11/15/2023
TGCMS Inauguration: Keynote Address
It’s a great honor and privilege to give this keynote address on behalf of fellow founders, stewards and general public members physically present and online of The Great Commission Missionary Society, a society for evangelists and missionaries. I consider it a divine arrangement that TGCMS is being inaugurated on a unique date in the calendar, 11-11, (November 11, 2023) and I prophecy that TGCMS shall be a unique missionary society, be safe place to raise true and faithful evangelists and missionaries (young and old) in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As we may recall, the Church Missionary Society (CMS), is a British missionary society founded about 1799 by William Wilberforce, John Venn, John Newton and a host of other devout, faithful, and committed disciples.
History tells us that CMS fought very hard to abolish slave trade, abolish the fe**sh, hostile African traditions including paganism, idolatry, killing of twins, human sacrifices for rituals and instead they brought schools for education, hospitals and Christianity with its values for better human life.
CMS belief is the Bible as the inspired word of God, and that the Bible is authoritative in all matters of faith.
The undeniable and unquestionable fact is that CMS impacted the world with the true Gospel in England, Africa and many parts of the world. The Church of Nigeria Anglican Communion which, today is the largest population of Anglicans is the offspring of CMS. While we are not privy to the proceedings and minutes of the internal meetings of CMS that ultimately necessitated and culminated in the launching of its missionary initiatives and works in Africa; we are however not in doubt of CMS enormous impact and spread of the gospel in fulfillment of the Great Commission.
The challenging question for us in TGCMS is, can TGCMS become a Society like CMS in the context of evangelism and missionary works?
That’s indeed the vision and aspiration of TGCMS that is born here today 11-11-2023 because the God of CMS is alive and will be the God of TGCMS by the grace of God; that God will lead, guide and help TGCMS to accomplish her vision and mission with our present strength of four founding members, thirty-six stewards, seventy-three participants and members spread across Canada, United States of America, Nigeria and United Kingdom, and surely more people that God would add to the Society.
It is with all these in mind that TGCMS is founded with the following characteristics and values:
1. Firstly, TGCMS is a society for evangelists and missionaries.
2. Mission Statement: To bear true witness to the Christian faith and eternal salvation only in the Lord Jesus Christ through philanthropy and evangelism.
3. Vision Statement: Raising missionaries, evangelists and disciples for the Lord Jesus Christ
4. Ministries: Children & Youth; Bible Study & Prayer; Spirituality & Worship; and Outreach, and Communication Team.
5. Motto: Righteousness, Faith and Moral Discipline
6. Anthem: For my sake and the gospel go
For my sake and the gospel's go
And tell redemption's story";
His heralds answer, "Be it so,
And thine, Lord, all the glory!"
They preach his birth, his life, his cross,
The love of his atonement,
For whom they count the world but loss,
His Easter, his enthronement.
7. Anchor: Be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of evangelist, fulfill your ministry, (2 Timothy
Scripture Realism:
• And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age,”(Matthew 28: 18-20).
• For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a [a]stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men, (1 Corinthians 1:22-24)
• For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth, (Acts 13:47)
8. Goals & Objectives: The goal and objective of TGCMS as a Christ-centered and Bible-based Society proclaiming the gospel of Christ is raising missionaries for the present and future generations:
• that would carry out the great commission (Matthew 28:20);
• that would witness for Christ as the Messiah in their personal lives, homes/families and community (Acts 1:8);
• that would be light to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47); that would seek spiritual growth and transformation in true knowledge and power of God (Phillippians 3:10);
• that would campaign for the sustenance of godly and righteous social order and orientation by God, the Creator of the world and of humankind (Gen. 1:27);
• that would promote moral discipline and the uncompromisingly sustain the sanctity of marriage as a union between man and woman (Gen. 2:23-25).
9. TGCMS 7-Values: Discipline; Faithfulness; Justice; Compassion; Truthfulness; Service and Trustworthiness
10. Membership: Founders; Stewards and General Public
Conclusion: To all Founders and Stewards and members of the general public of TGCMS, present or joining us online, we conclude with the words of the hymn:
Stand up, stand up for Jesus,
Ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner,
It must not suffer loss.
From victory unto victory
His army shall He lead,
Till every foe is vanquished,
And Christ is Lord indeed.
The remedy to our broken, turbulent, chaotic and noisy world is to recruit and make disciples of all nations as given by our Lord Jesus Christ in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20).
We in TGCMS would endeavor and aspire to be people of good conscience nurtured by faith in Christ Jesus.
Thank you and may the Lord bless you all in Jesus name.
+Amos Fagbamiye
TGCMS Evangelist & Missionary
