Missionary Maranatha Kim

A New Paradigm in Global Missions 

Today, the landscape of global missions is undergoing a rapid transformation. Moving beyond traditional Western-centric missions, the Global South has emerged as the primary driving force in world missions. Alongside this shift, polycentric mission—where churches worldwide collaborate as equal partners rather than a single nation or region leading the effort—has become a central theme in contemporary missions. Amidst this trend, through a missional-historical analysis, we aim to examine the necessity of Asian church mission leadership and explore new mission strategies tailored for the Asian church.

The Shift of the Missional Axis

The Holy Spirit is the true agent of missions. The Jerusalem church, which experienced revival through the work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, failed to overcome Jewish nationalism. Although Peter realized God's will through the three visions shown to him by the Holy Spirit, the church struggled to obey. 

Ultimately, through persecution, God scattered the Jerusalem church, and a small group reached Antioch to preach the Gospel to the Greeks. Thus, the Antioch church became an international, multi-ethnic church comprised of both Jews and Greeks. Through the Antioch church, which fasted, prayed, and followed the voice of the Holy Spirit, gentile missions began. Later, contrary to Paul's intention to go east, the Spirit guided the center of the Gospel to shift toward Macedonia—that is, Europe. 

Two Axes of Gospel History: Jews and Gentiles

The overarching movement of Gospel history flows from the Jews to the Gentiles, to the full number of the Gentiles, and ultimately to the restoration of the Jews (Romans 11). Through the visions given to Peter and the Macedonian call, the axis of the Gospel shifted from Jews to Gentiles and from Asia to Europe.

Miracles Within Redemptive Providence

Geerhardus Vos, considered the father of 20th-century Reformed Biblical Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, noted in his work 'Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation' that God works through special miracles at every redemptive-historical turning point according to His redemptive purpose and providence. By God's providence, the Gospel axis moved to Europe. Church history shows that extraordinary miracles accompanied every era of revival. God worked through remarkable miracles during the revivals of the Korean and Asian churches in the 1970s and 80s, and today, He is working through powerful miracles among refugees in the Middle East and Islamic world. This demonstrates that the center of the Gospel has shifted to Asia, the Middle East, and the Arab world.

Hebraic Worldview vs. Hellenistic Worldview

The shift of the Gospel axis to Europe meant moving from a Hebraic worldview into a Hellenistic worldview.

Representing the non-Western world—including Asia and Africa—the Hebraic worldview is organic, historical, and integrative. In contrast, the Hellenistic worldview, representing the West, is characteristically dichotomous, logical, and objective.

As the center of the Gospel moved to Europe (Hellenistic worldview), the understanding of God became objectified, broken down, analyzed, interpreted, and reassembled. This led to the development of systematic theology. Through this, the global church built a systematic understanding of Scripture and God, establishing the structural framework of faith and a defensive wall to protect the Gospel against external attacks. This stands as the Western church's great contribution to the global church.

Historical Revelation (Theology) vs. Doctrinal Revelation (Theology) 

However, the Word of God and His works transcend doctrine. God speaks and fulfills His Word (covenant) through history. Therefore, the Word of God (Scripture) was not given as doctrine, but revealed through history. Even now, He is alive and working among the nations as the Lord of history. (God has everything under control!)

Asian Worldview: Secret Law VS Western Worldview: Universal Law

At the core of the Western worldview lies Universalism—an exceptional ability to objectify and generalize what one possesses into a Universal Law. Westerners excel at creating manuals and quantifying information, giving them strong advantages in formal teaching and academic fields. In contrast, the hallmark of the Asian worldview is intuitive analysis and learning by experience (living it out), even without a manual. However, when asked how a task was accomplished, people often find it hard to articulate, leaving the method as an unwritten Secret Law. 

