Lausanne’s Fourth Congress on World Evangelism (L4) took place in Seoul (Incheon), South Korea from September 22–28 this year. Representation for L4 increased to 5,200 participants coming from over 200 countries. Rather than attempt complete coverage of the Congress in this blog, reflections will be framed around a series of questions to highlight several significant aspects.
Much of the program at last week’s Fourth Lausanne Congress was structured around 25 issue areas, or gaps. Yet some have pointed out that this granular approach to the overall mission effort ignores the context of each of the gaps, as well as the ways in which they interrelate.
The Lausanne Covenant included Christians on both sides of disagreements who might otherwise be divided. Instead, the leaders of the congress sought to create a covenantal community across such differences and in service of a shared mission for “the whole church to take the whole gospel to the whole world.”
As with Abram, so with us: we are the beneficiaries of that promise and blessing. We are invited to leave, to go, to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with Jesus Christ, the living image of our living God. Going includes learning to minister cross-culturally. That is our blessing, our calling, our mission.
Sharing the gospel with Muslims, including Chinese Muslims, takes a lot of cultural sensitivity. “The First and Last Sacrifice” is one method of sharing the story of Jesus which incorporates references to the Quran, Arabic names, and Islamic concepts to reach Muslims for Christ.
Check out What Is Home? a new animated series from Jesus Film Project. Each of the four-episode series tackles themes of peace, joy, happiness, and the way God heals our hearts.
Engaging with Chinese Muslims requires building relationships through intentional, informal, and interactive conversations. Following Jesus' example with the Samaritan woman, we can find points of contact, steer discussions towards spiritual matters, reveal their need for salvation by confronting their sins with compassion and humanity, share the gospel story, and invite a decision to follow Christ.
Dr. Harris and Reed’s relational approach applies for individuals to begin relationships with Chinese people in various online spaces and understand their needs. The content of the book needs to be further contextualized for a local Chinese audience, where relationship building will have more nuances in both cultural and digital landscapes.
[The young man] said that about a third of his contemporaries were interested in anything to do with the West, a third were staying with the Party to make sure of a stable future in China and a third, in his words, were “looking for God.”
What if I told you there was a safe, secure way in which information can be received by people in China? It cannot be easily turned off or blocked, it cannot be traced, it leaves no digital footprint, and best of all, it cannot be censored or edited.
The author gives an overview of the development in the Chinese church in New Zealand. Recently, God has been building a spirit of unity. The author believes that New Zealand may soon become a base for Chinese missions.
Many Chinese from diverse backgrounds have migrated to the Pacific Islands. Few of them have become Christians. The Pacific Islands Chinese Mission Conference gatherings have helped coordinate ministry to these Chinese people.