Missions on Point

Who should we invest our time and efforts into making disciples? How do we know if someone is truly serious about pursuing discipleship or not? Jesus has given a very simple command, and it should be considered the beginning of discipleship. Baptism is the glue between the church and missions, and we need to get baptism right in order to hold the two together.

What is the scope of discipleship endeavors in the church? Who should we seek to make disciples of? Jesus makes a radically inclusive call for all peoples in every tribe, tongue, and people group to become his disciple. And thankfully, we are given the promised vision in heaven that this reality will one day be true. For now though, we need to set our sights on the nations of the world, especially those places that are darkest, the unreached and unengaged.

Jesus begins the Great Commission by declaring that all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. But what does this mean for the church and for missions? Jesus' authority is essential for missionaries because it grounds them in the sure foundation of God's word and the church which is where Jesus' authority is exercised. Be wary of missionaries who are untethered from the church, just as we should be wary of anyone who comes in their own authority.

Matthew 28:18-20 is the familiar final command of Jesus giving to us "The Great Commission." In this series we do a deep dive into the Great Commission to see its implications for missions and the church. Jesus gives the central command for the church to make disciples. Discipleship is then defined with 5 distinct aspects, which will then constitute the remaining episodes in this series.

Here in the closing books of the New Testament, we see faithful church leaders writing to scattered Christians under persecution and to specific local churches. These books give instruction, encouragement, and correction to church leaders and the believers in their care. We continue to observe that the local church is the greenhouse for growing Christians in their faith. The startling visions of Revelation are also bookended with specific instruction and hope-filled comfort for local churches, which are the fruit of missions and God's global redemptive plan. God is sovereign! Jesus wins! He uses us to reach the nations in His name! In this episode, after 3-1/2 years of Missions on Point, I introduce myself and my assistant Joel Hollins, who will be podcasting the next series. Please feel free to comment, give us feedback, subscribe, like, and follow Missions on Point. And, please tell your friends about the podcast.

The life and writings of the Apostle Paul are God's gift to the church. It's fair to say that we wouldn't understand the Gospel, theology, or missions well apart from Paul's example and letters. So, we read the New Testament and are encouraged to prioritize the Gospel of Jesus Christ and His church. Paul's example also teaches us to be team players, stick to priorities, and have a big heart for those supporting and serving alongside us.

This is a dramatic and critical narrative of the beginnings of the church, the first sent-out missionaries, and the grace of God through the Gospel to Gentile believers everywhere. Persecution exists as a thread throughout the story of missions. God's deliverance for His servants also exists. The first time believers were called Christians was in a Gentile church in a Gentile city. We wear that nametag today across the world. God used the church in Antioch to be the first sending church to Barnabas and Saul, who proved their qualifications and calling in the context of their local sending church.

It is a delight to read the dramatic narrative of the earliest church growing as the Gospel is faithfully preached in the book of Acts. Luke, the human author guided by the Holy Spirit, weaves in the key figures and moments in church development as their concept of missions was being formed. We see touches with many ethnicities from the beginning of the church in Acts chapter 2, the story of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The momentum and diversity grow in the subsequent chapters, building toward this Acts 1:8 Great Commission obedience to take the Gospel to all nations, to the end of the earth.

Christ's last days on earth, His final teachings, instructions, and commands build a consistent crescendo of missions direction. The elements of gospel proclamation to the whole world were repeated themes. We see Christ showing and telling of this missions theme up to his final command, reiterated until his ascension into heaven.

Perhaps we don't see Christ's ministry to the nations in the Gospels. Perhaps we minimize what we do see. This episode highlights some key observations that show Christ's consistent ministry to Gentiles and teaching that "all nations" are included in God's plan for the Gospel. Jesus' choices, interactions, teachings and instructions, and miracles all point to His extraordinary inclusiveness to all nations. This episode should help open your eyes to see it and be thankful for Christ's ministry to the nations.

We now begin a series of missions insights from the New Testament. Appropriately, we begin with the birth of Christ. Through the record of Christ's birth and the people involved, we see God's clear intent to bring salvation to all nations. This was prophesied in the Old Testament, demonstrated even through the lineage of Jesus, and confirmed by many people connected to His actual Incarnation and young childhood. God is faithful, in Christ, to fulfill his Word to bless all nations through the seed of Abraham.

