November/December 2009

Volume 10, No. 6

Viewpoint
ACT 3 is a ministry to equip leaders for unity in Christ’s mission.
www.act3online.com • www.johnharmstrong.com

Mission In Christ
Upcoming Events John H. Armstrong
All my life I have listened to Christians talk ticed evangelism, studied evangelism and
The times and locations of these various
events can be found at www.act3online.com about the great Commission. I grew up on now formally teach evangelism. If the word
and registration for those events marked with
the words of the Great Commission, even evangelist is correctly understood then I am
an asterisk (*) can be completed online or by
calling 630-221-1817 during business hours. memorizing the words of our Lord in Mat- an evangelist, a person who equips others
october 28
thew 28:19–20 at the age of eight. I love to do this work of missional ministry (cf.
ACT 3 Luncheon Forum* the Great Commission. In fact, when I was Ephesians 4:11–12). But I believe something
“Homosexual Practice in Christian Perspective”
a boy of ten I went out on Saturdays with is profoundly wrong with the way we gen-
Dr. Stanton Jones
Holiday Inn • Carol Stream, IL my Sunday school teacher to talk to peers erally understand the Great Commission.
about Christ and our class. In high school I Let me explain.
october 30–31 sought to share my faith, sometimes with In John 20:21 we read that Jesus sent his
ACT 3 Biblical Forum*
Dr. Peter Enns great frustration. As a college freshman I own disciples into their mission with the
Holiday Inn • Carol Stream, IL finally became deeply involved in personal words: “As the Father sent me, so I send you.”
evangelism through Campus Crusade for Lesslie Newbigin was right when he said,
November 8
Christ. Nothing so thrilled me as to person- “This must determine the way we think
American Reformed Church (RCA)
Sunday Worship: 9:30 a.m. ally introduce people to Christ. I have prac- about and carry out the mission: it must
DeMotte, IN
Continued on page 2
november 14
Fellowship of the
Holy Cross (Men)
Lutheran Church of the Master
8:30–10:00 a.m.
Carol Stream, IL
Please note the date change for the Fellowship
of the Holy Cross. It was originally scheduled for
November 21 but is now meeting on November
14. The time and place are unchanged.

Photo to right:
John with Rich McDaniel. Rich is helping
our leadership team understand our
vision and develop a strategic plan.

