NEWS
FRONTLINE FELLOWSHIP 2017 Edition 4
PO BOX 74 NEWLANDS 7725 CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA
ISSN-1018-151x
REFORMATION 500 MISSION to EUROPE
“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him…” 2 Chron 16:9
Education and Evangelism
This Reformation 500 Mission to Europe was several years in planning and preparation. With 31 October 2017 marking the 500th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther nailing The 95 eses to the door of the Schlosskirche (Castle Church) in Wittenberg, this
was a monumentally important historic milestone that needed to be used for education, evangelism and emphasizing the life-transforming doctrines that made the Reformation of the 16th century the greatest Revival of Faith and freedom in history.
Reformation to Remotest Regions
However, this Mission just kept growing. Ministry invitations to the Netherlands and Belgium, enquiries from France, possibilities in England and
enthusiastic requests for me to be the key-note speaker to the Reformation to Remotest Regions Missions Conference in California, USA, presented a major series of logistical challenges. I had already completed seven Missions so far this year, including Reformation 500 Conferences in Pennsylvania and Idaho and in Zambia! My Mission to Nigeria had been frustrated by the refusal of the authorities to allow me into the country, but even that had been completed by livestreaming.
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The Most Urgent and Important Needs in Africa
Over 35 years in the field, I have regularly asked pastors, chaplains, evangelists and teachers, what their greatest needs are. Consistently, from Angola to Sudan, I have heard: “Bibles!” and “Bible teaching.” Of the 500 million people who claim to be Christians in Africa, over 100 million do not yet have their own copy of a Bible or New Testament. Most pastors in Africa have no
formal Bible College training. There is no doubt that the most strategic and urgent missionary needs throughout Africa are Bibles and Bible teaching.
Solid Biblical Foundation
The first generation of dedicated missionaries in the 19th Century, such as Robert Moffat and David Livingstone, laid solid Biblical foundations, which saw Church growth in Africa soar faster than in
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Reformation 500 — Mission to Europe - continued from page 1
series of meetings on Reformation: Then and Now, was held in a Gothic Town Hall. Numerous Muslim background believers from Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Morocco, Syria and Turkey attended. They asked many questions, staying long after the presentations to discuss the Faith.
A Trail of Treachery
Resources for Reformation
As the Reformation 500 Mission to Europe expanded into a month-long Mission that would first include a week on the West Coast of America, the deadline for completing our revised and expanded The Greatest Century of Reformation book had to be brought forward. Yet, by God's grace the books were back from the printer and the Reformation 500 Audio MP3, Data and DVD four-disc boxset was completed in time for my departure from Cape Town, 25 September.
Conference in California
Our friends, the De Villiers, in California, had arranged a full programme, including meeting with Mission and ministry leaders to network and plan how we could enrich one another’s ministries in the field, opportunities for me to give presentations at AWANA Outreach programme, to a Kids Club, to a Homeschool Co-op on Reformation History, to another Homeschool Academy on The Statue and the Stone, and a full weekend of presentations at the Valley Church, dealing with The Transforming Power of the Word of God, Making Disciples of All Nations, Taught and Trained for the Task, The Family Upbringing and Faith of David
Livingstone, The Great Commission and What Would David Livingstone Say to Us Today?
Reformation Today
On Saturday a Reformation 500 to Remotest Regions Conference focused on the life changing power of the Gospel as seen in the life and ministry of Professor Martin Luther, Challenge to Not be Conformed to this World, Transformed by the Word of God, the Spread of the Gospel despite Persecution and our need for Endurance and Hope for the Future.
England for Christ
I was not quite over the nine hours’ time zone jet lag when it was time to fly back across the continent and the Atlantic Ocean to England. Juggling train stations and traffic in London was a challenge. There were many reminders of the desperate need for a new Reformation and Revival in this once strongly Protestant and Missionary-sending country.
