11 Ways to Avoid Being Involved in Mission

  1. Skillfully avoid the command in John 4:35 to take a long hard look at the fields. This is not only depressing, but it is unsettling, and could lead to genuine missionary concern.
  2. Have a good socially legitimate target ahead of you, such as higher qualifications, promotion, bigger home, better car, or higher salary.
  3. Get married as soon as possible so you can devote your life to the socially accepted norm of settling down, raising a family and providing for old age.
  4. Never expose yourself to contact with missionaries. Their testimonies are disturbing, and the situations they describe tend to contrast with the materialistic living of the western world.
  5. Keep busy! Always bow to the tyranny of the urgent and avoid concentration on the importance of the strategic. You can even keep busy in Christian work (as long as it's done in your own strength).
  6. If you've been hurt or offended, maintain that attitude. People with a chip on their shoulder don't usually have time for the needs of others.
  7. Develop a "national-church-can-do-it" attitude. Never investigate the percentage of the population that they constitute, or the severe limitations of their resources.
  8. Focus your attention exclusively on the evils of your own society. "Missions begin at home," and make sure it finishes there, too.
  9. Always keep in mind your own past failures. It is unreasonable to expect you will ever be better. Never study the lives of Abraham, Moses, Jonah, Peter or Mark.
  10. Always look at missionaries as super-spiritual people with tremendous gifts and saintly characteristics.
  11. Avoid all books that emphasize the ability of the Holy Spirit to change lives (including your own) and provide power for service - Adapted from "How Are You Doing?" By Stewart Dinnen

Join Us

Do you have what it takes to become a missionary?

Why are you considering missions?
Rural mission is more than a job; it's a ministry which can be very demanding. Loneliness, cultural differences, financial limitations, and other frustrations may come your way. You need to have a strong conviction that God is leading you into missions. Your love for God and your desire to glorify Him, no matter what, must be top priority.

What have you been doing?
Crossing the ocean will not make you a missionary. Whatever you propose to do in ministry across cultural lines you should already be doing now. Are you committed and involved in your local church? It is the church that does the sending. They need to be involved in discipling, training, and equipping you.

What's your lifestyle?
Does the way you live demonstrate an attitude of self-discipline, teachability, servant spirit, flexibility, accountability, initiative, perseverance, sense of humor, a team player?

What do you have to offer?
There are academic or other qualifications (vocational) that will be required, depending on the type of ministry and length of term: theology, missions, anthropology, agriculture, mechanic, linguistics. Some countries require a degree for entry. What specific skills do you have to offer for cross-cultural ministry?

Are you fit?
The pressures of cross-cultural ministry require that you be in good physical, emotional, and psychological health. Stamina and good health are important assets.

Do you fit?
Going out with God's Remnant Assembly Mission Squad means joining a team. You need to be compatible with the team's beliefs, goals, and methods. Study the agency's doctrinal statement, core values and purpose statement. Can you work with an international and trans-denominational team such as GRA?

The Lord's Promise to us.
Prosperity of your soul, welfare, body and eternal life!

"Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left ALL , and have followed thee. And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time , houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life" Mark 10: 28-30

"So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not ALL that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" Luke 14: 33

"And He said to them all, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me " Luke 9: 23

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest : go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and COME, TAKE UP THY CROSS AND FOLLOW ME " Mark 10: 21

"He that saith he abideth in him ought himself to walk, even as He (Jesus) walked " 1 John 2: 6

"And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him to prosper " 2 Chronicles 26: 5

"If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures " Job 36: 11

Opportunity is knocking right now!

GRA Mission Squad comprises of a wide variety of community development personnel, and vocationally trained missionaries, including tentmakers. We have come to highly value the strengths of each calling working together in unity.

Are you willing to be used by God to change lives for Christ? We trust the Lord for several witnesses during the coming years to team up with GRA mission squad and fulfill their calling among the diverse rich culture of men and women serving the Lord Jesus Christ and glorifying His name in GRA. If the Lord is speaking to you, or this is a confirmation to what the Lord has told you in times past then you are rightly connected to the heartbeat of God, remember the steps of the good man are ordered by the Lord and he delights in his way(Psalms 37: 23). Thank God you've found us, this might be a dream and vision come through if only you're willing and obedient to His leading.

