International Journal of Frontier Missions, Vol 10:4 Oct
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Established in 1984 by the International INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF Student Leaders Coalition for Frontier Missions with the goal: “A Church For FRONTIER MISSIONS Every People By the Year 2000.” October 1993 Published January, April, July and October by the: International Student Volume 10 Number 4 Leaders Coalition for Frontier Missions P.O. Box 27266, El Paso, TX 79926, Contents USA 157 Editorial: Spiritual Warfare and the Frontiers Publisher: Hans M. Weerstra Bradley Gill 159 Romans as a Charter for World Missions Editor: Thomas Schirrmacher Hans M. Weerstra Associate Editors: 163 World View Clash: A Handbook for Spiritual Warfare Richard A. Cotton Edward F. Murphy D. Bruce Graham 169 Managing Editor: Animism, Secularism and Theism: Developing a Tripartite Model Judy Martines Weerstra Gailyn Van Rheenen 173Satan’s Tactics for Building and Maintaining His Kingdom of Darkness The International Journal of John Robb Frontier Missions (ISSN 0743-2429) promotes the serious investigation of 185 frontier mission issues including plans Power Encounter: Toward an SIM Position for world evangelization, measuring and monitoring progress in world Howard Brant evangelization, defining, publishing and profiling unreached peoples, 195 coordination of world evangelization Intercessors and Cosmic Urban Spiritual Warfare endeavors and the promotion of biblical Viv Grigg frontier mission theology. The Journal seeks to promote intergenerational 201Prayer Profile: The Bihari of India dialogue between senior and junior Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse mission leaders, cultivating an international fraternity of thought in the 203 Spiritual Warfare: Should it be Included in a Mission Curriculum? development of frontier missiology and Charles Laughlin advocating completion of world evangelization by AD 2000. 207 The views expressed in the IJFM Reflections on the Adopt-A-People Consultation II are those of the authors and not Frank Kaleb Jansen necessarily those of the editors or publisher. IJFM Editorial Committee Address all editorial correspondence, including manuscripts, to 7665 Wenda Gary Corwin Way, El Paso Texas, 79915 USA. SIM, USA Phone: (915) 779-5655, Fax: (915) 778-6440. Address subscription and Paul Filidis advertising matters to Managing Editor, Youth With A Mission Research Center, USA IJFM, P.O. Box 27266, El Paso, Texas 79926 USA. Todd M. Johnson World Evangelization Research Center, USA Subscription rates: One year (four Patrick J. Johnstone issues) $15.00, two years (eight issues) WEC International, UK $28.00, three years (twelve issues) $40.00. Single copies $5.00. Payment Bill O’Brien must be enclosed with orders. When Global Center, Samford University, USA giving change of address, please supply Edison Queiroz both old and new addresses. COMIBAM, Brazil Copyright © 1993 by the International Student Leaders Coalition for Frontier Cover photo: Courtesy of Caleb Project Missions. Editorial: Spiritual Warfare and the Frontiers inally, be strong in the Lord and thinking regarding our view of reality, deny that we have lost the war? “F in the strength of his might. Put through the so called “scientific And what about world missions? It on the whole armor of God, that you thought” that would see our world as a would be safe to deduce that if the battle may be able to stand against the wiles of closed, self- contained natural system rages fierce for even the“normal the devil.” (Eph. 6:10,11) This well which would postulate Satan’s Christian,” how much more in the arena known Scripture indicates that the nonexistence, along with other of world missions as we seek to apostle Paul had first hand knowledge of supernatural beings, and somehow penetrate areas and peoples held in the exigencies of spiritual warfare for reduce our problems and the battles we bondage for centuries by “the prince of the church. He pointedly reminds his face to a natural plane of reality. the power of the air.” World missions, readers of “the prince of the power of It must be stated clearly, that this is and in a special sense frontier missions, the air, of the spirit that is now working not Paul’s view nor is it in anyway in must know as none other, and as never in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2). line with his theology, nor consistent before, that we are at war, that it is a He exhorts them “not to give place to with biblical theology generally. Paul conflict with “principalities and powers” the devil” (Eph. 4:27), and urges the would want to correct many of us in our of evil supernatural world-ruling spirit whole church that “the manifold wisdom “modern times” and show us that we do beings that must be taken seriously by of God might now be made known “not contend with flesh and blood,” that all engaged in world missions. This through the church to the rulers