In defense of missions work.

In my role as a missionary, a dear friend once asked, “If a group of people have never heard the Gospel, and then a missionary comes and preaches it to them but they reject it, then doesn’t the missionary bring condemnation to those people?” I did not take the question personally, since it was not intended to be an off-handed rebuke of mission work.  Rather, it was the words of a confused Christian who wanted an honest answer to their apparent catch-22.

At the heart of that question is whether those who have never heard the Gospel are lost to begin with.  The root question could be reworded as follows: “Are those persons who have never had the opportunity to hear the saving message of Jesus Christ held accountable for their sins and condemned to suffer eternal separation from God?”  That’s a very serious question that deserves a serious answer.

Today, there is a prevalent mindset that a Heavenly Father of whom we say, “God is love,” could not possibly hold accountable for their sins those who have never heard of God. Such judgment (to this way of thinking) would be the farthest thing from love imaginable.  It’s not fair, and surely God is fair.

Yet in Matthew 28:19-20 we hear Jesus declare boldly, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”  Jesus not only intended, but commanded us take the message of the Gospel to those who have never heard of Him.  This seemed, to my friend, to put God and Jesus at odds: God’s love versus Jesus’ Great Commission.

There is no conflict, actually.  My friend’s problem was his misunderstanding of God’s love.  The declaration that those who have never heard the Gospel somehow get a pass because they did not know better, when carefully thought out, not only cripples God’s message to the world, it borders on blasphemy.  While masquerading as a curious question for high theological conversation, it subtly accomplishes the following things:

1. If those ignorant of Christ are not lost, then God is not a loving God after all. Rather, He is an unfair and arbitrary Judge who condemns one group of sinners (those who have heard the Gospel) while pardoning another for their ignorance of Him. Sin no longer becomes the root cause of condemnation, but rather your unfortunate or accidental knowledge of God’s law. The logical conclusion is that it would have been best if God never made Himself known to anyone, for by doing so He brought condemnation upon many of them.
2. If those ignorant of Christ are not lost, then God’s mercy and grace are lost in the confusion of “who has an adequate excuse?” The Creator no longer is the loving Father who would rather give His only Son in our stead than see us die, but the Great Judge of Excuses. If your “excuse” is not adequate, you suffer condemnation.
3. If those ignorant of Christ are not lost, then Jesus Christ would be the cruelest man the world has ever known for commanding Christians to take this message of condemnation to the ends of the earth. Had he not done so, many billions would have not been condemned at all.  Jesus’ motive of dying out of love for the lost sinner would be lost in the cruelty of His command to “go and make disciples of all nations.”
4. If those ignorant of Christ are not lost, then all those who are messengers of the Gospel share Jesus’ guilt in bringing condemnation to those who have never heard. This would apply also to all that support missionaries with prayer and financial support as well as for members of churches that support missions. In general, the whole of evangelical Christianity becomes one huge cruel condemnation machine.
5. Finally, if those ignorant of Christ are not lost then we, as obedient servants of Christ, have no urgency in taking the Gospel to them. The Great Commission becomes a farce and the body of Christ must search for an alternative Great Commission…perhaps one that says, “Hide within the Church and let’s be nice to each other, but don’t you dare share Christ with any one outside the Church.”

The truth of the matter is that those who have never heard of Christ are lost. God’s justice demands judgment, but He also “takes no pleasure in the death of anyone.”  Rather, “He is patient with <them>, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)  He further “demonstrates His love for <them> in this: While <they> were still sinners, Christ died for” them. God’s love and his patience work together to offer the saving message of Christ to as many as possible.

In Acts 26:17-18, Jesus rewords His Great Commission as he speaks to Paul on the Damascus road and gives the reason why He is sending the missionary to those who have not heard the Gospel. “I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

I was a missionary first because Christ commanded me to be one.  Secondly, Jesus gave me a heart for those who have never heard because I long to see them rejoicing with me in heaven.

 

Back in the 1990s I was listening to Christian talk radio during a long drive.  A radio preacher shared a poem that profoundly impacted me.  I pulled over at the first convenience, wrote down the address provided at the end the broadcast and ordered the sermon tape.

Years later this poem is still dear to me.  I did some research to find that it was written by John Kent, who lived from 1766-1843 and it is based on Revelation 5:12.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

‘Tis the church triumphant singing,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Heaven throughout with praises ringing,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Thrones and powers before Him bending,
Incense sweet and voices sending,
Swell the chorus never ending,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Every kindred tongue and nation,
“Worthy is the Lamb”,

Join to sing the great salvation,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Loud as mighty thunder roaring,
Floods of mighty waters pouring,
Prostrate at His feet adoring,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Harps and songs forever sounding,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Mighty grace or sin abounding,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

By His blood He dearly bought us,
Wandering from the fold He sought us,
And to glory faithful brought us,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Sing with blessed anticipation,
“Worthy is the Lamb”,

Through the veil of tribulation,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

Sweetest note all notes excelling,
On the theme forever dwelling,
Still untold, though ever telling,
“Worthy is the Lamb.”

