Child Sacrifice in Africa (ft Joe Fleming)

By Reformark • 1h 29m •

What if the American church is missing the Great Commission? In this episode, Corey sits down with Joseph Fleming, founder of Training to Send, to discuss discipleship movements, mission strategy, and why Western churches are losing the battle for lost souls. Learn about the 1040 Window, indigenous missionary work, and what's really preventing churches from multiplying disciples. Plus: why comfort is crippling the American church and what you can do about it. This conversation will challenge everything you thought about missions. If you would like to help Joe and the training to send team, please click the link below. https://www.training2send.org/support-us-make-a-donation-local-church-disciples Fuel the fight at Reformark Media https://www.legacymedia.ai/offers/izHELecL Chapters: 0:00 Intro - The State of American Missions 1:40 Joseph Fleming's Story - From Marine to Missionary 4:03 Called to Missions & Early IMB Work 7:45 Tree of Life vs. Storying: A Strategic Divide 15:29 Gospel Work in Muslim-Majority Regions 28:22 The Cost of Gospel Work & Global Persecution 36:12 Shifting Resources to the 1040 Window 41:56 Training to Send's Core Values & Mission Drift 51:05 Discipleship Movements & True Revival 57:00 Everyday Christians & the Great Commission 1:08:00 Speed Round Questions 1:20:00 Closing Prayer

Key Takeaways

* **The American Church is Missing the Great Commission:** Joe Fleming argues that Western churches are often losing the battle for lost souls due to misplaced priorities and comfort. * **Strategic Shift to the 1040 Window:** There's a critical need to reallocate resources and focus missionary efforts on the 1040 Window, a region with the least access to the Gospel. * **Importance of Indigenous Discipleship Movements:** True church multiplication comes from empowering local believers to lead and spread the Gospel within their own cultures. * **Comfort is an Enemy to Missions:** The pursuit of comfort within the Western church often hinders radical obedience to Christ's command to make disciples of all nations. * **The Cost of the Gospel is Real:** Engaging in missions, especially in unreached areas, involves significant sacrifice, persecution, and a willingness to confront hardship. * **Beyond Traditional Mission Strategies:** Joe Fleming advocates for adaptable, culturally relevant methods that prioritize multiplying disciples rather than simply establishing institutions.

The State of American Missions: A Challenging Perspective

In a profound discussion, Corey of Reformark sits down with Joseph Fleming, founder of Training to Send, to critically examine the current state of American missions. Fleming presents a compelling argument that the Western church, despite its vast resources, may be inadvertently failing to fulfill the Great Commission. This isn't merely a critique but a call to introspection, urging believers to reconsider their understanding of discipleship, evangelism, and global outreach. The conversation delves into the uncomfortable truth that a pursuit of comfort may be crippling the American church's effectiveness in reaching the lost.

Fleming shares his unique journey, transitioning from a Marine to a dedicated missionary, highlighting his early experiences with the International Mission Board (IMB). His story is one of radical obedience and a shifting perspective on what truly constitutes effective missionary work. He emphasizes that the conventional approaches often fall short in fostering sustainable, multiplying discipleship movements, especially in regions deeply resistant to traditional Western methodologies.

Rethinking Strategy: Tree of Life vs. Storying

A pivotal segment of the conversation explores the strategic divide in mission approaches, contrasting the "Tree of Life" model with "Storying." Fleming dissects these methodologies, explaining their strengths and weaknesses in different cultural contexts. He argues for an adaptable approach that meets people where they are, allowing the Gospel to take root organically. This isn't about abandoning foundational truths but about presenting them in a way that resonates culturally, fostering genuine understanding and transformation.

