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We are excited to announce that we have three Everywhere to Everywhere (E2E) training events scheduled for this spring!
This three day training event will prepare you to make disciples who make disciples among the unreached.
You can learn more about the event by reading the program description and looking at a sample schedule a the Program Page.
You can find all your registration, training dates and pricing information at the Trainings Page.
I've been a Christian all of my life and this is the most practical training about sharing my faith that I have ever received!
- a participant in South Dakota
E2E Training Location and Dates:
Wichita, Kansas - March 9 - 11 (register here)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota - April 26-28 (register here)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota [E2E Family Training] - May 31 - June 2 (learn more)
Wichita, Kansas - March 9 - 11 (register here)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota - April 26-28 (register here)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota [E2E Family Training] - May 31 - June 2 (learn more)
Help Spread the Word
Will you help us spread the word about these great training opportunities. Please take a moment to share this post on your favorite social media platform.
Feel free to print off a few of these flyers to hang up at your local church. [E2E Flyer]
Thanks so much!
Will you help us spread the word about these great training opportunities. Please take a moment to share this post on your favorite social media platform.
Feel free to print off a few of these flyers to hang up at your local church. [E2E Flyer]
Thanks so much!
- Published on
This Christmas break our family visited the Cosmosphere in Hutchinson, Kansas and learned all about the race to the moon. The men and women who worked on that program were asked to do what seemed impossible. They had to work toward answers to questions that they did not yet know existed. They needed to develop systems that were not yet developed. The vision to put a man on the moon was far bigger than their own capacities and yet they did it. They worked with a determination that would get their men to the moon.
“. . . but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.”
- Luke 5:19
If you are not familiar with the story of the paralytic whose friends would let nothing stop them from getting him into the healing presence of Jesus, I’d encourage you to stop and read the short story in Luke 5:17-26.
These were men whose determination would let nothing stop them from bringing their friend to the feet of Jesus. They were men of stubborn perseverance who knew their ultimate objective and were determined to achieve that objective no matter the obstacles and no matter the cost.
This is a theme Jesus brings us back to again and again in the book of Luke. A man loses a single lamb and he leaves the ninety-nine others to search far and wide for it. A woman loses a single silver coin and sweeps the house in search of it despite the nine others she has in her pocket.
Relentless searching seems to be the appropriate response in the kingdom of God to the reality of the lost. And celebration is the appropriate response to finding what was lost.
What’s It Going To Take
I first heard the term “Wig-Take” in 2007 in Chang Mai Thailand. Our trainer was telling of his work in SE Asia among an unreached people group numbering in the millions. He was sharing the plan that he and his team had developed to reach the entire people group. They had started in prayer with a simple question that he called a Wig-Take question: What is it going to take to reach this people group?
I’d grown up with questions like, “How can we get more people to come to our church?” a vision which suddenly seemed stunningly inadequate in light of his vision to reach an entire people group; a remote ethnic group of nearly 2 million people with no gospel access and no known believers and who were largely illiterate.
It began to seem even more inadequate as he shared stories of their work among these people and what God was doing.
This question presupposes a vision that is bigger than me. It’s presupposes a God sized vision, a vision I could never accomplish alone.
Pastor Chris Galanos writes about how he discovered the Wig-Take principles and explains it this way, “What’s It Going to Take to Reach Everyone in the People Group?” Not what can I do or what can you do. Not what have others done before us. Not what’s possible. No. What’s it going to take? That’s the question we must ask! We have to be willing to do whatever it’s going to take! [read the whole article]
Our trainer in Thailand challenged us with the statement, “If your vision is something you can accomplish by yourself, your vision is probably too small.”
I want to encourage you to begin to dream and pray for a God sized vision for your context.
Perhaps you live in a city: What is it going to take to reach everyone in your city?
Perhaps you live in a small rural town: What is it going to take to reach everyone in your county?
Perhaps you are working among a remote group of people in Africa: What is it going to take to reach ALL of them?
Pray to the Lord of the harvest for a God sized vision and then begin to ask yourself, what is it going to take?
Are we willing to do whatever it is going to take?
“. . . but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.”
- Luke 5:19
If you are not familiar with the story of the paralytic whose friends would let nothing stop them from getting him into the healing presence of Jesus, I’d encourage you to stop and read the short story in Luke 5:17-26.
These were men whose determination would let nothing stop them from bringing their friend to the feet of Jesus. They were men of stubborn perseverance who knew their ultimate objective and were determined to achieve that objective no matter the obstacles and no matter the cost.
This is a theme Jesus brings us back to again and again in the book of Luke. A man loses a single lamb and he leaves the ninety-nine others to search far and wide for it. A woman loses a single silver coin and sweeps the house in search of it despite the nine others she has in her pocket.
