Future missionary activity...

Last night I attended a small church in our town here in dinkly little Horsham, Australia. The minister made a very interesting observation which has really challenged my thinking. He was referring to the fact that Australia, indeed much like America and England, has become a very pagan nation. Our constitution preamble opens like such:Whereas the people of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania, humbly relying on the blessing of Almighty God, have agreed to unite in one indissoluble Federal Commonwealth under the Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and under the Constitution hereby established:Australia has never been in the past regarded as a Christian nation, but past generations were certainly enjoyed a more healthy church attendance than the one present. I have digressed a bit here. Anyway, the minister's comment was along the lines of nations like China, North Korea and Africa who will end up sending missionarys to Australia because of our pagan ways. I have done a fairly poor job in conveying the very words that were spoken but hopefully you get the gist of it. We then discussed how the "spiritual pride" of the churches here in Australia would fare. It is incredible to hear of God's Spirit moving in powerful ways in those nations, among others.Any thoughts on this matter would be appreciated.

Anyway, the minister's comment was along the lines of nations like China, North Korea and Africa who will end up sending missionarys to Australia because of our pagan ways.As sad as a commentary on our respective countrys that is, maybe it is just what we need. To be humbled.

Many European nations were once at the forefront regarding missions. W. Carey and his praying friends were there in the first row, opening up for modern missions.In our own nation, Sweden, we had Fredrik Fransson, who was solidly backed by a network of intercessors, eagerly penetrating China and the rest of southeast Asia.The Chinese Christians have learned, by necessity, to cover each other in intense prayer. When the need of reinventing the wheel, sorry, reinventing intercession - begin to occur, begin to become clear to the church in the western nations, we will once again become sending nations. True worship, true prayer forces the intercessor to become a practically caring individual, even a missionary. Prayer groups who prays according to the mind of God will eventually find themselves involved with missions.At this point we will have to face the humbling experience of being targets for brave missionary efforts from African nations and others.This is our situation out here in Sweden.

I could not but pick out something little from today's newsflow at Intercessors Network:10,000 MISSIONARIES IN INDIA’S NAGALAND STATE ‘POISED TO SPREAD GOSPEL’Nagaland, one of the world’s most mysterious lands tucked in the mountainous, jungle-covered northeastern corner of India, has 10,000 missionaries poised to take the gospel to nearby lands, said Nagaland’s Christian president, Isak Chishi Swu, while visiting California Saturday, Aug. 23.“We want to penetrate China, Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Nepal with the gospel,” he said. “We have 10,000 missionaries who are ready to go.” Swu said the outreach is being held up by the finalization of peace talks between the Indian government and the 4 million people of Nagaland—an Indian state established in 1961 -- that borders China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. “We want to request the whole world to pray for us that the peace process with India will be successful so that God will then release us to preach the gospel around the world, particularly in the neighboring countries. We are not demanding our independence from India, but we do need recognition.”The soft-spoken 73-year-old president was born in a hamlet called Chishilimi in the Sumi region of present-day Nagaland. “In 1921 my father was one of the first converts in Nagaland,” Swu said. “God used him mightily, and he and some colleagues converted our whole tribe during a period of four or five years. Before this, our tribe was pagan.” He says that 95 percent of the Naga people are Christian.Pray for Isak Chishi Swu, President, People’s Republic of Nagalim - Nagaland

What an amazing and impactful article. God can and WILL use just one Christian to spark a great revival of a tribe, people, nation, and someday this entire world. Isak Chishi Swu seems to be a very humble servant who has completely given himself to God and His will...and look at the results! Any Christian can do the same -- submit completely -- regardless of the nation he or she resides in. And if more than one surrendered all continually, praying and working toward the same goal, for God's will and only His to be done? How would He move? How great He is that He can use just one to spark many! How great He is that an army of His disciples stands ready as we speak to go forth in His name...an army that was once pagan. How great He is!!