And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
What's new this week
To Christians, Islam can seem very scary. With that in mind, we've pulled together resources to help you learn more about it, evangelistic materials to share with Muslim friends, and courses which can really help you understand. Visit our Islam Resources page to see everything - much of it is free!
"Even the women were allowed to join" - a missionary moment
Ambassadors Football International, through a partnership with one of the largest Pentecostal Churches (ADEPR) in Rwanda, started community football programmes in 2017 to reach out to children with the gospel of Jesus. Now, more than 6000 children are involved on a weekly basis. Though the ministry has had great success, it started with difficulties. The church was very conservative and did not believe in sport or allow women to wear pants or shorts to play football.
"My soul is constrained to preach to them" - a missionary moment
Part three of three:
I am now planning to establish a large training center, for programmes such as teaching sewing, style, language, computer, food and dessert preparation, etc. to help many young people who are unemployed and are still distracted in this life without knowing the Lord, and to teach them the skills to be people of worth and followers of the Lord. I believe that this can be fulfilled because the Lord knows how to arrange all things in his time.
Most recently, I have become interested in reaching Asian people.
"A housebreaking and a heavy cost" - a missionary moment
The call came at 3 AM. We were preaching and training pastors for missions 100 kilometers away – our home was under attack by thugs.
Our daughter was at home. They had super glued her eyes together in an attempt to torture her into letting them in.
Despite this anguish, we couldn’t leave to be with her. Other missionary friends and leaders came to her rescue.
That was one of the heaviest prices we’ve had to pay in our lives as missionaries, but the Lord Jesus paid even a heftier price.
"We want to work with you, not for you" - Lausanne
For all the talk of polycentrism in mission circles today, in international mission organizations, it is often the multinational structure that persists. Internationalization strategies that added sending bases in other Western nations have in more recent years simply expanded to include countries across the Majority World.
Whilst this ambition to widen mobilizing reach has been well intentioned, such organizations are left grappling with the consequences of a centralized structure, leadership, language, culture, and decision-making processes: ‘The organization may be international in personnel, but Western in organization and structures.’
From Gospel Mobilization - the 100 best practices of mobilization
- Pray
2. Work out of the overflow of God’s presence in your l ife.
3. Pray Luke 10:2
4. Memorize scriptures that you can share with those you’re mobilizing.
5. Listen to God’ s voice and then obey Him
6. Pray more
7. Be led by the Holy Spirit.
9. Take time to sit and dream of what could be
and more....
"Don't accept to be defeated" - a missionary moment
Part two of three:
I joined the church as a youth member and took responsibilities there. There was always that stigma around me even in the church but my heart was no longer affected by that because Jesus had healed me. When my faith and my obedience to the Lord advanced considerably, I learned how to play music and mastered singing. I studied Malagasy speech. I became an events and sessions organizer, and every time there was an evangelical festival, I tried to do business. Often I didn’t succeed, but that didn’t discourage me. I thought a lot of things would go well and run smoothly when following the Lord, but that’s not what happened. I often faced failure. Sometimes things go smoothly for a time, and later fail again. I am going through a series of hardships as a result of poverty and difficulties in this country, but I have not left the Lord, and I never think of turning back because I did not make a covenant with a person or a church, but with Jesus Christ.
SIM culture kits to teach kids about missions
Download SIM's culture kits free and connect young people to missions. Each kit contains information about the region and a story from one of its young people. There are also prayer points, games to play, activities to do, and even a recipe for making a delicious local treat!
"He came back armed with a machete" - a missionary moment
"I gathered the pills in my hands" - a missionary moment
Part one of three:
I greet you all in the precious name of Jesus Christ.
I consider it a great benefit to share with you how I met the Lord.
I had an incurable heartache according to the Bible (Jeremiah 17:9). I was only four years old when I lost my mother and I felt a sense of emptiness in my life. I got sick as a result and was hospitalized. The doctor then said that I had a heart problem and there was nothing they could do except to send me home. My grandmother, who raised me, told me this when I was older.
"It stared at the missionaries" - a missionary moment
Satan’s rage was glaring among an Islamic people group in Northern Nigeria. It was like war. Our mission team experienced assaults and opposition from hell. They fought snakes and forces of darkness. One day, a massive snake suddenly appeared in their compound. Its eyes shone as it stared at the missionaries. They called on the villagers to help kill it. However, the villagers said, “Don’t kill it. It has done nothing to you.” “The snake was not in a hurry to go, it was staring at us.
“We prayed and left; the seed was planted” - a missionary moment
For many years I have been teaching the women in church and this year we began going out to evangelize in the very poor community where they live. In most houses we were well received. We encountered a believer, a Christian woman who was praying to God for people to visit her. She married a Muslim man who beats her if she wants to go to church. We went to the house of a witch doctor who was welcoming, as well as women who sell traditional beers and so forth.