SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES (4)
I believe I should add one more area of recovered truth before I get to the challenge, the area of:
THE GREAT COMMISSION/AGGRESSIVE EVANGELISM/ MISSIONS
It was probably 250 years after Luther nailed his theses to the door of the Cathedral, that there came a fresh understanding of these aspects of truth, I have bundled them together as they are so very related.
- The Great Commission, Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Believers everywhere hardly knew what the Great Commission was, as they were never challenged from the Pulpit regarding this truth. initial interpretation was that this was for the 1st century Apostles and had no relevance to the present day. Then the revelation came, that the Commission was to every Believer in every generation, until Jesus returns. This truth revolutionised the Church of that day and still to this day. Believers saw that unless they fulfilled the Great Commission the Church was always just one generation away from extinction.
- Aggressive Evangelism, From this time (late 1700’s) God began to raise up Signs following anointed Evangelists that has continued to this very day, we thank God for Billy Graham for example who has preached to more people in his lifetime than any other Evangelist . We thank God for Reinhard Bonnke, who’s ministry has changed the face of Africa. We must mention here about God raising up William Booth and The Salvation Army in 1865 who’s Evangelism changed the face of Great Britain especially in the late 1800″s. One Salvation Army Leader declared “the way we are going the whole of Britain will be won by Christmas”. An officer would go to a town and within 6 weeks there was often 600 new converts marching behind the band and flag on a Sunday.
- Missions, the Greek word for “Nations” is ethnos” we must take the Gospel to every ethnic group in every nation in every generation. Sadly many people “camped” in the 1500’s. I am reminded of the story of William Carey an English Baptist Pastor who had the revelation and wrote an essay on “The conversion of the heathen”. He then went to his district Pastor’s meeting and spoke about the need to take the Gospel to the world. A leader stood up and said “Young man sit down, when God pleases to convert the heathen he will do it without your aid or mine”. This Leader was blinded to the fact that God was still restoring truth to the Church, and was still “camping” in his hyper Calvinistic mindset. We are all glad that William Carey, rejected this counsel and went to India and built a mighty work for God and became known as the Father of Modern Missions.
Just last night I was reading the official history of the first hundred years of the Baptist church in our state here in Australia. 1861 -1961. This Baptist Union refuses to have a Doctrinal Statement other than a person must be born again (Justified by Faith) and agree to Believer’s Baptism. They then go on and make this remarkable statement:
Baptists accept the principle that God has yet more light and truth to break forth from His WORD.
Lord help us not to “camp” but to have ears to hear what HE want us to hear
Our God is still restoring truth to His Church, and Jesus must be retained in heaven until the time all truth is restored, which God had spoken by the mouth of His Holy Prophets since the world began. Acts 3:21.
