This past week I read a book entitled "Revolution in World Missions" by K. P. Yohannan who is the founder and International Director of Gospel for Asia. I strongly recommend you read the book. You can go to www.gfa.org and request a free copy of the book.
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I have found the book very convicting. We in America are so blessed. Like many of you I have mistakenly developed the mindset that God has blessed me for --- "ME."
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As I personally survey my life in light of God's Word I don't like what I see. Over the past few days I have been convicted that too often I have taken for granted and wasted the blessings of God and missed the opportunity to direct them to their intended target. I believe that K. P. Yohannan is correct in his statement that "The Church (universal body of Christ particularly the American version-- emphasis mine) Jesus called out of this world to be separated unto Himself has, to a great extent, forgotten her reason for existence. Her loss of balance is seen in the current absence of holiness, spiritual reality and concern for the lost. Substituted for the life she once knew are teaching and reaching for prosperity, pleasure, polictics and social involvement" (page 133). We need to remember that the local Church is not just a building but the sum of the individual members who make up that fellowship. Therefore, the truth about what "K. P." has said can be applied to each professing believer who has adopted this mindset.
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There is the need for a Revolution.
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I am not advocating some violent overthrough which is the traditional view of a revolution, but rather a radical shift in mindset from our current sinful mindset of wasting the blessing of God on ourselves and investing them for the advancement of the Kingdom of God.
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One way we can do this is to become a regular partner with Gospel of Asia. For example, Sherry and I have committed to support an indigenous missionary through Gospel for Asia in the coming year as a start. For $360.00 a year (i.e.- $30.00 a month), an indigenous missionary in Asia can live and serve the Lord is planting Churches and reaching the lost for Christ. To find out more detail visit the Gospel for Asia website linked above and read about how God is using this revolutionary approach in a powerful way for HIS glory. Thirty dollars a month is a lot of many. But, for many of us, we waste more than $30.00 a month on things we don't need in just daily incidential things. For example, some people drink several soft drinks daily spending at least a $1.00 or more each time. What if we utilized that expenditure for a much nobler purpose. Instead of buying a soft drink we set that $1.00 dollar aside daily and used the $30.00 dollars monthly as an investiment in spreading the Good News in Asia by supporting a missionary. Wonder what eternal difference it would make? Or, what if instead of stopping out our favorite coffee shop and purchasing a pricey special cup we just drank a regular cup of coffee. For some of us, the coffee shop is daily visit. You do the math. Even if we just adjusted our coffee habit a little we could easily save $30.00 a month to invest in missions.
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I believe our main purpose is exactly what Jesus told His original disciples prior to His ascension when He said, "Therefore go (as you go about daily-- emphasis mine) make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19, 20, NIV)
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Let's be apart of the Revolution.
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Our hardest battle well not be against a physical or demonic enemy but rather against our sinful mindset that views ourselves as the central focus wasting the blessings of God rather than becoming the conduit through whom God's blessing flow to its original target.
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I must confess that I have been guilty of this mindset. I am asking God to help me see His purposes for the blessings He has bestowed. I believe God is witholding His judgment on us for the time being -- totally by grace -- for our sinful mindset. By His grace He is giving us the opportunity to get it right.
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In K. P.'s book, he asked a question about what was the sin of Sodom. Most of us would answer just as I did -- "because of their sexual immorality" as mentioned in the Genesis 19 account. But, them K. P. quotes Ezekiel 16: 49, 50. "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did destestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen." My origianl answer was not totally wrong. Sodom was wickedly immoral, but that was just the end result of the real problem. They were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned about the poor and needy around them. Their wrong mindset set them on a downward course that manifested itself in an immoral lifestyle.
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Fellow believers, we need to wake up. God's judgment is coming. I am not trying to be an alarmist causing undue panic, but God will not be mocked. He has entrusted us to be wise stewards of His blessings, and when He returns we will give an accounting to Him as to how we utilized them. Many of Jesus' parables tell of this truth (e.g.-- Matthew 25:14-30).
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My prayer is that God will cause me to see people and situations differently. This requires action. Pray for me that God will give me boldness to be faithful in being the servant that brings Him glory. Together we can be used of God to make a different in our communities, and around the world, but that requires change.
