A Twisted Crown of Thorns ®

Reformed. Christianity. Evangelism. Modern Culture.

Tag Archives: Missions

Mission to Moyo: Why would some one want to reach Africa’s unreached?

3 Comments Posted by on November 9, 2021

reaching africas unreached[Re-posted from 2017] Jacob Lee is in a village called Afoji in Moyo district in Northern Uganda. Why would some one leave the comfort of his life in America and take his wife along to a place where there is no electricity or running water? Well, in their own words…

Our Mission is to reach Africa’s unreached people groups with the glorious Gospel of Jesus by planting  Christ exalting churches in their midst. Furthermore, we will endeavor to strengthen local churches and their leaders through careful exposition of the Scriptures in word and deed.

We believe the greatest need of every person and of every culture is the clear proclamation of the Gospel! Along with this, we are seeking to ultimately serve the community where we are planted in, near Moyo North Uganda and South Sudan, with practical needs such as a medical/dental clinic, an orphan care center, a christian primary and secondary school for children, and a vocational training center for adults. …Read More!

Christianity, Evangelism, Faith , , , , , ,

William Carey’s 11 Commandments of Missions

3 Comments Posted by on September 15, 2021

An interesting piece here on William Carey’s 11 pieces of advice on missions:saving drowning man

  1. Set an infinite value on immortal souls.
  2. Gain all the information you can about “the snares and delusions in which these heathens are held.”
  3. Abstain from all English manners which might increase prejudice against the gospel.
  4. Watch for all opportunities for doing good, even when you are tired and hot.
  5. Make Christ crucified the great subject of your preaching.
  6. Earn the people’s confidence by your friendship. …Read More!
Religion and Spirituality , ,

Jim Elliot on Missions

1 Comment Posted by on September 5, 2019

“You wonder why people choose fields away from the States when young people at home are drifting because no one wants to take time to listen to their problems. Ill tell you why I left. Because those Stateside young people have every opportunity to study, hear, and understand the Word of God in their own language, and these Indians have no opportunity whatsoever. I have had to make a cross of two logs, and lie down on it, to show the Indians what it means to crucify a man. When there is that much ignorance over here and so much knowledge and opportunity over there, I have no question in my mind why God sent me here. Those whimpering Stateside young people will wake up on the Day of Judgment condemned to worse fates than these demon-fearing Indians, because, having a Bible, they were bored with it—while these never heard of such a thing as writing.”
Jim Elliot

Related articles

 

Calvinism, Christianity, Evangelism, Faith, Religion and Spirituality , , ,

Isn’t God’s purpose ruined by the unbelief of the masses?

2 Comments Posted by on August 18, 2019

seedMany ask that isn’t God’s purpose in mission and evangelism ruined by unbelief; especially when the gospel is taken to villages and hard hearted people groups who refuse to be receptive and responsive to the message?

It isn’t “The Parable of the Soils” in Matthew 13:1-23, but The Parable of the Sower, as Jesus himself called it (v. 18). The importance of this title is to show that it was Christ’s word, or the gospel, that is sown and that it is His intention to sow seed on the soil (people) who will not believe, as well as on those who would. Jesus is unambiguous. He clarifies that the gospel is able to be understood by a subset of those who hear (“to you it has been granted,” v. 11), “but to them [the rest] it has not been granted.” This surely had a special impact meant for the Jewish audience, as we see by reading Christ’s long quote in Isaiah 6.
The evangelism/mission cause can never be thwarted by the unbelief of the masses who will “keep on hearing but will not understand,” any more than Jesus’ own earthly evangelism was hindered by it. It has always been part of the plan that people will not understand. If a missionary hacks his way through jungle and finds no reception in some villages, it isn’t defeat. …Read More!

Christian news, Christianity, Evangelism, Faith, Religion and Spirituality ,

Why missionaries need your prayers.

