Abc of missionary work

Eternity, hell, and heaven still exist. The goal of missionary work should be for people to be saved and to come in contact with God

Before Jesus left this world, he gave his disciples the missionary command: to go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. These were the last instructions given by Jesus:

- (Matt 28:18-20) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.

19 Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you: and, see, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.

- (Mark 16:15,16) And he said to them, Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

16 He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned.

Next, we will study missionary work, or work done by people who are obeying Jesus’ command. The plan is to study it and point out matters that should be taken into account.

UNREACHABLE PEOPLES

- (Rom 15:20-24) Yes, so have I strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation:

21 But as it is written, To whom he was not spoken of, they shall see: and they that have not heard shall understand.

22 For which cause also I have been much hindered from coming to you.

23 But now having no more place in these parts, and having a great desire these many years to come to you;

24 Whenever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company.

- (2 Cor 10:15,16) Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,

16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

When we look at the Bible and Paul's proclamation, we can find one noteworthy point: Paul always sought to proclaim where the name of Christ was not mentioned and where the need was greatest. He always sought to go into previously unreachable areas, as he stated.

Even today, it is good to ask whether all nations and people groups are being reached. It is possible that the same people hear the same message year after year, but those who are far away are forgotten. It may mean that some areas have proportionally a hundred or a thousand times more workers than the least evangelized areas. It is a huge difference and a contradiction, and it is certainly not right.

The 10/40 window in particular is an area where the opportunity for people to hear the gospel has been minimal. The least evangelized nations live there, whose religions include Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and animistic religions. We should have a vision and a goal of how to reach these people with the gospel. It is not good that the work is concentrated only in certain places where there are plenty of workers, while there is a shortage of them elsewhere. That's why we need a broader vision to see the needs elsewhere. One good book about this area is Praying Through the Window III: The Unreached Peoples. It highlights the peoples with the fewest workers. Most of the peoples are placed in the 10/40 window area. The book says:

Most of people who have not had the opportunity to hear the Gospel even once in their lives live in a zone extending from Northern Africa through Middle East to India and Asia. Missionaries call this area the 10/40 Window.

(...) Studies show that even though 97% of people to whom the Gospel has been preached the least live in countries in the 10/40 Window area, only around one per cent of all funds reserved for missionary work is being used in this area. Why is this? Congregations and missions reply, “We are unable to work there very effectively”. The spiritual, political and economical conditions in the 10/40 Window area are highly difficult. We need a true breakthrough of the Spirit. (1)

NEEDS OF MISSIONARY WORK. In Missionary work as in any spiritual work, there are matters that should be taken into account if one is to be successful. The most important include prayer, financial needs and focus on the Gospel. If these matters are not in order, Missionary work cannot proceed.

Prayer. Prayer, the most important facet of Missionary work, should not be forgotten. We can see from the Bible that the most well-known Missionary of the New Testament, Paul, considered prayer important. He often asked congregations to pray for him so that the Gospel would spread. This is an example we should follow. We must pray for Missionary work and any spiritual work for it to proceed. We should make this our daily habit.

- (Col 4:2-4) Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

3 With praying also for us, that God would open to us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

- (Eph 6:18,19) Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

19 And for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,

- (Rom 15:30) Now I beseech you, brothers, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me

- (1 Thess 5:25) Brothers, pray for us.

- (2 Thess 3:1) Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you

Meeting financial needs is almost as important as praying. We must have an objective and a vision of how important missionary work is, and we should feel that we must support it. If our values are wrong – if we are interested only in beautiful churches (which is a common sin in the Western world) or our own comfort and living standards – we are in the wrong. However, if we keep in mind that we all of us have only this one life and we need Christ in order to step into the eternity, we will see things in the right light. Paul wrote about how important preaching the Gospel is, and this also refers to missionary work. If we do not do it ourselves, we can support those who do it:

- (Rom 10:13-15) For whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Lack of funding leading to nobody being sent to do missionary work can thus prevent spreading of the Gospel. Many missions involved in media work and traditional missionary work have noticed that there are plenty of open doors through which the Gospel can be preached but they are unable to step in because of insufficient funds. Congregations have failed to understand the significance of missionary work and reaching those far away.