Battlefields in Belgium
Then by Eurostar through the tunnel (under the channel) to France. In Belgium, an Overview of Reformation History Seminar was held in the hall of a Roman Catholic parish, St. Peters. A
The Christians from Iran complained about how Jimmy Carter’s State Department had betrayed their advanced country of Iran under the Shah, into the hands of the Ayatollahs and their fundamentalist’s fanatics. I was able to sympathise with them as my family had also experienced the betrayal of our home country, Rhodesia, by Jimmy Carter’s State Department, also in 1979, into the hands of Marxist tyrant, Robert Mugabe. Here we were, more than 37 years later, but our countries are still suffering from Carter’s legacy of treachery. The Christians from Afghanistan and Syria and Assyrian Christians from Iraq were also able to discuss the chaos caused by the chaotic Arab Spring sponsored by Obama’s State Department. The human tsunami of refugees from the destabilised MiddleEast, flooding Europe, are just part of the many repercussions from the disastrous US foreign policy.
Belgium for Christ
In Belgium, I was able to give presentations on Martin Luther and the Reformation, A Geo-Strategic Overview of the Greatest Century of Reformation, How Martin Luther’s Faith Changed the World, Conviction and Courage and Reformation or Revolution. These were all translated into Flemish and will soon be available as DVDS on our Vimeo page on www.FrontlineMissionSA.org.
Antwerp Outreach
Enroute to Holland, my host was able to divert to Antwerp, where we enjoyed exploring the Cathedral and Printing Museum. It was also encouraging to see a Christian Youth Ministry conducting an open-air outreach in the Town square of Antwerp. St. Andrews, a Catholic Church in Antwerp had a copy of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses prominently displayed on the church door!
Netherlands for Christ
In the Netherlands, my hosts at the Gospel for Europe Bible School had
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organised a day seminar: “Here Am I, Where Are the Heroes of the Faith? A Call to the Churches of the 21st century.” The programme called for me to give presentations on: Identifying Battlefields for Reformation, Steps to Reformation Today and What Dangers Should Watchmen Be Warning Against? About 100 people took part in this day seminar.
School Ministry
The next day, I was driven to KwaSizabantu Netherlands International Christian School, De Ceder. There I was scheduled to present all day lectures on Missions and History, including: God's Perfect Law of Liberty, Remember the Persecuted, Courageous Christian Martyrs, Proof That the Bible is the Word of God, But Aren’t’ All Religions the Same?, The Islamisation of Europe and How to Stop It and Understanding the Crusades. In the evening, people travelled from far and near to attend a presentation on What We Need to Do to Work for Reformation Today.
Understanding Islam
Also while in the Netherlands, I was interviewed by a Journalist interested in my research on Islam. I also enjoyed a 3-hour meeting with Martin Bosma, a senior member of the House of Representatives for the Party for Freedom, since 2006. Martin focuses on higher education, mass media and culture. He is the author of the book, A Minority in Your Own Country. He is working on his doctorate on how the Dutch media deceived the people of the Netherlands into campaigning against their brethren, the Afrikaaners in South Africa, into the hands of the Marxist ANC. I found him to be the most
intelligent, best-informed, politician that I have yet met in Europe, particularly on the history of South Africa. He informed me that my book: Slavery, Terrorism and Islam is well known and often referred to in the House of Representatives.
Reformation and Revival
The next day, I was driven to North Holland for the Reformation and Revival Conference (Herdenken of Herleven?). Over 960 people participated in this conference. I was invited to give presentations on The Great Commission and Reformation and Revival. Each day there were intense times of prayer, three times a day and many hours of counselling. Plainly the Lord had many appointments with young people. I encountered some very devout, dedicated believers, serious for a deeper walk with God and hungry for Spiritual Revival. The Netherlands still has many enthusiastic believers. Some were talking about the Bible-belt of the Netherlands. It was a tremendous and hectic, packed week in the Netherlands. There was an enthusiastic response to The Greatest Century of Reformation. By the time I reached Wittenberg, I was all out and
needed Christopher’s re-supply of these books and AV Boxsets.
Down the Autobahn
By God's grace, a Dutch brother who had heard me during my ministry in the Netherlands during 2013, contacted me to ask if I was going through to the Reformation 500 Church Council in Wittenberg and would I like a lift! This was a major answer to prayer and we enjoyed a tremendous time of fellowship as we hurtled down the autobahns of Germany at spectacular speeds. There are no speed limits on German autobahns!
