LIFE CHURCH UK

Welcome to Life Church Missions – Home and Abroad.
We want to share the Good News of God’s love and salvation through Jesus Christ with people in our home communities and nations abroad. Please read further to see the latest news, updates and projects currently running through Life Church Missions.

	A Thought About Missions When we think about missionaries, it is, I believe, fair to say that the image that comes to mind is that of an individual in a remote area, without any facilties, perhaps living in a mud hut whilst translating the bible by candlelight!

It’s true that many great men and women of God have given their lives to serving Jesus on the foreign field far from civilisation and western comforts but I would like to take just a little time to think about that word ‘missionary’ and hopefully draw a new image that we can all identify with.

Do you know that you can read the bible from Genesis to Revelation and not find the word missionary once! So am I, a returned home foreign missionary, saying missions is not on God’s heart?.........NO, on the contrary.

In Ephesians 4:11-12 we can see what’s known as the 5 fold ministry gifts - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. No missionary there, right? Wrong. In Mark 16 Jesus lays out the job of ‘missions’ to the church – “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” and then as we read in Ephesians He gives gifts to His Body, the church, to fulfil that mission.
The 5 fold ministry gifts are not there to do the work for the church but to equip the church to do it! In short the reason why we don’t find a missionary in those gifts is because the whole focus of these gifts, the very purpose they are given is to make the church effective in their mission. The church is of course a place of healing and restoration but its’ focus and purpose is missions......taking the love of God, the freedom that you have received and sharing it with others. Whoever you are, if you are a christian you are a missionary!
The great preacher Charles H. Spurgeon, known to be a straight talker said, “Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor!”

Undoubtely there are those that are called to foreign mission fields but that does not exclude those that are not called overseas.

Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment in the law?”, He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind, this is the first and greatest commandment, the second is like it, you shall love your neigbour as yourself”. What greater way to love your neighbour than to share the Gospel of God’s great love and forgiveness with him.

The harvest was and still is plentiful and it’s right on your doorstep!

If you would like to know more about Life Church Missions or becoming a Home Missions Leader please email us at info@lifechurchuk.org

Simon and Helen Dunsmore
Life Church Missions Pastors