THIRD WORLD DECLARATION ON WORLD MISSION AND WORLD PEACE

The Fourth Convention of The Asia Missions Association, Pasadena, CA, USA, 1986

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We, the participants of the Fourth Triennial Convention of the Asia Missions Association at Pasadena, California, held from October 6-12, 1986, as representatives of the Asia missions, which by the Lord’s grace, have built their partnership in mission in the Africa and South America continents, along with the delegates from the above continents, make the following as our appeal and aspiration to our fellow Christians in the Third World.

We have once again, at this Convention examined our lives and ministry in the light of the angelic proclamation at the birth of our Savior, “peace on earth among men,”1 of the Lord’s prayer, “Thy will be done on earth,”2 and, therefore, hereby declare our renewed commitment to World Mission and World Peace.

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We understand that only when God’s will is fully done on earth, there will be universal peace. We, therefore, affirm that the goal of World Mission should be to seek reconciliation of all the peoples in Christ, for “He is our peace, who has broken down the middle wall of partition.”

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The Gospel has always been the good news, by which God wants all the peoples of the earth to be confronted with His grace and authority. We, therefore, must “no longer live unto ourselves but unto Him, who died for us and rose again.”4 This is the way by which we can seek peace on earth. If Christians around the world do not engage in this highest calling, the world may well see a further deterioration of peace on earth, in our time.

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The world waits for Christian missions to show true hope to a hopeless mankind. It looks to Christian missions to lead the world, held captive by the powers of darkness, into true liberty. It looks to Christian missions to show the way and the truth, to the empty and confused hearts of today’s man. It looks to Christian missions to give the hope of true life to dying humanity. The world waits for Christian missions to bring true peace to a restless and fearful society.

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For these reasons, we rejoice at the proposals of the Executive Committee of the Asia Missions Association to organize a Commission of Third World Missions, to establish a Mutual Fund for Third World Mission Advance and to form a Peace Commission of World Christians on behalf of the participating Christian mission leaders from the six continents of the world.

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Jesus Christ alone offers peace for this world. He is our peace. One day, indeed the nations shall “learn war no more,”5 and peace on earth will come. This reign of peace on earth will come only through the return of Christ, the Prince of Peace,”6 and with God as the “King of Nations.”7

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We, therefore, as some representatives in the body of Christ resident in all sectors of the world, which He created and for which He died, reaffirm our commitment to the spread of His Gospel, in every nation, making all necessary sacrifices, until every creature has heard of His salvation and to the fulfilling of His will and commission until His return.

1 Luke 2:14

2 Matthew 6:10

3 Ephesians 2:14

4 2 Corinthians 5:15

5 Isaiah 2:4

6 Isaiah 9:6

7 Jeremiah 10:7