Relentless searching seems to be the appropriate response in the kingdom of God to the reality of the lost. And celebration is the appropriate response to finding what was lost.
What’s It Going To Take
I first heard the term “Wig-Take” in 2007 in Chang Mai Thailand. Our trainer was telling of his work in SE Asia among an unreached people group numbering in the millions. He was sharing the plan that he and his team had developed to reach the entire people group. They had started in prayer with a simple question that he called a Wig-Take question: What is it going to take to reach this people group?
I’d grown up with questions like, “How can we get more people to come to our church?” a vision which suddenly seemed stunningly inadequate in light of his vision to reach an entire people group; a remote ethnic group of nearly 2 million people with no gospel access and no known believers and who were largely illiterate.
It began to seem even more inadequate as he shared stories of their work among these people and what God was doing.
This question presupposes a vision that is bigger than me. It’s presupposes a God sized vision, a vision I could never accomplish alone.
Pastor Chris Galanos writes about how he discovered the Wig-Take principles and explains it this way, “What’s It Going to Take to Reach Everyone in the People Group?” Not what can I do or what can you do. Not what have others done before us. Not what’s possible. No. What’s it going to take? That’s the question we must ask! We have to be willing to do whatever it’s going to take! [read the whole article]
Our trainer in Thailand challenged us with the statement, “If your vision is something you can accomplish by yourself, your vision is probably too small.”
I want to encourage you to begin to dream and pray for a God sized vision for your context.
Perhaps you live in a city: What is it going to take to reach everyone in your city?
Perhaps you live in a small rural town: What is it going to take to reach everyone in your county?
Perhaps you are working among a remote group of people in Africa: What is it going to take to reach ALL of them?
Pray to the Lord of the harvest for a God sized vision and then begin to ask yourself, what is it going to take?
Are we willing to do whatever it is going to take?
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How did you do?
In last week's article, I put you in charge. (Read Last Week's Article)
I wonder what your thought process was like? I wonder if you wrestled over where to send your people and how many to send?
Maybe it was a simple decision.
With today's post I want to share the two videos that inspired last week's post. They also answer a question for us.
They don't share what we "should" do but rather, what we are actually doing?
I want to encourage you to watch the following videos and then to take some time for reflection.
In last week's article, I put you in charge. (Read Last Week's Article)
I wonder what your thought process was like? I wonder if you wrestled over where to send your people and how many to send?
Maybe it was a simple decision.
With today's post I want to share the two videos that inspired last week's post. They also answer a question for us.
They don't share what we "should" do but rather, what we are actually doing?
I want to encourage you to watch the following videos and then to take some time for reflection.
- How does the information these videos share sit with you?
- Are there things we can do differently or better as the church?
- Is there some specific step you can help your own church take in response to this information?
I've also created a group activity for training situations using this idea of three stadiums.
You can find that here:
Reaching the Least-Reached Lab
You can find that here:
Reaching the Least-Reached Lab
Find this post helpful?
Share it with a friend!
Share it with a friend!
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With today's article I want to ask for you to step into the role of the decision maker. I'd like to give you a scenario and then ask you to think about how to approach the problem. And if you'd like, you can share your ideas in the comments section.
You're in charge, so let's set the scene.
You are standing in a field on an open plain. Around you stand ten stadiums, each with a capacity of 100,000. Each stadium is filled with people and each person is wearing a colored t-shirt.
An Explanation
These stadiums represent the world's 7.5 billion people. The color of the t-shirts represents where the people in those stadiums are at concerning the good news of Jesus.
You're in charge, so let's set the scene.
You are standing in a field on an open plain. Around you stand ten stadiums, each with a capacity of 100,000. Each stadium is filled with people and each person is wearing a colored t-shirt.
An Explanation
These stadiums represent the world's 7.5 billion people. The color of the t-shirts represents where the people in those stadiums are at concerning the good news of Jesus.
Gold T-Shirts - The gold t-shirts represent the people who identify as Christians and are working to intentionally proclaim the gospel and make disciples. They are sharing their faith and believe that God wants to use them as his witnesses and ambassadors in a broken world. They make up about 10% of the world's population.
Yellow T-Shirts - The yellow t-shirts represent the cultural or nominal Christians in the world. If asked, they would identify as Christians but it may just be a cultural identification because they were born in a majority Christian country or into a historically Christian ethnic group. They may attend church and have some basic knowledge of the Christian faith but they are not regularly sharing with others. They make up about 23% of the world's population.
Green T-Shirts - The green t-shirts represent people who have access to the gospel - there are Bibles in their language, Christians and churches nearby - but they have not chosen to become followers of Jesus. If they wanted to learn more about Jesus, they would be able to find someone to tell them more in their neighborhood. They make up about 38% of the world's population.
