“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’” (Revelation 5:9-10)
Notice how the Lamb of God is worshiped in this passage: Jesus has ransomed, with His precious blood, persons from every people group in the world—every tribe, every culture, every language group. The reward of His suffering is the gathering in of worshipers from all the peoples of the world. Let us remember on this Good Friday that the blood of Jesus was shed not just to purchase us but the worldwide Church of God from all nations.
Once I was participating in a retreat near Philadelphia with a church I had served as a missions coach. They had recently launched a church-wide vision which included a focus on the Tarahumara people of Central Mexico. After a moving service with an extended time of worship, we came to the Lord’s Table together.
Pastor Gil Trusty, now one of my closest friends, kneeled down at the table, and after drawing attention to the remaining bread and wine, he prayed—tears streamed down his cheeks: “Father, this is reserved for the Tarahumara people. It is a symbol for us, of the Tarahumara who don’t yet eat and drink from this table, but they will, they will. Reservations have been made by Jesus but we must invite them to come. We must pursue what your Son bled to obtain. Father, may the Lamb that was slain receive His reward through our church, the worship of the Tarahumara.”
This would forever change the way I approach the Lord’s Supper. Now when I experience communion, I take notice of the remaining uneaten bread and the undrunk wine and remember the nations, the reward of His suffering.
As He says in John 10:16, “I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
‘Til all have heard,
Matthew Ellison
President and Church Missions Coach
Has your church’s unique, God-given potential to reach the nations been UNLOCKED?
Join Sixteen:Fifteen for our interactive experience…The Mobilized Church! Together we will explore SEVEN KEYS to help your church and missions leaders cultivate a vibrant missions culture, unlocking your church’s potential to reach the nations.
For two decades, Sixteen:Fifteen has coached countless churches across the United States helping them deepen and strengthen their global missions engagement. After evaluating our most effective and fruitful churches, we found certain commonalities that are evidenced in Scripture. We have collected data, experiences, and wisdom from these churches, creating two interactive options that will help your church develop a personalized plan, owned by church and missions leaders, to cultivate a vibrant missions culture to engage the nations more effectively.
We call this The Mobilized Church – Keys to Unlock Missions Potential.
The Mobilized Church is offered as a Live Workshop or as an Online Virtual Experience.
To learn more visit us HERE.
*** Both onsite and online offerings are highly interactive, and are designed to help your church reach it’s missions potential. Both experiences feature noted speakers, missions thinkers, and authors. Break-out sessions are strategically scheduled to help your church dig deeper so you can apply biblically-based concepts in the context of your church and entire congregation.
Has your church’s unique, God-given potential to reach the nations been UNLOCKED?
Join Sixteen:Fifteen for our interactive experience…The Mobilized Church! Together we will explore SEVEN KEYS to help your church and missions leaders cultivate a vibrant missions culture, unlocking your church’s potential to reach the nations.
For two decades, Sixteen:Fifteen has coached countless churches across the United States helping them deepen and strengthen their global missions engagement. After evaluating our most effective and fruitful churches, we found certain commonalities that are evidenced in Scripture. We have collected data, experiences, and wisdom from these churches, creating two interactive options that will help your church develop a personalized plan, owned by church and missions leaders, to cultivate a vibrant missions culture to engage the nations more effectively.
We call this The Mobilized Church – Keys to Unlock Missions Potential.
