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The power of the gospel.
Some of the nicest people in the world lack courage.
That is, when we begin to be concerned about what people think of us,
boldness disappears. Our fear of being rejected causes us to zip our
lips, even though we interact with needy people all around us. Why are we
embarrassed to share our faith? We have forgotten there is power in the
gospel. Romans 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it
is the power of God, for the salvation of everyone who believes.” A
powerful gospel eliminates our embarrassment, gives us confidence to
share it with others, and gives us the ability to pursue short-cycle
church planting on the mission field. We are sending out missionaries
equipped with spiritual dynamite!
The purposes of God.
In Romans 3 we read “no one is righteous, not even one; there is no one
who understands, no one who seeks God.” Man, in his natural state, has
no interest in spiritual things. But Ephesians 1 tells us God seeks
after man. He has chosen us before the foundation of the world to be
conformed to the image of Christ. God calls us to Himself, and because
He is sovereign, His call cannot be refused. Yet, God’s purposes for
this age are not complete. He has chosen and predestined people from
every tribe and tongue to be His worshipers. Therefore, as
missionaries, we can go forth with hope and confidence, knowing our
efforts are consistent with God's sovereign purposes (Romans 8:28–30).
The primacy of prayer.
Ephesians 6 says, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this
dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly
realms.” Such spiritual warfare is especially evident on the mission
field. Knowing Satan is aggressively and relentlessly resisting us, how
can we successfully plant churches in a relatively brief amount of
time? Paul realized the only way he would see the gospel move forward
was when fellow believers were diligently interceding for him
(Colossians 4:2–4). We cannot pry open doors for the gospel. We can only
pray open doors for the gospel. Only God can defeat the forces of Satan
and provide avenues for His truth and He does in response to the
prayers of His people.
Innovative practices.
Short-cycle church planting is based on a belief in innovative
practices. With the world changing as rapidly and profoundly as it is
today, the only way to have high-quality contacts with people is to
think with innovation at all times. As we do, God will provide
opportunities to connect with people in powerful ways, just like He did
with Paul in Athens (Acts 17:16–34). Innovative methods do not
guarantee evangelistic success. That’s in God’s hands. But by creating
an environment of innovation on a missionary team where
experimentation, creativity and risk-taking is valued and applauded, we
enhance our ability to make a connection with people and gain a
hearing.
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