? Christianity started in Palestine as a Relation
? In Greece it was identified as Philosophy
? In Rome it turned out to be an Institution
? While spreading to Europe, it became a Culture
? In America Christianity became Commercial
? Among two third world countries, it became a Project
? In traditional Churches,it has become Programs
? In many of the modern spiritual meetings christianity has become a Performance
? What started as a Relationship has now become a mere Performance.
? Thus the need of the hour evidently demands a restoration
? We live in an exciting time. We also live in dangerous time.
I would like to share a joke that I recently read in Readers Dgest.
The UN conducted a world wide sury. The only questions asked was, “would you please give your honest opinion about the solution to the food shortage in the rest of the world”
Survey was a huge failure:-
In Africa- they didn’t know what Food meant
In India- they didn’t kow what Honest meant
In Europe- they didn’t know what Shortage meant
In China- they didn’t know what Opinion meant
In Middle East- they didn’t know what Solution meant
In United States- they didn’t know what the Rest of the World meant
Human beings are playing with the foundations of the world.
In Physcial word:- they are palying with the basic unit namely Atoms
In Biological World:- they are playing with the basic unit, namely Genes
In India , we live in a decesive moment in history when the christian faith is facing onslaughts from all fronts.
Recently the Anti conversion bill was passed in Legisative assembly in Karnataka. It is times like these when we need to be sagacious and pragmatic in our profession and propogation of our faith.
I have titled my refletion as The Aim, Basis, And Task of Christian Mission
? Johns gospel is philosophical, polemic, practical and profound book
? It is one of the most loved gospels by Indian Christian theologians like Sadhu Sundhar Singh, Appasawmy, Bramanadha Upadhyay
? The main themes of John are Love, Light and Life, which was politically insecure and socially ostracized just as christian minorities are in many parts of India.
John chapter 20 is ressurection passage and describes Christophany to Mary magdalene and to the disciples.
We see in this chapter how the ressurection of Christ has the power to affect our lives
Number one:-
I. it Surprises our limited view of reality
II. it Comforts our disappointed hopes
III. it Transforms us into missionaries
IV. it Replaces unbelief with faith
This morning we will briefly look into the topic of restoration
What is Mission?
? Mission is the specific task or purpose which a person or group seeks to accomplish
? The great commission refelcts the essence of Christian mission. It is the act and fact of being sent.
Johannine vesion of great commission is the text we are going to ponder.
Lets turn our attention to V21 then jesus said to them again:- “peace to you as the father has sent me, I also send you”
Inorder to expose the text, I would like to divide it into three points
I. Aim of Mission
II. Basis of Mission
III. Task of Mission
I. AIM OF MISSION -PEACE
? The ultimate aim of Christian Mission is “Shalom” which menas “Peace”.
? It refers to Completeness. Soundness, or well being
? The peace which humankind lost as the result of “fall” became the core of the Messianic Hope of Old Testament saints
? New testament presents Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of this Hope
? Peace is not simply the absence of conflict. Peace is the presence of justice for all
? In the power of the Holy spirit , we are all sent into the violent world to be peacemakers
? The disciples had locked themselves inside a room and Christ comes and tells them: “I send you”
? We have only two options:- either to be locked in or to be send out, either to flee from realities or to engage with the world
Peace is not possible without struggls.
To use a medical illustration, there is a constant struggle in our body between life giving white cells and death bringing virus.
? Medical experts say that all normal human beings are exposed to the attack of cancer 15 times in their life but our life-giving cells resist, fight and prevail over cancer germs, thus saving us from death bringing desease.
? Death is the moment when this struggle within our body is over when the life giving cells lose their power for struggle and give up.
? Just as virus and Bacteria work against life in a human body, there are evils in society against life in the socielty.
? Dietrich Bonhoffer of Germany, Martin Luther king of United States and Archbishop Romero of Salvador are examples of the discisples of christ who gave their lives for establishing peace and justice in society
? God has called us not only to experience peace, but also to be agents of peace.
It is only through offering Jesus Christ, that we can provide peace to the needy. God the father sent Jesus one for all, but Jesus still keeps on sending his disciples with the aim of establishing etrenal peace
? As Christians we should promote peace instead of conflict, remembering that by our own actions, complete peace will never be achieved because of the fallen state of man.
