Missions Pulse 035: Todd Powers
https://davidjoannes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/035-Todd-Powers-default-1024x576.jpg 1024 576 David Joannes David Joannes https://davidjoannes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/035-Todd-Powers-default-1024x576.jpgOn this episode of Missions Pulse, David Joannes interviews Todd Powers, co-founder of Empower International. Empower International’s mission is to empower next-generation Christian leaders to succeed in their mission to reach their people for God.
Todd is a passionate spokesperson for the mission of God. With over thirty years of cross-cultural missions under his belt, he awakens Christian hearts to see the reality of God on mission in the world today. In this episode of Missions Pulse, Todd challenges paradigms and reveals that every believer has a part to play in God’s epic mandate. You don’t want to miss his description of the “box mentality,” the power of short-term missions, his challenge for missionaries to expect great things in their missional efforts, and much more!
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What if God’s people were empowered with hope to join the mission of God. If you’re out there sharing Jesus out of a sense of obligation, people you come in contact with will be repulsed. If we represent Jesus accurately, He is irresistible. David Platt said, “Don’t try to manifest a heart or mind for missions that is devoid of relational intimacy.” When we experience the grace and glory of God, evangelism becomes second hand and our methods flow from love rather than drudgery.
Todd Powers talks about “The Box Mentality.” If this doesn’t inspire you to get out of your box, I don’t know what else will.
When placing soldiers on the field, the military is tedious about finding top echelon men and women who will accomplish their tasks under any kind of pressure. Is the Church sending highly-qualified missionaries to represent the Lord Jesus in foreign fields? If we are advance emissaries, we should exemplify our Master in every way. Todd Powers challenges the missionary enterprise by asking who we are sending to the foreign field.
We have to start with the startling reality that 51% of church-goers in Amerca do not know what the Great Commission is. In many ways, we’ve lost the plot. That being said, Millennials are sharing their faith more than Boomers and Gen-Xers. Todd Powers is passionate about harnessing Millennial zeal and shifting the course of Christian missions.
Are we promoting the most important thing that Jesus told His disciples before leaving the earth? It’s incredible that so many believers have no idea what the Great Commission is. Todd Powers calls this ignorance “the injustice of misrepresentation.”
Can missionaries confidently walk into parliaments, palaces, and governments, knowing that they carry themselves in a way that incites cultural transformation? Todd Powers is on a mission to shift the trajectory of global Kingdom workers’ influence.
The vast majority of people come to Christ through relationship. That being said, we might have friendship evangelism all wrong. We’re not told to only befriend people, but to express the love of God via relationship. It’s not a carrot on a stick, but a purposeful expression of the Gospel that transforms lives.
Missionaries ought to be seeing transformation through their witness. If we are not seeing results from preaching the message of the Gospel, are we doing something wrong? Todd Powers says we need to raise our expectations. Willaim Carey, the Father of Modern Missions, said, “Attempt great things for God; Expect great things from God.” Gone are the days when people spend an entire life and don’t see salvation. Does the message of Jesus have power or not? If it does, it should be natural that change sparks from our missional lives.
Are we overly concerned with ourselves and things that affect us? What ever happened to dying daily and allowing the life of Christ to flow through us? When the life of Jesus so infuses your life, the mission of God becomes central. And the promise actualizes: there is greater joy in dying to self and living for Christ than living for the world.
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Have you ever wondered what makes a missionary tick? What are the underlying motivations of those who cross cultural, geographical, and linguistic boundaries for the sake of Jesus Christ? What compels them to take such extreme measures and why do their actions still inspire Christians worldwide? In The Mind of a Missionary, David Joannes challenges you to find your role in God’s glorious Kingdom narrative. He draws upon history, psychology, life experience, and powerful storytelling to reshape your perception of God’s unique plan for your life. Purchase this book at Amazon today.
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