The Globalization of One Mission—One Movement

By: Dr. Wayman Ming Jr.

The footnote of 2018 can be summarized by this one phrase: The Globalization of One Mission—One Movement. For the first time in the Pentecostal Church of God, representatives from three continents or regions—Africa, Asia, and the Americas (with approximately 40 nations)—gathered together to engage in a global message and mission. With some in laughter and some in tears, national leaders were lifting their index fingers and proclaiming, “One Mission—One Movement.”

As one bishop from the All-Asian Conference declared, “Everybody is excited and on fire with One Mission—One Movement. Everybody, including myself, goes home with a fresh passion to win souls, disciple them, and grow our churches.… I did not only catch the vision but was caught by the vision itself.… As bishop, my only agenda is winning souls and discipling them to become leaders of leaders. I am learning to minimize legislation and legal matters and maximize the agenda of the Kingdom of God instead.” 

Loved ones, as I expressed in my acceptance speech as general bishop, I believe that our PCG mandate in writing a first chapter for a 2nd-Century PCG involves “living as a Global church with a global mission rather than an American church with a global mission.” We are a multinational, multicultural, multi-generational church and, God willing, we will learn how to live it out by God’s Spirit.

Fortunately, this mandate is a biblical mandate and not just a PCG mandate. In Mark 16, which remains as one of the most intense passages of Scripture concerning the globalization of Christ’s mission on earth, Jesus allows us to catch a glimpse of His global plan. Right before He ascends, Jesus appears to the 11 apostles and gives them some last-minute instructions:

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15; NKJV).

Before we consider Jesus’ words concerning the globalization of the gospel—“go into all the world,” let’s consider His mandate to “preach the gospel to every creature.”

Question: Have you ever considered how we can preach the gospel to every creature if… we only preach from behind a church pulpit?

Of course, we all understand that only a select few may ever preach from a church pulpit like many pastors and evangelists, but we must also acknowledge that preaching the gospel to every creature won’t happen unless every Christ-follower lives as a preacher. In fact, there’s something important about “marketplace ministry”—moving the Kingdom of God into every sphere of culture—that only happens when all of us preach the gospel.

The globalization of Christ’s mission presented in Mark 16:15 is spiritually myopic if it only includes setting up chairs in one direction with one person preaching from one podium. The real mission of the Church includes introducing every sector of society to the Savior of the world. When Jesus is lifted up—not just sometimes in the church house, but at all times outside the church house—He attracts all people to Himself. He attracts every creature. 

Certainly, pulpit ministry in every church is a wonderful gift to the Body of Christ. Yet, allow me to reinforce the notion that we are all called to preach every day of our lives. In fact, the word “preach” (Gk. kerusso) means “to proclaim or herald a message.” 

Interestingly, one of the most fascinating passages of Scripture concerning preaching is found in Romans 10, which is the gospel tract chapter. It’s the “salvation road” chapter or the “altar call” chapter. How many times have we heard…

“That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” 

(Romans 10:9-10, 13, NKJV)?

Yet, notice the verses following…

“How then shall they [unbelievers becoming believers] call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they [unbelievers becoming believers] believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they [unbelievers becoming believers] hear without a preacher? And how shall they [unbelievers becoming believers] preach unless they are sent?”

 (Romans 10:14-15, NKJV).

Do you see the inference that every unbeliever becoming a believer should be sent to preach? WOW!! In other words, every believer should be sent to preach that others may hear and believe! 

Can you see God’s plan for every believer? Unfortunately, the one part of the plan that seems to break down more than any other remains: “every believer preaching the gospel.” The one part that diverts God’s plan from working occurs when every believer doesn’t preach the gospel!

Furthermore, I believe that Jesus even affirms this observation in Matthew 9. Do you remember in verse 35 when “Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people”? Jesus sees the multitudes and is moved with compassion (Gk. splagchnizomai: pity from the bowels) because they were weary (Gk. eklyo: exhausted) and scattered about (Gk. rhipto: thrown down with considerable force) as sheep without a shepherd. After this, notice Jesus’ exhortation:

“…The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest 

to send out laborers into His harvest” 

(Matthew 9:37-38, NKJV).

Jesus is talking about His missional plan, and He basically says, “We need to pray for more laborers or preachers.” The real challenge of One Mission—One Movement is having enough laborers or preachers. The harvest is certainly magnified, and the harvesters are minimal. Loved ones, we need to pray because the one solution for the globalization of One Mission—One Movement remains more preachers.

Isn’t it interesting that the word “preacher” is not mentioned in the fivefold ministry gift? From Ephesians 4:11: “And He gave some to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers”—but  not preachers. Isn’t it interesting that Paul said in 1 Corinthians 12:28 that “God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers…”? He never mentions preachers. Isn’t it interesting that He talks about desiring all kinds of gifts, but He never mentions preaching as a gift; and He certainly never mentions preaching at all in 1 Corinthians 12-14? 