Most mission fields where we serve consist of nations operating within an Asian worldview. A distinct characteristic of Korean people is that upon purchasing an electronic device, they often toss the user manual directly into the trash, learning how to operate it hands-on through trial and error. On the other hand, friends from Western backgrounds will typically refrain from touching a device until they have read the manual cover to cover. While serving in the Middle East, I asked Arab friends if they read the manuals after buying electronics; they laughed and replied, 'Who wants a headache reading that long manual? Just throw it away!' Most people across Asia likely share a similar mindset with Koreans. 

Consider the recent popularity of K-Food. When Koreans cook, they traditionally do not quantify recipes. While there are efforts to standardize recipes today, many instructions still read, 'Add an appropriate amount of soy sauce' or 'A pinch of salt to taste.' While 'an appropriate amount' seems indefinable, Koreans instinctively know what it means. When mothers season dishes by sight and touch without measuring tools, they produce an irreplaceable depth of flavor—a phenomenon that leaves Western chefs thoroughly puzzled. 

In my childhood, Chinese martial arts movies were immensely popular. A legendary master would always live secluded deep in the mountains, and numerous aspiring disciples would seek him out. At first, the master would ignore them entirely. Most left in frustration, but those who endured were accepted. Even then, there was no curriculum, no textbook, and no instruction for months or even a year; the master simply assigned chores like hauling water and sweeping. Just as the disciple reached his breaking point and prepared to leave, the master would finally reveal the movements. The disciple then realized that a year of hauling water was actually the essential preparation—a process designed to build the core muscles required for advanced martial arts. Only in the end did he grasp his master's deeper intent, attaining enlightenment and becoming a master himself with his own Secret Law. 

This illustrates a fundamental distinction between the Western and Asian worldviews regarding education and discipleship. 

The Dawn of the Christendom Era 

When Rome legalized Christianity in AD 313, persecution ceased, and the Church entered a period of stability under imperial protection and power. The Church came to leverage the power of a worldly empire—marking the beginning of the Christendom era. 

CHRISTIANITY + KINGDOM = CHRISTENDOM 

Here, 'kingdom' refers not to the Kingdom of God, but to worldly empires. This era was characterized by a blending of secular imperial power within the Church—first through Roman imperial rule, then medieval papal authority, and later modern Western imperialism.

This period can be defined by the 3Cs:

CHRISTIANITY + COMMERCIAL + COLONY

We owe immense gratitude and applause to the Western church for its sacrificial commitment to global missions. Asia and Korea in particular came to know the Lord and experience revival through the dedication of Western missionaries.

At the same time, we must carefully remember the side effects of mission work during the Christendom era. As missionaries and churches operated alongside economic power (COMMERCIAL) and political dominance (COLONY), colonized nations in Asia and Africa developed a legacy of misunderstanding and resistance toward Christianity. The primary reason why most remaining unreached people groups today—especially within Hindu and Islamic spheres—have not received the Gospel stems from this history of mission work linked to Western imperialism. In the Arab world where I serve, Muslims still perceive Christianity as a Western religion. Consequently, historical wounds lead them to reject it unconditionally before even hearing the truth. When we explain that Christianity originated in the Middle East and that this land is its true birthplace, they are often astonished.

While many factors contributed to the revival of the Korean Church, a vital element from a historical perspective is the martyrdom of Missionary Robert Thomas. Although Missionary Thomas arrived aboard the General Sherman alongside imperial power to open Korea's doors, by God's providence, the opening failed and he was martyred. Through this, Korea was prepared to receive the Gospel without carrying historical trauma toward Christianity.

The Social Gospel and Sowing Theology 

Among the key issues in modern missions are contextualization and the Social Gospel.

