our own. 4. WRESTLE WITH WHAT MISSIONS REALLY IS. Moving beyond the role of passive involvement to active involvement will require us to become more deliberate in our methodology. If we are going to invest personally in getting the gospel to the uttermost, we will want to be sure we are doing it the way God would have it done. What is the purpose of missions? What is the biblical methodology of missions? The missions program of many churches could use a good house-cleaning. Many churches take pride in how many missionaries they support, yet are often unaware of whether those missionaries are really doing the real work of missions. The real work of missions is the planting of local New Testament churches. These churches must preach the gospel, disciple the converts and train them to reach their own people. This church must seek to reproduce itself. This process done biblically and repeated even a few times will result in the multiplying effect seen in the book of Acts. These churches are to be like the church you attend: indigenous (native, birthed in a country), autonomous (self-governing), self-supporting, and selfpropagating. They should not be perpetually dependent on American leadership or finances to operate. Their leadership must come from among their own. They must learn that “the things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses,” are to be committed to “faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.”
Mission hearted churches must not reside only among us. Any church started on any mission field should develop a missions heart. Teaching these churches to become sending churches is part of the process. They must carry on the work of bringing people to Christ and teach them to reach others. No matter their size, location or economic status, they must also develop a worldview, taking responsibility to reach the world beyond their world. Mission efforts may include social work, children’s homes, medical assistance and other noble endeavors. Those who have the burdens, gifts and skills to carry out this kind of work must be applauded and appreciated. But the over-arching mission must always be to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through a churchplanting movement. Conclusion Would you be willing to step outside the comfort zone of the usual business of missions? More of the same will continue to produce the same result of onehalf of the world still in total darkness. Would you be willing to re-examine what you are doing, why you are doing it and how you can improve it in order to reach those in the uttermost? ❖
WHO ARE THE OWENA? by Lewis Young, Missionary/Bible translator
WHO WE ARE: My wife and I are back in PNG from furlough and it is our desire to complete the translation of at least the New Testament into the Owena language. WHO THEY ARE: They are a people group located in an isolated area of the Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea and composed of four villages with a total population of approximately 600 people. Access into the village is by foot, small plane, or helicopter. They have no electricity, no telephone service, no road, no school, no Bible, and no place to shop. With the Lord’s help, during our previous service in that area, we were able to establish an alphabet and grammar for the language, make primers and begin teaching literacy, and translate four books of the New Testament into the Owena language. Three churches have been established in three of the villages, and national pastors are overseeing those churches. Unpublished WORD
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STRATEGY by Dr. Charles Keen
There is a simple five-tier level of activity leading to accomplishment that I wish to review with you. We at FirstBible International believe it would be helpful in organizing our thinking as we seriously consider accomplishing the Great Commission as given to the church by our Lord. Level #1 - VISION This is basic to any goal. “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” Proverbs 29:18 (Hab. 2:1-4, Acts 2:1618). A simple but clarifying definition for vision is: something God has given you to do from His Word. We know our Lord Jesus Christ gave us the vision for the Great Commission in some formula of words five different times between His resurrection and ascension (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:47, John 20:21, Acts 1:8). We may differ on many things, but most all agree that the local church has been given human-wide responsibilities with the gospel. The Great Commission is not a call but a command. The command settles the fact I am to do it; the call deals with the position I occupy while I do it. Let us settle the fact we are to have an active part in world evangelism. That is our Godgiven vision delivered to us from His Son through His Word. Level #2 - BURDEN The burden comes out of a vision. A vision lets me see what I am to be doing. The burden comes because I am not doing it. I am not referring here to “a burden for souls” as much as one caused by knowing we are displeasing the dear Lord Jesus in His vision for the church and its members. Simply put, I now see what I should have been doing but was not, and I feel a burden because it grieves Him.
