Outreach Fear, Doubt, and Discouragement

Evangelism and mission work are difficult tasks. Most Christians struggle with outreach doubts, outreach fears, and outreach discouragement. Here are some examples.

Pastor Kimball serves a church in a changing urban neighborhood. He wants to reach out, but many members fear the mission opportunity at their door. How will Pastor Kimball motivate his people to overcome their outreach fears?

Professor Hamilton is planning her upcoming course "Biblical Theology of Missions." She loves to teach this, but she is disappointed that in a Christian college with twelve hundred students only ten usually register for the course. "I'm beginning to suspect," she muses, "that many Christians don't believe Christ meant it when he said, 'Go and make disciples of all nations.'" How might Professor Hamilton persuade students to overcome their mission unbelief?

Dr. Behrens is the director of a mission society. For the last two days he has visited five missionaries serving at an outpost in the 10-40 Window. All five confessed they are fatigued and dismayed by the challenges they face. Tonight Dr. Behrens will speak with them for the last time. How will he use the word of God to lift them from the mire of outreach discouragement?

Motivational Tools

Those who have caught God's vision to reach the world with the Gospel, continually are seeking to motivate other Christians to share this vision also. How do we arouse believers to share their faith? We have two traditional tools.

Tool #1. We appeal to the Great Commission and other outreach commands. "Do mission work, because Christ orders you to." Commands are necessary and useful. They reveal God's will for our lives and his concern for the lost. However, when we seek to motivate believers exclusively on the basis of God's commands, we tend to bury people under a legalistic barrage of "shoulds," "oughts," and "musts." Although commands may produce results for a time, they often leave Christians feeling more prodded by guilt than empowered by the Spirit.

Tool #2. We motivate with the gospel, with the certainty that Christ has saved us. "Because Christ your Redeemer loves you dearly, reach out to others in love." The gospel is a fine tool. It motivates believers, not by guilt and obligation, by joyful thanksgiving for what God has done for them.

Is the gospel the only positive motivational tool provided by the Holy Scriptures? No. The premise of this paper is: God has provided us a third biblical tool for motivating Christians for participation in his mission. However, like an overlooked ratchet wrench in a tool box, we fail to use it as often as we could.

Tool #3. I call this third tool "outreach promises." Outreach promises are Bible texts in which the Lord promises to bless our witnessing efforts. Although Christians know a few outreach promises, such as Is. 55:11: "My word will not return to me empty" (all quotations are NIV), most are unaware that the Holy Spirit gave us hundreds of outreach promises. Wouldn't it be great, if God--knowing our reluctance and discouragement--had assured us repeatedly that the task of world evangelization would be fulfilled? He did!

For example, through Malachi the LORD Almighty declared, "My name will be great among the nations, from the rising to the setting of the sun. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name, because my name will be great among the nations" (Mal. 1:11). Likewise, Jesus promised, "People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of heaven" (Luke 13:29). Because of promises like these, you can boldly reach out with the Gospel in any direction. Just as gospel promises produce faith in Christ and convert us, so outreach promises create trust in God's ability to carry out his mission through us. With proper training, we can learn to identify outreach promises and then take action, trusting in God to do what he pledges.

Why don't I call these texts "evangelism promises" or "mission promises"? When I have used the term "mission promises," some people assumed it did not refer to local evangelism. When I have used the term "evangelism promises," some people assumed it did not refer to cross-cultural missions. So, I use the term "outreach promises" to encompass all forms of personal witnessing, evangelism, and mission endeavor.

Luke 24:46-47 and Outreach Prophecies

I began to understand the concept of outreach promises in 1985 when I was reading Luke 24 for the umpteenth time, and suddenly the Holy Spirit showed me something I had never seen before. Luke's gospel closes on the evening of Christ's resurrection when he "opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures" (Luke 24:45). "This is what is written," he said:

In this sentence the Savior refers to two kinds of prophecy. He first mentions the messianic prophecies, which he would fulfill during his earthly ministry. The Lord then refers to another set of prophecies concerning the preaching of his Good News to all the nations. These are mission prophecies, outreach prophecies.

Jesus the Messiah, fulfills the messianic prophecies which foretell events of His life and ministry. But who fulfills the outreach prophecies? Consider these words spoken by Peter the Missionary before the Jewish supreme council. "God exalted him [Jesus] to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit..." (Acts 5:31-32, emphasis mine).

