To The End of the Earth

John Piper post:  God's Call to Leave This American Mess

What does the present political climate in America have to do with world evangelization? 

On October 16, I preached a message on the Great Commission as part of the annual missions focus at Bethlehem Baptist Church. During the first service Sunday morning, I said something in particular that I had not said in the other two services. I regularly pray, when I preach, that the Holy Spirit will bring things to my mind that may not be in the sermon notes, but may be powerfully appointed for someone in the audience. This is one way I think about the gift of prophecy.

“God has used messes and stresses before to move his people out of their comforts into missions.”

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I was acknowledging that leaving America, with all its comforts and securities, may be hard for some of you who are being called by God to be part of the thousands who will teach the nations to observe “all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Then, quite outside my notes, I said, “But then again, some of you may be looking for a reason to leave America, the mess is so great.” I smiled. People laughed.

At that point, instead of returning to my notes, I felt impelled to press in on that, and what came to my mind was that God has used messes and stresses before to move his people out of their comforts into missions. I mentioned the situation in Acts 8. 

Really Bad at Home

Jesus had told the apostles in Acts 1:8, just before he ascended to heaven, that he was going to send the Holy Spirit to empower them to be his witnesses “in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

But so far as we see in the book of Acts, no one had budged out of Jerusalem by the beginning of chapter 8 — let alone made their way to Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. 

What was God’s way of getting his people moving out of their homeland into world missions? Answer: It got really bad at home.

Stephen was one of the greatest spokesmen for the Christian faith in Jerusalem. The leaders “could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking” (Acts 6:10). So they killed him. 

The result? 

There arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. . . . Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Acts 8:1, 4) 

Thus the global mission of the Christian church was launched. It had to get so dangerous at home that Judea and Samaria and the ends of the earth finally looked feasible.

That’s what I said in the first service at Bethlehem and then returned to my notes. 

Disillusioned About America

Whether that was a word of “prophecy” for a particular person in that service, I am not sure. But I write about it here because I believe it is so relevant to this moment in our history, as thousands of young people wonder about the future of America. Many voting-age young people are disillusioned and perplexed about this presidential race. There are no heroes. No great statesmen. No champions of a vision worth living and dying for.

What God showed me in that moment is that he has a great calling for his people in this very moment of American history — this very messy, muddy, demoralizing moment. His calling is that we lift up our eyes. 

First, lift them up to his triumphant, all-commanding smile as he says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18).

Then, lift them up far beyond the little scope of American politics to all the nations and all the peoples of the world, and look with joy at the all-authoritative promise:

All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you.
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations. (Psalm 22:27–28) 

Then, lift them up above the pathetic inability of political candidates to answer straightforward questions. Lift them up against the incapacity of candidates who will not let their “Yes” be “Yes” and their “No” be “No.”

“God has a great calling for his people in this very messy, muddy, demoralizing moment of American history.”

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Let your eyes land on the crystal clear, uncompromising, unchanging, command: “Go, in my complete authority, to make disciples of all the peoples of the world. Bring them to faith. Baptize them. Teach them to live in accord with everything I taught you. I will be with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Moment for Missions

Every moment is a moment for world missions. Because Jesus reigns at every moment. And his commission stands at every moment. But some moments are like a thunder clap of awakening to reality. America is not our home. Political power is not our strategy. Privilege and political freedom in this age is not the birthright of the new birth. “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

“I am calling thousands of Jesus’s followers to the nations, like the believers in Jerusalem in Acts 8. They didn’t just leave. They left on mission.”

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If God must wake us up by means of disillusioning developments at “home,” it may or may not mean that there is a bright future for America. But it certainly means this: God has far greater purposes for the worship of his Son, Jesus Christ, among the nations of this world than can be hindered by anything that happens in America.

Indeed. Not only will our mess not hinder his mission. I am calling thousands of Jesus’s followers to hear in it a call to the nations, just like the believers in Acts 8 saw God’s hand in the catastrophe in Jerusalem. They didn’t just leave. They left on mission. “Those who were scattered went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).

Lift Up Your Eyes

If this sounds like a call to abandon a sinking ship, consider this:

1. There are thousands of other ships (peoples) whose sinking condition is a thousand times more dire than America’s. Many of them have no access to the truth that millions in America hear and squander.

2. God knows exactly who should stay and who should go. All the inertia is for staying. I am lifting my voice for going. There is not one chance in a million that too many will go. I hope you will be one of them.

