This past semester I had the opportunity to lead the Perspectives course on the world Christian movement. It’s a 15 week class that is packed full of incredible material which simply breeds missionaries and senders for the sake of the gospel. After a bit of reflection from the class and from conversations I’ve had over the past month, I’ve come to a rather severe conviction about the status of our thoughts about the mission of the church. I’ve noticed that my thoughts and those of others have turned into a rather distorted image regarding God’s global mandate to take the gospel to all nations.
The problem is simple but subtle in the way that it manifests itself. The problem lies in a distinction that has been made over time between the mission field and world evangelization. Much of those in my generation are too focused on the mission field and not focused at all on evangelism. The two shouldn’t be separate. We are either raising support to go overseas or raising support to send others, and while doing this our vision is blurred and we neglect to share the gospel with those around us. We are in a constant mode of planning, but in reality we are running from the truth of the gospel.
I may be wrong but I think this is a fairly recent development that serves as just another self-limiting factor from presenting the gospel to others. I know we may not consciously do this but we might be saying to ourselves, ‘I’m preparing to go on the mission field; therefore I can add that prep-time to the evangelism quota for the day…’ Folks, it doesn’t work like that. Evangelism is the mission field. The two should not be separate. Our soul’s longing shouldn’t be an image of a distant land where possible hardship and frustration awaits. We should long for others to come to know the surpassing glory of God through Christ who was sacrificed on the cross for their sin and ours. Let us not gain excitement from adventure and a romanticized lifestyle. Let us gain our fuel and power from seeing others weep because of the redemption that they’ve been given through Christ.
To prove my point a little further I’ll give you some personal thoughts from three of my favorite missionaries of years past…
While preparing to serve in China Hudson Taylor writes to his mother:
“Oh, Mother, I cannot tell you, I cannot describe how I long to be a missionary; to carry the Glad Tidings to poor, perishing sinners; to spend and be spent for Him who died for me!...Think, Mother, of twelve millions-a number so great that it is impossible to realize it – yes, twelve million souls in China, every year, passing without God and without hope into eternity…Oh, let us look with compassion on this multitude! God has been merciful to us; let us be like Him…”
Or consider Jim Elliot, writing to his parents on the way to Ecuador:
“…those loves which we regard as closest, He told us must become as hate in comparison with our desires to uphold His cause. Grieve not, then, if your sons seem to desert you, but rejoice, rather, seeing the will of God done gladly. Remember how the Psalmist described children? He said that they were as an heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver full of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So, with the strong arms of prayer, draw the bowstring back and let the arrows fly – all of them, straight at the Enemy’s hosts.
‘Give of thy sons to bear the message glorious,
Give of thy wealth to speed them on their way,
Pour out thy soul for them in prayer victorious,
And all thou spendest Jesus will repay.’”
Lastly, consider the depth of C.T. Studd’s words as he traveled throughout China, India, and Central Africa:
“And do you think that I can consent to turn a deaf ear to the cries of these people clamouring for the Gospel and craving for teachers? If I cant’ send them teachers because there are no teachers to send, yet at least I can stop one yawning gap myself. If I am not so efficient as youngsters, yet at least I may be more efficient than an absentee, a nobody. And if others have failed to hear and respond to these awful pleadings of sinful men going to hell, yet desiring to know the way to heaven, at least my presence can assure them that there are still some who to save them will count life and all they hold dear as of no account in comparison.”
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Combat Sin By Preaching The Gospel
The past few months have been absolutely incredible because of the opportunities that God has given me to present his truth to others. These past couple weeks in particular have been unique because of how God has allowed me to see the truth of the gospel more clearly in the midst of my own sin, and through conversations I’ve had with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. A common theme that I’ve seen among many of my brothers in Christ is the thought of not leading ‘the’ Christian life, and therefore not feeling worthy to share the gospel with others. They are fearful that the person being ministered to will perceive hypocrisy and thus be turned away from the gospel. They put up a screen of superficiality that prohibits others from seeing their true self. This type of falsehood doesn’t only prevent evangelistic encounters, but it also prevents the prospect of truly intimate relationships with fellow believers. Why is it that we too often try to present ourselves as perfect Christians who have it all together? That’s a lie and therefore a sin towards God.
