#3 Devaluation of the Word of God; #4 Para-nothing ministries
Dear Prayer Warriors,
Today’s blog is part two of the Four Issues Facing Modern Missions. After over 20 years of involvement in missions, in over 25 countries, I am often asked this question: “What are the major issues facing missions today?” My audience is often surprised when I do not reply with, “The rise of Islam” or “secular humanism in the U.S.” or “political instability around the world.” No, these are external, worldly and satanic issues, which have no power against the gospel. In fact, God the Holy Spirit exhorts us in Isaiah 8:12-13 "You are not to say, 'It is a conspiracy!' In regard to all that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it. It is the LORD of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, And He shall be your dread.”
What the world, the flesh and the devil offer up is of no consequence--nor do they exert power over the resurrected Savior and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, we are reminded by God the Holy Spirit in 1 John 4:4 “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” You see, as missionaries and as Christians, we are from God. We are children of God. we will overcome the world, the flesh and the devil and we will do this because of the power of Jesus Christ and God the Holy Spirit, who both dwell within us. No, in my estimation, satan will not defeat nor deter modern missionaries from without, but, he is making great inroads from within. If he can bring missionaries (and Christians as a whole) to question the power of the Gospel, the authority and power of the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God, the centrality of the church in this, the church age--then he will, indeed, be able to defeat modern missions. Not because of his power but because of our own weakness, through the embracing of false teachings and doctrines which have no power.
#3 Devaluation of the Word of God
My words and experience vs. the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God--can you imagine the audacity?
It is not uncommon that I hear people say, “Don’t quote all those verses when you witness, it just confuses people.” I cringe at the audacity of such a statement. Can you imagine a man going out to witness? He is taking God the Holy Spirit along with him. As he gets to the door he turns to God the Holy Spirit and says, “Now I know You have given it a good try over the last 2,000 years but, really, You just tend to confuse people. Just stand in the background and not say anything. You may notice that I am using some of Your words, but again, I won’t be quoting you, so please just sit still and let me show you how it is done.” This is, in fact, what many modern so-called witnesses are doing. They do not use the Word of God and, when they do, they do not quote it correctly nor do they give God the Holy Spirit credit. Which is worse--plagiarizing God the Holy Spirit or butchering His Words?
We should do just the opposite when we go witnessing. We should turn to God the Holy Spirit and offer to say nothing at all. He, though, insists that we periodically inject ourselves into the narrative but we do it with great fear and trepidation. The less they hear of us and the more they hear God’s Word the better off they will be.
God the Holy Spirit, Himself, teaches us two important truths concerning the holy , eternal, inerrant written Word of God. This first truth is delivered to us in Ephesians 6:17 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” The weapon of choice of God the Holy Spirit, when He goes out to do battle for the souls of men, is the Word of God – the “sword of the Spirit.” What is your weapon of choice? Udobong Idemetor, Nigerian missionary to South Africa, once told me: “satan will supply us with any weapon we want if we will only choose it over the Word of God. Miracles, visions, mystical experiences, you name it, he will supply it, if we will only choose them over the written Word of God.” This is because of the power of the holy, eternal, written Word of God.
This brings us to the second truth as found in Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” The written Word of God, the sword of the Spirit, will judge both the thoughts and intentions of the heart of the hearer. Our words will not do this, visions will not do this, apparitions will not do this, miracles of health, wealth and prosperity will not do this-- only the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God will do this. That is why satan is so happy to see these spiritist crusades full of miracles, prophecies, visions, mysticism, healings, prosperity and ecstatic experiences--rather than the clear presentation of the Gospel using the written Word of God. That is why he wants you to think the Gospel is about your story--using your words, making your personal experience the center of all--the more dramatic the better. The more people are left talking about you and your experience the better.
Most important of all, you do not have to air all your dirty laundry, share titillating sins and allow your audience a peek into your dark past. To simply confess yourself a sinner and emphasize God’s Word as it pertains to sin, death and judgment, is your testimony.
Do not fall into satan’s trap. It is not about you, it is about Jesus. It is not about miracles (for any demon can provide a prophecy, vision, miracle or prosperity), it is about Jesus. It is not your words that are important--it is the words of God the Holy Spirit, as revealed in His holy, eternal, inerrant written Word. It is not your experience which will convict the thoughts and intentions of men’s lives, it is the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God.
When witnessing, do not be ashamed of Jesus nor of the holy, eternal, inerrant, written Word. Have your Bible out, quote passages from the Bible. Proclaim Christ and give a clear invitation to repent and receive Christ, then and there, as Lord and Savior.
#4 Para-nothing ministries by churches and para-church missions
Matthew 16:18 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. “
The phenomenon of missionaries ministering in locations where there are no churches, for purposes other than planting churches, is not limited to para-church groups. This trend has expanded to many church mission projects and is especially prevalent, but not limited, to mission ministries to Muslim countries, Russia and China. It is not uncommon for me to ask both church and para-church ministries in these countries the name of the church they pastor, attend and to which they channel their fruit, and for them to reply that they do not relate to any church. (This same can be said for short-term church missions from the U.S. Many return without having related to nor attended a local church.) They often assert that they are gathering their fruit into Bible studies or home groups or communities of believers, etc. The excuses are many – there is no church, there are not any good churches, the list goes on. The reality, however, is that, if there is no church for the fruit to be gathered into, then, the only ministry acceptable to God is that of church planting.
Christ did not come to establish movements, Bible studies, communities of believers nor networks. He came to establish His Church of which He is the head. God the Holy Spirit clearly teaches this in Ephesians 1:22-23 “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church , which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” And again in Colossians 1:18 “He is also head of the body, the church ; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. “ Take a look at the para-church or church mission ministries which you support. Is the word “church” in any of their mission statements? Do they relate their fruit to a “church?” Does their ministry specifically (not generically) build up a local church or churches? If the answer is no, then these are not para-church ministries (coming alongside to build up the church) but rather “para-nothing” ministries. If there is no church and no church planting, then there is no mission for these ministries. The goal is not stand-alone converts, stand-alone Bible studies, stand-alone communities of believers, or stand-alone fellowships, but the planting and building up of the church.
Another error which goes hand-in-hand with this para-nothing movement is the laying aside of the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Whether it is a church or para-church-sponsored mission trip, these “para-nothing” ministries that neither relate to a church nor plant churches invariably neglect (and some even deny) the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. As I travel and minister both in para-church groups and churches, I find myself continually baptizing men and women who are a part of this para-nothing movement. It is ludicrous for churches and para-church ministries, who have in their mission statement s strong wording concerning discipleship from Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” to turn around and, in the same breath, excuse or ignore baptism-- which is presented by Jesus Christ as inseparable from discipleship.
A second question that all mission organizations should have to answer, is “What is your position on baptism and the Lord’s Supper?” It does not take linguistic gymnastics to answer this question. The answer should be clear. GCI boldly proclaims: “We hold to baptism and the Lord’s Supper as ordinances of the new covenant church. All of our fruit are baptized and relate to a church, where they participate in the Lord’s Supper.” You should expect nothing less from any ministry you support or with which you participate.
It is time for individuals, churches and church boards to stop tolerating para-nothing ministries (whether carried on by para-church organizations, local church missions or denominational missions) which do not plant churches, do not relate to churches and do not participate (or in some cases acknowledge) the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The “ignorance-is-bliss” stand taken by many who support these para-nothing ministries will not be blessed by God nor is it sanctioned by the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God.
By His mercy,
II Corinthians 4:1
Rev. John S. Mahon
Director – Grace Community International |
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