Greener Pastures in the Harvest Field

When we discuss church history, it’s important to remember that what we call the “modern missions movement” is indeed just that — modern. The church has always carried the gospel, but the organized, global missionary efforts we know today have not always been around.

      For centuries, the work of missions was sporadic and localized. Bright moments shine as we look to the shadows of the past. Boniface brought the gospel to Germanic tribes. The Moravians sold themselves into physical bondage for an opportunity to see spiritually imprisoned people set free. What we think of with global missions today (boards, societies, sending networks) is a recent development.

The Spark that Ignited a Movement

      In 1792, William Carey published An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens. That little book launched the Baptist Missionary Society and helped ignite what is now known as the modern missions movement.

      Carey’s passion inspired others. Adoniram and Ann Judson sailed to Burma in 1812. Lottie Moon carried the gospel to China. Hudson Taylor opened the interior of China through the China Inland Mission. These men and women of conviction, sacrifice and vision propelled the gospel further.

      Since then, mission organizations have multiplied. Our own BMA family has sent and supported faithful servants across the globe. Countless people have heard the gospel because faithful churches have banded together to send laborers into the harvest.

The Danger of Turning Inward

      But every movement faces dangers. One of the greatest threats to missions today is what I can only describe as inbreeding in the church. When a body turns inward, it becomes consumed with its own preferences, its own culture and its own comfort. We stop asking how the gospel must be expressed to the world around us and start asking only how we can preserve the way we’ve always done things.

      Cultural Christianity sneaks in. I don’t think cultural Christianity exists in our world. Our neighbors don’t attend church out of social expectation. They don’t memorize Bible verses in school. They don’t assume the moral framework of Christianity.

      However, cultural Christianity still exists within our churches. Surveys reveal that too many Christians are content to outsource their faith to Sunday mornings. If we’re not careful, this will eat us alive.

Holding to Truth and Loosening Our Grip on Preferences

      When preferences are confused with God’s truth, we mistake our style of worship and our way of doing church as the faith we carry. There’s no life in it. There’s nothing attractive to a lost person about a lifeless church. If we lose the mission, the gospel will not be passed to the next generation. We’ll die defending the familiar rather than advancing the kingdom.

      Church history helps us see this clearly. When the Reformers emphasized the authority of Scripture, they were willing to abandon medieval church structures. Every generation that has advanced the mission has done so by holding tightly to truth while releasing its grip on what made them comfortable. We must be willing to do the same.

The Mission Field at Our Doorstep

      The mission fields most in need of laborers are not limited to jungles and faraway villages. They include our neighbors and the nations of Western Europe. The lands that once sent missionaries are now left barren by secularism. Cathedrals stand empty while a worldview of unbelief reigns.

      Without revival, these trends are also advancing in America. Our neighbors no longer assume the truth of Scripture. Many have walked away from church entirely. Others carry deep wounds from their experiences with Christians.

      If we talk about “missions,” we cannot afford to limit our thoughts to crossing oceans. We must think about crossing the street. God is calling missionaries. He is calling you. Whether we go to Africa, Asia, Paris, Berlin, Boston or Little Rock, we are called to reach the people who do not know Jesus with the gospel.

Seeking Greener Pastures

      The greener pastures we seek cannot be found in clinging to the past, nor in chasing every new trend. What God has given us is enough through His unchanging truth while joyfully allowing its expression to take root in every time, every place and every people God entrusts to our care.

      If we release our grip on cultural Christianity and refuse the inbreeding of our preferences, we may find that God has prepared a harvest right here among our people.