3. God’s method of making America well may be utterly different from the calculations which prioritize staying over going. Giving, losing, dying, and leaving are his way of getting, gaining, living, and arriving home. My own guess would be that if America gave 100,000 twenty-somethings and seventy-somethings (and a few in between) to the unreached peoples, God would rise up and clean this house.

“If America gave 100,000 twenty-somethings to the unreached peoples, God would rise up and clean this house.”

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For my own part, there are few moments when I feel more alive than when I am working for the cause of world missions. Preaching during Bethlehem’s missions focus was a huge privilege. Being a part of founding the CROSS student missions conference, and speaking there again this December, is one of the greatest privileges of my life. Writing this article makes my spine tingle with expectation and hope.

If you are discouraged, personally or politically, join me in lifting up your eyes. Christ has all authority over the world. His mission will be finished. Join him in it. Light will dawn in your heart.

Authenticity

Becky Pippert post:  Is Your Church Ready for the Future?

I recently had a lively conversation with a woman next to me on a flight. “Listen,” she said, “if I want to be a man on Monday and a woman on Wednesday—who cares? Gender identity is simply a matter of personal preference.”

She said she believes in the essential goodness of human nature, so I asked how she’d describe the state of the world: “The world is clearly falling apart. It’s a mess!” 

“But how is that possible if the world is filled with good people?” I asked.

She paused and then offered a uniquely American analysis: “I believe our problem stems from two sources. People either have addiction issues and need a recovery program, or they are psychologically wounded and need therapy. Don’t you agree?”

I replied, “Both of those solutions help people. But what if after recovery we discover our problem is deeper still? What if our ultimate addiction is to ourselves? What if, at the core, it’s a problem of the heart?” She then asked, “Yes, but who in the world has the power to heal the heart?”

I said, “Honestly, I can’t think of anyone or anything but God.”

This woman’s comments reveal the witnessing challenge we face in today’s culture: The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most glorious news for our weary and worn planet. Yet so many Christians find it difficult and feel it’s impossible—or not a priority—to share the good news with people whose views differ radically from ours.

How do we winsomely and effectively communicate that “Jesus is Lord” to people who believe preference trumps all? 

The World Has Changed

Polls and prognosticators tell us the future of Christianity in the United States looks bleak. While I don’t take much stock in trend reports, apart from trying to understand the meaning behind the measurements, there’s no question the cultural landscape of America has changed. Not all change is bad, of course, but advanced modernity has produced some lethal distortions:

• The collapse of absolute truth.

• The shift from objective authority to personal preference.

• The designer religion/philosophy approach of picking and choosing what we believe, cafeteria style.

• The sexual revolution.

Though the gospel is as glorious as ever, the world is not the same. And that’s perhaps the greatest challenge for American churches today. When British missionary Lesslie Newbigin returned to England in the 1970s after years of living abroad, he recognized two things: the secularization of England, and the effect of the secular culture on Christians. The challenge, he discovered, wasn’t only how to reach unbelievers with the gospel. It was also how to reach believers with the gospel—the “unfaithful faithful” far more influenced by secularism than they realized.

Newbigin’s description is a picture of America today. Os Guinness says that due to the effects of advanced modernity, Western Christians who believe the gospel in their heads often behave like atheists in their actions. That is to say, the issue isn’t lack of gospel power, but functional unbelief.

Back from the Future

My husband, Dick, and I recently returned to America after living and doing evangelism ministry for seven years across the U.K. and Europe—one of the toughest places in the world for the gospel. Yet we saw remarkable fruit.

Now, on returning to the United States, we see the same secularization unfolding here. It’s like returning from the future.

Are we, the American church, ready for that future? Here are some insights we learned from our time in Europe, and from the amazing fruit we saw in a post-Christian context:

• Christians in such cultures feel inadequate to share their faith. Their fears are largely the same as ours: What if I can’t answer their questions? What if I offend? How do I bring up faith naturally?
   
• Most have a faulty view of evangelism. They either memorize a technique to use on everyone (even though Jesus never spoke the same way to two people) or they are friendly but say little about faith, hoping unbelievers will just somehow catch on.
   
• They forget God’s power and focus on their own inadequacies. Deep down, they tend to assume it’s their expertise that ultimately matters, rather than the presence and power of God.

