AN IMPRESSIVE range  of material was covered by the plenary speakers at Vancouver’s Missions Fest in late January. The presentations ranged from biographical and practical to philosophical and theological. Following are some highlights.

Bruce Olsson

Bruce Olson, author of Bruchko. Photos: Elaine Cramer.

They take a special combination from scriptures, and [say] ‘God will give you what you need.’

And so we convert people to materialism. We convert people to a system of worship – but not the Saviour. And what happens to many of these movements? They die out and disappear . . . 

[To] the church in the West, in Canada and the United States: Get off your pedestal – and live with the world that is next to you. To the church in South America: Get into God’s word. Know it. Don’t speculate on it. Don’t turn the promises of God into combinations to become wealthy.

Live the conscience of Christ, and his compassions . . . That’s why you’re here during the missions conference, [so] that the compassions of Jesus can work through your life, and you change the world – not for your economy, but [for] the church which is being established, and [which] should grow properly . . .  

I lived with the Motilone [people in Colombia] in many strange situations . . . situations that were tragic, that were frightful. Yet in all these circumstances, the presence of Christ is with us. He never abandons us.

Even when we make mistakes, he doesn’t chide us; he’s with us always. And we believe that he is guiding our steps, even in our imperfection. . . .

God is with you in all of life’s experiences. You in Canada suffer sickness, social problems, family problems. You think life isn’t worth living.

It is worth living, because Jesus is with you now in any of these experiences – just as Jesus was with me [when I was] captured by the guerrillas. 

Karen Henriksen

Karen Henriksen, SIM hospital director in Angola.

When I [first arrived] there, all the Angolan church folk said to me: ‘We’re so glad that you’ve come, because now we in the church, we’ve got help. We can get health care.’

And I thought: ‘That’s good. But I’m coming as a missionary to partner with you, the church, so that we can take medicine to the unreached.’ As a new missionary in Angola, that was my thinking.

Of course, I didn’t understand the solidarity that an Angolan has . . . For an Angolan, there isn’t that compartmentalized way of thinking. If we need the health care, of course it doesn’t exclude other people. We all need it – us, and everybody [else].

 George Verwer

Operation Mobilisation founder George Viewer.

Now I bet there’s some of  you here – you’re convinced your denomination is best.

I bet there’s some of you [who] actually believe  your own local church – maybe it’s an independent, feisty-deisty Baptist church – your independent church is really the best.

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Keep your sense of humour, okay?  

Twenty-seven thousand denominations. Some people, when they hear this . . . they find it very discouraging. Why aren’t we united? In fact, some movements have been born trying to get everybody to unite.

It’s one of the greatest wastes of time on the planet – because God works through language; God works through culture; God works through nations; God works through personality. Most denominations were pioneered by some personality – which means that will leave its stamp . . . It’s [been] going on for 2,000 years.

I celebrate the diversity. I celebrate all these denominations. There’d be a few of them that would be totally apostate. Many of them do have heretical and apostate people within their denomination. I’m sure you understand that in dear Canada.

But in the first place, it happens because of the way that God works. And you and I would be a lot happier as Christians, if we could understand more the way that God works – and how we can work through a mess; how we can work when error is present; how we can work sometimes when even there is sin, or pride.

Where are those in ministry that can say they are totally delivered from all pride – and now that they’re totally delivered from all pride, they know that God will use them.

Huh? Do donkeys do ballet on bobsleds in Canada? I don’t think so. I know you’re an unusual country.

We celebrate God’s diversity.

Russell Stendal

Tragically, North America is in the process of falling away from the Lord. It’s not going in the right direction.

But God may yet turn the situation around – although it is most likely going to take hard times. And I am just about certain that the United States is in for trouble, as a country; and [I’m] not sure exactly to what extent Canada will go through this as well.

But it is in the middle of hard times and difficulty that the Lord has provided tremendous open doors for the gospel in eastern Colombia.

The cities are now more secure, and it’s harder to reach people in the cities. They want to use God to get what they want. But the people in the rural areas, particularly along the Colombia/Venezuelan border and along the Colombia/ Ecuador border – where a major conflict is brewing – these people are turning to the Lord in large numbers.

These are precisely the areas where there are very few missionaries, very few pastors. In some of these areas, church builders are not allowed, church meetings are not allowed. But that’s where God is moving. 

Vishal Mangalwadi

The Bible created the modern West. The West became what it became, because of the Bible. Now that the West has rejected the Bible, the sun must set on the Western civilization – unless the West turns back to the Bible . . .

Western civilization has moved beyond secularism – secular humanism, materialism – towards paganism . . . The world in which many of us grew up was very different; that world has changed. Why has it changed?

A number of reasons – but may I give a very simple reason? Because secular humanism, or secularism – the worldview that you studied in the universities and colleges – that worldview rules out God, revelation from God.

It does not, and it cannot, discuss questions of the purpose of life, meaning of life. What is the meaning of human life? Why am I here? What is the purpose of my life?

If you are a product of blind accident, cosmic accident, you just happen to be here, your life has no meaning, no purpose – anymore than a stone which is lying in the middle of a jungle. It’s just there – thrown up in a volcanic eruption, or whatever. It has no meaning or purpose . . .

Secular education, having committed itself to that darwinian outlook, destroyed the very possibility of schools, colleges, universities discussing the central issues that every human being . . . has to come to terms with.

Because secular education, university, can no longer talk about meaning and purpose and value, et cetera, people are turning to religion.

March 2008