According to Peter, witnessing the gospel to lost people is an honor shared by the Holy Spirit and by people who confess Christ. Do you sense the full gravity of this? When you share Christ with a friend, you are fulfilling evangelism prophecy. When you write an encouraging letter to a missionary, you are fulfilling mission prophecy. Even though no Bible verse states specifically, "In the future, on this exact date, you will do such and such," your witnessing efforts are implied and included in outreach texts such as: "All nations will be blessed through him [the Messiah], and they will call him blessed" (Ps. 72:17b); and "...you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..." (Phil. 2:15-16). To reclaim his lost children from among the nations has always been God's plan. And you are part of that plan. What an honor!

Romans 15:4-13 and Outreach Promises

I gained further insight into outreach promises in April of 1994 when I preached at two multi-cultural churches. One was an Anglo and German congregation in Windsor, Ontario. The other was an Anglo, Lao, and Sudanese church in Des Moines, Iowa. In preparation for these sermons, I decided to search for some prophecies which might speak to the specific concerns of these churches. Two texts seemed particularly pertinent.

1. "The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it [i. e., the heavenly Jerusalem]" (Rev. 21:26) This verse promises God will redeem cultures as well as individuals. Therefore, while we are still on this side of Christ's return, we can enjoy worshiping God in a multicultural ways.
2. "Then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the rivers of Cush my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings" (Zeph. 3:9-10). The reference to Cush zeroes in on the very region of the globe from which the Sudanese refugees had come. The phrase "and serve him shoulder to shoulder" speaks to the tensions which multicultural churches often experience. Although at times they may feel at odds with each other, the Lord promises that they will learn to serve him in tandem, "shoulder to shoulder."

As I flew home from my preaching engagement in Des Moines, I pondered what I had just experienced. I was compelled to realize that outreach prophecies are valuable primarily because they contain outreach promises. The power is in the promises. Following this line of thought, I was reminded of Romans 15:4. So I opened my Bible to look at it. There I discovered that Paul the Missionary fully understood how to use God's third motivational tool.

Let's begin with Romans 15:4: "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

What kind of hope is Paul talking about? In the Bible "hope" often refers to the hope of heaven, but the context reveals this is not the case here. In Romans 13-14 Paul urges mutual acceptance in mission churches which were experiencing intercultural tensions. In the second half of Romans 15, he invites the Christians in Rome to participate in a missionary expedition to Spain. The context reveals that the hope in Romans 15:4 is not the hope of heaven, but the hope of evangelizing the nations. Outreach hope!

To motivate the Romans to support the mission to Spain, Paul could have resorted to outreach commands or warnings, but he knew endurance and encouragement arise from outreach promises, not outreach commands or warnings. That's why he refers to outreach promises in Romans 15:8: "For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs" (italics mine).

Some may argue that the phrase in italics only refers to messianic promises. However, Paul surely is also referring to outreach promises, because he continues by quoting four of them:

... so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name" [2 Sam. 22:50]. Again, it says, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people" [Dt. 32:43]. And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples" [Ps. 117:1]. And again Isaiah says, "The Root of Jesse [Christ] will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him" [Is. 11:10] (Rom. 15:9-12).

Like an expert miner, Paul reaches into the vein of outreach prophecy and pulls out four gems glistening with hope. Note that he selected one from the Pentateuch, one from the historical books, one from the poetical books, and one from the prophets. This selection is no accident. God's gracious intent to draw the nations into His kingdom is a theme found in every corner of the Old Testament.

Paul also demonstrates how broadly we can define outreach promises. Some are like "the Gentiles will hope in him," prophecies stated in the future tense concerning the spread of the gospel. Other outreach promises are like "sing praises to him, all you peoples" or "I will praise you among the Gentiles." These don't sound like promises, but Paul, Missionary to the Gentiles, understood them as statements of optimism that God will fulfill His global purposes. Since Paul defines outreach promises so broadly, so should we. An outreach promise is any word God has given us with the intent that "through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" to proclaim the name of Christ (Rom. 15:4).

When we know and rely on God's outreach promises, we are more likely to obey His outreach commands. The promises assure us He will bless our efforts to expand His gracious reign to others.

