Dear Faithful Reader & Partner,

Our new Church year began with our Mission Convention in July with our Father, God alerting us to a gaping hole in our chase to fulfill the all-important Great Commission assignment in our Church’s mission. The Lord gave us a theme message from Psalm 71:18:

Even when I am old and gray,
    do not forsake me, my God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
    your mighty acts to all who are to come.

Our new Senior Pastor, Rev’d Julius Msheliza blazed the trail and outlined the enormity of the gap before us when he stated that the Great Commission of Christ to “make disciples” was given to the whole people of God and includes every age-group (Matt. 28:19).  He emphasised the highly ignored price we must pay to reach the generations for Christ. We can only reach them if we are willing like our Lord and Master Jesus, to lay down our lives appropriately also for the generations to come.  
It was clearly communicated throughout the month, that:

  1. We are part of something larger—that existed long before we did—that was passed down to us (Deut. 32:7);
  2. We are part of something that God is doing now—that will continue long after we are gone (Luke 1:50).
  3. And yet, reaching generations for Christ is not automatic (Judges 2:10), and we must not drop the baton.

The Great Commission encapsulates our spiritual Heritage, and as aptly captured by the Navigators founder, Dawson Trotman, “the Gospel spread to the known world during the first century without the benefit of mass media because the early disciples “produced men who were reproducing”—producing spiritual generations of disciples who passed on their spiritual heritage and trained others to do the same.”  Moreover, according to  Robert Coleman, “the test of any work of missions and evangelism is not what is seen at the moment but in the effectiveness with which the work continues into the next generation”

Our Bible Studies for the month helped us to wonder why God chose Abraham to be the father of His chosen people.  The scriptures gave us only one, but thorough answer in Genesis 18:17–19

And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, “since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.” NSFLB
“For I know Him” was God’s response to His choice.  If this was the single reason for God choosing Abraham, we concluded, it should speak loudly to how important it should be for us, His church!
 
In God’s charge to Abram in Genesis 17:6-8, He communicated Himself as God of the generations by saying to Abram, “I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you now reside as a foreigner, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God.”

We found God our Father very direct, in His generational charge – I am making you fruitful Abram, and from generation to generation I will be the God of the people.

God sees our lives in the context of the big picture. His purpose and plan are greater than any individual and continues from generation to generation.  Yet somehow, culturally, we have not fully embraced this Kingdom reality and because of that we have left a big gap in, and have been very ‘weak’ at cross-generational discipling.
While we may be deeply caring parents and grandparents, most of us feel at a loss for how to connect with our children or grandchildren about the topic of missions, and Jesus’ overarching command to share the Gospel to all creation.

What this means for us as followers of Jesus is that every child should be considered far more than a child.  Every child is first and foremost a potential or actual brother or sister in Christ.  Whatever ‘children’ we manage to take to eternal glory, they will not stand beside us as our children or as our students.  They will stand beside us because and only because they have become our brothers and sisters, “heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ”.  This truth introduces a radical new dimension to how we view children, and the comparative proportion of our resources we devote to their spiritual upbringing.

Every child is an eternal soul whose days will long outlast the rise and fall of all the kingdoms of the earth. They and their children and their children’s children will fly ever so briefly across the face of this earth before being swept away into eternity (James 4:14).  If these children become our brothers and sisters in Christ, their days upon this earth are preparatory for glory that will never end.

That’s why our primary purpose for the children that we educate in our homes and churches must not be anything as small and miserable as earthly success.

Our purpose should be to leverage children’s lives to advance God’s kingdom so that every tribe, every nation, and every people-group gains the opportunity to respond in faith to the rightful King of kings.

Friends, I celebrate all of you, missionaries and partners who labour in this vineyard to ensure the gospel gets to the generations!  Thanks for joining us online during our Mission Convention & Conference.  We shall report on this in our August edition!

Maranatha!

Babajide Olowodola, Ph.D Chairman, Omega Project 2 Founding Pastor – Foursquare Gospel Church Asoskoro, Abuja Twitter @BOlowodola

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s good work you’re doing, helping these travellers on their way, hospitality worthy of God himself! They set out under the banner of the Name, and get no help from unbelievers. So, they deserve any support we can give them. In providing meals and a bed, we become their companions in spreading the Truth.”
3 John 6-8 Message Bible

 

HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

HAPPY WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

 

BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO OUR BRETHREN

 

Pastor Adebayo Adedeji
 
Sis. Ruth Bassey Emmanuel
 
Sister Joy Ukwela
 
Julius Ejembi
 

MISSIONARY REPORT FROM INDONESIA FOR JULY 2021

Dear Brethren,

We celebrate and thank you always for your prayers and support that keep the work here in Indonesia going. Your labour in prayers for us is already yielding results. This is evident in the six baptism we had this month. Worthy of note is the fact that two of the baptism was in the life of 3rd and 4th generation believers. The Lord is helping us to entrust the gospel to the next generation. We pray that God will grant you grace to continue to support the work.

Covid19 once again hit Indonesia hard. Hospitals are full, many has died, people are looking for ways to survive. We feel like we live in an uncertainty. Despite this problem, our team was able to spread the good news. Last month (June) we had 14 baptisms. These baptisms happen in the area where there are none believers, we returns thanks to God. Even with the current situation (hardship) we still press forward in advancing the work of the Kingdom.