Dark Blue T-Shirts - The dark blue t-shirts represent the unreached people of our world. They have no access to the gospel - no Bibles, no churches, no Christians. There are fewer than 2% of their own people group who are Christians and so if they did want to learn about Jesus, there would be no one near them with whom they could talk. They make up about 29% of the world's population.
The Stadiums
Off to your right, three of the stadiums are brightly lit by the stadium lights. Roughly 10,000 of the people in each of those stadiums are wearing bright gold t-shirts. As you scan the crowds, these gold t-shirts are scattered among a sea of other people wearing yellow or green t-shirts. The yellow t-shirts make up about 30,000 people and the green make up another 59,000 people in each stadium. A final 1,000 people wearing dark blue t-shirts are huddled in small clumps, mostly near the exits.
Let's call this clump of three stadiums Group C.
Next to these three stadiums are four more stadiums which are also filled to capacity. The security lights are on but not the stadium lights. The majority of those sitting in the dim light of each stadium are wearing green t-shirts. Let's say roughly 60,0000. There are about 30,000 yellow t-shirts, another 9,000 dark blue t-shirts and only 1,000 gold t-shirts scattered throughout the crowd. The stadium is dominated by green with some yellow, a hint of dark blue and a barely perceptible touch of gold.
We'll call these four stadiums Group B.
Finally the three remaining stadiums sit shrouded in darkness. Neither the main lights nor the security lights are on. These stadiums are filled to capacity as well. Each stadium is filled from corner to corner with an expanse of dark blue t-shirts. The vast majority, 99,950 people are wearing them. A mere 50 people in gold shirts which you can hardly see are spread all around each of these stadiums, mostly near the exits.
These three stadiums we'll call Group A.
Off to your right, three of the stadiums are brightly lit by the stadium lights. Roughly 10,000 of the people in each of those stadiums are wearing bright gold t-shirts. As you scan the crowds, these gold t-shirts are scattered among a sea of other people wearing yellow or green t-shirts. The yellow t-shirts make up about 30,000 people and the green make up another 59,000 people in each stadium. A final 1,000 people wearing dark blue t-shirts are huddled in small clumps, mostly near the exits.
Let's call this clump of three stadiums Group C.
Next to these three stadiums are four more stadiums which are also filled to capacity. The security lights are on but not the stadium lights. The majority of those sitting in the dim light of each stadium are wearing green t-shirts. Let's say roughly 60,0000. There are about 30,000 yellow t-shirts, another 9,000 dark blue t-shirts and only 1,000 gold t-shirts scattered throughout the crowd. The stadium is dominated by green with some yellow, a hint of dark blue and a barely perceptible touch of gold.
We'll call these four stadiums Group B.
Finally the three remaining stadiums sit shrouded in darkness. Neither the main lights nor the security lights are on. These stadiums are filled to capacity as well. Each stadium is filled from corner to corner with an expanse of dark blue t-shirts. The vast majority, 99,950 people are wearing them. A mere 50 people in gold shirts which you can hardly see are spread all around each of these stadiums, mostly near the exits.
These three stadiums we'll call Group A.
You Are In Charge
So there you are in the middle of that field, looking out over these ten stadiums. You're job is to work toward the completion of the great commission, to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded.
Standing with you is a group of 100 young men and women, all wearing gold t-shirts. These 100 represent the total missionary force that has come out of Group C and you are in charge. It's your job to decide how you will deploy these 100 to be most effective in working toward the completion of the great commission. How many will you send to each group of stadiums?
So there you are in the middle of that field, looking out over these ten stadiums. You're job is to work toward the completion of the great commission, to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that Jesus has commanded.
Standing with you is a group of 100 young men and women, all wearing gold t-shirts. These 100 represent the total missionary force that has come out of Group C and you are in charge. It's your job to decide how you will deploy these 100 to be most effective in working toward the completion of the great commission. How many will you send to each group of stadiums?
Where will you send them? You are in charge.
What's your move?
What's your move?
I've also created a group activity for training situations using this idea of three stadiums.
You can find that here:
Reaching the Least-Reached Lab
You can find that here:
Reaching the Least-Reached Lab
Find this article helpful?
Share it with a friend!
Share it with a friend!
- Published on
We want to wish you a Merry Christmas!
May you experience the full joy of the savior in these next few days and may 2019 be full of new adventures in risk taking obedience to Jesus!
Until all have heard!
May you experience the full joy of the savior in these next few days and may 2019 be full of new adventures in risk taking obedience to Jesus!
Until all have heard!
- Published on
Here in South Dakota it's harvest season . . . it’s still harvest season.
It's been a difficult harvest for the farmers. There has been too much rain leading to too much mud. There's been early snow. There's been record breaking cold weather. And all of that has lead to a harvest that is still out in the fields. When they should just be wrapping up, there is still a long way to go.
