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>> We're talking about moving ahead with God, the global phenomenon of Diaspora. Friends,
people have been on the move from time immemorial, very few people today live in the geographical
area where they were born. Think long and hard, you will realize most of us have come
from somewhere else, even if it was centuries or decades ago.
In the last 30 years, people on the move have become global phenomena. This phenomenon now
touches most countries of the world. You might be surprised to learn that 3% of the global
population lives in countries in which they were not born. The latest research reveals
to us something over 200 million people live in countries outside their homeland.
What are the causative factors? There are several causative factors. Number one, natural
disasters. When we talk about natural disasters, we include earthquakes and famines, tsunamis,
it could be floods, and many other natural disasters, but we also have manmade disasters.
Disasters that were created because of human error, human action or human error; like chemical
pollution or ecological crisis. We also have a third causative factor, oppressive
environments. Political environments, religious oppression; and we also have the fourth reason,
economic and educational needs and opportunities. Many, many people around the world are looking
for opportunities to advance their educational career. Go to places of higher learning, and
so people are on the move. So in the last 30 years, the scale of people
on the move is larger. The scope is wider. The rate is greater. There is no reason to
believe this global phenomenon is going to slow down any time soon. This phenomenon is
going to grow in greater strength and greater speed in years to come.
When we talk about the scattered people, there is a term that's used, we call it Diasporas.
The working definition of Diasporas, the word "Diaspora" comes from the Greek word "Diaspora,"
which means, refers to the Jewish dispersion, when Jews were forced out of their land because
of a foreign takeover, under the Assyrians. The Jews were moved out because of judgment
of God. By the time the New Testament comes, 6% to 8% of the Jews lived outside were Diaspora
Jews. Secondly, you see this word used in the New
Testament. Three times it's used in the New Testament. We aren't going to go and unpack
each of those occasions. I want you to know it refers to not just Jewish Diaspora; we're
talking about Christians of Jewish heritage, which now moved out of Palestine for different
reasons. Over the years, the term "Diaspora" has gained
increasing popular use, so the working definition, the working definition that we're using in
this track is "People on the move." Anybody who is on the move, that goes beyond the national
borders. I know the term migration refers to any people
movement outside the country. But the word "Diaspora," we're using it in the context
of people crossing national borders. People on the move.
What's God's purpose for Diasporas? I believe God is very intentional in the purposes in
his purpose for Diasporas. The God of the Bible is a living creator, and this living
creator, this living creator is on a mission. Our God is a living God. The reason we're
at Lausanne this week, Lausanne 3, is we believe God is on the move. God is on a mission, and
he's the author of mission. He seeks, He sends, and He saves, and our God is on the move.
And we see that right from Genesis. In Genesis, God made a covenant with Abraham,
and that was that his descendants would be the vehicle of blessing to the nations. A
very foundational passage of Scripture that most of us know is Genesis 12:1 3. “Now
the Lord said to Abraham, go forth from your country and from your relatives and from your
father's house to the land which I will show you. And I'll make you a great nation, and
I'll bless you and make your name great, and so you shall be a blessing. I'll bless those
who bless you and the one who curses you, I will curse. And in you, all the families
of the earth shall be blessed.” The phrase "Families of the earth" could be
translated as nations, or people groups of the earth. God in calling Abraham, had a purpose,
and the purpose was, that Abraham and those who come in his lineage, would become a blessing
to the nations. A very foundational passage of Scripture.
But friends, we need to know, that was carried out, secondly, in the Great Commission. The
Great Commission of Jesus recorded in every account of the Gospels, recorded in the first
chapter of the Book of Acts. But we want to look at Matthew chapter 28.
A very foundational passage, talking about the Great Commission, where Jesus said, “Go,
therefore, and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and
the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo,
I'm with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Friends, when he talked about making disciples of all the nations, he was not just referring
to people who are stuck in their homeland. He was referring to every people group, including
those who were in Diaspora. Whatever size, wherever they go, we have a responsibility
to reach out to them with the Gospel. So friends, the Great Commission demands that
we evangelize people on the move. Fourthly, the reality of God, being on a mission, is
highlighted in the apostle Paul's Sermon on the Mount in Athens. Acts Chapter 17, a very
rich passage of Scripture but I'm going to focus on verses 26 to 27 of Acts 17. “And
He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having
determined the appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation. That they would seek
God. Perhaps they might grope for him and find him, and though he is not far from each
one of us.” There are three truths that we can extract
from just these two verses of Scripture as it relates to the Diaspora. Number one, that
God, God sovereignly orchestrates places and times, where and when people live. It's God
who orchestrates, God is sovereign, God is in charge, and nothing surprises him, or when
people move, or people are forced to move. It's God who sovereignly orchestrates where
people live in the world. Secondly, the moving of people is in God's
hand and not in the hands of governments. So immigration is not ultimately in the hands
of government. Emigration is not in the hands of government. Migration is not in the hands
of government ultimately. It is God who is sovereign. He knows the movement of every
individual. He knows the movement of every family. He knows the movement of an ethnic
group, and it is under God's sovereignty. The third fact that we extract from this passage
of Scripture in Acts 17 is the fact that God moves people to different places to fulfill
his purposes. And what is his ultimate purpose? That they would seek God. That they would
seek God. Yes, they could have sought God in any place where they came from, but I want
you to know one of the most global realities is this. When people move to a new place,
they become very curious. When people go to a new place, their assumptions are re evaluated.
When people go to a new place, there is a fresh thinking of looking at the same things
in a different way. And as you study the Book of Acts, you'll
find there are many, many people that came to Christ far away from home. And friends,
I believe God moves people so that they have another opportunity to seek God, and it's
also an established fact, people on the move have a greater reliance on supernatural things
than people who are not on the move. And so friends, I want you to know, God is
in charge and God moves people for one purpose, and that one purpose, that they would seek
God and find him and find him to be their Savior and Lord.
As we continue, the examples of scattered people. There’s going to be many more examples
given to you, but let me give you some glaring examples. 1.1 million Arabic speaking Muslims
live in Argentina. 1.1 million Arabic speaking Muslims live in
Argentina. They need the Gospel. They need to be reached. As we're committed to reaching
Muslims wherever they live. Let me give you another example. 312,000 Han
Chinese live in the UK. 110,000 of them live in Cuba. You want to reach the Han Chinese,
don't just think about geographical China or Taiwan or Southeast Asia. We need to look
at where God has moved those people and we need to reach them.
143,000 Spanish Jews live in Israel. 104,000 Punjabi speaking Sikhs live in Sri Lanka.
Yes, they live in the UK and they live in Canada, but I want you to know, 104,000 Punjabi
speaking Sikhs live in Sri Lanka, so far away from Punjab. But friends, they are a people
group that needs to be reached. 117,000 Bengali speaking Muslims in the United
Arab Emirates. And we can go on listing. Tons of people, numbers of people, who are far
away, that needs to be reached for the Gospel. What God is doing is in accordance to his
will, to his work, and to his word. We believe God is unscrambling the nations of the world.
I believe God is using all the means to unscramble the nations of the world, to bring in a mega
harvest globally. I believe God is doing a new thing. I believe
he's doing a new thing so that he gives us another opportunity to reach them and the
church must embrace this new global reality of people on the move. And we must strategize.
We must put on our missiological eyes and look at new possibilities all around us. Because
I believe God wants to reach the people on the move. He wants them to be in his church.
The Body of Christ, that we live, function and represent here at Lausanne.