Joy to the World

Verse 1

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

 Let earth receive her King;

 Let every heart prepare Him room,

 And Heaven and nature sing,

 And Heaven and nature sing,

 And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing."

The Gospel is "Good News," a message of joy (cf. Isaiah 51.11), and it is a message for the whole world: that is, for all nations. Jesus is a "light for revelation to the nations, and for glory to [God's] people Israel." (Luke 2.10-12,29-32)

We shouldn't think of "nations" in terms of geographical boundaries or governments, "nations" in the biblical sense refers to people groups distinguished by their heritage, customs or language. Our English word "ethnic" even derives from the Greek word "ethne" for nations or Gentiles. The Scriptures are clear (in both the Old & New Testaments) that Christ is King over all nations of men (e.g., Psalm 72.11,17; 86.9; Zechariah 8.20-23; Revelation 5.9,10).
Tell every people group that "the Lord is (i.e., has) come." God himself has come down to deliver his people (cf. Exodus 3.7,8). He has not merely sent help, but he has come down himself to save us (Isa 62.11; 59.15-20; Zec 9.9; Psa 50.1-6; Eze 34.11-16).

"Let earth receive her King." Christ comes as King over all things, being appointed by the Father (Psa 89.26,27; Eph 1.20-23). Our first father, Adam, was made king over the earth, but he fell from God's appointed position through sin, leaving Satan to usurp rule over the earth. But God will not let Satan remain in defiance of him, robbing his glory, holding what is rightfully his. So he promised a Man (Genesis 3.15) who would come & crush the usurper & deliver his people (1John 3.8).

And Christ came with power, conquering & taking authority over all things, and liberating his people from their captivity. He took authority over the elements, controlling the wind & waves. He took authority over the beasts, causing fish to leap into the nets & riding an unbroken donkey colt. He took authority over our diseases, curing them with a word or touch. He took authority over death, giving life to the dead with but a word. Then, he made a mockery of Satan & his agents, triumphing over them through his death & resurrection (Col 2.15). He fulfills God's command to take dominion over all things. Now the Man Christ Jesus sits on the throne of God, ruling all things, heaven & earth.

Therefore, let us sing with great joy for our conquering King has triumphed over our enemies, and delivered us from bondage. Let us praise our King who brings his righteous rule over heaven & earth, and to every nation of men. "Let...heaven & nature sing!"

Verse 2

"Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!

 Let men their songs employ;

 While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

 Repeat the sounding joy,

 Repeat the sounding joy,

 Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy."

God is the God of joy! His joy is undimmed by sin. He hates evil, but nothing can rob him of his joy. And he delights in making others joyful; God overflows with joy (see Zephaniah 3.17).

Joy, not just to all people groups, but to the earth itself. Christ came to deliver his creation, also, from the curse of sin & death. God subjected the earth under bondage to sin & death (Romans 8.19-23), but he subjected it "in hope." Hope that it would one day be annihilated? No! Hope that it would one day be liberated. Therefore, the creation groans in anxious anticipation of Christ's Kingdom, when it will also be restored.

Therefore, the creation also rejoices in Christ the King, the reigning Savior. What a good & gracious King, who delivers us, his enemies, from the curse & makes everything new. Can we keep silent about such a Great Savior? Still, we cannot prevent the very rocks & trees from shouting his glory & dancing for joy!

Isaac Watts (1674-1748), author of "Joy to the World".

Verse 3

"No more let sins and sorrows grow,

 Nor thorns infest the ground;

 He comes to make His blessings flow

 Far as the curse is found,

 Far as the curse is found,

 Far as, far as, the curse is found."

Christ defeats our enemies: sin, death & Satan. And he delivers us from God's righteous curse. What is more, Christ brings God's blessing upon us. And God is not stingy with his blessing. "Where sin abounded, grace super-abounded." (Romans 5.20) Christ has fully obeyed the Father, even unto death; therefore, the Father has exalted him (Philippians 2.5-11), and given him the inheritance, which he passes on to us (Ephesians 4.8).

Satan led our first parents under the curse of God, but Christ came to destroy the works of Satan, thus undoing the curse. He is making all things new (Revelation 21.1-5). Satan brought sin; Christ brings righteousness that overcomes sin. Satan brought alienation from God & wrath; Christ brings reconciliation & peace that overcomes alienation & wrath. Christ brings life & joy that overcomes the sorrow & death Satan brought. As "far as the curse is found," so far does Christ's blessing flow, and even beyond. The darkness has passed, a new day dawns--the Day of Christ.

Away with the thorns, also, for Christ makes a new heavens & earth (2Pe 3.13), in which no unrighteous person may enter, where there will be no death or suffering, no more unfruitful labor nor bearing children unto sorrow (Isaiah 65.17-25; cf. Gen 3.16-19).

Verse 4

"He rules the world with truth and grace,

 And makes the nations prove

 The glories of His righteousness,

 And wonders of His love,

 And wonders of His love,

 And wonders, wonders, of His love."

TRUTH, GRACE, RIGHTEOUSNESS & LOVE! These are the blessings which Christ our King brings to all nations. Truth--he is faithful to his Father, faithful to his people, ruling in truth not with lies or deception, and delivering us from false gods, false hope, & false righteousness. Grace--he reigns by grace not by law, not dealing with us according to our sins, but according to his free grace, which he richly lavishes on us who deserve only his wrath. Righteousness--Christ rules in righteousness, bringing in a perfect & eternal righteousness, which more than satisfies God's justice, and which renders us perfectly righteous with him. Love--he reigns by love, love which embraces his enemies, love which gives 'til he has nothing left & then gives his life, love which is patient despite our failures, a love which will not let us go!
Jesus Christ WILL NOT BECOME King at some time in the future; he IS King now! "He rules the world with truth & grace." His Kingdom has invaded this fallen world under the usurper Satan, and is spreading until it fills the whole earth, every corner, every ethnic group, every language (Daniel 2.34,35,44,45).
Christ "makes the nations prove...his righteousness &...love." By "prove" he means in the old sense "to learn or find out by experience." According to his eternal plan, he is saving men from every nation, revealing his perfect righteousness (freely credited to them) & eternal love for them, and causing them to find it out & know it in their experience. The Gospel of this Christ, King & Savior, really is "Good News," and will capture the hearts of men from every tribe, language, people & nation.

