NTM

I just finished reading "A Mind for Missions" by Paul Borthwick, a missions author and speaker who visited our church this last memorial Day weekend. To listen to Paul’s message at Trinity click here. Below is a synopsis of his book.

Paul Borthwick gives us 10 ways to build our world vision:

The Scriptures:
This is Paul’s starting point. He does a great job showing how missions is not a new thing. It wasn’t just introduced in the New Testament. God has always had a heart for the world. He also disproves the increasingly popular idea that there are many ways to God. If a believer is immersed in scripture, Paul argues, they will develop a heart for missions. Paul points to many examples of godly men and women who did great things armed with a knowledge of the scriptures

Current Events:
Paul makes a fantastic point in this chapter: the believer that knows current world events will inevitably have a much better understanding of the needs around the world and practice a "bifocal" Christianity whereby both the broader world picture is in focus as well as the local, immediate believer’s context. But Borthwick realizes that it’s not enough to simply take the facts in and forget them. He encourages us to pray, to prevent ourselves from growing calloused, and to find a manageable way to impact the world. It is in this final piece of advice that the real gold of the chapter is in. He gives some overwhelming statistics about the population of the earth in 40 years (60 years from the book’s writing) and then encourages Christians to think strategically and "small" instead of getting overwhelmed by the seemingly endless amount of information.

Prayer:
This one may seem obvious, but I think there’s more there than meets the eye. Borthwick gives example after example of intercessory prayer’s impact on world missions. "The history of missions is the history of prayer" said John R. Mott. Unfortunately, prayer is one of the least-implemented of Borthwick’s world-vision building blocks.

Reading:
This particular piece of advice is is more relevant today than ever. Christians are increasingly unfamiliar with the stories of prominent figures in missions history like Jim Elliot, David Brainard, or Hudson Taylor. Other resources that Borthwick recommends include missionary newsletters, general missions resources, and books about cross-cultural understanding. Today we could easily include trusted web sites about missions, missionary blogs, and listening to missions podcasts and messages. Borthwick recommends establishing a realistic reading plan and getting feedback from prominent missions leaders about the kinds of things to read.

Firsthand Experience:
This chapter’s about finding a manageable way to slowly get exposed to other cultures. Some of the practical advice Borthwick gives includes eating food from other countries, visiting an ethnic part of a city, and getting involved with an international community at home.

Fellowship:
Borthwick explains that he personally has greatly benefited from fellowship groups centered around missions and the expansion of world vision. Sometimes it’s hard to find an appropriate theme for a small group study, so why not take Borthwick’s advice and have an international, world Christian theme?

Giving:
The challenge here is to "put your money where your heart is"… and if your goal is to grow your vision and heart for the world then one of the best ways to do that is to give to an individual or a project overseas. For more information about giving, see my book report about Randy Alcorn’s "Treasure Principle."

Meeting Missionaries:
Getting together with missionaries can help dispel the notion that all missionaries are spiritual warriors fighting snakes and iguanas in the jungle. It’s hard to generalize about missionaries as each has their own personality and style. Hopefully, through getting to know a missionary you will learn about the ministry God has called them to and how you can help.

Lifestyle Choices:
Our choices, ultimately, determine our entire lives. This chapter helps Christians see how living a simpler life may be a biblical and healthy thing to do. Simple living is conducive to spiritual growth and greater involvement in the work God is doing around the world.

Other Input:
This is a miscellaneous section with some general advice about growing a world vision. One of Borthwick’s absolute best tips (which isn’t in the book) he shared with us during his message on Memorial Day weekend. He said while changing clothes you should glance at the factory tag and pray for the nation that made the garment. If you don’t do anything else to build a vision for the world, you should try this one.

My Summary and Recommendation:

If you finished reading through the points I laid out above, you have already read the book. I highly recommend the book for new believers or those who have never left  a suburban community, but I don’t think everyone needs to read the book. Everyone, however, ought to practice the practical wisdom and advice that Borthwick shares with us, and that’s where the real challenge lies.

What are you doing to increase your awareness of world missions and current world realities?

Don’t forget to watch the challenge Borthwick presented at Trinity.