The harvest is plentiful. It's abundant - not record breaking by any means - but there are good yields coming in on the corn and soybeans.
The harvest is plentiful but this year the harvesting is also really difficult.
It's downright hard and probably frustrating and I'm quite certain many a local farmer has been at it until three and four in the morning more nights than they'd care to remember.
But do you know what no farmer ever said?
It's too hard, let's just forget about the harvest.
It's too late. Let's just go in and go to bed.
It's too frustrating. Let's just give up.
You'll never hear those words from a farmer because their job - their calling - is to bring in the harvest.
Jesus said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
I've been convicted of my own sense of laziness and softness as I've watched - and helped a little - as my family works to bring in the harvest. They carry with them a stubborn perseverance, a tenacity and focus that I would do well to learn from.
As I pray for 2,000 Muslims to have an opportunity to hear the gospel here in our region and as I work to do my part to see the 3 billion who have never heard the gospel have a chance to hear it, will I grab hold of the vision and stick with it with everything I've got until it becomes a reality or until I die?
Jesus makes two statements in this verse:
He tells us to open our eyes and look to the fields. They are ripe for harvest! (John 4:35)
The work of salvation is the exclusive work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells his disciples in John 6:44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day," and later in John 12:32 says, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
And so while the work is God's to do, he invites us into that work as He sends us into the world as his witnesses and ambassadors (John 17:18; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20).
The question is, will I pour my life into bringing in the harvest?
Will I dedicate my time and shun distraction and learn what I need to learn and rest when I need to rest and pray like everything depends on it because there is an abundant harvest in the field and the Father wants me to be about the work of bringing it in.
It's my prayer that I will continue to grow in my dedication to the harvest.
It's the Father's heart!
What about You?
Will you pray that your hearts would be shaped more and more like the Father's heart?
Will you pray that your hearts would be broken more and more for lostness?
And will you pray that we all begin to live with the same kind of urgency and focus and stubborn perseverance for the lost locally, nationally and globally that our local farmers have for the harvest sitting out in the field.
Action Steps
Here are a few things you can do to begin to grow your heart for the harvest.
Pray Luke 10:2 - Set an alarm on your watch or phone that goes off every day at 10:02 and commit to obeying Jesus and praying for the harvest.
Pray for your network - On a note card write down the names of everyone you know who is far from God and commit to praying for them every day.
Discover - Read and Meditate on the following passages in scripture: Luke 15; John 17; Matthew 28:16-20; Genesis 12:1-4)
Discover - Read the book of Acts once a week for the next four weeks (4 chapters a day).
It's been a difficult harvest for the farmers. There has been too much rain leading to too much mud. There's been early snow. There's been record breaking cold weather. And all of that has lead to a harvest that is still out in the fields. When they should just be wrapping up, there is still a long way to go.
The harvest is plentiful. It's abundant - not record breaking by any means - but there are good yields coming in on the corn and soybeans.
The harvest is plentiful but this year the harvesting is also really difficult.
It's downright hard and probably frustrating and I'm quite certain many a local farmer has been at it until three and four in the morning more nights than they'd care to remember.
But do you know what no farmer ever said?
It's too hard, let's just forget about the harvest.
It's too late. Let's just go in and go to bed.
It's too frustrating. Let's just give up.
You'll never hear those words from a farmer because their job - their calling - is to bring in the harvest.
Jesus said to his disciples, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
I've been convicted of my own sense of laziness and softness as I've watched - and helped a little - as my family works to bring in the harvest. They carry with them a stubborn perseverance, a tenacity and focus that I would do well to learn from.
As I pray for 2,000 Muslims to have an opportunity to hear the gospel here in our region and as I work to do my part to see the 3 billion who have never heard the gospel have a chance to hear it, will I grab hold of the vision and stick with it with everything I've got until it becomes a reality or until I die?
Jesus makes two statements in this verse:
- The harvest is plentiful and
- I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
- He in no way promises that the harvest will be an easy harvest.
- He in no way promises that the harvest will be a safe harvest.
- He in no way promises that the harvest will be a comfortable harvest.
He tells us to open our eyes and look to the fields. They are ripe for harvest! (John 4:35)
The work of salvation is the exclusive work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus tells his disciples in John 6:44, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day," and later in John 12:32 says, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”
And so while the work is God's to do, he invites us into that work as He sends us into the world as his witnesses and ambassadors (John 17:18; Acts 1:8; 2 Corinthians 5:20).
The question is, will I pour my life into bringing in the harvest?
Will I dedicate my time and shun distraction and learn what I need to learn and rest when I need to rest and pray like everything depends on it because there is an abundant harvest in the field and the Father wants me to be about the work of bringing it in.
It's my prayer that I will continue to grow in my dedication to the harvest.
It's the Father's heart!
What about You?
