Missions: A Place for Conviction

Convictions in the Christian Life

The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes . . . or so we’re told. In the chaos that makes up our lives, that seems like a very true statement. Yet, as believers, everything we think we believe must be brought under the authority of God's Word, and when we do that, we learn the only thing that stays the same is that everything changes' which is actually untrue. How do we know that it is untrue? Because the Scriptures teach us that God does not change (Malachi 3:6), nullifying the premise that everything changes.

Even the action of bringing something to the Word proves that at least it does not change (Psalm 118:89). Think about it for a second and ask, Why do we bring ideas, beliefs, and behaviors to the Word of God for evaluation? Because it does not change. At one time, Jesus proclaimed, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5:17-18); an essential teaching because if it did have the capacity for change, then its reliability is undermined. Instead, because it remains a constant regardless of culture and circumstances, we confidently bring everything to it for evaluation, testing, and approval or rejection.

This is important because the only concepts that may be adopted are those that have had every facet thoroughly examined in the scrutiny of the truth of God. However, once something has withstood that intense investigation, we embrace it with conviction, confident that it will remain true because the Word of God by which it was examined is unchanging. That makes it worthy of implementation into our lives and becomes an expression of our faith and obedience to the Lord.

Convictions in the Christian Mission

Convictions based upon Scripture transcend our lives, influencing not just who we are as disciples but also determining who we are as disciple-makers. It makes sense, then, that those who are called to full-time missions seek to serve organizations that have a defined set of biblically-based convictions as well.

For the last several months, I’ve had the privilege of interviewing the leaders of various organizations involved in the Great Commission through church planting. It’s been a fascinating project that has allowed me to make observations and interpretations, with one of those being the following: the organizations that are ‘thriving’ are those organizations that have defined some convictions from Scripture and are unwilling to move from those (1). This is a bit surprising because it seems contrary to what we have been told in the last decade or two. Frequently, we hear that the Bible needs modern adaptation through individuals who are fluid in their convictions and willing to bring them in line with the culture’s inclinations. The increased presence of churches that willingly adopted this disposition almost convinces us they are right.

Instead, the interviews with various mission organizations suggest that the opposite is true, at least in the world of missions. Those organizations advancing the gospel and growing are not so fluid in areas of the character and sovereignty of God, the work of Jesus Christ in the gospel, and the role of the individual in obedience.

In one sense, this really shouldn’t surprise us. The importance of theology is revealed through church history from the various councils and debates that have shaped how we look upon God and His Word. And, truthfully, we should want it this way. Both a theology without practice and a practice without theology are meaningless. On the one hand, a theology without practice makes our theology useless, failing to impact our lives with the gospel. On the other hand, a practice without theology makes our practice fruitless, failing to transform others' lives with the gospel. Stripped of meaning means that they are also stripped of purpose, which will cause people to turn away toward something else bearing substance.

To accomplish the Great Commission, we need both. We need a theology that guides our practice, and we need a practice that is motivated by theology. In thinking through this a bit more and seeing at least a correlation between biblically-driven theological convictions and the advancement of those groups engaged in the Great Commission, I’m convinced that we need to consider the following:

·     For Missions Organization: There is a need for them to know what they believe, why they believe it, and the influence it has on what they do. Rather than the boilerplate statements of faith often offered, mission organizations must live on a robust theology and demonstrate how they live out what they believe. Doing so accomplishes two things: (1)draws in new missionaries and (2) generates long-term faithfulness to serving God.

·     For Churches: The burden of developing missionaries is not on mission organizations but on the local church. It is in the local church, through the God-directed plan of discipleship, that missionaries are formed and matured. If thriving missions organizations are the ones that have settled theological convictions, then it places a responsibility on the church to be the one to impart theological conviction through teaching, preaching, and discipleship.

·     For Missionaries: Though each of us is constantly growing both in our knowledge and in our Christlikeness, missionaries (or potential missionaries) must not be content with milk but graduating to the meat of the Word. That means seeking out opportunities to learn and grow (whether formal or informal), surrounding themselves with people who will cause them to seek after the Lord and His truth more, rather than falling away from it and being involved with and discipled by a local church.

Ultimately, the work we do for the Great Commission depends on the Lord. Yet, neither does that truth allow us to escape our own responsibility. Taking the steps above takes us closer to being influenced by God's truth so that He may use us to influence others with His truth.

I cannot say with a high level of certainty that God is using those organizations and missionaries committed to biblical theological convictions. I can only say that there at least appears to be a superficial correlation that should cause us to consider the relationship. Regardless, the Christian life is theological, with God calling upon all of us to grow in our knowledge of Him while growing closer to Him. Whether we are pursuing missions or not, we should all be pursuing theology.

(1) I recognize that what it means to be a thriving organization is highly subjective. By it, I mean that they seem to be moving forward in the Great Commission, are actively accomplishing the goals and initiatives they have established from that Great Commission mandate, and are struggling less than most to find missionaries and planters. Additionally, I want to note that my observations are not the result of any formal research and come from the interviews I completed. It may be that my conclusion is wrong and I’m willing to accept that. I think, though, that the need for theological conviction still stands and is a vital issue.

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