I would like to begin by mentioning the impact that Patrick Johnstone’s book, Operation World has been having on me. Two facts have been seared into my mind as I have been praying through this book. They will lead into the theology for missions that I will try to develop this morning.

1. One fact is the tremendous unfinished task before the church of Christ. Depending on how you define an ethnic people, there are between 1,000 (Barrett, in World Christian Encyclopedia, p.19) and 17,000 (Ralph Winter, USCWM) unreached peoples on the earth. Johnstone himself suggests about 3,000 unreached peoples (Operation World, p. 32). In any of these cases it is still true that about half of the world’s 5.2 billion people live in those people groups where the church is either nonexistent or so small and weak as to need outside help in evangelizing its people. That means that about half of the world’s individuals are culturally cut off from the witness of the gospel. Thus the need for cross-cultural missionaries is still extraordinarily great. That is one fact made clear in this book. The missionary task is unfinished!

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: John Piper, Piper

Jay Dharan is the theological editor at ROE, and also the founding contributor at Beacon of Truth, an Evangelical ministry aimed at promoting the supremacy and sufficiency of the gospel.

Evangelism [1] is a very valuable and inevitable ministry of the church [2]. Any church which does not take evangelism seriously cannot be called a biblical church [3]. A couple of years ago, one famous minister in India wrote in his autobiography that his group of churches do not see missionary work as an important function of their denomination [4]. One is reminded of the famous quote, “The church that does not evangelize will fossilize” [5]. True, if the church does not actively evangelize, then that particular church is sure to die soon. Not merely due to the lack of new generation believers fillings its pews and pulpit, but because the lack of gospel passion proves lack of gospel itself in the church. Any church which does not have the gospel, as every biblically informed believer knows, is sure to die soon [6].

Our concern today in this study is, however not on the inevitable place of evangelism in the church; it is assumed to be the case. Rather our discussion today is on how the Bible wants us to do it. Is there a specific methodology that we find in the New Testament? If so, what are the theological underpinnings of that methodology? For every methodology has a theology behind it. For our convictions deeply affect our actions. Methodology in that sense is just a practical outworking of one’s theology. This is why when we discuss evangelism, or any practical issue for that matter, we cannot keep theology off the table. To investigate the theology of evangelism, we turn our attention to our key passage in 1 Corinthians 1:21-24.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Jay Dharan, Jay M Nair

Holly D. Dye is the founding contributor and General Editor of Refocusing Our Eyes.

doc·trine: something that is taught; a principle or creed of principles presented for acceptance or belief; a system of beliefs.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. 3:16-17

I am a lover of doctrine. To me, there is such joy in expounding the beauties of our God and the soundness of our faith. Having a system of theology is a safety net, keeping the direction of our lives and faith in line with the Scriptures. Some, having scoffed at such an order, have gone astray into many dangerous and disturbing doctrines.

When I was a young believer, we attended a non-denominational church where the pastor was a former Methodist minister. Having adopted charismatic beliefs, he began his own church, with much determination to have no creed or systematic theology. The result of this ended in fleshly manifestations and demonic activity, not to mention the reproach it brought upon the name of the Lord.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Holly D. Dye, Holly Dye

It is good to hold fast to the old truths, and to contend earnestly (but not savagely) for the faith once delivered to the saints; but it is possible to be sound in doctrine and sound asleep at the same time. Truth turned into a pillow for an idle head is a good thing turned to most evil use. If we wish our form of teaching to exercise power, we must exhibit its practical influence right diligently. A doctrine that will not work will not live.

Some very orthodox people are very lazy, and laziness is certainly heterodoxy of the worst type. A good-for-nothing Christian is a great sinner. There never was a period when there was more need for zeal and faithfulness than now. We have fallen upon bad days for slumber: activity is lord of the hour. Oh, lovers of truth, bestir yourselves.

Work together when you can; but, most of all, see to it that you are each one faithful to his own conscience. Thoroughly consecrated and quickened men are needed now that the fight grows hotter than ever.

August 1883—Sword and Trowel Tracts, by C. H. SPURGEON.

Tags: C.H. Spurgeon, Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon

“If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled.”—Col 1:23.

First. It is the duty of Christians to be settled in the doctrine of faith.

Second. The best way for Christians to be settled is to be well grounded.

First. It is the duty of Christians to be settled in the doctrine of faith.

It is the apostle’s prayer, 1 Pet. 5:10, “The God of all grace establish, strengthen, settle you.” That is, that they might not be meteors in the air, but fixed stars. The apostle Jude speaks of “wandering stars” in verse 13. They are called wandering stars, because, as Aristotle says, “They do leap up and down, and wander into several parts of the heaven; air being but dry exhalations, not made of that pure celestial matter as the fixed stars are, they often fall to the earth.” Now, such as are not settled in religion, will, at one time or other, prove wandering stars; they will lose their former steadfastness, and wander from one opinion to another. Such as are unsettled are of the tribe of Reuben, “unstable as water,” Gen. 49:4; like a ship without ballast, overturned with every wind of doctrine. Beza writes of one Belfectius, that his religion changed as the moon. The Arians had every year a new faith. These are not pillars in the temple of God, but reeds shaken every way. The apostle calls them “damnable heresies.” 2 Pet. 2:1. A man may go to hell as well for heresy as adultery. To be unsettled in religion argues want of judgment. If their heads were not giddy, men would not reel so fast from one opinion to another. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Thomas Watson

Samuel Marinus Zwemer was an American missionary, traveler, and scholar and was nicknamed, "The Apostle to Islam".

The challenge of the unoccupied fields of the world is one to great faith and, therefore to great sacrifice. Our willingness to sacrifice for an enterprise is always in proportion to our faith in that enterprise. Faith has the genius of transforming the barely possible into actuality. Once men are dominated by the conviction that a thing must be done, they will stop at nothing until it is accomplished.

“We have our ‘marching orders’,” as the Iron Duke {Arthur Wesley, Duke of Wellington} said, “and because our Commander-in-Chief is not absent, but with us, the impossible becomes not only practical but imperative.”

Charles Spurgeon, preaching from the text, “All power is given unto Me. Lo I am with you always,” used these words:

“You have a factor here that is absolutely infinite, and what does it matter as to what other factors may be. “I will do as much as I can, says one. Any fool can do that. He that believes in Christ does what he can not do, attempts the impossible and performs it.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Samuel M. Zwemer, Samuel Marinus Zwemer, Samuel Zwemer