Will you pray that your hearts would be shaped more and more like the Father's heart?
Will you pray that your hearts would be broken more and more for lostness?
And will you pray that we all begin to live with the same kind of urgency and focus and stubborn perseverance for the lost locally, nationally and globally that our local farmers have for the harvest sitting out in the field.
Action Steps
Here are a few things you can do to begin to grow your heart for the harvest.
Pray Luke 10:2 - Set an alarm on your watch or phone that goes off every day at 10:02 and commit to obeying Jesus and praying for the harvest.
Pray for your network - On a note card write down the names of everyone you know who is far from God and commit to praying for them every day.
Discover - Read and Meditate on the following passages in scripture: Luke 15; John 17; Matthew 28:16-20; Genesis 12:1-4)
Discover - Read the book of Acts once a week for the next four weeks (4 chapters a day).
- Published on
Set aside ten minutes - Hit play - Make it Full Screen - Meditate on Psalm 67
- Published on
One of the biggest influences on my heart for the nations and the fulfillment of the great commission has been books. As I first read biographies of missionaries and now more and more often, educational and inspirational non-fiction about missions, books have shaped the way I think about the world, my values, and the place in my heart that missions holds.
And so I'd love to encourage you to consider reading these books to fuel your missions fire. They are not necessarily in any order and aren't in any way thought to be the best seven books - it certainly isn't an exhaustive list.
As always, if you have a book that has been instrumental in growing your heart for the nations and the completion of the great commission, mention it in the comments.
[READ ALL OF THE 7 SERIES BLOG POSTS]
Jungle Pilot
Author: Russell T. Hitt
Nate Saint was one of the five missionaries killed in Ecuador by the Waodani Indians in 1956. Their story caught the attention of the church and God used their martyrdom to ignite a new passion for frontier missions - it certainly did for me. While Through Gates of Splendor is the most famous of the books on this incident, Jungle Pilot is an inspiring look into the life of Nate Saint and the motivations and love that drove him.
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret
Author: Dr. Howard Taylor
A missionary biography classic, this book about Hudson Taylor's life looks into a time when missionaries were first pressing into the inlands of places like China, Africa and India. Filled with stories of risk taking obedience to Jesus and great faith, this missionary biography is one everyone should read.
Eternity in Their Hearts
Author: Don Richardson
Don Richardson was a missionary in Indonesia in the 1960s and while there, discovered a principle: God has been preparing the peoples of the world to know him. Through the lens of twenty five uniques stories from all across the globe, Eternity in Their Hearts proves the truth in the words of Ecclesiastes: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Let the Nations Be Glad
Author: John Piper
With deep Biblical insight and reflection, Piper forcefully makes the case that, "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate." This is a great resource for everyone interested in learning more about why we do missions and why it should be in the mind of every follower of Jesus.
In the Gap
Author: David Bryant
In the Gap lays a foundation of understanding for what it means to be a world christian, those who are (in Corrie Ten Boom's phrase) tramps for the Lord who have left their hiding places to roam the Gap with the Savior. They are heaven's expatriates, camping where the Kingdom is best served.
Out of the Comfort Zone
Author: George Verwer
George Verwer is the founder of Operation Mobilization where he now serves as the "Special Projects Dude". This small book has been used to mobilize many to the mission fields of the world. You can even get this book and others free when you email George.
Western Christians in Global Mission
Author: Paul Borthwick
As the state of Christianity increasingly shifts to the global south, our missionary strategies and thinking will need to adapt to new realities. Borthwick presents a thoughtful book to help the church navigate these new realities with honest self reflection and missional determination.
This list of seven books is in no way exhaustive and so I want to encourage you to share the book that has helped you catch the missions vision in the comments below.
*all links to books are affiliate links
And so I'd love to encourage you to consider reading these books to fuel your missions fire. They are not necessarily in any order and aren't in any way thought to be the best seven books - it certainly isn't an exhaustive list.
As always, if you have a book that has been instrumental in growing your heart for the nations and the completion of the great commission, mention it in the comments.
[READ ALL OF THE 7 SERIES BLOG POSTS]
Jungle Pilot
Author: Russell T. Hitt
Nate Saint was one of the five missionaries killed in Ecuador by the Waodani Indians in 1956. Their story caught the attention of the church and God used their martyrdom to ignite a new passion for frontier missions - it certainly did for me. While Through Gates of Splendor is the most famous of the books on this incident, Jungle Pilot is an inspiring look into the life of Nate Saint and the motivations and love that drove him.
Hudson Taylor's Spiritual Secret
Author: Dr. Howard Taylor
A missionary biography classic, this book about Hudson Taylor's life looks into a time when missionaries were first pressing into the inlands of places like China, Africa and India. Filled with stories of risk taking obedience to Jesus and great faith, this missionary biography is one everyone should read.
