The Deed is the Word

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, as Disciples of Christ, we would set goals and follow through in achieving them? What would happen if each of us prayerfully considered the direction in which God is leading us, made that our goal, and took steps in faith toward its fulfillment?

Sometimes I wonder if we have created a false dichotomy for ourselves: evangelism over here and justice over there. We want to “win souls,” walk someone through the “sinner’s prayer,” and “save people from burning in hell.” While this is a decent attitude, it gives us the opportunity to set a goal for others and for God—but not for ourselves. The eternal salvation of others is not something we have much say in, and setting goals for others or for God is a frustrating exercise in futility.

So which goals are obtainable? Start by setting a goal you can achieve. How about getting to know your neighbor? As someone whose passion is getting to know immigrants, might I suggest investing in the lives of immigrants in your neighborhood? Help them practice their English or show them around town.

If you, like ourselves, live in a college town, get to know some international students. One day we met a young man named Sunil, who came from India to study for his MA at the University here. As we talked, he said to us, “I have been in America for two years, and I have never seen the inside of an American home.” Needless to say, we immediately invited him to our house for dinner. There is something like 50+ churches in the city of Stillwater, and yet not once had anyone made friends with him, nor invited him to their home.

A great way to get to know someone is to let them be the teacher and you are the learner. Ask questions. Learn a few words of their language. Ask about their culture. Ask about their foods and borrow new recipes. Let them know they are welcomed. (“…I was a stranger and you took Me in…” Matthew 25:35)

This goal will develop into a relationship. That relationship will transform into a friendship. Soon they will see how much you care, and they will want to know why. Your goal, your deed, becomes the evangelism. The deed is the word.

You can’t separate word and deed, evangelism and honesty. If you do, you create a gulf that will leave you wishing you could evangelize, but not doing much about it other than sitting in a pew on Sunday mornings. So, set some goals. Pray that God will lead you. Then, go do it!


--Russ Sharrock

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

 

Supporting Indigenous Missions

Our goal is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard His Name. To date, millions of people in the 10/40 window have not heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. And Less than 10% of Christian giving is provided for missions to unreached people.

In contrast, most of the church giving today (general funds, funds for the needy, etc.) are spent within

2013 Christmas Service

first world nations. Christian churches build large facilities, and spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on music systems, air conditioning, cushioned pews and carpet.

While there may be nothing wrong with this, the faithful believer must always ask God to guide him/her to where true ministry needs to be done, and the wise use of the resources at our disposal. Isn’t it better to allocate funds for missions and evangelism?

In Hebrews 9:27 we are reminded that, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…”

People all over the world are dying and going to hell. Is not missionary work the one task we cannot do once a person has passed away? And isn’t it better today, for cultural reasons and given the difficulty and expense of sending first world missionaries to third world countries, that God is now using local evangelists, missionaries, and pastors to reach out to indigenous and other developing world communities?

It is God's imperative to us to spread the gospel of Christ before His second coming. In fact, if mission support given to first world missions in developing countries is discounted, only 1% or less of giving is being used to support native missions.

Is this good stewardship? Are we prioritizing our resources the way God wants us to?

Native pastors are suffering great hardship. Their families often have only one good meal a day. Yet they go to new villages and preach the gospel, care for people, and befriend those who are in need. We hope to help them with only $40 USD a month. This amount allows the family to purchase their monthly supplies. The evangelist can then spend more time on the mission field.

 Tribal Village Women

There are many native missionaries serving in places such as the mountains of Odisha, like brother Bihit, where he and his fellow workers have been able to reach hundreds of Tribal villagers with the gospel and plant dozens of house churches.  We need to support these fine workers in the Lord.

Will you prayerfully consider being a part of this ministry? If you lead a church or are a leader in your home group or Sunday school class, please consider allocating finances to this project.  

                                     Partner with us in reaching the unreached for Christ.

Would you like to help raise awareness for the needs in India? We have begun scheduling this year's speaking engagements. Please email us to schedule a visit from a representative from Asia International Mission to share at your church, group or club!

Midwest: June & July
East Coast: Sept-Oct
West Coast: August

  Contact us at Here for more information or to schedule a date.

