missionary outreach and the local church

42 Pages·2015·0.27 MB·English

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CHRISTIAN RESOURCES

MISSIONARY
OUTREACH
AND
THE LOCAL CHURCH

By: Bishop Warwick Cole-Edwardes
MISSIONARY OUTREACH AND THE LOCAL CHURCH

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mission today - G.Cheeseman
The Bible basis for missions - R.Glover
Understanding Christian Missions - Herbert Kane
Operation World - Herbert Kane

(READ A MISSIONARY BIOGRAPHY AND SUMMARIZE IT)

STUDY I.

1. MISSIONARY OUTREACH IS THE WORK OF GOD

We must begin our studies in missions with God and ask what kind of God is he?
The Bible teaches us that he is an outstanding God, a missionary God, all
missionary work can be described as God reaching the lost through Christ through
Christ (Jn 3:16), It was God the Father who sent his Son into the world, it was
God thee Son who came and died and rose again for the lost, and it is God the
Holy Spirit who sends and equips missionaries today. If there is a gospel it is
God’s Gospel, if a door is opened God opened the door, if someone’s heart
responded God opened the heart and if someone goes on missionary work God
sent him.

J. Bovinck “The missionary enterprise is not a human undertaking, but the
work of Jesus Christ who will gather to himself a congregation
out of every nation.”

2. MISSIONARY OUTREACH IS THE WORK OF THE CHURCH

2 Pet.1:4 “Through he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that
through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the
corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

Jn 10:16 “I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them
also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and
one shepherd.”

The churches main priority is missions, the church should be a missionary
minded church. At Pentecost when the spirit came he sent them out. The
situation today in many churches is that missions is non-existent.
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3. MISSIONARY OUTREACH IS THEREFORE THE WORK OF
EVERY LOCAL CHURCH

All our services all our meetings ought to focus to some degree on missions.

Herbert Kane: “The church which has no missionary vision is no
New Testament church”.

4. THE MISSIONARY CALL COMES TO THE LOCAL
CHURCH (Acts 13:2, 16:10)

In the New Testament the call to individual Christians comes also to the church as
is seen at the church in Antioch (Paul and Barnabas) and so the call to the church
confirmed and validated the call to the missionary, they laid hands on Paul and
Barnabus and then sent them out

5. THE SENDING BODY IS THE LOCAL CHURCH

The local or home church becomes a sending body, not a missionary society.

5.1. Its principles must be biblical, base everything from scripture.

5.2. Its principles should be approached thoughtfully.
a) Solid doctrine base
b) They must be disciplined
c) Their development

5.3 Its principles can only be applied sacrificially.
Primarily as financial giving goes.

5.4. Its principles must be carried out prayerfully.

5.5. Its principles should be handles compassionately.
The church doesn’t only support missionaries with money, prayer and
practically (the whole person), needs letters of encouragement, needs help
in the realms of education for their children, to a house, books, tapes, C.D.
and when on furlough.
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6. THE SPIRIT IS LORD IN THE LOCAL CHURCH

6.1. The Lordship of the Spirit in the home church.
If ever the spiritual life of the home church deteriorates the missionaries
will suffer, no more money. We must pray the church will remain alive
and vibrant.

6.2. The Lordship of the Spirit on the mission field.
The missionary will be encouraged.

7. A LOCAL CHURCH SHOULD EXPECT GREAT THINGS
FROM GOD

8. A LOCAL CHURCH SHOULD ATTEMPT GREAT THINGS
FOR GOD

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THE BIBLICAL BASIS OF MISSIONS
STUDY 2

INTRODUCTION.

The Christian mission is a route in the Bible; from the Bible we get our message our mandate, our
motivation and our methodology. Apart from the Word of God, the missionary movement has
neither a meaning or sanction. It is not enough to say we are interested in missions, it is not
enough to say you pity the lost, it’s got to go deeper and the Bible gives us a basis for missions
or evangelism it is under an obligation to search the scriptures in order to come to a
understanding of the biblical basis of Christian missions.

A. THE MISSIONARY NOTED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Old Testament is a missionary book because God is a missionary God; from
the very beginning, God has been desperately concerned about the spiritual
welfare of the world.