Eternity in Their Hearts
Author: Don Richardson
Don Richardson was a missionary in Indonesia in the 1960s and while there, discovered a principle: God has been preparing the peoples of the world to know him. Through the lens of twenty five uniques stories from all across the globe, Eternity in Their Hearts proves the truth in the words of Ecclesiastes: He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
Let the Nations Be Glad
Author: John Piper
With deep Biblical insight and reflection, Piper forcefully makes the case that, "Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't. Worship is ultimate." This is a great resource for everyone interested in learning more about why we do missions and why it should be in the mind of every follower of Jesus.
In the Gap
Author: David Bryant
In the Gap lays a foundation of understanding for what it means to be a world christian, those who are (in Corrie Ten Boom's phrase) tramps for the Lord who have left their hiding places to roam the Gap with the Savior. They are heaven's expatriates, camping where the Kingdom is best served.
Out of the Comfort Zone
Author: George Verwer
George Verwer is the founder of Operation Mobilization where he now serves as the "Special Projects Dude". This small book has been used to mobilize many to the mission fields of the world. You can even get this book and others free when you email George.
Western Christians in Global Mission
Author: Paul Borthwick
As the state of Christianity increasingly shifts to the global south, our missionary strategies and thinking will need to adapt to new realities. Borthwick presents a thoughtful book to help the church navigate these new realities with honest self reflection and missional determination.
This list of seven books is in no way exhaustive and so I want to encourage you to share the book that has helped you catch the missions vision in the comments below.
*all links to books are affiliate links
- Published on
Last week we shared seven podcasts that we have found helpful to fuel the missions fire. Today we’d like to add to that list of resources and share with you seven video channels that will help you train unto the harvest and cast vision for the great commission. Some are focused purely on training and equipping the local church. Others are focused on helping the local church catch God’s vision for the nations. All have been inspiring and helpful and we hope they will do the same for you.
Everywhere to Everywhere (E2E) works to multiply healthy disciples and raise up missional leaders. We are challenged to inspire believers to cultivate a heart for the least reached locally, nationally and globally and to provide tools that will help them make a difference.
We hope that these seven video channels will support that effort.
At the bottom of the post, we’ve shared one video from each of these sites to give you a bit of the flavor of their content and we hope you will explore more.
[READ ALL OF THE 7 SERIES BLOG POSTS]
MB Mission
https://vimeo.com/mbmission
MB Mission believes in the power of story. Their videos will take you into the heart of mission all across the world, telling the stories of God’s engagement with and through his people. Powerful testimonies will encourage and inspire you.
Global Frontier Missions
https://www.youtube.com/user/gfmvideos
Their GFM 101 series of videos have been especially helpful for casting vision with local churches and individuals. These short videos do a great job of unpacking the great commission and some key concepts that missionaries are wrestling with today.
Frontiers USA
https://vimeo.com/frontiersusa
Frontiers is one of the largest mission agencies focusing specifically on the Muslim world. These inspiring videos tell the story of God's working through his people across the Muslim world.
No Place Left Training
https://www.youtube.com/npltraining
The No Place Left Network are a group of like minded individuals and churches who are working to see movements of disciples making disciples spread across the globe until there is no place left (Romans 15:23). In order to work toward that goal, they have been developing simple and accessible training tools. These they freely give to anyone who is interested in being a disciple who makes disciples and we have incorporated these tools into our Everywhere to Everywhere training events. The 411 Training module is a key component of E2E.
Curtis Sergeant Training for Multiplication
https://www.youtube.com/curtissergeant
Curtis is one of the foremost trainers in movement methodology and has been a catalytic part of movements across the globe. His 28 multiplication concepts videos are a great first step into thinking about multiplication. They are accessible and easily understandable and at less than 10 minutes, each can be watched over a lunch break or after work.
Engage Africa
https://www.youtube.com/engageafrica
Engage Africa has put together a series of five videos unpacking their work to see multiplying movements happen across Africa. Hosted by African pastors and practitioners, these videos allow us to learn from local leaders on the ground in Africa. Filled with powerful teaching and amazing testimony, these videos are a great tool for learning about missions and movement.
Pioneers USA
https://vimeo.com/pioneersusa
Pioneers is another large mission agency whose focus is on unreached people groups across the globe. Their videos do a good job of telling the story of what God is doing among the nations. They also have a series of videos to help train and equip sending churches - great for pastors and mission committees.
If you know of other video channels like these, feel free to share them in the comments below.
Everywhere to Everywhere (E2E) works to multiply healthy disciples and raise up missional leaders. We are challenged to inspire believers to cultivate a heart for the least reached locally, nationally and globally and to provide tools that will help them make a difference.
We hope that these seven video channels will support that effort.
At the bottom of the post, we’ve shared one video from each of these sites to give you a bit of the flavor of their content and we hope you will explore more.
