Missions at a Glance: February 24

Missions at a Glance spotlights the past week’s articles and resources relating to global missions. We trust that it will encourage your faithful obedience to our King’s Commission.

Cross 2016: Unreached People

This provocative video from last year’s Cross Conference highlights cities around the world where there is little to no gospel presence.

No First-Century Churches Exist Today, So Biblically Faithful Contextualization Matters

Contextualization is a debated missiological topic, and the stance that missionaries and missions agencies take on the issue vary on the theological spectrum. At IMB, Zane Pratt offers five questions designed to lead toward biblically faithful contextualization.

The Triumph and Tragedy of Anglicanism’s First African Bishop

This biographical article traces the life and ministry of Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Africa’s first Anglican bishop, and offers important lessons from his ministry. Crowther partnered with Henry Venn and the Church Missionary Society (CMS) to evangelize unbelievers, including Muslims, in his region. As a result of this ministry relationship, Crowther adopted Venn’s four-part mission strategy: “1) evangelize the native population; 2) train leaders; 3) establish the native pastorate; and 4) move on to virgin lands.”

For Syrian Refugees, There Is No Going Home

The Syrian refugee situation is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion. This article at the New York Times demonstrates that even if the refugees want to return to Syria, they likely never will. Although this crisis is bleak from a human perspective, there is evidence of the Lord shining gospel light to penetrate the darkness. Agencies, including Reaching & Teaching, are sending missionaries to work among the refugee camps, providing a gospel opportunity more readily available than in the dispersed country. Let’s continue to pray that the Lord would bring peace and healing to Syria, that he would protect and provide for the refugees, and that he will call many refugees to repentance from sin and faith in Jesus.

Then and Now: How Our Perspectives Have Changed Throughout Our First Term

This article is beneficial for prospective and new missionaries to read. Among the ways that the first term has changed the author’s perspective is “a more realistic view of missions.”

The Lord may have used John Piper’s passionate sermons to get us to the field, but we have found that any missionary zeal is often sapped by one round of malaria. We have learned that missions is a daily putting of one foot in front of the other. Missions is years of doing things that do not necessarily feel spiritual (like memorizing all the words for their different kinds of ants…), praying that, one day, the name of Christ will be exalted here. We are convinced that missions is 98% raw endurance and 2% zeal.