? People everywhere search for peace. They sing songs about it and travel on pilgrimages to find it.
? They even wage war to protect it. Many wealthy, famous, and powerful people would trade everything for just one moment of peace.
What they often find, however, is the world’s false peace which is different from the peace offered by Jesus:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)
? The peace offered by the world is an empty promise and can only bring temporary comfort.
? God’s peace is a permanent peace offered by the only One who can be trusted to keep his Word and heal our sin.
The world’s peace is fleeting and changes with circumstances.
? During times of prosperity, nations experience temporary peace.
? The peace of the world is a precarious thing. Conflict erupts when people are hungry; peace disappears when circumstances turn ugly:
The world’s peace is built on the weak foundation of compromise. The world’s peace ignores the root of the problem.
The world tries to fix these problems by doing good: feeding children, building wells, regulating markets, conserving wildlife, funding charter schools, and thereby achieving a type of peace.
They forget to deal with the symptoms of sin
God’s peace is permanent and secure.
Our God offers peace in the midst of chaos. His peace doesn’t change with the circumstances; it is secure in spite of the circumstances.
God’s peace is built on the pure foundation of his Word.
God’s Word, however, can be trusted. He never contradicts himself or acts in a way that is out of character. He will never disappoint.
God’s peace is ours because Jesus heals our root of sin.
? All religions other than true Christianity have one thing in common: They try to achieve peace with God by doing works and following rules. Christianity is different.
Story
One time there was a king who commissioned the artists and the painters in the land to paint a portrait of peace. He wanted to understand their vision of what peace looked like. There were many different drawings, there were many different paintings that were presented to the king for his approval. He didn’t really like any of them, except for two. One of them was a painting of a very calm and placid lake. It was as clear as crystal, you could see the reflection of this vast mountain range there in the lake, blue skies with clouds above. All of this was in that painting, and it was a very beautiful painting; and everyone thought, “Surely, this is the painting that the king will choose.” He loved the painting, but there was another painting that he liked more.
This painting was also a painting of a mountain, but it was a sharp, rugged, craggy mountain. Overhead there was a stormy, threatening sky with lightning bolts, and coming off the mountain was a roaring waterfall. But if you looked really closely, behind the waterfall, in a little crack in the rock, there was a nest. There was a bird in the nest, peacefully tending to her nest, even in this stormy, threatening terrain around her.
That’s the picture that the king chose, because, he said, “Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.
This is the real meaning of peace.”
? Well, that’s the idea of peace that we get in Scripture. We have tribulation in the world, we have trials, we have troubles, and yet we can still have peace.
? We can have peace that transcends circumstances.
Story
? In 1871 there was a terrible fire in Chicago. Over 300 people were killed, over 100,000 people were left homeless. There was a businessman in the city who had invested much in the city, and he suffered great financial loss through this fire. Tragically, about the same time as the fire, his one and only son died. Yet for two years this man, who was a Christian, joined hands with D.L. Moody to serve the homeless, to volunteer his time, to help those who were impoverished and grief-stricken who had been ruined by this fire. After two years of volunteer work, this man decided it was time for a vacation, so he and his family were to accompany Moody to England for one of his evangelistic campaigns, and then they were to take a vacation together into Europe.
The man was delayed by business, so he sent his wife and his daughters ahead on a ship. So they were sailing to England, and tragically, their ship collided with another ship, and after this collision it was only 20 minutes before the ship sank. Out of all the hundreds of people that were on that ship, only 47 people survived, and out of this man’s family, only his wife. His four daughters were all lost.
When his wife finally made it to England, she sent a telegram to her husband that said simply, “Saved alone.”
This man, now grief-stricken himself, having lost much of his business two years before, his finances, his fortune, having already lost his son, now having lost his four daughters, sailed to England to join his wife.
The ship captain showed him where it was that they believed that the ship had sunk, where his four daughters had been drowned. When he finally arrived in England, this man met with D.L. Moody, and he said, “It is well; the will of God be done.” The accounts vary as to when this man, Horatio Spafford, wrote the words, but he left behind one of the greatest hymns in the English language.
