These are the three broad purposes of the church but they need
a little unpacking before we are able to understand them
completely.
By ministry
to God, Grudem means worship. Worship is essentially those
activities of both individual and assembled Christians that offer up
to God the glory and praise that is His proper due. This, according
to the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (Q1), is the chief
end of man.
By ministry
to believers, he means discipleship and sanctification or growth
in grace. The church “…has an obligation to nurture
those who already are believers and build them up to maturity in the
faith” (Col 1:28; Eph 4:12-13).
By ministry
to the world, he means both evangelism and mercy. Jesus tells us
in the so-called great commission, to “make disciples
of all the nations (Matt. 28:19). This is the first part of the church’s
mission to the world. The second is performing acts of mercy in order
to relieve suffering wherever it is to be found (Luke 6:35-36).
Broadly speaking, these are the three underlying or foundational purposes
of the church. In this context, I have chosen to look at the third
of these purposes, that of evangelism. It is my intention to help readers
discover how well their own congregations are doing in their ministry
to the world. My perspective is from the Reformed, Calvinistic tradition
and it is to members of such congregations to whom I direct my remarks.
It is my own
belief that evangelism and acts of mercy are not optional but normative.
They are prescribed in scripture just as surely as is
our duty to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. If we are ready to do
the latter, we should also be ready to do the former. Christ has called
His church to make disciples from all nations. This is to be the church’s
mandate until the end (Matt. 24:14). If a denomination or any congregation
within it is luke-warm to this purpose, it is in jeopardy of coming
under judgement. Indeed, this is exactly what happened to the church
at Laodicea. Although we read that the Lord loved this church, nonetheless
He was displeased with its lack of zeal (Rev. 3:15-16).
How well is your own congregation doing in the performance of this
ministry? Is it, like the church at Laodicea, neither cold not hot,
or is it zealously performing this purpose in loving obedience to the
Lord? Can you say with honesty that your congregation has a heart for
the lost and the suffering? Is it blind to distinctions of race, social
status, poverty and the like (Rom. 3:29, 9:24; Gal. 3:28)? What hindrances
might be in your way? I believe that it is possible to identify five
factors that to one degree or another impede the fulfillment of this
purpose within Reformed, Calvinistic assemblies.
The first factor is the influence of hyper-Calvinism.
Hyper-Calvinism begins and ends with the sovereignty of God and I should
say at the outset that the doctrine of the sovereignty of God is
of absolute importance to Reformed, Calvinistic and biblical Christianity.
Nevertheless, in its relationship to evangelism, hyper-Calvinism
can be a detrimental influence because it denies any responsibility
on the part of a believer to be the chosen means of influencing a
sinner for salvation or denies that the sinner himself has a responsibility
for his own repentance leading to salvation. This, in spite of many
verses of Scripture to indicate that this is exactly what God has
intended (Jer. 5:3; Eze. 14:6; 18:30, 32; Mark 1:15; 6:12; Acts 17:30
are representative). I should remind the reader that hyper-Calvinism
is not usually a conscious thought in the minds of most Christians.
It is the subconscious result of not knowing the tension between
God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility, predestination
and the universal offer of the gospel. The hyper-Calvinist maintains
that since no one can come to Christ unless the Father draws him
(a conviction held by all Reformed Christians, see John 6:44) there
is no point in trying to influence a person to believe the gospel.
God will do that for us. God will bring a person to faith even against
his or her will if it is His own will to do so. The related doctrine
of predestination of the elect (those whom God has chosen for salvation
before the foundation of the world) reinforces this idea. The idea
of the elect (or as they are elsewhere called the “remnant”)
is a thoroughly biblical and reformed doctrine, but is used by hyper-Calvinists
to shut out any possible response by sinners to the call of salvation.
This may be fine as far as it goes but it simply does not go far
enough because it leaves out the fact that only God knows His elect,
whom He has chosen (Mark 13:20; Rom. 8:29-30). It also leaves out
the fact that God uses various means to carry out His intended purposes
(1 Ch. 29:12; Ps. 8:3-4; 75:6-7; 1 Cor. 12:6 are all representative).
So in evangelism, we understand that we do not know who God’s
chosen ones are, nor what agencies He will make use of to ensure
that His elect will hear the gospel, receive the gift of faith from
the Holy Spirit, repent of their sin and so come to salvation in
Christ. This means we are to be faithful to the great commission
and be available as the instruments by which the gospel is heard
(Rom. 10:14-15). We ourselves do not convert sinners—that is
the work of the Holy Spirit—but we can and must bring them
to the gospel.
The second factor is the doctrine of covenant succession.
Covenant succession is just a fancy way of describing people being
born to believing parents. This, according to many, is the foremost
method God uses to grow His church. Covenant succession is a biblical
doctrine described in several places in both Testaments (De. 4:37,
40; Ps. 102:28; Isa. 44:3; 54:13; 59:21; Acts 2:38-39 are representative).
However, in some cases covenant succession may become a hindrance
to evangelism simply because having babies is so natural and right.
It is definitely part of God’s overall plan (Gen. 1:28) and
making babies is—for most people at any rate—easier,
more pleasant and rewarding than talking about Christ to total strangers.