Will You Answer?
God's Remnant Assembly can enable you to make an impact for the unreached. If you are considering a career in missions, this is a unique opportunity to experience "real-life" mission work. You will gain invaluable experience under the supervision of missionaries, we offer varied and flexible placement opportunities.

A two-week training program begins the last 2 weeks of the months of February, June or September each year except otherwise announced at GRA headquarter in Maryland. The training is designed to cover such topics as: cross-cultural training, the cost of discipleship, interpersonal skills, personal ministry skills, introduction to missions, missions strategies, Church growth, Christian missions, Theology of Missions, rugged evangelism and many more,

Placements are available worldwide and particularly in any countries within or bordering on the 10/40 Window, including North Africa, Middle East, Asia and Europe, from three to nine months. GRA assignments is spanning through but not limited to Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Chad republic, China, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Sudan, Laos, Liberia, Libya, Zambia, Northern Nigeria, Niger, Oman,Russia, Syria, Ukraine, UAE, Vietnam...

Short-term Rugged Missions - This is a wonderful way to experience mission work, catch a vision to take back to your church or community, and explore options for long-term service.

We offer several ways for you to partner with us, use your skills, and minister short-term to the unreached.

Please write to God's Remnant Assembly (Mission Squad), P O Box 1088 Suitland MD 20752 or call our head office at 202 253 4242 . You can also e-mail us at: secretary@godsremnantassembly.org and let us know how you can fulfill the call that the Lord Jesus has placed on your heart by His Holy Spirit.

Please notify us as early as 18 months of your intentions about any of these specific opportunities for an adequate preparation, planning and logistics.

10 Ways to Help Reach the Unreached through God's Remnant Assembly, Mission Squad

  1. Become GRA "David Mighty Men of Valor" Partner
     
  2. Join GRA volunteer network and attend her "Men and Women of Issachar vision" seminar every other month
      
  3. Pray regularly for GRA by staying up-to-date with what is happening on the field. You can visit our "What's New Page" in order to fervently and effectively pray for our missionaries on the harvest field.
     
  4. Link Your Web site to GRA
     
  5. Sponsor a Missionary: Hundreds of missionaries are being trained to be sent out to unreached villages in several 10/40 window regions where 2.5 billion have never heard the Gospel. You can sponsor one missionary at $1 a day or $30 a month and be a part of reaching the unreached
     
  6. Become GRA advocate by sharing the ministry of GRA with others especially by introducing them to our website and by attending "GRA Joshua Generation Harvest Mission School" Classes resumes every February, June and November each year with varying exceptions. Tuition is Free but registration is mandatory. Please call to confirm availability
     
  7. Join Staff: Many positions are available at GRA headquarters in the US and in Africa
     
  8. Give to GRA latest major project: Each month we focus on an area of need that you can help support financially and through your prayer
     
  9. Invite a GRA Speaker to come and speak in your Church on Sunday Morning or during the Bible study.
     
  10. Visit GRA headquarters in Maryland, USA, Africa and in the Middle East continents to engage in a spiritual renewal, awakening and refreshing on Tuesday Night (7:00PM) "Power of Godliness" Bible series and Thursday Night (7:00PM) "Chosen Fast and Elijah Prayer" held at 3601 Hamilton Street, Suite 202 (2nd Floor) Hyattsville MD 20782. Please call (202) 253-4242 or +2348035712521, +2348035451006 (Africa Regional centers) for the current locations.

GRA Mission Squad - Africa Regional Center

Africa is a continent faced with tremendous challenges. One of GRA Mission Squad ministry objective is to serve the peoples of Africa. GRA Mission Squad is declaring the glory of God to the peoples of Africa through these primary thrusts. We declare God's glory in:

PERSONAL INTEGRITY
Who we are effects how we minister. The men and women of GRA are ever challenging one another to an ever-deepening experience of God through worship, prayer, and the study of the Word.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
The Church in Africa needs Christ-like leaders, and we seek to assist in the preparation and development of those leaders.

REACHING THE UNREACHED
So many in Africa have never heard the Good News. We seek to actively reach out to these men, women, boys and girls, and introduce them to Jesus Christ.

WORLD RELIGIONS
We seek to purposefully and compassionately share the Good News with people blinded by other world religions.

WAR AND CIVIL STRIFE
War and conflict are a daily reality for many in Africa. GRA Mission Squad is committed to work for and with people caught up in war and civil strife, confident in the sovereignty of God whose light shines brightest in the darkness.

