|
|
|
|
|
published by the Evangelical Library Association.]
"Go, make disciples of all nations." That's Christ's Great Commission. Today mission opportunities are found not only overseas but in our own communities which are becoming internationalized. The books described below provide basic mission education, biblical motivation, and practical ways to take action. They can move your church from being "out of Commission" to in mission. Christian bookstores often stock a minimum of mission books. Here are two distributors which provide a wide range of resources often at economical prices.
Run with the Vision by Bill Stearns, Amy Stearns, and Bob Sjogren (Bethany, 288 pages, $9.99) The authors call Christians to get in gear with God's vision for the lost. First, the present state of God's mission is assessed. Then, mission concepts and strategies are defined and brought to life. Meanwhile, touching missionary stories place human faces on all the data. The authors stress four mission roles. Goers evangelize in distant places. Welcomers reach out to local target audiences. Senders enable and support goers and welcomers. Mobilizers encourage and exhort everyone to run with the vision. The thorough and modern Resources section even includes electronic hookup information.
A Mind for Missions: 10 Ways to Build Your World Vision by Paul Borthwick (NavPress, 167 pages, $8.00) Simple, practical building blocks. That's what Borthwick's little book stacks up to be. The blocks for building world vision are: the Scriptures; current events; prayer; reading; firsthand experience; fellowship; giving; meeting missionaries; lifestyle choices; and other input. The practical advice helps readers make the wiser choice between being worldly Christians or Christians who love the world as God does.
Serving as Senders: Six Ways to Support Your Missionaries by Neal Pirolo, ACMC and Emmaus Road, 207 pages, $7.95) This book affirms the role of Senders--the Christians who make it possible for missionaries to go, serve, and eventually return. Pirolo devotes a chapter to each of six kinds of missionary support: moral, logistical, financial, prayer, communication, and reentry. Senders are encouraged to work in teams, in which each member can provide support in a manner consistent with his or her spiritual gifts and abilities. A fifteen-page group leader's guide is appended.
Operation World: A Day-to-Day Guide to Praying for the World by Patrick Johnstone (Zondervan, 662 pages, $14.99) Tired of praying a vague, "God bless the lost"? Here's the solution. This amazing book is a combination world almanac and prayer list for the globe. Each article--one for every nation on earth--begins with overview information about geography, peoples, languages, economy, politics, and religion, followed by specific prayer needs regarding outreach in that land. Maps and graphs enhance the text. The book is structured both for easy, alphabetical reference and for use as a daily prayer calendar. For $16.99, Zondervan also has a colorfully-illustrated children's version entitled, You Can Change the World, by Jill Johnstone.
Touch the World Through Prayer by Wesley Duewel (Zondervan, 255 pages, $5.99) In some ways Duewel's book resembles other works on prayer with instructions about prayer lists, fasting, and prayer circles. But it is so much more. The perspective is global. The focus in on the lost. The emphasis is on God's power to affect change wherever believers focus their petitions. Spiritual warfare takes on new significance when it is nothing less than a world war. Readers will be led to sign on for the duration.
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya: A Biographical History of Missions by Ruth A. Tucker (Zondervan, 511 pages, $24.99) For some folks history is boring. But everyone likes a good story. That's why Tucker relates the history of missions through ninety-nine biographies, stories with enough depth to convey the personality, ministry, and motivation of each protagonist. While including "classic" figures like David Livingstone, and Hudson Taylor, the author presents a broad spectrum of missionaries. Especially noteworthy are the concluding chapters on medical missions, translation and linguistics, media, aviation, twentieth-century martyrs, third world missions, and new strategies. Nearly one hundred illustrations complement the text. This is without question the most readable volume of mission history.
Guardians of the Great Commission: The Story of Women in Modern Missions by Ruth A. Tucker (Zondervan, 278 pages, $18.99) Women are not a minor part of missions. In sixty-two biographical portraits, seasoned with forty illustrations, Tucker takes us from the early days of women who struggled to be accepted as missionaries to the present day in which they comprise the majority of career missionaries. Unencumbered by an ultra-feminist agenda, this book relates how the Spirit of God has utilized the feminine touch and voice to extend God's kingdom.
Let the Nations be Glad: the Supremacy of God in Missions by John Piper (Baker, 240 pages, $12.99) Hanging from the ceiling of Pastor Piper's church in Minneapolis is a gigantic banner stating: TO SPREAD A PASSION FOR THE SUPREMACY OF GOD IN ALL THINGS FOR THE JOY OF ALL PEOPLES. That banner summarizes this book. Piper's highly motivational book is biblical; the Text Index runs for seven pages. His teaching is spiced with many stories of mission work, past and present. In answer to modern doubts about hell, he presents Christ as the only and totally necessary Savior of the world. In response to our fears that we do not have what it takes to reach all the nations, Piper assures us that our supreme God does.
Yes, God of the Gentiles Too: The Missionary Message of the Old Testament by David Filbeck (Billy Graham Center, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL 60187; phone 708/752-5119, 229 pages, $9.95) How would you like to sit down with an experienced missionary for an extensive Bible study on missions? Here it is. Insights abound as Filbeck, with over thirty years experience in Thailand, demonstrates that the basis for the church's mission is not only the Great Commission, but the entire Old Testament. He then turns to the New Testament to show how Christ and the Apostles carried on the global theme. Each chapter begins with a mission story from Thailand which dovetails with the biblical concepts of that chapter.
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement edited by Ralph D. Winter and Steven C. Hawthorne (Wm. Carey Library, 944 pages, $16.95) Weighing in at 944 pages, this tome may appear too intimidating to some. But Perspectives is the finest anthology of basic mission writings available today. Actually, it is four books in one, dealing with: mission in the Bible; mission history; cross-cultural issues; and current outreach methods. Plus, it is illustrated. Encourage patrons to read it in bite-size pieces, and eventually they will gobble it up. Various supplementary materials, including a study guide and videos, are available from the publisher.  Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. |