My Driving Convictions Concerning Frontier Missions P1 // The Majesty of God

February 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

[read the introduction to the series here]

Allow me to preface the first installment in this series with a quote from A. W. Tozer’s epic book Knowledge of the Holy concerning the supreme importance of the knowledge of God. He said that:

All the problems of heaven and earth, though they were to confront us together and at once, would be nothing compared to the overwhelming problem of God: That He is; what He is like; and what we as moral beings must do about Him. The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems.

God is the beginning, the end, and the chief motivation for all Christ-glorifying and humanity restoring ministry. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “What is the chief end of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.” What then is the chief end of missions? The answer is the same. That the nations would glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Therefore, the majesty of God must be the bedrock of our theology of missions.

This has been the theological seedbed of missions throughout Church history, especially to unreached peoples in difficult places. Count Nicholas Zinzendorf (1700-1769), the founder of the Moravian prayer and mission movement put it this way:

Our passion for lost souls is only surpassed by our passion for the Lamb of God.

Paul said that Christ is to have “preeminence in all thing” (Col. 1:18)–even missions. Missions exists to make Jesus preeminent in all nations among all peoples above all things. It is a means, not an end. Missions is our assignment and our mandate. God is our inheritance and our reward.

The number one reason why missionaries burnt out, fizzle out, or cop out is because they have never connected with this in a person way. I’ve known many people who signed up to ‘serve the Lord’ in ministry who are now disillusioned, disappointed, bitter, jaded, and bored. The reason is because they elevated the needs of man, the nobility of a service, or their own hunger for adventure above the worth of Christ. Though it is a abrasive term, this is idolatry. And it is toxic to the missions movement.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Beauty of God, Blog, Joy, Knowledge of God, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent, Recommended

My Driving Convictions Concerning Frontier Missions

February 21, 2012 By 1 Comment

I have spent the last 9 years in South America, South East Asia, and the South Pacific serving alongside and pioneering missions bases, discipleship training schools, church plants, and houses of prayer. My exposure to these different expressions of the Body of Christ, my reading of the Word of God, and my study of Church history have wrought convictions in me concerning the task of global missions that I cannot shake if I wanted to.

As I approach the 10-year mark in missions, the proverbial wet cement of those convictions has hardened.  They dictate how I live, love, labor, and lead. And they govern how we make decisions as a family.

As you may know, later this year we will be moving to the Middle East to pioneer a work among the unreached of the Islamic world. We will be joined in the first wave by 20 or so of the most precious people I’ve ever met [read the full story here].

The decision to move our young and vulnerable family to the Middle East was motivated by the clear and unmistakable leadership of the Lord. But if it weren’t for the convictions that drive us, we wouldn’t have been able to submit. They have defined me as an individual and set the trajectory of our family.

As we begin the next leg of our journey I want to share them with you in hopes that they would kindle in others what they have kindled in my family–the conviction that as we go to the hardest and darkest places we have have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Soli Deo Gloria.

To be continued . . .

Filed Under: Blog, Martyrdom, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent, Recommended Tagged With: ,

The Coming Revolution in Global Missions: The Worth of Christ

February 19, 2012 By 4 Comments

Since my conversion I’ve been a student of Church history; particularly of reformers and reformations. I’ve always been stirred by those who ushered in new seasons of redemptive history and wrought revolution; especially with regard to frontier missions. While I love domestic ministry (i.e. ministry connected to an established local church) and consider it indispensable to God’s global purposes, frontier missions (i.e. ministry among unreached and unengaged peoples) has always been my passion. Apart from the Word of God, nothing stirs me like the stories of pioneers who laid down everything to preach Christ where He has never been named (Romans 15:20). Among the pioneer revolutionaries that have impacted me most is Hudson Taylor. Of his ministry Taylor said,

“My work is a very peculiar [and unique] one; in many respects it has, and can have no precedent. It may be called an experiment; to a certain extent it is so. And by God’s help it shall be, as it is being, faithfully made.” [1]

Going against the grain of conventional wisdom Taylor embarked on a lifelong journey of changing the face of global missions. Church historian Ruth Tucker described the impact of his consequential “experiment” in these terms:

“No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematised plan of evangelising a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor.” [2]

What Taylor did was not a passing fad. What he did and how he did it still serve as a standard today. The methods and models pioneered by the likes of men such as William Carey, Adoniram Judson, and Samuel Zwemer have decisively shaped the face and trajectory of frontier ministry. These men wrought reformation. And they instigated revolution.