So, as you sing "Joy to the World" this Christmas, remember that we're not singing the glories of a baby in a manger (though the incarnation of the Son of God is worth our rejoicing), but the glories of the Messiah, the Savior of the "world," meaning men from every people group on earth, and wonders of his blessings & Kingdom his brings upon us & the whole earth. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!" (Philippians 4.4)

Warning: Don't Try This at Home--Part 2

David Nitschmann & Leonard Dober

were the first Moravian missionaries.

The three principles I left off with are:

1. We freely GIVE to the world out of the riches freely GIVEN to us in Christ.
2. Every man's life & labor is important, and not less than that of the preacher.
3. We must train every believer how to be a light (a missionary) where he is.

These principles are effectively demonstrated by some ordinary followers of Christ in history. This is not mere theory, but has been practiced in the past, and continues to be practiced.

Examples from History
Gladys Aylward (1902-1970) spent her life savings on passage to China in 1930. She served the Chinese government as a "foot inspector," enforcing the laws against the traditional Chinese custom of footbinding young girls. In this position, she traveled the countryside, and served successfully in a field that often met with resistance & sometimes violence against the inspectors. She was highly revered by the people because of her care for orphans, even adopting several herself, and for her intervening in a prison riot & advocating prison reform. She risked her life many times to help those in need.

When the Japanese invaded her region of China (1938), Gladys led 94 orphans to safety, though wounded herself. She returned to England for a time, and was later denied entry to China by the new communist government, so she served her remaining years running an orphanage in Taiwan. Though not a preacher, she served Christ with the gifts he had given her, and gave her life in that service. Such service "adorns the doctrine of God our Savior" (Titus 2.10), and puts the Gospel into shoe-leather so that men may see the glory of Christ.

---

“My business is to witness for Christ.

I make shoes to pay my expenses.”

--William Carey

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David Nitschmann (a carpenter) & Leonard Dober (a potter) were the first Moravian missionaries. They heard about the slaves on the Caribbean island of St. Thomas, who needed the Gospel. Antony Ulrich, a believer who was a black slave from the West Indies, told them of the need there, and told them that they'd have to become slaves themselves in order to bring the Gospel.

Willing even to become slaves, Dober & Nitschmann went to the Danish crown for permission to travel to St. Thomas. The crown was already sending out missionaries as state officials, strengthening its colonial policies. However, these men were being sent by a church alone, and as such were laughed at & violently opposed. When asked how they would support themselves, they responded, "We shall work as slaves among slaves." They were informed that it would be impossible for them to become slaves. Since pottery was not really useful in St. Thomas, Nitschmann would work as a carpenter, and Dober would assist him. Eventually, they gained the favor of the Danish court, and were helped on their way to St. Thomas. God blessed their labors, and churches were born on many of the islands.

Examples from Today
I know a man who is going to medical school in a third-world country, so that he can use those skills in missions without the massive debt attached with American schools.

One American wanted to reach out to the Hispanic people in his area, so he took a second job (not needing the income) working as a dishwasher in a Mexican restaurant, in order to help him learn Spanish & build relationships with some Hispanic people.

I also know a family starting a business in a country otherwise closed to Gospel, in order to help the people economically, and to tell them about Jesus.

Another friend uses his building skills to help various mission works.

Some Korean women are taking jobs as domestic servants in foreign households (among a culture hostile to Christianity), for the purpose of bringing the Gospel to these families.

These are just a few examples of ordinary men & women, who gave & are giving their lives to bring the Gospel to others. They make the gifts & training they have serve the Kingdom of Christ.

Putting the Word into Practice
How do I live? Is this my life to do with as I please; to fulfill my own purposes; to carry out my own plans; to care for & provide for myself & my family; to pursue my own interests; etc.--as long as I add Christ to my life, so that I secure my eternal well-being?

No, we do not add Christ to our life; he has added us to his life! "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body & in your spirit, which are God's." (1Corinthians 6.19,20; cf. 2Cor 5.14,15; Rom 12.1,2) Christ added us to his life, so that we might please him, fulfill his purposes, carry out his plans, provide for his family, pursue his interests.

It is not that we have anything to offer Christ, or bring anything to him by becoming his followers. Christ does not save us because of what we have to offer him by our skills, knowledge, abilities or gifts. Everything we are & have is a gift from God; by using it for his glory, we are simply requiting his love, returning thanks & giving him his due. And every such response in us is itself a gracious gift from God, worked in us by the Spirit for his glory. Therefore, I labor out of God's grace to me, and I labor by God's grace in me.

Notwithstanding, let us examine our hearts: are we using our lives in service to Christ, his mission & glory; or are we using Christ to serve our own mission & glory?

In Shoe-Leather
Beyond what has already been suggested by the examples above, here are some ways you can use your skills, knowledge, abilities & gifts to serve Christ's Kingdom.

Are you a highly-trained professional (e.g., engineer, scientist, college professor, doctor, businessman, etc.)? Take your profession to a people who don't have the Gospel. Live & work among them. Train them, and help them develop that profession among their own people. And while you're at it, give them the Gospel, and plant churches among them.

Are you retired with time on your hands? Use the time you have left to serve Christ. Volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center, hospital, or homeless shelter. Disciple a young believer in your church. Plant a church in your neighborhood, or move to a needy neighborhood & plant one. Take your skills to another country, and train people there, or work with a missionary, helping in whatever way you can.

Are you single with great freedom of movement? Move to the "dangerous" area of your town, so you can tell them about Jesus. Take a short-term, mid-term or long-term foreign missions trip, so you can help an experienced missionary in the work, and be better prepared to serve later. Serve foreign missionary families by helping with their kids, or serve in a foreign orphanage. Study in a foreign school, and spread the Gospel while you're there.