It is fitting for us to consider Christ in the Old Testament. His life, ministry, death, and resurrection are the basis of the Gospel message of missions. Christ Himself teaches that the whole Old Testament speaks of Him as well as predicts His life and work in God's plans for His glory. So, it is a wonder to behold Him throughout the Old Testament. The Old Testament uses over 100 titles and names for Christ. Particulars of His position, His majesty, His perfections, and His cross-work are pictured, described, and portrayed in many ways. Jesus Himself appears in His pre-incarnate state to individuals in the lives of Old Testament saints. Types or pictures of Christ and of His saving work are modeled or shown to pre-figure His salvation in the Old Testament Scriptures.

In this episode we take a look at a couple of unique Old Testament missionaries - reluctant Jonah and captive Daniel. We also see God's purposes in the last words of the Old Testament before 400 years of silence until the coming of the Messiah, our Lord Jesus Christ. We clearly see God's heart for the nations, His clear purposes to be glorified and worshiped among all nations, and His faithfulness to give spokesmen who proclaim His majesty and greatness no matter the circumstances.

Psalm 67 is an outstanding example of a missions Psalm. The key phrases highlight for us how to read and look for God's missions purposes woven throughout the Old Testament. The purpose of God's blessing on His people is so that those resources would be used to draw people from all the earth to acknowledge and worship the one true God. We see similar phrases and usage in the great books of Isaiah and Ezekiel.

In our selective insights, we'll look at the purposive statement recorded about the story of David and Goliath. The phrase "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel" is a key phrase used in various forms to show God's intent to spread His glory to all nations. Jesus reinforces this interpretation with His own statements in Luke 4 and the conduct of His own ministry. We see this repeated phrase, or equivalent, by other leaders and servants of God repeated many times throughout the Old Testament. It is a billboard-sized sign of God's intent to win people from all nations to a right relationship with Him for His glory. Stay tuned for more. Also, check out the book "Missions on Point" here.

We start a new series to introduce you to missions insights from the Old Testament. There are an abundance of things we could mention. But this series will focus on whetting your appetite with some personal favorite instances to highlight. The story of God's call and promise to Abraham is a crucial development in God's overarching purpose to bring glory to Himself in all nations. Genesis 1-11 can be regarded as an introduction to the main story of redemption, which unfolds here.

We've settled on a shorter, clearer book title -- Missions on Point: The Local Church's Role in Missions. This episode is a reprise that corrects the previously announced draft title. There are current thoughts in the missions world that missions agencies should give up on local churches' participation. Agencies are seeking to harden themselves to become independent of local churches. That thinking is dangerous and unbiblical! Local churches must rise up and take serious responsibility for their role in world missions. There is a lot of clear biblical support for the primacy of the local church in God's program. Working against that mindset could be disastrous for missions agencies. The local church needs to step up to reclaim their birthright. We've seen wonderful positive growth in a number of churches as they grasp this teaching. We'd love to see regional intensive weekend trainings spring up across the US: SW, NW, Central, East Coast. Pray with us to that end. Pray for the impact of the book as it comes out. Visit https://propempo.com/resources/missions-on-point-book/ to find out more and show your interest.

This is the last episode of the preview series of a book underdevelopment on the centrality of the church in missions. Please let us know if you're interested in being on the list to be notified when it is published. This episode is the capstone and summary of the main ideas presented in the previous episodes, starting with Ep. # 142. The local church is God's agent to accomplish His will on earth. The local church is central, by design, in missions as per biblical principles and precepts. The local church is the goal of missions ministry, as evidenced in many ways, including the Great Commission. Let me know how this series affects you, your ministry, and your church. [email protected] Notification of publication sign up here.

