The nations matter to God, and that makes them a priority for His people. God called Abraham to prepare a way to bless all nations. Revelation declares that people from every nation, tribe, and tongue will gather in worship at the throne of God. The heart of God longs for people from every nation on the earth to bring Him glory. The Great Commission clarifies that Gospel mission reaches to the ends for the earth for every nation. The church that serves God’s mission makes the nations a priority.
Few tasks seem more daunting than formulating a vision or strategy to reach the nations. LifePoint strives to reach nations not as a separate program or emphasis, but as an extension of how we make disciples at home among our neighbors. Our first step doesn’t mean forming a great plan, but worshiping the God who is able. Only a great vision of God can enable us to go to every nation to make disciples. The Gospel forms our unifying strategy to see Lord Jesus worshiped as disciples are made among all peoples.
Prayer forms our first strategy to serve for global impact. All our work depends on God’s Spirit. Prayer is our regular labor to support, strengthen and encourage the church and our partners. We may not be present among our partners at all times, but by prayer we are always “with” them in the work. Prayer establishes our Impact labors because when we pray, God works. He softens our hearts for the nations, joins us in His work among the nations, and sends us to the nations. Prayer empowers the work of God among his people to go to the nations.
Global partners enable LifePoint to reach the nations. Following our four basic guides, LifePoint forms partnerships to strengthen, increase, and extend our Gospel impact. Partners are people who live among the culture in which they labor to reach with the Gospel. Partnerships provide a way to personalize and engage the work. Partners form a first step, not an end goal, in establishing a work among other nations and cultures. Our goal remains to establish an indigenous expression of the Gospel among the people with whom our partners work.
Short-term trips provide a strategy to connect LifePoint directly with the nations. These trips serve to resource, strengthen and encourage global partners in their ongoing work. They also provide a personal experience with the nations for our people. God always works through these trips in powerful ways to deepen an understanding of the Gospel and strengthen the great commission among his people.
Sending laborers to the field serves as a third strategy. As LifePoint cultivates a heart for the nations and labors to go and reach all nations, we’ve experienced God call people out from among us to go. We are humbled by this powerful move of God to honor our church body in this way. We have the high privilege to join with God as He uses our people to go to the nations. We support them and continue spiritual care in sending them to the nations. We continually pray that God would call our more laborers to send to the nations from among LifePoint Church.
Partners
LifePoint partners with organizations to assess, train and send our people to the nations. Partner organizations specialize to provide resourcing in these areas that we are not able to provide. One priority that LifePoint never outsources is the responsibility for spiritual care for our people, even while they are on the field. We are passionate about keeping our people engaged to pray and support our people in far away places. LifePoint gladly supports and partners the following organizations.
International Mission Board http://www.imb.org
The International Mission Board serves as the largest mission training, sending, and resourcing agency in the world. With over 4,500 missionaries worldwide, LifePoint participates in sending people to nations far beyond our ability or reach. Several LifePoint people currently serve with the IMB. We are thankful for the vision and ministry of the IMB.
Cru http://www.cru.org
Campus Crusade for Christ began as an evangelistic movement to reach college students with the good news of Jesus Christ. This great organization now extends to many corners of the globe to take the gospel to all peoples. LifePoint supports several missionaries trained by and working with international Cru teams.
e3 Partners http://e3partners.org
e3 Partners trains and resources missionaries around the globe. LifePoint partners with e3 missionaries to train church planters in remote, dangerous regions of the world. Our missionaries also serve special causes like fighting human trafficking and educating and training women to support themselves in their cities.