Walking in Global Collaboration

By Gerald Coates

According to the Joshua Project, there are 7.93 billion people in the world today, and 3.37 billion of them are unreached. An unreached people is a people group among which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group without outside assistance.

We hold in tension the statistics from the Joshua Project with the mission and heart of God. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

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“There are simply no geographical, social, economic or political limits to the gospel.”

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God wants all people everywhere to know Him, and He has entrusted the global church with His mission. Jesus explicitly commissioned His disciples to “make disciples of all nations.” It should be no surprise Jesus would call His followers to global engagement. God loves the whole world and gave His only Son so anyone who believes in Jesus could have eternal life. There are simply no geographical, social, economic or political limits to the gospel.

The early church struggled with the concept that God would reach the Gentiles. It seemed to take the early believers by surprise to find out that God wanted the non-Jews to be saved. But as we read through the book of Acts and through the epistles, it seems the major focus was the outward expansion of the gospel and how God wanted everyone to be saved.

In the book of Revelation, we get a glimpse into the eternal scene and find the throne room populated with people from every nation, tribe and language. That final vision is how we frame our vision. Our Holy Spirit-empowered task is to continue to share the good news of Jesus with everyone everywhere.

Cross-Cultural Commitment

Part of walking The Free Methodist Way is a commitment to Cross-Cultural Collaboration. We don’t think we can accomplish this task alone. We can only do it together in partnership with the global church. We need the global church, and the global church needs us. As we embrace the image of God and the reality all people everywhere are created in His image, we are compelled to join the mission of God.

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“When Christ is alive in us… We not only see others as God sees them. We seek others as God seeks them.”

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In describing this mysterious mission of God to reach all people everywhere, Paul tells the Colossians, “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:28-29).

Frankly, it is easier not to engage cross-culturally. It takes a lot of energy. But for the earnest follower of Jesus, there simply is no alternative. To disengage from the mission is to separate from the owner of the mission. If Christ is actually alive in us, we are inwardly compelled by His Spirit to strenuously contend toward the fulfilment of the mission. When Christ is alive in us, we see others as God sees them — created in His image and designed to live with him forever. We not only see others as God sees them. We seek others as God seeks them. We work with all we have to cross every barrier and border to engage all for whom Christ died and rose again.

Global Growth and Theology

In the last 20 years, the global Free Methodist Church has doubled in membership and expanded into an additional 43 countries — bringing a Free Methodist presence into over 100 countries. While we praise God for this growth, we know there are so many more who need to know Jesus. What we may not be as quick to see is the resources God has entrusted to our global family.

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“It is our responsibility to not only steward the gifts entrusted to us, but to receive the gifts entrusted to others.”

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Timothy Tennent has summarized what our global sisters and brothers are able to bring to us. He calls them “Five Trends in the Theology of Majority World Christians.” Notice how closely these relate to The Free Methodist Way (parentheses mine).

1. These believers accept the authority of Scripture, and by Western standards, hold a theology considered conservative, orthodox, and traditionalist (God-Given Revelation).
2. Majority World Christians are more likely to be morally and ethically conservative.
3. These new, younger churches are more likely to be sensitive to the Christian responsibility to address issues related to poverty and social justice (Love-Driven Justice).
4. These younger churches are experienced at articulating the uniqueness of the gospel in the midst of religious pluralism (Cross-Cultural Collaboration).
5. Majority World Christians are more likely to grasp the corporate (not just individualistic) dimensions of the teaching of the New Testament (Life-Giving Holiness).

One of the gifts the Majority World church has for us is its experience in articulating the uniqueness of the gospel in the midst of religious pluralism. This is a gift we will increasingly need given our current context. We can only receive that gift if we engage cross-culturally both overseas and at home. God has gifted the church with the resources needed for His mission. It is our responsibility to not only steward the gifts entrusted to us, but to receive the gifts entrusted to others. We are better together.+