Our Correspondent
Kohima, Oct. 22 (EMN): It was on October 15 1977 at Pfutsero in Phek district when churches affiliated with the Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) made a covenant with God to send 10,000 missionaries into the world to spread the Gospel, the message of Christ Jesus.
A book “This is my story,” by a Christian ministry, the Sinai Ministry, states the pledge of the churches: ‘Today, the 15th October 1977, Nagaland Baptist Church Council (NBCC) has taken one of the most historic actions in the history of Nagaland churches. Today, NBCC inaugurates the mission of world evangelization. From today, the task for world evangelization is started. NBCC is enlisting 10,000 volunteers for the noble cause.’
The commitment to send ten thousand missionaries, it was learned, has its root in the ‘Nagaland Congress on World Evangelization’ that was held in Nagaland during March 1-9 1975 in Dimapur. Before the adoption of the pledge in 1977, all the churches in Nagaland had a chain of prayer covering every hour of the day for seven years.
However, even after four decades, the Nagas are yet to fulfil the promise to God. For the churches in the state, Sinai Ministry has taken the task of reminding them about the “unfulfilled promise and unfulfilled business” with God.
The event, ‘Go Revival: A movement to pursue the promise of 10,000 missionaries,’ organised by Sinai Ministry will start at Faith Harvest Church in Kohima during October 23-24; Mokokchung during November 9-11, and Longpa Yimsen village in Mokokchung district during November 13-14.
Wabang Longchari, the director of Sinai Ministry talked to Eastern Mirror about the upcoming programme. He said, “The primary goal of Go Revival is to remind the Nagas that we have unfinished business with God as we need to fulfil the promise we have made.”
As the Nagas are yet to fulfil the promise that was made to God, he said Sinai Ministry has taken the mandate to remind the Nagas irrespective of all tribes and denominations of the promise made to God to send 10,000 missionaries and declared Nagaland for Christ and to commit their “lives, talents, time and wealth for the work of Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
According to data sourced from the Nagaland Missionary Movement (NMM), Longchari informed that only a little more than 1,000 missionaries are officially registered so far. From other denomination and independent churches, rough estimates round to around 5,000 missionaries, it was informed.
Longchari said, “Some say 10,000 missionaries was just a figure of speech, an emotional decision taken at the spur of moment and there are also people who says we have already fulfilled the promise with the inclusion of all covers (who made the covenant), centres, sponsors, prayer warriors.”
However, he explained that the covenant was specifically for those who would voluntarily commit their lives to the Gospel, to Jesus Christ, even up to the extent of giving their lives to reach out to the unreached.
“My dear fellow Nagas, our land is in such a pathetic condition, rampant corruption, disunity, lack of good governance, upright leaders both political and spiritual, no developments and no political solutions, is it because we have forgotten the covenant we have made with God?” Longchari asked.
He was of the view that the Naga people had replaced God with the love of money, Jesus Christ with manmade power, and the Holy Spirit with all kinds of corruption. He spoke about pursuing the promise to send 10, 000 missionaries to the world even if it would take years or a lifetime, and keep their commitment to the mandate God had given them.
The book also states that the NMM had during its 2nd missionary conference in November 2010 came up with four resolutions to reinforce and commit to strengthening the mission movement.
The resolutions included revitalizing and mobilizing the 1970s prophetic voice to send 10,000 missionaries; to urge churches and believers to reinforce their commitment; take measures to strengthen mission work; and to call for coordination and networking among churches.
‘Though it is not an easy task but not an impossible one, it stated that the commission had been placed on the Nagas. It is time for them to seriously take the call and fulfil the great commission ‘not as a need but urgency,’ Longchari said.
Urging the Nagas to contribute to fulfilling the promise, Longchari said, “There is an even greater story of the Nagas to be unfolded, and a time is coming where all Nagas can assuredly say with heads held up high ‘Nagaland for Christ.’”
