When a missionary thinks about his work teaching in a basic Bible school, he immediately faces the question of which way to take: the easy way or the hard way.
Because of U.S. give-away programs, national churches get the idea, “We’ll set up our program, and all we have to do is go to the mission. They have the money if we could only get hold of it.” The mission has become an impersonal thing supposedly with unlimited financial backing of wealthy North American Christians.
The church in New Testament perspective is neither incidental nor accidental. Establishing the goal toward which all missionary purpose is to be directed, Jesus enunciated with incisive language: “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18) . Fulfillment of the missionary mandate, therefore, is to be measured in terms of church dimension. (Matt. 28:19-20.)
Dialogue fever is our contemporary syndrome. Talkathons are the order of the day. The prospect of dialogue will turn on many Christian students and leaders even as the more traditional terms will turn them off. Seldom is there an issue of contemporary Christian journals without some space being devoted to this subject. And even we are writing about it here.
Sign up for my newsletter to see new photos, tips, and blog posts.