Do you speak English? Become a friend to foreign students in your area; welcome them into your home & family; help them practice their English; put them up during school holidays; etc. Get training in teaching English as a second language, and teach it virtually anywhere in the world. Meanwhile give the Gospel wherever you go.

Are you married with children? This is where I am now. Yes, there's a need for you, too. Don't pursue a career, build your nest-egg, indulge your children, and fill your storage units. Rather give the strength of your youth to serving Christ. Serve in your community, or in some foreign field. Demonstrate for your children that following Christ means you live for him, and serve others. Involve your children in whatever you do, so they see fully every aspect of living for Christ in a fallen world--joys, sorrows, persecutions, prayers, hopes, etc. They'll see the Gospel by your life & hear it from your lips, as you serve & give it to others. Disciple them fully, so that they are prepared to serve Christ with every fiber of their being when they do believe. If they never follow Christ, still they'll know for sure that mom & dad had the real thing.

Whatever you are or have, use it to serve Christ & his Kingdom. Isn't he worth it! When simple followers of Christ evangelize, churches are born (e.g., Antioch--see Acts 11.19-26).

Warning: Don't Try This at Home--Part 1

I remember as a kid watching some television programs, where people did some crazy stunts, and the narrator would always give a warning such as this: "These are professional stunt people. Please do not try this at home." Many look at missions the same way. Don't try evangelism or missions at home; leave it to the professionals--your pastor, the Billy-Graham's, the seminary-trained people, etc. It is true that God calls highly gifted & educated individuals to spread the Gospel at home & throughout the world. But it is also true that God uses ordinary followers of Christ to spread the Gospel both at home & throughout the world.

Who Planted the Church at Antioch?

The church at Antioch (in Syria) was greatly used by God in the 1st Century. They were the church that sent out the Apostle Paul & Barnabas (Acts 13.1-3), Silas & Mark (15.32-40). Antioch was the launching point for each of Paul's great missionary endeavors. But this church itself was not planted by any Apostle!

You can read the founding of this church in Acts 11.19-26. The followers of Christ in that day fled the persecution in Jerusalem, spreading throughout Judea & Samaria (8.1), some even going as far as Phenice, Cyprus & Antioch (11.19). We know that they were not Apostles because we read that the Apostles remained in Jerusalem (8.1), and Paul (the Apostle) doesn't come on the scene until later. And it seems unlikely that any of those who came to antioch were elders, since we read of the elders still in Judea (11.29,30), and the church in Jerusalem sending Barnabas (no doubt an elder himself) to lead the church in Antioch (v. 22), who also gets Paul (now an elder) to work with him (vv. 25,26). Thus, the church in Antioch was planted by ordinary believers!

This shouldn't surprise us. Anyone who has come to know God through Christ can "speak the word" (v. 19) & "announce the good news of the Lord Jesus" (v. 20). You don't have to be eloquent; you don't have to have a degree after your name; you don't have to know a great deal. Just tell others what you do know. Christianity is not some esoteric religion, where the fullness of truth can only be grasped by the greatest minds, by elite scholars, or some special in-crowd. The "mysteries" are the truths of God now plainly recorded in the Bible for all to read & understand, being taught by the Holy Spirit.

Two Ways the Church Expands
Does that mean there is no need of elders? No, of course not. Through the labors of these ordinary believers, God blessed & "a great number who believed turned to the Lord." (Acts 11. 21) But there were still greater gains when Barnabas came to lead the church (v. 24). It grew to the point that they had 5 elders, so the Holy Spirit led them to send out Barnabas & Paul to plant more churches (13.1-3).

Therefore, there are clearly two ways churches are planted & grow: 1) when gifted, Spirit-filled elders--"able to teach" & "holding fast the trustworthy word as taught"--proclaim the "Good News" of Christ to unbelievers; and 2) when ordinary believers, also gifted & Spirit-filled, proclaim the same "Good News" of Christ to unbelievers.

More Than Giving Money
What are the implications of this? First, as believers we are called to do more than give money. The Christian life is more than attending church, fighting our way through a week to get enough money to support ourselves & our family, plus some extra to support our church & missions, and then returning to church to passively sit, learn a little more, and recharge for another week in the world. Rather, as a follower of Christ, all of my skills, knowledge, abilities & gifts are at the disposal of Christ my Lord, and become tools for use in his kingdom. I am now a light to the world in which I live, to give them the Gospel by my words & by my life, to proclaim it & to demonstrate it. My first thought in whatever I do should be, "Will this point people to Christ?" or "How can I use this to point people to Christ?" Living the other way is living to GET from the world, so that I can GIVE to the church. Living this way is living out of the riches GIVEN to me by Christ, and then GIVING out of his abundance to the world. Jesus said, "Freely you have received. Freely give."

Second, this raises the importance of every man's life & labor; it is not less than that of the preacher. No longer is the manual laborer consigned to the doldrums of mundane labor, eeking out his existence, living to have a positive balance statement, so that he can give the only thing he can give for the service of Christ--money. Now his labor is service to Christ, and he uses it bring the Gospel to others: he works hard so that he can tell others of Christ's love when he was an enemy; he is honest so that he can tell others of God's trustworthiness; he is generous so that he can tell others of the bounty & freedom of God's grace; etc. Everything (1Co 10.31) becomes the means of loving & serving God, and proclaiming his worth. The mother changing her baby's diaper out of love & gratitude to Christ, and praying for the child, and perparing herself to disciple the child, and do all she can to lead that child to Christ, is every bit the missionary, and all that she does in that spirit is proper service & glorifying to God.

Third, we must train every believer how to be a light (a missionary) where he is. It is like teaching children to read, write & speak. We teach every child to do all of these things, and help them develop those skills to the best of our ability & theirs. That doesn't mean we expect them all to become book authors or silver-tongued orators. It simply means they need to know & use those skills in order to understand & influence the world. Likewise, every believer needs to learn how to be a missionary to the world in which he lives. That doesn't mean everyone will quit their day-job & become a full-time preacher. But it does mean that everyone will do his part in the Mission of Christ. In other words, no believer is called simply to receive the grace of God, but, having freely received, to then freely give it to others.