Worthy of a Distinct Category

On the basis of Luke 24:46-47 and Romans 15:4-13, I propose that outreach promises/prophecies constitute a distinct category of biblical promises. Outreach prophecies sometimes appear in the same context with messianic prophecies as well as prophecies concerning the end times. Therefore, some scholars might argue, "We shouldn't consider outreach promises/prophecies as a separate category of biblical promises, because they are simply a sub-topic under messianic prophecy and end times prophecy." This would be a mistake. We have little awareness of outreach promises and prophecies, precisely because we have no such mental categories. Not until we assign outreach promises a distinctive name and categorize them in a separate mental file will we be able to fully see them and use them as God intended, as instruments to help us carry out His mission.

If you don't agree with me on the above point, I invite you to play the Psalm 22 Game. Although David composed this psalm centuries before the invention of crucifixion, it foretells the sufferings of Christ in detail. To play the game, simply write down verses or ideas you recall from Psalm 22.

Did you remember verse 1, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Verses 7-8 describe the mocking of His accusers. Verse 14 portrays His agonized suffering. Verse 15 tells why Jesus requested a drink. Details of the crucifixion and the soldiers gambling for Jesus' clothes are foretold in verses 16-18. Wow! These are 24-carat messianic prophecies.

Most church-going Christians do pretty well with this game. Or at least the verses sound familiar when they are mentioned. But the game is not over. That was only the first half. All the verses mentioned above are from the first eighteen verses of Psalm 22. Now, what prophecies do you recall from the rest of the psalm?

You may be an exception, but most people draw a blank. Are you curious how Psalm 22 ends? Verses 27-31 are packed with marvelous outreach prophecies.

All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him, for dominion belongs to the LORD and he rules over the nations. All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--those who cannot keep themselves alive. Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--for he has done it.

The atoning Redeemer promised in Psalm 22 will impact all the world. Key phrases from the psalm show us no one is omitted from God's concern.

• Geographic: "all the ends of the earth"
• Political: "the nations"
• Ethnic: "all the families of the nations"
• Socioeconomic: "all the rich... all who go down to the dust"
• Chronological: "future generations... people yet unborn"

The Psalm 22 Game teaches us two lessons. First, messianic prophecies and outreach prophecies often appear in the same context. Second, if we lack a mental category labeled "outreach promises and prophecies," we will tend to overlook them. That is why they merit their own separate designation.

The Value of Outreach Promises

No matter how you look at outreach promises, they are invaluable. Here are several reasons to learn outreach promises and use them. Ponder the significance of each factor.

1. In the same way that gospel promises contain the power to produce faith in Christ and save you, so God's outreach promises create faith that God will carry out His mission through you.
2. "Promise" and "missionary" come from the Latin word mittere, meaning "to send." A missionary is one who is sent. A promise is a message that is sent forth. God won't send you ten feet or ten thousand miles without promises to sustain you.
3. Since God is faithful to His promises, you have the right to claim outreach promises and pray for what they offer.
4. You aren't trapped at your present level of witnessing skill. Outreach promises are solid ground for expectations of growth.
5. God's mission is not stuck at its present stage of expansion. Despite obstacles and setbacks, God promises ongoing advances.
6. Aristotle said, "A vivid imagination compels the whole body to obey it." When we tune in to outreach promises, God's vivid imagination compels the Body of Christ to act.
7. Business literature advises company executives to cast a vision of what they want their companies to become. God has practiced this all along, casting His vision so you will see and accept your personal role in His global mission of mercy.
8. George Santayana said, "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to relive it." Likewise, Christians who don't remember the future may miss out on it. How can you remember the future? In outreach promises God describes the future growth of His church and calls you to participate in it.
9. You don't have to feel like an uncoordinated kid waving anxiously hoping God will choose you to play on His team. The Lord hasn't reluctantly picked you last. From the beginning of time, He chose you to play on His outreach team.
10. Like snowflakes and fingerprints, each outreach promise is distinctly different, because the Holy Spirit gave each promise in a unique historical context. Also, the insights you and I gain from a particular outreach promise vary according to the unique situations in which God has placed us as His witnesses.

An Example: Family Allegiance

Allow me to illustrate point #10 above. In 1996 I addressed several hundred ladies at a women's mission society convention. For that audience I decided to focus on outreach promises which used images of family and child-bearing. Here is a summary of that message.

Although cross-cultural evangelistic work is daunting, God's outreach promises assure you it can be done and will be done. Picture this. Imagine a family photo album containing pictures of the entire Christian Church. Look, there are the folks in your home church. And over here are the faces of brothers and sisters from all over the world--every man, woman, and child who confesses Christ. And still the family photo album is incomplete. Many empty pages remain, awaiting photos of countless not-yet brothers and not-yet sisters who still need to hear the gospel.