Level #3 - COMMITMENT Once I see the vision of what I am to be doing and get a burden because I am not doing it. I make a commitment to Him to get involved at whatever level He assigns for me. Once again, do not confuse this commitment as being to a place. That will come later. It is a surrender/commitment to the command of our Lord. Paul verbalizes it in chapters 9, 22 and 24 of Acts: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Isaiah responds to the Lord in chapter 6, “Here am I; send me,” and Samuel in I Samuel 3 replies, “Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth.” Please note these commitments are to a person, not a place. In fact, Jesus never called a person to a place until He first called them to Himself - a good policy for us to follow. Level #4 - STRATEGY Strategy is the point where I start to look for ways to get involved. It begins with assessing my gifts, talents, gender, age, opportunities, existing responsibilities, etc. This inventory is not to determine if I will get involved but at what level does He wants me to plug in for service. Moses, in Numbers 34, gives us what is called the directions for the conquest which we call the Principle of Reduction. He taught the people to individualize their assignment within the cooperative effort and reduce Canaan down into manageable segments without reducing the whole. It was reduced from the national assignment of a nation, to a section for each tribe, to a family assignment. When each has done their part, the whole is accomplished. This can also be seen in the Great Commission. A systematic approach to people groups (nations), is seen in the ministry strategy of Paul (Romans 15:20-21, II Corinthians 10:13). A body principle is seen in II Corinthians 12. In industry this is called “division of labor.” continued on page 19
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Mongolia Report on February 2008 Trip by Ken Fielder
On February 12, 2008, the FirstBible team of Dr. Charles Keen, Ken Fielder, Mark Brown and Eric Lee along with eleven other travelers returned from an eight day trip to Mongolia. Our trip to this rugged country coincided with Tsagan Tsar, a three-day New Year’s holiday. Several team members had the opportunity to visit Mongolian homes and participate in the traditional celebration which included fermented horse milk, roasted lamb, dried yogurt, small dumpling-like treats filled with unidentified meats and other tasty items. Emerging from a communist dictatorship in 1990, there were less than a dozen known believers in the entire country of Mongolia. The Christian population has grown to the tens of thousands. There is a great need for more missionaries and more churches to be planted. The presence of several independent Baptist missionaries who are passionate about reaching the people of Mongolia was encouraging to us. On the Sunday we were there, our team had the privilege of preaching in four different churches, three of which are now being led by Mongolian nationals. There is an even greater need for the pure Word of God. Two translations have been done in recent years, but because they came from the wrong source text and followed the wrong translation philosophy, they are not trustworthy. A Mongolian pastor testified of the challenge and difficulty of teaching his people to trust God’s Word while he constantly has to correct it and apologize for its poor translation. Several meetings were held to discuss the Mongolian translation project. The American missionaries, the Mongolian pastors and the FBI team were all united in the vision and desire to further this project. We were also privileged to have two other men who are going to play vital roles in this project. Dr. Paul Rowland will lend the involvement of the Trinitarian Bible Society of London, England. Brother Bill
Patterson brings to the table a great giftedness in linguistics, a thorough knowledge of translation philosophy as well as several years of experience teaching Greek and a thirteen month tenure in Israel during which he studied Hebrew. The coordination of schedules required to have these men present was no small miracle. It was obvious God had brought us together “for such a time as this.” During these meetings it was decided that FBI would make full commitment to providing Mongolia the Scriptures. It will be our goal to translate the Scriptures accurately, realizing that with the passing of time and growth of knowledge of the language, some revisions may be necessary. After several years of participation in Bible translation effort by partnering with others, this will be the first project directly coordinated and produced solely by FirstBible International. The organizational structure and budgeting for this project have been determined. The help of Roland Gay, an American missionary to Mongolia and a Bible translator, has already been enlisted. The project will be led by Bill Patterson who will be moving there with his family in May 2008. Early during this trip, we once again asked ourselves, “Why Mongolia?” Here are four reasons: 1. Divine Providence It was the providence of God that brought us to Mongolia. We became interested through the personal acquaintance of some American missionaries who serve there. We were also invited by Robert Painter, a Texas attorney who serves on the Mongolian/American Business Council. Attorney Painter introduced us to the now former prime minister of Mongolia who invited FBI into his country. That fact alone is humanly responsible for the printing ministry now fully operational in the capitol city of UlaanBaatar. continued on page 17 Unpublished WORD
