Global Conquest: Missions, Ambitions, and New Year Resolutions

Set your sights higher. Instead of diets and disciplines, why not resolve to conquer the world this year? Say no to Atkins and yes to armies.

Alexander the Great. Genghis Khan. Napoleon. You.

Why not? You don’t have to be some sick megalomaniac like Nero or Hitler to pursue global conquest. After all, despite much fanciful propaganda to the contrary, Genghis Khan himself—who conquered twice as much of the world than any other individual in human history—proved to be quite modest and benevolent, as far as world dictators go.

Shortly before his death and subsequent burial into an unmarked grave (by his request), the quiet, pensive Great Khan openly revealed his lifeblood motivation: a burning desire to “unite the whole world in one empire.”¹ Genghis Khan’s harsh and brutal upbringing in a world of warring tribal clans and marauding, murderous thugs did much to whet his raging appetite for justice, equality, diplomacy, and world peace.

Stretching from Korea to the Crimea, from Beijing to Baghdad, from Siberia to Sri Lanka, the Mongol Empire of the 13th Century erupted from a passionate aspiration, that “by the power of the eternal God the whole world from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof shall be at one in joy and peace.”² History affirms the overall authenticity of their aim.

Which begs the question: Should wanting to dominate and unite the whole world be looked upon as an evil thing? Must the thirst for conquest be anathematized? Is it sinister or intrinsic? Wrong or noble?

Ancient Mongolian history might be interesting, but it’s not authoritative. What does Scripture teach? Isn’t uniting the world a bad thing only attempted by bad people? Are Jesus’ followers in the Colonial business?

Jesus answered Pilate: “You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world…” (John 18:37). Whatever else this Holiday season means, Jesus’ only mention of His birth underscores His absolute Kingship and utter, universal authority.

Chief, czar, duke. Khan, king, prince. And over every other title that is given in heaven and earth—past, present, future—Jesus reigns eternally supreme as the only “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Revelation 19:16)!

But King Jesus also has a Kingdom.³ And His Kingdom is destined to advance triumphantly throughout all of history⁴ and eternity itself.⁵

Though not “of this world”⁶, there remains a global Christian conspiracy after all!⁷ Captain Jesus calls His followers to call all nations to surrender. The stakes are high. The battle is fierce. But victory is sure.⁸

The global mission of Christ is to establish, first beachheads, and eventually whole civilizations of Spirit-filled imitators in every land who obey His commands, living as one-world-Body for the praise of His glory. These subjects of the Great King come from all races and walks of life, but labor together with a Blood-anchored, all-encompassing oneness.⁹

So, it is noble to conquer and unite the world, if we “conquer” the Gospel way. In other words, as long we fight not by killing, but by being killed.¹⁰ We fight not with swords and guns, but with holy truth and tender love.

At the end of the day all evil rulers pitifully foreshadow, while the more noble warriors of history more clearly prefigure, the global conquest of Jesus Christ. History really is His Story of winning the worship of a numberless mass of multiplied millions won from every tribe and tongue.

The only problem with pursuing world peace and dominance is that, apart from Jesus and His Gospel way, it just doesn’t go deep enough. The most chivalrous of the earth’s conquerors stop so stunningly short of true success because their honor is so empty and so fleeting. Their wisdom too limited. Their power too shallow. Their agendas too earthly.

The Eternal Son of God is the only glory durable enough and dazzling enough to do the job. His Gospel is the only message true enough and glad enough and strong enough to unite the masses forever. And His Spirit is the only force great enough, deep enough, and wild enough to genuinely convert whole peoples and cultures, let alone individual rebels.

So as 2008 dawns, why not set your sights higher? You only live once.

The ordinary Joes and Julius’s of this world are inspired to radical ventures of global conquest for far lesser motives! They risk life and limb, family and fortune with wide-eyed wonder. What about you?