"It’s a hymn that many of us have probably thought of in these recent days,
“When peace, like a river,
Attendeth my way;
When sorrows, like sea billows, roll;
Whatever my lot,
Thou hast taught me to say,
‘It is well, it is well
With my soul.’
Is it well with your soul this morning ?
I hope it is, and if it’s not, I point you tonday to the cross of Jesus Christ, who shed his blood for sinners, and who gives us the gift of his Holy Spirit, and who can fill our hearts and our minds with joy and with peace in believing. “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace in all circumstances and in every way.
II. BASIS OF MISSION - GOD
? God is the basis of Christian Mission.
? God send Jesus christ. Christ send the Holy Spirit and the Triune God sends the Chruch to the world. Thus the basis of mission is God himself.
? Church should be a movement not an institution
Disciples are commissioned to carry on christ’s work, not to begin a new one. The three major basis of mission are:-
1) Prayer
? Jesus displayed inevitablness of prayer in his earthly life. If christ Himself required to retire from time to time to the mountaintop to pray, how much more we need to do that
? Jesus used to spend time alone with the father, prior to all crucial decision making. Besides , he often withdraw from his busy schedule , into wildernessand prayed alone.
? But in our present busy schedule of reaching the unreached, often the most neglected aspect is our personal time with God.
A marble cutter with chisel and hammer was changing a piece of stone into a statue, a preacher once looked at this action said:- I wish I could dealwith such changing blows on stoney hearts. Marble cutter replied:- may be you could, if you worked , as I do, on your knees
? The time we spend on our knees determine the effectiveness of our mission.
? One who prays in private, will experience victories in public
We should never undermine the power of prayer.
Jesus Christ never taught his disciples how to preach, but only how to pray.
? A Christian can see more on his knees than he can from his feet
? Prayer is not getting God prepared to do your will Prayer is getting you prepared to do Gods will
? Prayer is the only way to release supernatural power of God in your life, in your marriage and in your business
? Prayer is the key that unlocks the gates of heaven and closes the gate of hell
? Prayer has the power to cure sickness
? Prayer can shatter the shackles of misery and habit that are tormenting your life
? Prayer does not need proof, prayer needs practice
• If your marriage is under attack-pray
• If your childrens are being tormented by the prince of darkness- pray
• If your business is falling- pray
• If you are fighting deadly desease-pray
• If you are lost without God- pray
• If your life is empty-pray
• ,, ,, meaningless-pray
• ,, ,, hopeless-pray
• ,, ,, meaningless-pray
Pray, pray, pray, because God answers prayer
A prayerless Christian is a Powerless Christian
“ ‘’ ‘’ ‘’ Miserable Christian
? A prayerless Christian who always lives in defeat
? Church has become more airconditioned than prayer conditioned
? A prayerless Church is a Powerless Church
? A Prayerless church is a defeated church
? A prayerless family is a defeated family
It has been said that, the family that prays together stay together
Somebody prayed for you, that’s why you are saved.
? The bible says , what you bind on earth, will be bind in heaven.
? God in heaven given you authority in earth in heaven, he is looking is there someone who use that authority
? Ask him to defeat the things are impossible, because with God noting is impossible
? Ask him to defeat the giants in you, because our God is a giant killer
? Ask him to send fire from heaven as he sent to Elijah
? Ask him to walk with you in the fire of furnace and be the fourth in the fire
? Ask him to depart the sea that lies before you and he will make your enemy go as fish food in the sea
? He is the god who cannot fails, he is waiting to show the great and mighty power
? Pray, pray pray God of the heaven will give that power
You are not asking to the most powerful man on earth
You are not asking to Billgates, you are asking to the creator of the univers who moves the mountain and divide the seas, because nothing nothing nothing is impossible to God
Story
? When Hutson Taylor was sailing to China to begin his missionary work, his ship was in great danger. The wind had died, and the current was carrying them toward sunken reefs which were close to islands inhabited by cannibals—so close they could see them building fires on the shore. Everything they tried was to no avail. In his journal Taylor recorded what happened next: The Captain said to me, “Well, we have done everything that can be done.” A thought occurred to me, and I replied, “No, there is one thing we have not done yet.” “What is that?” he queried. “Four of us on board are Christians. Let us each retire to his own cabin, and in agreed prayer ask the Lord to give us immediately a breeze.” Within minutes the wind did began to blow, and it carried them safely past the reefs.