Wartburg and Wittenberg
On the way to Wittenberg we passed by Wartburg Castle where Professor Martin Luther translated the Bible into German. This was during his time in protective custody, as the emperor’s edict had declared him an outlaw. In Wittenberg, we met up with Dr. Jay Grimstead, the convener of the Reformation 500 Church Council Consultation. My son, Christopher, had also arrived just a few minutes before us. Christopher had travelled up from South Africa to be the videographer filming the historic places and events. Dr. Grimstead had asked me to give the Welcoming message to participants of the Consultation, giving the historic background to why we were here at this historic time and place and what our primary objectives are.
Reformation 500 Church Council Participants included representatives from as far afield as Burma, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, England, the Netherlands, South Africa and the USA. We were in Wittenberg for times of intense discussion, analysing and revising extensively researched, wellpolished statements to identify and respond to the many challenges and
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The Schlosskirche in Wittenberg threats confronting the church today. There were also strategy meetings and strategic planning for future Reformation initiatives.
Worship & Witness in Wittenberg
Our week in Wittenberg, Germany, at the epicentre of the Reformation movement, launched by Professor Martin Luther 500 years ago, included conducting worship services in the Schlosskirche, singing A Mighty Fortress is Our God in the Stadtkirche, in the Market Place, in front of the City Hall and open-air preaching and literature distribution. On the last day we were joined by many members of the Eurochor who held
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The EuroChoir in Wittenberg
a concert in Wittenberg. Thereafter, Christopher and I travelled up to Berlin where the Eurochor presented a concert, departing shortly after that for a Mission to Romania. Our time in Wittenberg deserves a separate report. All in all, in four weeks, I gave 56 presentations, including at 8 conferences and 9 church services. “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see and ask for the old paths, where the good way is and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.’…” Jeremiah 6:16 Dr. Peter Hammond
The Most Urgent and Important Needs in Africa - continued from page 1 any other part of the world (From under 5 million Christians in Africa in 1800 to over 500 million by 2010).
Diluted, Distracted & Derailed
However, in the 20th Century, standards dropped with more Arminian and antinomian teaching, followed by an emphasis on feelings and blessings in the charismatic movement. Towards the end of the 20th Century, the Health and Wealth, Name it, Claim it and Frame it, Word of Faith prosperity cult, derailed many churches, particularly in the cities into a Gab it and Grab it sensationalistic, materialistic and often scandalous direction. Now, the latest phenomenon in the 21st Century is the so-called New Apostolic Reformation. Like Christian Science, it is a misnomer. There is nothing new, nor apostolic and certainly no Reformation about the NAR! This new movement is characterised by self-proclaimed prophets and apostles who bewitch congregations with their “words from the Lord�, visions, dreams and bizarre new teachings.
A Deficit of Discernment
Discernment is at a very low level. Instead of milk and meat, many congregations are being fed popcorn, candy floss and in many cases, sawdust and poison. There is a great,
urgent and desperate need for Bible distribution and Bible teaching throughout Africa.
Invest in the Extension of God's Kingdom
The greatest need, is for suitable dedicated missionary personnel. People who are B.A. and R.F.A. (Born Again and Ready For Anything) It takes many years to train and disciple an effective diligent soul winner, disciple maker and leadership trainer who can meet the complex challenges of the field. If you are interested in fulfilling the Great Commission, please contact us. Dr. Peter Hammond www.FrontlineMissionSA.org
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Africa Reformation Overland Mission
By God’s Grace, Joseph, Francis and I have completed our seven-country overland mission, ministering throughout Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Botswana and South Africa. We thank God that during our 14 000 kilometres mission, we did not even have one puncture or any mechanical breakdowns. We only had a few minor mechanical problems and none of us were seriously ill or injured. We left Cape Town not knowing if we would have enough funds to complete this mission, but God was gracious to answer our prayers and provided for all our needs. Thank you to all those who prayed for and supported us.
Reformation and Revival
On 31 October 1517, Dr. Martin Luther launched the Protestant Reformation with his bold stand at the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. This Back to the Bible Movement is no doubt the most significant historical spiritual milestone in our lifetime. We used this milestone and Martin Luther’s example of excellence, to call people to go back to the Bible, and the uncompromised preaching of the Biblical Gospel, that they would be challenged to work for Reformation and pray for Revival today.
