Introduction

Because of the difficulties we are struggling with (the limits of our funds), and because of the opportunity that is now in front of us (a low cost place to meet), I would like to speak today on what our goals should be in gospel mission.

1A. Goals in context

We are the church of Jesus Christ the risen Lord. There is only one loaf and as individuals we are one with Christ (the one loaf) so we being many are one body in Him (1 Cor. 10:17; 12:12). We believe the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24 in context of 18-28 that includes such topics as gospel mission publicly and house to house, faith, the kingdom, the whole counsel of God, and efficacious redemption, v. 28). We have nothing of which to be ashamed. With Paul we can say,

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom. 1:16).

We have made covenant for the coming year. Let’s review our covenant. In the annual meeting, I asked this question: "Looking ahead to the coming year, are you willing to renew your commitment to Christian obedience and discipleship that includes re-examining [the following things?]:

1) Your one anothering,

2) Your hospitality in connection with one anothering Christian love,

3) Your diligence in attending to preaching to learn in order to live the gospel, and

4) Your engagement individually and corporately in the work of ministry

We then spent some time in reflection and prayer on these things, then we all voiced our renewal of this covenant with the Lord and with one another:

If we are willing, then let us use the following form of covenant renewal to express publicly our commitment together (in your private devotions you can replace we with I: I hope you will make this a matter of personal commitment to Christ):

As members of the Westminster Reformed Church, we do promise and covenant with one another, to learn of the risen Lord Jesus, in order to live by the commandments of the triune God, given solely in the sixty-six books of Holy Scripture. We promise to put forth diligent effort, to learn by means of the biblical diet rooted in reformed theology, and to do so with open-minded humility. We covenant as members of this local church, to do our part to guard the gospel, by taking up the practical duties of church life, in a faithful and orderly way. We commit ourselves to Christ and to faithful attendance to regular worship, to promote love, good deeds, and mutual encouragement. We commit ourselves to do all that we can to spread the word of Christ to the nations. Finally, if in God's providence we leave this church, we promise to enter a covenant of membership, with some other local expression of the body of Christ, in order to honor the Lord in an orderly way there.

Where does gospel mission come into play in this covenant that we have made with one another before the Lord for the coming year? It is present in a number of places (a) good deeds must include our relationship to the world outside the church and (b) guarding the gospel refers to the defense of the faith that seeks to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. However, the most explicit expression is in the second to last line:

(c) We commit ourselves to do all that we can to spread the word of Christ to the nations.

The most important passage of Scripture that directs us to our mission is the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20). Jesus speaks to the disciples who represent the church in nuclear form (the new Israel) and tells them (and us "to the end of the age") that the Father gave Him all authority in heaven and earth. In other words, He is universal sovereign, Sabbath king, and Head of the church as Head over all things. As such, He commands that we go to the nations to disciple, baptize, and teach them His commandments.

We do not want to neglect this responsibility because it is our Lord that commands us to go in gospel mission. This is our duty to Him both individually and corporately.

We have no need to be afraid because our Sabbath king is universal Lord of all things and He promises to be with us to the end of the age. Granted, there are many causes of fear and apprehension. There are many obstacles to progress. Resistance to change is common. Our archenemy is an angel of light and he has false messengers of light who promote his schemes. Nonetheless, the word of God stands sure:

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil (1 Pet. 3:12).

The context of gospel ministry for us is quite simple. It is a matter of covenant with one another and to the Lord. It is as simple as moving to a public meeting place to do our best there to fulfill our covenant. I have made that covenant too for the coming year. Therefore, whatever the present difficulties may be, you and I need to concentrate on fulfilling that commitment to our loving Savior.

2A. Goals in outline

Pray evangelistically

Pray for an open door (that God may open to us a door for the word, Col. 4:3).

Pray for clarity and boldness in going through it.

Speak evangelistically (words seasoned with grace and love, Col. 4:6)

We all have the privileged task of seed sowing (cf. the ministry and ministry)

One plants and another waters but God gives the increase.

Increase is not in our hands; it is not our responsibility.

Our duty is in planting and watering by every means that we can.

