The Moravians – Missionaries & Prayer Warriors
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the profound impact of the Moravian missionary movement, which predates the modern Protestant missions often attributed to William Carey. Led by Count Zinzendorf, 300 young German radicals dedicated themselves to spreading Christianity through prayer and missionary work. Their 24/7 prayer meetings lasted for 100 years, sparking inspiration for future generations, including John Wesley and the Methodist movement. This prayer-fueled missionary work continues to influence modern global movements focused on prayer, missions, and fulfilling the Great Commission in the world's hardest places.
Takeaways
- 📜 The modern Protestant missions movement is often traced back to William Carey, a Baptist missionary to India in the 19th century.
- 🌟 Carey is known as the 'father of modern missions,' but his inspiration came from a group of 300 young Moravian radicals from Germany.
- 🔥 These Moravians were led by Count Nicholas Von Zinzendorf and were dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission, spreading the Gospel worldwide.
- 🙏 They were willing to sell themselves into slavery to reach those who had not heard the name of Jesus, demonstrating their devotion and sacrifice.
- 🕊️ Their motto was centered around the lamb who was slain, emphasizing the reward of his suffering as a model for their own sacrifices.
- 🌐 The Moravians' impact was not only in their missionary work but also in inspiring the next generation, including John Wesley and the Methodist movement.
- 🔮 On August 13, 1727, Zinzendorf described a day of the Holy Spirit's outpouring, which led to a commitment to continuous prayer among the Moravians.
- 🕰️ This commitment resulted in 24 men and 24 women covenanting to hourly intercessions, maintaining a prayer chain that lasted for 100 years.
- 🌟 The Moravian community's continuous prayer meeting is seen as the spiritual power behind their global impact and missionary movement.
- 🌍 Today, the Moravian movement is seen as a model for a worldwide prayer movement and missions, encouraging 24/7 prayer and the preaching of the Gospel to every nation.
Q & A
Who is commonly considered the father of the modern Protestant missions movement?
-William Carey, a Baptist missionary to India at the beginning of the 19th century, is commonly considered the father of the modern Protestant missions movement.
What was the source of William Carey’s inspiration for his missionary work?
-William Carey’s inspiration came from a group of 300 young radicals from Germany, known as the Moravians, who were dedicated to carrying out the Great Commission a generation before Carey.
Who was the leader of the Moravians, and what was significant about him?
-The Moravians were led by Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf, a wealthy young ruler who inspired his followers with radical devotion to missionary work, even encouraging them to sell themselves into slavery to reach unreached people.
What was the Moravian watchword that encapsulated their missionary zeal?
-The Moravian watchword was: 'That the Lamb who was slain would receive the reward of His suffering,' expressing their passion to spread the gospel and fulfill the Great Commission.
What event on August 13th, 1727, was significant in the Moravian movement?
-On August 13th, 1727, the Moravians experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which Count Zinzendorf described as their 'Pentecost.' This event led to a revival in their community.
What commitment did the Moravians make following their Holy Spirit outpouring?
-Following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, 24 men and 24 women covenanted to intercede in prayer every hour around the clock, starting a nonstop prayer meeting that lasted for 100 years.
How did the Moravians influence John Wesley and the Methodist movement?
-The Moravians had a profound impact on John Wesley, a young Anglican, which contributed to an unprecedented move of God through the Methodist movement on both sides of the Atlantic.
What modern movements find inspiration in the Moravians’ legacy?
-Modern worldwide prayer movements, such as 24/7 houses of prayer and prayer watches, draw inspiration from the Moravians’ model of continuous prayer and missionary zeal.
What was central to the Moravian model of community life and mission?
-The Moravian model emphasized community covenant love, unity, corporate fasting and prayer, and a strong commitment to fulfilling the Great Commission through missionary work.
What role did prayer play in the Moravians’ missionary efforts?