Our global family began with Abraham and Sarah, a barren couple to whom the Lord promised, "I will make you into a great nation .... and all people on earth will be blessed through you" (Gen. 12:2,3). "Look up at the heavens and count the stars .... So shall your offspring be" (Gen. 15:5). But years after receiving these promises Abraham and Sarah remained childless. Surely, their barrenness was a source of sorrow for them both.

Infertile couples who wish to have children mourn the death of their dream of raising a family. As you look at your participation in witnessing and global missions, do you ever feel sort of barren and childless? Do you accept this barrenness as normal, or do you consider it contrary to God's will?

In spite of their infertility, finally God gave Abraham and Sarah the child He had promised. They named him Isaac, which means "laughter." Joy abounds when a child is born, especially after a long wait, and no one waited longer than Abraham and Sarah.

God compares mission work to the growth of a global family. We see this in three texts from Isaiah which foretell Israel's redemption from exile in Babylon and restoration as a nation. However, the global details in these prophecies seem to point beyond the restoration of Israel to God's plan to raise up children of Abraham from among all nations (Gal. 3:6-9, 26-29).

Listen to the Lord's joy at expanding the family photo album. He sounds like a parent shouting, "It's a girl!" or "It's a boy!"

Then you will say in your heart, "Who bore me these? I was bereaved and barren; I was exiled and rejected.... but these--where have they come from?" This is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I will beckon to the Gentiles, I will lift up my banner [meaning Christ] to the peoples; they will bring your sons in their arms and carry your daughters on their shoulders" (Is. 49:21-22).

Lift up your eyes and look about you... your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy (Is. 60:4-5).

I will bring your children from the east and gather them from the west. I will say to the north, "Give them up!" and to the south, "Do not hold them back." Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory... (Is. 43:5-7).

In English we say "blood is thicker than water," which means family is the highest allegiance. In these promises God arouses your profound, innate dedication to family, so that you will do all you can to add your not-yet sisters and not-yet brothers to the family photo album of those justified by faith in Jesus Christ.

God promised Abraham an ever expanding family as numerous as the stars in the sky. But why did the Lord start with an infertile couple? So that we would learn to be dissatisfied with evangelistic infertility and would treasure God's promises to multiply his children through the seed of the Word. In the Isaiah texts above the Lord describes the conversion of the nations in terms of sons and daughters being brought into the family from distant lands. In this way God draws upon our innate devotion to family, motivating us to share with lost people the message that can transform them into our spiritual kith and kin. They are not foreigners. They are family.

What Others Say

As I studied the Bible's outreach promises, I checked to see what other scholars had discovered about this topic. My research to date has uncovered limited development of the concept of outreach promises/prophecies. If any readers can direct me to resources which treat the concept in any depth, I would be grateful.

Some popular books on Bible promises include a few promises about personal witnessing and missions. However, the lists are far from complete, and the verses are simply quoted without further comment.

Many outreach promises are quoted in books on the theology of evangelism and mission (Filbeck, Hedlund, Kane, Peters, Senior and Stuhlmueller, and Verkuyl). However, the authors do not stress the prophetic and promise character of these texts. Resources which promote evangelism and mission involvement also quote outreach prophecies and promises (Kane, Bryant, Borthwick, etc.). Yet they are not recognized as a distinct category of promises which God placed in the Bible to encourage and motivate us as we carry out His mission. One exception is John Piper's Let the Nations Be Glad (Baker, 1993). He is adept at milking outreach promises for all they are worth, but his specific treatment of the concept is brief (pp. 49-51).

Some books on biblical prophecy recognize outreach prophecy as a sub-category. A prime example is J. Barton Payne's Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy (Harper & Row, 1973). While his analysis has depth, the book is academic and has little direct impact on Christians. The Puritan Hope by Iain H. Murray (Banner of Hope Trust, 1971) and Christ's Victorious Kingdom by John Jefferson Davis (Baker, 1986) both emphasize outreach prophecy in defense of a postmillennial view of God's mission. Murray's approach is historical and fairly academic. Davis's approach is biblical and understandable by informed lay people. Another example is Michael Pocock's article, "The Destiny of the World and the Work of Missions" (Bibliotheca Sacra, 1988, 436-51), written from a premillennial perspective. While Murray, Davis, and Pocock recognize the motivational power of outreach prophecies, they do not mention the broader concept of outreach promises.

