In this episode, we tackle two pivotal topics at the heart of global missions. We begin by responding to one friendly criticism and exploring the nuanced definition of “reached,” emphasizing the importance of not just making contact with the unreached but ensuring every nation, tribe, and people group has a fully mature body of believers.Continue reading “Mailbag: Neglecting the Unreached and Fighting Heresy”
Tag Archives: unreached
Why Reach Japan? Joel Diffenderfer Shares | Radius 2023
What is the state of the church in Japan, and why is it sometimes regarded as the “graveyard” of missions? In our next installment from the 2023 Radius Conference, ABWE Missionary Joel Diffenderfer explains the island’s strategic significance for the Open Initiative, a program to prioritize often-overlooked unreached people groups. Learn more at open.abwe.org. Also:Continue reading “Why Reach Japan? Joel Diffenderfer Shares | Radius 2023”
Recovering Our Ambition: Alex Kocman on Romans 15
This is a special episode of the podcast featuring a sermon preached by Alex Kocman at Laurelglen Bible Church in Bakersfield, CA on March 12, 2023. In this episode, Kocman provides insights from Romans 15, challenging us to have a greater passion for reaching the unreached with the gospel. Tune in to this inspiring sermonContinue reading “Recovering Our Ambition: Alex Kocman on Romans 15”
T4G22: Brooks Buser on Missionary Training That Matters
Too many styles of missions promise fast results. What kind of training to missionaries really need? Brooks Buser of Radius International returns to the show during T4G. Brooks and Nina Buser planted a church among the Yembiyembi people in Papua New Guinea. In 2016, they returned to San Diego. Both Brooks and Nina participate inContinue reading “T4G22: Brooks Buser on Missionary Training That Matters”
Why Target Unreached People Groups?
How can a missionary discern where they should serve? Is it biblical for a church missions program to target some countries but not others? And what’s the reason more missionaries don’t go to the unreached? To sign up to learn more about ABWE’s upcoming Open Initiative as it launches, click here. Support this podcast and impactContinue reading “Why Target Unreached People Groups?”
#RMC21: Wayne Chen on Overcoming Apathy and Suffering Well
Recorded live at the 2021 Radius Missiology Conference: Wayne Chen, director of Radius Asia, was a pastor who wanted to send missionaries. In the end, he ended up mobilizing himself—and repenting of his apathy. But as his ministry among the Biem people group in Papua New Guinea reached its climax, he and his wife Gail receivedContinue reading “#RMC21: Wayne Chen on Overcoming Apathy and Suffering Well”
Throwback: The Greatest Injustice With Chad Vegas
In 2020, it’s impossible to escape the topic of privilege. This week, we dive into the archives and bring back our May 2019 interview with Chad Vegas, founding board member of Radius International and lead pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, and our discussion of “gospel privilege.” Perhaps it has never been more timely. Chad is the founding pastorContinue reading “Throwback: The Greatest Injustice With Chad Vegas”
Brooks Buser Answers: How Dare Missionaries Seek to Convert?
On August 8, 2020, a simple tweet by Brooks Buser, president of Radius International, ignited a firestorm of controversy: “Thank you for the prayers for Amdu people and team. By God’s grace, there are now members of that people group who are reconciled to God, who no longer have their sins counted against them.” Skeptics,Continue reading “Brooks Buser Answers: How Dare Missionaries Seek to Convert?”
Disaster, Discipleship, and the Developing World: Smita Singh on Cyclone Ampham
While our eyes were glued to Western news, Cyclone Ampham struck India and Bangladesh with deadly results. When tragedy strikes in affluent North America, we can recover much more quickly—but what happens to ministries in the developing world when natural disaster strikes? This week, Live Global partner Smita Singh returns to the show to discussContinue reading “Disaster, Discipleship, and the Developing World: Smita Singh on Cyclone Ampham”
What Is Happening to China’s Uyghurs?
“Absolutely no mercy.” That’s how leaked documents describe the treatment of China’s Uyghur Muslims detained in “re-education” camps, according to the New York Times. In recent years, China has detained more than one million members of the ethnic minority concentrated in Xinjiang. What is really happening, and what should Christians do about it? This week,Continue reading “What Is Happening to China’s Uyghurs?”