This week we trained about 12 young people in Central Sulawesi who are keen to learn discipleship making movement (DMM). We will walk alongside with them to reach out to their friends and communities in Central Sulawesi. We have also upgraded the training for our MBBs leaders to make them more effective in reaching out to their neighbours.

We have several people that we follow up using social media (a new way of evangelism and discipleship). Through this medium several people accepted Jesus Christ and requested to be baptized. We are preparing a suitable time for them since there location is 5 hours away from where our workers live.
Dear friends, we thank you for your prayer and support. Despite the Covid-19 situation that increase in Java, we managed to continue training and ministry in other areas in which the Covid-19 Pandemic didn’t affect so much. We really need wisdom and guidance from God in doing this.

Pray with us
Brethren, we solicit your prayers as commence work in seven different places in South Sulawesi, west Sulawesi and NTB. We also need your payers as we engage in 9 new UPGs (some are UUPG). Please pray that the Lord will prepare the workers and that the ground may be softened before we go there. We ask that you also pray that the Lord will bring the people to meet with Him. Please:

  1. Pray for our health. Even though where we live is still considered safe from covid-19, but we have people travelling to Java where the pandemic hit hard
  2. Pray for the people who already accepted Jesus in their lives, may they continue to grow in their faith and multiply
  3. Pray there will be more people to share the Gospel in these hard areas (areas where there are no believers)
  4. Give thanks to the Lord for the people who have come to the faith. Let’s rejoice together with our God and all the angels for all these open doors.
  5. Pray so the Lord prepares the workers, and may the ground be softened before we go there.
  6. Pray the Lord will bring the workers to meet the person of peace in those new areas.

We see opportunities coming our ways even though the Pandemic is seriously affecting some areas and hindering the work. We do not want to lose the opportunities and so, we solicit your prayers. Please pray for us that we will have God’s wisdom to continue to be effective during this hardship.

Shalom

THE BLIND REACHING THE BLIND
 

Nur (not the real name) came to know the Lord through the ministry of Asri (not the real name).   Both are physically blind but longing to see the truth.  Asri came to know the Lord a few years ago while Nur was baptized a few weeks ago.  Nur now is sharing the Gospel to her friends and families. While Asri has brought a few people to come to know the Lord in the last few years.

We have planned a DMM training for the blind from Christian background. Though physically blind, they still want to reach out to their friends of Islamic faith. Please pray for these ones so they will have the boldness, courage and wisdom to reach out their friends.

 


PICTURES FROM INDONESIA

 

 

MISSIONARY REPORT FROM ABIDJAN COTE D’IVOIRE

 FOR JULY 2021

Dear Brethren,

We bring you greetings from Abidjan. We thank God for your support and the work He is doing in our midst. 

Our team is following up on five families, teaching them on our “Identity in Christ”. We are also following up on three other people. We have also continued our Church Evangelism where we invite non-Christians to the Church for our Sunday Meetings to learn about Jesus. We also reach out to people through the distribution of Gospel tracks. We have continued to reach the children using the “Super Book” films, teachings, and prayer sessions.

We solicit your prayer for the street children, that the Lord will open their hearts to gospel. Please pray particularly for two of brothers among them who have committed to the Lord. One of the brothers, who through repeated illness and lack of work has remain faithful to the Lord. Please pray for him and his brother, who is learning to repair a ventilator in a village. Let us pray that God will strengthen these two brothers and keep them faithful to the Lord and those other men who live in the streets will come to the Lord.

We started a “Good News” club for the children of ANONO, a village full of children. The club started with 40 kids and our number keeps increasing with each meeting. Two instructors run the club every Saturday of the week. At our 2nd meeting we shared the gifts from Operation Christmas Child which is distributed by Samaritan’s purse. We also follow up on the children with their “Le Plus Grand Voyage” manual. This manual is a 12-lesson discipleship program designed to help children ages 3 to 14 come to know Jesus and follow him every day and to share this good news with others. Let us bless the Lord for some children who have given their lives to the Lord and pray that they will grow in the Lord.

To God be the glory for the testimonies He is giving us. Thank you for making yourself available to support the work. Through your donations, we have been able to carry out the assignment God has placed in our hands. May, God bless you and may He receive all the glory forever and ever. Amen
 
Sister Bruce Hélène


MISSIONARY REPORT FROM KENYA FOR JULY 2021

FROM GARISSA, KENYA  

Dear Friends,
 
May God bless you for your labour and support for us through prayers, finances and advises. Thank you for availing yourself to be used by God.
 
MINISTRY ACTIVITIES
By the grace of God, I have been teaching church members about mission, making them understand that every true born again Christian should be ready and bold to spread the gospel of Christ. And taking upon ourselves as duty to reach them on phone, to encourage them, and to set a time for prayers for all those who have been infected with the Covid-19 virus for divine healing.
 
Glory to God for my team, as their faith keeps growing daily and maturing. Daily we see a positive change in their character. They now have the boldness to reach out to their fellow brethren with the gospel of faith. My desire is to see them standing strong in the faith, many others coming to Christ as well as MMBs reaching their own in a matured way.
 