2 Comments Posted by on January 2, 2019

 An excerpt from the missions book  Warfare Prayer:

Is it possible for a missionary’s zeal to dwindle and spiritual life go dry? Not only is it possible, it will become a painful reality unless deliberate steps are taken to avoid this peril. One of the enduring misconceptions about missionaries is that they are super-saints, entirely immune from the doubts, temptations, fears, struggles, and sins that plague everyone else. Not only are we encumbered with the common burdens of all believers, but these trials are even more exacerbated on the mission field…

Pray that your missionaries will maintain daily, intimate fellowship with The Lord. Our spiritual life and ministry depend on it. ~ David Sitton

Free missions book courtesy of To Every Tribe  ministries and David Sitton: Warfare Prayer ebook here.

Religion and Spirituality ,

7 Ways to Teach Missions to Kids

2 Comments Posted by on August 24, 2018

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIn this day and age when kids think being a missionary and going into all the world is dressing up like an Avenger or Captain America or one of those Marvel comic characters and busting a few skulls in the process makes you realise there’s a whole lot of teaching to be unlearned and re-learned the right way.

Needless to say Scripture is clear when it explains God’s desire for his church to participate in global evangelism (Matt 28:18-20, Acts 1:8) and take the good news of the gospel to the ends of the world. Scripture is equally clear in explaining God’s desire for his people to train up their children in his ways (Deut 11:18–21, 32:46, Prov 22:6; Isa 38:19; Eph 6:4; 2 Tim 1:5, 3:14–15).

Mike Pettengill has written an article on how to engage the youth from an early age to understand missions. For the expansion of Christ’s kingdom, it is vital that the youth in our churches be taught about God’s passion for the lost and that he desires his disciples to reach out to non-believers and teach them about the grace and mercy of Christ.

Here are  seven ways (adapted from Mike) on how your church can reach the kids of your congregation and teach them about the importance of world missions:

1. Study Missionary Biographies

In your children’s church and youth groups, include a series of stories about the great missionaries of the past. Tell your kids about the incredible missionaries who have served in the name of the Lord. Revere the martyrs and laborers who sacrificed for God. Let the youth see how these great servants were not super-Christians, but simply obedient Christians. Have the youth study, write, and report on their favorite missionaries of today and the past.

2. Video Conference With Missionaries

Help the children of your church get to know missionaries by asking missionaries to use video conferencing technology to talk directly to your Sunday school or VBS classes. Take a few minutes to interview the missionaries and their kids and let the kids of your church ask questions that interest them. Help your youth to get to know the missionaries your church is supporting and praying for. Allow the kids to learn missionaries are normal people just like they are.

3. Study Biblical Missions

Make concerted efforts to regularly study what Scripture says about the relationship between the church and missions. Help your youth understand missions and evangelism are central themes throughout the Bible. Train the kids of your church to see missions was on the heart of God from the beginning of time and that it is a command every church is to follow. Learn about biblical missionaries like Abraham, Jonah and Paul and study how God used average disciples to accomplish amazing things. …Read More!

Christian news, Christianity, Evangelism, Religion and Spirituality , , ,

Hudson Taylor on Missions

2 Comments Posted by on November 17, 2013

“It will not do to say that you have no special call to go to China. With these facts before you and with the command of the Lord Jesus to go and preach the gospel to every creature, you need rather to ascertain whether you have a special call to stay at home.”
Hudson Taylor

 

Christianity, Doctrine, Faith , ,

The church in Legionowo (Poland)

Leave a comment Posted by on August 21, 2013

20130821-074038.jpg

This year the Grace Baptist Mission church planting group in Legionowo, Poland opened their new meeting place. They have had a number of breakthroughs in their work.

Poland is an ancient nation that was conceived near the middle of the 10th century. Its golden age occurred in the 16th century. After years of being a Soviet satellite state, labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union “Solidarity” that over time became a political force and by 1990 had swept parliamentary elections and the presidency. A “shock therapy” program during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe, but Poland still faces the lingering challenges of high unemployment, underdeveloped and dilapidated infrastructure, and a poor rural underclass. Poland remains a strongly Roman Catholic country with more than 90% of the population claiming allegiance to that church.
…Watch Video Below

Christianity, Evangelism, Faith, Reformed Theology, Religion and Spirituality , ,

David Brainerd’s Last Diary Entry.

