Emmanuel Global Reach
Our aim at Emmanuel Church is to be a growing, charismatic, family church, with a world vision.
Emmanuel Global Reach is about the final part: our world vision. We aim to:
School the whole church and a pipeline of people at varying stages of preparing for cross-cultural outreach overseas with the good news of Jesus to make disciples committed to glorifying God.
Send a growing number of people overseas to church-based ministry partnering with apostolic gifts.
Support those sent in an on-going way so that they can grow, persevere, thrive and move on well to their next steps.
Father God sent Jesus to save sinners through his atoning death on the cross. After his resurrection, Jesus sent out the apostles (Greek ‘apostolos’ means ‘sent one’) in the power of the Holy Spirit to the ends of the earth with his gospel.
This started a chain reaction of sent-ones. God, out of the overflow of his character, is a Sender. We then, made in the image of God, are senders and sent, moved to get on our feet and go.
We believe this work of mission continues today, but what exactly is the task? How should Emmanuel Church engage in this? Individually? Corporately? Who should go? Who should we send? How do we send and support those who go? What about when they move on or return?
What is Mission?
1. Target: God’s glory
God is glorified on earth as we obey Jesus in reaching others with the gospel and as they receive salvation and start to enjoy God and worship him in Spirit and truth. Many people groups in many places have never even heard this good news. Jesus wants:
2. Task: making disciples who build local church and make more disciples
Jesus commands and commissions us to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). This happens as people hear the gospel, repent and believe in him. It begins through reaching those who have no access to the gospel, then continues through the local church where baptism and teaching take place. Making disciples is something we must do in obedience to Jesus.
3. Importance: central to God’s plan
Jesus teaches his disciples what will fulfil the Scriptures: his own suffering and death for sins, his resurrection on the third day and that repentance and forgiveness of sins through Christ alone should be proclaimed to all nations. This is crucial and urgent, not just a hobby for a few enthusiasts, but the norm for the whole Church in the power of the Holy Spirit. Then he said to them:
Where do we start?
Jesus has compassion for the lost, loves us so much and is not willing for any to perish. So he commands his disciples to pray for workers to be sent out. He calls us to start with prayer. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples:
Who goes?
In the Antioch church of Acts 13, we read that during a time of worship, fasting and prayer, the Holy Spirit instructed the leaders to send out two of them: Paul and Barnabas. Then in Acts 15 the whole church sent Judas Barsabbas and Silas, leading men among the brothers. The Jerusalem church also sent godly, gifted, qualified members to go.
The Holy Spirit calls and the local church, who know their people well, recognise and confirm this calling.
How can we all be involved?
Pray
Cross-cultural mission is demanding and pressured. We all need to support and shoulder this work together. Front line battles against darkness and unbelief are navigated, resourced and won by God through prayer in the name of Jesus. Paul appeals to his brothers:
Prayer is the church’s fuel for mission which can literally shake the earth. The early church devoted themselves to prayer resulting in many awesome signs, wonders, daring witnessing and effective spreading of the gospel. In Emmanuel Church there are many opportunities to do this:
Monthly prayer meetings – first Saturday morning each month. We pray into all facets of church life and regularly intercede for our friends, especially those we currently support, and their work to advance the gospel in the nations.
Regular online prayer - we hold monthly prayer sessions for targeted people and places including the Middle East, India and East Africa.
Weekly prayer meetings - we gather each Sunday before the main meeting to pray and often bring our friends in the nations to the Lord.
Emmanuel Communities - prayer often features in these weekly gatherings. We need to keep bringing our friends to God.
Personal prayer - for each person sent, maybe a different one daily or focussing in on one specifically.
Give financially
God provides for his work primarily through his church as we give cheerfully and generously through our tithes and offerings. The church in Philippi partnered with Paul, sending help for his needs repeatedly. He refers to these gifts as:
For more information, visit our Giving web page.
Communicate
Paul writes to supporting churches letting them know how things are going. They write back. Visitors come and go. Regular communication is essential.
Come to training events
To get informed, equipped and ready for action and adventure.
Go overseas yourself
Go short-term or long-term. We’d encourage you to make sure you are well plugged in relationally to church life. Then speak to your Emmanuel Community leaders as they know you and can help confirm the calling of God and whether this is the right thing to pursue.
They will talk it through with you and the leaders to share what you are carrying in your heart. They would love to pray with you and jointly think through your gifts, experience and what kind of ministry you might be involved in. If together we conclude this is God’s purpose and timing for you, we can put the training in place and help you get ready. It would be thrilling to do this with you.