Dr Paul Allen

In a secular age, when the transcendent and eternal have drifted out of centre view, immanent things like human cultures take on central, hallowed significance.  Preserving the tangible customs and traditions of indigenous cultures in this life, therefore, becomes a far greater good than evangelizing indigenous people to preserve their souls for an intangible afterlife.  Indeed, the latter is seen as a threat to the former.  For sceptics prone to seeing the Christian mission in a “more harm than good” way, it was confirmed when I read two PhDs (Alice Springs Library) regarding ministry in the Outback that confirm this bias.

A likely outcome of his ministry ended with him upon a plate. A generation before, on November 20, 1839, the first pair of formal missionaries to the New Hebrides were killed and eaten within minutes of their arrival upon the shore. Even still, John G. Paton, whom Spurgeon later dubbed “King of the Cannibals,” traveled as a missionary to the islands with his wife and son, facing odds and suffering only Christ with him could conquer. And Christ, has promised to be with him (Matthew 28:20), achieved a great feat. Less than fifty years after the murder of the first missionaries, Paton would reflect on the widespread work of God on the islands (including the entire island of Aniwa coming to Christ), writing, “Thus was the New Hebrides baptized with the blood of martyrs; and Christ thereby told the whole Christian world that he claimed these islands as his own” (The Autobiography of the Pioneer Missionary to the New Hebrides, 75). From a people dead in their sins, who ate the flesh of their...

In the first century AD, when the apostle John was exiled to the rocky and treacherous island of Patmos, the Lord gave him the privilege of beholding one of the most beautiful visions of humanity ever revealed. He writes of his vision in the book of Revelation:  After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!” (Rev. 7:9–12) What an awe-inspiring vision it must have b...

A century ago, a band of brave people became known as one-way missionaries . They purchased single tickets to the mission field without the return half. And instead of suitcases, they packed their few earthly belongings into coffins . As they sailed out of port, they waved good-bye to everyone they loved, everything they knew. They knew they’d never return home. A. W. Milne was one of those missionaries. He set sail for the New Hebrides in the South Pacific , knowing full well that the headhunters who lived there had martyred every missionary before him. Milne did not fear for his life, because he had already died to himself. His coffin was packed. For thirty-five years, he lived among that tribe and loved them. When he died, tribe members buried him in the middle of their village and inscribed this epitaph on his tombstone: When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness. When did we start believing that God wants to send us to safe places to do eas...

For believers, to live well is to live for Christ, and to die well is to die for His glory. A brief article in the 1857 edition of The Scottish Christian Journal, entitled “Dying Well,” summarized that truth with these words, “Would ye die well? then, through Christ, live well. The right way to die well is to live well.” Three years later, on December 2, 1860, a man named Charles Thomas Studd was born into a wealthy family in England. Charles was a teenager when his father committed his life to Christ after attending an evangelistic meeting led by D. L. Moody. A short time later, at the age of 16, Charles himself came to saving faith in the Lord Jesus. He would go on to Cambridge where he became one of the most celebrated cricket players of his day, famous not only in Britain but around the world. When his time at Cambridge ended, Charles realized that he did not want to pursue a career in athletics. As he said it, “I know that cricket would not last, and honour would not l...

Giovanni Angelo Del Maino, "Statue of Nicodemus" (detail), wood, ca. 1518, Collections of applied arts, Castello Sforzesco, Milan, Italy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) John 3:16 –17 Not all of us are called to be full-time missionaries , but all of us are called to be involved in missions — if not as goers, then as senders.  Have you fully grasped the importance of world missions to the plans of God ?  Consider today the budget you have established for giving to worldwide outreach. Try to increase what you give to the sending of workers — if not permanently, then in a one-time gift to a missionary who needs support to fulfill his cal l. Related articles Is there a bible basis for missions? Bible basis for missions. Help a missionary, get a photo session Inside The Mormon Church's Online-Only Missionary Army Changes to Missionary Program? Best Guesses? Harrisburg-area medical missionaries push aside thoughts of harm Missions, American E...