There are people and ministries who identify themselves as "missions mobilizers." We review the need and definition of missions mobilization. Yet, the missing element in most missions mobilization is the neglected role of the sending church. Mobilization would have stronger and better long-term results if more attention was given to developing the mobilization capacity of local churches! The best mobilization is by, with, and through the local church for the end goal of planting local churches among every people group on earth to the glory of Jesus Christ. cf. Eph. 3:8-21 Interested in the publication of this book? Sign up here. See transcripts of "Missions on Point"

What difference does this biblical orientation toward local-church-centric missions make for the missionary training school? There are lots of types of missionary training programs and institutions. Many are quite specific in what things they tackle in missionary training and preparation. Others are traditional Christian colleges and universities with a degree or diploma program specifically aimed at training missionaries. Yet, in light of our study, most do not include a seat at the table for the home or sending church of their student/candidate. This episode talks about fixing that gap. It is essential that some change be made in order to produce the best qualified, most effective, long-term missionaries being sent to bring the Gospel and plant churches among the final frontiers of people groups yet to be reached. Sign up if you're interested in getting notice about the upcoming publication of the Church-Centric Missions book. Get transcripts of Missions on Point.

We boldly talk to people about their missions giving, especially our beloved generous missions donors. Keep in mind this important principle of biblical local-church-centric ministry philosophy. It shapes the direction, criteria, and relationships of our giving. It has biblical, long-term, and discerning factors involved. Do you want more joy, more genuine long-term results, more spiritual fruit from your kingdom investments? Listen to this podcast and refer it to others.

This is a tough paradigm shift for missions agencies. But it must be done if we are to be faithful to God's church on both sides of biblical cross-cultural ministry. When we know the right thing to do, we must do it with determination and grace. So, missions agency, get more focused on the role of the sending local church. Recruit not just individuals but those individuals' churches. Equip, enable, and facilitate the church in sending the best prepared, best sent, best-shepherded missionaries in your agency history. You will not regret it!

Sooner rather than later, dear missionary candidate and missionary, get your church involved in your missionary development and missions ministry! The stakes are high. If you really want to be faithful and effective long-term on the mission field, you MUST get your home/sending church connected with a true sense of partnership and ownership in your ministry. True, it means giving up some "independence" and "personal rights." But that's way better than burning out! You will love having a solid team of people who love you and are concerned about nurturing your soul as well as your productive ministry on the field. Humility and acceptance on your part will bear rich fruit in your life and ministry. Do it for God's glory!

The local church mentor of the missionary wannabe is almost totally neglected in today's world of missionary preparation. There have been organizations that have tried to bridge the gap with very limited effectiveness. There is nothing like a warm, godly relationship within the home/sending church to walk alongside and give sound perspective and encouragement for the whole process of thorough preparation for the mission field. This episode unpacked the character of the mentor's role and the journey of preparation that they will facilitate. Check out these resources: https://propempo.com/resources/missions-on-point-series-list/church-based-missionary-training-7-of-14-mentoring-and-accountability/ https://propempo.com/resources/missions-on-point-series-list/church-based-missionary-training-1-of-14-introduction/ https://propempo.com/services/missions-paths/missions-committee/how-is-a-missions-committee-or-team-organized/how-do-we-raise-up-missionaries-from-our-congregation/ https://propempo.com/community/propempo-blog/what-are-the-qualifications-of-a-good-sending-church/

There is no doubt that the Missions Leader of the local church is absolutely key to the implementation of the biblical local church-centered missions mindset. To embrace this mindset and implement it is much more than being an administrator of a committee. It must be influential up and down the line to the church leadership, to the congregation, and to the missionaries that are being supported and sent. It's true that there are many components to getting the church on track. There is a special set of skills, including administration, communication, relational, skills, and planning skills. Take it as a challenge to help your church joyfully embrace what we believe to be God's biblical design for the local church's role in missions! Find resources: Read the transcript https://propempo.com/resources/missions-on-point-series-list/ https://propempo.com/services/missions-paths/missions-pastor/ https://propempo.com/services/missions-paths/ https://sendforward.org/product/get-your-church-involved-in-missions-pdf/ https://sendforward.org/product/church-missions-profile-3/ mailto:[email protected]

Pastor, LEAD YOUR CHURCH IN MISSIONS! Your role is crucial to the effectiveness of implementing this biblical local church-centric missions ministry philosophy. There are a number of simple, not-overwhelming things you can do to be an effective catalyst for missions in your church. Embracing this biblical church-centric view will give you freedom, focus, and fortitude as you enable and equip your church for this great ministry. Find more resources, including podcast transcriptions, at Propempo.com. Find the booklet entitled "Get Your Church Involved in Missions," at SendForward.org. Access the episode transcript page.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The two biggest categories of reasons why missionaries come home permanently from the field (attrition) due to preventable reasons are unrealistic expectations and lack of relational accountability. The sending church can be the solution for each of those. Rethink the candidate's pre-field training and qualifications. Build a strong web of relational accountability from the very beginning. Send and shepherd them well for long-term faithfulness and effectiveness.

