About 12 or so years ago we paid visit on a specific Lord's day to a
near by Arminian fundamentalist church. The theme that had been propagated
was the 90% tithe week. It seemed that the following Lord's day was
going to be the 90% tithe week as opposed to their usual legalistic 10%
tithe. This time they wanted to prove how much God was going to honor
the giving of these tithitarians.
Although memory does not serve me too well to recall whether or not
missions was the theme with this effort of 90%, in most cases that
is usually the conscience binding argument for bringing in an Old
Testament practice into the New Testament. It certainly was not found
in the New Testament for we are told that giving should be "not
grudgingly or out of necessity" but as one has "purposed in his heart"
2Cor 9:7.
Now although our theme is soul winning and spirituality, or godliness,
we believed it necessary to bring in the subject of giving because it
enters into much of modern day evangelism. We recently received a
correspondence by a professed brother who seemed to find it necessary to
take us to task for our stance on the great commission and its
fulfillment by the apostles.(See our article
Why Pray? Just Go!)
One of the things that has led to the taking up of the subject of the
fulfillment of the great commission was not because we did not think it
was necessary for a church to preach the gospel to those outside of
Christ. We made it clear that God's servant should proclaim the
gospel of God's free and sovereign grace whenever and wherever God
gives opportunity. Nonetheless some deem it necessary to slander us as
being those who have no compassion for souls.
That brings us to the theme of this paper. What is the measure of the
spirituality of a church and/or an individual believer? Is one's
spiritual state of growth to be seen in how many tracts he hands out or
how many co-workers he has dragged into a discussion about the gospel?
To many that is the case. If one scans a search engine on the internet
and types in "great commission" he will see the many that are more
concerned with how many souls they have won than how much they have come
to love the precious Savior and how much they are being conformed to the
His image. You will even find instruction how you can do your part in
fulfilling the great commission. I suggest if you follow their advice to
hold onto your wallet.
It is not our intent to chastise or criticize any servant of
Christ who desires to preach the gospel to a certain segment of the world
because they believe the Lord has called them to that task. We most
certainly do not know the mind of the Lord in his dealings with his
children. But we do know that any mission the Lord sends one of his
chosen to perform he most certainly will provide the means for such a
task. But to bind the consciences of His children and plead for funds or
the task will not get done is foreign to Scripture. When the disciples
were first commissioned they were told to "provide no gold nor silver
nor brass in your purses" Matt. 10:9. This was the command of our Lord
in the initial commission to his apostles and was carried into the
great commission. But those that believe the great commission is in
force today have forgotten this fact. The apostles followed these
instructions as they went for to "preach the gospel to every creature."
Since it is not our intention to offend those on such a mission what is
our purpose in this paper? We believe that the reason for such a
vehement approach to evangelism goes far beyond the pale of merely
desiring to see many come to a saving knowledge of the Savior. All true
children of the King rejoice to see his kingdom grow. But to many it is
the measure of ones state of spiritual growth.
One of the reasons we believe is because it is far easier to be on the
offensive in our efforts to reach the lost than to live a godly life
above reproach and do as Peter instructed us "sanctify the Lord God in
your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer of every man that
asketh you of the reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and
fear" 1Pet 3:15.
Now if it was standard practice to be on the offensive instead
of the defensive there would be little instruction needed by
Peter here. After all those around you would not have to ask you of the
reason of this hope because you would have let them know way before they
ever had any desire to know. That is modern day evangelism and it is
pitiful. Somehow if one has not spoken to every one they know about the
gospel and gave them all a tract whether or not they showed the
slightest bit of interest, that person is considered a second class
Christian.
Then of course we cannot forget all of the methods that must be
employed. We have to have our arsenal of Christian contemporary music to
substitute for the music these people listen to. Somehow that is suppose
to spark the interest of dead sinners. I can expect the free will
Arminians and Pelegians with their false gospel to do this but when
those that have embraced the biblical doctrine of God's free and
sovereign grace that says men are dead in sin and need life to believe
it then becomes more pitiful when they succumb to the language of Ashdod.
Despite all the efforts of the free willer Arminians and the free offer
sovereign gracers, not one more will be saved by these nonbiblical
methods. God is determined to bring his children into a saving knowledge
of Christ and he most certainly has chosen to do this via the preaching
of the gospel. But if we think that conjuring up flesh pleasing worldly
methods in the name of the great commission, at the cost of living a
life as instructed by Paul to "study to be quiet, and to do your own
business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye
may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have
lack of nothing" (1Thes 4:11-12) we are most certainly mistaken.
We seemed to have forgotten the exhortations given
us about on the one hand not "casting pearls before swine" and
on the other being a shining light before "a crooked and perverse
generation." It is far more flesh pleasing to be a modern day soul
winner than to live a quiet blameless life before the unbelieving world
as instructed in the passages we have quoted.
So what do we say to these things? We believe that no true child of the
King needs to be coerced into bearing witness to the gospel of God's free
grace. But to make that the measure of one's growth in grace most certainly
will cause one to put more focus on "soul winning" then feeding his own soul
and being watchful against the snares of the enemy. Do we believe in preaching
to sinners? Yes for we do not know of any other kind but sinners. But the gospel
is sheep food not goat food and it is good news not good advice. So we will take
every opportunity the Lord finds favor to give us to bear witness to the truth.
But in the mean time we will not bind the consciences of others as to the use of
methods that are both unbiblical and laced with carnality and pride. Cast not your
pearls before swine but instead "be ready always to give an answer."
Please direct your comments to
Mike Krall.
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