This also leaves plenty of room for some individuals to give their lives to nothing but preaching & prayer (e.g., Paul). But the goal for ordinary believers is not merely to invite people to their church where the preacher can lead them to Christ; rather the goal is that every believer proclaim Christ, and invite people to lay hold of Christ through repentance & faith. Every believer should give his whole life in service to Christ, not just his money. The fact that every believer is involved in missions & evangelism & discipleship no more hinders particular individuals (e.g., elders) from devoting themselves to these things, than every believer praying hinders particular individuals from devoting themselves to prayer (e.g., elders--Acts 6.4). When simple followers of Christ evangelize, churches are born (e.g., Antioch)!

In the part 2, we'll look at some examples, both historical & contemporary, of how ordinary believers have & are making Christ known among the nations of the world.

Backwards Missions

"If you build it, they will come!"

Here are some excellent & challenging observations from an old missionary. They are very relevant not only to foreign missions, but also to home missions. So as you read it, think also about how we go about planting churches here in America. This is an excerpt from Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours? (pp. 51-59) by Roland Allen. I've added a few comments & explanations as footnotes:

St. Paul not only did not receive financial aid from his converts, he did not take financial support to his converts. That it could be so never seems to have suggested itself to his mind. Every province, every church, was financially independent. The Galatians are exhorted to support their teachers (Gal. 6.6). Every church is instructed to maintain its poor. There is not a hint from beginning to end of the Acts & Epistles of any one church depending upon another, with the single exception of the collection for the poor saints at Jerusalem. That collection had in the mind of St. Paul a very serious & important place, but it had nothing to do with church finance in the ordinary sense. Its importance lay in its demonstration of the unity of the church, and in the influence which such a proof of brotherly charity might have in maintaining the unity of the church. But it had no more to do with church finance in the ordinary sense of the word than a collection made in India for Christians suffering from famine in China would have to do with ordinary Indian Church finance. That one church should depend upon another for the supply of its ordinary expenses as a church, or even for a part of them, would have seemed incredible in the Four Provinces.¹

From this apostolic practice we are now as far removed in action as we are in time. We have indeed established here & there churches which support their own financial burdens, but for the most part our mission look to us for very substantial support, and it is commonly taken for granted that every new station must do so, at any rate for some considerable time. Our modern practice in founding a church is to begin by securing land & buildings in the place in which we wish to propagate the Gospel, to provide houses in which the missionary can live, and a church, or at least a room, fitted up with all the ornaments of a Western church, in which the missionary may conduct services, sometimes to open a school to which we supply the teachers. The larger the establishment & the more liberally it is supplied with every possible modern convenience, the better we think it suited to our purpose. Even in the smallest places we are anxious to secure as speedily as possible land on which to build houses & churches & schools, and we take it for granted that the acquirement of these things by the foreign missionary, or by the foreign society, is a step on the first importance. Since it is obviously impossible that the natives should supply all these things, even if they are anxious to receive our instruction, it naturally follows that we must supply them. Hence the opening of a new mission station has become primarily a financial operation, and we constantly hear our missionaries lament that they cannot open new stations where they are sorely needed, because they have not the necessary funds to purchase & equip the barest missionary establishment.

This habit of taking supplies with us is due chiefly to two causes: first, the amazing wealth of the church at home and the notion that reverence and devotion depend upon the use of expensive religious furniture² to which our luxury has accustomed us, and, secondly, the prevalence of the idea that the stability of the church in some way depends upon the permanence of its buildings.³ When we have secured a site & buildings we feel that the mission is firmly planted; we cannot then be easily driven away. A well-built church seems to imply a well-founded, stable society. So the externals of religion precede the inculcation of its principles. We must have the material establishment before we build the spiritual house....

Thus, the foundation of a new mission is primarily a financial operation. But it ought not properly to be a financial operation, and the moment it is allowed to appear as such, that moment very false & dangerous elements are introduced into our work.

1) By our eagerness to secure property for the church we often succeed in raising up many difficulties in the way of our preaching. We sometimes, especially perhaps in such a country as China, arouse the opposition of the local authorities who do not desire to give foreigners a permanent holding in their midst. We occasionally even appeal to legal support to enforce our right to purchase the property, and thus we begin our work in a turmoil of strife & excitement which we might have avoided.

2) We load our missionaries with secular business, negotiations with contractors, the superintendence of works, the management of a considerable establishment, to which is often added anxiety about the supply of funds for providing & maintaining the establishment. In this way their attention is distracted from their proper spiritual work, their energy & power is dissipated, and their first contact with the people whom they desire to evangelize is connected with contracts and other purely secular concerns....

3) But in creating these missionary establishments we not only overburden our missionaries with secular business, we misrepresent our purpose in coming to the place....

Now the purchase of land and the establishment of foreign missions in these establishments, especially if they are founded in the face of opposition from the local authorities, naturally suggest the idea of a foreign domination. The very permanence of the buildings suggests the permanence of the foreign element. The land is secured, and the buildings are raised, in the first instance by the powerful influence of foreigners. That naturally raises a question in the native mind why these people should be so eager to secure a permanent holding in their midst. They naturally suspect some evil ulterior motive. They suppose that the foreigner is eager to extend his influence & to establish himself amongst them at their expense. In China, particularly, the common idea prevalent amongst the people is that to become a Christian involves submission to foreign domination. This conception has a most powerful effect in deterring the people from approaching the missionary or from receiving his teachings with open minds. I think it is now almost universally admitted that the permanence of foreign rule in the Church ought not to be our object in propagating the Gospel. But by taking large supplies with us to provide & support our establishments & organizations we do in fact build up that which we should be most eager to destroy.

