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Not every south out there is this slow however. When it comes to the worlds Southern Hemisphere, life is on the move. If you’ve ever wanted to see the Gospel spread like wild fire book a trip to anywhere south of the equator. The spreading of this fiery Gospel has experienced many seasons of change and location since Jesus Christ gave his followers the Great Commissions (which can be found in Matt 28:18-20, Mark 15:16, Luke 24:45-49 and John 20:21). What began in Jerusalem, spread to Samaria and Judea immediately following the stoning of Stephen recorded in Acts seven.  Note: Kerygma - The unchanging core of the gospel message, which is not culturally There is no doubt the Holy Spirit hasn’t stopped blowing the winds of truth and singing the song of salvation throughout the world since that day Stephen took his last breath. Taking a quick look through history since then, we can see where those winds have blown. There have been a number of eras in our history where we can see this. The most recent is known as the Modern Missionary Movement. The MMM can be broken down into eras: 1st era: 1792 – 1910 2nd era: 1865-1974 3rd era: 1934-2004 4th era: 1989 - ? All eras overlap and all fit together and depend on each other like pieces to a puzzle. Today, we find ourselves in an era of cross-cultural evangelism that the southern countries of this world are spearheading. The modern missionary movement, worked well to evangelize to the southern parts of this world. Yet, it’s no longer the north heading south to share the love of Christ. The south is heading north. During the first century, those who spread the gospel were commoners. They were neighbors and co-workers. They spread the gospel by opening their homes for a worship service, also called a cell group. During the modern missionary movement, those spreading the gospel were mostly white men from the West. During the mid-1980’s, a new era was ushered in. Those spreading the gospel today are not well known. In fact, many of them we will never know. In many ways, this new era is a mirror reflection of the first era. The current demographic spreading the gospel today is the Sub-Saharan African widow. South America is not far behind Sub-Saharan Africa when it comes to the advancement of the gospel. And don’t forget about South East Asia. Who are these people spreading the gospel? They are the poor, the neglected, the sick, the oppressed and the needy. Jesus did say he came to heal the sick and that’s exactly what he’s doing today. There is nothing glamorous about poverty. At the same time, I have seen an unmistakable joy in the lives of some very poor people. To know the joy of the Lord is to live it day in and day out and that is what I have witnessed among the people in some of the poorest countries in the world. I’m excited about this new era of mission. I’m still seeking my place in it. How about you? If you’re anything like me, you read and see and hear about a lot of injustices in this world on a daily basis. And there are a lot of great and awesome things happening for the sake of the gospel at the same time. Our God uses every situation for his good purposes for his people who love him and whom he loves. For those of us who are in the northern half of this world we cannot forget to pray for our family in the south. And we cannot lose heart for the north. With prayer and unity and unshakable faith, the north can and will come back to the Lord. “Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by country or language or customs, they do not live in cities of their own; they do not use a peculiar form of speech; and they do not follow an eccentric manner of life.” – Observer during the first century. |