PRAYER REQUEST
Pray that I will be able to get work permit since the current ones are almost getting expired, that I will find favour with the Government when renewing them. Pray that God will provide all the required resources in terms of money to be able to renew them.

Thobias Johnson


PICTURES FROM GARISSA, KENYA

 
 
From GRIP KENYA
 
Dear Brethren,
 
Besides following up with our Muslim friends, God has opened another door for ministry in school through the Christian Union. I am privileged to be leading a discipleship class with newly born-again students. During the stated period we did not have the opportunity to preach except during our son’s birthday where we shared the word briefly from the book of Jeremiah 1:4-10. We had invited our neighbors all of whom are not born again. We believe that by exercising our faith in God, we can influence them to follow Christ. Our children have been sick in the month of June. We prayed for their healing and are thankful to God that they are now well. My uncle was sick but is now doing better and we continue to trust God for his full recovery.
 
God gave me the privilege of joining up with missionaries in Garissa for the missionaries’ retreat that was held in one of the mission stations in Tana River County. It was a great time of fellowship and unwinding. I was also privileged to collect data for World Watch List 2022 focusing on persecution in Northeastern Kenya and Northern Coast Kenya. During the said time I had opportunity to fellowship with three persecuted believers who were formerly Muslims.
 
I desired to visit Garissa and meet fellow missionaries and my Muslim friends. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19 Nairobi and other five counties bordering it were put on lockdown and so it was practically impossible to visit Garissa under the lockdown conditions. Luckily, I found an alternative route to get to Garissa. Though an expensive trip, God made provisions for all I needed including benevolence towards friends. He provided for all my upkeep and benevolence towards friends through a short contract I secured to collect data for World Watch List 2022.
 
Prayer Request
One thing I learned from that, is that God indeed answers prayer and honors the desire of people’s hearts. It has been a time of transition into a new ministry area. As we venture, we trust God for lasting fruit and impact in Garissa though we are away. Please:

  1. Thank God with us for provision and sustenance in the reporting quarter.
  2. Thank God with us for the time that we had praying with Muslims and especially those of them who are our friends as they observed the month of Ramadan. We trust God for fruit among the Muslims in our country and other parts of the world.
  3. Pray for God to continue to bless our ministry activities and expand and establish us even further.
  4. Pray for God’s leading and guidance as we prepare to have our son start school.
  5. Pray for good health for our children who have been affected by the ostensibly cold weather given that they had been used to hot weather in Garissa.

 
Outlook
We trust God to continue serving among students as we teach in the schools. My heart is set to continue with the discipleship sessions that I have started with girls who got saved in the month of June 2021. We are trusting God to continue mobilizing for cross-cultural ministry as we also support those serving cross culturally.
 
God bless you at OmegaProject2 and the entire Foursquare Gospel Church, Asokoro. As you refresh so many missionaries in the different parts of the world where you have presence, may God refresh you as well.

From GARISSA, KENYA

 

Friends,

It has been a wonderful time interacting with you. This ministry has always been a blessing to me and my Family. We Pray that God will Continually Provide for you.

During this period, the school was open hence I was actively involved in the activities of Christian Union. I had good time preaching to and teaching Pupils from both Christian and Muslim Background. It has also been a good time to minister to the youths through football Ministry. It has been a good learning experience Ministering to them.
 
TRAINING IN MISSIONS
This has mainly happened with mentoring the boys in the field through Sports Ministry. By Using Soccer as a way of reaching out to the youths. We mainly focus on building team Spirit and Playing in a way that gives glory to God. God has been on our side and the Lives of the boys have changed.
We also held a two- day training in missions in our Local Church and 20 people were trained on how to reach Muslims. This happened between 28th – 29th May and also 25th and 26th July in Garissa. The response was positive and we thank God for that.

DISCIPLESHIP
The period has been mainly focused with teachings in the Christian Union in school. It has been a good moment of sharing Christ with children from both Christian and Muslim Background. There was a positive response from the learners and I hope for better moments when schools open.
 
PRAYING FOR THE SICK

  • Prayers during this time have been mainly focused on various people groups e,g the Somali, Munyoyaya, Borana, Orma and Wardei. We have been mainly praying for their Salvation and God is doing great things in those lands.
    Football ministry where God has been using me to reach Munyoyaya, Orma and Somali Boys.
  • It has been a good moment to share the Love of God with the boys as they Play to know the Love of Christ and play in a Godly way.

 
TESTIMONIES

  1. I had been sick in the Month of June but I thank God for the good health that I have now I am in good health I thank God.
  2. There has been peace in this region, and we thank God for that. In the beginning of there year there were tensions in the beginning of the year but peace was restored.

 
PRAYER REQUEST

  1. The Lord blessed us with a Plot. Pray that God will Provide Funds that we develop it and build our house there. This will save us from the burden of House rent.
  2. Pray for the boys that I reach through football Ministry that God will open their hearts and that they will accept and Embrace Christ.
  3. Both of My parents have been struggling with Sickness for the last 4 weeks and have been in and out of Hospital. Pray for Healing Upon them in Jesus name that God will restore their health.

Outlook
By the grace of God I intend to use this time to bond more with the Soccer boys in the football ministry and also to do an outreach in the neighboring villages. I also intend to visit a Somali Village which is far from where I live to follow up on some MBBs in that Village.
 