Once you have the foundations laid for leadership and organization for missions values, you turn to "mobilizing the whole congregation in missions" by developing a church missions culture. Prayer, family devotions, biblical foundations, and engaging all the small group or affinity group ministries of your church and be inspired, informed, and enabled to participate in missions in practical ways. You know you've built a missions culture when your church members are spontaneously taking the initiative to be involved in missions both locally and globally.

The first concept to understand that it is not the church leadership or Missions Team/Committee's responsibility to do the work of missions on behalf of their church. Their responsibility is to mobilize the entire church in missions. That means taking seriously their leadership in informing, inspiring, and providing opportunities for every active member to do their part in missions as an intentional "world Christian" - living and aligning their lives in light of the Gospel and the Great Commission. This change of mindset will energize the whole church and eventually produce missionaries being sent out from your own church family.

It has been very helpful for church missions leaders to understand and implement a simple means of evaluating how much to financially support missionaries and ministries. Having passed through the initial application and alignment with the church's values in doctrine and relationship, this X-Y-Z grid helps visualize where the candidate is in X - relationship to your church, Y - priority of type of ministry, and Z - target access to the Gospel.

Adopting a Strategic Focus can be a game-changer in terms of earning greater participation and ownership of your church in missions. It clarifies, simplifies, and amplifies involvement. It is also more satisfying than casting out thinly and widely without deep missionary relationships. See the biblical model of Paul. Realize the benefits. Then act to do it! You can always give your feedback and ideas for Missions on Point through email: [email protected]

One of the amazing benchmarks of a church fully grasping its role in world missions is to raise up, send, and shepherd its own people as missionaries. It can be frightening at first. "How do we do that!!!" Yet, it shouldn't be much different than raising up church leaders, but with cross-cultural and international elements to it. This little episode can help inform your vision for "how to do that."

If you want to achieve a goal, you need to define the goal. The New Testament gives us a clear goal for Great Commission missions. The goal of missions is the local church. It is planting and strengthening local churches in every tongue, tribe, people, and nation on the planet. Too often missionaries, mission agencies, and even churches confuse and cloud methods and strategies with the desired end. They confuse the means with the end. Almost any kind of outreach ministry can and should be connected to the local church. A practical, intentional, conscious goal is essential. Ask your missionaries how they are connected to seeing local churches planted and strengthened.

This episode is dangerously fun. Here we answer the most frequent objections raised by church and missions agency leaders to restoring or repatriating missions to the local church. Want to learn the answers to these objections? Listen to this podcast. Could you share it with others? We believe the Bible is so strong on this that the pain of implementation must be overcome by our commitment to God's Word, faith in His plan, and hope for a better, preferred future. Then there is the Grandfather Clause ...

We transition in this preview of a more complete treatment in the book to come from the biblical basis to the implementation of the centrality of the local church in missions. Step one, if you will, is simply agreeing with the Scriptures and having your local church take ownership of missions. There are lots of good reasons to do so! Starting down this pathway will be of great benefit to all the players on the team: the church, the church members, the missionaries, their missions agency, and the target ministry people on the field.

Propempo is a very special term, transliterated from the Greek New Testament, which demonstrates the central role of the local church in sending out missionaries for the sake of the Gospel. This episode traces the use of the word "propempo" to demonstrate how it is used to describe this crucial responsibility of the local church. Track along with us as we show how it can fuel our understanding of the centrality of the local church in missions.

In this episode, we explore the scope and nature of God the Father's view of the centrality of the local church in missions. We discover that God is the originator and designer of the local church. The Bible is full of evidence of His involvement and purpose behind the local church together with its unique mission on earth. God's mission is the local church's mission. God's glory is found in and through local churches.