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

  

 

New Year, New Challenge!

January is the time we make resolutions—better health, better life, and even being a better Christian. Many of us know that we could—should—do more as individuals for world missions, but who has the time to take a Mission Trip, or the money?  The guilt of all those unreached souls gets pushed back to the “someday” file…

AIM is here to help you get involved!  Relatively painlessly, in fact!
 

We’re inviting YOU to join our “5-5-5 Challenge 2014”.  

It’s a 3-part challenge to help you make an even bigger impact on India for Christ in 2014.
This means: 
1.  5-Minute Challenge – Set aside 5 minutes (or more) a week to pray for the people group of the week listed on Facebook each Monday.

 2.  5-Friend Challenge – Share this challenge with 5 friends on your social networks and get them involved. 

3.  5-Dollar Challenge – Pledge to give $5 a month (or more) to support projects that impact the lives of the poor, and abandoned street children of India.

Think of it!  You become part of our Mission Team with little effort…but it is committed effort.  We

India has more unreached people groups than any other country.  It has more malnourished children than sub-Saharan Africa.  It has half the world’s leprosy cases—most of whom are shunned by society and pushed aside to survive in slum colonies.

India also has millions of gods, and millions of temples and shrines to them.  The people are in superstitious bondage to the demons, snakes, monkeys, trees and rocks they imagine have power over their lives. It grieves our hearts, and God’s.

So, we challenge you to give a small portion of your life and money to change this!  It’s time for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ to take back His world; for India to hear of The One Who loves them and died for them.
 

are praying that so many hearts will respond that, together, we can impact even more lost souls with the Good News than ever before.

Are You Ready for the Challenge?

Asia International Mission is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) non-profit ministry.

All gifts are tax-deductible and 100% of donations are used as designated

The Real Story

Be sure to check out this video. It's awesome!

Why Thanksgiving Matters

One day Jesus encountered thanklessness while traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee." The story is found in Luke 17:11-19.

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!"

Jesus is called aside by the plaintive shouts of men afflicted with a serious skin condition that present-day translators render as leprosy. Surely, they must have thought, if Jesus could cure the blind, heal the lame, and raise the dead, he had the power to help them too. They were already outcasts and had nothing to lose, so they raised their voices in desperate hope.

When he saw them, he said, "Go, and show yourselves to the priests."

The Master simply tells them to go to the priests, who were the first-century referees as to whether a healing had taken place. Any cure, according to the Book of Leviticus, would need the equivalent of a "seal of approval" so that the formerly unclean could be ritually restored to the community.

Will they go? How can they, since Jesus has done nothing outwardly to assure them of a cure? This, Henry notes, "was a trial of their obedience." How would they respond to the Lord's ambiguous command? Something in the reputation of Jesus, or perhaps in the way he looked them in the eye, encouraged them that they had met not divine indifference, but God's mercy, on the road.

“And as they went, they were cleansed.”

Note the progression: "And as they went, they were cleansed." The obedience precedes the healing.

“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-- and he was a Samaritan.”

Until this point, the 10 lepers had acted in concert: they had lived together, they had cried out

together, they had gone off together, and they had been cleansed together. Now, however, one peels off like a jet leaving formation and heads for Jesus. Whatever has happened, the man knows he has been blessed, and the blessing requires a response. First he sees, then he turns, then he praises.

And then, with the Samaritan still humbly at Jesus' feet, come three pointed, rapid-fire questions, which cast a shadow over the celebration.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Why did he need to be thanked?

Though he already had rewarded their obedience, he wanted something more. He sought their gratitude. "Gratefulness," Richard Emmons notes, "is a knowing awareness that we are the recipients of goodness." Didn't these nine men understand what God had done for them?

The nine who did not give thanks were not only rude, they were not in line with the truth of the universe; we are the recipients, not the creators, of goodness. In acknowledging this simple truth we ennoble ourselves. "God," John Piper says, "is the one Being in all the universe for whom seeking his own praise is the ultimate loving act."

Given that fact, praise is not an option. It is a joyful inevitability in a world designed and upheld by God. The only question is whether we will add our voices to the choir.

Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

I wonder how the nine felt when the man, rising from his worship, finally caught up with them, telling of his grateful exchange with Jesus. They had missed the opportunity to deepen their joy by giving thanks.

Gratitude brings benefits in this world and in the world to come. The nine had their cure; the one who gave thanks had his cure, plus a relationship with Jesus. This Thanksgiving, let's remember that we are all the recipients of God's goodness.

--Russ Sharrock

 

 

Giving Thanks!

This month we wanted to take time and give thanks to God for the many blessings that He has given us. As you read what we are grateful for, please join us in giving thanks to God!

We are thankful for:

The many promises God gives us in His Word that enables us to persevere.

We are thankful for the big struggles, because is shows us that our God is stronger.

We are thankful for our families, and the unique traditions that we've established as a family.

We are thankful for the people God uses to remind us that He is the builder of His church, not us or our abilities.

We are thankful that God has given us good health so we could help others this week.

We are thankful for a house that has warm water and electricity.

I’m thankful that even though I lost my legs three years ago, I can still walk, drive, and serve the Lord.

We are thankful for the hope we have in the gospel of Jesus Christ. It has been amazing to

see how God is revealing Himself to the people of India.

We are thankful that God continues to show us the redemption He started in our lives. It never ceases to amaze me how sufficient His grace is.

We are thankful for each and every one of our donors who have given sacrificially and prayerfully for the cause of Christ.

We are thankful for His care, provision and protection over all of us.

I am thankful for my wife. This year we celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary!

We are thankful for the increasing number of Hindus and Muslims who are coming to know Christ.

What are you thankful for? 

--Russ Sharrock

If you would like to give a year end donation right now for the furtherance of the gospel in India  just click HERE. Thank you. 

 

Discipling the Nations!

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) dominates most of our mission motivation. We always place our emphasis on obeying the command to “Go and baptize.” And “Discipleship” just becomes a task in the process. Unfortunately, many of our mission fields demonstrate our failure in providing adequate discipleship.

We assume discipleship means discipling individuals one at a time. Recent literature on missions by several missiologists says that we are called to disciple “nations.” “Nations” does not just mean ethnic communities or people groups, it also means political nations. We see this emphasis when we read the whole of the scripture and not just the Great Commission as rendered by Matthew.

Abraham was called to be a blessing to the “nations.” Israel was chosen to be a blessing to other “nations.” Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream brought all of Egypt and other nations to follow God’s instructions during the great famine. Prophets were commissioned to proclaim God’s word to the “nations.”

God judges and blesses nations. God even used other nations to bring judgment on Israel. Our God is the ruler of all the nations. Esther influenced a whole nation. We are called to disciple whole nations. It is in this context that we should see our mission.

America is not the only nation God is concerned about. America is not the only nation in the world. We need to go to the ends of the earth. America has always been an influence in the nations of the world in economics, politics, media, and technology and even in spirituality.

Does our mission strategy involve discipleship of other nations or are we still talking about discipling one individual at a time? We need a paradigm shift in our understanding of God’s mission of discipling a whole nation. We need to influence the whole society in its areas of influence like in arts, sports, entertainment, business & economics, education, media and governance.

We need to disciple a whole nation in the “way of the Lord.” Abraham’s call was not to just to follow God, but to bless other nations so that they can follow the way of the Lord. How many of us have received that calling? Discipling a nation requires us to reach out to the influencers – the middle class.

Discipling a nation does not mean just individual conversions, but leading a whole nation, community or society in the “way of the Lord.” Paul was seeking to disciple the whole Roman Empire and so he strategically placed himself in various cities. Paul’s ministry brought people from high places: synagogue rulers, city council members, people from the royal families, several leading business men and women, and even a philosopher in Athens – a member of the Areopagus. 

We need only 5% of the population as a critical mass to become a catalyst to bring change. Discipling nations have nothing to do with the numbers game. If we serve to transform those who have influence, a whole nation can be discipled to acknowledge Jesus as Lord.

Let us together disciple whole nations!

 

--Russ Sharrock

Check out our website HERE to see how you can be a part of our team to reach India with the gospel of Jesus Christ.