Shalom
WAJEWA OMONDI


MISSIONARY REPORT FROM NIGERIA FOR JULY 2021

Greetings from Ile-Ife,

We give thanks to the almighty God who has preserved our lives from all the various dangers prevalent in our Country in this season. May His glorious name be forever praised. 
 
Community Evangelism:
Due to the insecurity presently witnessed in our Country we are the more challenged to be up and doing so that we can be able to deliver many lives from the hands of the hoodlums by the Power of the gospel.
 
Missions.
The Diaspora Missions holds every Thursday from 8:00 to 9:30am apart from the Thursday when we go for selected community Outreach. Personal Witnessing continues individually with Visitation to families or individuals. We use portable Visual Aids to share the gospel message by short videos which serve as Conversation starters.
 
The Monthly Prayers and Intercessions holds on the second Sundays on the platform on Intercessors for Nigeria which resumed earnestly since February. God has been helping us since then.
 
Missions Awareness and Mobilizations.
To establish Missions Awareness among Christian Youths we the Ministry (Christian Missionary Foundation) has an annual Youth Conference which holds in most Towns and Cities in the South and North Central. For Ile-Ife we started in 2018 and was held in 2019. However, in 2020, we did not hold conference due to the Covid-19 Pandemic restrictions prevented physical gathering. We give thanks to the Lord who gave us good audience and weather on the Saturday 1st of May 2021 for another edition of the program. We had Short- Term Mission School (SMS) in the second week of May at Ondo Town while we were preparing to hold the Ile-Ife edition of the conference in conjunction with the Christian Association of Nigeria.
 
Each of the Sundays have been dedicated to Mission Awareness and Mobilization either by making a first contact or by making a re- visit to a Church Congregation. God gave us an open door of ministrations in Well of Salvation Oke-Ogbo Village on the 13th of June and at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Throne of Mercy, Cooker Adewoyin.
 
Testimony
We give thanks to the Almighty God for His ever-abiding presence by which we kept from any form of attacks in all of our Outreaches.
 
We also give thanks to God for giving good understanding of the Vision. Thanks be to God who brings more people to join the team. Thank God for the members of the team who are committed to Prayers.
 
God gave us a man among them who has committed himself to see the success of the work. He is like our eyes among the Hausa speaking people

Thank you for your prayers and support. May God reward you all.

Ruth Orimoloye


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UNREACHED OF THE DAY
PARSEE IN IRAN
 

Parsee in Iran
 
Zoroaster was a Parsee, said to be born between 1,200 and 1,500 BC in northeast Iran. He rejected the polytheistic worship of his culture and believed in worshipping only the creator God (Ahura Mazda), and he believed that Angra Mainyu (the devil) caused people to commit evil deeds. He believed that when people died, they would go to heaven or hell. They keep a fire burning in their temples as a symbol of Ahura Mazda’s wisdom, brightness and power. Their scriptures are the Avesta, which contains doctrines, hymns and prayers. The magi and Persian kings like Cyrus and Darius were probably believers in Ahura Mazda. Today Parsees who live in Iran, primarily in Tehran, experience persecution that has forced many to worship in secret.

Ministry Obstacles
It is hard to reach someone who is hiding. Zoroastrian followers are often isolated and do not identify themselves for fear of persecution from the Shia Muslim majority.

Outreach Ideas
Strong friendship between Iranian Parsees and followers of Christ can potentially develop trust and allow believers to share what faith in the resurrected Christ can do for all of us.

Scripture Focus
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”  Jeremiah 1:5

Scripture Prayer
Pray for the Lord to thrust out many prophets from every nation to every nation in the 2020s.

Prayer Focus
Pray for a powerful movement to Christ among Iran’s Parsees. Pray for Iranian believers to reach out to their Parsee neighbors.

 

 

Saturday 7 August 2021 Main Auditorium Foursquare Gospel Church Asokoro 7:00 am

As you read and pray for the unfolding story of our
Omega Project 2 labourers and the Spirit touches you
to further help in any specific way, or, you would like to contact any of the missionaries in the News, please do not hesitate to contact the Chairman directly at chairman@omegaproject2.org
or the Coordinator at coordinator@omegaproject2.org

We will not forget to PRAY Nigeria, for the Persecuted Church in Nigeria, for the Families of Executed & Beheaded Martyrs, and also for LEAH, GRACE & ALICE & many victims of Terrorism in Nigeria.
 
 
  • The truth to be made known about the fate of Leah Sharibu, Grace Taku, and Alice Ngada as well as other workers captured by Boko Haram and “Herdsmen” terrorists (John 8:32).
  • All Christian captives held by jihadist and terrorist groups in Nigeria to be surrounded by angels and upheld in their faith as they become witnesses living or executed for our Lord Jesus Christ among their captors (Philippians 1:12-13).
  • The supernatural intervention by our Holy God to release Leah and remaining captives from their demonically motivated captors (Acts 16:24-26).
  • Nigeria’s President Buhari and Nigerian military to be supernaturally moved to action on the part of these captives of Islamic terrorist groups. May their locations be found, and may the government & the military (without knowing what they do, actively intervene on their behalf (Mark 4:22) to set them free.

