Lantern Road review Total Church chapter 6

The chapter is on World Mission and perhaps it states the obvious. I am surprised at times by how uninvolved many churches are in missions. Most churches do give to missions, but not many realize the value of going on short term missions and the value of being in true committed relations with missionaries on a congregational level. The authors do a good job of exposition concerning the Isaiah scriptures and tying them into Pauline motivation. I like the thought on page 102 of "only Christians can point people to the world to come. The thought is much like their point on social involvement in pointing out that while philanthropy certainly helps to improve people's life style and is vitally important, still the eternal destiny of souls far outweighs the natural. Good works without a good message (gospel) does nothing to truly bring lasting or enduring hope. On page 103 is the statement, "The church is God's mission strategy. At the heart of God's plan to bless the nations are the people of God. The church is formed by mission for mission." Wow that is powerful to me. On page 104, "Both local and global mission is the privilege and responsibility of any and every local church." Bob Roberts Jr. pastors a church in Texas that has a vision for what is termed as "glocalization" the word means to be both local and globally minded. They have as their primary value being involved in both local and international outreach and have set the standard for that concept. They have proven that a local church can be very healthy when their emphasis is reaching outward. I also like the concept that the local church is capable of raising up and supporting missionaries both locally and internationally. I have seen it work in very small congregations as well as large congregations. I long for the day when our own local congregation raises up its own missionaries to send out. When that happens we will know that we are truly a healthy congregation. In the book they use the Moravians as an example of a local church sending out missionaries to many nations. This is for sure an extreme example that has never been repeated, and yet it challenges us to at least believe for a minor role in sending. In another sense the Moravian example is very similar to the church at Antioch and what they were able to accomplish through Paul and Barnabas and later through Paul and Silas and also Barnabas and Mark. My own heart is at times pulled as much for international missions and for local missions. I love praying for nations and praying for men and women and families that I personally know who are living in foreign lands for the sake of the gospel. It makes me a more effective Christian when I allow my heart to be with them in prayer and allow my heart to care for the nations I have never seen. It is all for His glory and He is worthy of praise from every tribe, every nation and every language.