I wish we could understand more fully why we should be more passionate and blessed givers, why we should learn how to obtain funds through prayer alone and in groups and why we should be more open and honest about this issue even if someone may be offended. I strongly stress these issues based on the two verses of the Scripture I quoted. Not everybody accepts why we must do so, but the reason is: lack of funding clearly delays God’s work. Many people do not like it when I say this but I – as many other people who write about missionary work – am convinced that it is true. Stephen Gaukroger also wants us to notice this fact. He reminds us that most missionary work is currently experiencing financial difficulties. Missions have been forced to let employees go, freeze wages and limit the number of new projects, and the lack of funds clearly influences the rate at which literature is spread. (2)

Concentration on the Gospel. One direction in which Western missions have drifted in the past few decades is concentration too much on social work instead of preaching the Gospel. This means that they have sacrificed much time and reserves in building hospitals and schools, development aid work and feeding the hungry but have forgotten the most important: preaching the Gospel. All these activities are, of course, good in themselves and there is nothing bad about them, but it is unfortunate that they fill only the physical needs of the people; not the most important need, the salvation of soul from eternal damnation. Such missionary work gets people to feel a little nicer before their death but it does not save their souls. This type of social work without clear preaching of the Gospel is inefficient because it does not lead people to God.

In addition, it is good to understand that many social problems, even hunger, disappear by themselves when the Gospel reaches people. The reason is that in some countries, such as in India, the religion itself can be reason for the famine. In the Hindu religion, rats are regarded as a holy animal and are thus not eliminated, and they annually destroy a large part of the grain in India. Similarly, “holy cows” are protected, and they eat grain. If there were no such beliefs and the Gospel reached people, this alone would remove a majority of the problems. Therefore, preaching the Gospel is needed, for which the local people are most qualified:

When searching for an answer to these questions, I faced poor, often little educated national brothers who did evangelic work in pioneer areas. They did not have anything material to be given to the people to whom they preached – no agricultural education, no medical help, no training programs. But hundreds of souls were saved and within a few years, a group of congregations were established. What did these brothers do right in achieving such results, while many being in a better position failed?

The answer is that we understand what the missionary work is basically. There is nothing wrong in acts of charity – but we must not confuse them with preaching the Gospel.

(...) We must consider long and hard about the disastrous consequences a similar way of thinking has caused the congregation and its missionary work in this lost world. Could it be that millions of people are currently suffering in the flames of Hell because we were so focused on their physical needs that we ignored their actual need?

I’m sure that if we had preached pure Gospel in China and India during the past century – instead of the watered down version of the Sermon on the Mount – freedom and wellbeing would now prevail in most parts of Asia. True Gospel indirectly causes more social changes than all the effort in the world combined. (3)

Social work alone cannot help people with their spiritual problems. It does not grant eternal life and other spiritual problems will go unresolved as well.

One of these problems include evil spirits and their influence. Modern day Westerners find it difficult to believe in the existence of a spirit world, but countries where idolatry, witchcraft and occultism have been present for centuries, getting rid of evil spirits poses a real problem. Those missionary workers who do not take this into consideration, nor how Jesus holds power over any bad spirits, are unable to help people who struggle with this issue. Social work alone, no matter how good, will never be enough:

In my colleague, Fuller’s, theologian seminar, Doctor Charles Kraft tells his experiences in Nigeria. He tried to teach the word from the Romans to a small tribe. After a few months, those people came to him and explained very politely that his teachings were good, but that it in no way met their current needs. They needed wisdom to overcome their nightly struggles with evil spirits. Doctor Kraft had to admit that he had not received any training on how to tackle dark spirits. (4)

LOCAL WORKERS. An issue that has not been properly noticed is the support of local workers in countries such as India and many Asian countries. There may have been support for Western missionaries, but the importance of the local church and national missionaries in the work of the gospel has been forgotten. They have not been properly noticed, although thousands are ready for full-time gospel work if they gain support. They are ready to go, but local congregations are not always able to support them. That is why help from elsewhere is needed. Western congregations have a good opportunity to help them. Supporting local workers is sensible, particularly in areas where congregations are already established. Southern India is one example of such a place.

