This short and powerful video of William Booth’s vision of the lost perishing without the gospel exemplifies God’s call given to each and every follower of Christ Jesus. Let us shake off our complacency and set our eyes upon Jesus lifted up and seated at the right hand of God. Surely as our eyes are opened to see Him who died for our sins the the things of this world which we are chasing and living for will be seen as trite as they really are!
——————–
The Mont-Joux pass is the erstwhile name of a particularly treacherous mountain pass in the Alps straddling Switzerland and Italy. For centuries thousands of lost sojourners perished trying to cross it in the biting winter. When a snowstorm unpredictably arose, there would be a whiteout, and with no way to stay on course travelers would get disoriented, distressed, irrevocably lost, and slowly freeze to death.
But, suddenly, in the 1700s the death rate declined drastically. The reason was not due to any serendipitous technological advances. The climate hadn’t changed. The reason the increased survival rate was due to a dog; or to be more accurate, a breed of dogs. This uncanny canine breed possessed a prodigious aptitude for navigation in the blinding fog, a preternatural stamina in below freezing temperatures, and an almost mystical ability to locate lost people in a blizzard.
By this stage in history the pass had been named for the monastery founded by St Bernard of Mont-Joux, so naturally the dogs were also canonized, as St Bernards.
During the 200 or so years that the faithful saints served on the St Bernard Pass, over 2,000 lost souls were rescued from the frost-bitten clutches of an icy death. When the “saint” found a lost soul, they would rescue the iced travelers with a simple but effective, methodical process: first, they located them in the snow with their super-sniffer abilities, then they would deliver a life-saving supply of whiskey and bread in quaint oaken barrels strapped around their necks, and finally they would lead the revived popsicle back to the monastery at a blood-stirring pace by borrowing a pathway with its broad chest at a determined gait.
The rescue dog breed is an apt metaphor for the intrepid sub-species of Christian, the full time missionary. This is a breed of believer that exhibits extraordinary stamina and perseverance, and the exceptional abilities to sniff out local spiritual and physical needs, and lead disciples by example, into the soul-saving truth. Missionaries also admit that they are impotent to help the lost soul, except for delivering the life-giving elixir they carry with them, namely the gospel message.
Missionaries are men and women who are never content with the status quo that creeps like a pall of apathy over the church. They constantly sense the adrenal urgency in Christ’s great commission to reach the world with the gospel.
Missionary C. T. Studd captured this sentiment in this pithy couplet:
Some wish to live within the sound of a chapel bell; I wish to run a rescue mission within a yard of hell.”
As the world turns people scurry like ants to build their respective fiefdoms of influence. Companies merge and grow, populations explode and expand, empires conquer and reclaim, and societies upgrade and increase in the interminable pursuit of betterment. And all the while the real kingdom growth is happening silently but surely in the spiritual realm. We call it missions.
• Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
• Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• Luke 17:20-21 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
• Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Missions is nothing less than an organized revolutionary assault on the unseen forces of the present darkness by a spiritual legion of soldiers who fight for the extension of God’s kingdom to dominate the Universe. And local churches are the bastions that defend that cause, forge the weapons, train the soldiers, and populate the ranks with men and women bent on spreading God’s fame, or die trying.
When Paul was commissioned to take the gospel to the Gentiles, his journeys blazed the trail, like a gallant St Bernard, for those who would emulate his example in the future, those who eschew the sedentary life in favor of a mobile mission.
Of course, all Christians have a compulsion to spread God’s glory and the good news of salvation in Jesus. But some have a deeper urge driving them, the craving to go.
What’s your role? Ask God about whether you could be someone who goes, tunneling into the barren spiritual tundra of a foreign land. Or consider whom to support.
Thank God that there are still men and women who hear the clarion call of God to storm the gates of Hell on foreign soil. And thank God for the many supporters who make the campaign possible by holding the ropes.
This 32 minute message by John Piper on missions is very encouraging. It is one of my all time favorites! You too will be encouraged in your pursuit to be obedient to Jesus mission (John 20:21).
As followers of Christ we are called to be like Moses who choose to trade this world’s pleasures for present suffering and future glory with Christ (Heb. 11:24-26).
I love the way John Trapp (1601-1669) puts it, “He that rides to be crowned, will not think much of a rainy day.”
We are pilgrims in this world!
The Lord has once again shown us His favor. About one year after our application, Reaching Africa’s Unreached has received its 501c3 status from the IRS. A special “thank you” goes to a good friend and Lifegate member who made our application. He put many hard hours of work into it!!