1. Adam and Eve (Gen 1:28)
So God has a world - wide vision

2. Noah (Gen 9:1)
Again, God gave the world a fresh start, with the same command fill the earth
and spread across the earth.

3. Babel.
Against self-love and self-seeking, which opposed his missionary purpose
God scattered the people over the face of the earth.

4. Abraham (Gen 12:1)
From Abraham a long procession of missionaries started (Gen 12:1-3)
Covering 4,000 years. The missionary call was clear to Abraham.

5. Joseph (Gen 50 -ff)
Joseph also was a great missionary sent by God to heathen Egypt.

6. Moses
A great missionary leader, trained, discipled by God for a great undertaking

7. Elijah and Elisha (1Kings 17)

8. Woman
Rahab, Ruth, and Esther

9. Psalms (Psl. 2:8, 47, 72).

10. Prophets
(Is 45:21-22) (Jer 3:17) (Hab 2:14) Hag 2:7) Jonah and Daniel

SUMMARY

The missionary idea runs throughout every page of the Old Testament, Law, Prophets, and
Writings. The Old Testament lives in a missionary atmosphere.
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B. THE MISSIONARY HEART OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

The New Testament draws its very breathe in mission, it incarnates missions and where
ever it goes it creates missions and so the missionary idea which was in bud form in the
Old Testament bursts into full bloom in the New Testament.

1. GOSPELS

The Gospels portray Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world, greatest missionary
ever. He leaves heaven comes down to earth preaches, his personal ministry was
missionary, his thoughts and aims were missionary,
Woman in Samaria, Roman Centurion (Matt 28:18-20) Great Commission,
gospels saturated with missions in every chapter.

2. ACTS.

The Acts of the Apostles is the inspired record of the missionary work of the
early church. The Acts of the Apostles is the authorized missionary manual of
the church. KEY VERSE Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in
all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth”. This will include
Philip’s ministry, Peter’s ministry, and Paul’s missionary journeys.

3. Epistles

The Epistles are letters written by missionaries to local missionary churches,
which they had founded on their journeys.

4. Revelation

Revelation was written by a missionary in exile.

CONCLUSION

The Bible truly is a missionary book whether you view it as a whole or in its parts,
For God missions is the priority

C. APPLICATION

1. Be available to go.

2. If you stay, have a burden for missions.
a) Pray
b) Give

3. Educate yourself

4. Be missions minded as a church

a) Youth
b) Elderly
c) Men’s work
d) Ladies work
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THE MISSIONARY MANDATE

STUDY 3

1. THE CHARACTER OF GOD

The missionary mandate is normally restricted to the closing verses of Matthew’s
Gospel, those verses are even called the Great Commission, but there is so much
more than just that verse and there are three dimensions to the missionary
mandate. The Christian Mission, the Gospel that originated in the heart of God.
If God were any other kind of God there would be no Christian mission and so the
supreme argument for missions is found in the being and the Character of
God.

1.1 GOD IS LOVE

This is the central fact of the Gospel; God’s love is everlasting love
(Jer 31:3), it was this all inclusive love of God that prompted God to send
Jesus Christ (1 Jn 4:9)

1.2. GOD IS LIGHT

In the Bible light has three connotations

a) Splendour (physical) (2 Cor 4:6)
b) Intellectual (Psl 43:3)
c) Moral or Holy (Rom 13:11-14)
God’s love is a holy love (Rom 1:18) from his holiness comes his
wrath. If someone rejects God he will experience his wrath (Jn
3:36). So the two go together, his holiness glows, but his love
burns with holiness or God’s love makes it possible for a sinner to
be saved, but God’s holiness makes it inevitable we will perish if
we reject him, and so the missionary mandate is routed in the
character of God.

2. THE COMMAND OF CHRIST

A closer look at the teaching of Jesus will show us that he used three
words to describe the relationship of the disciples and himself.

2.1. “Come unto me” (Matt 11:28)

To those who come they will receive love, joy, peace. All are
based on the forgiveness of their sin.

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2.2. Follow (Matt 11:29-30) - the great renunciation

We are to follow; this following is all or nothing commitment, not
the watered down Christianity we see today. To be a disciple of
Jesus is to follow him no matter what the cost.

