Reverend Dr. David Oluwashina
By Boluwatife Oparinde
Former Missions Director of the Foursquare Gospel Church in Nigeria, Reverend Dr. David Oluwashina, has noted that a missionary is God's voice, God's night, God's power in any place that God may have sent him/her to.
Rev'd Oluwashina who related that an ambassador is a representative of the head of a country and speaks authoritatively on behalf of his government, expressed that Christian missionaries are ambassadors of Christ.
The Foursquare cleric gave this explanation while speaking on the topic "Word-Structured Missions" from the text Matthew 28:18-20 at the recently concluded Christ Apostolic Church 2023 Missions Conference.
Emphasizing mission as the heart beat of our God, the clergyman also explained that God by His Word, "already has a blue print (just like an architect) that He follows to systematically accomplish all what He has set His mind to do in His creation. I therefore posit that all that is being done is from His blue print that He has with Him. In His mercy however, He has revealed to us and communicated it to us in the Bible. Thus, the Bible is a template from where we draw the basis for our strategies for all that God has desired for us to accomplish for His kingdom and glory."
Speaking on the esteemed value of mission, Reverend Oluwashina instanced that just like the Apostles of Old, mission is impossible without being endued with the power from on High, stating that, "missionaries must possess a great spiritual resilience if he is to make an impact for God and create a great havoc in the kingdom of darkness."
"The early Apostles and the Disciples of Christ were seriously warned by the Lord Jesus Christ not to venture to go out until they are 'endued with the power from on high.' The early apostles and the disciples obeyed the injunction of our Lord and the Lord fulfilled their desire for His power. Thus, like the apostles and disciples of old, the same thing is much more applicable to us. Our need for the power of the Holy Spirit in fulfilling Christ's mandate for world evangelization and overcoming the kingdom of darkness is sacrosanct," he said.
He narrated the basic strategies given in the Bible for missions to include prayer, reporting, restrategizing and having a good focus.
Speaking on prayer, Dr. Oluwashina said it is a very important ingredient for missions, adding the need to cry to God like Hudson Taylor, Apostle Paul who in a vision requested for help in Macedonia, and thelrd Jesus Christ who in the humanity never lacked directions because of his prayer life.
He further challenged the missionaries that, "the Lord Jesus Christ was never a lone ranger in regards to this work. He has His disciples with Him both for their training as well as companionship. They formed His team-mates throughout the days of His ministry on earth. In the basis strategy that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave to us, we are to go two by two at least. It is not advisable in this work to go alone. The devil can so easily discourage a man; however, as the Bible when they form a team, the two can be a source of encouragement to each other. This has been proven to be true in many uncountable instances."
On reporting and restrategizing, the cleric expressed that, "mission work needs constant reporting especially when one is responsible to a body. The reporting helps both in the areas of spiritual support. Spiritual support is through prayers while financial support requires adequate funding to prosecute the work. Depending on the level of monitoring that the work will enjoy, there may be need to restrategize in order to meet the exigencies of the work."
In his conclusion, Rev'd Dr. Oluwashina charged the missionaries to embrace a farmer's mentality to know, "the season we are in for the area in God's timing. The particular plant that is suitable for that in terms of our message. We must imbibe in our heart and mind, a harvest mentality. Knowing by God's leading the particular area to plant. We must have a good harvest mentality expecting great things from God. We must include in our planning a holistic plan where we have factored the physical need to it. Above all, we must keep in constant touch with heaven waiting on God for whatever the Holy Spirit will be will to give to us in the course of the program now and beyond."