SfK Ministries: Newsletter

SfK Ministries Newsletter
- FEBRUARY 2019 -

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

WHY DO WE GO?
As we've been discussing what is Business As Mission (BAM) and explore various BAM organizations and entrepreneurs, we have to wonder... WHY? Why are we so compelled to set up BAM businesses? Why is it so important to support and get involved with BAM? Yes, it is out of our conviction to spread the Gospel message and because we want to spread the love and Word of God to the ends of the earth. But, it is also commanded of us by God through the Great Commission. Christ beautifully articulated this command to go and share the Good News within our communities and to worlds beyond. For this issue of our newsletter, we want to take a closer look at The Great Commission and what it may look like in current times.

There is a great article written by Robert Wells V in the International Mission Board training website (www.imb.org) that articulates just how important The Great Commission is and why we should be compelled by Christ's command to "go to and make disciples of all nations."

Go Means Go: A Closer Look at the Great Commission

ROBERT WELLS V | JANUARY 16 2018

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” – Matthew 28:19 (ESV)

In 1792, a twenty-nine-year-old British pastor and shoemaker named William Carey shook the evangelical world with the publication of a controversial missionary essay. It ignited a fire for missions that led hundreds to go and herald the gospel to the nations, resulting in what is now remembered as the first Protestant missions era.

In his essay, “An Enquiry,” Carey challenged his contemporaries by arguing that the Great Commission in Matthew 28:18–20, to make disciples of all nations, was intended not only for Jesus’s immediate disciples but for all of God’s people in the present. This meant that God’s people were responsible for going to places without gospel access and that those who didn’t go were responsible for sending them.

This understanding of Matthew 28:18–20 has been largely accepted by evangelicals for hundreds of years since then. In recent decades, however, another subtle, alternative interpretation has emerged.

Go, or “As you go?”

I remember speaking at a small church in Ohio, after which the young pastor reminded his congregation about the true meaning of the Great Commission. It wasn’t to take the gospel to the ends of the earth, he said, but to make disciples “as they went” about their lives.

His argument was that the word “go” in the original language is more accurately translated “as you go” in English, and so the phrase means something more along the lines of “be a disciple maker as you go about your daily life.”

Ministry Updates

1. In January, SfK visited a couple of missional businesses located in countries on the World Watch List where it is still dangerous or illegal to follow Jesus. Both businesses wanted to be part of the SfK Missional Business Community. Praise the Lord that the Kingdom expands regardless of human persecution. Please pray that these newfound relationships will grow deeper and bear much fruit in and through these businesses.

2. SfK MBA BCT Phnom Penh took place from January 13 - 27. A total of 17 people participated in the training--6 received Certificates of Completion and 4 received Certificates of Participation. We are blessed with the high caliber of participants and their passion to carry out missional businesses. From this training, we included site visits to a few missional businesses for learning. Please pray that this small group of people will be foundational to raising many more missional businesses in Cambodia and beyond.

3. Also, SfK led two seminars in Phnom Penh during and after the MBA BCT. One was for Koreans held a church and the other was for Cambodians and English-speaking foreigners for a whole day. We met several potential missional entrepreneurs with strong conviction and passion. Please pray that these seminars will lead more people to responding to God's calling in business for His Kingdom.

4. SfK paid a visit with a ministry that is currently running a school for the children located on a garbage dump site in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. In collaboration with the One Egg Project, SfK Cambodia is providing one egg for each child. Please pray that these children will grow well nourished not only with knowledge and skills but also with God's divine wisdom.

5. SfK Ministries established a new company in the U.S. (the name is purposefully withheld from disclosure to secure anonymity). This company will function as the platform to conduct Kingdom Trade and also to house intellectual scholars who could work together to advance the Kingdom of God globally. We look forward to witnessing how the Lord will use this platform for His Kingdom and His own glory. Please pray that all follow up actions will take place timely and harmoniously.

6. A missional business in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, called Earth Heir has effected a change in CEO. The founder, Sasi, will continue to lead the Advisory Work, while Xiao Cheng will lead all other operational matters. Both are Malaysians and proclaim their faith openly. We are excited about this strategic and selfless change, and we pray that the Lord will walk with them in their transition together. We share their 2018 impact report and also their photos. Please pray that this missional business will continue to grow strong and mature to channel God's good influence into the predominantly Muslim nation.

7. Nanuri Co. Ltd., a missional business in Rwanda, is ready for the final permit from the Ministry of Health to begin operating its medical center and guest house in February. It has been a long and rough journey due to disputes with the previous contractor and poor quality of construction. However, with God's grace, they are now getting ready for the final stretch before they begin fully operating. Their commitment to running the medical center as a missional business, rather than the traditional mercy ministry, requires a lot of trial and error. Please pray that they will continue to depend on God's divine wisdom and guidance in their journey.

8. We are excited to announce that starting February, the SfK Newsletter will be published in two languages: English and Korean. The editor of News Briefing Cambodia, Insol Jung, will take charge of publishing the Korean version. We are delighted to finally start issuing a Korean version, which many have requested. Please pray that this Korean version will draw more people to the BAM ecosystem with greater interest and impact.

Upcoming Events & Prayer Requests

February 13-18, 2019: SfK Life and SfK Korea Joint Board Meeting to take place in Bangkok, Thailand. We are excited about the opportunity for both board members to meet each other for fellowship and future planning. Please pray that all members will seek God's guidance in developing this new-found relationship for greater collaboration in the future.

February 10-13, 2019: Dhaka, Bangladesh to lead a 2-day BAM Seminar for potential missional entrepreneurs and to meet a missional entrepreneur. Please pray that the Lord will prepare their hearts for enlightenment in understanding God's calling in business.

April 28-May 10, 2019: SfK MBA BCT Central Asia #1. Please pray that this training, focused on equipping local pastors ministering in a country on the World Watch List, will prepare them adequately to serve other believers without the threat of financial pressure.

In addition, SfK will hold the following boot camp training sessions in 2019 as scheduled below. Please pray that God will send the people who will need to be trained.
- SfK MBA BCT Arusha, Tanzania (July 8 -19)
- SfK MBA BCT Kathmandu, Nepal (August 5 - 16)
- SfK MBA BCT Chiang Mai, Thailand (Oct 7 - 18)

May 11-16, 2019: 4-day training about BAM for a group of missionary candidates at a Korean mission agency in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Please pray that this new relationship will be fruitful for more collaboration in the future.

March 16-19, 2019: SfK will hold a strategic planning session with a missional business for 3 days in Singapore. Please pray that this meeting will be fruitful for His Kingdom and His glory.