2.2. Go (Matt 28:18-20) (Mark 16:15)

The disciple is to go

a) The one who sends - Christ (Matt 28:18)
b) The one who is sent - disciples
c) To whom is the missionary sent - all over the world
d) The message - our message is a serious business, it calls
for a response

3. THE CONDITION OF MANKIND

The needs of our world are enormous.

3.1. Mankind’s spiritual needs (Mk 8:36-37) (Acts 16:30) (Rom 5:10) (Jn
3:36). The missionary’s first concern is to preach so that people can be
saved.

3.2. Mankind’s intellectual needs (soul and mind)
Translate the Bible into the language of the people, in addition to that
build missionary schools, publish literature and open colleges

3.3. Mankind’s physical needs.
No other religion places more honour on the body than Christianity and so
Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick.

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THE DIRECTOR - THE HOLY SPIRIT
STUDY 4

INTRODUCTION
After our Lord gave the command to go to his disciples, he then said wait (Lk 24:49)
They must not move out until they had received the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy
Spirit is essential to missions.

1. HIS WORKER - THE MISSIONARY
Disciples to pray for the Lord to thrust out workers (Matt.9:38) “Pray that the Lord
will thrust out workers”.

1.1 But they must be called by the Spirit (Acts 13:2) (Read Jer 23:21)
1.2 The worker must be gifted by the Spirit. e.g. If they are to be
Evangelists they must have the gift of evangelism (Eph 4: 11-12)
Those whom the Spirit calls he equips.
1.3. They must be motivated by the Spirit
There is no harder task than missionary work and so all the missionaries’
dedication or zeal will fizzle out unless he is motivated by the Spirit.

2. HIS WORK - THE STRATEGY
Remember the work is Gods (Rom 15:7-19)

2.1 The general plan was given by Christ (Acts 1:8)
Beginning with Jerusalem then on to Judea, then on to Samaria
and then on to the world.
2.2. Special guidance
e.g. (Acts 16:6-10) Paul was told to go to Macedonia
(Acts 18:9-11) - Stay in Corinth
(Acts 22:18) - Leave Jerusalem
a) Openness - we need to be open
b) Closeness - stay close to the Lord
c) Experience

3. HIS POWER - SPIRITUAL LIFE

3.1. Moving a man’s heart to Christ (1 Cor 2:10-14) (Jn 16:8, 6:44)
No one comes to Christ without the work of the Spirit. The power
we need is the Spirit.
3.2. Church growth
Wherever there is growth, it is because the Holy Spirit is working

CONCLUSION

1. The missionary must be a person full of the Holy Spirit (Acts 11:1-4)
2. Missionary work is done by praying for His power.
That ends section A of our studies which deals with the fundamentals
Lecture 1 The local church and missions
Lecture 2 Biblical basis for missions
Lecture 3 The missionary mandate
Lecture 4 The director of missions is the Holy Spirit.

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SECTION B.
STUDY 5

THE CONQUEST OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE FOR CHRIST

1. THE GREAT ACHIEVEMENT

Jesus died on the cross around the year 30. At his ascension he left 11 disciples, they
met with 120 followers of Christ, who gathered in the upper room. At his resurrection,
there were roughly 500 disciples. Over the next 300 years, the empire was won over for
Christ. Initially the missionaries reached out to the gentiles, they took the gospel
wherever they went. In 303 in spite of all the persecution, the church was strong, it was
an incredible achievement.

2. THE CHURCH BY AD.313

2.1 Asia Minor
Paul laboured here for 12 years; he established a strong church in every
major city.

2.2 Rome
By the year 150, there were 30,000 professing Christians.

2.3. France and Spain
While not as wide spread as Rome there was a church and they reached
into Britain.

2.4. North Africa
The key cities in North Africa were Alexandria, Carthage and Hippo.
With Alexandria being the main centre. Remember in Alexandria there
was a famous Theological School under Clement and then Origen. North
Africa produced some Church fathers.

2.5. Beyond the Empire.
The Gospel then carried down into Ethiopia and went as far as India. By
the year 313 there could have been as many as 50,000 000 Christians from
all different walks of life.

3. WHY DID IT GROW?

The main reason was because God caused it to grow, but practically speaking
there were three main reasons:

3.1. The world was prepared

a) It was prepared by the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire
provided a time of peace and swift travel.

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