URBANIZATION
African cities are mushrooming and so are the problems that accompany rapid urban growth such as poverty, disease, and crime. GRA Mission Squad is committed to being a light in the city, proclaiming God's truth to people of all walks of life.

POVERTY AND DISEASE
GRA Mission Squad is committed to demonstrating the compassion of Christ to the victims of disease, poverty, famine and violence so that they can find wholeness in Him.

CHILDREN
Over half of Africa's population is under 15 years of age. GRA is committed to presenting the claims of Christ to Africa's children by every possible means.

HIV/AIDS

Infection rates in many African countries are on the rise. Millions have died and millions continue to die. GRA Mission Squad seeks to declare the Gospel of hope and purity to those affected or endangered by the scourge of HIV/AIDS.

Are you going to get involved in reaching GRA Mission Squad serving in Africa today? Please call (202) 253-4242 or send an e-mail to secretary@godsremnantassembly.org

Maximize your life through GRA Mission to Missions - Knowing what Mission is all about.

It's interesting to note that the word 'missions ' never appears in the Bible. Yet how your church defines this word is one of the most critical decisions you will make for your missions ministry.

Fifty years ago American culture was largely churched. This is not to say that most people went to church, or that social ills of today did not exist then. It does mean that a majority of people understood and at least verbally advocated Judeo-Christian values, and was somewhat familiar with the Bible. The vast majority of U.S. churches were not hard-pressed to think "missionally" about their neighborhoods, or to creatively consider how to relate the gospel to a biblically illiterate generation. As a result, mission was commonly understood to mean the ministry of evangelizing the ends of the earth.

But as our nation became increasingly secular, and immigration diversified our communities ethnically, the definition of missions became more slippery . Other factors also contributed to a re-definition of missions. The rise of postmodernism has eroded the very idea that any truth can be absolute, producing an increasingly unchurched culture.

The overall result is that most American churches consider all of their outreach ministries as qualifying as missions, but few have thoughtfully arrived at a biblically-informed definition of missions. Most churches today have no qualms about giving missions dollars to supporting campus ministry workers on the nearby secular campus, local youth ministry workers, and crisis pregnancy centers. While all of these are wonderful, worthwhile ministries, are they missions?

We need to differentiate between the mission of the church and missions . The church's mission includes all that is outlined in Scripture for a church to be and do in the world· Missions is a much more specialized term.

Missions occur when a church sends out a person beyond its natural borders and influence in order to make disciples. Mission is a part of the missions of the church.

"Why bother with this delineation? It's important for a couple of reasons. First, we tend to support what's closest to us, because we can see the results and the needs first-hand·. Second, the use of mission funds for Christian endeavors in the local area encourages the local church to abdicate her responsibility. When the local church allows missions funds to go to ministry that she could and should be doing, she is pulling back from and minimizing her responsibility and potential.

Where do we do missions? In our neighborhood? In our city? Only overseas? Is it missions if people in our church could take part in the ministry; say, on a weekly basis?

  • How culturally different are the recipients of our missions endeavors? What is the end purpose of missions? Proclaiming the gospel? Making disciples? Planting an autonomous and reproducing church?
  • What part do ministries of support (for example, teaching missionaries' children, or serving as a secretary in the agency's home office) and mobilization of the church play in missions?

We are not advocating that churches not fund local ministry. What we would encourage churches to do, however, is to clearly define what they mean by "missions", and then to evaluate and re-align their budgets and priorities in light of that definition.

Missions is the sending out and supporting of equipped disciple-makers who cross barriers of distance, culture and language in order to reach out to those who have never heard about the Lord Jesus Christ and to establish and strengthen the church in places beyond the normal sphere of influence of our members .  

Missions is to present the Lordship of Christ to the dying world through His power by means of any ministry extending beyond the congregation and the church facilities. This will cover a wide range of missionary activity, including evangelization, discipling, planting churches and aiding in their growth and development in places where the gospel has never been heard for a witness either at home or overseas. With this understanding of missions you or your Church can and should maximize your eternal impact by linking your life with a GRA native missionary, someone who is willing to lay down his life to reach his own people with the Gospel in the unreached 10/40 window nations of the world. All he needs is for you to pray, effectually and fervently, diligently and constantly and to help to raise $5.000.00 to cover all his needs for an entire year. Be the backbone of his ministry. Maximize your life today.



(Courtesy of Joshua's Project)