 

One night at supper my son asked me this question, “If you could be a great artist or a great musician, which would you want to be?”

For me the answer was immediate. “Oh, I’d want to be a great musician.”

My son probed deeper. “Why?”

Again, I didn’t have to think long about the answer. “Because musicians get the blessing of interacting with their audience. We perform for them and get feedback.  That feedback – in the form of applause, cheers, clapping hands, cell phones held up in the air, etc. – is why musicians do what they do.  We love to share our music with those who appreciate it and their response is our blessing.  We elevate them and they elevate us.  Artists don’t get that blessing.”

My son was satisfied with this answer but it got me thinking. “Why can’t artists have that immediate response to their forms of expression?”  Then it hit me.

Imagine a concert venue filled to capacity with an excited crowd. Then the lights go down and the audience goes wild with anticipation.  A lone spotlight hits the stage on a blank canvas.  More cheering.  Slowly, dramatically, emerging from the darkness into that spotlight steps the artist with his palette.  He’s dressed in tight black leather pants and a flowing white shirt that makes him look oddly like one of the Three Musketeers.  His long lion’s mane hairdo crowns his head and is a fitting expression of his ego.

With a flair he whips out a half-inch chisel tip brush. The crowd quiets down and the anticipation ramps up.  He brazenly swirls it through the magenta oil paint on his palette and, with a dramatic pause, starts to smear magenta oil paint all over the white canvas.  The crowd explodes…they know this piece and have always wanted to see the artist “perform” it live.

Can you just see the next day at the local high school? Let’s eavesdrop as a burned-out concert-hopper recounts the event the next day at school with his friends.

“Whoa, dudes, you missed the Joe Smith live performance last night. He did all of his famous portraits right there on stage, man, it was totally awesome!  At one point, he got out his classic 2-inch beveled horsehair brush – the same one he used for making anti-Vietnam protest posters in 1968 – and wailed a solo in lime green.  Then he ripped off a 20-minute cover of Mona Lisa!  Dude, it was surreal!  The light show was lame though.  The artist needed good natural light to see what he was doing, so there were no effects at all.  What really rocked though was the encore, dudes.  We thought he was going to do something from his cubist period, but instead he brought out a block of white marble and started chiseling away!  The place went wild!  After the show, I got the T-shirt with all of his neo-classical landscapes…check this out, dudes!”

Yes, my friends, there are very good reasons why it is better to be a musician than an artist.

I used to attend a denominational church that did something odd. Once each year they would formally recognize the Member of the Year and the Family of the Year.  The recognized member or family would be called forward, handed a plaque and asked to say a few words at the pulpit, just like at the Oscars.  Thankfully, the church stopped the practice after only a short run, but it was a bit awkward for the few years that it lasted.

One Sunday the pastor announced, “We’re giving the Family of the Year award to the McFall family. Would the McFalls please come up to receive their plaque?”  I walked up on the stage alone while the congregation applauded politely.  The pastor asked, “Where’s the rest of your family?”  I replied, “My wife’s home with sick kids.”  The pastor played that off very well by explaining that it demonstrates healthy priorities.  I was mortified. However, I was not half as mortified as the lady whose husband got Member of the Year.  He was was not there because he was working!

After handing me a little plaque (that is now forever tucked away in a box somewhere in the attic) the senior pastor put the microphone in my hand and said, “Please say a few words.”

Stop right there. Now, put yourself in my shoes.  You’ve just been awarded “Family of the Year” by your church and all eyes are on you as you put the mic to your face.  But what words could possibly suffice for having just been chosen as a model of Christian humility?

I contemplated the Sally Field Oscar response: “You like me! You really like me!” but quickly ruled that out.

I thought of doing the typical award show response and thanking everyone who helped me get where I am today. That did not seem prudent either.  Can you imagine me saying, “I want to thank my Bible study leader for regularly pointing out my sins and selfish tendencies”?

I pondered doing the standard false-humility thing by saying, “Awww, gee. I don’t deserve this.  Bill over there in row three is far more humble than me.”  The entire congregation would see through that one in a millisecond.

Honestly, I don’t remember what I did say, but I think it was just something like, “Ummm…thanks.” And then I shut up and immediately went back to my seat without my family.  The awkwardness persisted in the hallways on my way to Sunday school class as people congratulated me.  You can neither acknowledge that you truly earned it this year, nor should you say you don’t deserve it.  I was never so glad for a Sunday morning to end!

If you are a pastor and you ever consider handing out Member of the Year or Family of the Year awards, please reconsider. While there is value in lifting up people who set a good example of faith, to be honest the congregation already has identified them as faith examples because they are always serving and loving others.

On the other hand, if your congregation engages in any kind of member or family of the year recognition, please do not waste one second rehearsing what you will say when they hand you the microphone. If you are spending time practicing your Member of the Year speech, you do not deserve it.