|
Make Disciples of All Nations
By Steve Oliver
Clarens, South Africa
Steve Oliver, from Clarens, South Africa, is on the Ministry into New Nations task team (MINN), specially convened to explore how we can effectively reach more people groups with the gospel. Here he reports
back on some of the debate and decisions that are in process.
I have often wondered if Jesus’ disciples fully understood the impact they would have on the world when they received their mandate to reach all nations. Sitting at Jesus’ feet on that mountainside in Galilee and hearing his instructions, I’m sure their ‘world’ was a lot smaller than the one Jesus was referring to. Also, what did he mean by ‘nations’? Their world just got a whole lot bigger! Looking back a few years later, they must have marvelled at how the gospel had spread and how many new people groups their small band of men and their followers had touched.
Recently, Sam Poe, who is presently based in the USA, prophesied that, ‘Newfrontiers is at a hinge moment in time; that the Holy Spirit is upon us for decisive action into the nations.’ As I sat in the MINN task team meeting in Accra, Ghana and considered this prophecy, I found myself wondering what impact we as a movement will have on the nations in the next few years. Will we stand in wonder at the power of the gospel released through us into many nations and unreached people groups?
APOSTOLIC MANDATE
In 2005, the Newfrontiers Apostolic Team mandated David Devenish to draw together a working group, who would seek God for fresh insight into how we can fulfil our apostolic calling to ‘make disciples of all nations’. A small hand-picked team with previous experience in reaching new nations was formed and have met several times to seek God and to strategise. Led by David Devenish, the team is comprised of John Kpikpi of West Africa, Hermann Maier of Eastern Europe, Scott Marques of Zimbabwe, Andy Martin from the United Kingdom, Sam Poe of USA and me, representing Southern Africa. Our aim: mobilise the movement for an advance into the nations!
It became obvious that within the team there was a paradigm shift taking place – to continue to build sound local churches, but also to respond to the call to the nations and unreached people groups. Fuelled by the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, the team’s mandate to ‘mobilise and equip our family of churches to plant church-reproducing churches among all remaining unreached people groups’ was passionately embraced. Without a doubt, each member of the team was going through their own metamorphosis as the nations prophetically opened up before us.
I am engaged in planting a new church in the city of Maseru, Lesotho, while writing this article. 375 new converts have responded thus far to the gospel in one weekend as we plant this new ‘church-reproducing church’ called, City of Joy Community Church. At our first Sunday service, after a week of outreach, 60% of those attending were new converts! The nations are waiting! These times of discussion and deep intercession for the nations have deeply affected me.
PROPHETICALLY SHAPED
As one meditates in the book of Acts, one can see that each new defining moment in the spread of the early church was so often prophetically driven. When the Antioch team gathered (Acts 13) for worship, prayer and fasting, they were dramatically thrust into a new era of penetrating nations. Led by the Spirit, key members Barnabas and Saul were set apart for a new advance into the nations. This prophetic milestone seems to have initiated a new season and released new momentum for advancing the gospel. We too have experienced such things as a movement when God has redefined our strategy through prophetic words.
So it has been with this task team. During our extended times of prayer, worship and prophecy it was life-changing to experience Christ’s deep burden for all nations to be reached. Prophecy after prophecy impacted us individually and corporately, and will ultimately lead to movement-shaping strategies. Decisions that have followed have been deeply rooted in the prophetic words and one gained new appreciation for Jesus’ declaration, ‘I will build my church.’
FROM THE NATIONS TO THE NATIONS
Interestingly, the Antioch team of Acts 13 was very strategically formed. The members were drawn from a wide cross-section of nations and people groups. As the gospel reached more nations, there seemed to be a deliberate effort to catch everyone up in reaching regions beyond. This is seen repeatedly in Paul’s letters as he stirred and encouraged all the churches to keep pressing forward.
For us as a task team, we were taken aback to see exactly how many nations still need to hear the glorious gospel. It is obvious that this cannot be left to one group or the apostles. We need to recognise that we must be intentional about recruiting a new breed of pioneers and gathering support from all the nations where we presently have strength.
In a recent statement by the leader of the new Lesotho church plant, Thabo Motsusi, I was amazed to hear that he wants to take a large group from this newly planted church to the city of Gaborone, Botswana, where we will be planting a church in early 2007. The church is only two weeks old! Like the early church, this new plant has the nations in its DNA!
Let us not miss this call for the nations to go to the nations!
CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
Taking the gospel to the nations is an exciting prospect, which stirs up all sorts of wonderful dreams of pioneering and adventure. Part of the MINN task team’s responsibilities has been to consider how we make it happen and what would be needed to accomplish this call.