In 1996 I shared my basic understanding of outreach promises with over twenty Bible scholars, missiologists, and missionaries of various theological persuasions, asking them to identify anyone else developing this concept. Their collective response is well represented by a reply from Dr. David Hesselgrave: "There are many references to what you have in mind, but I go blank when you talk in terms of a serious, biblical development of the theme.... I applaud you and want to support the effort as possible."

Outreach Promises and Eschatology

When we study outreach prophecies, we also are likely to encounter prophecies dealing with the end times. Look how the Lord links three kinds of prophecy in Matthew 24:14: "And this gospel of the kingdom [messianic prophecy] will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations [outreach prophecy], and then the end will come [eschatological prophecy]."

The Bible is like a mountain with three veins of prophecy in it. One vein is messianic prophecy, describing what Christ would do when He came to live on earth two thousand years ago. A second vein is eschatological prophecy, describing the last days and what Christ will do when He returns. Because Bible scholars have excavated both of these veins extensively, we know a lot about both messianic prophecies and end times prophecies. Hundreds of scholars have written books on them. Thousands of artists and musicians have created works based on them. Millions of sermons have been preached about them.

Meanwhile, in between these two veins of prophecy lies a third--the vein of outreach prophecies. Are hundreds of books written about them? Are thousands of works of art and millions of sermons based on outreach prophecies? No. We have only scratched the surface of this vein.

Unfortunately, Christians disagree regarding eschatological prophecy and, in particular, regarding the millennium. I wish to be honest with you and let you know I am an amillennialist. However, to learn about and use outreach promises, you don't need to agree with my position. I have broached the subject, because disagreements about the millennium may cause us to overlook outreach prophecies and the promises contained in them.

When an amillennialist reads a text with elements of both outreach prophecy and end times prophecy, he or she may think, "This makes me feel uncomfortable, because it sounds like an earthly millennial reign. I'd better skim over these verses." Similarly, when a postmillennialist or a premillennialist reads such a text, he or she may conclude, "I think this speaks about a future age in history. So I guess it has little or nothing to say to me today." In both cases, the outreach lessons in the text are ignored.

I am not writing to grind a millennial ax. Instead, I want to fashion a trusty, outreach pickax to help you mine the Bible's outreach promises. Christians of all millennial viewpoints can and should dig into the vein of outreach prophecy. Even though our interpretations of some texts will differ greatly, we can all gain encouragement to share our faith from God's outreach promises.

An Introductory Volume on Outreach Promises

Recognizing that little had been written on the subject of outreach promises, I determined to develop the concept. First, I read through the entire Bible and identified hundreds of outreach promises. The New Testament holds at least as many outreach promises as the Old. Second, as a free-lance lecturer, writer and speaker, I used many of my work assignments as opportunities to study specific texts in depth and find ways to apply them to everyday life. Thirdly, I set out to write a book on the subject. This goal was accomplished in 1998.

The book is a 112-page, illustrated paperback entitled Outreach Promises: God's Encouragement for Sharing Your Faith. The text seeks to speak clearly to the average Christian laymen while still providing insights for students, pastors, and theologians. Each of the seven chapters consists of five sections which average about two pages in length.

Chapter 1 speaks about outreach doubts, fear, and discouragement.

Chapter 2 introduces the concept of outreach prophecy.

Chapter 3 introduces the concept of outreach promises.

Chapter 4 presents several outreach promises pertinent to personal witnessing.

Chapter 5 presents several promises which apply to cross-cultural mission work.

Chapter 6 presents texts in which the Lord promises that his mission will be difficult and dangerous, but even so, he pledges to uphold us in the midst of trials.

Chapter 7 addresses the use of outreach promises by witnessing Christians, Bible students, pastors, church leaders, and Christian artists.

Appendix 1 is a group leader's study guide filled with discussion questions.

Appendix 2 indicates where in the Bible outreach promises are likely to appear.

Outreach Promises is intentionally written for the global Church rather than a narrow North American audience. Vignettes and anecdotes are drawn from many lands. Western customs, when referred to, are explained. Since the text does not need to be de-Americanized, it is ready to be translated into any language.

Outreach Promises is published by Roller Coaster Press. The price is $8.95. However, orders of 3+ copies receive a 40% discount ($5.37 each). Orders can be placed by several means:

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Implications

The premise of this paper is that outreach promises constitute a separate category of biblical promises which God provided to motivate us for participation in his mission. If this premise is true, it leads to several implications which in closing I shall note briefly.

