THE LAUSANNE COVENANT
Paragraph 9
9. THE URGENCY OF THE EVANGELISTIC TASK
More than 2,700 million people, which is more than two-thirds of all humanity, have yet to be evangelized. We are ashamed that so many have been neglected; it is a standing rebuke to us and to the whole Church. There is now, however, in many parts of the world an unprecedented receptivity to the Lord Jesus Christ. We are convinced that this is the time for churches and para-church agencies to pray earnestly for the salvation of the unreached and to launch new efforts to achieve world evangelization. A reduction of foreign missionaries and money in an evangelized country may sometimes be necessary to facilitate the national church's growth in self-reliance and to release resources for unevangelized areas. Missionaries should flow ever more freely from and to all six continents in a spirit of humble service. The goal should be, by all available means and at the earliest possible time, that every person will have the opportunity to hear, understand, and to receive the good news. We cannot hope to attain this goal without sacrifice. All of us are shocked by the poverty of millions and disturbed by the injustices which cause it. Those of us who live in affluent circumstances accept our duty to develop a simple life-style in order to contribute more generously to both relief and evangelism.
(John 9:4; Matt. 9:35-38; Rom. 9:1-3; I Cor. 9:19-23; Mark 16:15; Isa. 58:6,7; Jas. 1:27; 2:1-9; Matt. 25:31-46; Acts 2:44,45; 4:34,35)

So how do we reach 2,700 million people who have never heard of Jesus?












I know there are a lot of "how to do it right" books and we are emerging into a new missional era, but for some reason I can't help but think we're just complicating things (again-still).

"Аз съм лозата, вие сте пръчките; който пребъдва в Мене, и Аз в эяяя"

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

"Ich bin der Weinstock, ihr seid die Reben. Wer in mir bleibt und ich in ihm, der bringt viel Frucht, denn getrennt von mir könnt ihr nichts tun."

"I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you're joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can't produce a thing."

أَنَا الْكَرْمَةُ وَأَنْتُمُ الأَغْصَانُ. مَنْ يَثْبُتُ فِيَّ وَأَنَا فِيهِ، فَذَاكَ يُنْتِجُ ثَمَراً كَثِيراً. فَإِنَّكُمْ بِمَعْزِلٍ عَنِّي لاَ تَقْدِرُونَ أَنْ تَفْعَلُوا شَيْئاً.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

"Mwen se pye rezen an, nou se branch yo. Moun ki fè yonn avè m', moun mwen fè yonn ak li, l'ap donnen anpil, paske nou pa kapab fè anyen san mwen."

No matter how many different ways he tells me I must admit--I have trouble with this one; "apart from me you can do nothing."













Oh, but I keep tryin'

Christ, at the last supper said, “take this bread, it is my body broken for you.” Do I dare say those words back to Him? How can I read these words “my body broken for You” and not realize that my life is not broken for Him. In contrast my life is given tactfully, thoughtfully, piece-by-piece, so that the pain, and therefore the joy, He experienced will not be fully repeated in me. How can we experience the fullness of Christ if we are not willing to follow His lead, our purpose: Total surrender to the will of our Father in Heaven.
We would do well to repeat these words to Him in prayer, “this is my body broken for You.” Of course even Christ Himself felt the despair that follows a prayer such as this or else why would He say “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me.” Often times this is where our prayer ends. We have asked that God have His way in us, but when it becomes too much we say, “enough.” Don’t we see this separates us from the fullness of God? We imagine God as the dispenser of “good” things “fun” times and prosperity. We cry out to God so we will never have to experience suffering. This however is the gospel robbed of its fullness, of its joy. It places God in an all too modern wardrobe.
Don’t we know that we would still be slaves to sin if Christ followed our example and said, “that’s too much, you’re asking too much.” But that is exactly why Christ is the example, the Teacher, the Shepherd, the Messiah! Where our prayers end is where His prayer begins, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me.” Then He says the words that are not said enough by us, “Yet I want your will, not mine,” His body broken for us; an example of what our relationship with the Father should be like.
A culture's mantra: Expect More, Pay Less.



Paul had a different mantra.
Romans 12--1And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.