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The Eternal Purpose of God calls upon the new-covenant community to partner with the Creator in his global mission—including a harvest of people from every tribe, tongue and language
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the vocation of the messianic covenant
communitygathering the covenant
harvests
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
introduction
God’s eternal purpose for creation… a covenant community
• revealing his essential nature—his glory
• revealing his purposes for his creation
• co-operating with him
partnering with Messiah in gathering “covenant harvests” of the earth
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
covenant harvests
harvest ofMESSIANIC
COMMUNITY
harvest ofGENTILE PEOPLES
harvest ofJEWISH PEOPLE
A GREAT NATION, BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING to every family on earth
a global shaking
new heaven and earth
a harvest of gentile peoples
a harvest of “all nations”
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
“look around among the nations and see! and be astonished! Astounded!
for I am putting into effect a work in your days that you would not believe if it were told you”
—Habakkuk 1:5
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
every ethnos
go and make people from all nations into disciples, baptising them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you
— Matthew 28.19
nations = ethnos = ethnic people groups• different by ethnic origin• different by language• different by culture, religion, caste• different by political nationality
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
nation, tribe, people, language
I looked and there before me was a huge crowd, too large for anyone to count, from every nation, tribe, people and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb…
— Revelation 7.9
who?• ethné = race, ethnic people • phulé = tribe, clan • laos = nation, people • glossa = language
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
great commission
after-thought of Jesus?no: God’s eternal, unchanging purpose
“bible explains mission”no: “mission explains the bible”!
option for committed core of believers?no: calling to entire Christian community
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
world mission movements
early church : ~ 450 AD• Mediterranean to India
Celtic church : 500-800 AD• West, Central Europe
Nestorian church : 480-1250 AD• Asia
Orthodox church : 800-1100 AD• Eastern Europe, Russia
Roman Catholic mission orders : 1209- AD• mainly north, western Europe; North
Africa, China
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
marginalisation of mission
mission movements exception, not rule 16th century Reformers denied
importance • battling RC, rather than evangelising
heathen• imminent return Christ• obligation fulfilled by apostles• “election” made mission unnecessary!
mission marginalised theologically, organisationally…
until 18th-century protestant missions…
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
Moravian Brethren, 1727-
godly leadership• Count Zinzandorf
community• persecuted protestant refugees
prayer• 24/7 prayer vigil lasting over 100 years!
dedication to world mission• declared “every Christian a missionary”• 1 missionary to every 60 community
members• ratio 1 : 5000 within Protestantism
generally
Moravian missionaries
worldwide network• Virgin Islands, North America, South
America• Greenland, Lapland, Labrador• South Africa, Tanganyika (Tanzania)
missionaries• unselfish dedication• evangelists, not theologians• artisans, trades-people• self-supporting • economic influence; led to spiritual
influence
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
father of modern mission movement
William Carey, 1792 vision, leadership, prayer,
dedication 1st global statistical survey:
• populations • evangelistic progress
formed Baptist Missionary Society
Serampore, India, 40 years• schools• bible translation; printing• college for missionaries,
evangelists
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
William Carey
expect great things
from God attempt great
things for God
five breaking wavesfive breaking wavesof modern world mission movement
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
five breaking waves
1. mission to continental coastlands
2. mission to continental interiors3. mission to geo-political
countries4. missions to ethno-linguistic
peoples 5. mission by non-Western movements
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
first wave, 1792 - 1865
coastlands of unreached continentsdiscipling, church planting
• islands, coastlands of Asia, Africa
• extremely long journeys• slow, difficult communications
denominational• inter-denominational co-operation• London Missionary Society
extraordinary pioneers• William Carey
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
second wave, 1865 - 1910
continental interiors of Africa, Asiapreaching to every person
• geographical penetration of inland regions
• AIM, SIM, Heart of Africa Mission (WEC)