Now I do not want you to think that I believe covenant succession
is not a responsibility as well as a privilege and a joy for all
Christian parents. I do. Nevertheless, I also believe that it in
no way absolves the church of its obligation to spread the gospel
to all and sundry. My point in this section is merely to warn against
the complacency that often takes place. We cannot think that this
is the only way that Christ grows His church. I respectfully disagree
with people (such as Robert S. Rayburn) who maintain that this is
the most important way that Christ grows His church. Rayburn has
said, “Christian evangelism will never make a decisive difference
in our culture when it amounts merely to an effort to replace losses
due to widespread desertion from our own camp. The gospel will always
fail to command attention and carry conviction when large numbers
of those who grow up under its influence are observed abandoning
it for the world.” [“The Presbyterian Doctrine of Covenant
Children, Covenant Nurture and Covenant Succession,” Presbyterian
22/2, 1996]. It is precisely because of such statements that we must
be even more vigilant. Rayburn and other well-intentioned people
miss the fact that the gospel can never fail since it is God’s
very plan for the salvation of His people. Christ grows His church
by saving the elect through His Holy Spirit. His two primary ways
for doing this are covenant succession and evangelism. Moreover,
the view of these people contradicts the important doctrine of the
perseverance of the saints, which maintains that if one is truly
saved, that salvation can never be lost (John 5:24; 6:37, 39; 1 John
2:19). We tend to forget that in every generation there are people
being born right under our noses that need to hear the gospel. Some
there are in each generation who truly are tares and so are beyond
hope (Matt. 13:24-30), but this is not for us to know but only God.
There is a constant crop, year after year and generation after generation
and therefore a never-ending need for workers in the harvest fields
until such a time as our Lord returns (Matt. 9:35-38). So let us
not cease from striving to spread the gospel merely because we have
had numerous children, albeit brought up in Godly fashion and who
have inherited the covenant promise safeguarded for them by believing,
faithful parents.
The third factor is shame and/or fear.
In North America and other well-off, developed nations, it is the case
that Christians do not evangelize (although they may perform works
of mercy) because they fear the rejection, ridicule or contempt of
friends, loved-ones, co-workers, or even total strangers. They are
also ashamed to be known as those who have come under the influence
of, and been brainwashed by, a bizarre fairy tale for fools and lunatics
who, unbelievers think, are out to brainwash them. This is hard to
overcome, yet we are warned not to be ashamed of Christ or His gospel
(Luke 9:26) and we are both warned and encouraged not to fear (Matt.
8:26; Mark 6:50). However, as often as not, this fear or shame is
rooted in our own ignorance of the meaning of the gospel itself.
How many Christians can quickly summarize the gospel and how many
having done so can support the proclamation with relevant passages
of scripture? If you do not know and understand something, how can
you actually believe it to be true and worth suffering for? In today’s
world, we do not find this level of knowledge and understanding in
many believers, yet there was a time when believers were knowledgeable
of scripture, understanding it experientially and not just intellectually.
Such were the Puritans and the Reformers. Knowledge is one of the
three aspects that make up the totality of a believer’s true
faith (Sola fide). Knowledge is the content of our faith; we must
know the object of our faith. It is not enough to simply “have
faith and everything will work out.” We must know and understand
God’s intentions and purposes as well as His character. This
comes to us partly by studying His creation, but mainly and effectively
by studying His Word, because in it He clearly tells us about Himself
and His purposes. It is no coincidence that those believers most
saturated with God’s word were also His bravest martyrs. They
believed all that God told them in scripture. Indeed, they rested
with a full assurance that He would care for them in their time of
trial and embrace them in His everlasting arms of love should their
death be required by Him.
The fourth factor is simply lack of talent or giftedness.
Not every believer is able to articulate the gospel and this not necessarily
through either lack of knowledge or faith. Not every Christian has
been gifted with sufficient skills in oration or logic, to explain
to an unbelieving and contemptuous world the glorious riches of God
in Christ. Again, not because the gospel itself is difficult or too
complex—nothing could be further from the truth. No, it is
because God has bestowed different gifts on the members of His church.
God bestows gifts like conversational aptitude, logic, scriptural
knowledge and gregariousness more on some than on others. He has
not said that all are to be teachers, prophets, evangelists and so
on (1 Cor. 12:28-29; Eph. 4:11). It is true; people with the necessary
skills make the best evangelists. This is not to say however that
only specially endowed Christians should do evangelism. We are each
called upon, as opportunity allows, to proclaim the gospel and what
it means to each one of us (1 Peter 3:15-16).
The
fifth factor is what we call the gathered congregation as opposed
to the “parish” or
community congregation.
Gathered congregations are largely composed of members who do not live
in the same geographical location as the building or meeting hall in
which they gather. The members come from outlying communities and are
only in the church perhaps two or three times a week, and then never
leave the premises until it is time to go home again. They have little
to no interaction with the people who live or work in the local community,
resulting in a condition where the church members never get to meet
the locals, form relationships and so come to see them as their neighbours.
The locals and church members are forever strangers to one another.