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Editorial continued from page 4 People group thinking has both Scriptural and historical support. A. Old Testament Support: In Genesis 12:1-3, we see a people group mentality given to Abraham: “...in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Here we see Abraham is given a world view assignment accomplished through an incremental retirement, “…through thee all the families of the earth will be blessed.” He is told to reach every small people group (families), not every individual. Which will result in the whole earth being blessed? B. Gospels Support: We see Jesus giving command to the Church in Matthew 28:18-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” This is the same thought, a world view assignment (all) with incremental retirement (nations) (Luke 24:27-28). A biblical nation is different than a political country. Our world has approximately 225 countries that are made up of 24,000 people groups or nations. All but 6,000 of them have been reached and of those there are 639 that are unengaged or get no attention at present in any way from anyone. C. Pauline Epistles Support: In Romans 15:19-28, see how the Apostle Paul included the unreached in his ministry portfolio – Spain. Spain is described in verses 20-21 as an unreached people. Paul describes his ministry success in: “…fully preached the gospel of Christ.” vs. 23 “…now having no more place in these parts…” vs. 19, “…from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum…” These are within reach of the gospel so it is time to go to “the regions beyond” - Spain. In II Cor. 10:16, it is evident that his desire to go to the unreached was rooted in the Church’s willingness for growth in faith and vision for them. D. Biblical Church Examples: I wonder if the world impacting efforts of the New Testament as described in Romans 1:8, 15:9-28, 16:15, 16:26, I Thess. 1:5, Colossians 1:6, 23, etc. can be attributed to unreached people group thinking. If we implement unreached people group thinking, we need to have an adjusted four-fold emphasis. (1) Bible translation must be integral because we cannot take it with us nor can we purchase it when we get there. (2) We must see the national as the key and train him to take the Bible in his mother tongue (3) and plant churches for (4) the Glory of God as the basis of our obedience and appeal to the sending churches, the missionary and the national. i People
Changes in the World’s Major Religions In the last half century... Christianity increased 47% from 682,400,000 to 1,000,000,000 Confucianism & Taoism decreased 13% from 350,600,000 to 305,000,000 Judaism decreased 4% from 15,630,000 to 15,000,000 Eastern Orthodox decreased 36% from 144,000,000 to 92,000,000 Protestant increased 57% from 206,900,000 to 324,000,000 Catholic increased 70% from 331,500,000 to 565,000,000 Buddhism increased 63% from 150,180,000 to 245,000,000 Hinduism increased 117% from 230,150,000 to 500,000,000 Shintoism increased 152% from 25,000,000 to 63,000,000 Islam increased 235% from 209,020,000 to 700,000,000 Growth rates taken from: (World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1935) (Reader’s Digest Almanac and Yearbook, 1983)
group formal definition: this refers to a sociological grouping of individuals who percieve themselves to have an affinity for each other due to language, ethnicity, location, occupation, and/or geographical location. Usually there is a common self-name and a sense of common identity of individuals identified with the group. A common history, customs, family and clan identities, as well as marriage rules and practices, age-grades and other obligation covenants and inheritance patterns and rules are some of the common ethnic factors defining or distinguishing a people. What they call themselves may vary at different levels of identity, or among various subgroups. People group working definition: A group of people through whom information can travel unhindered. 14.
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AN ENQUIRY INTO THE OBLIGATIONS OF CHRISTIANS TO USE MEANS FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE HEATHENS
in which the Religious State of the Different Nations of the World, the Success of Former Undertakings, and the Practicability of Further Undertakings are Considered. by William Carey and edited by Charles Keen (This is the second in the series featuring four sections of Carey’s Enquiry.)
