SOUTH NEGROS BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE

Lugway, Caradio-an, Himamaylan City.

Instructor: Rev. Rene J. Quilla

Course Title: Missions and Church Growth

10 Famous Christian Missionaries

There are many famous Christian missionaries throughout history. While we may not agree with every one of them from
a doctrinal standpoint, they are an inspiration and example to those of us who are serving the Lord as missionaries
today. Here is a list of 10 famous missionaries and what they are known for. I hope you are inspired to pick up a book
and study each of these men and women and see what they contributed to the cause of Christ.

William Carey (1761-1834)

William Carey is known as the father of modern missions. Carey was an English missionary to India who was a skilled
linguist, writer and printer. He translated portions of the Bible in many languages.

Carey grew up in the Church of England but was saved while an apprentice to a shoemaker. He eventually joined the
Baptist church and went to India as a Baptist missionary. As a self motivated learner he taught himself Latin, Hebrew and
Greek.

He founded the Baptist Missionary Society and was instrumental in influencing many other missionaries to the foreign
field; particularly to India.

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850)

Judson was a Baptist missionary who became the first North American Protestant missionary in Burma (Myanmar). Like
other early missionaries, he was involved in translation work and church planting. He went to the field of India as a
Congregationalist but, after much study of the Bible, became convinced that Baptist doctrine was more biblical. Because
of anti-Western sentiment in India, he moved to Burma.

It took him 12 years to see his first 18 converts. By the time he died he had established 100 churches with over 8,000
members. The Baptist churches of Myanmar celebrate “Judson Day” each year to commemorate his arrival in the
country.

David Livingstone (1813-1873)

David Livingstone was a medical missionary with the London Missionary Society. He was born in Scotland in 1813, but
spent most of his life in Africa as an explorer and doctor. Coupled with his love for the Lord and desire to spread the
Gospel, Livingstone used his understanding of nature and science to help him map much of southern Africa.

Livingstone never stayed long in any one place. He was driven to map the continent of Africa in preparation for the many
missionaries who would come after him.

Livingstone is considered one of the greatest missionary heroes. God has used his life to open doors for the Gospel.

George Müller (1805-1898)

Müller is known as a prayer warrior who started orphanages and preached heavily about the need for missionaries
around the world. In his lifetime his orphanage in England took care of more than 10,000 children. He was instrumental
in promoting the idea of “faith missions.” This is where missionaries are not supported by a denomination but by
individuals and churches. He believed in never asking anyone for support, but trusting God to lay it on the person’s heart
to support the need.

Hudson Taylor (1832-1905)

Hudson Taylor spent more than 50 years in China as a missionary and is known for his respect for the Chinese culture.
He was widely criticized in his home country of England at the time for dressing like a China man in his efforts to blend in
while sharing the Gospel. This practice made him much more accepted by the people when he preached.
Hudson Taylor was trained as a physician. He worked as a doctor, evangelist and translator while in China. He continued
his translation work when he returned to England for medical reasons.

He personally influenced hundreds of people to be missionaries in his lifetime. Many missionaries today attribute their
introduction to the need for missions from reading biographies about Hudson Taylor.

Jonathan Goforth (1859-1936)

Though Jonathan Goforth and his wife went to China in 1888 as traditional missionaries, he soon found a need for short-
term trips as an Evangelist. Instead of staying in one place and establishing a church and mission station, he traveled in
various regions in China helping to encourage the believers and evangelize the lost.

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Amy Carmichael was an Irish missionary who served in India for 56 years without ever returning to her homeland. Her
primary work was with orphans in the southern region of India. She was influenced to consider a career in missions after
hearing Hudson Taylor speak about the need for missionaries in China. She applied to be a missionary with the China
Inland Mission (Taylor’s missionary group) but was eventually turned away because of her poor health. Many of her final
20 years of life was spent in bed due to illness and injury from a fall.

Nate Saint (1923-1956)

As a Missionary Aviation Fellowship (MAF) pilot, Nate Saint helped make contact with the Waodani (or Auca) Indians in
Ecuador. Eventually he and his companions were killed in their efforts to evangelize the tribe. However, through the
efforts of Nate’s sister and the wives of the other men who died that day, the Auca Indian tribe came to know the Lord.

The short lives of men like Nate Saint may seem like a waste during the time of the tragedy, but God has a plan and
works all things out to His glory.

Jim Elliot (1927-1956)

From an early age Jim Elliot learned the Bible and used it to lead his daily life. He is most remembered for his dramatic
death (along with Nate Saint and three other missionary men) at the hands of the Waodani (or Auca) Indians. While
their deaths were tragic, the response by the wives of these men towards the ones who killed them opened up their
hearts to the Gospel.