* **Tree of Life:** A structured, systematic approach to discipleship often used in contexts where logical progression and theological depth are readily accepted. * **Storying:** An oral tradition-based method of sharing biblical narratives, particularly effective in cultures with strong oral learning preferences and lower literacy rates. * **Cultural Sensitivity:** The importance of understanding and respecting local customs and thought processes when communicating the Gospel. * **Flexibility in Methodology:** No single method is universally superior; effectiveness often lies in adapting to the specific needs and contexts of the unreached.

Engaging the 1040 Window: The Frontier of Missions

The discussion then shifts to the critical importance of the 1040 Window, a geographic region densely populated with unreached people groups and largely resistant to the Gospel. Fleming passionately articulates why a strategic redirection of resources and personnel to this area is paramount. He highlights the stark reality of spiritual darkness in Muslim-majority regions and the significant risks and persecution faced by those who dare to bring the light of Christ there.

* **Defining the 1040 Window:** The area between 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, stretching from West Africa to East Asia, home to the majority of the world's unreached people. * **Gospel Resistance:** Many nations within the 1040 Window are predominantly Muslim, Hindu, or Buddhist, making evangelism challenging and often dangerous. * **Persecution and Sacrifice:** Missionaries and indigenous believers in these regions frequently face severe persecution, imprisonment, and even death for their faith. * **Resource Allocation:** A call to shift financial, human, and prayer resources away from already reached areas and towards the most unreached parts of the world.

Training to Send: Empowering Indigenous Discipleship

Joseph Fleming introduces the core values and mission of Training to Send, an organization dedicated to identifying, equipping, and sending indigenous missionaries to the unreached. He emphasizes that true, sustainable church growth comes not from foreign domination but from empowering local believers to lead discipleship movements within their own communities. This approach counters "mission drift" by focusing on multiplication rather than simply addition, producing self-sustaining, reproducing churches.

* **Indigenous Leadership:** Prioritizing the training and empowerment of local believers to lead missionary efforts and discipleship movements. * **Multiplication vs. Addition:** Focusing on creating reproducing disciples and churches that can then reach others, rather than solely adding converts to existing structures. * **Challenging Mission Drift:** Guarding against the tendency for missionary organizations to lose sight of their core mission—making disciples—and become preoccupied with institutional maintenance. * **Everyday Christians:** Equipping ordinary believers to live out the Great Commission in their daily lives, recognizing that missions is not just for a select few.

Overcoming the Comfort Trap and Embracing Revival

A significant theme throughout the conversation is the crippling effect of comfort on the Western church. Fleming asserts that the pursuit of ease and security often stifles radical obedience and a willingness to embrace the sacrifices inherent in true discipleship. He makes a compelling case that genuine revival is inextricably linked to a renewed commitment to the Great Commission and a costly, Christ-like love for the lost.

* **The Comfort Trap:** How affluence and security in Western societies can hinder spiritual growth and obedience to Christ's commands. * **Cost of Discipleship:** Understanding that following Jesus requires sacrifice, self-denial, and a willingness to step out of one's comfort zone. * **True Revival:** Arguing that authentic spiritual renewal is often accompanied by a renewed passion for evangelism and global missions. * **Empowering the Everyday:** Challenging every Christian to see themselves as an agent of the Great Commission, not just professional missionaries.

In conclusion, this Reformark discussion with Joe Fleming serves as a powerful wake-up call for the American church. It is a passionate plea to move beyond comfort and tradition, to strategically engage the unreached world, and to embrace indigenous discipleship movements as the key to fulfilling the Great Commission. The insights shared are not just theoretical; they are a blueprint for a more effective, Spirit-led global mission endeavor.", keyTopics=[

Topics

#Missions, #GreatCommission, #Discipleship, #ChristianMissions, #TrainingToSend, #1040Window, #MissionStrategy, #IndigenousMissionaries, #Gospel, #MissionaryLife, #ChurchPlanting, #Evangelism, #WesternChurch, #Disciplemaking, #GlobalMissions, #MissionaryWork, #ReformMark, #BiblicalChristianity, #ChristianCulture, #FaithInAction

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