MISSIONS

A Christian activity may be defined as "missionary" when it involves someone going to take the Gospel to a culture other than their own. Thus, the middle-class business person who reaches out with the Gospel to street people in his own city is as much a missionary as the one who boards a plane and flies halfway round the world to a developing nation.

"Missions" has been at the heart of Christianity since the beginning of the Church's history. Before His ascension, Jesus told His followers that when the Holy Spirit came they would receive power to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. At least the second half of that widening circle involves missions.

In fact, it started even before that. Jesus Himself was the first missionary. He left the culture of heaven to come to earth - surely a far greater culture shock than any other missionary in the history of the Church has ever experienced!

But why is "missions" important? Why not simply stay within the confines of the things we know, and preach to the people whom we know and understand? Missionary activity is important for both the person going and the people receiving. For the people receiving, it may be the first time they have ever heard the Gospel: it may be their only chance to know the reality of Christ and the salvation that is available in Him. Even for those who are already Christian, missionaries bring teaching that they may not otherwise receive, and encouragement that they desperately need. Most Christians in developing countries have very little access to the Christian resources that we in the west take for granted.

For the person going, it means stepping out of his comfort zone. That can be scary, but it can also be one of the most important factors for growth in our Christian lives. As long as we are in familiar surroundings, it is very easy for us to do everything out of our own knowledge and ability. When we are out of our comfort zone, we have no choice but to rely on the Lord. Anything that forces us to rely on Him instead of ourselves is good for our spiritual growth!

Not only that, but most missionaries return home feeling that they have received far more than they have given. Their perspectives have been stretched, their horizons widened, and they have a new and deeper gratitude for the blessings that they enjoy every day.

At the same time, we can "go" without physically travelling to another place. We can "go" through our prayers or our giving; we can "go" by supplying teaching and study materials. "Going" in these ways does not involve the same kind of culture shock as physically going to another culture, but it does include us as part of the cross-cultural spread of the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Glory to the King Ministries International is committed to missions at several different levels:

* Through Glory to the King Apostolic Network we relate to our affiliated ministers in more than 20 countries throughout Africa and Asia. (GTKAN is also open to ministers in the West, but currently almost all our affiliated ministers are from developing nations.) Through us these pastors receive covering, encouragement, fellowship, teaching and prayer.

* Through our Indigenous Ministers Support Scheme and our Child Sponsorship Scheme we seek to raise support for our pastors and evangelists working to take the Gospel out in their own countries, and for the work they do with needy children in those countries.

* Through Short Term Missions Trips we hope to expose as many Aussies as possible to the exciting, challenging, rewarding experience of missions.

* Wherever possible, GTKMI's International Director, Rev. Lynn Fowler travels to visit our pastors and minister to them, and to do evangelistic ministry in their areas.

* Eventually, we hope to be able to train and send out full time missionaries through GTKMI.

* To help support our missions activity through prayer, promotion and fundraising, we are seeking to develop GTKMI Missions Support Groups around Australia.