Eric Liddell (1902-1945)

Eric Liddell is probably best known for the 1980s film Chariots of Fire. The film mainly focused on his life as an Olympic
runner, yet the story of Eric Liddell as a missionary is important. Liddell was born to missionary parents in North China.
His parents were Scottish missionaries serving with the London Missionary Society. Though he was born in China, he
spent his school years in Scotland.

After school, and his time as an Olympic athlete, he returned to China as a missionary in 1925. He worked as a school
teacher as well as a minister. By 1941 British nationals were encouraged to leave China by the British government
because of the coming Japanese invasion. Liddell’s wife and children returned to Canada which is where she was from.
Eric remained to work in a hospital with his brother. In 1943 he was put in a prison camp by the Japanese and continued
to teach children and preach the Bible.

Mr. Liddell died of a brain tumor in the Weihsien Internment Camp on February 21, 1945. He died of an inoperable brain
tumor. I recently had the privilege of meeting a lady who was a young girl in the same camp with Eric Liddell. She said
that as children (she was with him from the time she was 9 to 11 years old), they knew nothing of his fame as an athlete.
The children only knew that he was a kind gentle man and one of their favorite teachers.

Jim Elliot is often quoted as saying, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”
 SOUTH NEGROS BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE
Lugway, Caradio-an, Himamaylan City.

Instructor: Rev. Rene J. Quilla

Course Title: Missions and Church Growth

"What is Christian Missions?"

Christian mission: the total redemptive purpose of God to establish his kingdom. Missions, on the
other hand, is the activity of God’s people, the church, to proclaim and to demonstrate the
kingdom of God to the world. The word mission comes from the Latin word mittere meaning to
send.

Christian missions is obeying Christ

After Christ’s death and resurrection, the Lord commanded the disciples to share the gospel, the message of His
redemption: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,
to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20).

This Great Commission applies to Christians today. Rather than weighing us down with a burden, obeying God’s call
brings joy and reward in heaven. We should fulfill our mission not out of duty but love: “For Christ’s love compels us,
because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no
longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. . . . All this is from God, who reconciled
us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in
Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are
therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf:
Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness
of God” (2 Corinthians 5:14–21).

Christian missions is sharing Christ

Our mission is proclaiming Christ as the only Savior from sin and the only way to abundant, eternal life. Whom do we
tell? Jesus told Christians to reach out to “all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Jesus sends us to all people groups, to every
ethnic culture without a gospel witness.

Christian missions, however, is not limited to overseas ministry. While believers should faithfully support those who go
to the unreached on foreign soil, all Christians have the mission to share Christ on the home field with family, friends,
coworkers, and the community.

The Christian mission of sharing Christ does not end with a sinner’s salvation. The commission was to make disciples—
not immature believers. Thus, Christian missions involves not only evangelism but also discipleship.

Christian missions is relying on Christ

Sharing the gospel humbly, boldly, and passionately is our Christian mission. But we cannot do it alone. The power and
results of Christian missions come from the Lord. He gives us the wisdom, strength, and desire to witness! Through our
witness, He works repentance and faith in the sinner’s heart (2 Corinthians 5:20–21).

Although missions is ultimately God’s work, Christians are responsible to understand and share the gospel and to have a
strong relationship with Christ. Such a relationship guards against hypocrisy. “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do
this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good
behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander” (1 Peter 3:15–16). Jesus assured us that suffering would accompany
missions, but God uses even suffering for good (Romans 8:28).

In sum, Christian missions is obeying Christ, sharing Christ, and relying on Christ. Specifically, God sends missionaries
through the support of the church to the unreached. All Christians, however, have the mission of reconciliation. The Lord
works through them to rescue the lost. What greater mission can one fulfill?
THE NATURE OF THE MISSION

Missions originated in the heart of God. It is not something we decide to do for God, but God reveals his purpose to us
so that we may have a creative part in his mission. Make no mistake, we do not initiate the mission nor will we
consummate it. But somehow, some way, and to some extent, God has limited what he will do. That limit is the
possibility of what he can do through us (Ps. 78 :41). God sums up our awesome responsibility and the faith he puts in us
in three basic purposes of his mission and ours.

