PI #1: The Priority of Missions must be Faithfulness to God’s Word

January 13, 2009 – 4:47 pm

Missions work that is not God-centered is not really biblical missions; to lose God as the focus of missions is to lose the motivating and governing element. In chapter 3 of For the Sake of His Name, Pastor David Doran addresses four practical implications of God-centered missions. [see intro to the 4-part Practical Implications series] Here is implication one:

Practical Implication 1: The Priority of Missions Must be Faithfulness to God’s Word, not Fruitfulness

Since we can only have one ultimate priority, we must place faithfulness above fruitfulness. This does not mean that we do not want fruitfulness, but that we prize faithfulness to God as more important so that we never pursue fruitfulness at the expense of faithfulness. This was Paul’s mindset in 2 Corinthians 2:17, “For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” We, too, must gladly confess that faithfulness to God’s Word means we will never treat it like a commodity to be shaped and molded by marketing strategy, whether that is at home or on the mission fields of the world.

Likewise, Paul affirmed his commitment to faithfulness over fruitfulness in 2 Corinthians 4:2, “but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.” Paul was committed to honest and accurate proclamation of the truth and never let it be changed according to the target audience, and certainly would not have distorted it under the guise of what is being called contextualization. He would not do this because he knew that the gospel was not rejected because there is any flaw or deficiency in the gospel, but because “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving” (v.4). The only antidote to such blindness is the very gospel to which they are blinded! To turn from it is to turn from the only hope of seeing lost people saved.

We see clearly that Scripture does not set these two (faithful and fruitful) against each other, but it does place priority on faithfulness. It is required of stewards that a man be found faithful (1 Cor 4:2)! We accept the biblical principle that fruitfulness should, and does, grow out of faithfulness, cf. John 15:7-8, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified, by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” Abiding precedes fruitbearing!

Next implication: The Promotion of missions should be based primarily on God and His glory, not man’s needs.

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