Moreover, we do not want to produce the impression that we design to introduce an institution, even if it is understood that the institution is to be naturalized. Christianity is not an institution, but a principle of life. By importing an institution we tend to obscure the spiritual character of our work. We take the externals first and so we make it easy for new converts to put the external in the place of the internal. Attendance at a house of prayer may take the place of prayer. It is easy to mistake the provision of the ornaments of worship for the duty of worship. The teachers seem to think these things so important that they must be the really important things. The duty of the Christian is to learn to attend to these things, and to go through the proper forms. The heathen naturally looks at religion from that point of view, and when he see the external provided at a cost which seems to him very great, and the things imported which the country cannot provide, he inevitably tends to suppose that our religion is as his own, and the organization & the institution take just that place in his though which was formerly occupied by his own organization & institutions of religion. But this is precisely what we want to avoid.

Nor is that all. The first glance at these missions financed from abroad naturally suggests that the religion which they represent is foreign. They are supported by foreign money, they are often foreign in appearance. Eastern people almost universally look upon Christianity as a foreign religion, and they do not want a foreign religion. This is one of the very chiefest & most insidious of our difficulties. We are not the preachers of a Western religion, and anything which tends to create or support that misunderstanding is a thing rather to be avoided than encouraged. By the introduction of Western buildings & Western religious furniture we can hardly avoid strengthening that misunderstanding. Of course, if we are prepared to maintain that our Western ornaments are essentially Catholic⁴ and must be adopted everywhere as integral parts of the Catholic Faith,⁵ there is no more to be said: but for my part I am not prepared to take up that position.

4) By importing & using & supplying to the natives buildings & ornaments which they cannot procure for themselves, we tend to pauperize the converts. They cannot supply what they think to be needful, and so they learn to accept the position of passive recipients. By supplying what they cannot supply we check them in the proper impulse to supply what they can supply. Foreign subsidies produce abroad all the ill effects of endowments at home., with the additional disadvantage that they are foreign. The converts learn to rely upon them instead of making every effort to supply their own needs.

5) It is often said that these financial bonds help to maintain unity. Native congregations have before now been held to their allegiance by threats of the withdrawal of pecuniary support. But unity so maintained, by an external bond, is not Christian unity at all. It is simply submission to bondage for the sake of secular advantage and it will fail the moment that any other & stronger motive urges in the direction of separation. There is all the difference in the world between gifts freely made by members of the one body one to another, as manifestations of the spirit of mutual charity which moves in them, and gifts or subsidies made with the intention of checking freedom of action on the part of the recipients. Spiritual forces are more powerful than external bonds, and external bonds never have preserved, and never will preserve, unity. The only unity which is worth preserving is the unity of the Spirit.

6) By the establishment of great institutions, the provision of large parsonages, mission houses, churches, and all the accompaniments of these things, we tie our missionaries to one place. They cease to be movable evangelists and become pastors. From time to time they go out on tour, but their stations are their chief care, and to their stations they are tied. Even if they find that the station is not well chosen, so much money is invested in it that they cannot easily move. Even if some new opening of larger importance is before them they cannot enter into it without serious & difficult financial adjustments.

7) Further, these establishments make it very difficult for any native to succeed to the place of a European missionary. The Christians gathered round the station are very conscious of the advantage of having a European in their midst. He has influence with governors, merchants, masters. He can give valuable recommendations. He can return home and plead for his people with societies & charitably-disposed individuals. He can collect money for his schools & hospitals. In time of need & stress he can afford to expend much. He is, or is supposed to be, above the common temptations of the people. He is naturally free from local entanglements. He cannot be accused of seeking to make places for his relations. His judgment is impartial, his opinion unbiased by any divisions or jealousies of local society. All these things incline the native converts to prefer a European to a native as the Head of their station. Consequently, it is very difficult for any native to succeed him. The native has none of these advantages. He cannot tap the sources of supply, he cannot exercise the same charitable liberality, he cannot expect, as a right, the same confidence. He is liable to attack from all sides. He has not even the prestige which attaches to a white face. His position is well-nigh impossible. Moreover, if a native is put in charge of a station, he naturally expects to be paid at the same rate as his white predecessor. If he is not so paid, he feels aggrieved. It is useless to explain to him that a native ought to be able to make one rupee or one dollar go as far as six or seven in the hands of a European. To him the salary for this work, this post, has been fixed at so much, and if he occupies the post he should receive so much. But native Christians, left to themselves, would never have created such a post, and sooner or later they will abolish it. They are accustomed to other standards, and other methods of payment, or support, for teachers. Thus by the establishment of these posts we are creating serious difficulties. We say that we hope the day is not far off when natives will succeed to our places and carry on the work which we have begun. But by the creation of these stations we have put off that day.

From this point of view it is plain that the creation of mission stations with large parsonages & churches is a far more serious difficulty than the establishment of large schools & hospitals. Great colleges & hospitals can more easily be treated as extra-parochial. They are not bound up with the ordinary life of the church. Church life can go on without them, or beside them; and special arrangements made for them do not so nearly touch the community. There must be difficulties with these; but the difficulties connected with parsonages & churches, e.g. in India & the Far East, are already pressing.

8) Finally, these endowments will sooner or later become a source of fresh difficulties. These buildings, etc., are legally held by foreign missionary societies, which have their headquarters in foreign countries. Sooner or later the native church will grow strong and will insist on managing its own affairs. Are there then to be in the future foreign patronage boards holding buildings in trust, and appointing to posts in the dioceses of native bishops in the territories of independent States? Some of the foreign missionary societies could, and no doubt would, hand over the buildings & patronage to the native church, but others could not, and would not, do that, because they hold the property for the propagation of the peculiar views held by their subscribers at home, and the trustees at home could not be sure that the native bishops would continue to hold those peculiar views whether of doctrine or ritual. Yet it is scarcely conceivable that native churches will tolerate the interference of foreign patronage boards, and a grievous strife may arise over the endowments & the buildings. Of all sources of strife, material possessions are the most prolific. If there have been in the past difficulties between the committees of missionary societies at home & bishops & other leaders in the field, whilst those bishops & leaders where of the same race & speech & habit of thought as the members of the committees, how much more are we to fear difficulties when the bishops & other leaders are natives of independent States. We speak much of the establishment of independent native churches; but the increase of endowments may not prove to be the best means of attaining that end in the future, any more than it has proved to be the best means of attaining it in the past.