To Bring Glory to God

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul stated three times that God’s eternal plan is for his people to be to the praise of his
glory (Eph. 1:6,12,14). Throughout the chapter, God stands as both the originator and the goal of the redemptive
process. Scholars agree that the glory of God is the ultimate goal of God’s mission. God receives glory when man fully
realizes the purpose of his existence, consciously praises God for his grace, and joyfully demonstrates God’s grace by
being filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19). The goal which one envisions is of such great importance for the
mission because one’s conception of the goal determines to a great extent one’s motive for participation in the
mission.... Those, therefore, who find in God final goal are impelled to conscious mission by the most urgent and
compelling motivation possible. These cannot rest until all men praise God, until every tongue confesses the Christ, until
every knee bows before him, and until all the ends of the earth have been reached with the gospel of Jesus. For these
are conscious that while there is one tongue yet silent or one knee still unbent, God is not receiving the glory due unto
him in and from his creation.'

To Share the Good News with the Alienated

God’s mission includes recreating man spiritually. "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
which God bath before ordained that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). God restores man’s identity and his purpose
for being. At the same time God creates a new society without barriers (Eph. 2:13-22). The mystery of God’s mission is
clear: "That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body and partakers of his promise" (Eph. 3:6). He has
entrusted his people with the mission expressed by Paul: "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace
given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the
fellowship of the mystery which from the beginning of the world bath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus
Christ" (Eph. 3:8-9).

To Display the Wisdom of God to Evil Powers

In some way yet unrevealed, man becomes God’s display of his wisdom to Satan and his evil beings: "In order that the
manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly
places" (Eph. 3:10, NASB). Redeemed man is the primary exhibit of God’s grace. We are not informed about all the
conflict between the two kingdoms although we are obviously in the midst of the struggle. Nevertheless, God seems to
be depending on us to demonstrate his goodness, wisdom, and power. We do not understand what is at stake for God,
but we are told that it is supremely important to him and to us.Each of us feels uncertain about his purpose in life until
God reveals it to him. One purpose of this book is to help you realize how important you, as an individual, and the
church, as the people of God, are to God.
 SOUTH NEGROS BAPTIST BIBLE COLLEGE

Lugway, Caradio-an, Himamaylan City.

Instructor: Rev. Rene J. Quilla

Course Title: Missions and Church Growth

Seven Essential Tasks of Effective Christian Missions

There are many important responsibilities applicable to Christian missions. Yet, of all that can be listed, there are seven
essential tasks that are most central.

Christian Foreign Missions exists to:

1. Exalt the Name of the One True God

First, Christian missions exists to exalt the Name of the One True God. Christians believe there is only one Lord God
Almighty, Creator of the universe and all living things. He made every human being to be special, unique persons with
eternal value in his sight. To exalt His Name means to glorify God or, in plain terms, to make God look good and
attractive to others. Certainly, others have the right to reject God, but they should never reject him because of the
unseemly character of a mission group or team member.

2. Exemplify the Body of Christ

Second, Christian missions is about exemplifying the Body of Christ. To exemplify Christ's Body means to model the kind
of loving fellowship that comes from knowing Jesus and walking together in God's Holy Presence. Christian missionaries
are far from perfect, but as a group they exist to demonstrate to others around the world a type of support and
camaraderie that does not exist in the secular world. Christian mission teams are envoys or ambassadors that represent
the Kingdom of God, a place of refuge, a safe harbor from the storms of life. To exemplify the Body of Christ means to
value each member along with their special quirks and peculiarities and to help each other thrive to God's fullest
potential. As such, team members seek God together and when conflict arises, as inevitably it will, they are quick to talk
through differences, forgive one another and walk forward together, hand-in-hand.

3. Evangelize Unbelievers

The third essential task of Christian Missions is to evangelize unbelievers. Unfortunately, the term - evangelize- has a bad
connotation, as it gives the picture of a Christian hammering a non-Christian over the head with a Bible until they cower
into submission and - pray the sinner's prayer.- However, in this context, the term - evangelize- simply means - to tell the
good news- of God's great love for them. To testify about Him, who He is and what He has done.

If there is only One True God, then it is an imperative that Christians, including Christian missionaries, tell others about
Him and how they can have a relationship with Him. Telling others the good news also includes telling them about God's
Son Jesus Christ, his loving sacrifice on the cross in order to pay the penalty for our sins, and how Jesus conquered death
by resurrecting on the third day.

Perhaps, it should be written that telling the good news does not mean shoving Christ down another person's throat.
Not even the most persuasive person can make another person a true believer by coercion. Christian's are called to be
loving, kind and cordial. It is God's task to convince others to believe; it is the Christian missionary's task simply to
present the good news in a loving manner.

