A BROADER PERSPECTIVE
December 19, 2017

Not that I’m an expert on music, but I have been told that certain keyboards come with pre-selectable settings for the musical genre to be played, one of them being “Worship”. Attending church, one hopefully has a preference for that genre of “Worship” and should come prepared to repeat a line or two.

I had always appreciated music as artistic work until a reputable music professor explained to me the mathematical science behind it. He explained how rhythm, melody, harmony and so on, can be worked out using mathematical formulas! There is actually law and order in music and I was told that musicians who understand the mathematics behind the art perform far better.

Perhaps mission work is a bit like “Worship” in that we often limit ourselves to one single ‘genre‘ and also repeat a project or two?

The problems start when our ‘genre‘ (method of outreach) in missions no longer suits a specific need. There are certain places, even entire countries, where the sharing of testimonies, discipleship, preaching and bible studies done by a foreign missionary do not work. Some of these places don’t even have a Bible translated into their own language. In some other places, declaring yourself a Christian missionary would get you killed instantly.

There are still about 1750 language groups for which not a single person has even begun to translate the bible. About 2 Billion people are considered unreached today, approximately 200 Million of which would be considered isolated; meaning no foreign missionary can just rock up and get going with the traditional ‘genre‘ (method of outreach).

Perhaps we should look beyond ‘good traditions’ and consider missions from God’s perspective? God’s word says that the “Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world…” (Matthew 24:14). it is going to happen but how? Perhaps in addition to the genre of “Worship” we could also consider the laws of physics and the forces of nature; all things created that can be mathematically explained, yet are rarely considered in the context of missions.

At Hope From Above Inc., we have dome exactly that in the past four years, resulting in aviation and technology solutions that have opened up the way to reach isolated people groups. As we look forward to the new year, we trust that God has already appointed the necessary laws of physics and provided the forces in nature to reach the next people group. God will achieve His purposed and has already prepared the way!

May God help us to see His Glory in all creation and to do His will, so that we do not limit ourselves to a single ‘genre‘.

Please pray with us, that we may all be found faithful, you and us, wherever God has places each one to serve Him. May He use us both as tools in His hand in 2018.

Thank you for your partnership in our ministry! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Warm Regards,

Hans