More from Schnabel
Fri, Jan 8 2010 05:43 | Missions, philosophy | Permalink
Schnabel summarizes Paul's missionary goals as:
1. Preach the message of Jesus Christ (Rom 1.1; 1 Cor 2.2)
2. Preach gospel of Jesus Christ to Gentiles “that is, to polytheists who worshiped other gods” (32; Rom 1.14, 16; 1 Cor 1.23)
3. Reach as many people as possible (Rom 15.19, 23-24)
4. Lead individuals to believe in the one true God and in Jesus—Christ, Savior, Lord (1 Thess 1.9-10; 1 Cor 1:18-2:5)
5. Establish new churches, communities of followers
Comments
Schnabel on Missions
Thu, Jan 7 2010 07:35 | Missions, philosophy | Permalink
Eckhard Schnabel defines mission as the "activity of a community of faith that distinguishes itself from its environment in terms of both religious belief (theology) and social behavior (ethics), that is convinced of the truth claims of its faith, and that actively works to win other people to the content of faith and the way of life whose truth and necessity the members of that community are convinced” (Paul the Missionary: Realities, Strategies and Methods, 22).
After looking at three important aspects for understanding missions--intentionality and movement, the nature of missionary work in the NT, and the reality of the apostolic method--he summarizes the work of a missionary as follows:
“missionaries establish contact with non-Christians, they proclaim the news of Jesus the Messiah and Savior (proclamation, preaching, teaching, instruction), they lead people to faith in Jesus Christ (conversion, baptism), and they integrate the new believers into the local community of the followers of Jesus (Lord’s Supper, transformation of social and moral behavior, charity)” (29).
Hospitality and missions
Thu, Feb 21 2008 04:13 | Hospitality, 3 John, Missions | Permalink
Beginning the "pre-field" aspect of our mission has caused me to reflect on 3 John 5-8 and the relationship between hospitality and missions. John praised his readers for their love toward those who were taking the gospel to the nations and urged them to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. Such hospitality and provision were surely needed in a time when public hotels were few and far between and when Christians were not, on the whole, wealthy. An abundance of safe hotels today, however, does not negate the role of generous hospitality in foreign missions. We are grateful for gracious Christians who have opened their homes to us or put us up in hotels in our first two months of deputation. They have saved us a great deal of money that can be directed toward getting us to the field more quickly. Our times in these homes have also provided us with many opportunities to praise God for his gracious working in our hosts lives. We are very grateful for the Hartels, the Bowmans, the Coles, the Burggraffs, the Bueltels, and the Knights who have been so gracious and kind to us. You proved faithful in your efforts on our behalf and we view you as coworkers in our mission. God is not so unjust as to forget your labor of love toward the saints for the sake of Christ. We are grateful for you and for God's wise plan of using your hospitality to encourage us and send us on our way.