When the local workers bear the main responsibility for evangelism, there are a number of useful consequences. The following factors are especially important:

Affordability. Local workers are much less expensive to support than missionaries. They manage on a fraction of the costs of missionaries, or on a few dollars or euro per a day, while the expenses of missionaries are almost always higher.

Foreign missionaries can have expenses such as plane tickets, holiday trips to their home country, language and other education, school attendance of the children, visas and other payments, and a lifestyle that has been at a materially higher level. All these factors together make the expenses up to tens of times higher than that of local workers, which already makes a lot of difference. It's an unfortunate fact.

Of course, missionaries are still needed and their contribution is significant, especially in areas where the gospel has not been preached much and where there are no local workers. There are still countries like that. Similarly, technical and other help can be useful for local churches, but the principle should always be that the missionaries help in the work and not lead it. The responsibility should be, or it should be transferred to local employees as soon as possible, otherwise we will drift away from God's intended model.

The same culture is a significant benefit in preaching the Gospel. A local worker is always in a better position because he knows his nation and its customs, taboos and appreciations. He speaks the same language and dresses and lives in the same way as his fellowmen, which makes it easier for people to receive the Gospel. They accept it much better from them than from foreign workers. K.P. Yohannan, the founder of Gospel for Asia, points this out in his important book ”Haaste joka lähtee sydämestä” (Revolution in World Missions):

Have Asians rejected Christ? Not really. In many cases they have rejected only those western appendages that have been glued to the gospel. This is exactly what Paul meant when he said that he wanted to be “all things to all men” in order to win even one.

When Asians tell other Asians about Christ in a culturally acceptable way, the results are impressive. A national missionary we support in North West India named Jager has now evangelized 60 villages and established 30 congregations in the difficult Punjab region. He has led hundreds to Christ. On my recent trip to India, I stopped by to visit Jager and his wife. I had to see for myself what kind of method he used.

You can imagine my surprise when I discovered that Jager didn't use any kind of special technology to help - unless you want to call his scooter or the tracts we gave away "technology". He lived exactly the same way as the others. He had a one-room house made of dung and mud. The kitchen was outside, also made of mud - the same material that all the buildings in the region were made of. While cooking, his wife crouched by the open fire exactly like the women next door. This brother and his wife were fully Indian. There was nothing foreign about them. (5)

TRAINING, DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITY

- (Eph 4:11,12) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

- (2 Tim 2:2) And the things that you have heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit you to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

One key activity in missionary work is transferring responsibility to the local workers. This means that if a congregation has been created in a particular area because Gospel was preached there, further missionary work should be handled by the locals. Missionaries should not try to do everything themselves; instead, they should guide and instruct people to take on the responsibility for the work. The most important task of a missionary is teaching local workers so that he or she can ultimately let them take on the responsibility for the work. The local people should be made evangelists, teachers, shepherds and elders to care for the local congregation. Only in this way can local workers really get into the work. The missionary is allowed to advise them and give them instructions but always in the background. Congregations that have invested in equipping and training people usually grow faster than those that have not done the same.

A good example of sharing responsibility is the apostles. When they came to a locality and set the work in motion, they very soon transferred the responsibility to the local brethren by selecting a few of the more responsible and advanced among them to serve as elders (Acts 14:21-23, Tiit 1:5), and then moving on to new territories themselves. By no means did they stay to shepherd and lead people for years and years and to do everything by themselves, as often happens nowadays. Instead, they allowed local brothers to take care of daily duties and evangelism. This allowed the congregation to grow in a healthy way and the apostles themselves could go into new areas of work. Oswald J. Smith describes what can happen if this biblical model is used and the responsibility is shifted on local people:

Most foreign missionaries are afraid to trust a native. I remember one such incident. The man's vacation should have started a long time ago, but he hesitated to go. Because years ago he had taken over all management at that broadcasting station and was solely responsible for everything. He had not trained a single local worker. After all, he had no choice but to leave.

