14 articles.
The Modern Era has seen significant advancements in practical pneumatology, which elaborates on who the Holy Spirit is and explains how He strengthens or sanctifies Christians. He is the root and cause of sanctification. Jonathan Edwards explains it well:
A short video on missions alongside its transcript
Coming into this assignment, and even previously in my Christian walk, I had never shared the Gospel with a stranger. I had plenty of experience talking about Jesus with my friends, family, and my peers, but the thought of approaching someone I did not know and sharing Jesus with them often left my stomach in knots. This assignment has helped tremendously to show that evangelism does not have to be scary.
For the International Church Assignment, I was invited to visit Kansas City Korean Baptist Church by my good friend, Samad, who is ethnically half Korean and half Pakistani. While it was preferable to attend a church that worships in English, I did not want to pass upon the opportunity of hearing the saints worship in a language that I did not speak. Therefore, Samad offered to translate the service for me in order that I may understand, learn, and be edified by the church that was not a part of my own culture, yet living in the midst of it.
Gisbertus Voetius, a pioneer in terms of Protestant missiology and a Dutch Reformed theologian, served the Lord on this Earth from 1589-1676. He was a minister, theologian, and professor during a vital time in European Christianity called the Dutch Second Reformation or Further Reformation, a continuation of the Protestant Reformation in the Netherlands. Voetius was the first Protestant theologian to write a complete, comprehensive missiological work.
While this helpful book on missions was written by many authors, it was edited by David Mathis and John Piper. Mathis is the executive director of Desiring God and serves as an elder at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Twin Cities, Minnesota. He earned his degree from Furman University and, at the time this book was published, was completing a degree at Reformed Theological Seminary.
Before Jesus ascended to the right hand of God, He said something significant to His disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19-20). This exhortation is what Christians call the Great Commission, and the profound statement that follows it is what Christians depend on to accomplish the Great Commission.
Following a new religion is a life changing experience. Often, when one accepts a new religion as their own they carry certain characteristics from their old religion into the new one. This synthesis of religions is common in Christian converts from Islam.
The Sukuma people of Tanzania represent an example of a folk religion. However, they are not participants in Islam or folk Islam. They rather practice a religion that is relevant for them only as it is entirely dependent on their cultural context and location.
Missionary trips can be a very spiritually strenuous undertaking. Because of this, it is best that missionaries arrive at their destination after they have been theologically trained to carry the Gospel to the nations of the world or various communities in their own nation. This theological training ahead of time prepares them for their mission and helps them to clearly display and tell of God's Gospel to the lost.
A strategy reaction paper on the reading above.
A Unit 2 reaction paper on the reading above.
Should a Christian contextualize the Gospel and pretend to be a Muslim in order to become better missionaries for the sake of Muslims? While this theory may seem like a good idea, it is far more faulty for Christians to lie about their religion rather than being honest about it. If this make-believe facade of reverence were put on by a Christian and Muslims found out, it could be very detrimental to the established relationships and opportunities to witness to the Muslims would be reduced.
A Unit 1 reaction paper on the reading above.