Look at what the Lord has Done!

 Hi Everyone!

Let's look at what the Lord has done by talking about Missions and Mobilization since Saint Patrick's day celebrates one such story. The story of a young Scott enslaved by Irish Druids who escapes and goes to Britain and becomes a priest. He returns to Ireland as a missionary and drives out the snakes, snakes being a representation of the druid faith and practices as the people converted.

The Kingdom of God expands through what is called missions and has been called missions since before the Reformation. It would not be a term to the early Church as they did not use Latin as the primary language. Latin usage came with the establishment of Catholicism in around the 3rd century. Pre-Catholicism, the pastoral function was considerably different as the church model was very different. We received much of our typical church experience, like the raised platform, pulpit, large buildings, and one primary speaker from Catholic tradition. The Catholic Church used Missionaries as an Apostolic concept which in the early Church were the people who left their homes to go to a tribe who didn't have the Gospel established in it to fulfill the mandate of the Gospel that is required before Christ's second coming. Those who were sent by the church were called Missionaries. The Catholic Church understood this to be the Primary function of the church's existence and called it missions. After the Reformation, the concept of Missions was wrestled with because of the tension between the Church's responsibility to meet local needs and using resources to mobilize Missionaries to tribes that often enslaved or killed them. Eventually, it was decided that not sending Missionaries was Heretical, and The Era of Protestant Missions began.

In 2023, Gordon Conwell has shown that Missions giving is down, World Evangelization is up, and the general theology of the Christian world is considerably more Charismatic. The body is not established in the same half of the world that has been the focus since the '70s.

On a Happier note, God is still moving. A Somali clan that was at 0% reached 2 years ago is now at 2%. It's not a sustainable marker. It's different from what is considered reached, which is 5% and 2% growth rate. However, it is a Giant step for that clan. A small step in the right direction for the Somali Tribes overall and is excellent news for the body of christ as a whole.

So as you read this, please pray for the problems! Low Missions Giving, A lack of understanding of Missions and the Gospel in the Church, and more Missionaries to be sent.

Don't forget to REJOICE in what God is doing! In the spreading of the Gospel!


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