Ò2010-2020: A ÔDecade from HeavenÕÓ
Grant McClung
¯ President of Missions Resource Group (www.MissionsResourceGroup.org)
¯ Member, International Executive Council of the Church of God, Tennessee USA).
Published in www.GlobalMissiology.org ÒSpiritual DynamicsÓ - January 2010.
As we move into the first year of a new decade (2010-2020), there are hopes expressed in the secular press that the next ten years – compared to the last decade - will bring an improvement in our lives and new hope for our world. At the close of 2009 ÒTimeÓ magazine made headlines with their eye-catching story, ÒThe Ô00s: Goodbye (at Last) to the Decade from Hell.Ó The author took note of the massive Y2K computer scare at the beginning of the last decade (January 1, 2000) and the global financial wipeout at the close of the decade – and ten years of misery, mishaps, and misfortunes - that caused the decade to also be labeled the ÒDecade of Reckoning,Ó the ÒDecade of Broken Dreams,Ó and even, ÒThe Lost DecadeÓ (Andy Serwer, ÒTime,Ó November 24, 2009).
All of that may be true on the surface, especially from the standpoint of North Americans who finally are catching up to the dismal economic realities already experienced for many decades by the ÒMajority WorldÓ (A term used by ÒNew InternationalistÓ magazine to refer to Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean).
Followers of Jesus Christ, however, operate from a counter-cultural worldview quite apart from the predictions and prognostications of secular materialism. Living in-between the perils of our time and the promises of God, we follow ChristÕs command to make disciples of all nations, going to the ends of the earth until the end of time (Matthew 28.18-20).
Our confidence is that 2010-2020 will be ÒA Decade from Heaven,Ó especially on a global scale. Why can we expect this possibility? Already there are signs that the next ten years will be:
1.
A Decade of Defined Discipleship – in the Great Commission community – local
churches, denominations, networks, associations, missions agencies, missions
training systems, laity in the marketplace, students, youth, children –
there is a convergence of a generation of international, interdenominational cooperation
and partnership in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. This is expressed in the great theme of
the Lausanne movement for world evangelization, ÒThe Whole Church taking The
Whole Gospel to The Whole World.Ó
There is unprecedented unity and collaboration in place to reach the
remaining unreached people groups and most resistant areas of the world with
the gospel and new church planting.
2.
A Decade of Demographic Destiny – In the coming decade, one of
the largest demographic blocs in modern history (at least in the United
States), the ÒBaby BoomersÓ will be firmly moved into retirement years (around
the ages of 55 – 75). Those keyed into kingdom values and the mission of
God in the world will use their financial means and mentoring influence to
challenge a whole new generation (their children and grandchildren). Already, missiologists are calling for
a massive evangelism effort in the Ò4/14 Window,Ó the largest global age
grouping of ages 4 – 14.
While we could shudder at the dismal prospect of losing that generation,
think of the strategic potential, the demographic destiny of masses from that
age grouping ten years from now.
When the current international age grouping of 4 – 14 comes to the
close of this new decade in 2020 they will be in the age grouping of 14 –
24 and will have, Biblically/spiritually speaking, far-reaching potential. Just look at the impact of that age
grouping in scripture, in Christian history, and in the most recent 100 years
of Pentecostal/Charismatic renewal!
We must reach, teach, and deploy this group for demographic destiny!
3.
A Decade of Desperate Desire – From all contemporary reports
and accounts, it is precisely this generation of students, teen-agers, and
children who are experiencing a mighty outpouring of the Holy Spirit in their
world and are calling out in spiritual hunger and desperate desire for revival. Here is one report from an
eyewitness to the recent Urbana 2009 Student Mission Convention where more than
16,000 students from 100+ countries came together to consider their place in
GodÕs work in the world:
ÒMany Inter-Varsity staff who have been to Urbanas for decades have said this is the most spiritually hungry group of Urbana students theyÕve ever seen. Seminars have been pouring out into adjacent halls and floors, long lines to get into Bible studies, and students weeping in the main session as speaker after speaker challenged them to live for Christ!Ó
The ÒGreat Century
of Missions,Ó the era of William Carey and other notables, was preceded by over
100 years of ÒConcerts of Prayer,Ó in the Moravian and Pietist tradition
– all of them led by laity and students. The modern Pentecostal/Charismatic movement was preceded by
years of desperate intercession and a longing for holiness in many parts of the
world. God answered those cries. In our day, scores of prayer movements such as the ÒGlobal
Day of PrayerÓ are mobilizing multiplied millions of believers for ongoing
intercession. It could very well
be that we are on the verge of the greatest move of God in all of history, ÒA Decade
from Heaven!Ó
4.
A Decade of Divine Determination
– The Bible is a mission book and our God is a missionary God. The entire scripture is filled with
GodÕs directives and determination that, ÒÉthis gospel of the kingdom will be
preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nationsÉÓ (Matthew 24.14a)
and that, ÒIn the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all peopleÓ
(Acts 2.17a). We can rest
with 100% assurance that when GodÕs people meet GodÕs requirements, then God
will ÒÉhear from heavenÓ and
proactively respond among His people and in their world (2 Chronicles 7.14).
As we track the rapid expansion of the Church around the world, may we witness once again in this new decade a recurrence of the affirmation of Paul, Silas, and Timothy to the young church in Thessalonica:
ÒThe LordÕs message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia –
your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead – Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrathÓ (1 Thessalonians 1.8-10).
In a suffering world, may we also be filled with the same Òblessed hopeÓ of ChristÕs second coming that captured the imagination and actions of the Thessalonians who were promised that, ÒÉthe Lord himself will come down from heavenÉÓ (1 Thessalonians 4.16a) and their suffering would be relieved when, ÒÉthe Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angelsÓ (2 Thessalonians 1.7).
Like the first disciples, it is not for us to predict, ÒÉto know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authorityÓ (Acts 1.7) but to, ÒÉreceive power when the Holy Spirit comesÉÓ on us and be ChristÕs witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1.8). As we move with faith and hope into this new decade, let us – like the early disciples – wait in prayer and expectancy for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that Òcame from heavenÓ (Acts 2.2; 1 Peter 1.12) and move into our world on mission with God.