Section Two: CONTAINING A CONDENSED REVIEW OF FORMER UNDERTAKINGS FOR THE CONVERSION OF THE HEATHEN. BEFORE the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ the whole world were either heathens, or Jews. After the resurrection the disciples continued in Jerusalem till Pentecost. Being daily engaged in prayer and supplication, on that solemn day, when they were all assembled together, a most remarkable effusion of the Holy Spirit took place, and a capacity of speaking in all foreign languages was bestowed upon them. This opportunity was embraced by Peter for preaching the gospel to a great congregation of seventeen nations and three thousand were converted, who immediately after were baptized, and added to the church. It was but a little after this that Peter and John, going up to the temple, healed the lame man; this miracle drew a great multitude together. The consequence was that five thousand more believed. About this time a man and his wife, sold an estate, and brought part of the money to the apostles, pretending it to be the whole; for which dissimulation both he and his wife, were struck dead by the hand of God. This awful catastrophe however was the occasion of many more men and women being added to the church. Seven were accordingly chosen, over whom the apostles prayed, and ordained them to the office of Deacons by imposition of hands: and these things being settled the church increased more and more. One of these Deacons, whose name was Stephen, being a person of eminent knowledge and holiness, wrought many miracles, and disputed with great evi-
dence and energy for the truth of Christianity. These soon procured his death, and carried their resentment so far as to stir up such a persecution that the church, which till now had been confined to Jerusalem, was dispersed, and all the preachers except the apostles were driven thence, and went everywhere preaching the word. A young man whose name was Saul, was very active in this persecution; he had been educated under Gamaliel, a member of the Sanhedrin. But on his way, as he was almost ready to enter into the city, the Lord changed his heart in a very wonderful manner; so that instead of entering the town to persecute, he began to preach the gospel as soon as he was able. In the time of this trouble in the church, Philip went and preached at Samaria with great success. A great number believed in reality, and being baptized a church was formed there. Soon after this the Lord commanded Philip to go the way which led from Jerusalem to Gaza, which he did, and there found an eunuch of great authority in the court of Ethiopia, to whom he preached Christ, who believed, and was baptized; after which Philip preached at Ashdod, or Azotus. About the same time Peter went to Lydda, or Diospolis, and cured Eneas of a palsy, which was a mean of the conversion not only of the inhabitants of that town, but also of the neighbouring country, called Saron. A woman of Joppa, a sea-port town in the neighborhood, dying, they sent to Lydda for Peter, who went over, and when he had prayed she was raised to life again; which was an occasion of the conversion of many in that town. Now another circumstance also tended to the further propagation of Christianity, for a Roman military officer who had some acquaintance with the Old Testament Scriptures, but was not circumcised, was one day engaged in prayer in his house at Cesarea, when an angel appeared to him, and bid him send for Peter from Joppa to preach in his house. Before this the work of God had been wholly confined to the Jews, and Jewish proselytes, and even the apostles appeared to have had very contracted ideas of the Christian dispensation; but now God by a vision discovered to Peter that Christianity was to be spread into all nations. He accordingly went and preached at the house of Cornelius, at Cesarea, when several were converted, and baptized, and the foundation of a church laid in that city. Some of the dispersed ministers having fled to Antioch in Syria, began to preach to the Greeks in that Unpublished WORD
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city about the same time, and had good success; upon which the apostles sent Paul and Barnabas, who instructed and strengthened them, and a church was formed in that city also, which in a little time sent out several eminent preachers. In the Acts of the apostles we have an account of four of the principal journeys which Paul, and his companions undertook. The first, in which he was accompanied by Barnabas, is recorded in the 13th and 14th chapters, and was the first attack on the heathen world. The account of the second journey into the heathen world begins at Acts 15:40 and ends chapter 18:22. He took a western direction, passing through Phrygia, and the region of Galatia. When Paul had visited Antioch, and spent some time there, he prepared for a third journey into heathen countries, the account of which begins Acts 18:23, and ends chapter 21:17. At his first setting out he went over the whole country of Galatia and Phrygian order, strengthening all the disciples; and passing through the upper coasts came to Ephesus. There for the space of three months, he boldly preached in the Jewish synagogue, disputing, and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God. Paul’s fourth and last journey (or rather voyage) was to Rome, where he went in the character of a prisoner. Here he made his defence before Felix and Drusilla. Here also he made his defence before Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice, with such force of evidence that Agrippa was almost persuaded to be a Christian. Paul was constrained to appeal unto Caesar. This was the occasion of his being sent to Rome, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. Thus far the history of the Acts of the Apostles informs us of the success of the word in the primitive times; and history informs us of its being preached about this time, in many other places. Peter speaks of a church at Babylon; Paul proposed a journey to Spain, and it is generally believed he went there, and likewise came to France and Britain. Andrew preached to the Scythians, north of the Black Sea. John is said to have preached in India, and we know that he was at the Isle of Patmos, in the Archipelago. Philip is reported to have preached in upper Asia, Scythia, and Phrygia; Bartholomew in India, on this side the Ganges, Phrygia, and Armenia; Matthew in Arabia, 16.
