Lesson 6Lesson 6The Expansion of the

World Christian Movement

MISSIONS PERSPECTIVES MISSIONS PERSPECTIVES SYLLABUS SYLLABUS

Biblical The Living God is a Missionary God The Story of His Glory Your Kingdom Come Mandate for the Nations Unleashing the Gospel

MISSIONS PERSPECTIVES MISSIONS PERSPECTIVES SYLLABUS SYLLABUS

Historical The Expansion of the World Christian

Movement Eras of a Mission History Pioneers of the World Christian

Movement The Task Remaining

Homework ReviewHomework Review

Assignment: Read “The Kingdom Strikes Back:  The Ten Epochs of Redemptive History,” by Ralph Winter, pgs. 29-42.

Winter contends that history is a “single, coherent drama.”  What are the outlines of the “plot”?  What themes are repeated?  What major lessons are to be observed?

◦ Outline: Ten Epochs thru 4,000 years, the counterattack on evil, redemption by blessing, mechanisms of missions, advance & flourishings

◦ Themes: grace of God, God’s intervention in an evil world◦ Major lessons: God can raise up others if we falter.

 

Introduction to Historical Introduction to Historical PerspectivePerspective

Quotables:

We study history not to find out what happened, but to find out who we are.”

“People who are not making history become tools in the hands of those who will.”

Introduction to Lesson 6Introduction to Lesson 6

The Kingdom Strikes Back

Human beings have virtually erased their own history Redemptive plan, his story always becoming His Story Libraries, literature, cities have been wiped out God’s desire to commune with man during the cool of

the day turned into civil war, genocide, etc.◦ Blood diamond conflict in Sierra Leone, Angola,

Khmer Rouge, etc.◦ Mozambique 27 years of civil war

Evil detailed in surviving documents of major religions

Lesson 6 Intro Lesson 6 Intro

Don’t ever think the Bible is unrelated stories as taught in Sunday School

One single drama, authored by God that we GET TO participate in!

What’s the theme? The entrance of the Kingdom, the power and glory of the living God in this enemy-occupied territory

Ten Epochs over 4,000 yearsTen Epochs over 4,000 years

The counterattack did not just await Jesus Christ First 5 epochs

◦ Theme: grace of God◦ His plan: conferring an unusual blessing on Abe’s seed◦ Enemy’s plan: stirs up hate, distorts DNA sequences,

destruction, divorce, division, dissension, distrust Virulent germs tear down confidence in God’s

character◦ Malaria strains in Moz resistant to malaria medicine

Four Mechanisms of MissionFour Mechanisms of Mission

Four mechanisms of mission:

1. Voluntary going2. Involuntary going3. Voluntary coming4. Involuntary coming

Second Half of the StorySecond Half of the Story

Advance both Cultural & Geographic Dismissing the BOBO Theory Flourishings or Renaissances

Two structures of God’s redemptive mission for Period V:

◦ Modality (church) – structures are inclusive, nurture-oriented, structured fellowship, i.e., church congregation

◦ Sodality (para-church) – structures are second decision, task oriented, structured fellowship, i.e., missions society or military force

Acts 14:21-28 Acts 13:1-5