Because no possibility exists for relationships or even brief encounters,
it is easier for the members of the congregation to remain indifferent
to the real physical and spiritual needs of the local people. In addition,
when members go back home to their own communities, what evangelism
that takes place there can only be sporadic and ineffectual because
it is removed from the church which is the main provider and support
system and where the seeds of evangelism take root and grow.
As far as evangelism
is concerned then, the gathered congregation is not a good thing.
If the church is to have a ministry to the world
it must be a ministry that is based within geo-ethnic communities where
real people can come together to share what each has to offer, or to
receive what others have to give. This has always been the preferred
model. This is especially true for evangelism. Acts of mercy are not
always tied to the community in which a congregation is found; especially
in our world where people can support the needy in countries on the
opposite side of the planet just as easily as a needy someone in their
own city or town. But evangelism is not like that. Evangelism is up
close and personal. It happens when pastors preach the word of God
faithfully to those who are able to come and hear. It is essentially
a local and personal event. It was always so until the advent of mass
communication media like radio and television. Moreover, I believe
that as good and convicting as a well-preached sermon can be on television,
it cannot hold a candle to the word preached in person. Personal experiences
are without exception more “real” than mediated ones.
So for real evangelism to occur, the congregation should ideally be
situated in a specific location where its members are tied to unbelievers
among them not by similarities of ethnicity, social position and the
like, but whose members simply live, work or volunteer in the same
community in which they worship. This way the lost may experience personal
relationships and receive greater empathy. This not only enriches the
lives of those unbelievers in the community, it also enriches the lives
of those in the church because they actually get to share in the lives
of other people and so are truly able to obey the second commandment
of Christ, to love your neighbours as yourselves (Matt. 22:39).
We have now reviewed five main factors that may hinder or impede the
progress of evangelism and have seen that in two cases the problem
for evangelism is a misapplication of a valid biblical and Reformed
doctrine: the sovereignty of God and covenant succession. In our
look at hyper-Calvinism, we saw that it was the one-sided or unbalanced
view of God’s sovereignty that inhibited evangelism. Regarding
covenant succession, we saw that in our dependence on bringing children
into the covenant, we were in jeopardy of turning our backs on the
prodigals in our midst that God loves nonetheless. Therefore, it
now remains to decide what our responsibility is in the matter. Are
we justified in allowing these hindrances to remain? Alternatively,
do we have a responsibility to remove them and get on with the work
God has asked us to do as His faithful servants (Matt. 25:14-30)?
It is obvious by now what my own position is in this regard. We see
from numerous scriptural passages that we do indeed have both a privilege
and a responsibility to carry out the purpose of evangelism along
with acts of mercy. The essential proof-text is Matt. 28:19-20. However,
there are many others such as Mark 16:15; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 8:26-27,
35; 16:6-10.
Understanding that evangelism and acts of mercy are fundamental to
Christianity is only the starting point however. Nor should we say
that it is up to individual Christians alone to carry out evangelism.
Evangelism is essentially presenting the gospel through the act of
preaching (remember Rom. 10:14-15). An aspect of the great commission
that we often ignore is that Christ delivered it to His apostles who
were the first ministers of the gospel, who were also its first elders
or overseers, and on whom Christ built His new covenant church. This
means that it is up to duly ordained ministers of the word (as the
rightful successors to the apostles) to preach to sinners. It is then
the work of the Holy Spirit to apply this preaching to the hearts and
minds of lost souls.
How are ministers to undertake this task? Are they to do it alone?
Do they simply stand at the front of the congregation, hoping there
are some who have yet to hear the gospel? This is certainly a part
of what will happen, but members can do much more than simply listen
with patience as the minister explains for the umpteenth time the purpose
of the law and the necessity of the gospel for sinners. He needs the
help, support and active participation of his entire flock. In this,
as in so many other aspects of church life, the elders hold special
place. It is their responsibility, by virtue of their position and
office, to ensure their congregation carries out all the purposes of
the church, and this must include evangelism and acts of mercy.
It is not my
purpose here to offer any particular strategies or methods. This
is really a matter for each congregation to decide. There are
as many ways as there are members. Many ways have worked as a means
to build relationships and trust with unbelievers within a given community.
It is really the time, energy, vision, ingenuity, talent, creativity
and commitment of a congregation’s members that are the limiting
factors. Nevertheless, if your congregation can do nothing else, it
can pray.
Pray for the lost. Pray for the unbelievers you see on the streets
and in the alleys. Pray for the homeless in the community, pray for
those who work in the shops and other businesses. Pray for other churches
in the area and even local agencies that they will be a sure help for
those in need. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, do not forget
to pray for yourselves. Ask God to give you a heart for the lost sheep,
the prodigal sons and daughters in your midst. Ask Him to fill your
congregation with the compassion and mercy that means so much to Him.
(Matt. 25:30-46). Ask Him to give you the strength to overcome your
own fear and shame. Ask Him for courage to risk the calumny and contempt
of even those you are concerned for, who will reject you and revile
you because of Him. For has He not told us that as they did to Him,
so they will do to us (Matt. 5:11; John 15:20)? Yet such is the obedience
to which we are called (1 Pet. 4:14, 16, 19).