We dare not underestimate the incredible role of the Apostle Paul in establishing the centrality of the local church in missions. Paul clearly understood his special calling to preach the gospel and to establish local churches. In fact, he was under submission to his own sending church as he went out. His view and understanding of the centrality of the local church in missions is a model for our thinking and implementation of missions today. We pray this series will rock some boats, rattle some cages, and change some people's minds about how missions should operate in our world biblically.

"You can't see the forest for the trees" can be true of us. Sometimes we don't see the big picture because we don't lift our eyes to see the most obvious things. Every book of the New Testament was written by church leaders and church planters to local church leaders and local churches for the good of local churches everywhere. The local church is the beginning and end of missions. But it's not just the focus of missions; it is also the center of God's plan!

When the Apostles and disciples of Jesus heard the Great Commission, what did they do? How did they obey it? We'll see in this episode that they went all over the map preaching the Gospel and disciplining believers resulting in the planting of local churches. Acts is our guide for this 30,000-foot overview of early church history. Church tradition about the Apostles' work also confirms this summary: early believers planted churches in obedience to the Great Commission.

Please consider the well-known "Great Commission" passages in the Gospels and Acts. These contribute to a solid understanding that the Great Commission cannot be adequately fulfilled apart from planting local churches. It is NOT only evangelizing and disciplining; it IS establishing a mutually committed body of believers who worship, care for each other, study the Scriptures, observe the Ordinances, have qualified church leaders, and continue to obey the Great Commission.

We like to start with the Bible. What better way than to start with Christ's view of the local church? After getting a big-picture overview of the use of the word "church" in the New Testament, we'll dive into how Christ Himself portrays His connection to and special relationship with local churches. In the largest scope, the whole New Testament, inspired by Christ and fueled by His Great Commission resounds with local-church-centered teaching.

This introduction begins a more extensive series on "The Centrality of the Local Church in MIssions." It is my heartbeat. It crystallizes my lifelong convictions for the local church and missions. Please listen attentively, recommend it profusely to others, and pray for its ultimate effectiveness for God's glory through the church to all nations.

The Muslim world is in the month of Ramadan (Mar. 22 -Apr. 20, 2023). This episode hopes to open your eyes to the strategic time of opportunity to share Jesus with your Muslim friends, coworkers, fellow students, and neighbors. Muslims are especially sensitized to pursue spiritual things during this month. They need to know more about their "Prophet" Jesus. They are more open to reading the New Testament (their Injil) to learn more. Your testimony, presented with sensitivity and loving concern for Christ's sake may bring fruit, by God's grace, in their coming to faith in Jesus. May it be so.

Congratulations, you have crossed the finish line of producing a new (or improved) Church Missions Handbook. Now it's time to roll out the implementation of the Handbook. Take some time to celebrate with your Missions Team or Missions Committee. Make sure everyone understands its content. Then progressively roll it out to the Elders, the congregation at large, and your supported missionaries and ministries. Use the Handbook for orientation for onboarding new Missions Team members.

Sometimes it is challenging to discuss measuring "performance," especially in spiritual things. Yet, information is a friend to effectiveness. Why you measure is essential. You want to have the right attitude about using metrics to better achieve your goals to mobilize the congregation in missions. What you measure may be obvious, less obvious, or even least obvious. It all works together to build a larger vision for what your Missions Team and your church can do to fulfill God's great purposes for His glory in Christ through the local church.

This episode could be used by every ministry group in the church! Here we'll look at key principles to having effective Missions Team meetings, decision-making processes, and the subtle dynamics that make for genuine unity.

Beyond the usual mechanical functions of a Missions Team, the deeper efforts of mobilizing the whole congregation for missions, missionary candidate development and sending, and larger partnerships come into play. Go the extra mile to become a Propempo-minded church in your role and functions. Access the episode Transcript page.

Finding the right people on the Missions Team can be a minefield! Sometimes people with strange ideas want to be on the Team to leverage their agenda. How do you avoid that? Who and how do you get the right people on the Team to do this great ministry? Build a good foundation for qualifications, expectations, and team spirit as you serve the church in this vital ministry of world missions.

Structure, specialization, and delegation are keys to effectiveness, both short-term and long-term. This episode walks through 9 key areas for specialization in structure in order to have maximum impact on mobilizing the congregation for missions and for effectiveness with your field workers.