A HEART FOR MISSIONS

Neal Pollard

I just sat through one of the most enjoyable half-hours of my life, listening to Tony Johnson talk about his first year of work as a missionary in Tamale (TOM Uh Lee), Ghana.  While I listen as one who considers Tony a dear friend whom I had the blessing of teaching "Preacher And His Work" while he was in school, the thrill came from who Tony is and what he is doing.  He has a superior understanding of what it takes to do missions, a rare intellect and knack for analysis, and a heart for soul-winning.  He would excel in a pulpit anywhere in America, but he has chosen to help evangelize, edify, and extend benevolence to the almost entirely Muslim areas of northern Ghana, western Togo, and southern Burkina Faso.  He joins other excellent workers in that region like Steven Ashcraft, men of ability, intellect, and integrity who are faithful to the Word.

As I sat there, this thought occurred to me.  Wherever you and I find ourselves, whether in lesser or greater fertile fields, we need to have a passion and fervent heart for our Lord's mission.  While listening to Tony made me want to make plans to go to a third-world nation, I was made aware of how diligently God wants me working in the field where I have been planted.  Wherever we find ourselves on this earth, our heart must beat for the purpose for which God has us on this earth.  It meant so much to Jesus that He left these as parting words to the disciples before His face and those who would thereafter read them:  "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 the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned. Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem."

Doesn't that stir your heart to missions? To His mission?

Christianity at a Great Bargain

The way the economy is today, people are always looking for the best bargain.  We look for discounts, sales, freebees, and products at the best value.  We look for deals on clothes, groceries, furniture, and just about everything else.  It isn’t surprising then for people to look for Christianity at a bargain as well.

What do we mean by “bargain Christianity”?  Think of it this way, every denomination claims to be able to show how to get to heaven, but nearly every one of them has a different way to get there.  As a result, many people end up settling for the brand of Christianity that requires the least amount of effort to get to heaven and seems to fits them the best.

Let’s say there are two form of Christianity we are considering.  One follows Scripture very closely and puts incredible effort into following every command found in the New Testament.  People following this form will strive their entire lives to sin less, to be closer with God, and could even miss the heavenly reward if not followed.  The other form simply asks that we have faith in Jesus and make him our personal savior, thereby saving us and making it impossible to ever fall away from grace, no matter what we do.  People following this form can literally never be lost in sin ever again, no matter how bad or sinful the rest of their lives are.  If both of these brands of Christianity were going to get you to heaven, which would you choose?  Obviously we would choose the second option because it’s much easier and seems to be a better bargain.  The problem is, this doesn’t fit with the Christianity in Scripture (Galatians 5:4; Revelation 2:10; Matthew 7:21-23; etc).

Even though denominations seem like a steal, they are actually gimmicks and knockoffs of true Christianity.  Scripture has always made it clear that there is a very specific and limited way to reach heaven.  Jesus said in the singular tense, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6).  To make it even clearer, Jesus talked about one, and only one, road that leads to life, and the other road that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14).  The inspired apostle Paul reinforced this idea by saying, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

In reality, there is no such thing as “bargain Christianity.”  According to Scripture, either we are a part of the one and only church found in Scripture (Acts 2), or we are being deceived by Satan and those who are “disguised as servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 4:3-4; Matthew 7:21-23).  The only way to know the truth is to follow the Bible’s commands.

The Christianity God offers to all people could not come at any better price as it is!  There is only one true form of Christianity; all other brands are gimmicks and knockoffs.  Thankfully, Scripture gives very specific guidelines for salvation, worship, and the organization of the church to make true Christianity easier to identify.

Are you part of the one church found in Scripture?  Would you like to know more about the Christianity found in the Bible?  Do you have questions?  If so, please let us know so we can study and find the truth together.