This means that people in the USA can now give directly to RAU and receive a charitable tax deduction for their gift. This frees us up to receive charitable contributions from corporations and others who desire to give directly to RAU as a charitable organization. It also makes it easy for donors to give via a debit or credit card. Our donation page describes how this can be done. May the Lord use RAU’s 501c3 status for His glory and the spread of the gospel to people who currently do not have access to it!
Carol and I are continuing to press on with our learning of Ma’di. Ma’di is a tonal language with many sounds we have never heard before and are difficult to reproduce. Carol is catching on much quicker than I am and is fast becoming another tutor for me. What helps me most is when I am actually doing something physical and interactive while trying to speak and understand the language. In our last lesson we went outside so that I could practice with our faithful workers. They enjoy and appreciate my efforts, laughing much along the way. Please continue in your prayers for us in learning Ma’di.
We now have well over 200 fruit trees planted. With the tractor we will clear the brush away and also plant some cash crops to bring in income for ministry efforts. After talking with an Ugandan agriculture expert I am thinking that soybeans will be the cash crop of choice. We could get two crops in a year and there is a good demand for soybeans. We will first have to clear about 15 acres of African bush!
We have received information on some unreached/unengaged tribal groups/villages within driving distance of RAU. When the ’99 Land Cruiser gets here (expected arrival is late September) we will visit the areas with the specific goal of planting church in the midst the unreached/unengaged tribal group or village.Please pray for efforts in this! Right now our thought is to have several local missionary candidates stay at RAU for in depth, one-on-one training who then, with our assistance, would live in the midst of the unreached group with the ultimate goal of seeing a thriving church planted.
Web Site: www.ReachingAfricasUnreached.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ReachingAfricasUnreached
Charitable Donations may be made via PayPal. PayPal also has the option for an ongoing monthly gifts. You may click on their link below. PayPal deducts a small amount from each gift as a processing fee. All charitable gifts given through PayPal are now tax deductible as Reaching Africa’s Unreached has 501 c3 tax exempt status as a charitable organization. If you wish to write a check you may write it out to R.A.U. and mail it to Lifegate Missions, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin Texas 78155.
*If you have questions on donations please email Jacob Lee at JacobLeeRAU@gmail.com
*“Saving souls can be likened to a man drowning in a deep well and a
volunteer can do nothing unless there are people who will hold the rope for him
to be lowered till he reaches the drowning man, and then pull them up to
safety… I will go to India as a volunteer to seek
sinners drowning in the well of Sin. But I can’t do it alone. I need rope
holders.”
William Carey~ Father of Modern Missions
——–
“This is the mission of God. Missionary martyrs going, financial martyrs sending; and all of us praying and working together, for the gospel and the glory of God to be known and enjoyed by all peoples.” David Sitton
Reaching Africa’s Unreached (RAU) has just received notification from the IRS that it has been granted its 501 c3, tax exempt status as a charitable organization. This means donors can now give to R.A.U. charitable donations by credit card or check and receive a tax deduction. We are grateful to the Lord for the favor He has shown to us in moving upon the IRS to grant Reaching Africa’s Unreached this tax exempt status.
This is a section from our Donation page:
“…R.A.U. is grateful for all financial gifts! We commit to faithfully use these gifts to extend Christ’s work in Northern Uganda, Southern Sudan, and Northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo and regions to the North.
It is our desire that any gifts given to R.A.U. would not compromise what you are ALREADY giving to your local church or to foreign missions . To get the gospel to the unreached will take sacrificial giving on the part of all God’s people. May we all walk faithfully in the spirit of 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 so that our Lord God is worshiped by men and women from every tongue , tribe, people, and nation!
Charitable Donations may be made via PayPal. PayPal also has the option for an ongoing monthly gifts. You may click on their link below. PayPal deducts a small amount from each gift as a processing fee. All charitable gifts given through PayPal are now tax deductible as Reaching Africa’s Unreached has 501 c3 tax exempt status as a charitable organization. If you wish to write a check you may write it out to R.A.U. and mail it to Lifegate Missions, 395 Lifegate Ln., Seguin Texas 78155.
*If you have questions on donations please email Jacob Lee at JacobLeeRAU@gmail.com
“Saving souls can be likened to a man drowning in a deep well and a
volunteer can do nothing unless there are people who will hold the rope for him
to be lowered till he reaches the drowning man, and then pull them up to
safety… I will go to India as a volunteer to seek
sinners drowning in the well of Sin. But I can’t do it alone. I need rope
holders.”
William Carey~ Father of Modern Missions
“This is the mission of God. Missionary martyrs going, financial martyrs sending; and all of us praying and working together, for the gospel and the glory of God to be known and enjoyed by all peoples.”
———————–
Reaching Africa's Unreached 