Footnotes:

¹ I.e., of the Roman Empire, where Paul preached, Asia, Achaia, Galatia & Macedonia.

² I.e., organs, bells, candles, snuffers, etc.—Allen was an Anglican.

³ To these, I would add that, in our context, we Americans love the comfort & ease & electronic devices—“labor-saving,” computers & communications, etc.—which our wealth has gained us, and think we cannot live, or work, without them.

⁴ Meaning "universal," not "Roman Catholic"; i.e., essential to Christianity at all times & places.

⁵ Meaning not the "Roman Catholic Faith", but “the faith once delivered to the saints,” genuine Christianity.

The Need for Women Missionaries

Gladys Aylward (1902-1970), Missionary in China

We must not think of missions as merely the province of men, for God has used women throughout history in his mission. God uses married & unmarried, young & old, willing & unwilling women as missionaries. The following are some examples from Scripture of God using women to make himself known. You'll see two women who willingly went as missionaries, and two women who went against their will, but nonetheless served to proclaim our glorious God.

Esther was a Jewish exile in Persia. In the providence of God, she was chosen by the king, who didn't know her heritage, to become his wife & queen of Persia. At the same time, there was a wicked man Haman, who through envy hated Esther's cousin & surrogate father Mordecai, and extended his hatred to all the Jews. Haman purposed in his heart to destroy all the Jews, and convinced the king to make an irrevocable decree in all his empire that on a certain day anyone may legally kill the Jews & seize their property for his own.

Esther, risking her life, used her position & influence with the king to stop the slaughter. In the end, the king made another decree that the Jews could defend themselves, and kill whoever came against them, and take their property for themselves. He caused this decree to be published throughout his whole empire, in all 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia, in every language (Esther 8.9-17). Not only did she save her people from destruction, but also, through her, it became known throughout the empire that the Jews were protected by God. Through this proclamation in so many languages & cultures, God was made know to them, and many Gentiles became Jews! Thus, they came under the sound of God’s Word, and came to know his wonderful works.

Her example shows both men & women how we might make use of whatever position, influence, rank, skills, hospitality, etc. we have to serve God & his people. It was God who took her obedience & self-sacrificing service, and used it to glorify his name.

Prisca (or Priscilla—“little Prisca”—as she is called, a term of endearment) & her husband Aquila were Jews living in Rome, when the emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome. (Whether they were believers at that time, we're not told.) So they went to Corinth, and there met the Apostle Paul. Paul then lived & worked with this couple. Later he left Corinth, and took Aquila & Prisca along with him as he traveled toward Syria. On his journey, he stopped in Ephesus, and left Aquila & Prisca there to serve the church. They were clearly leaders, Aquila probably an elder, for we find them (both) instructing Apollos, and sending him to help the believers in Achaia (Acts 18.18-28).

Later, when Jews are again allowed back in Rome, Paul sends greetings to Aquila & Prisca (calling them “co-laborers in Christ”) there, where a church meets in their home. He also mentions how they (both) risked their lives for the Gospel, and had not only his thanks, but also that of “all the churches of the Gentiles.” (Romans 16.3-5) Aquila & Prisca being beloved to the church in Corinth (perhaps they had led or planted that church earlier, where he met them), Paul sends their greetings in his first letter (1Corinthians 16.9), written from Philippi, mentioning again a church in their home. Perhaps Paul refers to their leading a church in Rome or Ephesus, or perhaps they were with Paul in Philippi, so the church in their home would be in Philippi. Finally, he sends his greetings to them through Timothy who was in Ephesus (2Timothy 4.19). So it seems they traveled much, planting & strengthening churches. Prisca is clearly said to be involved in every aspect of ministry together with her husband (indicated by the plural person in the verbs). She was a trusted “co-laborer” of the Apostle Paul, instructed others, labored in “tentmaking” (both literally & figuratively), used her home to serve churches & house missionaries, willingly uprooted to new places, and risked her life for Christ's sake. The tremendous effect she had for Christ is witnessed by the thanks of the Apostle Paul, and many churches, and the fruit of the ministry of those she helped teach, including Apollos.

With Prisca as an example, there is little beyond the purview of women's ministry in missions.

Naaman's servant-girl (2Kings 5.1-4) was a young Jewish girl (perhaps very young) taken captive out of Israel. She was forced to leave her home, and go to a foreign land Syria. The language in Syria was probably different, though similar. And she was made a slave to Naaman's wife!

Nevertheless, she seems to have performed her duties well & with cheerfulness, and even come to love her captors. How tenderly she cares for her leprous master Naaman: “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” No doubt, her obedience & love for those who should have been her enemies lent credibility to her words. And through her testimony & Naaman's healing, God made himself known in Syria, as Naaman himself testifies: “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel.” (v. 15)

This little girl shows that any woman, even a young girl, through simple, humble service, and love for one's enemies, may be used by God to open up a new people to the Gospel.

It's hard to tell the relative age of Tabitha (Acts 9.36-42). But whether young or old, she was a humble, loving & beloved servant. She was “full of good works & acts of charity”; she used her skills to make tunics & other garments for people. She is surrounded by widows, perhaps being a widow herself; regardless, she did minister to the widows because she was “with them” before she died, and we see their grief when she did die, and special mention is made of them (“the saints & widows”). Through her life of love, compassion & service, she was a testimony of God's love & mercy; and through her death & resurrection, she was a testimony of God's goodness & power. Christ was made known throughout Joppa, a sea-faring town & port for Jerusalem, and no doubt full of Gentiles, and many believed.

Likewise, today, through deeds of love, kindness, charity, hospitality to strangers, and caring for the sick, infirmed, dying, orphans, widows, poor, needy, oppressed, etc., women of any age can be a testimony for Christ, soften hearts to the Gospel, and open doors unreached by men. They bring a little taste of Christ's Kingdom with its love, compassion, self-sacrificing service, and joy—completely contrary to the world.