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More News From Mission Frontiers 

24:14 Goal
Can We Hasten the Lord’s Return?

culled from Mission Frontiers January/February 2021 Ed.

24:14 Goal: Movement engagements in every unreached people and place by 2025 (72 months)

Can We Hasten the Lord’s Return? Clarifying Some Misunderstandings about 24:14

24:14 Goal: Movement engagements in every unreached people and place by 2025 (72 months)

People around the world are excited about the 24:14  Coalition.1 Leaders and catalysts of movements across the globe have begun working together to identify unreached people groups (UPGs) and places. Fresh efforts are developing to bring gospel witness among those peoples and places. But while some rejoice, others protest, seeing 24:14 as a shallow bandwagon—long on zeal and short on missiological depth. In weighing the apprehensions, both scholarly and popular, it appears many of the concerns arise from misunderstandings. In this article, I hope to clarify some that recently appeared in print.

Clarification #1: The 24:14 Coalition has never set a date by which we expect (or are predicting) the Lord will return.

In the most recent issue of Themelios journal, C. J. Moore2  implies that the 24:14 Coalition has launched a countdown to the date of Christ’s return. He writes: “A modern example of the eschatological motivation for missions is being developed in the Mission Frontiers magazine, through their3 24:14 Coalition based on Matthew 24:14. They include a new countdown, as seen in the title of the January/February issue of 2018: ‘Are You In? 24:14: The Coalition to Foster Movements in All Peoples by 2025.’”4 He later comments: “man should not believe that he can expect or suspect when this day will come (e.g. the year 2000 or 2025).”5

We anticipated this concern and penned a clarification in the lead article of that same issue of Mission Frontiers.

In “24:14—The War that Finally Ends,” Stan Parks and Steve Smith stated: “2025 is not the end. It is just the beginning of the end. We need CPM teams in every one of these 130,000 segments sacrificially committed to the war effort of spreading God’s kingdom through movements. Once a team is in place (between now and 2025) the fight has just begun to evangelize the lost and multiply disciples and churches to see a kingdom transformation of those communities.”

For the sake of any who might have missed or misunderstood this, a year later, in the January-February 2019 issue of Mission Frontiers, Tim Martin and Stan Parks penned this among their answers to FAQ:

Are you setting 2025 as the year that all nations will be reached?

No, our goal is to engage every unreached people and place with an effective kingdom movement strategy by December 31, 2025. This means that a team (local or expat or combination) equipped in movement strategy will be on location in every unreached people and place. We make no claims about when the Great Commission task will be finished. That is God’s responsibility. He determines the fruitfulness of movements.6

We hope that by once again publishing these clarifications, we can diminish misunderstanding.

In the same article, Moore also claimed: “many who hold to this view [eschatological motivation for missions] believe that once they complete the task of world evangelization, Christ will immediately come back, as will be examined in the next section. In other words, all He is waiting on is us.”7 And, “those with this motivation have often been proponents of ‘countdowns’ to the completion of world evangelization, which to this day, have proven unsuccessful.”8 Such claims do not match anything written by the 24:14 Coalition. Predicting when Jesus will return is not in any way the purpose of 24:14. Rather, it is a call to action for God’s people.

Clarification #2: We believe 2 Peter 3:12a is best translated as “hastening” the day.

In context, the verse reads: “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God” (2 Pet. 3:1112a, ESV). All other New Testament uses of any form of the Greek word speudō9 clearly intend the concept of hastening (and are consistently translated as such in those places). The other possible meaning of speudō (“to desire earnestly”) is only cited from non-biblical sources.10 All major Bible translations11 translate speudontas in 2 Peter 3:12 as “speed” or “hastening.” The context of this verse also clearly grapples in numerous ways with the issue of timing. Verse 4 quotes an accusation that while time goes on, God is not fulfilling the promise of his coming. Verse 8 clarifies that God’s timetable is different than ours. Verse 9 explicitly states: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise” (NIV, emphasis added).

Numerous commentators accept and expound on speudontas in this verse as meaning “hasten.” I will cite just three. Michael Green12 writes:

Wonderful as it may seem, we can actually “hasten it on” (NEB)….In other words, the timing of the advent is to some extent dependent upon the state of the church and of society. What a wonderfully positive conception of our time on earth…. It is intended to be a time of active cooperation with God in the redemption of society…. Evangelism is one way in which we can be said to hasten the coming of the Lord (cf. Mark 13:10).

Dick Lucas & Christopher Green write: “The Old  Testament prophecies of the hastening of God’s return (e.g. Isa. 62.11) have a new force following the first coming of Jesus, and Jesus underlined that it is within the control of God either to shorten or to lengthen that interim period as he sovereignly wills.” (Mark 13:20; Luke 13:6-9)”13

Edwin Blum14 writes: “But how can Christians hasten what God will do? Peter would probably answer by saying that prayer (Matt. 6:10) and preaching (Matt 24:14) are two principal means to bring people to repentance.”

As these commentators have noted, the concept of hastening the day of Christ’s return fits well with other Scriptures and serves also as a wonderful and appropriate motivator to passionate godliness and ministry. Attempts to avoid this more likely meaning of 2 Peter 3:12 fall short of credibility.

