Quote of the Day
When we turn from the restless entreaties and exhortations which fill the pages of our modern missionary magazines to the pages of the New Testament, we are astonished at the change in atmosphere. St Paul does not repeatedly exhort his churches to subscribe money for the propagation of the Faith, he is far more concerned to explain to them what the faith is, and how they ought to practice it and keep it. The same is true of St Peter and St John, and all of the apostolic writers. They do not seem to feel any necessity to repeat the great Commission, and to urge that it is the duty of their converts to make disciples of all the nations. What we read in the New Testament is no anxious appeal to Christians to spread the Gospel, but a note here and there which suggests how the Gospel was being spread abroad: 'the churches were established in the faith and increased in number daily', 'in every place your faith to Godward is spread abroad so that we need not to speak anything', or as a result of a persecution: 'They that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word'......I know not how it may appear to others, but to me this unexhorted unorganized, spontaneous expansion has a charm far beyond that of our modern highly organized missions. I delight to think that a Christian travelling on his business, or fleeing from persecution, could preach Christ, and a church spring up as the result of his preaching, without his work being advertised through the streets of Antioch or Alexandria as the heading of an appeal to Christian men to subscribe funds to establish a school, or as the text of an exhortation to the church of his native city to send a mission, without which new converts deprived of guidance must inevitably lapse. I suspect, however, that I am not alone in this strange preference, and that many others read their Bibles and find there with relief a welcome escape from our material appeals for funds, and from our methods of moving heaven and earth to make a proselyte......
The Spirit of Christ is a Spirit who longs for, and strives after, the salvation of the souls of men, and that Spirit dwells in them. That Spirit converts the natural instinct into a longing for the conversion of others which is indeed divine in its source and character.
- Roland Allen
From his book: The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church
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Wonderful quote! Have you ever read books about Anthony Norris Grooves, Hudson Taylor, or the book Bruchko? Those books are very encouraging!
ReplyDeleteHi Daniel, I've read Bruchko, and the two volume Hudson Taylor biography ('Growth of a Soul' and 'Growth of a Work of God'). I haven't heard of Anthony Norris Grooves though. I'll look him up. It truly is refreshing to read about Christians who trusted God more than money or 'organized missions' in the spreading of the Gospel.
DeleteIt's interesting that it was the same back then as it is today, based on the way most 'Mission organizations" do it, you'd kind of get the impression that one is sinning if you don't financially support every particular Gospel ministry that comes one's way rather than focusing on the individual people God has sovereignly placed around us and will bring our way. It is so comforting, and freeing to know that God's church will be grown by Him, that He will build His church, and we just keep our eyes open in our every day lives for any opportunity we get to share the Gospel to others, and often, just helping our fellow Christian's to grow in the faith.
In my family, we've discussed how many Christian get it all wrong and think that we need to demonstrate our discipleship to Christ by our love for non-Christians. Not that we don't demonstrate love to Christians, of course we'll demonstrate love toward them, but the Bible's focus is on our love for our fellow Christians. As Christ says in John 13:35 " By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." And then of course, at the judgment spoken of in Matthew 25, it's things that are done for the least of Christ's brethren, are the things that are done for Christ.
Absolutely. Anthony Norris Grooves was before George Mueller and Hudson Taylor. He definitely influenced them. There is an organization called Shield of Faith that does Missions in a similar way to the Plymouth Brethren. https://www.sfmiusa.org/
ReplyDeleteYes. When missionaries have to report, you have to see "progress" in their mission. Yet God works in peoples heart differently and it takes time. Also these missionaries go through much suffering and need support spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. With the pressure to fund raise, they don't really share these things. I definitely believe God has placed us in particularly places to share with people around us.
Scripture definitely states we need to have love for our fellow believers. As a result of that love, we can share that with non believers too!