I’d rather be able to pray than be a great preacher;
Jesus Christ never taught His disciples how to preach, but only how to pray.”—D. L. Moody
All over the world people pray.
? Prayer is called for when there is a national or international disaster occurs.
? Through prayer we are asking God to move on our behalf or for the sake of someone else; this is termed “Intercessory Prayer.” “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
o Prayer Releases Anxiety
o Prayer Solves Problems
o Prayer Builds Your Confidence
o Prayer Brings Peace Of Mind
o Prayer Helps You Understand God’s Will
o Prayer Brings Us Towards Forgiveness
Prayer can strengthen our souls, “In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul” (Psalm 138:3).
1. Moses prayed like it would actually change God’s mind (and it did!) Exodus 32:11-14
2. Joshua prayed like it would stop the sun from going down (and it did!) Joshua 10:12,13
3. Hannah prayed like it would result in her having a child (and it did!) 1 Samuel 1:27
4. Elijah prayed like it would actually change the situation (and it did!) James 5:16-18
5. David prayed like it would stop the plague (and it did!) 2 Samuel 24:25
6. Jesus prayed like it would raise Lazarus from the dead (and it did!) John 11:41-44
We should never undermine the power of prayer.
Basis of mission
2) Obedience to the Word
? The word of God contains the will of God for each one of us.
? Jesus was obedident to the father even to the point of offering his on life.
? We should be able to pray, “Lord your will, nothing more nothing less, nothing else
Water becomes ice is not a miracle. We need to keep the water into freezer in the lower temperature.
Sometimes we need to submit ourselves into Gods condition so that we can see the miracle.
? God’s word will change us from inside to outside
? Get the word and word will get you what you want
Psa. 119:11
I. GOD’S WORD INFORMS US
1. 1 John 3:4, Sin is transgression of the law.
2. Isa. 54:1-2
II. GOD’S WORD WARNS US
1. Rom. 6:23, Wages of sin is death.
2. Rom. 8:13, live after the flesh, die.
III. GOD’S WORD DEVOTES US
1. By ex., Job 13:15, Though he slay me…
2. Num. 13:30, Let us go up at once.
3. 1 Cor. 6:9-11, and such WERE some of you.
IV. GOD’S WORD INSPIRES US.
1. 1 Thess. 4:16-18, the dead in Christ shall rise first.
2. 1 Cor. 15:51-58, we shall be changed.
V. GOD’S WORD TRANSFORMS US.
1. Rom. 12:1-2, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind
2. Phil. 4:8, think on these things.
six steps to help the Word of God be living, growing and working in Christian lives. will make the Bible alive in us.
SIX STEPS TO LIVE THE WORD OF GOD!
I. Read the Word.
2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
#1. Make time for God’s Word. Start your day with the Word or at least some promises. It is said there are 35,000.
II. Meditate on the Word.
"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer." Psalms 19:14, KJV
"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success." Joshua 1:8,
A. Think how the Word of God can work in your daily life.
B. How you can apply the Word.
C. Upon Thy precepts and Thy ways
III. Pray until the Word sinks in you heart.
Psalms 119:11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
A. It is in the heart that we believe the Word. It is where it becomes the Rhema. The living Word of God.
IV. Write the Word out.
There’s just something about seeing God’s Word in your own handwriting. It really helps cement it inside your brain. It takes less than 10 minutes per day and is a tiny amount of time for a much bigger benefit!
A. It was how in my earlier Christian life I memorized the scriptures. I wrote the promises on cards and reviewed them daily.
V. Live the Word.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)
“Everyone then who hears these words and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)
VI. Pass the Word on.
#1. Discuss God’s Word.
Another thing will happen when you read your Bible more. You’ll want to talk about it more. So discuss it with your spouse, your parents, your friends and your children. You’ll be able to converse intelligently about it and understand the many aspects of God’s plan of redemption.
A. We are witnesses to Christ, we point to Him.
Basis of mission:-….God
1. Prayer, 2. Obedience to the word nd 3rd
3). Presence of the Holy Spirit
? Jesus after commisoning his disciples breathed on them saying:- ‘ Receve the Holy Spirit”.