You’ve failed in the past? Think you’re too bad or too weak to be a world warrior for God? Quit looking at you! Like middle-aged sinful Samson, it doesn’t matter how you start—it’s how you finish that counts (Hebrews 11:32). So, like him, cry out to the Lord, take a fresh, firm grasp on the two pillars (the Cross), and burn out your last chapter in wild abandon to the cause of God (Judges 16:28-31). Remember: He selects the foolish and unlikely people of the world to do His work (1 Corinthians 1:26-31).

Where’s your wanderlust for the Kingdom?! Why not dream a really big dream this New Year? Not Yoga, but Yemen. Not the South Beach diet, but the south beaches of the Aral, the Caspian, and the Mediterranean. Not exercise but evangelism. Not saving money but serving the Mission.

Up then! From the sofa to the saddle! Seize the unreached peoples for the Name of Jesus! Lay your life down! Get greedy about God’s domain!

Be a Genghis Khan for Jesus in 2008! A mission-minded Mongol!

Go conquer the globe.

—————————————

Footnotes:

1. From a letter written by Genghis Khan to a Taoist monk in China c. 1226. Weatherford, Jack. Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. THREE RIVERS PRESS, New York, 2004, p. 130.

2. From a letter written by Mongke Khan to France’s Louis IX in 1254. Ibid., p. 175.

3. Colossians 1:13-14, “For He has rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.”

4. 1 Corinthians 15:25, “For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” Mark 13:10, “The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.” Romans 15:20-21, “And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, so that I would not build on another man’s foundation; but as it is written, ‘They who had not news of Him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand.’” Acts 12:24, “But the word of the LORD continued to grow and to be multiplied.” Revelation 5:9-10, “And they sang a new song saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom ad priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.’”

5. Isaiah 9:7, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace…”

6. John 18:36, “Jesus answered, ‘My Kingdom is not of this world. If My Kingdom were of this world, then my servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm’” Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness…”

7. Matthew 28:18-20, “…All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

8. 1 Corinthians 15:24-25, “Then comes the end when He [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.” Matthew 24:14, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” Revelation 11:15, “…The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever!”

9. Acts 2:44, “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;” Romans 12:5, “So we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:14, “For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.” Philippians 2:2, “Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” John 17:23, “I in them and You in me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as You have loved me.” John 15:17, “This I command you, that you love one another.”

10. Romans 8:36-37, “Just as it is written, ‘FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE ARE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.’ But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”

Pictures borrowed from the following Wikipedia articles: Genghis Khan, Mongol Empire.

~~posted by Jack

Doing Your Work as to the Lord, For the Sake of the Unreached (part 2)

continued from part 1

3. Redeem the time by educating yourself about the world.

William Carey was a humble shoemaker before he launched the modern missions movement. While his hands were engaged in constructing footware, his mind was engaged as a student of geography, peoples and movements. He kept a large map in his shop, with information pieced together from his readings. He poured over accounts of Captain Cook’s sea voyages, learning about the globe and dreaming of days when the Kingdom of God would follow the same routes. In the course of the day, he talked often with customers and friends about the world. Today, there are a wide variety of tools available for gaining knowledge about the continents and the movements of God upon them. Patrick Johnstone’s Operation World, and the Global Prayer Digest put out by the U.S. Center for World Mission are two such examples, as well as a growing number of online tools such as the Joshua Project. Utilize idle moments of the work day to pray, think, read and meditate about the work of the Great Commission. Employ and befriend internationals to gain their perspectives on the world.

4. With your professional skills, create platforms for the spread of the gospel.

A huge percentage of the remaining unreached peoples live in areas of the world that cannot be accessed through traditional means. In many of these same parts of the world, doctors, teachers, computer programmers, etc., are in high demand. There is a need for creative thinking about new ways to get Kingdom workers where the harvest is ripe. Christian professionals can train field workers in viable skills. In a globalizing economy, they may be able to use their travels around the world to forge relationships and open up connections for Christian workers. They can make short term trips to places where churches are being established to offer job training or provide credibility. They can be an important part of the Great Commandment which rightly accompanies the Great Commission, seeking to love God and others by meeting the needs of the poor, establishing justice, and improving life in Jesus’ name wherever disciples are being made.

