Gospel for Asia

They are legitimate

 

I don't know for sure. I receive literature from them occasionally, and they appear legit to me. Just follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do, and you can't go wrong!

 

I used to support a missionary from them Harkhil Marak. I still remember his name even though its been years. As to if you should support them that up to you. I stopped just because to my knowledge they would send out missionaries no matter what they believed. Not salvation wise but charismatic etc. I do thank the Lord for their ministry. It was that book you hold in your hand that God used to convict me and my wife and I started by bibles and sending them to people. Then in 2003 God allowed me to start Bible Senders. This year we were able to break the 20,000 bible mark. So again whether you decide to or not I would definitely pass the book along. You never know what God could do with it. God bless.

 

I'm sure these people are honest and are doing their best to win the world to Christ. However, I have serious reservations about this methodology. It goes against everything I believe about the indigenous policy.

Here's the problem. The Biblical method, I believe, is for missionaries to be supported from their own culture, whether they are home missionaries or cross cultural missionaries. When foreign money comes into a culture to support those indigenous missionaries from outside, there are the following dangers: (1) The missionary will become an elite, with more money than the average national. (2) The missionary and his church will become dependent on the foreign money, and not be able to operate when and if the money dries up. (3) The believers in the church being planted will not take financial responsibility for their own church. (4) The national churches will not take responsibility for supporting their own missionary because foreign money is doing that. (5) Resentment will build among the nationals because their missionary is getting this foreign money.

I've preached in a 3rd world country ("closed" to Western missionaries) and seen at work what I believe to be the Biblical way. An American missionary, supported by American churches, came to Japan and won a doctor to Christ. The Japanese doctor felt called to the third world country, and went there supported by Japanese churches. The doctor planted a church in the third world country, and this church has numerous branch works in the area and is preparing sending national missionaries into the surrounding areas. These indigenous missionaries do not have foreign money but are forced to live on the level of the people they are ministering to. I was at a baptismal service where 46 were baptized. The method is working!

 

How strange. You ask for comments and then tell me I'm "way off" when I comment.

Actually, I believe I'm more qualified to comment on this than anyone else on the BB, having been a missionary to a Gospel-resistant country here in the 10/40 window since 1981, and having preached in the area this mission effort is trying to reach.

Yes, so am I. Are you aware that the Japanese are less than 1% Christian, only 0.5% evangelical? In fact probably all of the countries this mission effort is trying to reach have a much higher percentage of Christians than where I am: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, etc.

I'd be happy to discuss my points with you, but I won't debate them here. Please bear in mind that this is a fellowship forum, not a debate forum.

I've known about this "indigenous" missionary philosophy for many years. It was first tried by Karl Gutzlaff (1803-1851), a pioneer missionary who went first to Thailand, then to China, and also tried to reach Korea and Japan. He started a work similar to what you are touting in 1840, and trained 50 Chinese men. He then solicited support for these men in England. Unfortuantely, the glowing reports sent back by most of these indigenous missionaries were false, and Gutzlaff's work went down in disgrace.

Gutzlaff was sincere, loved the Lord and did much good. So probably the leaders of Gospel for Asia are the same. But their method deserves close scrutiny before you support it.

P. S. The figure of "over $75,000 a year for a foreign missionary" given on the GFA website is very inaccurate. Here we are in the most expensive country in Asia, and we don't need anywhwere near that amount.

 

Again I reiterate, just follow the burden the Lord gives you. There's no need to concern yourself with methodology. God is not limited to any particular method.He will work as He chooses, even if certain individuals or groups of individuals don't agree or approve. Follow God. HE is the one who is more qualified than anyone on the BB to speak on this matter.

 

So then do you not believe that God can use other people to lead us in His will? After all, God used Elijah to call Elisha.

And by the way, I believe that yes, God is concerned about methodology. I'll not debate you on it since this is a fellowship thread, but if God is not concerned about methodology He wouldn't have killed Dathan and Abiram.

Your implication then is that I am going against God's will in posting here on the BB from my knowledge of the Word of God and the subject at hand. Sorry, but I believe the Holy Spirit led me to post here, on this thread, about this subject.

