GUP479 #1*
Can this incredible celebration happen today if there are still 2-3,000 people groups who don’t have the scripture in their mother tongue? These hundreds of millions of men, woman and children can’t hear the Good News in a language that touches their hearts.
But something is happening that is bigger than man, and it is more powerful than a tsunami. God has released a new generation of strategy and technology in world evangelization and it’s a really big deal. Let me turn some lights on for you.
Through the efforts of faithful missionaries over the years there is now an established national Church in nearly every part of the world. In 1900, only 10% of the global Church was in Africa, Asia and Latin America – our “foreign mission fields.” Today, over 75% of the Church is in those regions and God is calling them to reach the unevangelized in their area. Read that again!
Most American Christians don’t realize how radically our role in spreading the Gospel has changed. We no longer lead the charge – it is now the established Church “out there!” God has entrusted the lead to those whom we formerly thought of as “the natives!”
Most mission work today is done by Africans, Asians and Latin Americans, and they are desperate for the Scriptures for their local people groups. So, God is imparting tools, skills and vision to the Church in the West, to help them. We train the existing Church there to do translation, and they can train the Unreached in their area. Isn’t that so “of God?”
Through new technology and methodologies, God is enabling us to equip nationals to complete a high-quality New Testament in less than 5-years, and even under 2-years, instead of 15-30 years under the historic “foreign missionary” strategy.
Yep! A recent joint effort of several ministries (Click) did just that in 12 languages in Asia, where they provided software and hardware and trained nationals in their use. This is an astounding new day and we are so privileged to be part of it. This stuff is for real and it is part of what God is doing in turning up His Light even as He allows the deepening darkness around us.
God has entrusted to American Christians the ten$ of million$ of dollar$ that are needed. In many cases we are hanging on to it for personal security, pleasures and comforts, and maybe we need to rethink that. What if we took Jesus’ Luke 19:12-27 Parable of the Minas seriously, and valued the eternal reward of investing our Mina as He expects us to, instead of in the earthly things that He speaks of in Mt. 6:19-34?
Am I on-target or off-the-wall?
Ken Stoltzfus, Kidron, OH ken@10minas.net
July 10, 2020
*GUP479 is a series on “God’s Unfolding Plan for Rev. 7:9”
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Excellent article. Good Biblical content!