? The experience of the Holy spirit marked the begiing of a new facet of mission.
? Our theology of mission needs to be biblically rooted, empowered by prayer and guided by the presence of HOLY SPIRIT
This morning we go back 2,000 years to the birthday of the church at Pentecost.
There are roughly three main events in the history of Christianity: Bethlehem, Calvary, and Pentecost.
1. Bethlehem is “God with us.”
2. Calvary is “God for us.”
3. Pentecost is “God in us.”
Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit came in fire.
o And throughout the Scriptures, FIRE is a sign of the presence of God:
o God spoke to Moses through a bush that was on FIRE.
o God led his people through the desert in a pillar of FIRE.
o When God gave the Ten Commandments, Mt. Sinai was on FIRE.
o When Solomon’s temple was dedicated, the presence of God was manifested in FIRE.
o When Elijah faced the prophets of Baal on Mt Carmel, the Lord consumed his offering in FIRE.
o When John the Baptist came preaching in the desert, he said, “The One who comes after me will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with FIRE.”
Fire is a sign of the presence of God.
When the Holy Spirit came in fire, that was the birthday of the church.
The church is a movement born in FIRE.
? The Holy Spirit is your Helper.
? The Holy Spirit sanctifies you.
? He makes you more like Christ.
? He helps you to do the Father’s will.
? The Holy Spirit gifts you for ministry.
? He imparts love
? The Holy Spirit gives hope
? The Holy Spirit teaches and gives insight.
? The Holy Spirit guides your prayers.
? He uses you for evangelism.
? Telling others about Jesus and making disciples is our most important role on this earth. It’s literally the last thing Jesus said before he ascended into heaven!
? Having the Holy Spirit with us means having power to be a witness.
? To tell people about what Jesus did for them on the cross and how he conquered death and reigns victoriously!
? Don’t shy away from being an advocate for Christ; it’s what you are called to do.
? Allow the Spirit to empower you for the Kingdom purpose of making disciples!
? Friends, Satan isn't scared of us, but he's terrified of who's within us.
? The Holy Spirit within us is far more powerful than the devil
What is the greatest sin?
Is it murder? Is it theft? Is it adultery? Is it dishonoring your parents? Is it blaspheming the name of the Lord? Is it coveting the wealth of this world? Is it extortion? Is it hatred? No. None of those things could be called the greatest sin in the world because there is one sin which in its effect is greater than all the rest. It is the sin of refusing to believe in Jesus Christ.
That’s what Jesus is saying in verse 9. “I will convict them of sin.” Not sin in the general sense, but, “I will convict them of the greatest sin of all because they have not believed in me.”
Let me sum up exactly what this verse means.
• There was a time when Jesus walked upon the face of the earth and the majority of the people thought he was a criminal.
• The Pharisees and the Sadducees and the temple aristocrats, the powers that be, thought he was a criminal.
• They thought he was a malefactor. They thought he was a rabble-rouser. They thought he was a troublemaker.
• Some of them even said he was filled with demons. Do you remember that? Jesus was working miracles and they would say concerning Jesus, “He does it by the power of the Devil.” (Matthew 12:22-24) That’s really the whole story of his ministry.
• The common people believed in him, but the power brokers came to the conclusion that Jesus was not a righteous man.
• “He’s not a good man. He’s a bad man.
• He’s not a force for good. He’s a force for evil. He didn’t come from heaven. He really came from hell. He’s not doing the work of God. He’s really doing the work of Satan. He never had the power of God. He’s really filled with demons.”
• They ultimately concluded that he was a kind of religious mad dog who had to be eliminated for the public good. In the end, they said, “This man is a bad man and we’ve got to get rid of him.”
? So they executed him as a criminal. And it appeared that when they had executed him that they were right
The Supreme Court Overturns The Verdict
? They were right for about 36 hours.
? They woke up Saturday morning and they were right.
? They ate lunch Saturday and they were right.
? They went to bed Saturday night and they were right.
They woke up Sunday morning and they were wrong.
Because something happened between sundown Saturday night and sunup Sunday morning.
In our political process if you’re found guilty at a lower level you can appeal the case upward and finally you come to the Supreme Court—the court of last resort.
