No, Mr. President

Can you please exegete John 6? by Matthew Halsted

Missions Exist Because Worship Doesn’t by Brian Montgomery

You’re not called to world missions, you’re commanded. The great commission is not specifically directed at pastors, youth directors, and music ministers. It’s a command to every single believer of Christ to make disciples of all nations. Surely everybody is not called to travel overseas, right? Everybody is commanded to do missions, but not necessarily called to go overseas for world missions. However, everybody is commanded to partake in overseas world missions. There are three types of Christians when it comes to world missions. The best way I have heard it described is by the lowering of people into a well. The first two are summarized like this: there are those who go down into the well, and those who hold the rope for those who go down into the well; either way their should be scars on your hands. Those who lack these scars are the third group- those who are disobedient. People who are not called to leave everything to travel the world to share the gospel, partake in that mission by supporting and providing for those who do. Which ever side you are on, it should cost you something. We see this in the way the church provides for Paul and others on their missionary journeys. Paul gives up his own life for this cause, and the churches provide for him on his way. For those who are not providing or going, they are disobeying. If you are in Christ, it’s not an option. World missions is your duty.

John Piper says in his book on missions, “Let the Nations Be Glad,” that:
“Missions exist because worship doesn’t.”

In this note, I want to expound upon that statement, while explaining the purpose of life and how we glorify God in missions. To begin this, the issue of what God’s purpose was in creating the universe needs to be addressed. Some Christians say that the ultimate purpose for our existence is to have a relationship with Jesus, and enjoy fellowship with God. This is not completely true. We’re intended to have fellowship with God and a relationship with Jesus, but it’s not the end goal.

John 17:23-24
23 I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me. 24 Father, I desire those You have given Me to be with Me where I am. Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.

The Father and Jesus are unified, Jesus and us are unified, and the Father and us are unified; all this unification for one purpose- “so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me” (V. 23). However, it doesn’t stop here. Verse 24 says, “those You have given Me.” There is a gift given here from the Father, to the Son- that gift being those whom would come to believe upon the name of Christ. What’s the purpose of this gift? “Then they will see My glory, which You have given Me because You loved Me before the world’s foundation.” (V. 24). Their purpose is to see His glory. From before the creation of the world, the story of life has been a love story between the Father and the Son, in which we are given to the Son to behold His glory; and worship Him for all eternity in making His glory known to the world. It’s not about us, yet we as a fallen people have a tendency of reversing things. We say that the ultimate end of Jesus dying on the cross was to pay for our sins; but that does not match up with what we just read. It was that His dying on the cross would reveal His glory to us. The fullness of God’s glory is displayed from nail to nail, with a crown of thorns, on the cross of Christ. It is the ultimate purpose of Christ dying on the cross, that His glory and worth would be known by saving sinners.

How is it that this glory is seen in our lives, and how do we live for this glory to be known? Paul has some excellent insights pertaining to this issue in his letter to the Colossians.

Colossians 1:24-29
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church. 25 I have become its minister, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints. 27 God wanted to make known to those among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me.

Paul says he is “completing in [his] flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body…” (V. 24). What is lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Paul does not mean he is paying more of the debt for sin, and if he did that would be heresy. That would imply that Christ’s death on the cross was in vein, and not capable of paying for the sins of those the Father gave Him. So what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Philippians 2:25-30 sheds some light on the issue. Apaphroditus has been sent by the church in Philippi to bring a gift to Paul. In doing so, Apaphroditus almost dies from sickness. After arriving and bringing the gift to Paul, Paul sends Apaphroditus back to the church in Philippi saying these words:

Philippians 2:29-30
29 Therefore, welcome him in the Lord with all joy and hold men like him in honor, 30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me.

The key phrase present in this passage that sheds some light on the passage in Colossians is found in the phrase, “to make up what was lacking in your ministry to me” (V. 30). The Greek word for the phrase “make up” in Philippians means the same thing as the Greek word for “completing” in Colossians. Apaphroditus was making up what was lacking in Philippi’s ministry- they were unable to go, so he went on their behalf. Apaphroditus went on Philippi’s behalf, risking his life, to show the church’s care and value for Paul. Paul is telling us to go to the world on behalf of Christ, risking our lives, to show Christ’s love for the church- while sharing in Christ’s suffering. Why share in His suffering? As we addressed earlier, the cross was the picture frame for God’s glory to be displayed to the whole world. In that suffering, we see His glory. Our lives as followers are intended to be a compass that always points towards Him; which occurs in the sharing of His suffering.

Look at the examples throughout time of faithful followers laying down their lives for Christ’s glory, in His suffering, to be displayed.

Peter, the apostle of Jesus, denied Jesus three times before being filled with the spirit or seeing Christ resurrected. What happened to Peter after those things occurred? Church tradition says that Peter and his wife were crucified for testifying of their faith in Christ. However, Peter was not just simply crucified. He requested that he be crucified upside-down because he was not worthy to share in the same crucifixion of his Lord and Savior.

Watchman Nee, a Chinese author and Church leader during the early to mid-1900’s, was put in prison for the last 20 years of his life and severely persecuted for his faith in Christ. During his time in prison, his wife died- in which she was the only person allowed to visit him. While prison censorship did not allow him to mention the Lord’s name in his letters, in his final letter he wrote of his joy in the Lord: “In my sickness, I still remain joyful at heart.” Watchman Nee was practicing the word of the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Before his death, Nee slipped a piece of paper under his pillow which stated the following:
“Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ.”

The final story is of a Masai Warrior named Joseph. Joseph came to know Christ while walking on a dirt road in Africa, where a stranger had shared the gospel with him. In excitement, Joseph rushed back to his village, going from door-to-door, sharing the good news of Christ. However, the villagers responded in hostility. The men of the village held him down while the women took barbed wire and whipped him with it. They drug him out by a bush and left him to die. Upon waking up, Joseph wondered if he had said something wrong, or maybe missed something in telling the story of Jesus. He regained his strength and returned to the village to share Christ again. Upon re-entering the village and proclaiming Christ crucified, he was attacked once again- ripping open wounds that had just began to heal. A second time he was left by a bush to die. By some miracle, Joseph regained his strength and returned to the village to share Christ a third time. Immediately upon being seen by the villagers, and before he could even say a word, Joseph was attacked a third time. As Joseph blacked out and possibly breathed his last breaths, the last thing he saw were tears strolling down the faces of the women beating him. Joseph later woke up in a hut where the same people who had viciously beat him, were now nursing him and attempting to save his life. As a result of his suffering, the entire village came to know Christ.

Missions exist because worship doesn’t. The purpose of life is to worship God through making His glory known among the world, by the laying down of our life to reflect the glory of His suffering. This is why we are commanded to go- we are created for worship, and there are those who don’t. The only way that people are going to see the glory of God in the sufferings of Christ is if His followers live in such a way that says their treasure is in Heaven, and not here on the earth. Following Christ demands self denial and taking up of each individual’s cross, which should point others to His cross. Whether we live or die, the centrality of our life should be exalting Christ. If we live, we labor for Christ; if we die, we gain Him whom we labored for and served. We are His messengers appointed to fill up His afflictions among the nations. We haven’t been called to go… we’re commanded.