Oral Cultures
Consider for a moment the fact that 70% of the world’s unreached people groups are made up of oral communicators. Illiteracy is as high as 60% among this group. That means that the way in which we communicate to these people groups will differ greatly from the present form of preaching most of us follow. Led by Sam Poe (read his article in this issue), we carefully investigated tried and trusted methods of ‘storying’. This form of communication uses well-prepared and accurate Bible stories to carry deep truths to oral audiences. Their ability to retain and recall messages presented to them in this storying package is extremely effective and fruitful.
Reaching these groups raises the need for training and equipping in this form of preaching, and preparation of materials is already underway.
Releasing resources
A further challenge to breaking into new nations is the necessity to fund pioneers to be released into predominantly poorer people groups. Most of these nations will not be able to generate sufficient resources to provide for a full-time leader. We have debated and sought answers to this challenge. Scott Marques, who is a very accomplished businessman, has formulated a strategy to catch businessmen up into a vision of financially supporting apostolic extension. The final touches are being put to a programme called REAP (Releasing Entrepreneurs with Apostolic Passion), which encourages those gifted by God in the area of generating finance through business to begin to release funding for pioneers to go to new nations. This exciting programme not only raises much needed resources but also gives busy entrepreneurs an opportunity to be involved in nation-changing activities.
Crossing cultures
As we venture into new nations, we are going to have to embrace a variety of cultures. What is acceptable in one culture can be an obstacle in another and so we will have to become culturally astute as we take the gospel to new nations.
Our task team has begun to collate as much material as possible to help with the preparation of church planters. How can we train them to express our values so as to make them understood and acceptable across the cultures? This will need a lot of thought and grace.
Some have argued that we should leave it to the ‘nationals’. This is desirable but not always possible and could result in a lack of gifting, maturity and apostolic wisdom being applied in various situations in the early stages of breakthrough. As we extend our influence through the gospel, we have begun to draw from the experience of David Devenish and others so that we can send adequately prepared individuals and teams into the nations. There are many challenges involved in, for example, working out marriage relationships, dealing with death and burial, and other culturally sensitive issues and practices. Our strategies must include training and equipping to deal with such challenges.
Making disciples
Any church planter will tell you that their greatest need is well-discipled leaders. In my own context, I find this is a time-consuming and challenging task. The effective growth of any church is determined by the rate at which leaders can be equipped and released. For those of us working cross-culturally, this is an even larger challenge. Often one has to begin by undoing some long-held traditions and cultural practices, which can be an absolute minefield! With this in mind, we have begun gathering a wide variety of material and experiences. We will never cover every instance but at least we should prepare our church planters with enough insight to be culturally aware and adaptable.
Remembering that our aim is to ‘plant church-reproducing churches’, we cannot just aim at converts alone but we must at all times set our sights on raising disciples. In my experience working among the Basotho people of Southern Africa, the rate at which we can reach out and plant churches has been exactly related to the pace at which we disciple indigenous leaders. Their effectiveness far outstrips those of us who come from an alien culture.
GO, MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS
For Moses and his followers, Deuteronomy 1 recalls a significant time in the history of the Israelite nation. Having crossed much of the desert from Egypt, the people of Israel camped at Mt. Horeb. After a long and tiresome journey, pitching their tents and settling for a while must have brought much comfort and relief. I’m sure that an informal infrastructure was established and the ‘Mt. Horeb Camp’ became a safe haven for a nation on the move.
But God’s plan was for them to have a land of their own, not temporary and tented but permanent and established. Moses recalls that the Lord said to them at Horeb, ‘…You have stayed long enough on this mountain. Break camp and advance…’ (Deut. 1:6, 7). For those comfortable in tents, these must have been chilling words. But for those with a ‘promised land’ in their hearts, up came the tent pegs!
Advancing meant battles. Advancing meant crossing obstacles. Advancing meant heavy opposition at times. But it also meant signs and wonders! Rivers parted, walls came down and their fame spread as they embraced heaven’s call to ‘break camp and advance’.
A defining moment
Having the opportunity to participate on this task team, I have found it easy to identify with Sam Poe’s word of ‘this being a hinge moment in time for us as a movement’.
I rejoice in the fact that such a solid foundation of truth has been laid in our movement and, as we take hold of this renewed call to unreached people groups, we will surely see the Kingdom come.
The MINN task team will be providing opportunities for all our churches to participate in this call to the nations. Over the next few months, there will be opportunities for church leaders and churches to be shaped through training days that will be marked by deep intercession for the nations. It is impossible to participate and not be affected by Christ’s heartbeat. Let’s go and make disciples of all nations!
For those who wish to become involved in any of the ways outlined – training to go, releasing finance, etc – please contact Andy Martin. |
|
|
Previous issues
Articles and features from previous issues of Newfrontiers Magazine are available from the magazine archive. To search the archive click here »
Printed copies
Printed copies of the latest magazine issue are available from your local Newfrontiers church or by subscribing.
Email: magazine@newfrontierstogether.org for more info. |
|
|