Our INTERNATIONAL WORKERS (Missionaries)
Jake and Sarah Howard from Guinea, West Africa are going to be visiting Restoration as our missions emphasis speakers on August 13-14. Jake and Sara will join us for Church on Saturday night the 13th (Lord willing) and Sunday morning the 14th. We will also be talking about missions as it relates to praying, serving, and giving. See you then! In the meantime, be in prayer.
The BIBLE’S STORY
God has a destiny for all peoples (meaning all people groups)—that they should gain access to the gospel. This biblical theme begins with God’s promise to touch all peoples with blessing (Gen 12:1-3). It ends with representatives of all peoples around the throne of Jesus, worshiping him forever (Rev 7:9-10). In between are a host of Scriptures that tell this story.
We’re part of His story!
The BIG QUESTION
What does it mean to fulfill the Great Commission? If God promises to draw people from “every tribe and tongue” to worship Jesus as we carry out the Great Commission, then progress in fulfilling it must be measured in terms of reaching every “people.”
This helps us realize two important priorities:
- People groups need an expression of the gospel and of the Church that makes sense to them in their culture. For the purposes of completing the Great Commission, the term “people group” denotes the largest natural grouping of people that can likely receive meaningful gospel access through a singular approach; and
- Progress toward completing the Great Commission is measured by making followers of Jesus within each people group that lacks gospel access.
You can help give access to All Peoples!
Our BOLD RESPONSE
When a people group lacks gospel access, it can be given to them only by someone from outside of that group. But this kind of “outsider access” is not the end goal. Where gospel access is brought by outsiders, the end goal is to see it transition to “insider access.” Insider access is what occurs when many believers gather in networks of churches strong enough to sustain witness to their own people —and multiply it beyond to still other peoples. This is how the Great Commission will be fulfilled! God is using The Alliance to do this well. And He is calling each of us to be part of His story.
This is how God is using The Alliance!