One Simple Truth

Here’s one simple truth we’ve learned from listening to and helping Christians around the world: Ordinary Christians need equipping for personal evangelism in three particular areas.

1. The Model

One doctrine that shapes our understanding of witness is the incarnation. Jesus shows us how to relate to the world. We must be radically engaged and yet radically different. Jesus also displays the skills we need: being respectful and compassionate, listening, asking questions, and sparking curiosity so people want to hear good news. Effective personal witness begins with authentic relationship. 

2. The Message

Expressing Christ’s love is foundational, but God also requires us to bear witness to the truth. How do we faithfully proclaim the gospel in an age that denies absolute truth?

We invite people to take a look at Jesus! People who wouldn’t darken the door of a church are often curious about him. 

Why is looking at the person of Jesus in the Gospels so effective? Because he is always a surprise. He’s so radical, so controversial, so beautiful, so different from what people expect. We communicate truth through story, asking questions about Jesus as we study. 

3. The Means

We can’t proclaim the good news in our own strength. We need the Holy Spirit’s help. Indeed, our lack of dependence on the Spirit is the most glaring deficiency in the modern Western church. Rediscovering the power of prayer, then, will strengthen us for witness like nothing else.

Jesus did not say, “Go therefore . . . all you extroverts, all you with dynamic relational skills, and all you gifted evangelists . . . and make disciples. The rest of you just hang out, sing some hymns until I return.” Rather, Jesus summons all Christians—regardless of personality type or gifting—to go and make disciples. Not everyone is called to be an evangelist, but all of us are called to be his witnesses.

Effective evangelism must be biblically faithful, culturally relevant, spiritually empowered, and relationally effective—not with formulas or techniques, but with authenticity, credibility, and spiritual power. And we need to do this now—to get ready for the future that has long been present in Europe and is coming quickly to America.

Even with the Most Unlikely

As my new acquaintance and I retrieved our luggage and said goodbye, she turned and said, “Becky, I am embarrassed to say this, but if I emailed you, would you write me back?” I said I’d be delighted.

She wrote and I replied, “I told you I’m a Christian, but I didn’t mention that I’ve written a book called Hope Has Its Reasons for people who are searching for God—or for something they can’t quite name. May I send it to you?”

She instantly wrote back: “Are you psychic?! How did you know I am searching for God? Please send it right away!” We are now having an email conversation about faith. Even after all these years, it still thrills me when someone who seemed so far from the kingdom turns out to be spiritually open.

All human beings hunger for meaning, worth, and wholeness that can only be found in God. Unbelievers don’t know the reason for their longing, but it’s there. Our job is to help one another gain confidence in Christ and competence in evangelism, even with the most unlikely. 

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Editors’ note: Watch below as Tim Keller and Becky Pippert discuss how to turn a conversation toward Christ, filmed at our 2015 National Conference. We hope you will join us for our 2017 National Conference, April 3 to 5 in Indianapolis.

Invite Them to Dinner

David Mathis post:  Key to Evangelism in the 21st Century

The twelve of us sat in silence, on the edge of our seats. You could’ve heard a pin drop.

Three of us had pilgrimaged from Minnesota to muggy Orlando and her stifling August humidity for a week-long intensive course on evangelism with Steve Childers. Fortunately, Reformed Theological Seminary is as air-conditioned as it is Reformed.

With a dozen students on board for five nine-hour days with one of the country’s top church-planting strategists, it was a rich week, to say the least. During these precious hours, the Beijing Olympics were playing second fiddle to learning about the advance of the gospel around the world and in personal conversation.

Time and again, Childers had thrown us curveballs. He knew how to keep us on our toes. But now he had us nothing short of captivated.

Key to 21st-Century Evangelism

“You know what the key to evangelism in the 21st century will be, don’t you?”

He wasn’t talking Global South, but the Western hemisphere—and America in particular.

I’m sure he could see on our faces how eager we were for his answer. Wow, the key, we thought. This is huge.

He paused and gave his memorable world-evangelism grin. Finally he lifted the curtain.

“Hospitality.”

Then another long pause to let it sink in.

Hospitality in Post-Christendom

In our progressively post-Christian society, the importance of hospitality as an evangelistic asset is growing rapidly. Increasingly, the most strategic turf on which to engage unbelievers with the good news of Jesus may be the turf of our own homes.

When people don’t gather in droves for stadium crusades, or tarry long enough on the sidewalk to hear your gospel spiel, what will you do? Where will you interact with them about the things that matter most?