Translating the Bible in 40 Weeks? Dan Kramer on Bible Translation Methods
Of the world’s 7,100 languages, less than ten percent have a complete, written Bible. The Great Commission depends on translations into the heart languages of the lost. How can we get Scripture into the remaining languages without waiting for English-speaking experts in Greek and Hebrew to learn multiple foreign languages—or, is speeding up the processContinue reading “Translating the Bible in 40 Weeks? Dan Kramer on Bible Translation Methods”
Panel: Why Marketplace Missions Matters But Isn’t a Silver Bullet
How can believers of all educational and vocational backgrounds use their skills in the marketplace for the Great Commission? In this episode, you’ll hear an expert panel address this topic at Cedarville University. The discussion was led by Matt Bennett, Assistant Professor of Missions and Theology at Cedarville. Also joining the conversation are David Butler,Continue reading “Panel: Why Marketplace Missions Matters But Isn’t a Silver Bullet”
Brooks Buser on the Urgency of Eternity and the Dangers of Pragmatism
Do we really grasp the urgency of taking the gospel to those who have never heard? And if the task of making disciples among the unreached is so urgent, why shouldn’t we employ every pragmatic means at our disposal to finish the task? Brooks Buser weighs in this week and discusses pioneer missions, disciple-making movements,Continue reading “Brooks Buser on the Urgency of Eternity and the Dangers of Pragmatism”
What Is the Mission of God’s People?
What is the mission of the people of God in the world? Christians often get this basic question wrong. Are the people of God primarily called to social work, church planting, evangelistic campaigns, or all three somehow? This week, Scott Dunford explains why Romans 15 establishes a paradigm for the whole body of Christ toContinue reading “What Is the Mission of God’s People?”
How Many Unreached Are There Really? A Chat on Statistics With Justin Long
How do we really know how many unreached people groups there are—and is that the thing we should be counting, anyway? What can statistics tell us, and what can’t they? We ask these and other tough questions to expert missions researcher Justin Long, Director of Global Research for Beyond, adept cataloguer of missions statistics and enthusiastic documenterContinue reading “How Many Unreached Are There Really? A Chat on Statistics With Justin Long”
John Chau: Missions, Methodology, and Martyrdom
Today we’re taking a break from our regular interview lineup to address the recent death of missionary John Allen Chau. In his final letter before being arrowed to death by the hostile North Sentinelese islanders, Chau penned, “It’s worth it to declare Jesus to these people.” As we mourn Chau’s loss, how should discerning ChristiansContinue reading “John Chau: Missions, Methodology, and Martyrdom”
What Is Life Really Like in a 99.9% Muslim Country?
What does it look like to meet physical needs, share Christ, and risk persecution to serve in a 99.9% Islamic country? Two anonymous, female ABWE missionaries in North Africa join us over the phone to share from their experiences in tilling the soil, building trust, avoiding security risks, and praying that God gradually opens heartsContinue reading “What Is Life Really Like in a 99.9% Muslim Country?”
Tom Schreiner: What Is the Role of the Holy Spirit and Miracles in Missions?
Dreams and visions in the Islamic world. Miraculous healings. “Power-encounters.” What is the role of the Holy Spirit in missions? Are miracles still normative in front-lines missions—and specifically, what about the apostolic sign gifts seen throughout the Book of Acts? There’s perhaps no one better to ask than Dr. Thomas R. Schreiner, one of theContinue reading “Tom Schreiner: What Is the Role of the Holy Spirit and Miracles in Missions?”
What is God doing in China? Steve Schirmer Answers
The President of China was just appointed to lifelong office. Church buildings are being demolished. Cults are on the rise due to a lack of trained church leaders. What is God up to in China? Steve Schirmer, president and founder of Silk Road Catalyst, joins us to answer. Steve is a missionary who has poured outContinue reading “What is God doing in China? Steve Schirmer Answers”
Zane Pratt: Are Explosive Disciple-Making Movements Really Healthy?
You’ve probably heard that Muslims are coming to Christ throughout the Islamic world in record numbers, many of them prompted by dreams and visions. Perhaps you’ve also heard of related disciple-making movements and church-planting movements that report exponential multiplication of converts and fledgling churches. But what’s the real story behind these stats, and are these explosive growth movements really healthy and biblical? Zane Pratt joins us today to answer.
Suffering and Sovereignty in the Rohingya Crisis
You’ve probably heard of the plight of the Rohingya people—an unreached, Muslim people group forced out of Myanmar and into Bangladesh. But you probably haven’t heard about the Christian workers on the ground whom God has sovereignly positioned to impact them at such a time as this. It’s a story of redemption that only God can write.