and the our conflict is not in the natural—with systemic evil needs to be disarmed in the authorities in the heavenly places,” all of people and forces in the visible realm of authority and power of our Lord Jesus this was in accord with “the eternal things—but rather is with spiritual Christ accomplished by the full armored purpose which he carried out in Christ beings in the supernatural and invisible soldiers of the cross who know how to Jesus our Lord.” (Eph. 3:10,11) Best of plane of reality. Paul understands this wield the sword of the Spirit. all Christians must know that the Lord spiritual reality and the battle fought “disarmed the principalities and powers there. What many of us do not see— The Theme of This Issue and made a public example of them, perhaps because we cannot see— Paul Because of the great import of this triumphing over them...” in the cross. clearly sees. It is none other than the subject and its significance for world (Col. 2:15). startling fact that we as Christians missions we are dedicating this entire These and other passages of Scripture individually, as well as the Body of issue to spiritual warfare. Virtually every clearly indicate that spiritual warfare is Christ corporately, are in a war, doing article is focused on this theme. In this light we could ask ourselves the not only a fact of life but that it is a very battle against the principalities (rulers), question why so many peoples are still serious matter which we as Christians against the powers (authorities), against unreached even in this late hour? Could need to heed lest we fail to stand. For the world rulers of darkness, against the it be because we today, and those who this reason Paul mandates believers to spiritual hosts of evil and wickedness in have gone before, have misunderstood “take up the whole armor of God, that the heavenlies. (Eph. 6:12) the spiritual nature of our mission and we may be able to withstand in the evil supernatural conflict of the task? Have day, and, having done all, to stand.” A Fierce Ensuing Battle Western missionaries been influences (Eph. 6:13) We could safely conclude that we in for secularism among many peoples of the West stand in need of a major shift the world as some Christian The Schemes of the Devil of perspective regarding ultimate world anthropologists claim ? Whatever our One of Satan’s deadliest tactics and life view issues. We along with answer, the truth is that we today, according to E.K. Simpson’s Paul, in accord with the whole biblical undoubtedly as never before, will be commentary is by “shamming dead,” as record, need to see the invisible involved in warfare with rulers and he says by “eliminating the frontier-lines non-empirical reality of our existence powers and authorities of wickedness of truth and falsehood under colour of and the relentless battle in which all of that must be conquered in order to finish broadmindedness, and in securing the us as God’s people are in fact involved, the task of world evangelization and ascendancy of ‘scientific thought’ or whether we like it or not. Also the plant the church of Christ among every rather its counterfeit, that has paved the warning stands: That unless we do unreached people on the face of the way for his most signal inroads of experience a radical supernatural earth. unbelief on the pale of true religion in “paradigm shift” of a deep proportion, modern times.” (Commentary of the we are in for serious trouble. What Focus and Direction Epistle to the Ephesians, E.K.Simpson, trouble? Great portions of the church The direction of this issue is set by a 1957:145) stand to loose the war! How? Because it fresh look at the letter of Paul to the Few can doubt that Satan has made will further erode our faith even to the Romans and how the whole letter, great inroads in our modern world, degree that the Lord’s warningmay well including its weighty theology, is including infiltrating our churches and apply in our times. He warned “Will the focused on missions, specifically playing havoc with our world view. Son of Man find any faith on the earth at frontier missions, of reaching the This has been accomplished largely by his coming.” (Luke 18:8) If the secular unreached peoples of the world. means of a slow but persistent shift of world view condition prevails, who can Although Shirrmacher’s presentation is INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 10:4 OCT. 1993 158 Editorial not specifically focused on spiritual curriculum or training program. This all the other peoples of the earth. warfare, his article nevertheless sets the article, as well as the article by Van tone as we begin to look at the Rheenen were originally presented in The Adopt-A-People Consultation exigencies of spiritual warfare vis-a-vis March of this year to the Evangelical Frank Kaleb Jansen, the director of the unreached nation-peoples and their Missiological Society, at a Southwest the Adopt-A-People Clearinghouse, evangelization.