• A few thoughts on why you need to care about missions. It’s no coincidence that a lack of global missionary presence has accompanied the rapid decline in size and spiritual vitality of mainline denominations. Missions work depends on maintaining a difficult tension between Christ’s love for the world and his insistence that he is the only way to the Father (a doctrine referred to as the “exclusivity” of Christ, see Jn 14:6). So biblical missions express the love of Christ in the form of his willingness to redeem sinners and reconcile them to the Father.
• The mainline denominations eventually jettisoned the exclusivity of Christ, thinking it would still be possible to offer the love of Christ divorced from any difficult doctrines. But this was an abandonment of orthodoxy. As an African bishop once said to the leadership of the Anglican Church: “ you have betrayed the faith you brought to us 100 years ago.”
• How liberal Christianity came to embrace “ love” and abandon the historic gospel is complicated, but chiefly the result of a shift in her worship from God to men. Once a church loses her love for God in his glory and holiness, and begins to organize herself around the needs of her people, doctrines like original sin, hell, atonement, and the exclusivity of Christ come to be viewed as negative and destructive. For a time they are rarely mentioned, then never mentioned, then denied. By the time the process is complete, Scripture is being read very selectively in those churches — so selectively that church leaders have freedom to more or less reinvent the Christian religion. When that happens, “ missions” morphs into something like privately-funded humanitarian aid. That aid may be offered in the name of the love of Christ, but it’s stripped of any real hope for sinners in need of redemption.
• By supporting our missionaries at CPC, you are doing more than supporting the orthodox proclamation of the gospel in other lands. You are taking a stand for orthodoxy here and now. You are saying that we intend to worship God as he is given to us in the Scripture, not as we would reinvent him to suit our own needs and purposes.
• This Sunday Jay Stoms, on furlough from work in Africa, will be teaching Sunday School and preaching. We encourage you to support him and express your commitment to “ the faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Lisa and I will be worshiping with Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Mt. Vernon. The congregation there will be meeting after worship to vote on moving into the PCA, and we’ll be attending on behalf of presbytery. I miss being with you all and look forward to being back in the pulpit, Lord willing, next Sunday.