While I am still catching up on my Cape Town 2010 video viewing, I watched this six minute plenary presentation by Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira on the Great Commission opportunities resulting from the movement of peoples across the globe. You need to watch this clip.
Dr. Tira reminds us that such opportunities are set before us and require us to be faithful to our Lord’s Great Commission. The movement of peoples across the world allows us to participate in the fulfillment of the eschatological vision of the worshiping nations found in Revelation. Dr. Tira notes, “We can no longer ignore the peoples on the move. Therefore, we must evangelize them, disciple the Diasporas, and mobilize them to preach the whole gospel to the whole world.”
Another excellent point made in this presentation is that of the cross-cultural involvement that the nations are having on the advancement of the gospel. He reminds us that, “They are not only evangelizing and discipling their own people but intentionally reaching out to their hosts and proclaiming the gospel to their adopted nations.” This is wonderful news, especially for migrant receiving nations such as the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the countries of western Europe.
We live in the age of migration (see my review of Castles and Miller, The Age of Migration). I just finished reading Migration and Immigration: A Global View by editors Maura I. Toro-Morn and Marixsa Alicea, which provides an excellent introduction to the historical, social, economic, and political forces influencing the movement of peoples today. Consider their words, describing what is happening in my part of the world:
“Globalization has also created new conditions for the mobilization of different sectors of the world population into unprecedented population movements. For example, there has been an increase in the migration of people from developing to developed countries. In 1960-1964, the United States admitted only 42 percent of its immigrants from the developing world. . . . For the same time period, Canada admitted 12 percent of its immigrants from the developing world. However, from 1985 to 1989, immigrants from the developing world coming to these countries had increased to an astonishing 88 percent and 71 percent respectively” (xx).
Whether you are living in North America or in another part of the world, how are you and your church going to respond to the present movement of peoples? We should remember that while there are economic, political, historical, and social forces pushing and pulling peoples across the globe, the Lord is working through such means for his salvation history:
“And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:26-27, ESV).
As they seek God, let’s be there to meet, love, and serve them. Will we in established churches reach and teach, plant and equip, and partner and send them to reach the nations? I pray that we will. The age of migration has provided us with a unique Great Commission opportunity. Dr. Tira has some great words to say about this matter.