PI #4: God Must Empower Missions
February 3, 2009 – 4:16 pmMissions work that is not God-centered is not really biblical missions; to lose God as the focus of missions is to lose the motivating and governing element. In chapter 3 of For the Sake of His Name, Pastor David Doran addresses four practical implications of God-centered missions. [see intro to the 4-part Practical Implications series] Here is the final implication:
Practical Implication 4: The Power for Missions must be Divine, not Human
We have seen that Paul expected the work of missions to be conducted in the power of the Spirit, and that His power would be a display of God’s glory (2 Cor 3:7-11). I believe that a subtle evidence of our man-centeredness is our dependence upon our plans, programs, and preparation. Giving God first place in the missions endeavor also means that we consciously commit ourselves to simple planning and fervent praying. Intricately orchestrated programs that reflect our ingenuity also tend to deflate our humility and inflate our sense of sufficiency. The biblical bottom line is that we are not sufficient for the task, but God is! He has given to us the Spirit and the Word, and those gifts must remain the central focus of all missionary planning and practice because they are the only source of missionary power.
I am obviously in favor of education and training, it is part of my life and ministry, but these are no substitutes for the Spriit’s power. I believe in good organization (even if I do not always practice it!) and effective methods, but these too are no substitute for the more glorious ministry of the Spirit. Is it possible that we have lost sight of a central qualification for ministry and evidence of God’s call on a missionary’s life - the Spirit’s transforming and empowering presence? Is it possible that we talk more about five-year plans and carefully crafted programs than we do the need for God’s power through the Spirit upon the ministry of the Word.
In 1715, Louis XIV of France died. This king had called himself “the Great” and had proudly boasted, “I am the State!” During his time, his court was the most magnificient in Europe. His funeral, too, was designed to be a display of his greatness and it was indeed spectacular. His body lay in a golden coffin. To amplify the deceased king’s grandeur by drawing attention solely to him, the orders had been given to light one special candle above his coffin. The massive crowd gathering for the funeral waited in silence. Then Massilion, who later became Bishop of Claremont, slowly reaching down, snuffed out the candle and said, “Only God is great!” Louis XIV came and went but the spirit that energized him is still at work in this world. Billions are lost in darkness, blinded by the god of this world so that they do not see God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.
It is my contention that unless we revive our commitment to that principle, that God alone is great, we will not rise to the challenges of missions in the twenty-first century. Unless our souls burn within us with holy jealousy at the sight of false worship and with an all-consuming passion to see Christ exalted, we will not pay the price that biblical missions demands. As I write these words, the President of the United States has called this country to defend itself against terrorist attacks like those which occured on September 11, 2001. Thousands of military personnel are being deployed to the other side of the globe, and millions more back home are firmly committed to back them in their task. I believe the cause is right, but I am troubled by the fact that many American Christians who would not hesitate to send their sons into battle for the American way of life, do hesitate to consider sendning them to the mission fields of the world. The Lord of lords has called us to take His name to the ends of the earth, and if He is supreme in our lives, we will heed His call. We will go, we will send, we will give and we will pray, all For the Sake of His Name.1
1David Doran, Pearson Johnson For the Sake of His Name. (Allen Park, MI: Student Global Impact, 2002), 65-67.
