How Is Foreign Missions Relevant To Kemc (Or Your Local Church) Series

Our Mennonite ancestors left Russia because their right to religion, nonresistance and self-education were being taken away. In 1874 they came to Canada, but not to do mission work. Do you know what the prevailing attitude of the EMC was in the 1930’s? “No mission involvement.” Some said, “The only real mission work is done with a milking stool and pitchfork…” meaning our work is here. Gerhard Thiessen, a missionary to China, was mocked at the time by some who said, “He went to China as a missionary because he was too lazy to work…”

Sue Barkman wrote in Ever-Widening Circles, “Basically the Kleine Gemeinde membership had little understanding of a Christian’s responsibility toward the unsaved and this was the reason for their feelings. Some felt that if God wanted to convert the unsaved, then he would see to it himself. The concept of most people was that the ‘heathen’ were not really lost, so it was better to leave them alone rather than give them a chance to reject Christ.”

Shall I go on? In 1943, Ben Eidse told his dad he wanted to be a teacher. His dad responded, “Oh no, not a teacher; I don’t want you to be a public servant. Not a teacher.” Later while attending what is now SBC, Ben was convicted that he should be a missionary. His dad replied, “A missionary? Then I’d rather have you be a teacher.”

And so it went. Do you know who changed the minds of the Conference in those days? The young people. They began meeting and studying the Bible and singing together. Soon the Holy Spirit revealed to them that it was their responsibility to obey Christ’s command to “go into all the world.” Young people, the idealistic ones who in their youthful passion said “Forget bureaucracy, forget tradition, forget all this garbage…let’s do this thing.”

The lesson of Acts 8 and our own history is that we must look beyond ourselves. I do not want to go back to that attitude that the lost don’t need us. That is the attitude where foreign missions is irrelevant. Jesus said “go” and we must go and be witnesses, or we will be a stagnant social club that only takes care of itself.

LESSON # 3: It’s relevant if we send the Missionaries

As the gospel spread throughout Judea and Samaria, the Church at Antioch was established and two men rose up as teachers: Barnabas and Saul. It is here in Acts 13 that the first “missionaries”, if we choose to call them that, were chosen to go beyond the Judean-Samaritan borders (read Acts 13: 2-3).

A number of principles stand out in this event. The first is that it was while they were worshipping the Lord and fasting that Holy Spirit spoke to them, the Church as a body. All of the book of Acts teaches us that this work is a work of the Holy Spirit. Mission agencies may administrate the work, but it is ultimately the Holy Spirit who gives the calling and makes this work successful. But it is so significant that it is while they are worshipping that the Spirit speaks.

The second principle follows that after Barnabas and Saul were set apart, they fasted again and prayed – they laid their hands on them and sent them. We can’t send people to Winnipeg or to Asuncion without praying and laying hands on them. Then we must continually pray, of course.