Mission
26th Nov - Robin Plummer
Robin was Jeremy's cell leader at City Gates church, where he and his wife led.
He's addressing the idea of mission today. He and his wife have just returned from a trip to India. Two questions: What can we learn from the church overseas. And how do we engage with the other cultures around us.
A bit of background
Robin and his wife took a team of 20 people from City Gates and planted New River church in Islington.
Over 20 nations are represented in New River, and it's on the border with Hackney so its great to be able to see what God's doing in the black churches there.
How do we engage with other cultures around us
Robin likes worship music written by someone who is involved in the church in Papua New Guinea where God is doing amazing things. There are cell groups where people in a significant way are being ministered to and receiving healing, but also there's tribal conflicts around them.
Robin recently moved and has been getting to know his neighbours. Where he used to live the people born overseas are far more hospitable that those born here. The English are not a very hospitable people, our home is our castle and we resent intrusion. There was a Columbian lady and her son, and a Kurdish family, all lovely hospitable people.
He ran a regular healing meeting while part of City Gates, which involved producing thousands of flyers, and was phoned by an Indian lady who needed healing for herself and her children. She started coming to church and was prayed and fasted for regularly, it took about 2 years for them to see that Jesus is not one of many gods but the only God, and eventually the whole family was baptised, the wife, husband and children. They know that Jesus has made a difference in their lives even though they are not completely healed yet.
Last Christmas Robin's family Christmas lunch included a curry dish, and baklava for dessert because a Turkish chap was with them. He was a waiter at the local Turkish restaurant, Robin and friends had been eating there one day and he was listening in. It turned out his sister had become a Christian while working in Germany, she was educated and he respected her and knew that she wouldn't do this on a whim. Robin and friends befriended him and he eventually came to faith and was baptised. His vision is to return to Turkey and work with church leaders, he's finishing his MBA at the moment.
Melting pots
Matt 28 v 19 the great commission which tells us not only to baptise people but to make disciples.
Jerusalem was a meeting point for people from all over, nd at Pentecost people heard the disciples speaking their own language. Some responded and believed, and went back to their place of origin and took the word with them.
People come here to the UK from all over, seeking refuge and a place of opportunity, and they get the headlines about too many immigrants, and there is not as much opportunity as they hoped for. We as the church have the opportunity to welcome people differently.
Jer 22 v 3-4 do no wrong or violence to the alien, the widower (single mum in our culture), the foreigner.
Hanging out with people from other cultures is great fun and really interesting. Welcoming people and providing for them may also mean some of them come to faith.
India
In September Robin and his wife and 2 year old son went to a church in India. They had been before, before their son was born. They had been out into the villages with the local church people, prayed for people, saw miracles. They had been trying to get back there ever since, God had said don't worry about provisions or the cost. There is such opportunity now to visit all sorts of places and have links with churches all over the world.
Robin and his wife were doing the church plant and, as all of us, were busy, and also worried about taking their young son to India, but God said go in September. We can always come up with excuses about why to put something off, but when God says go, take the opportunity.
They came across a local man out there who had been very ill, and had been going from one Hindu temple to another praying for his life so his family would not become destitute, which they would if he died. In one of the temples Jesus spoke directly to him. He accepted Jesus into his life, was healed, gave up his job and went preaching in the villages. He was greeted with villagers with sticks ready to beat him up and demanding proof of what he was telling them, so he and his colleagues prayed for their sick and wonderful miracles happened.
There are churches in some of those villages now worshipping and following Jesus.
What did Robin learn?
The church in India has faith for financial provision, it hasn't fallen into the trap of becoming dependent on Western churches. They trust God for provision to do the things God wants them to do.
They pray all through the night on a Friday night. An all night prayer meeting here nearly kills us! But for them that 'all nighter' is just enough to get them through the week. They see things break off peoples lives during the following week. People often come to the church because they've seen God meet a need in someone else's life. So the church goes to their home and prays for them regularly.
They pray for mental illness and gradually have seen big improvements. They are not deterred by persecution which they do get.
There is a big sense of family, which is partly the culture. When there's a party everyone gets invited and it's the same for the church, it's very inclusive.
What about us?
Pray to see if God wants you to go overseas, maybe he wants to encourage you to make some plans.
Maybe he wants you to engage with those around you from other cultures, maybe just a welcome. It blows them away when what they experience from others is negativity.
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