The Missionary task (Simon says...)

I was reading "new missionary" Simon Cozen's blog here

Simon is uncomfortable with the way in which we perceive the missionary task of the church. I must say I can understand his reticence. Mission agencies can too easily get caught up in the numbers game - whether it is counting "converts" or in the big numbers of statistics in books like the (excellent) book Operation World. Simon points out that we tend to swallow the modernist view of things gradually getting better.

It is relatively easy for post-moderns to critique moderns - and I have to say I think there is a lot to be gained from that, but we cannot allow that same modernist pride to invade our thinking - post moderns miss stuff too!

he says:

"Yes, yes, I know that the Gospel is to be preached to the ends of the earth. But the ends of the earth may well reject it. When that happened to the disciples, they were told to shake the dust off their shoes and go somewhere else. But so long as we continue to measure the spread of the Gospel in terms of reaping rather than sowing we tread a dangerous path - and we tread it over and over again."

Sure - playing the numbers game, or allowing the militaristic (in metaphor ONLY...) "lets convert them all" approach to dominate can be very counter-productive. But preaching (using words only if necessary) is not enough. What we are needing to see is spiritual transformation - lives radically changed by an encounter with Jesus - and that is necessary if we are to get to the goal.

The great commision tells us to preach (and heal etc...) - but the great vision that grips me is the one in Revelation (7 vs 9) where we see people of every tribe, tongue and nation worshipping together. That for me is a goal worth striving for - and I do strive - not mostly by preaching (I am a rubbish evangelist), but also in prayer and in faith.

Sure there are corners of the world (big ones!) where people don't seem to "get" christianity - and there's lots of reasons for that - often centered around the church sadly. I do believe that if people could get to encounter the real Jesus - he would transform their lives.