Clarification #3: The concept of hastening the day is entirely compatible with God’s sovereignty.

As reflected in the title of D.A. Carson’s book     Divine    Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspective in Tension, these two factors fit together in a marvelous way. This age-old tension, portrayed throughout Scripture, impacts our understanding and our action, especially in matters of prayer, evangelism and missions. In each of these realms, the role of human action vis-à-vis the will of a sovereign God work together in mysterious ways that defy simple human analysis. As Carson writes: “It seems to me that most (although not all) of the debate can be analyzed in terms of the tendency toward reductionism…attempts to resolve the tension may only serve to distort the balance which the Bible preserves in its treatment of the tension.”15

Moore’s article “Can We Hasten the Parousia?” claims that “since there is no date revealed to man concerning when Christ will come back, then any talk of quickening or hastening that coming is nonsensical.”16 He also states, “the notion that we might ‘hasten’ a day that the Lord is sovereign over is somewhat absurd. God, in his omniscience, knows when the Parousia will be; that day will not change. Man cannot surprise God with efforts that supposedly quicken a day that is already set. As well, man should not believe that he can expect or suspect when this day will come (e.g. the year 2000 or 2025). It will certainly be a surprising day for all of mankind. Moreover, to believe that the Parousia can actually be “hastened” might logically lead to the heresy of open theism (though one could argue that this is the extreme, logical conclusion).”17 This claim seems to reflect a shallow understanding of the interplay between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. Objections of this sort are answered not only in Carson’s book but also in J.I Packer’s classic: Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, in which he writes: “The belief that God is sovereign does not affect the urgency of evangelism.”18

Hundreds of years before Carson and Packer expounded this mystery, Jonathan Edwards described it extensively. He employed the phrase “use of means” countless times in his careful and detailed descriptions of the mysterious interplay between divine sovereignty and human responsibility. For example, in Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God he wrote: “It is surely no argument that an effect is not from God, that means are used in producing it; for we know that it is God’s manner to make use of means in carrying on His work in the world.”19

John Piper and Justin Taylor note that “Edwards’… more general emphasis on a proper use of means is reiterated by many other Puritans.”20 Clearly, the theme of human means accomplishing what God has sovereignly decreed has a long history among Reformed and other Protestant writers. Sadly, the abuse of God’s sovereignty as an argument against earnest human effort in missions also has a long history. John Ryland Sr., the chairman of William Carey’s Baptist denomination, enunciated it most notably in 1787 by when he replied, “Sit down young man. You are an enthusiast! When God pleases to convert the heathen, He will do it without consulting you or me.”21 The charge of shallow “enthusiasm” still lingers, aimed at those passionately pursuing the reaching of all ethnē. Yet we best honor God’s sovereignty by earnestly using all means He has given us to disciple all nations.

Clarification #4: Hastening the Lord’s return is just one among many biblical motivations for ministry among those who believe in it.

Moore claims “proponents of the eschatological motivation not only believe they can quicken the coming of Christ, but they also have this primarily in mind with regard to their work. Therefore, they often do whatever possible to achieve this end, which leads to missional malpractice” (emphasis added).22 Contrary to his claim to know others’ minds, he misrepresents the intent and actions of these fellow believers. To the best of my knowledge, every missiologist, missionary and biblical scholar who believes mission activity can hasten the Lord’s return holds that belief as one among many noble motivations for ministry. Other commonly mentioned motivations would include God’s glory (e.g. Ps. 86:9), salvation made known to all nations (e.g. Ps. 67:2), obedience to Jesus’ final command (Matt. 28:18-19); love for the lost (e.g. 1 John 4:19), bringing reconciliation (e.g. 2 Cor. 5:18-20) and preparing Christ’s bride for his wedding feast (Rev. 19:7). We have a wealth of noble motivations for proclaiming the good news.

Clarification #5: Believing that mission activity can hasten the day increases missional diligence, not missional malpractice.

To note just one example of increased effectiveness: since the 24:14 Coalition began only two and a half years ago, greater mutual trust has yielded better collaboration among agencies and better understanding of gaps in engagement among UPGs. These in turn have already led to fresh sending efforts among dozens of UPGs.

The allegation has been made: “the eschatological motivation for missions has often led to practices that are outright dangerous.”23 Also, “In particular, the countdown itself has led to malpractice; because certain workers want to complete the Great Commission by a certain date, they often do whatever works to maximize the number of converts.” This accusation is buttressed with a quote from the Perspectives reader: “Peter Wagner has even stated that ‘setting goals for world evangelization … requires a degree of pragmatism.’” He goes on to say that workers need to stop or change what they are doing if people are not substantially coming to Christ.”25 But what Wagner actually wrote conveyed more nuance and wisdom: “If we are investing resources of time, personnel and money in programs which are supposed to make disciples but are not, we need to reconsider them and be willing to change the program if needed” (emphasis added).

