About our Last Night Group Chat (So You Never Miss A Thing)

Hey peep! Hopefully, you can see a recap from a long discussion we had although I'm not giving you the full gist. Highlights from our IGNITE WhatsApp group LiveClass on MISSIONS with Dr Emmanuel O.I

Class started with someone who got some classified security reports on Nigeria adapted burdens from the security reports. See how it came:

"I woke up today with a strong burden. I've been reading ALL our posts and can see how GREAT our convictions are. (Wondering if I'm qualified to make a comment or drop a thought or two in light of the great theologians in the house!)

Our deep insights into the things and mind of the Spirit. Our spiritual dexterity and intimate relationship with Elohim.

If all these can't be translated as LIGHT THAT CAN SHINE IN DARKNESS until THE DARKNESS CAN'T STAND IT, then we may still be "winking in the dark".

I'm privy to some infos that bothers me...so if we can't reach the CORRIDORS of influence physically, I strongly believe we can IGNITE our words to make INFLUENCE from our "not so little" corner.

Pls pardon my thoughts.
Nothing has fallen beyond repairs yet... " ...if the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?..."
...we still have something... and can still do stuff with our faith other than COMING TOGETHER to show how much of insights we have...let's come together...put our insights to AFFECT what we believe and MAKE our faith HAVE EFFECT in our country or sooner than we think ...we won't be abler to COME TOGETHER and ignite anything because we, then will be struggling for just a LITTLE space to stay SAVED!!!

Then came in Dr Emmanuel O. I: In the light of this, comes the question that leads us to want to understand Missions.

Missions Missions Mission
Hello My Far Away Family!
Let's Ignite Some Sparks in the Direction of Missions
So let's get together
I have the privilege to share on Missions this evening

A contributor came in here:
"Up till then... while we spend hours and hours in groanings...let's like John Knox, hold the GOOD OF OUR ETHNOS and beloved country at heart. "Give us tho nation or ..." we won't die but hold on to our affirmations that NIGERIA WILL SEE BETTER DAYS.

I came back at that point to say to our Indian bro
"...Not so far away any more...  

Ladies and gentle men buckle your seat belt, stay glue to our Flight attendant and participate in the discourse, as we together respond to the need of the hour! With Jesus Joy, I give you Dr Emmanuel O I. (Missionary to India) #LiveClass #Missions kicks off about NOW!!!

Class began in details as below, let me spare you the many 'in-betweens' and just give a recap of highlights...

What is Missions?

What are our present understandings of Missions?
Trying not to be too academic about definition of Missions.

I will say Missions is the collective plans and actions taken to see the Nations of the world reached with and established in the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
By Nations here we mean every distinct group of people with a common lifestyle form
Let's look at that definition in parts!

Plans and Actions
Taken
Nations of the World
Reached with the Gospel
Established with the Gospel

Before we go into details of that, let's see the origin of Missions from the Scriptures

God made Man for Fellowship and to model heaven on the earth!

However, that Fellowship (Relationship) was broken
So God started on a Mission to restore the Fellowship and the modelling of heaven on earth.
He started with a prophecy! Gen 3:14 - 15

So God started Missions Himself
And that Missions is still in process today!
A lot has been done but still a lot is to be done

So from when the population of the World was just 2 people, Mission was instituted

Now we have about 7 Billion people alive on the earth today
And well over half is not in line with God in Fellowship(Relationship) and replicating heaven on earth

There are about 4.7 Billion people on earth who has never attempted the salvation prayer
The 2.3 Billion others have attempted in one form or the other the salvation prayer but a sizeable amount from this 2.3 Billion are not in a living relationship with God
So God decided to call and make a Nation that will lead in the Mission of reconciling man to God, He found Abraham and preached the Gospel to Him
Gal 3:8

God raised a Nation through Abraham to spearhead the Mission
God told Abraham , I will make you a great nation and bless you and you shall inturn bless the whole world Gen12: 2-3
But the Nation,Israel, that came from Abraham, got carried away with the blessing and forgot Missions

However, from this Nation God raised the Sees of Abraham, Jesus Christ, The Ultimate Carrier of the Mission.

Jesus Christ modelled Missions in an unparalleled way
He paid the price for sin and opened the way
He raises a number of men, we call them disciples and through them He gave the Great Commission to all whose life has been transformed by the Mission
The Great Commission Matthew 28: 18 - 20

Jesus gave us the Plan of Missions

Go
Make Disciples
Baptize them
Teach them to Obey all I have commanded
This commission is given to all Christians
2 Cor 5: 18-20
Now remember the definition earlier given "The collective plans and actions taken to see the Nations of the World reached with the Gospel and established with the same Gospel"
Now many people may think of Missions as going into a far away land to preach the Gospel
While that is not wrong it is quite incomplete
Many people may have fears and questions in their minds when they hear about Missions
As we continue, questions are most welcome
So please, don't just keep quiet,
Ask
Question
Even challenge what has been written...