Sola Scriptura
As one of the pillars of the Reformation was a call to return to Sola Scriptura, or Scripture Alone is our Authority, this was a major emphasis of the seven Leadership Training Seminars conducted in these countries. Using the Coalition on Revival’s FIRE documents, we instructed Christian leaders on the Authority, Inerrancy and Sufficiency of Scripture and encouraged these leaders to sign their endorsement of The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (1978), available in the Coalition on Revival Manual. We also encouraged participants to sign their endorsement of the 95 Theses for Reformation Today. We distributed these Coalition on Revival
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Manuals to leaders at the Conferences, along with copies of The Greatest Century of Reformation, Old Testament Survey and Biblical Principles for Africa books (depending on their level of English comprehension).
SWAZILAND
We conducted two Leadership Training Conferences in Swaziland, with the help of a Dutch missionary, who we had met on a previous mission to Swaziland. This missionary had, a few months before, hired a large trailer and driven to Cape Town to collect over two tonnes of literature from our Literature4Africa stores. We distributed some of these Bible Study and Sunday School packs at these Conferences. The participants included pastors, Sunday school teachers and school teachers. They asked many questions and were grateful for the literature we could distribute. A highlight of the second conference, was taking the participants on an outreach on the streets, after taking them through a Way of the Master Evangelism Workshop. Many came back with positive testimonies of the receptiveness of people on the streets. We hope and pray that they continue to make this a regular practice and mobilise their congregations to also be involved in regular street evangelism.
MOZAMBIQUE
We ministered in a rural area for a few days with a local pastor that has been mentored by a missionary friend of ours. Translation was a challenge, as there are more than four languages spoken in this area: Zulu, Chopi, Shangaan and Portuguese. Our presentations
often included double translation. We screened the Jesus Film in Zulu, as this was the most common language spoken there. We were encouraged to see that our host pastor is involved in many farming projects, which is helping to uplift the community. Whenever they plant new crops, or a new tree, they pray and ask for God’s blessing. We helped plant some new mango and avocado trees and prayed with those helping. We also ministered at an ACE Christian School, then drove over seven hours to the Doctors for Life Mission Base.
Doctors for Life
The roads in Mozambique were the worst out of all the countries we visited. In some parts, the tar road has deteriorated to such an extent, that now all vehicles drive on the side of the road. This of course makes travelling slow and a bumpy ride. It was encouraging to see the work being done at the Doctors for Life Mission Base. At least once a year, teams of doctors, surgeons and other volunteers come from around the world and conduct intensive clinics at the base and in the surrounding areas. A major focus is eye cataract surgeries. These doctors cause the blind to see! These patients can then become productive members of their communities. Ministry Teams minister to the hundreds who have come to these health clinics from far distances. The rest of the year, a handful of missionaries run the church and clinic. The pastor has planted six
churches in the surrounding rural villages within a 200km radius. One of these missionaries is a nurse from Switzerland, who is currently running the clinic single-handedly! As our time at the Base was limited, we helped fix leaking pipes and a cupboard. Francis helped at the clinic.
Frustrations
In Malawi, we conducted Reformation 500 Conferences in two different cities. Our first conference was frustrating to say the least. Despite disruptions, I believe some of the participants benefitted from the teaching and were grateful for the books we donated to them.
Encouraging
MALAWI Field First Aid
It is helpful to have basic First Aid knowledge in the field and our missionaries receive First Aid Training. In a rural area of Malawi that we ministered in, I met a boy whose leg had been badly burnt. This boy was deaf and therefore unable to communicate. Sadly, children with disabilities such as this in Africa are ostracised and neglected. With Joseph and Francis’ help and supplies from our First Aid Kit, I carefully removed the dead skin around the wound using my Leatherman multitool, placed ‘burn shield’ ointment on the wound and then bandaged up his foot. The boy was so grateful that the next morning he was the first to greet me outside my tent.
In the next city in which we ran a Reformation 500 Conference, our host and the participants had the opposite attitude and level of enthusiasm. Our host pastor was an inspiration. He has four young men staying with him in his house who he is discipling (plus 16 others). They wake up early in the morning to do their chores before going to work and are actively involved in helping him with his ministry afterhours and on weekends. This pastor and some of his disciples conduct missions to neighbouring countries. The participants at this Conference were eager for solid Bible teaching and the Question and Answer sessions lasted for several hours. We bought Chichewa Bibles at the Bible Society in Blantyre and distributed these to worthy leaders at these Conferences.