• major threat of death by tropical disease
interdenominational organisations• China Inland Mission, Hudson Taylor• faith• field autonomy• “three-self” approach• “go native” approach
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
second wave, 1865 - 1910
continental interiors of Africa, Asiaworld evangelisation before 20th century
• much excitement pre-1900• afterwards momentum slowed by
discouragement of non-achievement
“Student Volunteer Movement” • 100’s missionaries• huge educational impact• non-theological personnel• virtually halted by savage first
world war
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
third wave, 1910 - 1966
geo-political nations, countriesalmost every one entered or targeted
• slow, steady missionary advance• supported by Evangelical movement• theological, social, economic,
political hostility
moderate non-Western church growth• church planting • training indigenous leaders• western domination stifled native
Christianity
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
fourth wave, 1966-
ethnic people groupsethnically-defined people groups
• measured, analysed, targeted• reached, unreached, progress• change in missiological strategy
zones of regional darkness• “10/40 Window”
— theoretical ‘window,’10o and 40o N• Silk Route
— traditional router for silk traders
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
strategic terminology
“people group”
largest group within which Gospel can spread as a church-planting movement or people movement to Christ…
without encountering significant barriers of understanding or acceptance
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
strategic terminology
“unreached / least reached”
people groups without a viable indigenous church sufficiently developed to be capable of evangelizing its own people without cross-cultural assistance at least 50% of population have little or no access to the Gospel, either indigenous or cross-culturalstatistically < 2% evangelicals and < 5% nominal Christian adherents
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
10 / 40 window
gospel-resistant darkness86% least-evangelised people78% least-evangelised p/g’s• 2.5 billion Muslims,
Hindus, Buddhists82% of poorest people• 2.4 billion < $1.40 / dayoverpopulation, disease AIDS, malaria, tuberculosisprejudice, abuse, illiteracy dictatorships, corruption children, women, Christians
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
10 / 40 window
Christian workers94.5% among evangelised4.8% evangelised / resistant 0.7% among unreached
for every unreached ethné
580+ evangelical, great commission churches40,000+ believers
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
fourth wave, 1966-
ethnic people groupsmassive prayer-based growth
• still accelerating…• 170 million praying daily for
“revival”• 20 million prayer “primary ministry”• worldwide Christian radio coverage
centre of gravity no longer in West
• ‘60’s Africa• ‘70’s Latin America• ‘80’s East Asia• ‘90’s Eurasia
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
fifth wave, 1980-
non-Western mission movementsvibrant, emerging force in world mission
• vibrant, vast numbers• non-western Pentecostal movements
engaging seriously with world missionclose to unreached peoples
• geographically• culturally
huge biblical educational requirement
• partnership opportunity: YSC’s / OSC’s
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
what differencewhat differencehave waves made?
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
number of non-Christians per believer
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
ratio of congregations to people groups
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
what remainswhat remainsto be done?
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
the great imbalance
3.9 billion 2.5 billion individuals
61% 39%
9169 6721 ethnic people groups
58% 42%
128,000 12,000 mission personnel(not incl. RC)
92% 8%
reached unreached
statistics courtesy Joshua Project 20061 billion = 1000, 000, 000
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
why it can be done…
500 million Christians committed to act
• annual growth rate 6.9%• faster than global population growth• 100 million are young believers
annual ‘disposable’ earnings $2.5 trillion
• $8 billion given to missions (33c per $100)
• Christians own 60 million computers3 million full-time Christian workers
• 285, 000 career missionaries• 30, 000 broadcasting cross-culturally
a harvest of gentile peoples
a harvest of “all nations”
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
“look around among the nations and see! and be astonished! Astounded!
for I am putting into effect a work in your days that you would not believe if it were told you”
—Habakkuk 1:5
© john clements 2008-2009 / www.eternalpurpose.org.uk
covenant harvests
harvest ofMESSIANIC
COMMUNITY
harvest ofGENTILE PEOPLES
harvest ofJEWISH PEOPLE
A GREAT NATION, BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING to every family on earth
a global shaking
new heaven and earth