A lady indicated in class: a question I have on this matter

Thank You Esther, You are welcome

Please throw in your questions
And she said: how do one settle the relationship bet mission and missionaries...  if all Christian are called into mission are all Christian expected to be missionaries

Good question we will get to deal with this:

SOME FACTS ABOUT MISSIONS

Mission is for every Christian.
Mission is not necessarily a far away thing.
Mission is not necessarily for the qualified in theology, it is for the obedient and available.
Mission is not in your own strength and power.
Mission is not in your own finances as well.
God is the primary One in Missions,
God Himself is involved in Missions every step of the way
Missions is not random, it is specific in target and goals.

DEALING WITH INVOLVEMENT IN MISSIONS There are 3 ways to be involved, and every Christian should be involved in at least 2 of the 3 ways. Preferably, all 3 even if at different times.
1. Going physically to the Mission field (Specific field)
2. Praying Specifically for a Mission Field
3. Financing a specific Mission Field

ABOUT THE MISSION FIELDS The mission fields are nations in a particular geographic region
A Nation is a group of people with a common life style form
There different types of Nations:
Ethnic Nations: Tribes and villages with a common spoken language and lifestyle
Social Nations: A group of people within a geographical location with a common interest e.g. football fans
Age group Nations: e.g. teenagers, old-aged,
Occupational Nations: professionals working in the same professional fields e.g. Doctors, journalist
Institutional Nations: within an institution a university, a group of students, a group of wives or husbands.

The groups of Mission target:
1.The unreached: never heard the gospel,
2. Unengaged: Heard the gospel, but not interested
3. The Confused: Heard the Gospel, understood, but in the valley of decision
4. Brokenhearted: Christians disappointed by fellow Christians and inactive and hurting,
5. Disengaged: Once active in Ministries, but no more, still Christians, : 
6.The fallen ones: Backslidden ones

Jesus Said to the disciples.........Be my witness in..... Acts 1: 8
: So let's throw some light on the 4 steps of the Great Commission
1. Go,
2. Make Disciples,
3. Baptize them,
4. Teach them to Obey all that I have Commanded
Going may be to any Nation as I have explained earlier, it is not necessarily a distant geographic location, but the group should be specific so as to maximize strategy
So you may go to the schools, the pregnant women, the teenagers, the white-collar job guys, the market women,the mentally- challenged, the street Children, a near-by village, a distant society, the rich club guys, or the footballers and their fans and so on.....the list is inexhaustible
But we must all go
All must go

Go in person, Go in Prayer and Go in equipping
Go in person, may be long term or short term or seasonally. It also may be with a professional skill, like teaching a sport, music, a language, an art. Etc
Go in Prayer means having a commitment characterized by specific prayer times in person or in group, for a specific Mission you are in contact with, knowing their challenges and communicating your downloads of prayer to them from time to time.
Go in Equipping means; Your  finances or support in kind to help meet the physical needs of a specific Mission field, not randomly but regularly at specific intervals, there should be stability and consistency in this.

MAKING DISCIPLES This is not just evangelism, this is a system of teaching them the basic truths of the Bible and helping them develop a relationship with Jesus that is growing with or without you eventually
That's where starting churches or fellowships come in
But it is still done at individual level
BAPTIZING THEM.......
Baptizing should be done at the earliest possible time for the new believers, there's no prerequisite for baptizing them, full understanding is not a prerequisite for baptism, it comes with the system of teaching
And baptism can be done by any believer
This commission was given to every believer, and baptism is a part of it
So it mustn't be a clergyman that baptizes
TEACHING THEM TO OBEY ALL THAT I HAVE TAUGHT YOU

The emphasis here is obedience
Many Christians have a knowledge based Christianity, which is great but the end must be obedience to the knowledge given
The final obedience is evidenced by every disciple making disciples
Disciple-makers that make disciple-makers that make disciple-makers
It is meant to be an endless chain till Christ Jesus returns.
Ok we have had 2 hours,

I hope this comes in informative and helpful to everyone
Please ask your questions and make your comments

We are open to discussions
And clarifications
God bless you all

We pray, we go, we share... And the results are imminent!
#IGNITIONPoint
6Hrs Tongues-Koinonia-Prayers
@ 206A Ordinance road TransAmadi PHC
6am-12noon on Sat 22nd April, 2017