1 Comment Posted by on July 20, 2012

20120720-062058.jpg

David Brainerd inspired many to the service of God and missions through his writings in his diary as he tried to reach the native Americans. His passion for God still remains a marvel:

My soul was this day, at turns, sweetly set on God: I longed to be with him, that I might behold his glory. I felt sweetly disposed to commit all to him, even my dearest friends, my dearest flock, my absent brother, and all my concerns for time and eternity. Oh that his kingdom might come in the world; that they might all love and glorify him, for what he is in himself; and that the blessed Redeemer might see the travail of his soul, and be satisfied! ‘Oh come, Lord Jesus, come quickly! Amen.’

Note from Jonathan Edwards: Here ends David Brainerd’s diary. These are the last words that are written in it, either by his own hand, or by any other from his mouth.
HT: KT via FB

Christianity , , ,

The pitfalls of short term missions trips and aid appeals.

2 Comments Posted by on June 22, 2012

20120622-095955.jpg
There is place for missions and aid appeals. However Darren Carlson is looking at a very pertinent issue. The draw backs of short term mission trips and aid initiatives….

I have seen with my own eyes or know of houses in Latin America that have been painted 20 times by 20 different short-term teams; fake orphanages in Uganda erected to get Westerners to give money; internet centers in India whose primary purpose is to ask Westerners for money; children in African countries purposefully mutilated by their parents so they would solicit sympathy while they beg; a New England-style church built by a Western team in Cameroon that is never used except when the team comes to visit; and slums filled with big-screen TVs and cell phone towers.

I have seen or know of teams of grandmothers who go to African countries and hold baby orphans for a week every year but don’t send a dime to help them otherwise; teams who build houses that never get used; teams that bring the best vacation Bible school material for evangelism when the national church can never bring people back to church unless they have the expensive Western material; teams that lead evangelistic crusades claiming commitments to Christ topping 5,000 every year in the same location with the same people attending.

Short-term missions is fraught with problems, and many wish such trips did not exist, at least in the common form today.

Read more of this post

Christianity, Faith, Modern Church Pragmatism , , , ,

The Gospel: Are We Clearly Missional or Clearly on A Mission?

4 Comments Posted by on June 6, 2011

There is some times a rather lax and laid back mood in some evangelical circles as to how to clearly preach or present the gospel. “Preach the gospel, if necessary use words,” they shout. Some say we should be “missional” (read doing several lovely things i.e social justice, poverty eradication) and they have altogether dropped the word “missions”. I think we as Christians should never forget that we have been commanded to preach the gospel -for it alone is the power of God unto salvation.

Imagine the embarrassment that comes when your impressed neighbour eventually asks you, “so lovely, hard working christian missional guy who has for the last twenty years mowed my lawn, washed my cat, given my poodle a pedicure; what is the hope that lies in thee?”  And we stare back blankly; barely remembering why we even started such generous endevours. There is value (if we are evangelical) in being clear in our mission as well as our communication  – as this clip (though satirical) demonstrates:

“If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.” ~Charles H. Spurgeon …Read More!

Christianity, Evangelism, Satire , , , ,

Tribal priest comes to Christ, frees sex slaves

1 Comment Posted by on April 11, 2010
ECM04-08-10.jpgMission Network News. Full Story Here.

The Thunder god priest who has come to Christ in Ghana, liberating 55 slave women and children.

Ghana (MNN) ― Sex slavery is rampant among tribal religions in Ghana. In a system commonly referred to as Trokosi, girls are given to tribal priests as payment for sins. “Trokosi” means wives or slaves of the gods.

Every Child Ministries is rescuing these women and their children who were born into this environment. ECM co-founder Lorella Rouster says ritual servitude, or shrine slavery, is common.

Recently, Every Child Ministries liberated 55 slaves of the “Thunder god.”

Rouster says it was Read more of this post

Christianity, Evangelism , , , , , , , , , , ,