The Chicken or the Egg
Which came first? The chicken or the egg? This age-old question came to mind today while I was having a deep discussion with a few other missionaries and the Potomac District secretary/treasurer, Ken Burtram.
The question was posed: why are so many missionaries struggling to raise their budgets? We mentioned that it seemed unlikely that churches are out of money, since other church ministries continue to run smoothly. We determined that the idea of world missions is perhaps not as much of a priority as it once was. After all, ours was a fellowship that declared it would "send forth the greatest missionary force that the world has ever known" when it formed in 1914. The whole point of this fledging fellowship was to reach the uttermost parts of the earth. Somewhere, somehow that zeal seems to have cooled. Unfortunately, many churches don't even give 10% of their budget to missions; some don't even spend 10% for evangelism of any kind!*
But as we discussed this lack of missions fervor, someone pointed out that, while the objective of the Assemblies of God was to evangelize the world, their distinctive was their Pentecostal experience. According to Acts 1:8, the primary reason and consequent result of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was to witness, from the local area to the entire world. Perhaps the lack of missions interest follows the lack of Pentecostal teaching or Pentecostal experience in many of our churches. One missionary pointed out that he repeatedly hears this: we need the baptism of the Holy Spirit "to live our lives day to day" in closer fellowship with God. Instead of a selfless (and biblical) focus on evangelism, an experience with the Holy Spirit is being billed as a solution to Christian doldrums. My brothers, this should not be! With more and more of our churches losing Pentecost completely, we cannot afford to ignore that it is meant to empower us to reach the lost!
Discuss amongst yourselves--I'll give you a topic: which is the cause and which is the effect? Have we stopped preaching Pentecost because we're not interested in missions or have we stopped supporting missions because we've lost Pentecost?
*I believe that most churches give to good charities and obvious needs, but sometimes without a specific intention or effort to reach the lost.
Comments
Egg = Evangelism
Because in Acts 1:8; "You will be witnesses after the Holy Spirit comes on you..."
So if you're not promoting the Baptism of the Holy Spirit it's not likely you're going to reference "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the uttermost parts of the earth".
I think the problem is one of vision from pastors.
This is so incomplete, but it's just a comment.
'For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.' Luke 19:10
PERIOD!
Jesus went around actively seeking out lost, hurting, damaged, and dying people. He would then look them square in the face and be moved to agony for their condition. Next, He would muster up all the power of Heaven to rescue and restore them. Because He loved them!
In this, I see a deeper root issue -- not that the message of Pentecost has been diluted, not that missionary zeal has cooled, not that pastors lack vision -- those are consequential issues. What I see as underlying all this is an apathy (or desensitization) to the desperate needs around us, especially outside the comfort zone of our own affluence. 'Church' today can be so centered on what's-in-it-for-me that we'd rather be comfortable in our padded chairs, suckin' a latte from the coffee bar under the big screen monitor than go to Wal-Mart and actually smile at the cashier and thank her (Thank God for self-checkout, so I don't have to deal with people!).
John put it this way... 'But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?' I John 3:17
THERE IT IS! -- No passion for the perishing and Pentecost loses its rushing wind, the 'sent ones' aren't sent and we continue to raise our hands and sing our songs and wonder why terrorists fly airplanes into our buildings.
As I was writing this entry, 1500 children died of totally preventable causes -- most starved to death in a world of abundance. But, hey guys, this is a really great blog and I feel so connected!
'As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.' John 20:21
'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.' Matt 28:19,20
'But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.' Acts 1:8
WHAT PART OF 'GO' DON'T WE UNDERSTAND?