The concept of the Social Gospel is a product of Western Christendom missions created in the modern era; it did not exist in prior church history. As Western missionaries faithfully preached the Gospel and served in India and the Islamic world, they realized that people refused to even listen to the message due to historical wounds inflicted by Western imperialism. Thus, rather than directly proclaiming the Gospel, 'Sowing Theology' emerged—the idea that missionaries must cultivate the soil of people's hearts first through various social activities and community service. The Social Gospel itself arose out of intense reflection and desperate efforts to communicate the Gospel effectively. It is fundamentally different from contemporary trends that claim 'living itself is missions and the Gospel,' or from views that label active evangelism as ignorant and outdated while treating social service as the entirety of missions. Furthermore, while this approach was necessary and suitable for Western missionaries carrying historical baggage, it does not strongly apply to the Asian church, which carries no such historical trauma. Ministry workers from Korea and across Asia are actually welcomed with open arms in the Islamic world. Moreover, because Asia and the Islamic world share similar cultural spheres, even contextualization—which was a dominant topic in Western missions—is often unnecessary for Asian workers. Contextualization was essential for Western missionaries due to the vast cultural gap between Asia and the West, but it frequently fits poorly with Asian workers. In particular, the Middle East and Arab world serve as the biblical backdrop, meaning the Text and the Context naturally coincide. Doing things strictly according to the Word is the most effective way.

Wholistic Mission

Relief work and community service are vital responsibilities of the Church. Caring for the poor and looking after orphans and widows is the highest form of pure religion that pleases God (James 1:27). However, we must remember that the ultimate purpose behind all our relief and service must be to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ—and that is what constitutes genuine Wholistic Mission.

THE GLOBAL SOUTH

The narrative of gentile missions, which began in Antioch, passed through Europe, Britain, and America, and has now shifted its leadership to the Asian church. Not only Korea, China, and Japan, but also Asian churches once considered mission fields are rising passionately and sending out missionaries. For a long time, the Chinese church has declared 'Mission China' and dispatched workers; recently, internal persecution in China has paradoxically caused entire congregations to relocate to mission fields, releasing a flood of missionaries into the world. Even in Saudi Arabia, long thought to be strictly closed, churches are being established and experiencing extraordinary revival through Indian and Filipino migrant workers. Furthermore, Indian and Filipino brothers and sisters are proclaiming the Gospel within Saudi Arabia, shaking the nation to its core. God's work is unfolding far faster and more miraculously than we can imagine. Through unsung believers in the Asian church, the Arab window—the heartland of Islam—is being transformed. Hallelujah!

The Indonesian church, planted by God like a secret weapon in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation, will rise alongside island nations such as the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore (Isaiah 42:10, 12). Indonesia's Christian population is estimated at 40 million, and their dedication to prayer is even more fervent than that of the Korean church. Indonesia and neighboring island nations will be like the elephant. People assume elephants are slow, but they can reach top speeds of 40 km/h once they start running. While known to be gentle, the elephant actually holds the highest combat power among land animals—not even packs of lions or tigers stand a chance. As Indonesia and the island nations rise, they will trample the darkness over the Islamic world and the nations, completing the work of the Lord.

Back to the Jewish People

The political rebirth of Israel in 1948 served as a prophetic catalyst, ushering in the threshold of the end times. We believe that God, who regathered those scattered and nearly forgotten across the nations for two millennia, has brought them back to pour out His Holy Spirit and bring about their restoration, in accordance with Romans 11. The political restoration of Israel was ordained to pave the way for the spiritual awakening of the Jewish people. We rejoice in the extraordinary reports of revival breaking out among returned Jewish communities. Furthermore, in line with Isaiah 19, we witness a growing movement in Israel where Messianic Jews and Palestinian believers worship alongside one another. The fulfillment of the covenant is drawing near.

Returning to Apostolic Missiology

Pre Christendom – Christendom – Post Christendom

In this post-Christendom epoch, the center of gravity in global missions has shifted to the Asian church. Consequently, Asian missiology must diverge from the Western models that characterized the Christendom era.

We must reclaim the apostolic missiology of the early church.

Apostolic mission was defined by four core characteristics:

First, it was forged in the crucible of persecution, where gospel proclamation frequently meant martyrdom. 