I believe that we are currently on the cusp of the next revolution in global missions. This revolution however, won’t have much to do with methods or models. While these will have their place and are sure to be in the mix, they will not be the primary prophetic emphasis. The coming revolution will have everything to do with motive–not what we do or how we do it but rather, why we do it. And more importantly, why we go in the first place.

As with all true apostolic revolution in Church history, [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Martyrdom, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent, Philippians, Recommended, Salvation Tagged With: , , , ,

After 8 Years in New Zealand, My Family Is Moving

February 14, 2012 By 9 Comments

Dear Friends and Family,

Over the last few weeks I’ve wrestled with how to write this letter knowing that it was almost time to do so. As I sit down to write it, I’m filled with an array of emotion from heaviness to happiness, mourning and joy. I trust you’ll understand why. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent

The Source of Jim Elliot’s Famous Quote // Holy Plagiarism

February 8, 2012 By 1 Comment

Above is a picture of Jim Elliot’s journal entry from 28 October, 1949. These words were penned just a few years before he was killed in Ecuador.

The underlined phrase above is often attributed to Elliot. But he didn’t come up with it on his own. It is likely that the quotation originated from Matthew Henry’s biography of his father, English nonconformist clergyman Philip Henry (1631-1696). Henry said:

“He is no fool who parts with that which he cannot keep, when he is sure to be recompensed with that which he cannot lose.”

I’m sure Henry had no idea the impact that his statement would have centuries later on a young missionary. And I’m sure Elliot had no idea that his journal would have the impact that it continues to have. I’d be willing to bet he never expected anyone would read it besides himself!

Take away points: Read the writings of dead theologians, keep a journal, and live extravagantly for Jesus. We can’t lose!

 

found in The life of the Rev. Philip Henry, A.M., Matthew Henry, (ed. Sir J. B. Williams, pub. W. Ball, 1839), p. 35.

Filed Under: Blog, Martyrdom, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent, Uncategorized Tagged With:

Announcing My New Book // “Unto Death: Martyrdom, Missions, and the Maturity of the Church”

February 6, 2012 By 4 Comments

By Dalton Thomas
Foreword by Brian Kim
Release Date: TBA
Maskilim Publishing

The world is a dangerous place for Christians. All the more so for those who spearhead the gospel into spiritual strongholds where Satan has exerted his control, almost unchallenged, for centuries. As the name of Christ advances, there will always be fierce demonic backlash. How then, should we, the Church, respond to such hostility? Do we fearfully shrink back, or do we boldly proceed? Truly, our response is defined by how deeply we treasure the pearl (Matt. 13:45-46). I appreciate the way Unto Death repeatedly returns us to Christ, and encourages us not only to count the cost, but to joyfully pay it.

David Sitton, President
To Every Tribe Ministries

 

In a day when many best-selling Christian books focus on living in such a way as to get the most out of this life, Dalton Thomas skillfully articulates the Biblical mentality needed to live fully for the age which is yet to come.  Unto Death challenges, convicts and comforts all who would willingly embrace Paul’s words, “to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Scott  Volk
Pastor of FIRE Church
Charlotte, North Carolina

 

Unto Death is a trumpet call to believers everywhere to lay down our lives—even potentially literally, for the high honor of making Jesus famous in all the Earth! Joy and soberness mark this book on martyrdom as Dalton portrays both the theology and practice of following Jesus in total abandonment. Teachings like this one must be embraced if we desire to see the powers of darkness vanquished and the glorious bride enter into her finest hour at the end of the age. Surely nothing is impossible for a generation that believes and walks this message out.

Andy Byrd
Director of Fire and Fragrance Ministries 
YWAM, University of the Nations, Kona, HI

 

Written with extraordinary Biblical clarity, and drawing from a great “cloud of witnesses” spanning Church history, Dalton Thomas’ Unto Death is a tour de force on the subject of martyrdom, suffering, and the glory of God. It is a clarion blast to the saints in these last days; a rare word that must be imbibed, not merely read.

Bryan Purtle
Pastor/Preacher in the Antioch Prayer Society
Kansas City, MO

 

Jesus told us—in no uncertain terms—that unless we are willing to sacrifice everything, including our own lives, for the sake of the Gospel, we cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:26). As the majority of the Church today preaches an utter perversion of the true Gospel, Unto Death is one of the most important, timely and prophetic books of this generation. If you genuinely desire to be a disciple of Jesus and gain a deeper understanding of the undiluted Gospel message as it was proclaimed by the early Church, then you absolutely must read this book.

