EDITORIAL: TASKS OF KINGDOM WORKERS

Missionaries are called to live and work for the glory of God. The glory to God will be manifested when missionaries faithfully proclaim the rule of God over the universe and to every creature in it, and God’s will be done here on earth, as it is in heaven. The tasks of missionaries must not be achieved for the sake and purpose of missionaries themselves, but they shall be achieved because of God’s purpose. Mission is not simple, and it’s a thread of complicated matters. There are many aspects to be dealt with.
In this 67th issue of Asian Missions Advance, the first article “The Culture of Missions: Choosing to be Mistreated” was written by Dr. James D. Langteau and his three colleagues (Drs. James R. Blankenship, Tim Dunham and Ho Jin Jun). It talks about equipping disciples (kingdom workers) in local churches who can carry on their responsibility rightly. It is a good read and a challenge for churches and mission agencies. While Dr. Jason Richard Tan in his article “Language Hierarchy and Theological Dependency” discusses the importance of theologizing in native languages.
As the world is currently very much affected by the pandemic Corona Virus, Dr. Sadiri J. Tira and Ms. Miatta Momoh wrote timely articles addressing the ministries of kingdom workers in crisis like this. Their articles contain suggestions on what the believers and the churches can do on this situation. Dr. Samson L. Uytanlet in his article “Did God Envision the Expansion of His Kingdom?” rightly points out that missionaries are not called to work for the expansion of the kingdom of God, but to proclaim the kingdom (rule) of God.
Dr. David S. Lim in his article “Kingdomization Through Oikos Church Networks of Insider Movements: A Biblical Missiology” challenges us not to be bound by traditions, but to be open to creative ways and go back to biblical principles. The last but not the least was a paper by Dr. Pervaiz Sultan who wrote a national report on Pakistan.
May the missionary God gives us better understanding of mission and insights for more effective missionary work as we read these articles. May the Holy Spirit guide us and enable us to carry on kingdom ministry most faithfully and effectively as we do our responsibility in critical times like this.

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Timothy K. Park, Editor

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