Missions Catalyst 05.10.06 – Practical Mobilization

In This Issue: Shape the Debate – Immigration and Mobilization

  • Doug Does ’24’
  • Shape the Debate – Immigration and Mobilization

Missions Catalyst is a free, weekly electronic digest of mission news and resources designed to inspire and equip Christians worldwide for global ministry. Use it to fuel your prayers, find tips and opportunities, and stay in touch with how God is building his kingdom all over the world. Please forward it freely!

Practical Mobilization by Shane Bennett is published once a month.

Doug Does ’24’

From: Doug Lucas, editor, Brigada Today – April 14, 2006

NOTE: In a recent edition of Brigada Today, mobilization rock-star Doug Lucas waxed passionately on Great-Commission lessons to be learned from Fox TV’s hit thriller, 24. Oh, yes, roll your eyes, but then read on. I think you’ll be challenged and encouraged. And you just might get some fodder for your own mobilization exploits.

’24’ and a Sense of Urgency

I’ve been catching up on back-episodes of ’24,’ the hit TV show from FOX. (The violent parts aren’t pretty; I fast forward through those.) But for some reason, I keep gaining insights that seem applicable to my work in missions [and its] urgency.

In some ways, ’24’ and urgency are synonymous. [Each season shows the hero’s adventures in a single, action-packed 24-hour period]. Jack Bauer is a federal agent working for a special branch of Homeland Security called “Counter-Terrorist Unit” or “CTU.” You can already guess that most of the plots are pressure-cooked efforts to keep some shopping mall from being attacked by bioterrorists, or to prevent some wacko from setting off a nuclear bomb over downtown LA. Obviously, time is of the essence. Jack yells at the top of his lungs to bad guy after bad guy, “I’m runnin’ outta time!”

Today, while watching an episode from season three, however, that message of urgency hit me harder than it had before. Here’s this CTU agent tasked with preventing a nerve gas canister from blowing up in front of a giant hotel ventilation system fan. He approaches it gingerly, fan blades still turning, and time just seemed to freeze for me. I found myself nearly trembling as I said in a whisper, “Stop the fan! Turn off the system before it blows!” And suddenly, pssst! Like that … the canister squirts nerve gas in his face and 1000 hotel guests are exposed to a deadly virus.

Later as I reflected on that moment with my 16-year-old (who watched the show with the rest of the family for a full three years before I started), I realized how relevant it is to all our work. We all face obstacles … spinning blades of confusion, misunderstanding, interpersonal conflict, and more. Sometimes we creep toward finding a solution. Sometimes it blows up right in our faces. Meanwhile, the spiritual dilemma of Satan and his dominance over so many lands. It just gets more and more perplexing by the day.

Watching that moment of ’24’ made me think – we can see bioterrorism so clearly. We can easily see how time is of the essence. Don’t waste a moment. Yet we sometimes seem to piddle at frontier missions. I’ve heard from my good friend Dan Scribner, at Joshua Project, that the percentage of funds spent on frontier missions is just half of one cent per year when compared to the over all missions giving of all our local churches. If we were to invest only half of one percent in terrorism prevention … well you can guess the results we’d get.

So gang, let’s declare this an official emergency. There are 15,900 people groups, 6700 of which remain essentially unreached. Two billion people (30 percent of the world’s population) with virtually no exposure to the gospel. Maybe there will be a day when we can relax. Maybe a day will come when we can pause. Now is not that day. Now is a moment to mobilize. Now is a moment to get serious about finishing the task of world evangelism. Let’s plan as if we have another century. But let’s work as if we have, fittingly, just 24 hours.

Source here.

NOTE: You can get a free subscription to Brigada’s weekly missions publication by e-mail or read it on-line.

Shape the Debate – Immigration and Mobilization

By Shane Bennett

A debate rages here in my home country, the United States of America. Perhaps it’s not big news if you live elsewhere. But here we’re engaged in the most passionate national discussion on immigration I’ve ever seen. With demonstrations, walk-outs, proposed legislation, gigabytes of blogging, and enough talk radio to make you want to flee to an electricity-free Bedouin tent village in the early 1800’s, this issue shows no sign of losing steam.

The debate revolves around the status of immigrants entering and living in the US illegally. How severe is the crime? What should be done? How should we treat our borders? I’ve been wondering lately how Christians should respond to this debate and the issues inflaming it.

Since I’m fairly naive about national issues like immigration policy, I can’t really offer “solutions.” I would not recommend going around picking fights about this. But I would like to toss out some thoughts about the mobilization potential I see in it. Here are nine discussion points mobilizers might use with their spouses, friends, churches, or denominations.

1. Ask what the Bible says about foreigners, government authority, and civil disobedience.

What would Jesus do? Well, what did he do as recorded in the Gospels?

2. Consider the biblical mandate to emigrate.

While we need to honestly consider these present immigration issues, we’ve been commissioned to go as witnesses all the way to the ends of the earth. As Mert H. (the instigator of this article) says, “Let us worry less about immigration rights and exercise emigration rights.” (You know, “Here am I, send me.”)

3. Remember God’s right and desire to put people where he wants them, when he wants.

God is in control. As Paul said to the smartypants men in Athens, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27). God puts people where he does, when he does, for the accomplishment of his purposes.

4. Refocus on Jesus and what he’s done for us.

We’re all illegals. Or at least we started that way. Check out Ephesians 2. In a fundamental way, we were born outsiders and have been offered citizenship in a state way better than the US.

5. Consider God’s purpose for churches of different cultures in the Great Commission.

After a recent conference in Texas, Hispanic leader Tiny Dominguez said, “Our goal was to really push for the fact that we can impact our world. Hispanics aren’t a missions project. We’re called to do missions to the world.” Keep your eyes on this trend. It could be huge!

6. Springboard from next-door immigrants to those from the unreached world.

While the emphasis in the national discussion has been on Hispanic immigrants, we also have an opportunity to bridge to the millions of immigrants who represent unreached peoples from limited-access countries.

7. Notice xenophobia in our midst.

If we’re honest, we will realize that part of the fervor of the recent debate stems from our fear of strangers. I’d broach this only with explicit humility, and starting with myself.

8. Seize the opportunity to encourage and equip others for cross-cultural outreach.

The current debate can spark interest in ministering both with and to local immigrant communities. This is good in itself, and can also prepare servants for the hinterlands.

9. Call believers to prayer.

In situations without clear solutions (or with clear solutions we fear implementing!) we have the wonderful privilege of crying out, “Father, what are you doing here? How can we join you?” As mobilizers, let’s do this ourselves. And, as God gives us grace, let’s also invite others to join us.

What do you think? Send both flames and kind comments to me.

Questions? Problems? Submissions? Contact publisher/managing editor Marti Smith.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Missions Catalyst welcomes comments, especially those that provide additional insights on a topic or story as a help to other readers. We reserve the right to screen comments and may provide light editing. Note that comments including links may be delayed so we can make sure they are not spam; we hope you will include relevant links, anyway!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.