5. Engage in business soberly, with a view to eternity.

Let there be a flavor about the way you do your work which makes it apparent that the stuff of the world which you are dealing with, while good and God-ordained, is fading, and unlike the souls of the unreached, will not last forever. Knowledge of this should create a marked difference between you and the unbelieving. It should not cause you to be insincere or half-hearted, but should give you reason to demonstrate with your speech and action that you are not defined by the temporal things of this world. Hear Paul: “This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let… those who buy [live] as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away” (I Cor. 7:29-31).

6. Be an advocate for missionaries in your church.

Adopt one or more missionaries so that they are not just faces on a bulletin board in the foyer. Write to them. Make their needs known before the assembly. Care for them while they are home through debriefing counseling, resources and hospitality. Show that the brothers and sisters who sent them out for the sake of the Name have a vested interest as co-laborers in their work, because insomuch as they are laboring to see Christ’s name established where He is not known, they are doing the business of the whole Church.

7. Pray, Pray, Pray!

Hold the ropes of those who go and fight against the devil’s schemes by daily, earnest intercession. Pray over world maps for the gospel to run in places where it has never been and land upon receptive hearts, quickened by the Holy Spirit. This may be the most significant work in which senders and goers alike engage: Praying the Lord of the Harvest, the God of the nations, to establish His sovereign Kingdom in every place where Christ is not yet named, for the realization of the inheritance of the nations which has been given to Jesus Christ. May He finish His glorious work and quickly come!

~~posted by Ambassador

Doing Your Work as to the Lord, For the Sake of the Unreached (part 1)

I believe it is Christ’s intention for the task of the Great Commission to be the task of His entire body. There are no exemptions to the call to “make disciples of every nation.” Every true follower of Christ is to follow Him in His mission to gather worship for the Father out of all of the peoples over which He has dominion. But it is also a sensible and biblical expectation that the majority will live out their callings in the normal spheres of business and community, redeeming their various sectors by doing their work to the glory of Christ. The normal Christian life, is, for Paul, to “aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you” (1 Thess. 4:11).

I by no means wish to suggest that what is commonly called “secular” work, when engaged in as to the Lord, is unworthy or second-class, or that it is only valuable insofar as it contributes to world missions. Instead, all arenas of occupation are under the Lordship of Christ and are worthwhile and honoring to Him. But I believe that every Christian workman should have a consciousness of the effect of his specific vocation on the work of God to call out a people from every tribe and tongue, this being so central to the mission of the church and the final command with which Christ left us. I also don’t think it is adequate for believers to find fulfillment of Great Commission living solely in the important work of evangelism in their own neighborhoods. The pervasive idea that everyone is a missionary is misleading and confusing. For the purpose of clarity in the church’s understanding of its mission, I think it’s important to draw some distinctions between evangelism within a reached people group, and the apostolic spread of the gospel to places where it has never been. I want to say that Christian believers should see themselves as having a level of involvement in both. The suggestion that the church is comprised of “senders” and “goers” in Great Commission living is more helpful, having no category for uninvolvement, but still leaves the need for an unpacking of what it means to meaningfully participate as a sender. So how can Christian business men, grocers, mechanics and housewives do their work in the name of Christ, to the glory of God, and for the sake of the least reached around the world? Each member of Christ’s body will have to work that out, in sensitivity to the Spirit, in his or her own sphere, but what follows are some beginning ideas:

1. Don’t stockpile. Be a channel for flowing funds to Great Commission causes.

Jesus spoke some hard words to the capitalistic farmer who wanted to build bigger barns for more grain so that he could cushion himself in godless self-dependence and consume on his own lusts. “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20-21). When a nation is at war, its citizens tighten the belt and streamline in order to free up dollars for the cause. Where the church is engaged in the mission of Christ, everyone contributes. Right now, a pitifully small amount of money goes toward the spread of the gospel among those who have never heard (only about 5% of Christian giving goes to overseas missions, and of these funds, less than two percent is focused on planting churches among the unreached). Oh, for more business savvy Christian men and women who are more shrewd than the money-handlers of this world, because they do their buying and selling with a view toward increasing the flow of dollars into sending preachers to the unreached! I’ve heard recently of two small enterprises which have been started by Christian believers, the proceeds of which are going entirely to world missions. Could that be a worthy personal or family project for you to establish by faith? In your occupations, labor not to be rich. Labor to be rich toward God by making Christ your treasure and storing up riches in heaven in part by releasing funds for the advance of His Kingdom among the unreached.