Yes, women can & should give themselves to serve Christ in missions. Not only are they useful, they are absolutely crucial to reaching people with the Gospel. For example, when Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, and three other men were killed as they tried to open a relationship with the Waorani tribe in Ecuador, it was Rachel Saint (sister of Nate), Elizabeth Elliot (widow of Jim), and her daughter, entering the tribe unarmed & living among them, who opened the tribe to the Gospel. And today, God is opening the hearts of Muslim women to Christ through the efforts of Christian women evangelizing them. Sisters, you were made for something more than make-up, luxurious houses, making money, or collecting pretty trinkets & clothes.

No Prayer; No Missions

“When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'” (Matthew 9.36-38)

As my pastor pointed out, what is most striking about this passage is what Jesus does because of his compassion on these lost Galilean Jews. He doesn't act on his own! He's the one with the power; he's the one who can truly open hearts; he's the one who can help these poor, lost souls. And he does act himself: going to where they are, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Good News of his Kingdom, and healing (v. 35). But he doesn't act alone; he calls his disciples to do something.

This reminds me of God's Word through Amos: “The Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.” (3.7) An example of this is how God dealt with Abraham. Jehovah appears to him with two angels (Gen 18), and promises the son within the year, and the Trinity speaks with himself: “Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing?” (vv. 16-21) Then God proceeds to unfold his plan to judge Sodom & Gomorrah, and Abraham begins to beg him to have mercy because of his people in those cities. Truly this is a prayer, though he's speaking face-to-face with Jehovah in the form of a man. God answered that prayer in delivering Lot & his family out of Sodom before destroying it.   

This is what friends do; they share themselves & their lives with each other. They reveal their plans to each other, and talk about them together. This is what parents do with their children in order to teach them: they tell their children what they are about to do, and then they do it. Sometimes, the child may even object (because of his lack of understanding) to what seems to him a contradiction, inconsistency, or just plain wrong. And the parent patiently explains what he's doing, not because he has to explain, but because he wants his child to grow in wisdom. God doesn't seek our counsel; rather, he shares himself with us, revealing himself to us which delights & satisfies us, and teaching us what he wants us to be.

Thus, Jesus shares himself & his compassion for the lost with his disciples, so that they might know & delight in him & his will, and express that delight in fervent prayer, longing for God to perform that will, and express it in a like compassion to his own.

Why do we not pray for missions? Because we do not believe the greatness of God's compassion for the lost. His compassion is unanswered by our prayers, so our prayers are unanswered by demonstration of his power to save. The lack is not in God's compassion; the lack is in our faith, which results in lack of prayer. And we lack the compassion God has for the lost. You want God to heal your sickness; do you want him to heal the nations from their sin?

Why do we not pray for missions? Because we do not believe the greatness of the harvest. We expect a puny harvest, so we put forth puny prayers. We do not believe God's promise to bless every people group on earth with salvation through Christ (Gen 12.1-3; Isa 49.6; Rev 5.9,10). We don't believe God will glorify his name throughout the whole earth (Psa 46.10; Mal 1.11; Psa 67; 72.17-19).

Why do we not pray for missions? Because we do not believe in the necessity of God to work. We don't believe God can use a weak “witness” to do powerful things. We polish our sermons and perfect our arguments & evangelistic techniques, but we don't beg God to work. We speak more to men about God, than we speak to God about men.

Therefore, invite others from your church to meet in your home specifically to pray for missions. Any believer can do it; you don't have to be a pastor or missionary. Pray for God to fulfill his will of glorifying his name among all people groups. Study people groups, and see who has no light or little light, and pray for God to raise up missionaries to make himself known to those specific peoples. Pray for God to use your current missionaries, to guide their efforts & make them effectual. Pray for God to answer Christ's blood by drawing all people groups to himself. Pray for God to send others to help you in prayer.

If we would see Christ glorified & sinners saved, we have but to fast & pray!

The Bible Is a Missionary Book--Part 2

A Covenant for All Peoples

This is a covenant for all peoples. God says: “I will bless you...[so that] in you all families of the earth shall be blessed.” (v. 2,3) Again we have a purpose clause, which develops the previous one, naming those to whom Abraham would be a blessing.

We cannot read this apart from its context. What do we see? God walked with Adam, and dealt with him, as a representative of all nations of men. After all nations fell in Adam, and were alienated from God, they began to multiply, build cities, gain knowledge, and divide into nations. And because they multiplied sin, God destroyed all the nations at that time with a flood, saving only Noah by his grace. After the flood, we see Noah's sons multiplying, and dividing into nations, so that we see 70 nations comprising the whole human race (chapter 10). Then they tried to unite together, to build a city, and make a name for themselves, but God scattered all the nations over the face of the earth (chapter 11).

Then suddenly we jump to God making this covenant with Abraham, and what follows in the OT focuses mainly on the descendants of Abraham, specifically, the descendants of Jacob & his 12 sons. What a tremendous contrast of before & after: before chapter 12, God deals with all nations, then after, he deals mainly with Israel. Has that contrast ever struck you? Why did God do that?

The answer is right here in our text: “I will bless you...[so that] in you all families of the earth shall be blessed.” Who are these “all families of the earth”? If we compare this passage with other Scripture, including the times God reiterates his covenant with Abraham, we see that God intends to bless all nations or peoples of men, all the Gentiles.

For example, the persons of the God speak to each other: “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?” (Gen. 18:17,18) Here he uses the phrase “all the nations” instead of “all families,” but the point is the same: God will bless all peoples through Abraham. Keep in mind: “nation” doesn’t mean a geographical area or political entity, as we often use the word today; rather, it means a unique group of people distinguished by their ethnicity, culture & language. “Nation” is the same word that is translated “Gentile” or “heathen” throughout the OT (KJV).¹ In other words, God was promising to bless all the nations--all the Gentiles--through Abraham. God was going to make Abraham the “father of many Gentiles” (Gen. 17:4,5). And he accomplished it, as we read in the NT (Galatians 3:8; Romans 4:16-18).