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or Asiatic Ethiopia, and Parthia; Thomas in India, as far the coast of Coromandel, and some say in the island of Ceylon; Simon, the Canaanite, in Egypt, Cyrene, Mauritania, Lybia, and other parts of Africa, and from thence to have come to Britain; and Jude is said to have been principally engaged in the lesser Asia, and Greece. Their labours were evidently very extensive, and very successful; so that Pliny, the younger, who lived soon after the death of the apostles, in a letter to the emperor, Trajan, observed that Christianity had spread, not only through towns and cities, but also through whole countries. Justin Martyr, who lived about the middle of the second century, observed that there was no part of mankind, who lived in tents among their cattle, where supplications and thanksgivings are not offered up to the Father, and maker of all things, through the name of Jesus Christ. Irenaeus, who lived about the year 170, speaks of churches that were founded in Germany, Spain, France, the eastern countries, Egypt, Lybia, and the middle of the world. Tertullian, who lived and wrote at Carthage in Africa, about twenty years afterwards, enumerated the countries where Christianity had penetrated. Presently after this, truth spread further among the Saracens, and in 522, Zathus, king of the Colchians encouraged it, and many of that nation were converted to Christianity. In 596, Melitus, Justus, Paulinus, and Ruffinian, laboured in England. In 589, Amandus Gallus laboured in Ghent, Chelenus in Artois, and Gallus and Columbanus in Suabia. In 648, Egidius Gallus in Flanders, and the two Evaldi in Westphalia. In 684, Willifred, in the Isle of Wight. In 688, Chilianus, in upper Franconia. In 698, Boniface, or Winifred, among the Thuringians, near Erford, in Saxony, and Willibroad in West-Friesland. Charlemagne conquered Hungary in the year 800, and obliged the inhabitants to profess Christianity. In 833, Ansgarius preached in Denmark, Gaudibert in Sweden, and about 861, Methodius and Cyril in Bohemia. About 960 or 990, the work was further extended amongst the Poles and Prussians. The work was begun in Norway in 960, and in Muscovy in 989, the Swedes propagated Christianity in Finland, in 1168, Lithuania became Christian in 1386, and Samogitia in 1439. continued on page 22
Mongolia continued from page 11 2. The Glory of God God is our focus. He deserves a more accurate representation of Himself than Mongolia presently has. We are doing this for Him more than for them. A weak and inaccurate translation of Scripture hinders the knowledge of God and the glory of God among the Mongolian people. We want them to know Him so they can worship Him in spirit and in truth. 3. A Nation of One Language Outer Mongolia has a population of approximately 3 million. Inner and Outer Mongolia together total about 7 million. Although there are a few small people groups that have migrated from other nations, practically all Mongolians speak the same language. This
causes us to believe that with one Bible translation, Mongolia is a nation “conquerable” for Christ. 4. Strategic Location Positioned just north of China, Mongolia is an ideal location from which to reach into this country that is closed to the gospel. Mongolian citizens can travel freely across the border from the southern Gobi Desert into China without a visa. Many of them also speak Chinese. To the north is Russia. Many Mongolians over the age of forty also speak Russian. To the west are the five Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Most of these are hostile toward the gospel and dominated by false religions. It is far more likely that Mongolian Christians will be able to enter these nations rather than American missionaries. Once we get past our belief that Americans have to be the ones to evangelize the world, we will be more effective in training others to help and sending them to places where we may not be able to go. Conclusion By the Word of God we know that He longs to be worshipped by the Mongolian people. By the clear leadership of God, we know that He wants FBI to be directly involved in giving them the Word of God. Would you please partner with us in prayer for all who are involved in this project? We must have the wisdom of God for this awesome task. Would you and your church consider partnering with us financially through a special offering or through monthly support? We truly desire that God will be known among the people of this nation that are hopelessly lost without the gospel of Jesus Christ. ❖
FirstBible announces the newly formed partnership of Trinitarian Bible Society of London, England, Missionary/Translator Bill Patterson of Mt. Abarim Baptist Mission International and FirstBible International for the purpose of translating the Word of God for the people of Mongolia. Unpublished WORD
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MISSIONARIES TO THE UNREACHED recommended by FirstBible International. If you know of others, please send us their prayer card.