It happened at that time that another missionary visited him. This was a man who used biblical ways of working. Wanting to help his worried friend, this brother asked the missionary to call the leading local Christians. His purpose was to find among them someone or several persons who could be given the responsibility for the work. But this missionary, who had been their shepherd for years, gave a most hopeless review of each. The first still had a habit of lying, the second stole, the third had a bad temper, the fourth was lazy, the Fifth beyond all trust, the sixth had no talent whatsoever, the seventh was ignorant.

But to his astonishment the stranger summoned all these unworthy and suspicious men and assigned them to positions of trust. One was made a preacher, another a treasurer, a third a supervisor of the work. Others were made evangelists, elders, etc. And thus everyone suddenly found themselves in a position of trust. And the weary, overburdened missionary went on vacation.

A year passed. The missionary expected to see the whole work in pieces when he returned. But to his great astonishment he saw that every man had done only good. The work had been much more successful than ever before. Ten souls had been won to the Lord. The congregation was once and for all in a flourishing state. Evangelistic meetings had been held in a wide area. Money had been raised, a prayer room repaired, and more meeting rooms had been erected.

For the first time in their lives, the local people had felt that they were in charge. As frightened and trembling, unused to bear the responsibility, they had begun their work, but now it was done in a biblical way, and God blessed it. What a revelation it was to a missionary, who had thought that he had to do everything alone and without sparing himself. (6)

Local congregation. When the previous paragraph showed how important it is to educate people and share responsibility with the locals, it is almost as important to understand the importance of the local congregation. It must be understood that the purpose of missionary work is not to create a part of a missionary organization or a branch of a denomination, but a local congregation. If there is already a congregation in the locality, the missionary workers should help the congregation that has already started.

This biblical model has not always been followed in missionary work, but branches of their own organizations and denominations have been built, or perhaps western influences have been introduced that do not fit the local culture. It has not been understood that the local congregation, with local elders in charge, is the model given by the New Testament that should be followed and strived for. The primary goal of missionary work is, of course, the salvation of souls, but another goal is the formation of a local congregation, and not the representation of an organization. Otherwise, the result will be confusion. The work starts from the wrong foundation from the beginning.

Watchman Nee has emphasized this point in his book Apostolic Mission. He noticed how the work in his country was easily formed around missionary organizations and the local congregation could not develop. Mission organizations did not understand the importance of the local congregation and how the responsibility should be transferred to local people at an early stage:

Why do missionaries often fail today? They keep the results of their work in their own hands. In other words, they consider their converts as members of their mission or as members of their mission church, instead of building them up as local congregations or leaving them to local congregations. The result is that the mission expands in one dimension into a mighty organization, but the local congregations are hardly to be found... Nevertheless, missionary work as an apostolic mission is not absolutely non-biblical. What is clearly non-biblical is missionaries being intent on expanding their own mission instead of establishing local congregations.

...As for the evangelizing work of our missionary brothers, we have nothing to criticize, but much to admire. However, we can't help but question their procedures in dealing with the fruits of such work. In the past hundred years, this has not led to the establishment of local congregations but to the establishment of missionary congregations, or the establishment of branch congregations of different denominations, represented by missionaries. In our opinion, this is against the Word of God. There is no such thing as building denominations in the Bible, there we only find local congregations. May God forgive me if I am wrong! (7)

Forms of missionary work. When missionary work is done, it takes different forms: there is traditional missionary work, Bible translation work, and tentmaking work, where missionary work is carried out alongside the profession. In addition, there is short-term mission work through organizations such as Operation Mobilisation and Youth with a Mission. The working methods of these organizations are good ways to get to know the everyday life of missionary work, and many have gone on longer-term missionary work through it.

