Getting Serious about Finishing the Task in Our Lifetime Missions Month Week #3 Message Selected Scriptures April 17, 2016 © April 17, 2016 Wade & Helen Harlan

PETER DRUCKER: THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS IN BUSINESS 1.What’s your business? 2.How’s business? A compelling purpose statement is often crucial for a business. Chick-Fil-A’s old mission statement: “To be America’s best quick service restaurant.” Chick-Fil-A’s new mission statement: “To be remarkable.” Chick-Fil-A’s Corporate mission statement: "To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”

OUR PURPOSE AS FOUND IN THE BIBLE To bring glory to God by living in an intimate, transforming relationship with God AND by bringing people from every nation, tongue, tribe and place into an intimate, transforming relationship with Him.

THE BIBLICAL BACKGROUND THE BIBLICAL BACKGROUND: Mt 28:18-20“Go and make disciples among every people group in the world” Mt 24:14 Preach the gospel to all nations (“ethne”) and then the end will come Rev 7:9 There will be people from every nation, tongue & tribe in heaven from out of the Tribulation 2 Pet 3:12 We are … “to live holy and godly lives as [we] look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” Mk 4:30-32The Kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, the smallest of all seeds yet when it grows up is the largest of all garden plants. Acts 1:8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

KEY DEFINITIONS DEFINITIONS: Unreached People Groups (UPG) – “the largest group the gospel can spread in without encountering barriers of understanding or acceptance.” A people group with less than 2% active Christians. Unengaged Unreached People Group (UUPG) – a people group in which there are no Christians or missionaries trying to plant churches.

SO HOW ARE WE DOING AT REACHING THE NATIONS? PROGRESS IN THE CITIES OF EAST ASIS History of work Tim TSPM Jo & Sherry Among the Mayping Maying Partnership Alliance - 16 year partnership Hosting of first national cross-cultural worker (Bo & Cindy)

SO HOW ARE WE DOING AT REACHING THE NATIONS? PROGRESS IN EAST ASIA Unengaged UPGs Unengaged UPGs IMB 2012 Reorganization China UPG Partnership (CUP) National China UPG Partnership (National CUP) Friends of China – sending to the nations Back to Jerusalem (B2J) – 20,000 by 2025

SO HOW ARE WE DOING AT REACHING THE NATIONS? PROGRESS AROUND THE WORLD  2000 A.D. – more developing country missionaries than from the developed world  Korea 1900 – no protestant churches; Today % Christian  Sub-Sahara Africa % Christian; Today - 50% Christian  Latin America , million million Protestants 2025 – continent with the most Christians in the world

SO HOW ARE WE DOING AT REACHING THE NATIONS? PROGRESS AROUND THE WORLD We are in the 3rd and final era of missions.  1 st Era – Coastlands (William Carey)  2 nd Era – Inlands (Hudson Taylor)  3 rd Era – Unreached/Hidden Peoples 1934 – present (Cameron Townsend, Donald McGavran, Ralph Winter)

SO HOW ARE WE DOING AT REACHING THE NATIONS? PROGRESS AROUND THE WORLD Bible-believing Christians growing 2.1 times faster than Islam, Hinduism, & Buddhism. More Muslims have come to Christ in the last 15 years than in the prior 1500 years. 70% of all progress toward World Evangelization has happened since % of that progress(49% of the total progress) has happened since % of that progress(35% of the total progress) has happened since 2000

WHAT SHOULD OUR CHURCH DO? 1.Pray daily for a missionary and their people; Pray for remaining “May`ping” UPGs. 2.Ask God to thrust out more cross-cultural workers from our church. 3.Spend time seeking out your role(s)* and embrace them:  Financial Supporter  Relational Supporter  Prayer Supporter  Goer (tentmaker, support role, translation, community development, church planter)  Welcomer (Int’l students, immigrants, refugees)  Mobilizer

WHAT SHOULD OUR CHURCH DO? 4. Pray for your children to find and embrace their role. (college) 5. Pray for revival in your heart and around the world Student Volunteer Movement – “God permitting I will serve as a foreign missionary.” * ,000 signed 20,000 went * million signing 740,000 going * 3,600 at their tri-annual conference like 255,000 coming to Urbana

RESOURCES Books: Bruchko (Bruce Olson) Let The Nations Be Glad (John Piper) Novels: Hastenings (Steve Smith) Hastenings Part 2 ( Steve Smith) May 2016

THREE PRACTICAL QUESTIONS FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE 1.How does hearing about the great progress that’s being made toward completing World Evangelization make you feel? 2.Are you personally looking forward to and speeding the coming of the Lord’s return? Why or why not? 3.What do you want to do differently in your life because of what was shared today?