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home  ministriesfor allmissionsphilosophy of missions OUR PHILOSOPHY OF MISSIONS
Back to Jerusalem A Philosophy of Missions for Maranatha Chapel by Pastor Ray Bentley “Slowly, the Church is awakening to her true heritage, to her calling to bless Israel.”
Our philosophy of missions is based upon our understanding of the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 18-20) and Acts 1:8. Both scriptures have given the Christian church a defining mission throughout history. But I believe that for our generation, that mission has been enlarged to include a nation that until recently, did not even exist. Christianity was born in Jerusalem, emerging from the Jewish faith to proclaim the Messiah had come. Built upon a foundation of centuries of faith in the one true God, the Church sprang from its Jewish roots, became an influential force all over the world, and then too quickly forgot her heritage. Politics, power struggles, ignorance, and deception gnawed away at those Jewish roots, severing the Church from her foundation. Though Israel is called God’s chosen people throughout the Bible, the Jews became the target of persecution and bigotry. Replacement theology proclaimed that the Church had emerged as God’s new chosen people, relegating Israel to the garbage heap of history. Jerusalem, always one of the most fought over regions in the world, has continually been torn and restored, possessed and lost, tossed back and forth between cultures and kings for centuries. Its possession has become an obsession. Then in 1948, when the Jews were miraculously restored to their homeland, and Israel became a nation, the Church was forced to rethink centuries of ignoring or resisting its Jewish ancestry. Indeed, the whole world has been forced to focus on Jerusalem, as our fate literally turns on the battle between those who passionately hate the Jews, and those who I believe should be just as fiercely loving them. Figuratively and Literally Jesus gave us the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28: 18-20). After His resurrection, He gave us even more specific instructions: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Again, it all starts in Jerusalem. Figuratively and literally. First, Jesus’ instructions are widely interpreted to mean that we are to minister in Jerusalem, which is our immediate hometown community; next, Judea, representing our larger city; then Samaria, our nation—and on to the rest of the world. I agree. We do need to start with our own Jerusalem, which is why our church is involved in community outreaches. Also, as part of our “end of the earth” missions work, when we go into other areas of the world, we want to help strengthen other people’s local Jerusalems. Whenever possible, we provide resources, teaching, and encouragement to help local churches in other nations build their own communities. Literally—Restoring God’s People I also take Jesus’ words literally. We are to literally, physically, take the Gospel to Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, as well as to the ends of the earth. The Lord told Abraham that from him, He would make a “great nation.” He promised, “I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3). Slowly, the Church is awakening to her true heritage, to her calling to bless Israel. The prophet Isaiah foretold of a time when God would invite the world to help restore His people: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders” (Isaiah 49:22). This whole chapter in Isaiah is a beautiful expression of God comforting a desolate and frightened people, promising them restoration and blessing—and how He will use Gentiles, like us, to fulfill His promises. Israel reminds me of the Sistine Chapel. In 1506, Pope Julius II commissioned Michelangelo Buonarroti to paint the Pope's private chapel. For four years, Michelangelo worked on 65 foot scaffolding, painting what would become one of the greatest works of art in the western world. Over the centuries, the colors grew less vibrant, shadowed by decades of dust and contamination. In 1980, in spite of fierce debate and opposition, the Vatican launched a massive cleaning and restoration project on the Sistine Chapel's ceiling frescoes—with phenomenal results. The colors were restored to their original beauty, revealing a vibrant, vivid, and passionate work of art brought back to life! God is likewise restoring Israel, and He is using His Church, His Body of believers around the world. It is as if God Himself is removing the clutter and grime that have darkened the light of the Holy Spirit in His people. He is restoring His “chapel” to its former glory. An unlikely, small, and poor country in Africa, Burkina Faso, has witnessed the miracle of God blessing people who bless Israel, firsthand. A local evangelist and church planter named Ram Zango became particularly impressed by what he read about Israel in the Bible, especially passages like Romans chapters nine through eleven. He traveled to almost 400 churches to share the Scriptures and to ask Christians to begin praying for Israel. Soon hundreds of believers in Burkina Faso were not only praying, but also taking up special offerings for Israel! They even set up a special House of Israel, a little mud house with an Israeli flag, where people come to pray daily for the Jewish people. The special offerings were mailed off, in faith, to the Israeli government. Eventually someone started asking where these checks came from, and began to investigate why a people who could barely feed their families would send them money! The government leaders were so touched by this support, that they decided to send their interior agricultural expert to Burkina Faso to assist the tiny nation, where people are literally starving, in setting up agricultural programs that will feed their people. These are a people who literally believe God’s promise when He said to Abraham, “I will bless those who bless you…” Our church and other like-minded ministries have launched programs like our Nehemiah Project, which provides funds and other assistance to enable Jewish immigrants to return to their homeland. I believe that those who are making this possible are doing no less than fulfilling Bible prophecy! We’ve also developed an exchange program where Jewish students from Israel stay in family homes from our church and get to know us and our culture. These students have made life long friends with many of our families, and have been introduced to a Christian faith that loves and respects them, rather than the resentment or outright hostility their history has taught them. God has put a strong desire in our hearts to love and bless the Jews! We have an opportunity at this time in history to replace centuries of replacement theology, persecution, neglect, and ignorance, with love and gratitude. We can help wash away the dust and pain and that has shadowed and often embittered God’s people. We can take to heart the words of the apostle Paul: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16). First for the Jew. We start with Jerusalem, and pray that they will know their Messiah and discover the church to be a place of blessing, not an institution to fear. We honor God when we honor His people, and we are blessed when we bless them. The Gospel was born in Jerusalem. Now, it is time to bring it home. Your feedback and comments are welcome: media@maranathachapel.org For more information contact:
Jessica Hawkins - Missions Ministry Assistant jessica.hawkins@maranathachapel.org
Pastor Gary Lawton - Missions Pastor gary.lawton@maranathachapel.org |
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| Copyright 2008 Maranatha Chapel |