The Mission of God's People is for the entire church.

The Mission of God People.

After reading Wright’s book the Mission of God's People. I would like to share my thought. The Mission of God People is through and through a Biblically based book. It is thoroughly theological. It is not dull, however. It is theology for a living. He says, "No theology without missional impact; no mission without theological foundations."

Wright explains to us why we were created, and why we have been re-created in the new birth. There is a goal in it all. That goal is to bring glory to God. From Adam to Abraham to us, and to the ages to come, the mission of God's people is to magnify the greatness of God.
Wherever we go, and whatever we do, we are to love, worship, value, honor, and demonstrate the worth of God. That is the Mission of God's People. It's not simply something that we do: it's who we are. It is our identity. It is our calling.

As God's people, Wright argues that the mission of God entrusted to us is "God's determination, through the whole biblical narrative, to bring about the redemption of his entire creation from the ravages of sin and evil."[1]

God’s Mission to Be Known

The purpose of God is to be known. God’s desire to be known is observed most clearly in two Old Testament events: the exodus and the exile. In both occasions, in salvation and judgment, we see God’s passion make himself known to the world through his interactions with his chosen people. Ultimately, both events point forward to Jesus, who will fulfill the mission of the God of Israel.

The African context: God’s mission with the people called The Methodists.

Our God’s mission is to make disciple of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. New church starts are a priority for The United Methodist Church.  A critical path in making disciples for Christ requires venturing into communities where no vital church exists. It also calls for healthy churches to branch out and assist in planting new ones. New Church Starts is a team of leaders drawn from local church whose mission is to train and equip new church planters who will start new congregations throughout the continent. The immediate objective is to train and equip many  church planters who will start many churches we can.

New Church Starts is simply about reaching out to more people with the Good News. God is calling us to multiply vital ministry in ways that will reach more people, more young people and more diverse people in our communities. The mission of The United Methodist Church is to “Make Disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world” (Matt. 28:18-20; Matt. 22:36-40). This mission will be achieved through vital congregations that equip and empower people to be disciples of Jesus Christ in their homes and communities around the world.

What involve the mission of God’s people?

The mission of God's people involves the whole church. Mission is not just for missionaries. God is a sending God, and knowing him means being sent into the world on his mission. God is the one who created mission, who can audits it,  who can governs it, and who can redeems it.

What it means for the whole church to be engaged in God's mission: The answer is serving God and blessing others wherever we are living and working.  Christians are always participating in God's mission, just by the way that we live. Therefore, "there is no biblical mission without biblical ethics."

The mission of God's people proclaims and demonstrates the whole gospel. We must resist false dichotomies. The gospel is historical and ecclesial, faith and obedience, a message to be heard and to be lived, personal and cosmic, etc. One of the reasons why Christians truncate the gospel is that we are looking only at portions of the Bible.

The mission of God's people needs to be grounded in the whole Bible, the whole story of Scripture.
The mission of God's people is oriented toward the whole world. If we draw our mission from the entire Bible, our mission will be geared inevitably toward the entire world. By the whole world, Wright means all of the creation as well as every nation. Wright indicates how creation care tests our motivation for mission and embodies a biblical balance of compassion and justice. In addition to creation care, the mission of God's people also includes serving society in all spheres, whether economic, political, legal, familial and others. Of course, God's mission also includes proclaiming the gospel through preaching and teaching, with the ultimate goal that others will join us in praising and worshiping our glorious God.

If you are interested to support the work of church planting, and evangelism, please you can contact me at jmaleka@umcmission.org or malekamasuka@gmail.com;  for further information. 

You are all called to be in God's mission. THANKS BE TO GOD

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[1] Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God's People (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan,
2010), 17).

Water is a source of life

Water is a source of life

photo by Jean Claude. Zienkolo village in Cote d'Ivoire

                                               OFFERING CLEAN WATER
Many communities are in need of clean water to avoid undesirable diseases. Water is consumed daily by almost everyone either orally or through the skin by showering/bathing, swimming, etc. Clean water is an essential nutrient, the basis of fluids of all living organisms, and absolutely necessary to sustain life. When we talk about achieving optimum health, consuming clean water should be at the top of the “most important” need.
        

According to UNICEF; more than 8 million people – 43 % of Côte d’Ivoire’s population – lack appropriate sanitation facilities and over 4 million people still use unsafe drinking water sources, especially in rural areas. Consequently, many children die every day from diarrhea and other diseases related to the lack of water and appropriate sanitation; many more suffer and are weakened by illness.

The lack of access to safe drinking water and appropriate sanitation has many other serious repercussions. Children – and particularly girls – are denied their right to education because they are busy fetching water or are deterred by the lack of separate and decent sanitation facilities in schools. Women are forced to spend large parts of their day fetching water (85.9% of women in Côte d’Ivoire are in charge of supplying their families with water). Poor farmers and workers are less productive due to frequent illnesses, and national economies suffer. Without safe water and appropriate sanitation, sustainable development is impossible. 

 The Water and Sanitation sector in Côte d’Ivoire faces two major problems:

• The difficulty for many communities to access safe drinking water in sufficient quantities
• The limited access to sewage infrastructures and latrines, and difficulties in discharging household refuse in urban centers

To address these issues, the United Methodist Church in Cote d'Ivoire is more focusing on the Water and Sanitation Program (Advance 3021991 for any donation at www.umcmission.org)   we are focused on two components:

•  The supply of water in the community, school, and health centers, and churches.

• The promotion of hygiene and sanitation in community, school, and health centers and at the church.

Francine caption in Gnangoussou village

Photo by Jean Claude

• 24% of the population does not have access to safe drinking water (MICS)
• 35% of people living in rural areas do not have access to safe drinking water (MICS)
• 7.5% of girls under 15 are in charge of fetching water for their family
• 43% of the population does not have access to appropriate sanitary facilities (MICS)

                                    WATER IS BRINGING HOPE IN ANY COMMUNITY
CONTACT:  jmaleka@umcmission.org  or malekamasuka@gmail.com