In the final hour, the Gospel of the kingdom will be witnessed to all nations through trial and persecution (Matthew 24:14–15). The Korean church must once again learn from the theology of suffering modeled by Chinese, Iranian, and Asian churches that flourished under opposition. As the Asian and global church stand in unified alignment, they will overcome adversity and bring God's redemptive purpose to completion. 

Second, early church mission advanced from weak, subjugated populations toward dominant worldly empires. 

The trajectory of the mighty Roman Empire was altered not by political elites, but through Jewish apostles from an occupied nation and early believers drawn from the margins of society. 

Asia's churches are rich with committed young people. Yet in dialogue with them, one often uncovers persistent misconceptions—the assumption that missions remains the domain of politically dominant or economically affluent nations like the West or South Korea. During my tenure in the Islamic Middle East, I occasionally envied American missionaries whose government and diplomatic channels actively intervened on their behalf, whereas Korean workers received little state protection. However, a pivotal event transformed my perspective. Following the expulsion of an American missionary from a host nation, visiting US senators confronted that nation's sovereign during an official state visit. Because the nation was a US ally, the monarch relented, re-invited the worker, and permitted his return. Yet as the story spread, local resentment toward Christianity and foreign workers surged. Though the missionary returned, he was forced to leave voluntarily shortly after as ministry became impossible. This incident revealed that the absence of state backing was, in fact, a divine safeguard. In contrast, Chinese missionaries endure pressure both from host regimes and their home government, leaving them utterly dependent on God alone. Paradoxically, this hardship has refined Chinese ministers; without such trial, navigating Middle Eastern mission fields would prove far more daunting. The resilient witness of the Iranian, Chinese, and broader Asian churches affirms that the Gospel retains power to overcome empires. 

Third, apostolic mission prioritized pioneer and frontier work among unreached peoples, emulating Paul’s resolve to preach Christ where His name had not been heard. 

While the contemporary 'Missional Church' movement offers significant insights, it carries a subtle risk—as John Piper cautions in 'Let the Nations Be Glad!'—of diluting the urgency of frontier missions. We must transition beyond missional church models toward communities willing to risk everything for the Gospel. In these final days, enduring breakthrough across hostile frontiers requires nothing less than radical commitment.

Fourth, early church mission was inherently eschatological, centered on proclaiming the imminent return of Jesus Christ.

As the end approaches, we must remain steadfast and unshakeable. If the first-century apostles proclaimed the coming King and advanced the Gospel to the ends of the earth, how much more urgently must we, living at the climax of history, dedicate ourselves to frontier missions that prepare the way for the Lord’s return.

Polycentric Mission

In the end times, newly independent nations that freed themselves from colonial rule are becoming the main pillars of missions. The end times is a era of great missions where those who proclaim the Gospel and those who receive it become co-leaders in ministry together. (From All Nations To All Nations)

God is calling the Asian church and is already using it remarkably. These are nations that share the same pain of colonial rule as Islamic countries and understand their tears. They are also churches that have risen through persecution with tearful prayers, like the Chinese underground church and the Iranian church. Through the Asian churches, the solid strongholds of Islam are crumbling, and brothers in the Islamic underground churches are also overcoming persecution and rising with strength.

The Joshua Generation, in the Name of Jesus Christ!

Missions is by no means a calling reserved only for powerful and developed nations. Furthermore, while finances are necessary, missions is not accomplished by money, nor does a lack of funds prevent us from doing missions. Through the mission history of the Christendom era, we have experienced that when the church puts forward power other than the power of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel, it actually becomes an obstacle to missions. Just like the early church, a generation of faith must arise within the Asian church declaring, 'Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk!' I declare that among the young generation, living witnesses will rise who breakthrough financial barriers by faith and fulfill the Lord's work. I declare that suffering is a blessing, and faithful witnesses who rejoice even amid suffering and willingly dedicate themselves will rise up!

AWAKENING ASIA FINISHING THE TASK !

WE ARE HISTORY MAKERS !