"We are seeing 400 new Anglican churches open each week around the world. In the Province of Nigeria there are more Anglicans in church on Sunday than all the UK, North America and Australasia put together," he told a stunned audience, many of whom live with revisionist Episcopal bishops who no longer have a biblical gospel to proclaim.

The newly installed Middle East bishop said mission is integral to the Christian Faith, and without mission there would be no Christianity. "We have a gospel for the whole world. Since Jesus is unique he has universal and global significance and therefore he must be made known to everyone in the world," said Eaton who described himself as New Zealand's only evangelical bishop.

"Christian mission is rooted and grounded in the very nature of God himself. Mission is indispensable to Christianity. It is rooted in the triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God has created a missionary church, and He is working towards a mission consummation. We worship and serve a missionary God. If you want a biblical base for mission it is not possible to choose less than the whole Bible. This is the world God loves - our God is a missionary God.

"Mission is taking place whether we like it or not. The question we must ask is, do I want to participate and be a part of the global plan or remain parochial. In the Province of Nigeria they have consecrated 20 new bishops and created 20 new missionary dioceses in the past year. The Church is not dying it is growing, let us be encouraged."

"In Indonesia the church has seen a 500 percent growth in 20 years. In South Korea more than 30 percent of the population is Christian. Ethiopia has more than 7,000 new congregations. In Tunisia there were only about dozen or so Christians, now there are several hundred Tunisian Christians, and some are worshipping openly. There is now an Arabic service. The truth is there are many exciting stories to tell of God's missionary plan to extend His Kingdom globally."

"We are called to be his missionary people. The God of the Old Testament is the Father and maker of the universe. The OT begins with Adam not Abraham, not with a covenant but with creation, not with a chosen race but with the human race. God's purpose and promise was to bless all the nations of the earth. In the NT we see the Christ of the Gospels as a missionary Christ. God had only one Son and he was a missionary and a physician. The Holy Spirit of Acts is a missionary Spirit; nobody can be indwelt by the Holy Spirit and keep that Spirit to himself. Where the Spirit is He flows forth and if there is no flowing forth He is not there. The church of St. Paul's letters is a missionary church."

Citing Archbishop William Temple's dictum, Bishop Eaton said, "The church is the only society on earth that exists primarily for the benefit of its non members. We've got to turn the church inside out to serve the world out there. It is a world that needs Christ. Each local church is to exhibit the 'missionary' character of the Church universal."

The Book of the Revelation is the climax of history and it is a missionary climax. St. John's vision of heaven is the company of the faithful. To proclaim Christ and his cross in a world of pluralism is to invite opposition. Mission lies at the heart of God. Mission is the global outreach of a global people of our global God."

"We need to repent of our indifference. Have we resisted the missionary call, here it afresh. Our god is a missionary God. He loves the world he has made and we are called to be his missionaries. Equal to anything that God calls us to be or to do are His resources. Let us do it."

END