Allow me to submit to you that preaching is not mentioned in the gifts chapters of the Bible (Ephesians 4, 1 Corinthians 12-14, or Romans 12) because preaching or announcing the gospel is not meant for merely a select few but for everyone. Why would God’s Word not mention preachers in these verses of Scripture if all of Christ’s followers were not called to preach the gospel to every creature in every sphere of our culture?

Furthermore, isn’t it interesting that when Paul lists the qualifications for elders or bishops to Timothy, he says that an elder should be “blameless, the husband of one wife…able to teach” (1 Timothy 3:2)? Why doesn’t He say, “able to preach”? Could the answer simply imply that all believers should be preaching the gospel to every creature? 

Even when Paul declares that he was appointed to preach in 2 Timothy 1:11, could he not have merely been counting himself with all believers? Actually, the very next verse expresses what every believer holds to be true: “…for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that day” (2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV). The overwhelming evidence in Scripture suggests that the only way every creature will hear is if every believer will preach.  

Now, someone may say, “But God wouldn’t send new believers to preach as inferred in Romans 10.” Yet, weren’t the 12 disciples new Christians when Christ sent them out two by two? They were unlearned and ignorant men. Weren’t the 70 witnesses also new Christians when they were sent out two by two? Absolutely. How about the demoniac in Mark 5? Jesus actually sent him home to Decapolis to share the gospel with everyone who would hear it. 

Allow me to simply suggest that the globalization of the gospel is possible because every Christ-follower is called to “preach the gospel to every creature.” Thankfully, God’s plan is working, and we are experiencing the globalization of One Mission—One Movement. 

GO INTO ALL THE WORLD!

The word “go” is a present verb. It involves movement—go and keep on going and keep on going after that! This word creates active connection, while the word “world” (Gk. kosmos) distinguishes the place or sphere of that connection. The Greek meaning of “world” often denotes political systems or spheres of influence.

The Apostle Paul actually uses the same word when he writes that Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Paul wasn’t really speaking of the physical earth but the sphere of this world’s system. Just as Satan seeks to infiltrate and manipulate this world’s sphere or system, we are called to proclaim the gospel to the same. 

So, here is the good news. We don’t have to move to the other side of the world to preach the gospel. Jesus doesn’t expect all Christ-followers to uproot their families and move to a foreign nation; but He does expect us to take the gospel to every ethnic group, culture, and sphere of influence in our cities and communities. 

Consequently, here is the all-important question: Where is your closest mission field? Your closest mission field can be your neighborhood, where all kinds of cultures already exist. Your closest mission field can be the marketplace, where you connect with people of every color and creed, tribe, and tongue. Your closest mission field can be your community center, where leaders of all ages influence your city and community.

When Jesus said, “Go into all the kosmos and preach the gospel to every creature” He was calling us to take the gospel to our world or sphere of influence. In fact, in the other complementary passage—known as the Great Commission—Jesus said, “Go and teach all nations” (Matt. 28:19). The Greek word for “nations” (Gk. ethnos) simply means ethnicity. In other words, reaching different customs, cultures, and civilizations!

Today, most nations are simply a mixture of cultures and customs. Just leave your house and drive down the street to a different neighborhood, and you’ll probably find a mixture of culture and customs very different from your own. So, hear the powerful connotation of this truth…

• Ethnos refers to every people, and kosmos refers every place.

Jesus’ mandate is referring to every people and every place! We’re talking about the inclusive nature of God—that He loves all people in all places. In truth, how can we love God if we don’t, in turn, love the people God loves?

Listen, whatever we love, we pursue! If we love certain foods, we pursue certain foods. Some of us will even put specific food names (and brands) on our calendars because we have developed an appetite for them.

Some mornings I will write “Starbucks” on my calendar, so I can get an iced caramel macchiato. Whenever I am in Santa Clarita, California, I put the name of a certain taco truck on my calendar because I love their tacos. In Fort Worth, Texas, “Andy’s Frozen Custard” is often noted on my calendar because I love frozen custard. Here’s the bottom line: We pursue what we love. If we genuinely love people, we will pursue them and “go into all the world.”

Loved ones, please hear my heart! The globalization of One Mission—One Movement is in our grasp if each one of us will engage in “preaching the gospel to every creature.” Until my last breath, I will reinforce the notion that every person is a mission…every church is a mission…every nation is a mission. Moving the mission of Christ forward activates every person, church, and organization to embody the mission of Christ in their world by the power of the Spirit. Thankfully, the Pentecostal Church of God is a global church with a commitment to a global mission. It is actually God’s plan A, and He really has no plan B.

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