2. Make it easy for believing employees to go.

How many Christian business and parents have, even inadvertently, prevented those whom God has called from going because they challenge them toward climbing up company ranks, but never to consider leaving it all behind for the sake of the gospel? Or how many employers have made it too difficult for employees to take vision trips, reduce hours for pre-field work, etc? Have an atmosphere around your office, store or workshop which says to believing employees and prospective employees: “If the call of God is upon you, it would be a joy to see some of you go to work among the least reached. It is a noble calling which I would support and facilitate in whatever ways I can.”

To be continued in tomorrow’s post.

~~posted by Ambassador

Temple-Building: Lessons for the Task of Missions

“Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.” ( Eph. 2:20-22)

“For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, ‘I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people…’.” (2 Cor. 6:16b quoting Lev. 26:11-12)

“Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen…”. (Acts 15:14-16a quoting Amos 9:11)

“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”. (1 Pet. 2:5)

The task of missions is in part the building up of a great temple for God. A temple made up of countless precious “living stones”. The inclusion of the Gentiles is according to James (in Acts 15) the fulfillment of prophecies concerning the rebuilding of the Temple. Indeed, we “the Israel of God” are “being built up as a spiritual house”, “the temple of the living God”. God tabernacles with us now, and ultimately our eternal abode will be with God as His people in the New Jerusalem.

In light of this explicit NT expansion of and explanation of the importance of the Temple, several lessons for today’s task of world-wide missions can be gleaned from the building of the Temple in the OT.

Revelation and Promise. In 2 Samuel 7, David desires to build God a temple. God then promises that David’s son will build a temple for God’s name. He promises that He “will be to him a father” (7:14) and further promises that His “stedfast love will not depart from him” (7:15). We learn in 1 Chron. 28 that of all David’s sons, God chose Solomon for this task. His father David promised Solomon “If you seek [God], he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.” (28:9) And he further promised that “the LORD God, even my God, is with you, He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the LORD is finished.” (28:20)

Solomon certainly had many great and wonderful promises to attend him in his task. He even received a detailed plan from David which was “made clear to [him] in writing from the hand of the LORD, all the work to be done according to the plan” (29:19). We too have promises that the gospel “will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). Christ promises that He is “with [us] always, to the end of the age” (28:20). We also have the Spirit’s power to accomplish our great task (Acts 1:8), and a blueprint for how to be Christ’s church and reach the world (the Bible).

Abundant Provision. David could not build the Temple, but he certainly provided for it. The tally of the gold, silver, bronze and iron stockpiled for the building of the Temple is absolutely staggering (see 1 Chron. 22:14). David also gave of his own wealth: “Moreover in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God” (29:3). David not only stockpiled materials, but he also organized “an abundance of workmen” and called for the leaders of Israel to help his son, and also contribute materials for the Temple (22:15-19; 29:5b). David also organized the Levites, specifically designing how they would offer continuous praise to God before the Temple. David made instruments and wrote songs to be used for the worship that was to happen in the Temple.

All these provisions were made by David, and it is from the Son of David—Jesus Christ—that all the provisions for our world-wide task of missions come. Jesus purchased everything through his death on the Cross. Jesus sent us the Spirit, and Jesus is the head of the Church. Jesus supplies each joint, nourishing the body (Eph. 4:15-16). Jesus sustains us and provides for the task. It is His Gospel we proclaim and His work we enter into. We need not fear there will not be enough supplies to finish the task; we have only to look to Christ and he will supply all our needs, according to his riches in glory (Phil. 4:19). Indeed, we can “do all things through him who strengthens [us]” (4:13).

