Milestones in Mission
15/05/2019 12:18:02 PM | Andrea Fleming
How many of us have rolled our eyes from time to time and cried out “Are we there yet?” A question often associated with the long journey to a certain destination.
Reflecting back to your earlier years, were you the kid in the back seat of the car asking, “Are we there yet?” Were you the kid that loved the Advent Calendar and the countdown to Christmas Day, and have you carried with you that anticipation and the promise of things to come?
Today we live in a fast-paced world, the faithful anticipation of things to come is easily usurped by an expectation that things will occur according to our timeline, or must be accomplished by the timeline imposed upon us. We are living in a result driven society, we expect measured outcomes, we want bang for our buck…
While our culture pushes us to tick boxes and meet deadlines, we work in the knowledge that it will be in God's timing and by His grace that communities are transformed through meeting Jesus. Journeying with a person of another faith and culture as they place their trust in Jesus and seeing small, vibrant faith communities grow, does not happen in our timeline, it happens in God’s. The progress can seem slow and we are often tempted to cry out, “Are we there yet?” Nevertheless, we know God is at work and we celebrate every milestone along the way!
GLOBAL INTERACTION’S MILESTONES
- One believer comes to Christ
- A life is transformed
- Others see and believe
- A small faith community begins to blossom
- Local faith leaders are nurtured and equipped
- A vibrant faith community begins to grow
- Our shared vision becomes a reality
Comprehension of what it takes to build a faith community among a spiritually resistant people is important when considering intercultural ministry today. As we reflect on the are we there yet moments, we are reminded that to establish the Kingdom in the heart of new believers takes time. It takes a vision for the church today, intentional participation, and resilient followers of Jesus who will go, give and pray.
ARE WE THERE YET?
- Still today, 42% of people in the world have never heard the message of Jesus in a way they understand. They have very little chance of hearing the Good News in a way that makes sense to them in their culture and context.
- 97% of the world’s intercultural workers are going to places where people do have access to the Good News, Bibles, faith communities and believers.
- Just 3% of the world’s intercultural workers are going to least-reached people groups. These are the people who have little to no chance of hearing the message of Jesus in a culturally understandable way by someone they trust.
With a history spanning over 135 years, Global Interaction continues to respond to Jesus’ commands to:
Go into the world and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19)
and
You will be my witness to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)
Global Interaction believes that the greatest gift is a life-transforming relationship with Jesus. We have followed God’s direction to work among least-reached people groups and we facilitate pathways for individuals and church communities to discern and fulfil their call. As our teams continue to faithfully serve within the communities God has placed them,and we see His Spirit at work, we celebrate every milestone.
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