Rare
We also had an opportunity to meet up with a pastor who participated in our Great Commission Course in 2015. We ministered at his congregation in a rural area. His congregation is doing well and we were encouraged to hear that they sing hymns and recite the Apostles Creed (in Chichewa).
ZAMBIA The Need to Go Back to the Bible We also conducted two Reformation 500 Conferences in Zambia. Most pastors in Africa have not read through the whole Bible, let alone have studied it thoroughly. At some of these Conferences, I asked the leaders, “Who of you have read through the whole Bible?” Only a handful of Christian
leaders across the six countries in Africa that we ministered in, have read through the whole Bible. It seems that many of these leaders would rather rely on supposed dreams and visions, and TV programmes, rather than study what God has said in His Word! Prayer often resembles pagan chanting, rather than praying the Word and Will of God. “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son…” Hebrews 1:2
True Witnessing
At the second Zambian Conference, with Reuben, our long-time friend and contact in a rural area of Zambia, we had leaders from a variety of different church backgrounds attending. One of these was a Jehovah’s Witness leader who attended all three days of the Conference! All of the participants had many questions. The Question and Answer sessions lasted for hours, with questions ranging from “If someone places a curse on me (via the witchdoctor), may I place a curse on him back?” to “Can I still be a member of a church if I can’t afford to give any money to the church?” It is important to take the time to answer these questions. It was encouraging to see how our host pastor is growing crops and teaching other pastors to also be self-sustainable.
ZIMBABWE Boxes with Love
A joy of any Mission to Zimbabwe, is to deliver boxes of non-perishable foods and some medical items to elderly and destitute pensioners. By God’s Grace, we were able to deliver 40 boxes to elderly people – many of whom we have visited on previous missions. These boxes made it through five border crossings undetected by bribe-hungry border officials! One elderly man said he had just been praying for someone to come and visit him, as he was feeling very lonely – we were his answer to prayer! Other elderly people were very grateful
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for the box they received, saying “Thank You for not forgetting about us.” Shona Bibles were also selectively distributed to believers in this rural area.
You Have a Mamba Heart!
A highlight of any Mission to Zimbabwe, is our visit to rural areas – a place where I can genuinely call several people who live there my friends. When I teach on Evangelism, I use the analogy that our rebellious hearts are like a Cobra snake – dangerous, destructive and potentially deadly! However, because Mamba snakes are more common in Zimbabwe, I teach that in your unredeemed state you have a “Mamba heart”. I was about to teach on “the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart” one evening, but what I could not have anticipated, is that my analogy would be emphasized by reality! One of the leader’s called me to tell me that his granddaughter had been bitten by a snake. They told me they thought it was a harmless brown house snake, but when her foot swelled up, it became necessary to get her to a hospital and I offered to drive them there, whilst Joseph gave the teaching in my absence. The next day, I recapped the teaching that Joseph had done the previous evening. When a member of the congregation stood up to testify what he had learnt, he described how the girl’s snakebite had illustrated
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how dangerous the venom of our own hearts is – our sin is destructive! The little girl has thankfully recovered but it was interesting how God used this potentially life-threatening situation to teach Biblical truth. “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. They have venom like the venom of a serpent…” Psalm 58:3-4
Corrupt Police
We went through more than 50 police roadblocks in Zimbabwe. The police in Zimbabwe have become very “creative” in their corruption. Despite their dusty roads, they wanted to fine us for dust covering the light near our number plate! They also demanded that we have 4 reflective triangles in the case of a breakdown, not two!
BOTSWANA Mass Literature Distribution
In Botswana, another former Great Commission Course participant organised ministry opportunities for us. We distributed over 2 500 World Missionary Press Gospel booklets at a Botswana Independence Day celebration held at a stadium and had good Gospel conversations with several members of the police and military. We also had an opportunity to minister to children
at a Good News Club (Started by Child Evangelism Fellowship) and gave a Mission Report at a local church.
