Missions

As missionaries and church planters, we are always looking for ways to reach people and effectively fulfill the Great Commission. One area which many missionaries are seemingly afraid to consider is having a Christian school.

It is impossible for any local church to carry out the Great Commission without missionaries. Missionaries, then, are our co-laborers in the harvest.

A good website can be a valuable tool to help burden people’s hearts for the work God has called you to do. It is also a very cost effective way to bring people to your field through site and sound, through testimonies and information about your ministry.

As a missionary, I would like to recommend an app to you that could be a great blessing in organizing your deputation or your furlough. I use it all the time, and it has made this process easier. If you are like me, you have a list of churches that looks like a spreadsheet. This contains churches that you know pretty well, and also many churches about which you know almost nothing.

In the latter part of Acts chapter fourteen we see the activities of Paul and Barnabas as they are finishing their first missionary journey. Churches were established in several cities. The disciples were taught, and converts were trained to lead the churches. After this they returned to Antioch.

Making a decision to leave the mission field is monumental and should only be done after much prayer and counsel. I pray that the Lord will use these questions to either solidify a direction that you are already leaning toward, or to completely change your mind according to His will.

The life and influence of Richard Hester extend from the farmlands of the great American plains, through Muslim neighborhoods in Lebanon, to Arabic refugee immigrant populations in Australia. It is a life dedicated to serving Christ in a ministry that spans more than six decades and three continents.

If you want to read some thriller stories, pick up a biography about Hudson Taylor, David Livingstone, or William Carey. If you want to be stirred by heroic endurance and courage, read about Adoniram Judson, Mary Slessor, or Amy Carmichael. These Christians—and a host of others—saw God do the impossible in foreign fields. They took seriously Christ’s command to give the entire world the Gospel, and they acted. And because they acted, to this day there remains fruit to their efforts.

Have you ever realized God was leading you to do something, but you thought, “I don’t think I can do this”? I have often said that everything God has done in my life has surprised me. But, I have also learned that each time the Lord wants to accomplish something through our lives, we must submit in three important ways.

According to a popular Christian magazine, only approximately 20% of evangelical churches in America have a missions conference. I seriously doubt that the percentage in independent Baptist churches is much larger. I have had the opportunity to participate in over 1,300 missions conferences in the past 30 years.

Furlough is a time that we as missionaries look forward to, and we should. It can be a great time for families to make memories and to get refocused on serving the Lord. However, like anything else, a good furlough takes planning to be successful. Honestly, sometimes when I have a day off, I fail to plan it well, and always regret it afterward. We can’t let that happen with our furloughs, so here are some tips that have helped me during my last two times back in America.

The biggest influence you will have as a missionary is the preachers you have trained. There are countless illustrations we could use such as C.T. Studd and Bob Hughes. When they died, their ministry lived on because they had trained men of God.

In 1965, I boarded a plane to Japan with my wife Virginia, and our children, Renee and Tim. When we arrived, we were struck by the idolatry that was prevalent everywhere. Buddhist or Shinto altars were on every street corner. Idolatry permeated Japanese culture.

When Jesus left this world He commissioned His church to go into “all the world” with the gospel message. This is more than just the message of salvation; it is also administering baptism and then training or discipling new converts. If we are going to be successful in doing what Christ gave us to do, churches must be planted in order to carry out the three directives given by the Lord.

Starting a Bible college reproduces and multiplies your ministry. It is a practical way to train men as Paul instructed in 1 Timothy 2:2. I believe Bible colleges are vital. The word college is defined as “an institution of higher learning.” A Bible college is a college in the truest sense because students learn about the highest principles from the highest source.

The soul of a man is worth enough to God that He was willing to give His most precious possession—His only begotten Son— in order to redeem that soul from Hell. The worth that God places upon a soul is undeniable and undebatable. But what about the worth of a soul to you and me? I mean, how much is it really worth to us in terms of time, effort, and money to see that a soul has had every chance to not only hear the Gospel, but come to Christ?

Several years ago I was in downtown Iloilo City. After doing what I needed to do, I got in a taxi. The driver asked where I wanted to go and I told him to go to Iloilo Baptist Church in Jaro. Most taxi drivers know our place, so I did not think much about it and began to work on some paperwork. After about 20 minutes, the taxi stopped. I had not been paying attention to where he was going, because of my work. Then I looked up, there I was inside the compound of the largest Roman Catholic Church in our region of the country, the Jaro Cathedral.

The nation bears poverty of flesh and spirit. It is something as much felt as seen, the cumulative weight of every person who cannot provide food for their children and know nothing of salvation through Christ alone. Christians sensitive to the Holy Spirit cannot visit Nicaragua without an intense burden.

The people of Capernaum were clamouring for Jesus to stay with them. Jesus was just beginning His public ministry, and He amazed the people. He taught with authority. He cast out an unclean spirit. He healed Peter’s mother-in-law.

Is the United States military a legitimate mission field? Does this segment of the world’s population merit special emphasis? Some would say no; after all, they are Americans with all the unique spiritual opportunities that Americans have. In America, the Gospel can even be heard on radio and television. Why do we need to emphasize the American military as a mission field?