What to say? Part One

Last week I wrote about “How do you report back home?”

This week I want to take a quick look at “What do you say once you are there?”

David Hesselgrave in Planting Churches Cross-Culturally wrote regardless of how you deliver the message (we will get to that one the next post) we need to communicate two things. Dr. Hesselgrave has studied and written much about Pauline Mission so I underlined these points in his book.

He says that these two objectives need to be kept in mind (p.427)

1. To achieve a thorough understanding of what God has accomplished through the missionary evangelist and how this fits into His purpose for the church.

1. To achieve a full participation of all Christians in the missionary  efforts of the local church.

I started looking up places in scripture where we see the church gathered.

Paul after the second missionary journey

²²When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.  Acts 18:22

Paul after the third missionary journey

¹⁷When we had come to Jerusalem, the brothers received us gladly. ¹⁸On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹After greeting them, he related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.  Acts 21:17-19

Epaphroditus to the church at Philippi

²⁸I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. ²⁹So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men,           Philippians 2:28-29

Tychicus and Onesimus to Colossae

⁷Tychicus will tell you all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. ⁸I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, ⁹and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.  Colossians 4:7-9

Can you see a common pattern in these verses?

Here is what I see.

It seems that their gatherings consisted of

• Telling stories of the work
• To let the church know how the workers are doing
• Encouragement to the worker
• To give encouragement to the church
• Received them in joy and honor
• To give praise for what God had done

The church and missionary should have an on-going relationship.  The second part of this post will come out on Thursday. Until then…