Pray for Southern Africa
Please continue to pray for the pastors and other Christian leaders that we ministered to on this mission. Pray that they would turn back to the Bible and would truly uphold God’s Word as their ultimate Authority. Pray especially for Zimbabwe – next year they will face elections – which are always accompanied by much intimidation, violence and terrorism against those that do not vote for the “right party” (i.e. the only party you are permitted to vote for – ZANUPF). Christians who refuse to participate in bribery and corruption are suffering immensely. Diesel is scarce and shops are inflating prices. Pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are suffering, especially for the elderly, who are much neglected. Pray that as Christians think on the bold stand that Martin Luther made 500 years ago, that they would be emboldened to work for Reformation in their congregations and communities and would earnestly pray for Revival. "Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?" Psalm 85:6 Abrie Lourens
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How the GREATEST CENTURY of MISSIONS was Derailed into the WORST CENTURY of PERSECUTION
A Tale of Two Conferences
The Father of modern Missions, William Carey, was a man ahead of his time. In 1810, he proposed a World Missions Conference and he suggested Cape Town as the ideal venue! It was 100 years later, in 1910, that the first World Missions Conference was held, in Edinburgh. Two hundred years after William Carey had proposed it, Cape Town hosted the Third Lausanne Conference on World Evangelism, October 2010.
Cape Town 2010
It was a tremendous privilege to participate in this Congress on World Evangelisation. With over 4,200 invited participants from 198 countries and extending through global link sites to another 100,000 participants in 700 venues across 95 countries, Cape Town 2010 was the largest and most representative Missions Conference in history.
William Carey's Vision
Similarly, although none of the speakers that I heard, nor any of the official publications which the organisers produced, referred to William Carey's vision of a World Missions Conference in 1810, it had to have been more than an extraordinary coincidence that here we were in Cape Town, at what William Carey had described as the uttermost parts of the earth, at the junction between East and West, at the port that sits astride two oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian oceans, in the shadow of Table Mountain, to discuss the fulfilment of the Great Commission.
became the most prolific Bible translator in history, translating the complete Bible into 6 Asian languages and the New Testament and Gospels into another 29 languages. Since William Carey launched the greatest century of Missions, more than 80% of all Protestant Missionaries have been English speakers.
Operation World
Another extraordinary milestone was that the seventh edition of Operation World was launched at the Cape Town 2010 Congress. In its Foreword, Operation World acknowledges that the very first Missionary Prayer Guide to the world was written by William Carey in 1792: An Enquiry Into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means For the Conversion of the Heathen. This was the first Global Survey ever printed and the inspiration for the present phenomenon of Operation World.
Andrew Murray
Although it was not mentioned at the congress, Dr. Andrew Murray, the Scottish South African minister, in 1900, wrote The Key to the Missionary Problem and challenged the Church to hold weeks of prayer for world Missions.
Father of Modern Missions
Edinburgh 1910
Although I did not hear anyone in any of the plenary sessions refer to Edinburgh 1910, I had to conclude that surely it should have been the intention to mark the centenary of the first World Missions Conference.
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Dr. William Carey is rightly called the Father of Modern Missions. His book, An Enquiry Into the Obligation of Christians to Use Means For the Conversion of the Heathen, is credited as being the book that launched the modern Missionary movement. In 1793, en-route to India, William Carey's ship docked in Cape Town and he was struck by the ideal setting of Cape Town, at the uttermost parts of the earth, a half way house between Europe and Asia, for a World Missions Conference, which he proposed be held in 1810! William Carey
The Whole Church Taking the World Gospel to the Whole World As with previous Lausanne Congresses, the focus was on The Whole Church Taking the Whole Gospel to the Whole
The world in 1914 was dominated by Christian powers. World. However, I could not help wonder why none of the speakers referred to the deliberations, presentations, conclusions and projections of the first World Missions Conference at Edinburgh, 1910? “Without a vision, a people perish…” Proverbs 29:18
The Greatest Century of Missions
The 19th Century was the greatest century of Missionary advance. It was a century of astounding inventions and of spectacular advances in technology. Many countries in Europe and overseas experienced dramatic spiritual Revivals. Christian Missionaries from Europe won whole tribes and nations in the remotest regions of the globe to Christ. Christianity came to the beginning of the 20th Century on a rising and apparently unstoppable tide. Christianity was gaining spectacular momentum, as Missionaries from Europe were Evangelising and discipling virtually every tribe and nation.
Flourishing Faith and Freedom
The Protestant Faith had far outstripped the Catholic and Orthodox branches in missionary activity, vitality and initiative. From being confined almost entirely to North Western Europe, the British Isles and a narrow strip on the Eastern seaboard of North America and with a small outpost at the Cape of Good Hope, the Protestant Faith in the 19th Century had become a truly international Faith. It was the dominant Faith of the most productive, powerful and prosperous nations in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Amidst irrepressible optimism, many were openly speaking of the beginning of the Biblical Millennium on earth.