NAME & FIELD
PERSONAL CONTACT INFO
SENDING CHURCH INFO
Dennis Blankenship – Sudan
denkar82@hotmail.com - 318-470-3440
Shady Grove Baptist Church - 318-746-0256
Justin Brenenstuhl – Russia
justinrussia@clevelandbaptist.org - 216.220.0952
Cleveland Baptist Church - 216-671-2822
Bobby Burdett – Madagascar
growin_n_grace@yahoo.com - 336-499-752
Northpoint Baptist Church - 336-767-8297
Mickey Cofer – Mongolia
vesselsofhonor@hotmail.com - 828-384-1332
Winchester Baptist Church - 937-695-0641
Dave Douglass –Thailand
pastor@thepastorspen.com - 904-622-7207
Calvary Baptist Church - 904.282.0407
Tim Faulk – Philippines
TimFaulk@AsiaReach.org - 850.308.5069
Midland Baptist Church - 989.631.1384
Gary Greenwood – Venezuela
gsgreenwood@juno.com - 330.936.5208
FairHavens Baptist Church - bob.kirkland@sympatico.ca
Bob Hutton – Mongolia
bhutton@sentinc.org
Canton Baptist Temple - 330.477.6267
Tom Keller – Mongolia
iminclass7@yahoo.com - 513.348.7500
First Baptist Church of Glen Este - 513.752.0936 pastorsnook@fbcge.org
Ken Lalman – China
Windsor Hills Baptist Church - 405.943.3326
Chad Mann – India
Go2india@gmail.com - 513.226.3109
First Baptist – Milford, OH - 513-575-1705
Joshua Mead - West Africa
joshuamead@hotmail.com - 810.688.8508 or
Fostoria Baptist Church - 989.795.2185
810.247.2457 Olacheas – Bible Translation
olacheadj@yahoo.com - 352.694.2212
Central Baptist Church
Jeff O’Derry – Madagascar
jeff@theoderrys.com - 427-545-197
Lighthouse Baptist Church
James Owenby – Mongolia Bill Patterson – Mongolia
Lighthouse Baptist Church - 619.461.5561 Ext. 125 bpindia@aol.com
Riverview Baptist Church - 509.547.2021
Paul Scott – Vietnam
PLScott7@yahoo.com
Emmanuel Baptist Bible Church - 315.564.6087
Jerry Sellers – Nepal
jwsellers@juno.com - 731.616.7278 or 7277
Bethlehem Baptist Church
Nathan Sloan – Nepal
423.313.8987
Fairview Baptist Church - 423.745.6781 fairview@usit.
Phil Stephens - Zambia, Africa
zambiastephens@sbcglobal.net - 512.778.6303
Cherith Stevens – P. New Guinea Cherith@TheRegionsBeyond.com - 267.882.7668 Margaret Stringer – Indonesia
Victory Baptist Church - 512.826.7861 Faith Baptist Church - 215.946.7550
mstringer16@aol.com - 864-268-3071
Michael Sullivant, Jr. – Thailand
Pembina Valley Baptist Church - 204.325.5670 pvbc@mts.net
Gabriel Swope – Liberia
Martin White – Mongolia
Fairview Baptist Church - 423.745.6781 churchoffice@fairviewathens.org bbcmongolia@yahoo.co
Lighthouse Bible Baptist Church - 585.288.3243 lbbc1@frontiernet.net
Lewis Young – P. New Guinea
lwjlyoung@earthlink.net - 704.472.5986
*Some names have been withheld for their safety.
