7/30/2019 Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel Globally

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Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel Globally

This weekend finds me reading, relaxing, remembering and writing. I just finished an intriguing,

interesting, inspiring, informative, innovative book entitled Movements that Change the Worldby Steve

Addison. The subtitle is even more captivating Five Keys to Spreading the Gospel. Even at thirty-five or

is it fifty-three (?) Im still desperate to see the Gospel spread like wildfire throughout the globe. Iremain convinced my destiny and yours, with Gods enablement, is to change the world.

The author unveils the essential elements required of any movement desiring to impact their world.

There are only five. I will share them briefly with you. These dynamics apply in whatever setting you find

yourself: a local church, church planting, the Associates in Missions program, and our global missions

endeavors anywhere and everywhere.

1. White-hot faith. A saint on fire for God provides the energy and fuel to spread the Gospel. LikeJeremiah professed: Its like fire shut up in our bones. Its got to get out. Changed people,

change others. Practicing spiritual disciplines keep us red-hot or white-hotwhicheverIm

talking about being on fire for God. The fire fell at Pentecost, became our heritage, and the

smoking embers need to be stirred up daily.

2. Commitment to a cause. Movement emerges when people commit to a cause. It dies; ceases toexist when people dont care anymore. To inspire commitment; embody commitment. You are

reproducible. Care. Be committed!

3. Contagious relationships. At the very beginning of this particular chapter in the book I wrote inhumongous letter: CONNECT. Dont forget it. We need to connect, first with God, and next to

others. Missionaries make connections when they meet with people asking them to be partners.

That continues as we go to the field and endeavor to connect with the team on location, the

indigenous churches, and those we reach and teach. Like a virus the Gospel spreads through

close relationships. Steve Addison claims, the most reliable predictor of conversion is

relationships, especially pre-existing positive relationships. To grow we must develop

relationships with outsiders. March into the social world around you! Be a cross-cultural

connector.

4. Rapid mobilization. Mentor others. Mobilize members to become involved in the mission.5. Adaptive methods. We dont have to be carbon copies of each other. We can pursue our

mission with methods that are diverse, effective, flexible, and reproducible. The mission

commission has a threefold reality. There is the message, the messenger, and the methods. The

message remains the same. Methods vary. And you are the messenger. Yes. You!

We continue to give a clear and certain sound concerning our unchanging message and mission while

constantly changing methods as needed to fit the need and culture.