Our Purpose
SIM History
Core Values
Statement of Faith
FAQ
FAQ
Contact SIM
It's in the DNA
by Howard Brant
19 March 2009

All People Groups Can Become "Bearers of the Gospel"

Just as God has prepared every people group to receive the Gospel, God has also prepared every people group to take the Gospel. This is a rather startling conclusion—but after years of reflection both on the nature of mission and the New Testament Scriptures, I’ve come to understand that everything needed to develop mission sending capacity is already written into the DNA of every people group around the world.

Whenever a new church is born within a people group, God gives them the Holy Spirit, as well as gifted individuals who will bring them to maturity. The purpose of these gifts (be they the charisma gifts or gifted individuals) is “to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature…” (Eph 4:12-13). The works of service and the maturity for which God is preparing his church, must include their missionary responsibility. It is a responsibility given to all.

A New Strategy

Now if every people group has the capacity to take the Gospel as well as receive it ... that ought to challenge our thinking and affect our strategy. As missionaries go into new cultures, it lifts our hopes and expectations higher than ever before. We are not just sent to lead people to Jesus, or to disciple them, or even to form them into churches—we are challenged to equip and enable them to become “bearers of the Gospel” as well.

Collectively, we become “mission-planting missions.” We work with each “nation,” not only to bring the blessing of the Gospel, but also to enable them to become a blessing to the nations of the world. More than that, instead of looking outside for the answers to missional development, we are encouraged to look within each culture group for the answers God has already placed within it. This approach insures that the unique contribution that each one can bring to world missions is preserved and fanned into flame.

When a church in Ethiopia, Bolivia, or Mongolia realizes that they are a part of God’s plan to take the Gospel to other nations, it totally revitalizes that church as well. As they prepare and send out their own people throughout the world, they are enabled to rise to their highest potential. If they really believe this truth, they will soon realize that they do not need to look to the outside to become a sending church. God has already put the capacity within them to become involved in world missions.

Moving Forward

In 1955 the total population of our earth was about 3 billion. Today it is 6.2 billion, and if present trends continue we will reach 9 billion by 2050. That means that our planet will grow by 50% over the next 40 years. At this rate, there will be 3 billion youth on our planet within the next 40 years. They are growing up in a world that is linked globally by the media, but polarized by religion and politics. What are the implications for missions? What kind of harvest force is being prepared to meet this challenge? What kinds of missional activities should we be emphasizing in order to engage the minds and hearts of these newcomers to our planet? Here are a few things that SIM is doing now:

COMIBAM, Latin America: COMIBAM continues to seek ways of “promoting strategic cooperation between the Latin American missions movement and the global movement.” In October 2008, 106 organizations met in Costa Rica to discuss Strategic Partnerships in the Kingdom of God, Integral Training of the Missionary, Missionary Children’s Education, Integral Care of the Missionary, Businesses as Missions (BAM) and Multicultural Teams on the Field. A commitment was made to work together, create areas of cooperation, continue with the dialogue and “do everything within our power to bring glory to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ among all nations” (Cristian Castro, COMIBAM International).

Evangelical Mission Society (EMS), Nigeria: EMS is one of the oldest and largest emerging missions around. It started in 1949, but really took off in the 1980's when research showed a people group in central Nigeria who were ready to respond to the Gospel. Bible Schools were closed for one year and all of the students went to the Magazawa (Hausa) people of central Nigeria. The leader of EMS at that time was a godly man, Rev. Panya Baba, who became known as the “Mr. Missions of Africa.” He became one of the first "best national mission movements leaders" in Africa. Since then, EMS has grown to over 800 families who serve both inside and outside of Nigeria. Just recently the leadership of this mission changed—and who was appointed as the new Director?—the son of Panya Baba, Steven Baba.

Second Generation Mission: Something that has taken us by surprise is the effect of Majority World missionaries on the mission awareness of the countries to which they go. Abera, and his wife Desta, are Ethiopian missionaries serving with SIM in south Asia. They are fully supported and sent by their home church back in Ethiopia. Abera was invited to speak at a church in South Asia. He describes what happened: (Some country names have been replaced with the region for the security of our staff working in those ares)

I have never seen such a gathering, hundreds and hundreds of people came to the church. They have a big building, but they are building another building near the main road. They spent the equivalent of one million USD in today’s exchange rate. I am not sad about their building, but rather what saddened me is that they are not using their resources to send foreign missionaries out of south Asia, let alone within south Asia. I found out is that there is a deep rooted misconception of the ownership of missions work. According to their perception; missions work is “white men’s work.” I thank the Lord that He gave me opportunity to ask them this question—"I am not a white man, I am neither from US nor from UK, I am from the jungle of east Africa, Ethiopia. Has my church made a mistake by sending me here as a missionary? Have I also made a mistake by coming here as a missionary? Answer me according to the Bible." They had nothing to say. The principal of the seminary came to my room to find out my background. He never expected that there would be a missionary couple from Ethiopia working here. He had no idea about what God is doing in Ethiopia. All he knew about was our poverty. He asked, "does SIM pay your salary?" I said, "No." "Then who pays it?" "My church back in Ethiopia. Not only my salary, but there are other missionaries ... there is another couple working in India, there are 10 couples working in south Sudan ... and the church is looking for other potential nations to send more missionaries, and support them by prayer and finance." When he heard these things he was utterly surprised.
The ripple effect of missionaries like Abera and Desta to mobilize missionaries in other countries cannot be underestimated. Their lives become a living example of what we are all praying will happen in nations around the world.

May this insight that God has created all peoples to take the Gospel, as well as receive it, spur us on to a higher level of mission activity. May we seek to align our ministry goals and activities with this grand purpose of God in mission.

Comment on this post: Email howard.brant@sim.org
Donate

Resources

Sign up now
Sf Close