Christians Dominated the World In 1910, Christian nations ruled virtually the whole world. With the exception of China, Japan and the declining Ottoman Empire, the globe was dominated by Christian powers, especially Protestant Great Britain, Germany and the United States.
A Century of Peace and Progress
nations to communism, to false religions and heathenism. Nor would any have predicted that the Church would retreat from victory to such an extent that they would even be questioning the existence of the devil, or hell, or reinterpreting marriage to include that which God in the Bible describes as perversion and an abomination.
Following the Battle of Waterloo and the defeat of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic forces, the Congress of Vienna had ushered in a century of comparative peace, astounding increases in population and unprecedented increases in productivity and standards of living. The 19th Century had been a century of astounding achievements, growth and expansion. By 1910 the world was being led by people who had traditionally been known as Christian.
When the Church Fails
Fulfilment of the Great Commission
The Missionary leaders who gathered in Edinburgh, 1910, would never have believed that by 2010 Europe would have become mostly secular and that the countries at that time being evangelised, civilised and discipled, would have, in so many cases, returned to such pagan savagery and Islamic Jihad.
At the first World Missions Congress in Edinburgh in 1910, delegates were anticipating the extinction of all false religions by 1960. The consensus of the speakers at Edinburgh 1910 was that every tribe and nation will have been thoroughly Evangelised and discipled by 1960. They were anticipating the fulfilment of the Great Commission and the beginning of the Biblical Millennium on earth - before the end of the 20th Century!
Retreat from Victory
No one in 1910 could have anticipated the wholesale abandonment of entire
The devastating and far reaching results of Western Europe's retreat from victory and of Christians withdrawal from impacting society, is clearly seen in the shocking statistics of heathen nations which by now should have been thoroughly Evangelised and discipled. That is, if Christians in Europe and America had not been so busy bombing cities and killing millions of fellow Christians in the First and Second World Wars.
Return to Paganism
The Great Civil War of the West
What no one at the 1910 Conference could have envisaged was the devastating impact of two World Wars on the heartland of the Church and of Mission sending agencies. The Great War wiped out millions and at the end of it, Europe was no longer the greatest economic, political and spiritual power
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on earth. Instead of discipling the world, Christians allowed themselves to be manipulated into devastating one another's countries.
A Century Later
In 1914 Christian nations ruled the world. The 19th century was the greatest century of Missions. Europe was succeeding in bringing the Gospel of Christ, literacy, civilisation and the rule of law to even the most remote and primitive parts of the globe. However, after two world wars, Europe went from being a majority church-going population to a spiritual wasteland, where only small percentages of each nation still attended church.
Filling the Vacuum
The vacuum left by Europe abandoning Africa in de-colonisation was quickly filled during the Cold War by the Soviet Union and Red China with virulent communism and anti-Christian atheism.
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The Guns of August
The Christian era of bold Missionary expansion came to an abrupt end as the guns of August 1914, erupted. The great European countries which had been the heartland of Christendom and the source of most of the missionaries, devastated each others economies and annihilated millions of one another’s young men, in what has to be recognised as the most tragic, senseless and counter-productive conflict in history.
Continental Suicide
Before the First World War, no continent had ever been as powerful as Europe. There was no hint of any possible challenge to British dominance of the world. 1914 marks a far more drastic turning point than 1815, or 1648, or any other of the watershed events of history. Nothing could have stopped the positive, onward march of Christianity worldwide, except that Christians were persuaded to kill one another so enthusiastically and so efficiently. Far more devastating than the actual numbers of people killed, crippled, or severely injured, was the damage to the spiritual life of Europe
and the world. The 19th Century was the greatest century of Missions, but the 20th Century became the worst century of persecution.
What Ultimately Matters
It is absolutely essential that Christians learn the lessons of history and rediscover our purpose as God's people, to refocus on the fulfilment of the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations, teaching obedience to all things that the Lord has commanded. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing. Our purpose on earth is to fulfil the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the Author and finisher of our Faith‌" Hebrews 12:1-2 Dr. Peter Hammond www.ReformationSA.org
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