In his commentary on Romans¹, John Stott made the following comments about Paul’s statement concerning his ministry to the Gentiles (or nations – v. 5): "What he (Paul) is affirming is that the gospel is for everybody; its scope is universal. We too, if we are to be committed to world mission, will have to be liberated from all pride of race, nation, tribe, caste and class, and acknowledge that God’s gospel is for everybody, without exception and without distinction. This is a major theme of Romans…(v. 6) If, therefore, (referring to Phil. 2:9ff) God desires every knee to bow to Jesus and every tongue to confess him, so should we. We should be ‘jealous’ (as Scripture sometimes puts it) for the honour of his name – troubled when it remains unknown, hurt when it is ignored, indignant when it is blasphemed, and all the time anxious and determined that it shall be given the honour and glory which are due it. The highest of all missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God…), but rather zeal – burning zeal – for the glory of Jesus Christ."

In the preface to his book, A Vision for Missions², Tom Wells wrote, "God is worthy of being known and proclaimed for who He is, and that fact is an important part of the missionary motive and message…those who know the most about God are the most responsible and best equipped to tell of Him."

John Piper said it this way in his book, Let the Nations be Glad! "Worship…is the fuel and goal of missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. ‘The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!’ (Ps. 97:1). ‘Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy!’ (Ps. 67:3-4)"³

Three different authors saying the same thing in different ways, that the ultimate reason and motivation for missions is the glory of God. We who are part of the To Every Tribe Ministries team have specific mission goals toward the end of glorifying God in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to preach the gospel and plant churches in places where none currently exist. Following the planting of churches we want to train local leaders and install them in the local churches. When that is accomplished, we will be free to move on to the next tribe or the next town or island and carry the process forward.

The planted churches will also be able to begin preaching the gospel in places where we have not been, in remote areas we may not know about, among peoples whom no one knows about at this time, except those who live in their culture and in their region or in their swamp.

Toward that end we are committing all our resources, and we invite you to join us in the journey. When one looks at the total picture of what we are attempting, it sometimes seems to be an impossible dream, but with God all things are possible.

This month I want to introduce another member of the TETM team. Many of you may already know Rod and Linda Conner. Rod and Linda met at Grand Rapids Baptist Bible College and were married in 1973. Rod served as the youth pastor for Randolph St. Baptist Church in Charleston, WV from 1976 until 1978. In 1978, Rod was called to Reformed Baptist Church in Lewisburg, PA, and served there as the pastor for 23 years. Rod and Linda have four children, Jeff, Christopher, Timothy, and Kimberly.

During the year that David Sitton and Steve and Robin Henry were to be occupied full time with language school, someone was needed to go to churches around the US and Canada and carry the message about TETM’s missionary goals. Rod believed the Lord was calling him to fulfill that need. The Lord has graciously provided the financial support enabling him to travel throughout the US and Canada, preaching the gospel and telling the TETM story. Rod’s travels have taken him to Ontario, Canada; several southern states including North and South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Louisiana. His most recent trips have been to Ohio, Illinois and Michigan.

There are many ways that you can become a partner in the TETM mission. We have the short-term mission trips this coming summer in the area around the Port of Mezquital in Mexico. The Port of Mezquital is about 80 miles directly south of Matamoros, Mexico or Brownsville, Texas (the two cities are on opposite sides of the Rio Grande River). We will be working in four locations around the Port of Mezquital area. Those who go will be sleeping in tents. There are no shower facilities. We will carry our own water. There are no medical facilities as we know them here, but we will have doctors or nurses and basic medical supplies. The area is directly adjacent to the Gulf of Mexico, so humidity will probably be high, along with the temperature.

If you yearn for adventure in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ, this may be for you. We will be taking 60 people on each of two trips. Please register early because we will get to the 60 limit early. Register at www.toeverytribe.com.

There will be two medical missions to the state of Oaxaca, on the Pacific coast of Mexico (almost to Central America) in August. La Barra de la Cruz and the surrounding area as well as the Coicoyan tribe are the focal point of these trips. La Barra is a hard 24-hour drive south of Matamoros. If you have medical training or especially desire to work in a situation that may involve an element of personal danger (these are resistant tribes and people) please contact Robin Henry at her email address: robin@toeverytribe.com. If you are unable to go to Mexico but would like to help with medical supplies, such as prenatal vitamins, or other forms of support you should also contact Robin. She will be in language school until mid April, so it may take her a while to respond to your emails. If you do not have email capability, please write her at the address at the end of this article.

We will also be returning with a team to Papua New Guinea in February 2006. The Chambri church is thriving. It has been turned over to the local leaders, and now it is time to push on to the next tribe or village with the gospel.

We have a long-term goal of becoming a sending agency for missionaries. We want to expand beyond Mexico and Papua New Guinea. We see so many areas of need, so many opportunities.

The greatest help you can give us is to pray for us. Pray that the Lord will open hearts and minds of the people where we go. Pray for the missionaries that they will be kept in His power and in His grace. Pray that their hearts will be filled with zeal for the glory of Christ, and that they will truly go out in His Name. Pray for those whom you know are contemplating becoming missionaries, that the Lord would direct their hearts. Pray for your local church that it would become one with the church throughout the ages and see that it exists for the glory of God, and that one way to most effectively show forth His glory is to become active in missions.

Pray whether you should learn more and become active in missions. Retired people are a great source of missionary work. We have more time; most of us are "empty nesters." What a way to finish our race, reaching out to a dying world in the name of Jesus Christ.

You may contact us at the following:

To Every Tribe Ministries
P.O. Box 1572
Los Fresnos, TX 78566

David Sitton: david@toeverytribe.com
Steve Henry: steve@toeverytribe.com
Rod Conner: rconner@chilitech.net
David Harrell: bdharrell@sbcglobal.net

¹ John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, (Downers Grove, Ill. Intervarsity Press, 1994) pp. 51-53.
² Tom Wells, A Vision for Missions, (Carlisle, PA., The Banner of Truth Trust, 1985) pg. 10.
³ John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad! (Grand Rapids, Mich., Baker Academic, 2^nd ed., 2003) pg. 17.

Copyright 2005 Soundofgrace