4. Educate Disciples of Jesus Christ

The fifth purpose of Christian missions is to educate disciples. To educate disciples means to teach the new believers
how to grow in their faith and knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. The main source of teaching should be the Christian
Bible. New believers should be taught or trained in the basic fundamentals of Christian faith and practice, including how
to:

- Worship God
- Read and study the Bible
- Pray for themselves and others
- Fellowship with other believers
- Deal with conflict
- Forgive themselves and others
- Tell others about God and Jesus

5. Establish Local Church Bodies

Another task germane to Christian missions is to establish local church bodies or to start new church groups. Christians
were never meant to live their lives in isolation. Each person has been uniquely created to function within a wider
organization of believers. The reason this is so is because each human being is finite in his or her abilities. No one is good
at everything. Christians need one another to balance each other out and to help each other thrive to their optimum
potential. The Christian Bible tells us that each member of the Christian family has been given unique spiritual gifts to
aide in the administration of the church. The goal is to establish a place of loving fellowship where fellow believers can
worship God and support one another in their relationship with God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

It should be noted that establishing a local church does not mean making the church in the likeness of American or
Western cultural norms. Each culture has its own unique expression of what it means to do church. Missionaries should
allow national believers to explore what doing church means in their own cultural context.

Finally, one part of the task of establishing a local church body is to teach and train them in administration of the church.
This includes guiding them through the process of:

- Defining their own vision for the church,

- Writing out guidelines for church discipline

- Learning how to handle church finances.

6. Equip and Empower National Leaders

A sixth purpose of Christian Missions is to equip and empower national leaders. The ultimate goal of Christian mission
teams is to work themselves out of a job. Many missionaries lack faith and trust in God to keep His church going when
they leave. Christian leaders are often too slow to let go of the reigns of leadership to national believers. It seems a bit
ironic that these missionaries, who trusted God enough to leave home and family to go to a strange land far off, are not
able to muster enough faith in God to raise competent leadership in their stead. Even so, leadership development is a
central task of the Christian mission team.

7. Encourage the National Church as Co-Laborers in Christ

It is not a proper objective for Christian mission organization to remain on soil forever. It is another imperative that
mission teams define an exit strategy, clearly defining what a mature national church should look like and how to back
out when the appropriate time comes. However, this does not mean that the relationship has to end. In fact, the
seventh purpose of Christian missions is to encourage the national church as co-laborers in Christ. Such encouragement
can come through letters or periodic visits. When a mission organization has exited from a foreign field, the national
church and or one or more of the local bodies will have periods when they will experience hard times. It is not the job of
the mission group to jump back over and re-take the reins, but rather to be there for moral support and encouragement
It is difficult to understand the meaning of the words "It repented the Lord." To repent means to change one’s mind,
action, or behavior. Sometimes the truth that God is unchanging is interpreted to mean that he is static, not active, and
is not affected by anything man does. But when the Bible says God is unchanging, it means he is unchanging in his
character.Although God destroyed most of the people he created, his mercy caused him to stop before he destroyed
them all. So, although God was "sorry" for the way man had corrupted all is creation, he did not '`repent" in the sense
that he reversed his previous purpose. He maintained his purpose but redirected his plan to accomplish it.The writers of
the Bible were incapable of expressing God’s feelings in other than human terms. Make no mistake; God has emotions.
Emotions are one part of God’s image that was placed in man. Most of us in the Western world have been influenced
unconsciously by the idea of Greek philosophy that God is the Unmoved Mover who stoically sits on a throne without
acting or feeling. Even a surface study of the Bible will reveal that God is grieved, hurt, and brokenhearted over man’s
rebellion. He is the God who feels and acts.No wonder the Perfect One is grieved when man willfully sins. Man tries to
be like God but for the wrong reasons. He wants God’s knowledge for selfish ends. He wants to rule the world as a
manifestation of his own power rather than as an extension of God’s authority. He wants fellowship with God based on
his own works instead of on God’s grace. He wants to have spiritual communion, but he has chosen to communicate
with Satan and the rulers of wickedness rather than with God. He has taken God’s gifts and has used them selfishly. He
has become so perverted through his rebellion that he thinks that wickedness is better than righteousness. Man’s
rebellion and wickedness are the burden of the Lord. The Lord expresses his burden, "What iniquity have your fathers
found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?" (Jer. 2:5).The
remainder of the Bible following the Fall is the story of God’s determination to reverse history and to establish his
kingdom. God began again and again but each time with a marred man. Nevertheless, God has never given up on man o
on his own plan to establish a kingdom of men from all nationsJesus later echoed this desire in Matthew 28:19 when he
said, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations." The Spirit demonstrated God’s desire to reach men of all nations when, at
Pentecost, men from many nations heard in their own languages about the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11). John
prophesied in the Revelation that "they sang a new song, saying, Thou . . . hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign
on the earth" (5:9-10). Between Genesis 3:15, when God promised that the son of Adam would bruise the serpent’s
head, and Revelation 20, when Satan is cast into hell, lies the drama of the mission of God.