[READ ALL OF THE 7 SERIES BLOG POSTS]
MB Mission
https://vimeo.com/mbmission
MB Mission believes in the power of story. Their videos will take you into the heart of mission all across the world, telling the stories of God’s engagement with and through his people. Powerful testimonies will encourage and inspire you.
Global Frontier Missions
https://www.youtube.com/user/gfmvideos
Their GFM 101 series of videos have been especially helpful for casting vision with local churches and individuals. These short videos do a great job of unpacking the great commission and some key concepts that missionaries are wrestling with today.
Frontiers USA
https://vimeo.com/frontiersusa
Frontiers is one of the largest mission agencies focusing specifically on the Muslim world. These inspiring videos tell the story of God's working through his people across the Muslim world.
No Place Left Training
https://www.youtube.com/npltraining
The No Place Left Network are a group of like minded individuals and churches who are working to see movements of disciples making disciples spread across the globe until there is no place left (Romans 15:23). In order to work toward that goal, they have been developing simple and accessible training tools. These they freely give to anyone who is interested in being a disciple who makes disciples and we have incorporated these tools into our Everywhere to Everywhere training events. The 411 Training module is a key component of E2E.
Curtis Sergeant Training for Multiplication
https://www.youtube.com/curtissergeant
Curtis is one of the foremost trainers in movement methodology and has been a catalytic part of movements across the globe. His 28 multiplication concepts videos are a great first step into thinking about multiplication. They are accessible and easily understandable and at less than 10 minutes, each can be watched over a lunch break or after work.
Engage Africa
https://www.youtube.com/engageafrica
Engage Africa has put together a series of five videos unpacking their work to see multiplying movements happen across Africa. Hosted by African pastors and practitioners, these videos allow us to learn from local leaders on the ground in Africa. Filled with powerful teaching and amazing testimony, these videos are a great tool for learning about missions and movement.
Pioneers USA
https://vimeo.com/pioneersusa
Pioneers is another large mission agency whose focus is on unreached people groups across the globe. Their videos do a good job of telling the story of what God is doing among the nations. They also have a series of videos to help train and equip sending churches - great for pastors and mission committees.
If you know of other video channels like these, feel free to share them in the comments below.
MB MISSION
GLOBAL FRONTIER MISSIONS
FRONTIERS USA
NO PLACE LEFT TRAINING
CURTIS SERGEANT TRAINING
ENGAGE AFRICA
PIONEERS USA
- Published on
The path of the missional heart is often a difficult one. The distractions that life will throw at you are many and varied. The number of fellow sojourners with whom you'll be able to run daily are often few. There is little in the culture and sometimes even in the church that will encourage your heart for missions and the completion of the great commission.
Because the challenge is real and because I need all the encouragement I can get to help me stay the course, I want to take the next few blog posts to share with you resources that will help to continuously fuel your missions fire. Today we will start with seven podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis to stay encouraged, to be inspired and to continue to learn.
If you have a favorite missions podcast that helps you run the race well, please leave a comment and share it with the rest of us.
With all of these podcasts, if you search in itunes or your favorite podcast service, you'll be able to find them.
Global Missions Podcast
http://globalmissionspodcast.com/
The Global Missions Podcast is hosted by Rob Magwood and in general, each episode is an interview with a missionary or missiologist or author about missions. The purpose of the Global Missions Podcast is to provide helpful resources and practical information to churches and individuals to help them effectively support and engage in global missions.
My favorites: What's the role of the North American church in global missions?;
Ministering to those from honor/shame cultures.
Movements
https://www.movements.net/
Author and mission leader Steve Addison hosts this great podcast which focuses on disciple making movements. Most episodes are interviews with movement leaders who are making disciples who make disciples. If you need help believeing that the harvest is plentiful, if you need encouragment to share your faith boldly, this podcast will inspire you.
My favorites: Ron Surgeon Interview; God, give us Austin or we die!; Reaching the world in your backyard; NoPlaceLeft Manchester
Engaging Missions
https://engagingmissions.com/
Host Bryan Entzminger does a great job of interviewing a wide range of missional people. Some are experienced veterans and recognized experts while others are young missionary candidates just preparing to move into ministry for the first time. It creates a great resource for anyone interested in missions.
My favorites: Brett Butler; Curtis Sergeant; C. Anderson
Strike the Match
http://www.jdpayne.org/tag/strike-the-match/
J.D. Payne is an author of over ten books on missions and his experience and insight make this podcast a great resource to continue learning. Many of his podcasts are just him sharing his insights and wisdom on missions but he also has great interviews with missiologist and missionaries.
