Skip to main content

Difficulties in Missions, Part 1, by Pastor Charlie Handren

By Anonymous
     On May 12, 1792 William Carey published a little pamphlet entitled, An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. By God’s grace, his words inspired the modern missionary movement, and by God’s grace, I’m praying that they will inspire a fresh passion for global missions at Glory of Christ.

     In the second section of his pamphlet, Carey identified and responded to several difficulties that made it challenging for the church of his day to preach the gospel to the nations of the world. First, the nations that most needed to hear the gospel were quite distant from England, and therefore reaching them would not be easy. However, Carey argued, advances in navigational technology made this a moot point, for it had become common for advanced countries to travel about the world. This was especially true for commercial enterprises, and Carey suggested that Isaiah 60 was a prophecy that predicted “commerce shall subserve the spread of the gospel.” Whether his interpretation was right or not, his point is well taken, and much more so in our day when a person can board a plane and be almost anywhere on earth in less than a day.
     Second, many of the nations that most needed to hear the gospel lived in a “barbarous state,” making it difficult at best to live among them and preach the gospel to them. Carey retorted, “this can be no objection to any, except those whose love of ease renders them unwilling to expose themselves to inconveniences for the good of others.” Indeed, he went on to suggest that their “uncivilized way of life” was a reason for and not against preaching the gospel to them. How can nations that have received so much grace from the Lord withhold that same grace from others?
     Third, many of the nations that most needed to hear the gospel presented a mortal threat to those who would go. “It is true that whoever does go must put his life in his hand, and not consult with flesh and blood. But do not the goodness of the cause, the duties incumbent on us as the creatures of God, and Christians, and the perishing state of our fellow men, loudly call upon us to venture all and use every warrantable exertion for their benefit?”
     Finally, since language is necessary to preaching the gospel, the inability to speak all the languages of the world makes the Great Commission difficult, if not impossible, to obey. To this Carey responded that those with commercial interests had found ways of dealing with language barriers (like securing translators or learning the primary languages of various areas), and that those with gospel interests should be all the more motivated to do the same. This point is all the more persuasive when we consider the Holy Spirit’s ability to give his people the ability to speak any language in heaven or on earth!
     Yes, preaching the gospel to the nations of the world is difficult, and yes, it is possible with God’s help. So, what should keep us from obeying?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord, by George Muller

By Anonymous
To Have My Soul Happy in the Lord By George Muller “It has pleased the Lord to teach me a truth, the benefit of which I have not lost for more than fourteen years. The point is this: I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord, or how I might glorify the Lord, but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how my inner man might be nourished. “I saw that the most important thing I had to do was to give myself to the reading of the Word of God—not prayer, but the Word of God. And here again, not the simple reading of the Word of God so that it only passes through my mind just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what I read, pondering over it, and applying it to my heart. To meditate on it, that thus my heart might be comforted, encouraged, warned, reproved, instructed. And that thus,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Billy Graham, Holiness, and Leadership

By
A few years ago, I was listening to a radio program on which Marshall Shelley was being interviewed about his new book, The Leadership Secrets of Billy Graham (Zondervan, 2005). They were giving away a few copies of the book to those who called in, and something inside me felt compelled to call. But I didn’t have a good question to ask, so I prayed to the Lord and said, “If you want me to have a copy of this book, please give me a good question to ask and I’ll call.” I’m not sure if the Lord gave me this question or if it just popped into my head, but one way or the other, I thought to ask about the connection in Billy’s life between his private pursuit of holiness and integrity, and his public effectiveness and longevity. So, I made the call and was given the last copy of the book they had to give. A couple of years earlier, I had breakfast with some friends and the subject of Billy Graham’s life and ministry came up. We talked mostly about his commitment to integrity in the area...
Post a Comment
Read more

Catechisms: Building a Heritage of Sound Faith - By Pastor Kevin Feder

By
This is an article I (Pastor Kevin) wrote in 2005 and updated in 2017. It is featured in a new resource available through Children’s Desiring God called Discipleship through Doctrinal Teaching and Catechism by Sally Michael.  It is our desire to encourage parents to use a children’s catechism as a tool in building and strengthening faith in children. A simple definition of a catechism is “organized teaching.” Catechisms are not the only things that can or should be used to instruct the next generation, yet they have useful purposes. Listed here are ten specific benefits a catechism can uniquely offer. Hopefully these ten points will help parents understand how a catechism can be effectively used in their families. 1.  A catechism is a very clear and complete gospel message. A catechism is, among other things, a very clear and concise gospel message to children. Everything a child needs to know for salvation is embodied within a catechism. The gospel is truly ama...
Post a Comment
Read more