Invite them to dinner.

For several of us in Childers’s class, the lights went on. Biblical texts on hospitality were springing to mind. A theme we’d previously thought of as first-century background noise was taking shape as a significant strategy for evangelism in a post-Christian milieu.

Love Outsiders

The New Testament word for “hospitality” (Greek philozenia) comes from a compound of “love” and “stranger.” Hospitality has its origin, literally, in love for outsiders.

One of the more memorable texts is Hebrews 13:1–2: “Let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Yes, love the brothers, but make sure you don’t forget outsiders. Don’t neglect to love strangers as well.

Love for fellow Christians is important, essential—some call it “the final apologetic,” based on John 13:35—but there’s a way in which it may not be all that impressive. Loving those who love you—“Do not even unbelievers do the same?” asks Jesus (Matt. 5:47). But showing love to outsiders, now that rings of life-change. That bears the fingerprints of your heavenly Father.

In Romans 12, as the apostle Paul points us to important flashpoints for how our lives should look when claimed by the gospel, he says, “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Rom. 12:12–13).

It could be that this charge to hospitality is another way of saying “contribute to the needs of the saints,” but it seems more likely a summons to demonstrate kindness to outsiders—like what Paul experienced from a man named Publius on the island of Malta: “Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days” (Acts 28:7).

Keep thinking through the New Testament mentions of hospitality, and see that it’s no peripheral theme. Hospitality even finds its way into such a prominent place as elder qualifications:

• An elder “must be . . . hospitable.” (1 Tim. 3:2)

• An elder, “as God’s steward, must be . . . hospitable.” (Titus 1:8)

Are we listening? When was the last time we turned down a man from joining the elder team because he wasn’t hospitable? For Paul, it was important enough to mention to both Timothy and Titus for their elder selection.

It matters tremendously how the elders orient themselves toward “outsiders.” After all, the elders set the tone for how the congregation will engage with nonbelievers. A previous generation may be taken aback to read that an elder “must be well thought of by outsiders” (1 Tim. 3:7), but as Christendom crumbles, we begin to see this value in new light. If the elders who are to be “examples to the flock” (1 Pet. 5:3) don’t show up on the front lines to engage with the city’s unbelieving, will the flock really embrace the mission the shepherds are avoiding?

Living Room as Launching Pad

Lest we swing the pendulum and think the charge to hospitality (“stranger love”) no longer enjoins us to care for fellow believers, 1 Peter 4:9 and 3 John 5–8 stand ready to provide the balance. See 1 Peter 4:9 in context with verses 8–10:

Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 

So full Christian hospitality includes inviting in other believers as well, caring for each other, “washing the feet of the saints,” “contributing to the needs of the saints,” and so on. Not just for making converts, but for the Great Commission task of making disciples. And there’s more.

Christian hospitality serves Jesus’s global mission by welcoming traveling missionaries. John’s third epistle commends this kind of care:

Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth. (3 John 5–8)

So let your hospitality include not only unbelieving neighbors and co-workers, but also furloughing missionaries sent out for global gospel advance. John Piper calls this “strategic hospitality”:

Strategic hospitality . . . asks: How can I draw the most people into a deep experience of God’s hospitality by the use of my home? Who are the people who could be brought together in my home most strategically for the sake of the kingdom? . . . Strategic hospitality is not content to just have the old clan over for dinner again and again. It strategizes how to make the hospitality of God known and felt all over the world, from the lonely church member right here, to the Gola farmers in Tahn, Liberia. Don’t ever underestimate the power of your living room as a launching pad for new life and hope and ministry and mission!

Lavishly Hospitable God

Christian hospitality makes room for fellow believers and global gospel carriers, but the note we’re striking here is evangelistic—inviting in the outsider, welcoming unbelievers into our space, in hopes of bringing Jesus into theirs.

The reason this is no minor biblical theme is because the streams of hospitality flow deeply from the well of God himself. Christians love the stranger, because we’ve been loved by the Father when we were strangers. Hospitality rises in its purest form when we heed Paul’s counsel: “Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12).

In Jesus, we’re the enemy loved, the sinner saved, the stranger welcomed. “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). And welcomed strangers should be quick to learn to welcome other strangers.

Our love for outsiders runs deep as it flows from remembering ourselves to be outsiders loved by a lavishly hospitable God.