God
has done something so wonderful for this world that He wants everyone
to know about it. No one is to be left out and allowed to miss the good
news that “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19).
We are thinking now about every home in every hamlet, town, and city in
every land. It does not matter what religion or political creed holds
sway in any country. Ideally, every single human being should possess
at least a portion of Scripture - preferably a complete Bible - in his
mother tongue and have easy access to the faithful preaching of the
gospel. No small task!
God has been sending out missionaries for a long time now. No longer is
the message of pardon largely limited to the people of Israel as in Old
Testament times. Jesus said: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
Within a few weeks of the Saviour’s ascension the gospel
penetrated far away countries as the foreigners who were converted on
the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) returned home with the message of
salvation.
Later, the persecuted Christians who fled Jerusalem (Acts 8) went
everywhere preaching the gospel. As a result, a great missionary church
was
established in Antioch where the Holy Spirit separated Saul and Barnabas (Acts 13) and sent them to the “regions beyond” (2 Corinthians 10:16). During
the last two millennia, Christians have suffered greatly as they have
obeyed the Saviour’s command to evangelize. Some lost their
health and had to lie in beds of sickness in circumstances of abject
poverty and loneliness. Some lost their loved ones and buried them in
rude graves in foreign lands. Some lost their lives, dying as martyrs
of Christ. Far from deterring others, their stories have served only to
inspire succeeding generations of Christians to go farther and work
harder to push back the barriers of ignorance and superstition.
After two thousand years of gospel
witness we are well placed to review the whole issue of missionary
work. It would be very easy to reduce it to a matter of cold statistics
or to view it as a monument to human bravery and endeavour. We need to
remind ourselves that Christianity has no monopoly on these things. All
religions have their martyrs. Other creeds—religious and
political—have their ease-denying devotees who sacrifice
themselves to spread their dogma. Why then are Christian missionaries
and their message different? The difference lies in the nature of the
gospel. God has given us the greatest message in the world, a message
that demands to be preached to men deceived by every other creed.
First of all, other messages ultimately deny God; the gospel message alone exalts Him. We should not think that a God-denying message is
necessarily some brand of atheism. On
the contrary, it may be most religious in content. Any doctrine that
involves a human contribution to the saving work of
Christ—whether it is propounded by cultists like Jehovah’s
Witnesses or Mormons or by professed evangelicals—ultimately
rejects God’s way of salvation. The gospel alone truly exalts
Almighty God. He cannot disown what He Himself has originated. That
would be paramount to denying Himself. But He must reject what man has
concocted or perverted. Only the missionary of the true gospel will
hear God say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
Second, other messages ultimately deceive; only the gospel message enlightens. The gospel message alone gives the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. All other messages introduce an element of error and therefore of deception. Paul said, “We
are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity,
but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ” (2
Corinthians 2:17). Later he said, “[We]
have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in
craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by
manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s
conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to
them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the
minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel
of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2
Corinthians 4:2-4).
Third, other messages ultimately take; only the gospel message gives.
Although false gospellers contradict each other at a thousand points,
they have one thing in common: they teach that their listeners must
give something or do something towards their salvation. According to
them, salvation cannot be by free grace alone, without the deeds of the
law. It cannot be solely on the basis of the finished and
all-sufficient work of Christ upon the cross. Essentially, they replace
one brand of paganism with another. Their gospel takes away all that is
precious from a sinner because it takes from him the word of free
grace. By contrast, the gospel is a message that offers sinners pardon
for sin and peace with God. Gospel salvation freely confers the gift of
righteousness and of the indwelling Spirit of God. It gives the power
to live in victory over sin and enriches the soul with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). As Peter said,
God’s “divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue” (2
Peter 1:3).
Fourth, other messages ultimately fail; the gospel message succeeds. Only the gospel is “the power of God unto salvation” (Romans 1:16). Christ’s purpose in commissioning Paul to His work holds good for every missionary: “I
send thee to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light,
and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that
is in me” (Acts 26:17-18).
We must lament that there are many languages into which no Scripture
portion has been translated and that entire communities still have no
effective gospel witness. Yet we know that soon God will gather in all
His elect. He will bring them from the four corners of the earth. John
could say, “And they sung a
new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy
blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation”
(Revelation 5:9). Between the present need and that future
fulness of the church lies the missionary mandate Christ gave us to
evangelize the world. It is a work that must succeed. It cannot fail.
Not one soul for whom Christ made atonement can perish. Thus, we may
labour in confidence wherever God has placed us to reach the lost for
Christ. However dark or difficult the situation we face, we hear the
voice of our Lord assuring us as it did Paul when he was facing the
daunting prospect of preaching in Corinth: “Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for
I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:9, 10). With such an assurance how can we fail to do our part to take the gospel to every man, woman, and child in the world?
THE END
Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt
(Annex) Shanakiel, Cork, Ireland