On Sunday morning the verdict was overturned and heaven spoke in favor for the Son of God.
? A mighty hand reached down and rolled away the stone and the Son of God walked out from the realm of death never to die again.
? When he rose from the dead, that was God’s way of saying, Not Guilty. This man is my Son, hear him.
? The world said, “He’s bad.” God said, “He’s good.”
? The world said, “He’s a troublemaker.” God said, “This is my beloved Son.”
? The world said, “He’s a criminal.” God said, “He’s the savior of the world.”
? The world said, “He’s full of demons.” “God said, “He’s the King of Kings.”
God forever settled the issue when he raised Jesus from the dead.
He ascended into heaven where he is now seated at the right hand of God Almighty. That’s why Jesus says the Holy Spirit will convict the world of righteousness “because I am going to the father and you will see me no longer.”
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to convince men that their judgment on Jesus Christ is wrong.
? The world says, “He’s just a good man,” and the Holy Spirit says, “No, you’re wrong.”
? The world says, “He’s a great human teacher,” and the Holy Spirit says, “No, you’re wrong.”
? The world says, “He’s just one way among many,” and the Holy Spirit says, “No you’re wrong.”
? The world says, “He’s just a crook and a crackpot,” and the Holy Spirit says, “No, you’re wrong.
? He is the Son of God from heaven.”
That’s the work of the Holy Spirit—to convince men and women that their judgment on Jesus is wrong.
That is the sticking point of the gospel, isn’t it? Even if you can get them to admit their sin, they’ve still got to believe in Jesus, that he is the one-and-only savior from heaven.
? Only the Holy Spirit can cause sinners to come to that conclusion.
It is the Holy Spirit’s job to work through your witnessing to change people’s minds so that they can become convinced that they were wrong, and Jesus was right.
Bethlehem- “God with us”
Calvary- “God for us”
Pentecost- “God in us”
What does the Holy Spirit do?
III. TASK OF MISSION- HOLISTIC RESTORATION
? Holistic Resotration is the task of Christian mission
? Christian mission is for the world
A holistic understading of scripture presents to us the five-fold task of Christian Mission
1. Witness
? Bearing witness means both the verbal communication of the apostolic gospel and demonstartion of its power to bring ne life and hope to human relationships and communities.
? Our task is to present Christ witout any manipulations. Any compromise with it is going to be suicidel for the church
2. Service
? Jesus himself is the servant par excellence and he calls us to be servants too.
As MM Thomas suggested:-
Our Commitment to God is put to test in our commitment to Human Beings.
Our commitment to human beings is put to test in our commitment to the marginalized
Our commitment to the marginalized is put to test in our action
? Jesus said , the poor is always with us. But the question of great significanc is , are we always with the poor?
? Church is to be healing and and the comforting voice for the needy.
? When the majority of the population is suffering and living in indignity, how can church remain aloof from its task of being a therapeutic agent?
3. Liberative voice
? We are called not be mute sepctators of injuctice, oppression and corruption in the society but to be a prophetic voice of liberation for the oppressed and the downtrodden
? We are called not to create just a society but a just society
? The mission which fails to address the social issues, fials to be a christian mission.
? Christ came to liberate people from clutches of demons existing not only in sppiritual relam but also operationg witht eh social workers for the good of the society at large
4. Steward of Nature
Human beings creted in Gods image is to be the caretaker of Gods creation.
5. Role Model
Chruch needs to display to the world, what it means in practice to be a reconciled and liberated commnity in the midst of a corroupt, distressed and despairing world
? In the words of Russell Chandran:- Before the ressurection, the incarnate Jesus of Nazareth was subject to time and space and is discipes could meet Him only in limited situations. But the Risen Christ is no longer so limited
? Where ever there is a need to be met and people are in grip of fthe evil, the Risen Lord is Present, calling His disciples to him there and beocme witness and intsruments for his power
Regarding the anticonvrsion bill, the christian respeonse however should be ultimately be on the basis of Jesus teaching. If orther religious communities are satisfied with the entactment of such law and their implementation, it is my opinion that we do not seek legal remedy, but patiently suffer the consequences of our commitment to proclaim Christ and his gospel. God will ultimately vindicate Himself
Conclusion
In the analysis of BR Ambedkar, “History notes only earthquakes and not dusty storms”
3 Major issues that plague the Indian Churches are:-
1. Spiritual Decadence
2. Spiritless Leaders
3. Stifling Structures
TS Eliot in his poes ‘Hippopotamus” compares church to Hippopotamus. He appaers to be strong in fact it is very weak. He rests on his belly in muddy waters implying ignorance. I mound sound citical but just I mean to be analytical
Story of John Wesley
Many years ago, a little boy 6 years old asleep in a bed that had curtains around it. He woke up to what he thought was sunlight. The light on the other side of his curtains was as bright as day.
