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Gospel Hoarders

Posted by on August 6, 2012 in General | 1 Comment

Hoarders2

The church began in power, moved in power, and moved just long as she had power. When she no longer had power she dug in for safety and sought to conserve her gains. But her blessings were like the manna: when they tried to keep it overnight it bred worms and stank. – Rick Via

Short-term, international missions. If you’ve had the desire, here’s a new book release that promises to be helpful. Rick Via and his son, Jacob, have written a new book designed to help you realize – and utilize – the gifts and resources you have at your disposal in order to partner and participate in world missions in spreading the Gospel.

From the introduction:

GH_Cover“The truth is, there are many places around the world where Jesus Christ is God’s “forgotten” Son. He is forgotten in some places because of hostile governments and religious persecution. He is forgotten in other areas because of materialism and indifference. There are still countless villages and communities scattered across the globe that have no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. There will never be enough full-time vocational missionaries and Christian workers to reach those areas, communities, and villages.

That is where the church (and your church) comes into play. Our churches are filled with people who could participate in a short-term mission project to a needy part of the world. God has given gifts, abilities, and resources to those in our churches that could be used in advancing the gospel all over the globe. It may be that your church or ministry could work beside an established mission or missionary and begin to invest in that mission or missionary’s area long-term. It could also be that our Lord will enable you to start a new work in an area where there is no church, pastor, missionary, or Christian witness….

Scripture teaches that to whom much is given much is required (Luke 12:48). Americans have more resources, more churches, more Bibles, more Christian training, and more access to the gospel than any other place in the world. Have we become gospel hoarders? Hoarding is defined as the act of accumulating possessions and carefully guarding them or hiding them. Is that what we have done with the gospel? How often do we share the gospel with someone? How many Bibles do we own that just sit around the house? Are our churches focused on reaching the lost, or do we hide inside our houses of worship with doors closed to the world? We are surrounded with Christian radio and TV stations, movies, bookstores, Bible studies, conferences, and so much more. These things can be great tools used by God. But in a world where social media is a part of our daily lives and there is a church on every street corner, how easy it is to take for granted the abundant access we have to the gospel? God has greatly blessed our nation and our churches. Therefore, we have a huge responsibility to share what God has given us with the rest of the world. In this book I hope to give you a place to start.

Whether you are a seasoned mission traveler or are just beginning to prepare for your first mission experience, I pray that the thoughts and insights in this book will be helpful as you prepare for your journey. I want to help you as you and your church undertake the process of forming your missional strategy. I know this may be a brand new endeavor for many, but through much prayer and planning, I believe we can make it a reality. So I invite you to read this book with an open heart and mind to the moving of the Spirit of God. It could bring an end to gospel hoarding in your church and the beginning of
an exciting journey in changing the world!

My desire and purpose is this: To see every local church directly involved in sending and going.”

– Rick Via, World Reach Partnerships

Order here for a ‘physical’ copy.
Order here for the Kindle edition.