I am by no means taking my self away from this specific sin, but I rejoice in the hope of confronting this sin through the truth of the gospel. I had some guys over for dinner at my house this past week, and it was abundantly clear that many of us desire to share with others the joy that can be found in Christ, but we are hindered because of our perceived-sinful status. We tell ourselves that we must get to point ‘x’ on the holiness scale before someone will listen to how Christ has changed our lives. I think that one of the best ways to get over the fear of being known is to frequently reveal your true self to others. Tell others of your sin and let them know that you still struggle with sin but you are no longer marked by that identity.
My evangelism professor often told us, ‘If you’re ever feeling down, go out and tell someone about Jesus.’ This is so true. Think about a witness encounter that you’ve recently had… How did you feel during and after the encounter? Don’t think about the argument that you had or how sufficient or insufficient your own words were. But think about the fulfillment that you had. Did you feel God’s pleasure in what you were doing? Every time I present the gospel to someone I feel simultaneously my own insufficiency to change someone else’s heart and the true fulfillment that comes from Christ. I feel the pleasure of God. As the Scotsman Eric Liddle felt God’s pleasure when he was running, we too should feel God’s pleasure when we present his truth to those who don’t know him.
Think about the apostle Paul, the best missionary who ever lived. Nothing allowed him to feel the pleasure of God more than the opportunity to present Christ to others. Here’s my favorite passage in the book of Acts that so eloquently describes how Paul sought the pleasure of God.
“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” ~ Acts 20:22-24
Paul eagerly sought the pleasure of God, and his previous sin is greater than much of our own. Paul, the great persecutor-turned-missionary could have had reason to keep Christ to himself, but he chose to speak even amidst his sinful past. In fact, the book of Galatians tells us that his sinful past contributed more powerfully to his testimony of the gospel. So let us not prevent others from enjoying the pleasures of Christ out of our own self-imposed false humility, but let us present Christ as the redeemer that He is. One of the best ways to combat sin is to meditate on Christ’s redemption. Part of meditating on Christ is presenting him to others, so let us all preach the gospel in order to overcome our own sinfulness. When we do this, the spark of Christ that exists in our hearts will feed on the infinite glory of God and become a flame that will never be quenched.
I am by no means taking my self away from this specific sin, but I rejoice in the hope of confronting this sin through the truth of the gospel. I had some guys over for dinner at my house this past week, and it was abundantly clear that many of us desire to share with others the joy that can be found in Christ, but we are hindered because of our perceived-sinful status. We tell ourselves that we must get to point ‘x’ on the holiness scale before someone will listen to how Christ has changed our lives. I think that one of the best ways to get over the fear of being known is to frequently reveal your true self to others. Tell others of your sin and let them know that you still struggle with sin but you are no longer marked by that identity.
My evangelism professor often told us, ‘If you’re ever feeling down, go out and tell someone about Jesus.’ This is so true. Think about a witness encounter that you’ve recently had… How did you feel during and after the encounter? Don’t think about the argument that you had or how sufficient or insufficient your own words were. But think about the fulfillment that you had. Did you feel God’s pleasure in what you were doing? Every time I present the gospel to someone I feel simultaneously my own insufficiency to change someone else’s heart and the true fulfillment that comes from Christ. I feel the pleasure of God. As the Scotsman Eric Liddle felt God’s pleasure when he was running, we too should feel God’s pleasure when we present his truth to those who don’t know him.
Think about the apostle Paul, the best missionary who ever lived. Nothing allowed him to feel the pleasure of God more than the opportunity to present Christ to others. Here’s my favorite passage in the book of Acts that so eloquently describes how Paul sought the pleasure of God.
“And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” ~ Acts 20:22-24
Paul eagerly sought the pleasure of God, and his previous sin is greater than much of our own. Paul, the great persecutor-turned-missionary could have had reason to keep Christ to himself, but he chose to speak even amidst his sinful past. In fact, the book of Galatians tells us that his sinful past contributed more powerfully to his testimony of the gospel. So let us not prevent others from enjoying the pleasures of Christ out of our own self-imposed false humility, but let us present Christ as the redeemer that He is. One of the best ways to combat sin is to meditate on Christ’s redemption. Part of meditating on Christ is presenting him to others, so let us all preach the gospel in order to overcome our own sinfulness. When we do this, the spark of Christ that exists in our hearts will feed on the infinite glory of God and become a flame that will never be quenched.
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