Wow! That means God was choosing one nation to reach all the other nations. “All the peoples/nations” was God's plan from the beginning. There is continuity between the first 11 chapters of Genesis, and the rest of the OT, and even the NT.

This is what God was doing from the beginning, and what he is doing now. He is exalting his name throughout whole earth: 

“His name shall endure for ever:
his name shall be continued as long as the sun:
and men shall be blessed in him:
all nations shall call him blessed.
Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel,
who only doeth wondrous things.
And blessed be his glorious name for ever:
and let the whole earth be filled with his glory;
Amen, and Amen.” (Psalm 72:17-19)

Add to this that Solomon prayed for the nations when he dedicated the Temple (1Kings 8:41-43); God promised the nations an inheritance in the Temple (Isaiah 56:3-8); and he promised to take the Gentiles to be priests & Levites (Isa. 66:18-23). Brothers & Sisters, God's covenant of blessing for all the nations is written large across the whole OT. In fact, one nation is too small a work for God to be glorified as he should:

[The Father says to the Son,] “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isa. 49:6)

Ultimately, it is through Jesus Christ, the Son of Abraham, that God fulfills his blessing to all the nations.

Conclusion

Therefore, the Old Testament is not book about Israel for Israel; rather, it is a book about God for all nations. God is saying, in effect, “Abraham, I am going to pour out such a blessing upon you, that it is TOO BIG for one man; TOO BIG for one family; TOO BIG for one nation. The blessing I am going to shower down upon you is so great that, through your Seed, I will bless ALL NATIONS of men!”

Praise God! How full of grace, how full of blessing, that he would so richly bless his enemies. Who is like Jehovah, in raising up our fallen race, men from every tribe, language, people & nation (Revelation 5:9,10)?

“O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free!
Rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me!
Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love
Leading onward, leading homeward to Thy glorious rest above!”

God & his grace are NOT to be bottled up, hidden in the ground, stored up for yourself; his manna rots! God & his grace through Christ are meant to be given away. How we are compelled to multiply God's blessing!

God is multiplying his grace to individuals, so that he might multiply thankful worshipers, who in turn multiply themselves by declaring God’s persons & works to all peoples; thus God’s glory fills the whole earth, as men, women & children from every people group come to enjoy him.

God is the Missionary God to all peoples, to the whole world. (John 3:16,17; 1John 2:2) What could be more important or pressing than multiplying this blessing!

¹Our English words “nation” & “Gentile” are derived from two Latin words equivalent to the Hebrew or Greek notion of a people group.

The Bible Is a Missionary Book--Part 1

We know that the New Testament (NT) is a missionary book; after all, this is where we read the Great Commission, and see Paul going to the nations. But is the Old Testament (OT) a missionary book?

Has it ever seemed strange to you that God dealt with one people Israel in the OT, but now with all peoples since Christ came? Some have even come to the conclusion that God’s real focus is the people Israel, and his acceptance of other peoples now is just a subplot to his main plot with Israel. This is not true! The OT is full of God’s purpose to call not one nation but all nations to himself. One example of this is the covenant God makes with Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.

“(1) Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. (2) And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, [so that] in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'”

A Covenant of Grace

This is a covenant of grace. It was not based on what Abraham had done. God did not make this covenant with Abraham because he was such a great guy. Abraham was an idol worshiper (Joshua 24:2) of the Chaldeans (Gen. 11:27). God doesn't say: “Because you have done this..., I will bless you.” But God had mercy on them, and called them to himself. Nor is this covenant based on what Abraham would do later. God doesn't say: “Abraham, if you do this..., then I will bless you.” This covenant is not like the Law, which promised blessings & curses; this covenant promises only blessing! Abraham sinned, as we all do; you have only to read the rest of his story to see that he could not stand before God in his own goodness.

Rather, God says, “I will...” (v. 2). This is a statement of God's pure determination of will to bless. Regardless of what Abraham had done before, regardless of what Abraham would do in the future, regardless of who Abraham was in himself, God was determined to bless him. If God took into consideration anything that Abraham had done or would do, his blessing would be less; or rather, God would have to curse him. But since this covenant was based on God’s gracious nature, therefore it can be extravagant.

What makes grace grace? Grace is not merely unmerited favor or kindness. When you help a stranger in need, we might call that unmerited kindness because he did nothing to earn that kindness from you. But grace goes far beyond this. When you see an enemy in need, who has stolen from you, or injured you, or treated you with hatred or contempt, or killed your loved one, and you give him the help he needs with love in your heart & a desire to bless him, that is grace!

This is a covenant of grace because God solemnly promises to bless Abraham. Whenever God speaks it cannot fail, so if he says he will do something, it is a solemn promise. Thus, God binds himself & obligates himself to a sinner. What GRACE!

A Covenant of Blessing

This is a covenant of blessing. God says: “I will bless you...so that you shall be a blessing.” (v. 2) I don't read Hebrew, but I'm told by those who do, that this is actually a purpose clause: “so that...”. The ESV brings this out, and the Jewish Publication Society OT actually makes it a command: “and be thou a blessing.” 

This marks a very important principle for us to keep forefront in our minds. Yes, God blesses us for his glory, but he also blessed us in order to make us a blessing to others. We are not Gospel culdesacs! God does not lavish his goodness upon us for our enjoyment & privilege alone, but so that we might be his instruments of blessing others. We are blessed in order to be a blessing. This is beautifully summed up in the words of Christ: “Freely you have received; freely give.” (Matthew 10:7,8)

In this way, God is glorified even more. If we alone are blessed, and return thanks to God, then God gets little thanks. But if we multiply the blessing, by being a blessing to others, and they join us in thanking God, then we have multiplied the thanks & praise that ascends to God. Do you desire to multiply God's praise? Then multiply his blessing.

Therefore, God did not separate Abraham because he was better than others, nor so that he might make Abraham better than others, but so that God could make him his instrument to bless others! As Peter Kuzmic put it, “Election is not a call to privilege, but a call to service.”

To be continued...