Joel Richardson
Author of Islamic Antichrist

 

Unto Death is a bold reminder that the call to follow Jesus is no less radical today than it was 2,000 years ago when Jesus charged His first disciples to “deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Me.” Yet many who would follow Jesus today have misunderstood this to be the goal of the Christian life – that somehow, some day, one might grow to the point where they would be willing to die for Him. But strikingly, Jesus declares “death to self” to be the starting point, the beginning of the Christian life. This life which we long to adventurously and courageously live right now is not possible until all allegiances to the world are renounced, and our own death embraced. What a bold and stirring word! Unto Death is written with the clarity and conviction that can only from one who is living its message fully. This is a must-read.

Keith Cowart, D. Min. Asbury Theological Seminary
Lead Pastor of Christ Community Church
Columbus, Georgia

 

Dalton’s thorough research, articulate message and prophetic insight define the pages of this book as a clear trumpet call to a generation willing to surrender their lives to follow Jesus—even if it be “unto death.” May this timely message go forth with speed and unction!

Sean Feucht
Founder of BURN 24/7

 

Other endorsements and more information will be posted in the coming weeks

Filed Under: Blog, Martyrdom, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent

Meet One of My Greatest Heroes From Church History

February 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Below is an 8-minute overview of the life of one of my greatest heroes from Church history–Samuel Zwemer. While the video doesn’t do justice to explaining the magnitude of the contribution he made to the Body of Christ and the Islamic world in his generation, I’m glad to see his story being told.

My prayer is that his life would be brought out from obscurity and set among the ranks of famous pioneer missionaries like William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Ralph Winter, and Loren Cunningham.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent Tagged With: , ,

Wycliffe, SIL and Frontiers are Damaging Missionary Efforts Among Muslims

February 3, 2012 By 1 Comment

The following article on the Wycliffe controversy was written by my friend Joel Richardson. If you’re involved in international missions–especially in the Islamic world–it would be a good idea to understand what’s happening and what’s at stake.

[Wycliffe has denied the allegations as being false. For Fact Checking, see here, here, and here (the last one being the most detailed)]

NEW BIBLE YANKS ‘FATHER,’ JESUS AS ‘SON OF GOD’

By Joel Richardson

In the world of questionable and sometimes downright silly Bible translations, one would think that it couldn’t get any worse.

After all, we’ve seen the “In da beginnin’ Big Daddy created da heaven an’ da earth” Ebonics Bible, as well as the “Apostle’s Log” Star Trek English paraphrase Bible. In a more serious effort, the New Oxford Annotated Bible was created in part by pro-”gay” and feminist scholars in order to set forth a more “gay” revisionist interpretation of Scripture.

But now there is a major controversy developing as the latest altered Bibles are being created by organizations that most would think of as being more conservative and reasonable. At the forefront of the controversy are the Wycliffe Bible Translators, the Summer Institute of Linguistics and Frontiers, all of which are producing Bible translations that remove or modify terms which they have deemed offensive to Muslims. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Islam, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent Tagged With: , , , , ,

“Does It Really Matter How Many Die or How Much Money We Spend in Opening Closed Doors?”

January 18, 2012 By 2 Comments

“If the winning of Port Arthur required human bullets, we cannot expect to carry the Port Arthurs and Gibraltars of the non-Christian world without loss of life. Does it really matter how many die or how much money we spend in opening closed doors, and in occupying the different fields, if we really believe that missions are warfare and that the King’s Glory is at stake? War always means blood and treasure. Our only concern should be to keep the fight aggressive and to win victory regardless of cost or sacrifice. The unoccupied fields of the world must have their Calvary before they can have their Pentecost.”

- Samuel Zwemer, the “apostle to Islam” (1862-1952)

Filed Under: Blog, Martyrdom, Ministry, Missions

Unto Death: Martyrdom, Missions and the Maturity of the Church

January 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Below are the notes to a message I preached on the 56th anniversary of the martyrdom of Jim Elliot and his comrades in Ecuador in 1956. Audio will be added when it becomes available.

I.          THE CALL TO MARTYRDOM AS FOUNDATIONAL TO APOSTOLIC CHRISTIANITY

 The New Testament and the witness of Church history, exalt the call to martyrdom is foundational and indispensable to authentic apostolic Christianity.[1] It is at the core of the call to Christ-exalting faith and obedience. When and where this calling is faithfully expounded, appropriately emphasized, and rightly demonstrated, the Church will mature and fulfill the high calling for which she was conceived. When and where it is avoided, omitted, and dismissed, the Church will exist beneath the intentions of God, in a state of general irrelevance before the peoples of the earth and the powers of the air.

As I aim to show, the call to martyrdom is not reserved for nations and peoples undergoing persecution. It is for every believer. When Jesus called us, He called us all to “come and die.”  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Martyrdom, Ministry, Missions, Most Recent, Recommended
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