One possible way in missionary work is to go in pairs or with a larger group to where workers are needed. It is possible if the job is established in your locality and the need is greater elsewhere. The advantage of that is that a person working alone is more vulnerable and the temptations are greater, but if he has at least one partner, preferably his own spouse, he can withstand it better. We find a similar model in the Bible. It is evident in how Jesus usually sent the disciples in pairs. In addition, from the Acts of the Apostles, we can see how Paul usually had at least one person to help him. At first there was Barnabas, then there were other workers. Oswald J. Smith wrote:

It seems to me that many missionary societies make a most serious mistake by taking the responsibility of sending a missionary on their own. I cannot believe that we can do better than by following the example of Jesus and Paul. Jesus sent his disciples in pairs. Paul went with Barnabas, and when they could no longer work together, Paul, instead of going alone, chose Silas. Barnabas chose Mark. And so they continued their work.

… And let me say that if possible, the companion should be one's own wife. Then the situation is ideal. After all, it is written: "It is not good for man to be alone." A wife feels compassion more than anyone else. He can fill that place that no one else could. But if this is not possible, let the person leaving have with him a male worker, tried and well-known, who has similar aspirations and work habits and the same faith. But never send anyone alone. For if this is done, the enemy of the soul can paralyze him completely and, if possible, the work he is doing as well. (8)

Spreading the printed Word. When it comes to farming, its one important step is to plant the seeds in the soil. If it is not done, i.e. if the sowing work is left unfinished, one cannot even expect a harvest. It is impossible because crops can only grow from seeds. You cannot get a harvest in any other way.

The same is true in spiritual work; we must sow or spread the gospel of what Jesus has done for us. It means that the gospel message should reach outsiders and the unsaved. When people don't come to churches and congregations and maybe don't listen to spiritual broadcasts from the media, there should be a plan to reach these people. What is needed is that the seeds of the Word pass to them and they can be reborn through the Word. This is how the Bible teaches about it:

- (1 Peter 1:23) Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which lives and stays for ever.

- (2 Cor 9:6) But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

- (Rom 10:14,17) How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

One way to spread the seeds of the Word both at home and in a mission situation can be to spread the printed word. Its value is not always understood, but the fact is that many have experienced salvation through good spiritual literature. They are born again when they receive the Word in it. Oswald J. Smith already wrote decades ago about its usefulness. At that time, today's media were not common. He stated that, especially in missionary work, the printed word is an incomparable and inexpensive tool for reaching people. It should be systematically spread to those who have never heard the gospel. When we do this, we can also expect a harvest. Of course, we cannot say where people will best receive the Word, but if we sow faithfully and do not tire, “at the proper time we will reap a harvest” (Gal 6:9). We must start by sowing the seeds of Gospel.

The only way we can fulfill the great commandment, "Go you into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature", is to do it through the printed word. If we can send a spiritual flyer to every home, we can reach every member of that home through it. I don't know of any other way that could lead to better results. We can never send the necessary number of missionaries, but we can systematically spread the printed word…

So after returning back to America, that country so greatly favored by God, I began to urge all the organizations as much as I could to send reading material to where it is needed. “Why are you wasting so much money on English literature? Why do you force Bibles on those who don't want them? …Why don't you use your funds for the spiritual benefit of those far away? Why don’t you do something for those who have nothing?”"

Thank God, my appeal was accepted. My words hurt like never before. Different organizations started sending reading material to distant countries. Since then, I have seen hundreds of thousands of flyers and spiritual booklets sent to places where they are really needed. (9)

REFERENCES:

1. Saavuttamattomat kansat (Praying Through the Window III: The Unreached Peoples), p. 12

2. George Verwer: Ulos mukavuusvyöhykkeeltä, Out of the Comfort Zone by OM, p. 129,130

3. K.P. Yohannan: Haaste, joka lähtee sydämestä (Revolution in World Missions), p. 116,118

4. John Wimber, Kevin Springer: Ihmeet ja merkit (Power Evangelism), p. 60

5. K.P. Yohannan: Haaste, joka lähtee sydämestä (Revolution in World Missions), p. 139

6. Oswald J. Smith: Työ jota Jumala siunaa, p. 110,111

7. Watchman Nee: Apostolinen lähetystyö (Concerning Our Missions), p. 169,170,204

8. Oswald J. Smith: Pelastuksen päivä (The Day of Salvation), p. 109

9. Oswald J. Smith: Pelastuksen päivä (The Day of Salvation), p. 55,57