Equipping Leaders for Unity in Christ’s Mission

 MIssion In Christ continued from page 1
be founded and modeled upon his. We
are not authorized to do it any other way”
(Mission In Christ’s Way, 1). The question this
text must press upon the modern church
is clear: How did the Father send the Son?
What was, and is, his way of doing mission/
evangelism?
To answer this question we must go back
to the beginning, to “the beginning of the
gospel” in Mark’s account.
Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gos-
pel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled
and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent
and believe in the gospel.” And passing
along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon
and Andrew . . . And Jesus said to them: “Fol-
low me, and I will make you become fishers
of men.” And immediately they left their nets
and followed him (Mark 1:14–18).
There are six points to be made here
regarding Christ’s way in mission. I believe
we miss these to our great peril. In fact, I
believe the modern church has missed
these in a way that greatly distorts what we
do and how we do it.
1. Christ’s way in mission is the an-
nouncement of a fact. It is not the begin-
ning of a program. It is not even a new
doctrine or a call to moral change. As New-
bigin astutely noted: “It is, strictly speaking,
a news-flash.” (Mission in Christ’s Way, 1).
Something has happened. A new fact must
be heard and received—the kingdom of
God, the reign of Christ, has come near.
2. Christ’s way in mission is not about
“religion,” at least as we use this term.
This announcement is not a category
for one part of our lives. It is about God’s
reign and thus it is about our whole life.
“One might call it ‘cosmic affairs’” (Mission in
Christ’s Way, 2).
3. Christ’s way in mission is to reveal that
the reign of God is not about something
2 Viewpoint • Nobember/December 2009
in the world to come. It is about right
now, right here. It is a present reality. This is
what is truly new here. It confronts you and
says, “Do something and do it now!”
4. Christ’s way in mission tells us that
you cannot see his kingdom unless you
repent. You are facing the wrong way. You
must do a U-turn. This is the meaning of the
word repent. The first word of the gospel
of the kingdom is not “peace” but “repent.”
If you read this text carefully there is no
mention here of turning from your sins. I
do not doubt that we must turn from sin
but this is not the real point and to miss the
real point here is quite tragic in its conse-
quences. The point here is rather straight-
forward: The reign of God has drawn near. To
see it and enter into it you must undergo a
complete (ongoing) transformation process
that Newbigin rightly calls “a total mental
revolution” (Mission in Christ’s Way, 3). If you
do not change your mind, thoroughly and
completely, the kingdom of God will be
hidden from you.
5. Christ’s way in mission says, in clear
terms, turn around and believe the
gospel, the good news Jesus is telling
us. God’s reign is near but you cannot see
it unless you believe the good news. The
good news is not primarily about your
personal sins but about the reign of Christ.
When it is reduced to a message about get-
ting your sins forgiven then the message
is reduced to a private message for inner
struggles with sin and peace. This misses
Christ’s way of mission and the conse-
quences, I am convinced, are huge.
6. Christ’s way of mission is not a simple
possibility for everybody. It is not some-
thing I can do on my own. It is the work
of Christ and he accomplishes it in me
and you by his Spirit. He called men of his
choice—Andrew, Peter, James and John.
John 15:14 says, “You did not choose me;
I chose you and appointed you to go and
bear fruit.” They are chosen and called to
call others to faith in the present reign of
Christ, a reign that is hidden to the eyes
of the world but present to all who are
called by God in his grace.
This is the beginning of the gospel. This
is HOW the Father sent the Son. When this
exciting news was first announced many
were profoundly drawn to Jesus and
became his disciples. But in time, as the
cross loomed on the near horizon, things
began to change. The reign of God did
not make sense to many of these people.
It seemed hidden, not revealed. Their zeal
for Jesus began to fade, much as the zeal
of many religious people fades over time
in our world. It is precisely here that we
must truly “learn what is mission in Christ’s
way” (Mission in Christ’s Way, 5). If we do
not we will never learn how to make real
disciples.
In the Gospels the message and the
messenger were moving toward the
cross. It was at Calvary, and on the first
day of the new week, that the kingdom
won its decisive victory. But the world
only saw defeat. The world always sees
defeat when the gospel of the kingdom is
properly preached and lived. It seems to
me that this takes us right to the heart of
our modern problem. We have preached
a gospel that is not this gospel. Our good
news is about private sins, private opin-
ions, private joys and private freedom. The
public scandal of the cross has been lost.
We want to be victors but true victory is
always found in a message that the world
will always see as defeat.
If you want to understand the mission
of ACT 3 it is imperative that you begin
with this question: “How should we un-
derstand mission in Christ’s way?” I live to
help Christians understand this question
so that we might preach the gospel of the
kingdom with power.
 A Financial Update
We do not often make special appeals
for your financial support but we need
your help now more than ever. The
recession has had a significant impact on
our operational budget. We are presently
running about 25–30% below budget
for 2009. Our budget is about $240,000
and we are running at about $180,000 at
the present time. (This budget includes
repayment of debt incurred when the
recession hit us last summer.) In the late
summer of 2008 we cut spending by
25–30% and have retained those cuts and
added a few new ones. These cuts include
salary payments. Our present budget
reflects the 2008 budget plus the debt we
Time and time again we ask friends to pray for ACT 3. If you would like to receive ACT 3 prayer notes
you can sign up for our regular prayer news email. You should go to www.act3online.com and sign up