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Emmanuel Baptist Church - 704.739.9339
STRATEGY continued from page 12 Our suggested strategy has three sequential levels: First, establish a prayer ministry for the 6,000 unreached people groups. By owning a world responsibility and then individualizing the assignment by some adopting a continent, others adopting a country, and still others adopting a nation (people group), it is conceivable we could have all the unreached groups being prayed for daily (Acts 13:1-3). Adding to our prayer plan, we ask churches to adopt a language. Keep in mind there are 12,000 independent Baptist churches in the USA and only 6,000 unreached people groups. It seems our assignment is within reach of collective obedience. Add to the prayer plan and the Scripture effort, the training of nationals to plant reproducing churches and
our God given goal becomes an obtainable objective awaiting only our obedience. This brings me to the final level. Level #5 - REALIZATION OF VISION When we get a vision, add a burden, add a commitment and develop a strategy, the next and obvious item is realization of the vision. Does that mean the Great Commission is do-able? Yes! Is that time setting? No! But it is Scriptural (Rev. 5:9, 7:9, Hebrews 10:16, Matthew 28:19-20). What we should worry about is not time setting, but our disobedience to the clear command of our Lord Jesus Christ (God’s Son and God in the flesh), to go into all the world! There will come a time when the world will know the gospel. I do not know the time, but I do know that during my time here I want to add my part to the whole. ❖
FirstBible International Receives a Grant FBI has been given a $500,000.00 grant to fund the development of a language department for a masters program in missions at Crown College in Knoxville, TN, that will include a major in Bible translation. Fundamental Baptists need to include translation ministry in their world evangelism efforts. This means we must train men and women in translation skills. This is a great step in that direction. If you have or know of believers who have leadership in that direction, please contact us for more information.
Latest Research Reveals…
What is the Current Condition of the World? There is a great need to translate the Bible into the mother tongues of unreached and reached peoples. The total number of languages below comes from The Ethnologue which is the most complete listing of the world’s languages available. • Total Number of Living World Languages - 6,912 • Languages with the Whole Bible (Approximate) - 422 • Languages with only the NT - 1,079 • Languages with at Least One book - 876 • Languages with active projects - 1,640 • Languages with NO Scripture - 2,895 For more information go to www.ethnologue.com.
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Thinking Outside the Box Dr. Charles Keen Foreword by Dr. Tom Malone
$11.00 *
He Is Worthy Dr. Charles Keen Foreword by Dr. Raymond Barber
$11.00 *
Daily Prayer Calendar 365 unreached people group profiles compiled by Dr. Keen $17.95*
Missions: The Heart of God A four week adult Sunday School series by Ken Fielder (59 pages) $16.00 *
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To order call 888-747-1611 or visit www.KeenPublications.com
Living Between Generations Rodney A. Agan Foreword by Dr. David Gibbs and Dr. Charles Keen
This book tackles the subject of how the church can face today’s culture without compromising it’s biblical values. $11.00 *
Thoughts from a Shepherd’s Heart These daily quotes from Dr. Keen will lift and inspire. $12.00 *
Let’s Spread the Word with visuals by Rhonda Brown
A four-week children’s Sunday School series with visuals. (87 pages) $24.95* Unpublished WORD
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* Quantity discounts available. Prices do not include shipping and handling.
The Scripture and world history record both the high and the low points of world evangelization. Here is an example of one of the low moments in missions; one that the church still regrets. Bob Weiner writes...
Recent events in Russia remind me of another historic moment, when the leader of another super power wrote these words to Christians: "Send me 100 men skilled in your religion...and I shall be baptized, and then all my barons and great men, and then their subjects. And so there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts." Those words were written by Kublai Khan, ruler of China, the largest empire in history, to Marco Polo in the year 1266. The emperor's heart had been touched by the news of Christ's death for the world's sins, and he wanted his whole empire to be evangelized! How did the church respond to this incredible chance? After many years, only two missionaries came forward who were willing to endure the hardships necessary to bring the good news of Christ to the Chinese Mongolian Empire. And even then they turned their back halfway into their appointment before reaching their destination. They left behind the legacy of the greatest missed opportunity in history.
