Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
thought-provoking & challenging, December 15, 2003
Not for the faint-hearted, this book is written for Christians here in America who are not afraid to be challenged and rebuked by this man of faith.Personally, I was deeply challenged by this concept of the native missionary movement. It was difficult to read this book and not finish with a radically different perspective of how we should spend our money and how we should view the crucial work of 21st Century missions. I was not turned off by K.P.'s blatant pushing / selling of the work of his missions agency - given his background and passion, how can he not? Read this book, then pass it along to a friend. Even if you don't have time to read the whole book, the first five chapters give you the gist of the story. And even if you don't agree with everything he says (I'm still digesting certain chapters), K.P. is someone whose story is worth knowing.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Eye-opening but read with caution, August 22, 2007
I enjoyed reading about KPY's perspective on the Western church and the current native missionary movement in Asia. I agree wholeheartedly that we in the West desperately need to open our eyes and share our material blessings with the rest of the Body of Christ. In many ways, our wealth has been our spiritual downfall because we have kept so much of it for ourselves and have been blinded by it. It was also exciting to read about the adventures of faith that God took him through in his life.
On the other hand, I think that the book erroneously asserts that the Western church *primarily* has only financial gifts and prayer support to offer the 2/3 world. If we followed KPY's recommendation, I think that missions would suffer, not because we're so great, but that God has commanded every member of the Body to minister cross-culturally to the other members. Jesus said "Go to the ends of the earth," not just to the 2/3 church but to all believers. Just like we need the perspective and unique gifts of the church in India, for example, we likewise have gifts to share with them. Also, as for the argument that native missionaries are more effective and economical than foreign missionaries, that needs to be balanced with the fact that missions began with disciples going to other cultures and lands to share the gospel. Cross-cultural missions should not be excluded on the basis of economy, but on the contrary we need to obey our calling by inciting more Christians in the West to go and reach out to the unreached peoples.
GFA seems to be a great ministry for planting churches in Asia, and we should support such ministries enthusiastically and work in partnership with them...but don't be discouraged to not send Western missionaries abroad or go yourself.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Must read for any Christian, especially Pastors!, May 2, 2003
This book challenged me greatly in this present time of the "Prosperity Message"! I needed to read this very much. If you Pastor, work in missions, or desire to do either, I say this book is a must. I wish all believers would read it, but those especially.
The fact that the book is available free shows the heart of K.P. Yohannan. Dont mistake it for not being worth anything.
The only 2 issues I wrestled with in the book was
1) I believe there needs to be more accountability with the money on the mission field. K.P. rejected monies that had strings attached to it, saying once the money was turned over to the local missionaries, it was between them and God if it was mishandled. There are too many Jacobs out there to just leave it at that (IMHO). We should be accountable to those who support us.
2) I belive like K.P. the best way to win the Chinese is with Chinese, and the Indians with Indians. I believe too many western missionaries have moved over seas and lived like kings and made no difference in the lives of the natives...I agree with all that. But, I kind of came away from this book feeling as an American missionary I had no reason to go to that foreign field, just send my money and prayers. Maybe I took it a little harsh, but anyone willing to go to that mission field with a pure heart is a great need and can have a great impact.
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