-Prayer was central to the Moravians’ missionary efforts. They believed in the importance of continual prayer, which fueled their missionary outreach to the hardest and darkest places on earth.
Outlines
🌍 The Birth of Modern Missions
The modern Protestant missions movement is often traced back to William Carey, a Baptist missionary to India in the early 19th century, who is regarded as the father of modern missions. However, Carey was inspired by a group of 300 Moravian missionaries from Germany, led by Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf. These young men and women were driven by the motto that 'the Lamb who was slain would receive the reward of His suffering.' They even went as far as selling themselves into slavery to reach those who had not heard the name of Jesus. Their commitment, sacrifice, and passion transformed some of the world's darkest places and inspired future generations to fervently pursue the Great Commission.
🔥 The Moravian Pentecost and Unceasing Prayer
On August 13th, 1727, a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit occurred among the Moravian community, which Count Zinzendorf referred to as their Pentecost. This spiritual awakening led 24 men and 24 women to commit to around-the-clock intercessions, praying every hour continuously. The group soon grew to about 70 members, and this prayer meeting persisted nonstop for 100 years, becoming a significant source of spiritual power behind the Moravian mission's global impact. The unceasing prayer is seen as the driving force behind their success in reaching out to the world with the gospel.
🌱 Moravian Influence on Global Movements
The Moravian missionary movement not only had a profound impact on its own but also greatly influenced others, including John Wesley, a young Anglican who later led a transformative movement on both sides of the Atlantic through Methodism. Today, the Moravians are a source of inspiration for many, with a burgeoning global prayer movement characterized by 24/7 houses of prayer, prayer watches, and solemn assemblies emerging worldwide. Simultaneously, a new missions movement is being inspired to reach the most difficult and darkest places on earth, with the goal of completing the task of preaching the gospel to every tribe and tongue.
🕊️ Moravians: A Model of Prayer and Mission
The Moravians began their ministry rooted in continuous prayer for the nations. Their model, established by Zinzendorf, is now a source of inspiration for many prayer houses globally. The Moravian community exemplified covenant love, unity, corporate fasting, prayer, and a commitment to missions, making them a model for end-time movements of day and night prayer tied to the global mandate of spreading the gospel. Today, prayer and missions are seen as intertwined efforts, both critical in fulfilling the Great Commission. The Moravians' legacy lives on as a call to unite these two streams to complete the mission Jesus set for His followers.
🌎 The Legacy of the Moravian Missionaries
The Moravians were the pioneers of Protestant missions, dedicating their lives to a mission of prayer and outreach. They were driven by the belief in the power of united prayer and the call to go to all nations. This group's commitment to a lifestyle of prayer on a mission serves as a powerful legacy, inspiring current and future generations to integrate prayer and missions as the church seeks to fulfill its global mandate. The Moravians are seen as a model community, demonstrating how prayer and missions can work together to accomplish the task of making disciples of all nations.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡William Carey
💡Moravian Missionaries
💡Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf
💡Great Commission
💡Hourly Intercessions
💡Prayer Meeting
💡John Wesley
💡Pentecost
💡24/7 Houses of Prayer
💡Spiritual Power
Highlights
William Carey is often considered the father of modern Protestant missions, but his inspiration came from a group of 300 Moravian radicals a generation earlier.
The Moravians, led by Count Nicholas von Zinzendorf, were willing to sell themselves into slavery to preach the gospel to unreached people.
Their motto was: 'The lamb who was slain would receive the reward of his suffering.'
The Moravians' sacrifice, love, and passion inspired the next generation to follow in their footsteps.
On August 13, 1727, Zinzendorf described a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit within their community, likened to their Pentecost.
Within two weeks, 24 men and 24 women committed to praying around the clock, leading to a nonstop prayer meeting that lasted 100 years.
The prayer meeting was seen as the spiritual power behind the global impact of the Moravian missionaries.
The Moravian movement profoundly influenced John Wesley, leading to the spread of the Methodist movement on both sides of the Atlantic.