for this regular correspondence. Then, please pray when these emails are sent. Your help is vital.
Equipping Leaders for Unity in Christ’s Mission
must retire. We have not increased salary
for nearly five years.
Please prayerfully consider helping
us reach this conservative budget and
retire our debt, especially through year-
end gifts. Some trips and ministries have
not been undertaken this year because
we do not have the funding to do them.
Our prayerful desire is to create a major
launch effort for the book Your Church Is
Too Small. This will be hindered by a loss
of funding.
You may send tax-deductible gifts
to ACT 3, P. O. Box 88216, Carol Stream,
IL 60188. You may also give at our secure
Web site: www.act3online.com.
Special Opportunities for Partnership
Now and then we need our partners
to help us with special projects. One
special need now is to purchase a
modern video camera that we can use
in recording events for the Web. We
also need a really high quality camera
for photographs of people and ACT 3
events. These items, with the necessary
peripherals (tripod, microphones, etc.)
will cost us about $1,400. If you would
like to become a special partner with us
in expanding this mission on the Web
please designate a gift for “New Camera
Equipment” so that we can purchase
these items as soon as possible.
We also need specific prayer for our
board as we work together on strategic
planning through the end of 2009. The
photo of Rich McDaniel, on page one
John recently met author Eric Metaxas.
Eric’s new biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer
will be released in early 2010.
He will speak for ACT 3 in the future.
of this Viewpoint, was taken at a recent
meeting of several board members
with Rich. Rich met John many years
ago in Trumansburg, New York. He has
served at Cornell University in strategic
planning for many years. Rich, and his
wife Gretchen, have been friends of
ACT 3 for more than a decade. He is
now helping us develop a strategic plan
for ACT 3. We believe that God honors
such planning and that true wisdom
requires us to put in place a plan so
that we can intentionally pursue our
mission purpose: “To equip leaders for
unity in Christ’s mission.” This planning
phase is uniquely connected to the
release of the new book, Your Church
Is Too Small. The book is to be released
on April 1, 2010.
3
Anita’s Perspective
But It’s So Hard, Lord!
Anita Armstrong
My mom is 93 years old. For more than
eight decades she was “sharp as a tack.”
She was a well-groomed, well-dressed
“Leave It to Beaver” Mom, who taught
ladies’ Bible studies, Sunday school
classes, and wrote magazine articles
and poetry. Mom was a faithful wife to
my dad for 67 years, and took selfless
care of him during his 15-year struggle
with Parkinson’s disease. She was an
accomplished woman, and it was easy to
show her honor and dignity. It was not
a burden to follow the Lord’s commands
from Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16,
and Ephesians 6:2: “Honor your father and
your mother.”
But, now, Lord, it’s so hard! Degeneration
of the mind happens so slowly that it
seems to just creep up on you. When
it first started happening, Mom would
read me a new poem she wrote and
it just wasn’t quite right anymore. She
got frustrated because she couldn’t
make her TV work, and she expressed
anger because “the pals were stealing
her things” at the assisted living facility
where she lives. “Mom,” I reassured her,
“the pals aren’t stealing your toothpaste
and comb!” In the past year, according to
my mom, “the pals” have stolen lipstick,
powder, six pairs of reading glasses, her
hearing aid, her purse, a pair of shoes and
some clothes! Other than the glasses
and the shoes, the other items were
eventually found safely hidden here and
there.
My mom and I used to talk on the
phone every day at 8 a.m. Now she can’t
remember her children’s phone numbers.
I have written them in large numbers
with a magic marker on colored paper
taped to her closet door. Now, when she
does call, she calls repeatedly forgetting
that she just called us. My siblings and
I used to tell her what she’s doing, but
now we just start each
conversation over as if it
were the first time. It’s so
hard, Lord!
When I took my mom
to her cardiologist, he
asked her, “How’s your
heart?” She replied,
“Oh, he’s been dead for a long time!” (My
dad’s name was Art.) I told the doctor When I Grow Old
that Mom lost her hearing aid and she By Helen E. Siml
spouted, “I don’t need a hearing aid! I When I grow old, just sit with me awhile,
hear just fine!” please.
At lunch one day recently, I greeted my My conversation will be repetitious,
mom with a cheerful, “Hi! How are you?” dull or non-existent.
She soberly answered, “I was fine until Failing eyes will blur my vision,
about noon yesterday.” “Really?” I replied. so that new, stimulating impressions
“What happened then?” “That’s when I will become impossible or frustrating.
realized that you don’t love me anymore!” Failing ears will thwart conversations
It’s so hard, Lord! and cause misunderstandings.
Time will weave its web around my senses,
Many times I look at my mom and
imprisoning my comprehension,
think, “Who is this person?” She is
binding me to the bewildering present
definitely not the person I grew up
while glorifying a burgeoning past.
with, but she still deserves my honor
Only love, with its warm and penetrating force
and respect. My brother and my sisters
can pierce the cruel web time builds.
and I are trying to be faithful to God’s
command to honor her as long as she
If the Lord does not take me home before
lives. It’s a struggle, but we are blessed
this happens,
to have each other for support. I know I ask you to overlook these
many of you are going through this, or irritating adhesions of age
have gone through this stage, too. You and to be patient—
understand how difficult it is. We must to sit with me awhile
never forget that people with dementia when I am old.
are still God’s creation, and no matter And love me,
how distant they seem to you, they still please.
need warm hugs, kisses, and attention.
So, for now, I give my mom a manicure
once a week and read to her from a book
she wrote many years ago about her
mother’s family and their journey to the
United States from Europe. She genuinely
enjoys that. I’d like to share with you a
touching poem my mom wrote many
years ago when her mind was clear and
vibrant.