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The Librarian’s Choice HOW CAN GOD ANSWER PRAYER? by William Edward Beiderwolf In this issue of the UWJ the Librarian’s Choice is How Can God Answer Prayer? by W. E. How Can God Biederwolf. Beiderwolf became Answer Prayer a Christian at the age of twenty, studied at Wabash College, Princeton and then went on to study at the University of Berlin by W. E. Beiderwolf and Sorbonne. He served as a Presbyterian pastor, Spanish-American War Chaplain, evangelist, Winona College President, director of the Winona Lake Bible School of Theology, and founded
AN ENQUIRY continued from page 16 About 1369 Wickliffe began to preach the faith in England, and his preaching and writings were the means of the conversion of great numbers, many of whom became excellent preachers; and a work was begun which afterwards spread in England, Hungary, Bohemia, Germany, Switzerland, and many other places. John Huss and Jerom of Prague, preached boldly and successfully in Bohemia, and the adjacent parts. In the following century Luther, Calvin, Melancton, Bucer, Martyr, and many others, stood up against all the rest of the world; they preached, and prayed, and wrote; and nations agreed one after another to cast off the yoke of popery, and to embrace the doctrine of the gospel. In England, episcopal tyranny succeeded to popish cruelty, which, in the year 1620, obliged many pious people to leave their native land and settle in America; these were followed by others in 1629, who laid the foundations of several gospel churches, which have increased amazingly since that time, and the Redeemer has fixed his throne in that country. In 1632,
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the Family Altar League. Beiderwolf died September 3, 1939. I have found few good books on prayer with the depth of an E. M. Bounds, R. A. Torrey or John R. Rice, but this is such a volume. Prayer is something we all talk about but do very little of and write on the subject even less. I do not know of a Bible doctrine that presents any more challenge to the thinking of man than prayer. Biederwolf deals not only with the necessity of prayer and the results of it, but also the reasons for prayer. This book is out of print and the copyright has expired. FirstBible International is in the process of republishing it. Please watch our magazine’s resource page for its availability. In the mean time, you can find a few copies on the web.
Mr. Elliot, of New-England, a very pious and zealous minister, began to preach to the Indians, among whom he had great success. About 1743, Mr. David Brainerd was sent a missionary to some more Indians, where he preached, and prayed, and after some time an extraordinary work of conversion was wrought, and wonderful success attended his ministry. In 1706, the king of Denmark sent a Mr. Ziegenbalg, and some others to Tranquebar, on the Coromandel coast in the East-Indies, who were useful to the natives, so that many of the heathens were turned to the Lord. But none of the moderns have equalled the Moravian Brethren in this good work; they have sent missions to Greenland, Labrador, and several of the West-Indian islands, which have been blessed for good. They have likewise sent to Abyssinia, in Africa. The late Mr. Wesley lately made an effort in the WestIndies, and some of their ministers are now labouring amongst the Caribs and Negroes, and I have seen pleasing accounts of their success. ❖
FirstBible International has discovered and compiled the New Testament for 6,000 plus languages and dialects that is presently being used worldwide. It contains a listing of the fundamental Baptist leaders who recommend it, the Baptist Translation Committee that produced it, and a foreword by compiler Dr. Charles Keen, a fundamental Baptist pastor for thirty-five years who is presently the Director of FirstBible International. It is not under copyright and therefore can be reproduced for ministry use. There is a money back guarantee if for any reason you are satisfied with its translation source, linguistic level, or orthography. Because of the limited quantity of these New Testaments and the anticipated responses, we can only allow up to 6 copies per order. A check or money order must accompany each order. •No phone, email, or credit card orders please. •Be sure to include your mailing address •Enclose check payable to FirstBible International for $12.00 per book •Shipping and Handling paid for by FirstBible International
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A Fundamental Approach to the 10/40 Window www.firstbible.net
This is a real motivator for your missions conference.