 

Pride is an especially tricky sin. Everyone is usually able to detect its presence except the one who i@ plagued with it. That being said, I have no desire to argue or debate, so I will sign off of this thread. I have said what I said, and I stand by it. Sorry if you don't agree John

 

Defensive doesn't describe my feelings at all. Bemused is more like it. I couldn't understand (still can't) why you asked for input here on the BB, then made up your mind without considering that input.

Are you not even the least curious as to the theological and missiological objections I have to this method of missions?

I told you I visited a Japanese missionary in that area. Aren't you interested in the slightest as to how that worked out?

I never said these missionaries are not effective. I have no doubt some of them are very effective. Souls being saved is certainly wonderful. What I worry about is the eternal effect on the churches being planted of it being done with foreign money. I completely oppose that. Aren't you interested as to why?

Whether I'm doing a good work here is entirely up to the Lord to judge. I don't even consider that. That would be pride.

I am certainly not trying to discourage you, and apologize if I did so. But there are many avenues for one wishing to support missions. Surely you don't think that GFA is the only avenue for you to support missionaries? What is your local church doing to support missions?

Please don't twist my words. I did NOT say that I am the expert on this subject on this board. If what I said was prideful, then the Apostle Paul was prideful also when he said "Through mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ" (Rom. 15:9). If you wanted to know about Illyricum in the 1st century, wouldn't you ask the Apostle who had been there and preached there?

 

If what I've said on this thread is pride, then we missionaries ought to just quit writing our prayer letters. And you as an evangelist ought to never send out a newsletter telling where you've preached and how the Lord has used you. As Paul did, "I magnify mine office" as a missionary. As an evangelist, do you magnify yours and thus magnify Christ who called you?

I think you fail to understand what the Bible really teaches about pride. Perhaps tomorrow I'll start a thread in the Baptist Discussions debate forum on the matter. I invite you to meet me there and discuss it. Perhaps we can learn from each other.

 

I do not believe that cost should ever be a factor in God's work. If we are going to factor souls won per dollar spent, then all of us missionaries in Gospel-resistant cultures ought to just give up and go home. God's glory and obedience to the Word of God ought to govern every single decision we make in His work.

 

I brought up the money issue because GFA is way off base on that. It really is not fair to us foreign missionaries to quote such an inflated figure. I really don't know any missionaries, especially in that area of the world, that get anywhere near that much support.

I'm not asking for your support. I suggest that first of all you go to your pastor and ask him what he thinks of GFA. Secondly, I suggest you go to the person in charge of the missions program at your church and ask what you can do. They could tell you far better than I what you can do in your situation.

I will say this quickly, and hopefully write more tomorrow giving Scripture. (It's late here in Japan.) GFA missionaries do not communicate with their supporters. The Bible in Acts clearly has the missionaries communicating with their monetary supporters.

I have not attacked GFA. I have criticized their method. Anytime I can't critique the method of a mission board, the game is over.

I accept your apology. But once again, please go back and read what I actually said. Don't put words in my mouth. I did NOT say that I know more about missions than anyone on this board. Nor do I believe that.

 

Yes, this is what I said. I was flabbergasted when this was taken to be pride. I only meant it like when a plumber says, "Yes, I know this problem," or a doctor says, "Yes, I know this disease and how to treat it."

I do not call myself an expert on missions, nor would I ever say I know more about missions than anyone on the BB. C4K is my friend, a missionary with the same board. Mexdeaf is my friend. There are pastors here who have been to more countries on missions trips than I have.

 

When you write a reply to a post, in order to have the original post included with your post, reply by clicking on the little "quote" button at the bottom right of every post. That will include the post of the original poster with the BB name of the person.

After this, if you want to answer each paragraph individually, you first look at the other person's post you have quoted. It will have one of these [the information about the quote] at the beginning and end. Move the end one up to the end of the first paragraph in the quote. Next, double click on the second paragraph so that the whole thing is highlighted. Then look at the top of the box you are writing in. Click on the little cartoon balloon there, and that will then put the second paragraph in quotes after you submit your reply.

I hope this helps. :type: