We need to remind ourselves that the Bible does not view mission and evangelism merely as a good idea or something to be done when people feel like it! The Bible talks of God as a mission God; his acts are saving acts in history, carried out with speed and diligence, and using men and women to accomplish his purposes. Biblical mission moves people to act with a high sense of urgency, faithfulness, zeal and passion for the salvation of souls. Jesus himself viewed the saving act as being a matter of urgency, for the time is short:

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the gospel."Mark 1:15

"Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting." John 4:35

Here is a task that must be done in each generation, by that generation, for the blessing and benefit of the coming generations - wherever in the world they may be. For example, the CMS missionaries from UK who, along with Ajayi Crowther, led the missions into Nigeria in the 1840's, served in their time for the benefit and blessing of our generation today in Africa. Similarly, in the early part of the nineteenth century, the communities of the Plateau in Northern Nigeria, where I live and work were oppressed, distressed, hopeless and scattered, but the gospel brought education, health-care, modern civilisation and freedom from slavery and bondage. The contributions of the gospel missions on the Plateau are now seen not only in every facet of life, but are also visible in the very lives of the beneficiaries of the mission. For us to neglect this fact is to be ungrateful for the labours of our heroes past and an insult to the sacrifices made by our grandparents. More than that, the graves of the missionaries1 who died to bring us these benefits will rise in judgement against us! We in our time and generation owe it to the next generation of people in UK, Africa and wherever the gospel has not carried its blessing, to move with the same commitment, urgency and passion until the gospel is preached with power to the whole world.

Our different countries, our different communities, tribes, backgrounds, cultures and even languages give us a variety of perspectives and insights which can be mutually enriching, stimulating and productive. It is important that we share these, but the way in which we share them is also important: let it not finish with words only, but let the living word bring fruit!

I am grateful to God for this opportunity for us to meet together here. I would like to share with you something of the vision and the convictions which impel us into action and transformation in Nigeria, and then to consider some of the possible implications of this in practical terms on a world-wide scale. May we therefore look at our topic, "Interchange in World Mission" under four headings:

1. The Vision: The Power of the Gospel

2. The Implications: Obedience in Mission

3. The Response: Mission in Action

4. The Partnership: Our Call Today

1. The Vision: THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL

The gospel, as Paul describes it in Romans 1:16-17, is the power of God; it is universal, and it is a faith venture:

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

The gospel has an explosive power, as demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not a passive entity simply passed on like a set of clothes which become more and more shabby and less and less attractive as successive generations handle them. The gospel is a creative power, endowed with the creating Spirit of the One who is the Creator of the universe. When faced with sin, hell and Satan, the gospel is also a destroying power, deadly, unconquerable and uncompromising. The gospel seeks approval from nobody, bribes no authority, and makes no apology for its coming. Paul says simply, "I am not ashamed of the gospel."

The gospel is universal; it is for the salvation of everyone who believes, no matter where they come from or who they are. It is people, not money, that are the target of the gospel, the main asset of the gospel, and the carriers of the gospel. It is the saving power of this universal gospel which brings radical change - change from death to life, from hell to heaven, from darkness to light.

This gospel is also a faith venture from start to finish. It is visionary and missionary; it is revolutionary and exciting; it is living and active, and full of adventure and risk. It is not something that can be "done" by reading a text book or passing an exam! The gospel is a living reality, and it has to be preached, taught and "caught" by
2 living examples and witnesses, so that people can see that it makes a difference, and, for example, they do not just see the social work, but they also see the reason and the power behind the social work.

It is because of this driving vision that there is today a huge push for mission and evangelism in the Anglican Church of Nigeria. This has both led to, and been furthered by, the multiplication of dioceses. In 1980 the whole of the North was divided into just 3 dioceses of which my own was one. In 1990, under Archbishop Adetiloye 12 new "missionary dioceses" were created. From the year 2000 onwards The Most Rev. Peter Akinola (Primate) has pressed on with a similar policy of sub-dividing dioceses in order to push out the frontiers of mission. He has also inspired the Church of Nigeria with Mission 1-1-3, and has vigorously pursued the Biblical mandate of reaching the whole world. These men of God are evangelists, following in the steps of Ajayi Crowther; for both of them evangelism and mission is a way of life, and essential for every Christian. There is an urgent need for the total ministry of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, kindled by zeal and by the fire of the Holy Spirit, and upholding the authority of Scripture for the whole of life. This position is both the defence and the mission of the church.

Experience shows that a living, vibrant witness to the Lord Jesus Christ is highly respected even by unbelievers, including the Muslim community.

It is this gospel that brought me to a personal conviction and acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour, and we have seen this same gospel bring broken homes, dysfunctional families, drop outs, rich and poor people from so many different tribes and backgrounds to an exciting experience of following Christ as Lord and Saviour. Incidentally, the discipleship materials which we use with new converts includes Scripture Union materials from UK and Nigeria, Navigator materials from USA and UK and Campus Crusade materials, as well as our own locally developed and adapted resources.

2. The Implications: OBEDIENCE IN MISSION

Mission is a whole lifestyle. It is not a once and for all event. It is an ongoing activity of the church in obedience to Christ to demonstrate his love to the world. The world today does not like the notion of obedience: the vogue is for personal freedom, for what suits me best, for compromise and even laxity. Discipline and authority are words which are out of fashion in many quarters.

Obedience to Jesus, however, cannot be optional. Discipleship without obedience is not Christian discipleship. Even in Old Testament times, God required obedience from his people; when they complied they prospered, and when they refused they suffered as individuals and as a people. Christ commands: we must obey. Obedience to Christ's commands is the key to mission, because only when we obey are we living according to the will of God. When the will of God is relegated to the background, other trivialities set themselves at the top. In fact, Satan is then able to set his agenda not from the outside, but from within, because the doing of the will of God has become a lower priority for the children of God. We should notice that it was the worldly concerns for wealth, power and status which Jesus critized so sharply in the lives of the Pharisees. Where such concerns predominate, a maintenance syndrome will take priority over mission, because those who have attained wealth and power want to hang on to those attributes. Mission, in contrast, is a risk. Mission means forgetting about personal position and instead making Jesus one's sole focus.

3 We therefore follow an uncompromising discipline in baptism and confirmation preparation classes, in discipleship training, and in daily living. It is expected that Morning Prayers be said daily in the churches (usually very early, at first light, before the business of the day begins); it is expected that daily Bible study and prayer be the rule of life for individuals and for families. In our Seminary everyone must be in Chapel by 6.30 every morning, and a similar pattern is maintained in our Anglican schools where of course the expected standard of behaviour must conform to this teaching. There are a variety of daily Bible study guides available on the market, including ones from UK and USA; the Churc h of Nigeria produces an annual Bible Study book, and our Diocese also has its own daily Cycle of Prayer and Bible reading notes.

Jesus' teaching was clear and direct, so much so that many turned away and stopped following him (John 6:60-68). His challenge to the maintenance-minded Pharisees and Temple authorities was radical and f earless. He demanded that his followers give him absolute priority in their lives. Godly discipline and authority are to be welcomed and not feared by those who truly wish to follow Christ. We expect much from our members, and especially from our young people, but far from driving them away, this gives them a structure and a pattern for life which they value, see as a challenge which they can relish, and which gives them a sound basis for the future.

3. The Response: MISSION IN ACTION

Let us consider for a moment the situation which Jesus Christ himself encountered at the beginning of his ministry. By that time the Jewish Temple, the centre and very heart of the Jews' worship, the key symbol of their relationship with God, had been built and rebuilt for hundreds of years. The Temple had become a monument. Way back in the time of King Solomon, God had commanded that such a Temple be built, but eventually it had become a sign not of a living relationship, but of a fossilized institution; vision had largely been replaced by blindness, and freedom by servitude. Hypocrisy had crept in; the worship of God no longer had top priority in the lives of the vast majority of people; their nominal faith did not affect the way in which they lived their lives and carried on their daily business - the market in the Temple court was corrupt and dishonest, to say the least. It all sounds very familiar, and has striking parallels today. We do well, therefore, to ask how Jesus dealt with this situation.

Jesus' prime concern was with the Kingdom of God, and with how we are to live in the light of the coming of that Kingdom. The first two gospels introduce Jesus in this way:

After John had been arrested, Jesus came into Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: 'The time has arrived; the Kingdom of God is upon you. Repent and believe the gospel.' (Mark 1:14-15 cf Matthew 4:17)

This is not a call to accept a new philosophy: it is a call to a new way of life. True repentance is a metanoia, a "turning round", not just in intellectual matters, but in action, in behaviour, and in character. Faith which does not reveal itself in this manner is a sterile or purely intellectual belief; it is not true faith.

Christ completed his work on the cross, but the effect of that must continue to be worked out in the lives of individuals and communities for as long as this world endures. A church which regards the gospel simply as a perfectly packaged parcel of belief to be handed on from generation to generation will not survive. Such a church is concerned only4 with a decaying maintenance and not with a living growth. The gospel is not an object which we can pick up, put down or hand on at will. For faith to be real, it must be lived. The gospel must so totally enter into the heart, mind and life of the believer, that he or she is completely taken over by it. Jesus emphasised the need for the life of the individual to become the evidence of the gospel. The good news must be proclaimed by our "being": that is the meaning of Jesus' admonition that we are to be salt and light. The approach which calls for people to receive Christ without emphasizing the need for a corresponding change in character and lifestyle has no place in Scripture. Moreover, conversion is not a once and for all event: it is an ongoing lifelong process which requires continued nurturing and teaching until we mature into the image of Christ (Rom.8:28-29). This is the work of the Holy Spirit who is the main agent in mission.

As an integral part of our vision for Jos Diocese over the last 15 years, we have consistently focused on three key areas: schools; the training of pastors and leaders; health care. Mission is not an extra area; it is the life blood running through all that we do. Teaching and training are paramount: if we neglect this we throw away what others gave to us, often at great expense, and we also throw away the chance to build a godly church and nation for the future. Our situation in Nigeria is peculiar because the average age of the nation is astonishingly low, and the vast proportion of the population are youth. This gives us a huge responsibility and an exciting challenge! To the glory of God we have a vibrant Diocesan Children's Ministry team who train our Sunday School teachers and develop work amongst the young ones. The Boys' Brigade is the biggest youth movement in the Church of Nigeria today - and of course it is a movement which began in the UK. In trying to meet the needs of the people our Gospel Health and Development Services have a very big HIV/AIDS programme, and together with the Relief and Welfare department, they also respond to particular crises or community needs. These are just examples: the point is that every member must be involved in the life, ministry and mission of the church. The Christian faith is a faith to be lived!

4. The Partnership: OUR CALL TODAY

In recent times Jos Diocese has been privileged to welcome a large number of visitors, mainly from England and America. What so many people comment on is the vitality, the living reality of Christian life and worship. In very simplistic terms it seems that what has happened is this. Christianity first came to the west hundreds, if not thousands of years ago. The church had its ups and downs, but it was there and became part of the recognised and expected life of the country. As a result, I believe, there was inbred into individuals and communities a sense of right and wrong, of justice and of fair play. Now there were of course very many exceptions to this, but with the revival at the time of the Wesleys, it was reinforced. The result is that today in England (although it seems to be beginning to slip in some areas) you may expect to meet a certain standard of honesty and straightforward dealing, even though the gospel, from which these attitudes originally stemmed is now largely put aside. For example, once on my way to the airport, my wallet fell out of my pocket and I left it on the train. A totally unknown person who refused to be identified or even thanked phoned me, took the wallet to a friend of mine in London, who eventually got it back to me in Nigeria. Now if I had dropped my wallet in Nigeria ...!!!

In Nigeria today there is sadly a lot of corruption, of cheating, of total selfishness and deceit. It is the same situation which the Old Testament prophets ranted about: giving short measure of goods in the market; pretending something is new when it's old and about to break down; oppressing those who are weakest and most vulnerable;5 pushing anyone else aside in order to pull yourself up. Whatever you do to achieve this and however you do it is up to you. So there are social, religious and political conflicts, outright persecution of Christians, poverty, lawlessness and suffering. Now the gospel has come and we in the church are working, preaching and teaching with all our might, to show people that the gospel applies to everyday standards in everyday life. By the grace of God, what people gradually accept as the "norm" will change. This is the power of the gospel.

So in Nigeria the powerful, universal gospel is very much alive and kicking and trying to change the society. In the west the society was changed many years ago, a fairly large remnant of that remains, but the gospel which brought the change is going out of the back door in many places. That situation has become upside down!

However, please do not think that in Nigeria we have all the answers: we certainly do not! We are by no means perfect, but by the grace of God the church is growing, and some groups, churches and local communities are discovering the transforming power of the gospel in their individual lives, their communities, and their environment. We have been privileged to witness some remarkable instances of growth and new life as the gospel spreads like fire. Such developments are not dependent upon culture, society, race or language. What is required, however, is a determination to give top priority to the gospel, to root everything in prayer, and to have an openness of heart and mind, a true willingness to listen, to learn and to obey; to acknowledge that we are not self-sufficient despite all our technology, scientific achievements, social structures or whatever. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mt.18:3). Children trust, copy, learn, expect miracles and know their need of guidance. Children obey, are not cluttered with possessions or fears. Those who have so much in material terms often find it more difficult to be "child-like". No wonder Jesus said that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Mt.19:24).

The consecration of Ajayi Crowther in Canterbury and his being sent to his home area began the process of interchange between the Church of England and the CMS missionary enterprise of the Church in Nigeria. Although Crowther's work was essentially and primarily evangelising Nigeria, his mission work also involved preparing converts to become missionaries to the whole world. It has been said that even if Crowther had accomplished nothing in Africa he would have been a valuable helper in the missionary cause in England, where he was in constant demand as a speaker.1

Over the years increasing numbers of Nigerian lay and ordained persons came over to England to study. They also brought their faith which was a faith they had received through the missionary activities that came from England and now they were bringing it back to England. This is not something new. The Church was born in Jerusalem; after a few years it spread to the Gentile regions of Antioch and Macedonia. It was not too long before the churches in the Gentile regions were strong and mature enough to return to Jerusalem to assist the mission work there. Interchange is essentially a product of missionary activity and in turn engenders missionary activity. Where interchange is not happening across cultures, race, social status, nationalities and so on, the church becomes everything else except a mission minded church.

The CMS model that brought the gospel to Nigeria through Ajayi Crowther, Henry Townsend and others remains one of the best models of interchange, primarily because it is Bible based, Spirit led and Kingdom centred. Its focus is to evangelise unreached areas

1 Jesse Page, The Black Bishop, Hodder & Stoughton, London 1908. Preface, Eugene Stock p.vi 6 and to make them disciples of Jesus Christ through the teaching of the Holy Scriptures so that they become self-supporting, self-governing, self-sending and self-theologising. In this way such a church becomes generous with its resources for God to use wherever and whenever he chooses for the benefit of whoever he chooses. On this basis, let me suggest the following:

1. The establishment of a central Anglican mission research centre to facilitate, guide and develop a strategic mission of the gospel to reach the whole world, including little known people groups, unknown languages, areas under persecution, as well as urban ghettos and universities.

2. The establishment of a central mission fund for strategic disbursement for the establishment of Christian witness, churches, dioceses and institutions in unreached areas of the world.

3. A deliberate recruitment of international missionaries to be trained on a regional basis for placement and posting for the purpose of primary evangelism, support services, leadership and the establishment of congregation and dioceses. This would be done with the clear aim of so planting churches and raising local indigenous ministries and leaders that they become self-propagating and able not only to stand on their own feet but also to go out and establish others congregations and churches.

From Africa we can stand as encouragers, as witnesses to the power, the possibilities, the living presence of Jesus Christ and of his gospel; we can testify to the zeal, the fire, the sheer importance, for every day living, of the gospel and of evangelism - but you must play your own part in this generation, and for the sake of the generations to come. Come and visit us. We will come and visit you. We will join hands together as partners and fellow disciples. But there will be no long term results unless we all open ourselves like children and put the gospel first in every aspect of life. Yes, people will laugh at us, call us names, abuse us - but that is nothing new! The gospel is worth living for; it is also worth dying for. Persecution has never, and will never, kill the church. Conditions may be difficult or dangerous for a time, but the seed is in the ground and at the right time it will burst out.

CONCLUSION

As we look at the Church of Nigeria, I have tried to share with you something of the vision which impels us onwards, the implications which are inherent in this, the response which is called forth, and to indicate some of the many ways in which we have worked together with churches in the West in the past and continue to do so in the present.

I am convinced that we can do more along these lines, but we must all be truly open and ready to listen as well as to speak, to learn as well as to teach, to receive as well as to give. We must be ready to accept authority: first the authority of Christ, and then the authority of the church and of God's appointed leaders, of whatever race or colour they may be. We must be prepared to be vulnerable and to take risks. But let us never doubt that it is worth the cost! The aim, the focus and the reward is no less than the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus' prayer, as recorded in John 17, hints at the many different peoples who will be a part of that Kingdom. In the great vision of Revelation this is made even more clear as we see a vast international throng of God's people from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb (Rev.7:9), praising God together with one voice. We need one another. The journey is easier and we are all enriched if we travel together. As St. Paul said:

7. For God, whom I serve with my spirit by announcing the gospel of his Son, is my witness that without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers, asking that by God's will I may somehow at last succeed in coming to you. For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you-- or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. (Romans 1:9-11)

---The Rt. Rev.Dr. B.A. Kwashi is the Anglican Bishop of Jos in Nigeria

For Further Discussion:

1. a. How can we help one another to get rid of the inherited mindsets, inhibitions, prejudices, fears and popular caricatures that we have of one another?

b. How can we then encourage one another to appreciate the different mission endeavours in our various parts of the world?

2. What can we honestly do to show that we are willing to learn from each other and to create interchange and co-operation in the total work of mission in the Anglican Church world-wide?