Moore presents Jim Montgomery and the DAWN effort as a Case Study of “The Danger of the Eschatological Motivation for Missions.” “Montgomery … had the year 2000 in mind and went well on his way to pragmatism: ‘Unless [workers] are armed with a vision of multiplying churches, they can easily fall into the trap of using familiar methodologies that produce little or no growth when other methods might produce a great harvest.’ Montgomery and others like him assume that if a methodology is not producing immediate and quantifiable results, then it should be disregarded.”27

Granted that Montgomery’s insight could be misapplied, we need to ask: “Is there  in fact a missiological danger of “using familiar methodologies that produce little or no growth when other methods might produce a great harvest”? Based on over two decades of missionary experience, I would say “Yes, absolutely!” But Montgomery’s potentially helpful insight is then twisted by the addition of interpretive words: “immediate and quantifiable results.” I know of no CPM methodology claiming “immediate and quantifiable results.” In fact, numerous CPM trainers use the pithy “Go slow to go fast” to counsel slow and careful laying of the foundation for a hoped-for movement. Back in 2013 Ted Esler wrote: “A critique of CPM has been that it is all about speed. This is actually not a fair assessment because the original stages, as put forth in the theory, are slow-growth stages and large-scale growth does not occur until later on.”28 It appears the danger here lies more in the critic’s misunderstanding than in the methods being criticized.

After admitting that “the overall goal behind this [DAWN] strategy is sound,”29 Moore claims to know Montgomery’s (problematic) thoughts better than Montgomery himself. [Montgomery] “often claims he did not mean the goal had to be completed by 2000, but it seems apparent that he had this in mind” (emphasis added).30 We prefer to honor our brothers’ and sisters’ expressed intentions rather than publicly accusing them based on attempted mind-reading of their true intentions. The next paragraph after that quote presents good questions about the fruit of the DAWN efforts (i.e. “Were these churches really healthy?”). But no evidence of answers is offered, one way or the other. The questions function as innuendo, followed by a speculative negative conclusion: “Not to mention, Montgomery may have been misguided by his interpretation of certain passages” (emphasis added).31 Yet no evidence at all is offered of any misguidance or misinterpretation.

Moore admits that noted missiologist David Hesselgrave “stated there was no harm in setting [the year 2000 as a] specific goal.” Yet Moore continues, “However, this traditional understanding of the eschatological motivation for missions has, again, often led to pragmatic methods that should have been avoided.”33 The prime example cited of this egregious behavior might surprise many: A.B. Simpson and his legacy (the founding of the Christian Missionary Alliance). His main complaint with A.B. Simpson’s approach was that he “rushed church planting with a notable lack of reverence for biblical ecclesiology. Rather than ‘adopting complex doctrinal formulations that polarize,’ Simpson sought to start churches ‘with a few distinctive points about Christ on which many [would] readily concur.’”34 This leads to the indefensible claim that “Simpson essentially promoted unity without truth” (emphasis added).35 Simpson is also criticized for sending mission recruits to a Bible college, in order to more quickly get mission candidates to the field, “foregoing the more traditional model of seminary education.”36 Readers can decide for themselves whether the 130+ years of global ministry by the Christian Missionary Alliance constitutes missional malpractice.

Other cases of “Eschatological Motivation for Mission” cited include the AD 2000 movement. Related quotes include: “The attendees of the Lausanne II Congress on World Evangelization, an ecumenical movement for reaching the whole world with the gospel, affirmed the following together: ‘There is nothing magical about the date [2000], yet should we not do our best to reach this goal? Christ commands us to take the gospel to all peoples.’” It appears any mention of dates or goal setting can become fodder for criticism, even when those are explicitly not directly tied to claims of Christ’s return.

Other than this questionable criticism of the Christian Missionary Alliance, the only other example cited in “Can We Hasten the Parousia?” which sounds at all like “missional malpractice” comes from the nineteenth century: shallow conversion of Jews by a group called LSPCJ. Over 100 years have passed since the events described (by a secondary source). A representative of CMJ (The Church’s Ministry among Jewish People—the current name of the former LSPCJ) comments37 on this characterization: “CMJ…does not adopt any one particular eschatological framework” and the article cited “fails to give any evidence as far as I can see to support such a strong and critical view.”

So in spite of repeated claims that eschatological motivation for mission results in missional malpractice, the case seems to consist mainly of innuendo, a dubious 100+-year-old example, a claim of mind-reading someone who died 13 years ago, and an attack on one particular denominational founder of over 100 years ago. Missiological malpractice does exist today, but “Can We Hasten the Parousia?” fails to identify any current cases, much less to substantiate repeated accusations against those believing their efforts can “hasten the day.”

Clarification #6: Gospel proclamation becomes more fruitful with awareness of diversity of contexts. 

The Apostle Paul described his diverse approaches to different groups, specifying Jews and Gentiles: “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible….I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:19, 22b, NIV). His diverse methods of gospel proclamation among different groups are well illustrated in Acts 13, 14 and 17. Those aiming for maximum cross-cultural fruitfulness study and apply Paul’s contextual principles and examples.

Moore, in contrast, offers this simplistic suggestion: “What if the method is simply the proclamation of the gospel, ordained by God as the primary means to salvation (Rom. 1:16)? Should this, then, be changed?”38 Not only the biblical texts of 1 Corinthians and Acts, but also the history and present case studies of missions show clearly that not all methods of proclamation are equally fruitful. No method guarantees fruit, as the harvest belongs to the Lord and salvation is a work of his Spirit. Yet a methodological recommendation of “simply the proclamation of the gospel” invites missiological ignorance and counterproductive efforts. Countless examples could be cited, along the lines of this video: “Preaching outside largest market in Indonesia” https:// http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-97H3AOfyKg

.