My favorites: Nathan Shenk on Church Multiplication and Health; John Klassen on Engaging with Muslims
Storyline Podcast
https://www.storylinemissions.org/storylinepodcast/
The Storyline Podcast is part of Storyline Missions, an effort to equip local churches with great commission vision. The foundation of this is the Storyline Workbook, an 8 lesson curriculum which is great for Sunday school classes and small groups. The first 8 episodes follow and supplement the lessons in the workbook. The rest are interviews with global leaders about accelerating the emerging mission force in the world.
My favorites: Living the Wartime Lifestyle; Mobilizing the Russian Church for Missions
Crescent Project Radio
https://www.crescentproject.org/podcast
Crescent Project Radio is hosted by Matt Bonner and each episode is an interview with someone involved with ministry to Muslims or with former Muslims who have left Islam to follow Jesus. This is a great podcast to share with your friends who are struggling to understand how we as Christians are supposed to engage with the Muslim world.
My favorites: Nasser's Story (part 2); Standing in the Fire with Tom Doyle -Part 1 ; Tom Doyle: Standing in the Fire (Part 2); Ajla's Journey to Faith
The Sent Life
http://sentlives.com/
The host of The Sent Life is J.R. Ammon and he has spent the last several years reaching Muslims in a North American city. He builds each podcast episode around three rounds through which he unpacks missional principles and ideas.
My favorites: Status Seeking; Love for Timothys
Because the challenge is real and because I need all the encouragement I can get to help me stay the course, I want to take the next few blog posts to share with you resources that will help to continuously fuel your missions fire. Today we will start with seven podcasts that I listen to on a regular basis to stay encouraged, to be inspired and to continue to learn.
If you have a favorite missions podcast that helps you run the race well, please leave a comment and share it with the rest of us.
With all of these podcasts, if you search in itunes or your favorite podcast service, you'll be able to find them.
Global Missions Podcast
http://globalmissionspodcast.com/
The Global Missions Podcast is hosted by Rob Magwood and in general, each episode is an interview with a missionary or missiologist or author about missions. The purpose of the Global Missions Podcast is to provide helpful resources and practical information to churches and individuals to help them effectively support and engage in global missions.
My favorites: What's the role of the North American church in global missions?;
Ministering to those from honor/shame cultures.
Movements
https://www.movements.net/
Author and mission leader Steve Addison hosts this great podcast which focuses on disciple making movements. Most episodes are interviews with movement leaders who are making disciples who make disciples. If you need help believeing that the harvest is plentiful, if you need encouragment to share your faith boldly, this podcast will inspire you.
My favorites: Ron Surgeon Interview; God, give us Austin or we die!; Reaching the world in your backyard; NoPlaceLeft Manchester
Engaging Missions
https://engagingmissions.com/
Host Bryan Entzminger does a great job of interviewing a wide range of missional people. Some are experienced veterans and recognized experts while others are young missionary candidates just preparing to move into ministry for the first time. It creates a great resource for anyone interested in missions.
My favorites: Brett Butler; Curtis Sergeant; C. Anderson
Strike the Match
http://www.jdpayne.org/tag/strike-the-match/
J.D. Payne is an author of over ten books on missions and his experience and insight make this podcast a great resource to continue learning. Many of his podcasts are just him sharing his insights and wisdom on missions but he also has great interviews with missiologist and missionaries.
My favorites: Nathan Shenk on Church Multiplication and Health; John Klassen on Engaging with Muslims
Storyline Podcast
https://www.storylinemissions.org/storylinepodcast/
The Storyline Podcast is part of Storyline Missions, an effort to equip local churches with great commission vision. The foundation of this is the Storyline Workbook, an 8 lesson curriculum which is great for Sunday school classes and small groups. The first 8 episodes follow and supplement the lessons in the workbook. The rest are interviews with global leaders about accelerating the emerging mission force in the world.
My favorites: Living the Wartime Lifestyle; Mobilizing the Russian Church for Missions
Crescent Project Radio
https://www.crescentproject.org/podcast
Crescent Project Radio is hosted by Matt Bonner and each episode is an interview with someone involved with ministry to Muslims or with former Muslims who have left Islam to follow Jesus. This is a great podcast to share with your friends who are struggling to understand how we as Christians are supposed to engage with the Muslim world.
My favorites: Nasser's Story (part 2); Standing in the Fire with Tom Doyle -Part 1 ; Tom Doyle: Standing in the Fire (Part 2); Ajla's Journey to Faith
The Sent Life
http://sentlives.com/
The host of The Sent Life is J.R. Ammon and he has spent the last several years reaching Muslims in a North American city. He builds each podcast episode around three rounds through which he unpacks missional principles and ideas.
My favorites: Status Seeking; Love for Timothys
I hope that these podcasts will do much to encourage you in your pursuit of the Kingdom. Listen to them on a run or on your commute and again, if you have one or two favorite podcasts that are about missions and completing the great commission, share them in the comments below.