Today, many look to the Moravians for inspiration in prayer movements, with day and night prayer rising through 24/7 houses of prayer.
A new missions movement is emerging, aiming to go to the hardest and darkest places on Earth to complete the task of preaching the gospel to every tribe and tongue.
The Moravians started their ministry in prayer, specifically praying for the nations continuously.
Their model of corporate prayer and fasting, along with a commitment to global missions, is seen as a powerful example for modern movements.
At the end of the age, there is a vision for night and day prayer combined with the global mandate to preach Jesus in every nation.
Missions and prayer are now seen as interconnected, working together to fulfill the Great Commission.
The Moravians' commitment to prayer and mission is a key inspiration for contemporary movements focused on prayer and evangelism.
Transcripts
when we think about the modern
Protestant missions movement it's
typical for historians to trace it back
to one William kery a Baptist missionary
to India at the beginning of the 19th
century Carrie has indeed been dubbed
the father of modern missions while
Carrie did much to advance the modern
missions movement Ker's own inspiration
was a group of 300 young radicals from
Germany who dedicated themselves to
carry out the Great Commission a full
generation before sent from Europe to
the furthest reaches of the globe these
young Moravian men and women led by a
Rich Young Ruler count Nicholas Von
zundorf didn't need the usual titles and
Prestige of clergy in fact they would
even sell themselves into slavery simply
to reach those who had not heard the
name of Jesus their watch word was that
the lamb who was slain would receive the
reward of his suffering their sacrifice
their love and their passion not only
changed the hardest and the darkest
places on the
Earth but they became an
inspiration to the Next Generation to
passionately fulfill the command of
their master and their story continues
to inspire thousands today but what
provoked and fueled such
devotion what was the fire behind their
missionary
abandonment on August 13th
1727 Zinzendorf enthusiastically
described a day of outpourings of the
Holy Spirit upon the community it was
its Pentecost within 2 weeks of this
Holy Spirit outpouring 24 men and 24
women covenanted to hourly intercessions
and thus pray every hour around the
clock they were committed to see that
the fire must be kept burning on the
altar continuously it must not go out
the numbers committed soon increased to
around 70 while relatively few in number
this prayer meeting would go nonstop for
the next 100 years the fire did not go
out as in the Moravian community of heut
for several generations for many this
continuous pray meeting is seen as the
spiritual power behind the subsequent
impact that the moravians had upon the
world for not only did the Moravian
missionary movement have profound impact
itself but the Moravian impact upon the
young Anglican by the name of John
Wesley saw an unprecedented move of God
on both sides of the Atlantic through
the Methodist movement today many look
to the moravians for inspiration a
worldwide prayer movement is beginning
to stir with day and night prayer being
raised up through 247 houses of prayer
prayer watches solemn assemblies and
days of prayer all across the globe
while at the same time a new missions
movement is being provoked to go to the
hardest and darkest places of the earth
to finish the task of preaching the
gospel to every tribe and tongue when
the moravians the first Protestant
mission
began their Ministry they began it in
the place of prayer praying for the
Nations 24/7 and I believe there that
model that God used Zinzendorf to
establish has been an inspiration to so
many houses of prayer across the Earth
even in this hour of History I believe
the Moravian movement is the model
Community Covenant Love living in unity
together corporate fasting and prayer
and loosing the great missions and
harvest but at the end of the age that's
what we're after we're after what Count
Zinzendorf did sing Night and Day prayer
connected to the global mandate to
preach Jesus in every nation what is
even more miraculous is that both
streams see themselves now as part of
the same movement missions and prayer
working together in concerts to finish
the Great Commission Jesus told us to
pray because the Harvest is great and he
told us to go and make disciples as the
church we must do both together and that
is why many at this hour of History are
looking to this group of 300 young
German
radicals who gave themselves to a life
of prayer and went into all the world
they lived a life of prayer on a mission
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