Gospel Advance through Kingdom Partnerships Dr. Stanley John October 27/28, 2018

Transcription

1 Gospel Advance through Kingdom Partnerships Dr. Stanley John October 27/28, 2018 Our God is the God of the universe and his salvation reaches the ends of the earth. Our faith is not only local, but we are part of the global family of believers that worship the Lord and serve him globally. God s vision is not of a disparate body of believers fragmented across the world, but a beautiful, intricate, interdependent, diverse and global family of God. God s heart is global and God s people are called to have a global heart. How do we engage in God s glorious work through partnerships that glorify God, edify one another, and strengthen the work of God s kingdom? It is a joy to join you for your Missions month, especially as you reflect on the theme of Contested Kingdom, of God s reign and claim on the entire universe and the work of God in redeeming human hearts, and the work of the enemy in keeping people s hearts away from God. But this notion of kingdom is something that Jesus came to establish and yet was very different than what was imagined by the people of his time. He said, the kingdom of God is at hand! Yet, in the midst of his trial, he said, his kingdom is not of this world! Yes, Jesus is the king and he has a kingdom. However, his kingdom is not one where he established an earthly throne and reigns over it, surrounded by soldiers who defend his honor and fight for his kingdom expansion. Jesus said, if my kingdom was of this world, my servants would fight for me. In the book of Revelation, and captured in Handel s Messiah, is the powerful truth, The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever. One day, every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! One day this reign of God inaugurated will become consummate on the Day of the Lord! Prophet Habakkuk puts it this way: The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God as the waters cover the seas (Habakkuk 2:14). So there is an eschatological future toward which we are beckoned and toward which we move steadily led by the One who has already won the battle and disarmed the enemy at the cross. That s why, Dr. Tennent, says, The cross teaches us that God accomplishes his greatest victory under a cloak of failure. The way Christ s victories are won are not in triumphalism but in meekness, not in conquest but through the cross, and not in strength but in weakness. If Christ s victory is won through meekness, suffering and in weakness, should not our path follow our Master? So, the question that I want us to reflect on is: how did this movement of Christ followers become the global church? How did Paul, the apostle, church planter, start communities of faith throughout the then known world and keep them connected with each other? Without triumphalism, power or pride, the church grew at the grassroots through a global movement of kingdom partnerships. 1

2 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 NIV And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you [a] see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10 And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. [b] God has called us to kingdom partnerships for the sake of the Gospel advance. The local church is the picture of vibrant, transforming, light-shining, Gospel-bearing, Christ- Witnessing communities of faith (may skip) Story Willian Carey s context: Disengagement- young man, sit down. As Christians, disengagement is not an option for us. Christ s heart is for the Gospel to reach the whole earth- Acts 1:8. But also, I want us to notice the global vision of Jesus. Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. [Who did Jesus invite to his birthday party? (Mary and Joseph, but also the three Magi representing foreigners, Shepherds, culminating in Simeon and Anna) And at his crucifixion, a Roman centurion stands and declares, This man truly was the son of God.] Global Citizens: My friends, the countries of the world are interested in nation building. They want to create citizens that are patriotic and will sacrifice for their nation. It was Thomas Gass 2

3 who asked what does it mean to be patriotic it means to have love for the father land (paterfather). He would quote: 1 John 2:15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. But this is always in tension with God s call for us to be citizen s of our father s land, to be heavenly citizens, to be citizens of God s kingdom. We have to constantly negotiate our belongings so that we remind ourselves that God has called us to be citizens of that one kingdom. Paul writes that the Macedonian church captured this global heart. This passage starts in chapter 8, and goes through chapter 9. Paul says, In the midst of severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity It is this build up in speaking of the perfect ingredients for rich generosity. What would it be? If I was Paul, I would say (1) it would require someone who is willing to give, and (2) one who has an ability to give. But notice, Paul is not talking about just generosity, but rich generosity! So, it is not just that the willingness to be self-extending, but also, the availability of lots of resources. Here s where Paul flips this on its head. In the midst of severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity Paul writes about the Macedonian church (Philippi) in Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. As Paul traveled and proclaimed the Gospel and planted churches throughout, there was the need for support for Paul, as well as meeting needs of people in other parts of the world. Paul was the means through which these gifts from one church was mobilized to meet the needs of the other church. In the midst of severe trial: Do you remember the Macedonian church? Birthed in Acts 16 on Paul s second missionary journey. It was birthed out of severe pain. 1. The pain and angst of yearning to hear God s voice and direction 2. The height of the joy of Gospel witness and Gospel advance but previous mission strategy did not work. No synagogue present. No great miracles to report. But there is a women s prayer meeting. 3. The pain of rejection and being imprisoned, of being beaten, and put in the innermost prison. 1. The Gospel advances in the midst of suffering and weakness. The challenging and painful seasons of Gospel are the fertile ground that yields great fruitfulness because we have a faithful God. 3