He puts his head out – and sees streaks of fire shooting across the ceiling. The boy runs to the door and opens it, but the whole rest of the house is on fire. He runs over to the window, but his room is on the second floor, and he’s too little to jump that far.
But somebody on the ground below looks up and sees the boy’s frightened face in the window, and he says, “Look! Somebody’s still in there! I’ll go get a ladder!” And then somebody else on the ground says, “No, there won’t be time – let’s make a human ladder” – and that man stands against the wall and braces himself, and another man climbs up on his shoulders, and they get the boy out.
And at that very second, the roof of the burning house comes crashing down. The little boy is saved in the nick of time.
Later his mother said to him, “John, you are ‘a brand plucked from the burning.’ God has saved you for a special purpose.” And John Wesley never forgot those words.
He thought maybe his purpose was to go to America and preach the gospel to the Indians. So, he studied at Oxford University, got ordained in the Church of England and came over here to Georgia to preach to the Native Americans.
John Wesley’s mission to the Indians was a resounding…FAILURE. Nobody was converted. No church was planted. And he made the English colonists so mad at him that he had to sneak out one night under cover of darkness and catch a ride back to England.
At this point, poor John was lower than a snake’s belly. He was so depressed, he wasn’t even sure he was a Christian! On the way back from Georgia, he wrote in his journal, “I went to America to convert the Indians. But O! Who shall convertme?”
May 24, 1738 — John Wesley had a personal encounter with God. And the world has never been the same.
Now Wesley’s heart was on fire – and the fire began to spread. Wesley went out and preached in the streets, in open fields, in front of factories, at the mouths of coal mines. Sometimes 20,000 people would gather around to hear Wesley’s message of New Birth – “you can be born again!”
One time he went to a church to preach and they locked him out. They said, “We don’t want to hear your evangelistic nonsense!” So he said, “Fine. My father is buried in this church’s cemetery, and his grave is my property, so I’ll go preach there.” And he stood on top of his father’s tomb, and he preached!
People all over England responded to Wesley’s preaching. Sinners became saints.
? Alcoholics quit drinking.
? Abusers quit beating their wives.
? Adulterers quit fooling’ around.
? Lives were changed as people all over England discovered a heartfelt, personal relationship with God.
But that’s not all. Wesley taught these people that they had to demonstrate their faith by helping others.
? So all over England, hungry people were fed,
? poor people were educated,
? homeless people were housed;
? rich people were challenged to share their resources and fight injustice.
? And while the French were having a bloody revolution, all of English society was changed by the faith and the good works
By the time John Wesley died in 1791, there were over 72,000 believers, and another 57,000 in America.
But Wesley was worried. He knew that numbers were not everything. He knew that FIRE could grow cold – and even go out.
Has the fire grown cold?
Is it going out?
Christ calls us to be a messenger of peace in this troubled world.
? The wolrd is watching and history will judge us.
? The world is yet to see what God can do with a person fully consecrated to him
Let us not chase the shadows when we have realities to face.
? We are called to blow the trumphets of justice and love as St. Paul puts it. Hence, Peace is the aim of mission, God is the basis of Mission and Holistic restoration is the task of mission
Let us go forward firm in our faith, steadfat in our Purpose, cautious of the dangers but sustained by our confidenc in the providence of God.
The success of our mission depends on the intimacy of our relationship with God
May the the good good help us to do our part in Gods mission in our generation.
I. Aim of Mission - Peace
II. Basis of Mission – God
3 major basis of mission/p
a. Prayer
b. Obedient to the word
c. Presence of the holy Spirit
III. Task of Mission- Holistic restoration
Conclusion: Lets Carry the Light