3A. Goals in application

1) It should be the goal of the church to see to it that the pastor "make his living by the gospel."

It should be the church’s goal because it is God’s commandment (1 Cor. 9:14, In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel). It should be a prayerful goal of every local church. It too is God’s to give as He chooses to bless each of us in our employment and in our sanctification (note the relation between His blessing us in employment and His blessing us in sanctification; they are intertwined). Accordingly, Scripture connects the love of money with the fear of man, giving to the ministry of the word, and a godly life of faith:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." ⁶ So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?" ⁷ Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith (Heb. 13:5-7).

Experience teaches us that it is not the Lord’s purpose that every single pastor make his living by the gospel, and that he do so throughout his life. The Lord does not grant every pastor that privilege for reasons known only to Him but like so many other similar cases, what God does is distinguishable from what He commands us to do. Furthermore, His will of decree and providence does not remove His will of precept; God’s decretive will does not remove His prescriptive will. Put simply, what God does according to His plan from all eternity does not eliminate our duty; the truth of divine foreordination does not deny the truth of human responsibility.

Bottom line: freeing the pastor from non-church labors so he can devote himself to the word of God and prayer should be a goal of every church waiting upon the Lord to make it a reality where He sees fit. Where He does not make it a reality, we submit to His will.

2) The pastor of every church should devote himself to the word and prayer in order to equip the saints for ministry.

In Ephesians 4:11-12 we have the basis for the ministry and ministry, "And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ." In Acts 6, we have a key verse regarding pastoral ministry in the apostolic example:

And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (2-4).

3) Hence, the church must see itself as having a ministry correlative to the pastor’s ministry. The church translates the pastor’s witness into everyday terms as a letter to those outside. Correlative ministry involves sharing in the defense and confirmation of the gospel (Phil. 1:7). Ministry first looks to the family of God, then to all men in general (Gal. 6:10). It includes those outside (Col. 4:5-6); exercising wise use of time buying up opportunities: Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time (KJV, Col. 4:5). Paul says this again in Ephesians: Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time (KJV, redeeming the time), because the days are evil (Eph. 4:15-16). Notably, the flow of thought runs from filling with the Spirit, through worship and mutual submission, to reverence for Christ: "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ" (Eph. 4:15-21).

Similarly, sowing to the Spirit instead of sowing to the flesh in Galatians (6:6-10) is associated with supporting the ministry of the word and opportunities to do good to everyone especially to those of the household of faith.

Therefore, opportunity is something for which we are to be on the lookout. We know that they come and go. When they pass, they are gone forever. For example, last week I enquired about a tree that was cut down last fall. It has been just lying there near the sidewalk on Telegraph Road in front of Pat’s Trailer Park. I talked to a number of people on Saturday at the Trailer Park and they said, "Go ahead, cut it and take it." I said, "I’ll be back as soon as possible." At the time, I thought I should go get my saw and start to work on it but I hand to finish the sermon and go to a funeral home that afternoon. Therefore, I said to myself, "I’ll take a break Monday and cut some fire wood for my wood stove." Coming back Saturday night from the funeral home, we saw the tree ready for the taking. So come Monday morning I put my chain saw into my trunk and drove to the Trailer Park. Lo and behold, the tree was long gone! I really wanted that tree; it would get me through the last of winter just fine (just the right size for cutting and splitting). As I looked at the empty space formerly occupied by an ash tree, I felt empty inside; emptiness gnawed at me saying, "you had the opportunity on Saturday but you didn’t take it, now that opportunity has come and gone."

It is with a sense of opportunity that I view the opening at MTS to rent space for our worship. We must buy up the time and seize this opportunity. In this simple way, in the matter of structure, in the matter of location for our meetings, we have an opportunity in front of us to step forward in gospel mission. The goal of mission needs to be primary in terms of outreach just as taking up the means of grace needs to have priority in terms of our in-reach. Here is an open door by which we can step up our seed sowing in obedience to the commission and command of our Lord. The rest we leave in His hands as sovereign Lord of all things to the church. He must give the increase but we must cast the seed everywhere we can.