1. Investigation. Christians are aware of a few outreach promises, such as, Genesis 12:3 and Acts 1:8. However, most believers are unaware that the Holy Spirit gave us hundreds of outreach promises in both the Old and New Testaments. Therefore, like miner's digging through a vein of ore, Christians need to identify and study the Bible's outreach prophecies and promises. In particular, Bible scholars should devote themselves to elucidating these texts for the general public. I freely admit that my book is merely an introduction to the topic. I intend to write more, and I hope many biblical theologians and missiologists will join me.

2. Motivation. For many believers, their attitude and motivation regarding God's mission is command-oriented. "Christians should witness and support mission work," they say, "because God commands it." What happens when we view our witnessing and mission activities as a faith response to the outreach promises of God? I believe the result would be increased expectation that God will fulfill his promises and complete his mission through us. God gave us mission commands to inform us what to do. He gave us mission promises to inspire, encourage, and empower us to do it. Therefore, pastors and teachers should motivate Christians with outreach promises, replacing "you should" and "you must" with "God promises" and God will."

3. Faith experiments. I make the claim that just as Gospel promises contain the power to engender faith and to save, so there is power in God's outreach promises to engender faith in God's ability to complete his mission through us. Merely saying this doesn't make it true. To test the validity of my hypothesis, Christians should experiment with outreach promises in their own witnessing situations. Here are basic guidelines for experimenting with outreach promises.

a. Identify the specific outreach doubts, fears, and discouragements which may be assailing you.

b. In your Bible discover outreach promises which speak to your situation.

c. Consciously, prayerfully apply your selected outreach promises to your personal outreach doubts, fears, and disappointments.

d. Take action, trusting God to keep His promises. Love, serve, and witness to others as God leads you.

e. Record what occurs. Is God faithful to His promises?

4. Mission "conversion." People are converted to a saving relationship with the Lord by means of the judgments of God's Law and the merciful promises of God's Gospel. Thinking in a parallel manner, it needs to be asked: Can Christians be converted from mission apathy and inactivity to mission empathy and participation by means of the Bible's outreach commands/warnings and outreach promises/prophecies? If this is possible, then we need to design tracts, sermons, and other messages to work this transformation.

5. Healing for the wounded. Some believers who are already heavily involved in outreach, have grown disheartened due to meager fruit or fearful due to persecution. Outreach promises will encourage them and rebuild their hope (Rom. 15:4-6, 13). Therefore, we should seek to develop devotional and counseling materials which console and restore their mission hope on the basis of God's outreach promises.

6. The arts. Just as lapidary artists enhance the beauty of gems, stones, and metals, so Christian musicians and artists can use outreach promises as the material for their creations. A few artists (Scott Wesley Brown, Graham Kendrick, Twila Paris) already have some works of this nature in their portfolios. As we more fully tap the power of outreach promises, may more Christian artists use outreach promises so as to encourage believers to trust in them and act upon them.

7. Theological insight. Christian leaders should utilize outreach prophecies and promises to deal with issues of theology and practice. Many are familiar with Acts 15:13-19 in which James cites the outreach prophecy of Amos 9:11-12. Less well known, but just as powerful is Galatians 3:6-9 in which Paul's utilizes Genesis 12:3; 18:18; and 22:18 to assure the Gentile Galatians that their inclusion in the people of God is no afterthought on the part of God. May such insights become common in the teaching, counseling, and practice of churches and missions.

8. Prayer catalysts. Believers should use outreach promises as the basis for petitions concerning evangelism near and far, as the early Christians did in Acts 4:23-31. On one hand, if God has not expressly promised something, our prayers should be conditioned with phrases like, "If it be Your will, Lord." On the other hand, if God has expressly promised something, we can dare to pray with boldness. Since God expresses his will for lost people in outreach promises, they can serve as prayer catalysts, propelling us to pray and act boldly.

Conclusion

More implications could be stated, especially on the basis of individual outreach promise texts. However, the above list is sufficient to demonstrate that use of the underutilized tool of outreach promises could revolutionize how we go about doing our Father's work.

God promised us that the difficult task of proclaiming Christ to the human race surely will be accomplished. Therefore, we can both rest assured and work with confidence, because it is going to happen! We have his word on it.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.