The way of wise missiology follows the Psalmist’s path of acknowledging and learning from the glorious works of our mighty God. “Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them” (Ps. 111:2, NIV). By considering the Lord’s great works in bringing many to salvation through movements, we can glean much. We can learn not only about God’s mighty power at work today, but also about various proclamation approaches that have been more (or less) helpful in various contexts.

The same scholar claims: “There is no way for mankind to know what God considers ‘reached’ and what he considers ‘unreached.’” The Apostle Paul disagreed. He wrote:

“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation” (Rom. 15:20, NIV). For our current application of this verse, we can easily distinguish (for starters) between those individuals who have made a credible profession of saving faith and those groups who, to the best of our knowledge, have no known believers and no known gospel witness. We need not be tightly bound by estimates of 1%, 2%, 5%, etc. But if we are serious about the gospel being proclaimed to “every tribe and language and people and nation” we rightfully distinguish between those who have already heard and those who have never heard. A small strategic step further asks who has abundant opportunities to hear and who has very few. This constitutes responsible stewardship toward completing the commission Jesus has given us—to make disciples of all nations.

Conclusion

Can we hasten the Lord’s return? Responsible exegesis leans toward a positive answer, while no one we know of in the 24:14 Coalition claims a specific date for that return. Mission effort is not the only factor in God’s sovereign determination of the end of this age, but it’s clearly a relevant factor—and the only one over which we have any control. We choose— and invite others to join us in—diligent and responsible collaboration and mission effort to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom, as soon as possible to as many as possible. May God be glorified through these endeavors.

Endnotes
  1. 1 24:14 is an open-membership community committed to four things:
    1. Fully reaching the UNREACHED peoples and places of the earth
    2. Reaching them through CHURCH PLANTING MOVEMENT strategies
    3. Engaging them through movement strategies with URGENT SACRIFICE by 2025
    4. COLLABORATING with others in the 24:14 movement so we can make progress together.
    For more information about this Coalition, see http://www.2414now.net
  2. 2  In his article, “Can We Hasten the Parousia? An Examination of Matt 24:14 and Its Implications for Missional Practice,” Themelios 44.2 (2019), 291–311
  3. 3 Contrary to Moore’s use of “their,” the 24:14 Coalition neither was started by nor is owned by Mission Frontiers. MF simply makes its readers aware of this coalition.
  4. 4 Ibid, 295
  5. 5 Ibid, 310
  6. 6 In “24:14 FAQ: Clarifying Some Misconceptions,” 38-40. Both these articles are now included as chapters in the book 24:14—A Testimony among All Peoples, edited by Stan Parks and Dave Coles
  7. 7 Ibid, 293 
  8. 8 Ibid, 293 
  9. 9 Luke 2:16; 19:5, 6; Acts 20:16; 22:18
  10. 10 Some sources, such as Strong’s Concordance and Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, list Isaiah 16:5 (LXX) as an example of the meaning “to desire earnestly.” However, the meaning “hastening” is preferred there—not only by The Septuagint Version: Greek and English, by Sir Lancelot Brenton (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), 851; but also by modern Bible translations, such as ESV, NIV, NRSV, NKJV, and MSG
  11. 11 NIV, ESV, NASB, NKJV, NRSV, RSV
  12. 12 In The Second Epistle of Peter and the Epistle of Jude: An Introduction and Commentary, 153
  13. 13 In The Message of 2 Peter & Jude the Promise of his Coming, Downers Grove: IV Press 1995, 146
  14. 14 In “2 Peter,” The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol 12, 287
  15. 15  Divine Sovereignty and Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspective in Tension, (Atlanta, John Knox Press, 1981), 220, 221
  16. 16 Ibid, 309
  17. 17 Ibid, 310
  18. 18 Evangelism & the Sovereignty of God, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity Press, 1961), 98
  19. 19 In The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol 2. (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1986) p. 263
  20. 20 In A God Entranced Vision of All Things:  The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards, (Wheaton, Crossway Books, 2004), 242
  21. 21 “William Carey: A Baptist Page Portrait” https://www.wholesomewords.org/missions/bcarey15.html acces,sed 9/4/2019
  22. 22 Moore, ibid, 292 
  23. 23 Ibid, 292 
  24. 24 Ibid, 293
  25. 25 Ibid, 292-293
  26. 26 “On the Cutting Edge of Mission Strategy,” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th Ed., ed. Ralph D. Winter (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2009), 578
  27. 27 Ibid, 293
  28. 28 “Coming to Terms: Two Church Planting Paradigms,” International Journal of Frontier
    Missiology, 30:2 Summer 2013, 71
  29. 29 Ibid, 293
  30. 30 Ibid, 294
  31. 31 Ibid, 294
  32. 32 Ibid, 295
  33. 33 Ibid, 295
  34. 34 Ibid, 295
  35. 35 Ibid, 296
  36. 36 In private email correspondence dated August 21, 2019
  37. 37  “Coming to Terms: Two Church Planting Paradigms,” International Journal of Frontier Missiology, 30:2 Summer 2013, 71
 
 

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