What is Christian Missions?

A true missionary is an evangelist in the most real sense of the word. He goes to those in darkness to bring them the light. He makes Christ known to those who are in ignorance of Him. Whatever else he does, whether medical or educational work is secondary to this.

Evangelisation characterises the action of God in Christianity. It is a part of His scheme of grace, the activity of His love in seeking as well as saving the lost, be they who and where they may. Evangelisation, I say, and not the Church; for the confusion of the two ideas is, at bottom, popery. Ministry is the action of God in the world, and is characteristic of Christianity (as priesthood on earth was of Judaism); it is a testimony of goodness and grace, addressed from God to man. It is the Lord who sends, the Lord who teaches by His servants. The Church does not teach, but is taught. Teaching is a care which the Lord confides to special members of His body, for the good of all.

The world is the sphere of the evangelist. “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), indicates alike the sphere of his operations and the constancy of his occupation. Men of that stamp have crossed the seas, and amid heathen and cannibal races have preached the subduing gospel of the grace of God.

“Preached to the Gentiles.” Here we come to a deeply illuminating passage of Scripture. How could it be said that our Lord was preached to the Gentiles? He Himself said, “I am not sent, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 15:24). But once His atoning death had settled the whole question of sin, and He was risen from the dead, and on the eve of His return to the glory, the commission He gave to His disciples was, “Go ye into ALL THE WORLD, and preach the Gospel to EVERY CREATURE” (Mark 16:15). Does this not clearly show that godliness was to be perpetuated in the lives of the Christians, and that their activities would carry the Gospel world-wide. In short, that the life of our Lord was to be perpetuated in the members of His body here on earth. This thought is further emphasised in the next statement.

In the sixteenth chapter of Mark, we find Him risen from the dead, and there He says in the fifteenth verse, "GO YE into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." (Mark 16:15) That is it. People sometimes say to me, Where shall we preach? He tells you, "Go ye into all the world." I quite admit, if you contend for it, that it was a special injunction to the twelve. But would you limit it to them? We have been noticing that "He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry; for the edifying of the Body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12). That is to say, He gives in His blessed grace, all that is necessary for the pathway of the saints, and for the carrying out of His work down here, whether in the Assembly, or outside it in the world. "Go ye into all the world," is an imperative command. Have we hearts to obey? Are our hearts so sweetly in tune with Him as to be ready to go.

But they would receive power ("dunamis"), not authority, as the word "power" means in v.7, but vital energy, through the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them. This would enable them as witnesses to Him, beginning at Jerusalem, but spreading out to Judea and Samaria, then the far reaches of the earth, -- a wonderful contrast indeed to a kingdom confined to Israel.

These words explain the situation with divine precision and unspeakable grace. It is not yet to be the displayed kingdom which belongs to the age and world to come. Now it is a question of testimony in the power of the Holy Ghost, with Whose mission and presence it is bound up. They were to be witnesses of Christ, not yet reigning with Him, but His witnesses, as rejected yet risen, despised of men, especially of the Jews and Jerusalem, but on the point of being exalted of God in heaven, and witnesses of Him — for all is of grace — both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth. Compare with this beginning of the Acts the end of Luke's Gospel, where the risen Saviour commands that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations beginning at Jerusalem: 'And ye are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you; but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.' It is not baptism here, but vital blessing, repentance to life and remission of sins sealed with the Holy Ghost. All has its place and propriety, but the better thing it was the lot of the beloved physician to indite under the inspiring energy of God, Who was (in honour of His Son's person and work) giving life and liberty with the Spirit's seal to all that believe the gospel: its source the grace of God, its righteous foundation the cross of Christ, its character of life His resurrection; its formative object His heavenly glory; and its power the Holy Ghost sent from above.

This time being over, the Lord tells them not to "depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which ye have heard of me" (see John 14 - 16). He then said to them, "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." Look how beautifully the Lord defines the circle now. The fact is, the Cross, with all its wondrous fruits for God and man, having been accomplished, every dispensational barrier had been thrown down; and salvation, like a shining river, could go out to the ends of the earth, beginning at the guiltiest spot of all, but ever widening and flowing out and on till, thank God, it reached us benighted Gentiles. If you do not yet know and possess God's salvation, my reader, I have grand news for you. You may have that salvation today. Take care you do not miss it; for if you do, you will inevitably taste damnation, and that for all eternity.

Now Christ is at the right hand of God. But before His ascension He gave commandment to His apostles to go into all the world, and to preach the gospel to every creature. The word was to be continued through His sent ones. But for this service they needed power; they were to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high. They were to be baptised with the Holy Spirit. This took place at Pentecost. Through these men God was addressing His earthly people. Paul came in afterwards to carry the word to the Gentiles. The twelve and Paul were ambassadors for Christ, God as it were beseeching by them. It was not God directly speaking, as it was in Christ, but “as it were,” for it was as filled with the Holy Spirit they spoke. They were here on behalf of Christ. Others besides the apostles had received the Spirit, but it was not given to them in quite the same measure to approach men on behalf of Christ. The apostles and those gifted could declare the mind of God to the world, and did so in the power of God. Apart from the Spirit they would have been unable to carry out the behest of Christ as to the preaching, for though He had told them what was to be preached they required the Spirit, that the word might in the first instance have power over their own hearts, and in the second place that it might be declared in acceptable words, which could only be given to them by the Spirit. What they were to preach was that which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord when He was here upon earth, and this could only be clearly in their minds, as the Spirit brought it to their remembrance. As to Paul, he got his gospel by a distinct revelation from the Lord.

The Lord had been speaking of the kingdom of God; their minds however still ran on the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. In this they were like the two going to Emmaus, though now they knew that He was risen. Their question gave to the Lord the opportunity of indicating what was to be the programme for the opening dispensation, and we see again just what we saw in Luke 24; the Centre of the programme is not Israel but Christ. The coming of the Spirit would mean power, not that the apostles should be restorers of Israel, but "witnesses to Me" — witnesses to Christ to the utmost bounds of the earth. The four circles of witness, mentioned at the end of verse 8, supply us with one way of dividing up the book. We begin with the witness in Jerusalem, and until the end of Acts 7 we are occupied with that city and Judaea. Then in chapter 8 comes Samaria. In Acts 9 the man to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles is called; and in Acts 13 the mission to the uttermost parts begins.