Importance of Prayer. One of the most glorious prayers in the Bible comes at the end of David’s exhorting Solomon and all Israel to build the temple. 1 Chron. 29:11-19 records David’s prayer, and there we read: “O LORD our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own… O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people and direct their hearts toward you. Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.” (29:16, 18-19). We too must be mindful of the place of prayer in our task. We are dependent on God to give us whole hearts and we must ever trust in our God to accomplish his mission through us.

A United Effort. The building of the Temple was a task that Solomon could not do on his own. All the people were exhorted to work together to accomplish the mission. David said to all the leaders of Israel: “Is not the LORD your God with you? And has he not given you peace… Now set your mind and heart to seek the LORD your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God…” (1 Chron. 22:18a, 19a). Further, David exhorted all to give willingly to the cause, which they did: “Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the LORD” (29:9a). It was not Israel alone who worked on the Temple: 153,000 resident aliens helped with the task (2 Chron. 2:17-18) and Hiram of Tyre supplied workers and wood for the task (2:11-16). So too in the great task of missions, Jew and Gentile band together to accomplish the task. Missionary or not, elder or not, all of us share the responsibility and can work together to contribute willingly to the task. Let us follow David’s advice and “Be strong and do it” (28:10).

A Glorious Completion. There is great encouragement too from the story of the Temple. The work was completed, and on a grand scale! A glorious temple was built to the praise and honor of the LORD! Upon the completion of the work, the shekinah glory of the LORD filled the Temple (2 Chron. 7:1-3), and the people had a glorious 7-day feast celebrating its completion (7:8-10). The glory of God filling the Temple is true even today, as the Spirit fills the living stones which make up the ever growing Temple today. And the joyous feast prefigures the marriage supper of the Lamb which will be celebrated upon the glorious completion of the work to build a Temple great enough and glorious enough for One so great as our God.

Let us take to heart the lessons from the building of the Temple and be encouraged to press on and realize the finishing of the great commission! And truly may we exclaim “[God] is good, for his steadfast love endures forever” (2 Chron. 7:3b).

~~posted by Bob

Meditations for Our Mission 1: Spurgeon on Ease

“Shall your brothers go to the war while you sit here?”- Num. 32:6

Family brings its obligations. The people of Reuben and the people of Gad would have been unbrotherly if they had claimed the land that had been conquered, and had left the rest of the people to fight for their portions alone. We have received great benefits as a result of the efforts and sufferings of the saints in years gone by, and if we do not make some return to the Church of Christ by giving her our best energies, we are unworthy to be enrolled in her ranks. Others are bravely combating the errors of the age or excavating the dying from amid the ruins of the Fall, and if we fold our hands in idleness we put ourselves in danger. The Master of the vineyard inquires, “Why do ye stand here all day doing nothing?” What is the lazy man’s excuse? Serving Jesus becomes the duty of all because it is cheerfully and generously rendered by some. The toils of devoted missionaries and fervent ministers shame us if we continue to sit in laziness. It is the residents of “easy street” who are tempted to run from trials: They would like to escape the cross but still wear the crown; to them the question for this evening’s meditation is very relevant. If the most precious are tested in the fire, are we to escape the crucible? If the diamond must be cut and fashioned on the wheel, are we to be made perfect without suffering? Who has commanded the wind to stop blowing because our ship is on the ocean? Why should we be treated better than our Lord? The firstborn endured suffering, so why not His younger brothers? It is a cowardly pride that would choose a soft pillow and a silk couch for a soldier of the cross. Far wiser is the one who first resigns himself to God’s will and then as he grows in grace learns to delight in it. So he picks berries on the path of duty, gathers lilies at the foot of the cross, and like Samson discovers honey in the lion.

From Charles Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening (revised and updated by Alistair Begg), the August 5th, Evening selection.

~~posted by Zioneer