4 STORY OF WANG MING DAO: Born at a time of the boxer rebellion in 1900, when Christians were being severely persecuted in China. His father took his own life just before his son s birth that when he was born, his mother named him Iron Son. After giving his life to the Lord, he changed his name to Wang Ming Dao, meaning Understanding the Word, and became a pastor and leader in the churches and began to face severe opposition from the communist government during the Cultural Revolution. The government wanted to bring the churches under their imperialistic control. Wang Ming Dao refused, saying, Only Jesus is the Lord of the church. He was charged with anti-government attitudes and was arrested. He preached his last sermon on August 7, 1954, "The Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners." At midnight, the police came and tied him up along with his wife and 18 believers and took them to prison. He was persecuted and brainwashed and under incredible duress, and signed a confession and was released from prison. When his mind returned he was seized with remorse, much like Polycarp the church father, and repeated over and over again, I am Peter. I am Judas. He recanted his statements and him and his wife were rearrested and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Every day he would wake up and sing the hymn by Franny Crosby: All the way my Savior leads me; What have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, Who through life has been my guide? Heav nly peace, divinest comfort, Here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know whate er befall me, Jesus doeth all things well. Paul says, In the midst of severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity v. 4. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. Notice, the verbs of yearning you hear in these passages. Of course, you hear the sacrificial nature of their giving. Entirely on their own: they were not responding to external pressure, but there was a certain calling arising from within that makes them yearn to be part of this! Self-motivation of giving. 4

5 Urgently, Pleaded, for the Privilege of kingdom partnership! #FOMO -Genuine Fear of Missing Out of God s Work. These are all words of deep conviction that yearns to be a part. The picture is of the merchant who found the pearl of great value and sold everything he owned to have the pearl, or the traveler who found a treasure hidden and sold everything he had to buy the field. 2. The Gospel reorients all our commitments! A vision of God s kingdom work creates in us a yearning to be part of the great work of God globally. May we walk out of this sanctuary today saying, God, help me to be part of the great work you are doing throughout the world. v Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14 At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, 15 as it is written: The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Paul s doesn t succumb to notions of one group working hard and hence rich, and another group is lazy, hence poor. He recognizes that it is a principle of gathering from the field that God has provided and access to fields and abilities to gather might shape how much resources one might have access to. Therefore, the key motivation is that those who gathered much can share the resources with those who gathered little. Story of Frew Tamrat: Often when people from America or the West come to India, people just assume that they have a lot of money. So, it is not uncommon for visitors to often receive requests for funding. It is easy for us to think of these as dependency or the need for self-supporting etc, but you have to remember that is not necessarily the kingdom model. What we want are kingdom partnerships not language of dependency. Paul says in v , the goal is equality, your plenty now can help others who are in need, and theirs can help you when you are in need. So, a dear friend of mine, Dr. Frew Tamrat, who is the President of a seminary in Ethiopia, and I were traveling throughout India preaching and teaching. I serve on the board of a tremendous mission organization in India focused on church planting. So, all of a sudden, when they see an African man, they don t know what to do? They are used to seeing Whites. But now they get to see a glimpse of the picture of global Christianity. The local pastor asked, can I ask him for support? Remember, this pastor is not asking support for himself, he has planted sixty churches and financially supports and sends pastors throughout these villages. 5

6 I explained to him, Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in Africa, and in fact the world. And Dr. Tamrat serves sacrificially and generously for the sake of the kingdom. And then, Pastor Jason from the outskirts of Chennai says, Can we offer him support? In the midst of severe trial, their overflowing joy, and their extreme poverty, welled up in rich generosity. Finally, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9: You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2. Our response in kingdom partnership becomes the catalyst for GLOBAL PRAISE to God. A. Paul says, this is the surpassing grace of God! The surpassing grace of God is the grace gift that keeps on giving. Overflowing grace. B. Our partnership in the kingdom of God results in GLOBAL PRAISE The hope, joy and privilege of partnering with God. 1. Hope of the work of God in the world 2. Joy of generosity in the midst of poverty 3. Privilege of having purpose in being Kingdom Partners The Gospel does not know of a church that is independently disengaged from the world. The Gospel does not know a muscular, triumphalistic, and powerful church. Rather, the Gospel shows us a church that in their weakness, confesses that HE is strong. In their suffering, proclaims that HE is risen victorious from the dead, and in the face of opportunities offer their lives wholeheartedly to join God in His mission. 6