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Modern Missions: What's Really Going On? | Chad Vegas · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking, the space where we aim to
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sharpen our thoughts with clear biblical teaching.
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Glad you could join us. You are tuned in, and today,
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well, we're taking a deep dive into what Scripture says about
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the Church's purpose. Specifically focusing on global
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gospel proclamation. That's right.
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You've brought along some really interesting insights, mainly
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from an address called Modern Missions.
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What's really going on? Yes, among other related
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thoughts rooted in Scripture. So our mission for this deep
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dive is pretty clear. Let's try to pull out the core
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ideas from these sources, uncover what God's Word really
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presents as the church's primary charge, and, crucially, how that
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actually applies to us right now.
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And the goal isn't just, you know, simple summary.
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We want to really get underneath the reasons for these biblical
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claims. How should they shape our
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outlook, our actions as believers?
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We'll look at some encouraging observations but also some,
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well, quite challenging assessments.
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All drawn from Revelation and the wider scope of scripture.
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So you walk away with hopefully a richer picture of what Christ
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calls His Church to be in to do. That's the plan.
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All right, let's open this up then.
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So our sources take us straight to Revelation chapter 2 verses
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one to seven, where Jesus is speaking to the church at
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Ephesus, and the imagery is just really vivid.
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It really is. Jesus is shown holding the seven
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stars, which the sources explain are the angels or messengers of
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the churches. Right.
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The leaders or guiding spirits, essentially.
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And he's walking among the seven golden lampstands.
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It's quite a scene, isn't it? It is.
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It immediately grabs your attention.
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And Revelation 1.20 makes it explicit, doesn't it?
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It says these lampstands are the churches themselves.
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OK, so the church at Ephesus, and by extension all churches,
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they are lampstands. It's not just, you know, a nice
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picture. Right, it's functional.
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It's loaded with meaning. The fact that Jesus is walking
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among them, that tells you something.
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What does that suggest to you? Well, it speaks volumes about
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his personal awareness, his careful supervision of each
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church's state. He's actively present.
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Not distant. Not at all.
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He's intimately involved in how his churches are functioning,
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and they're golden lampstands too.
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Suggesting value. Immense value, yes, and purity
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in his sight, set apart for a specific holy function.
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OK, So what does a lampstand actually do?
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I mean, the basic function is pretty obvious, right?
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Right, it gives off light. And our sources say the church
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is the receptacle through which the light of Christ shines to
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the earth. But this isn't just any light,
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is it? It's not just about, say, doing
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good deeds in the community, as important as that might be.
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No, it's much more specific than that.
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The sources are clear. This light is the light of the
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gospel of the glory of Christ. The gospel itself.
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Precisely the unique radiance of his saving work, his person, his
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rule. It's about him.
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And what? Fuels this lampstand.
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How does it keep shining? Well, our sources point to the
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Holy Spirit described as the oil that powers that lampstand.
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Like an ancient oil lamp needs fuel.
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Exactly. Without the oil, the lamp won't
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burn. Without the Holy Spirit, the
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Church cannot genuinely radiate Christ's message.
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So it's not just human effort. Definitely not.
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It's a supernatural enabling for a supernatural task.
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It ensures the light is truly Christ's own.
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Without that divine fuel, the lampstand might, I suppose,
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still be there, but the light fades fast.
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It would just flicker out. Now, when Jesus addresses
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Ephesus, he actually starts with quite a bit of praise, doesn't
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he? He does, yes, Significant
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commendations. He praises their works, your
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toil and your patient endurance. And, he notes, they cannot bear
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with those who are evil. Right, you get this picture of a
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really diligent, persevering group committed to purity
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doctrinally and ethically. They sound, frankly, like a
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pretty solid church, one you'd probably admire.
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Absolutely. And he goes further.
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They're commended for testing false apostles, finding them
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out. So sharp discernment, not easily
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fooled. And Jillian against false
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teaching, guarding the truth carefully.
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And they were enduring patiently and bearing up for Christ's
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name's sake, and have not grown weary.
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Which speaks to faithfulness under pressure, doesn't it?
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They weren't giving up standing firm.
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And get this, they even hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which
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Jesus says he also hates. A clear rejection of compromise.
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A desire to stay pure from worldly influences.
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Immorality the Nicolaitans seem to promote.
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Kind of lacks living, maybe. That's the general
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understanding, yes. Yeah.
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Perhaps encouraging compromise with Pagan practices or
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idolatry. So Ephesus was actively
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rejecting that, staying unstained, guarding the truth,
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living set apart. You'd think based on all that
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they were hitting all the marks. A model church.
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You really would? Their moral standards, their
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doctrinal integrity seemed exemplary.
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Many churches today would probably love to hear that kind
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of praise from Christ. You can imagine them having
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solid teaching, maybe strong discipline.
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Vigorous defense of the faith. Yet something's wrong.
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A major charge follows. And this is where it becomes a
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crucial lesson for all churches, I think.
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Because despite all that positive assessment, Jesus
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delivers this really piercing rebuke.
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But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love
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you had at first. Abandoned.
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Our sources really stress that word.
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It's strong, like divorcing a love, they say.
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Yes, it implies A definitive break, a deliberate shift.
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Not just a gradual cooling, but an active turning away.
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So what love is this? Is it that they stopped loving
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God altogether? Their actions seem to contradict
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that. Right.
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Their works, their endurance, their defense of truth that
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shows some level of love for Christ.
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So what's the issue then? Our sources explain it as a
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diminished love for Christ that specifically impacts gospel
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proclamation. OK, so it's tied to their
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mission? Exactly.
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The problem wasn't guarding the truth inside.
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They did that well. The issue was propelling the
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truth outward. Spreading the good news.
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Yes. They were so focused on
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protecting the light internally that they neglected its primary
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outward purpose. They forgot the lampstand.
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It exists to shine. So there's zeal for declaring
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Christ That had cooled off significantly.
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They were, as the sources put it, guarding the gate well, but
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they were not proclaiming the gospel well any longer.
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A striking phrase. And the picture given is their
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church becoming like a smoldering Wick.
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Yeah, barely glowing, maybe more smoke than light, struggling to
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keep the flame alive, about to go out.
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A stark contrast to the bright shining lampstand Christ
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intended. So a church can be doctrinally
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pure, morally upright, busy inside, but still failing if
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that outward light dims. That seems.
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To be the clear message here, a sobering 1.
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Which leads to the consequence, doesn't it?
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What happens if they don't fix this?
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Yes, the warning is severe. Jesus says, If not, I will come
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to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you you
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repent. Remove the lampstand.
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That's not a minor thing. Not at all.
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It's a grave warning, an existential threat really, to
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that church's very presence and function.
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Our sources state it plainly. The Lord will remove your
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particular lampstand, your church, if you fail to shine the
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light of the gospel across the earth.
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It's a direct consequence linked specifically to failing their
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primary purpose. It's not just them fading away
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naturally, it's Christ actively intervening.
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That's the implication. And you know, history gives us
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pause here. How so?
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Well, think about regions that were once vibrant centers of
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Christianity. North Africa, parts of the
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Middle East. The light there has, in many
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places, almost entirely faded. Well, we can't always draw a
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Direct Line. This warning in Revelation
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offers a sobering potential explanation for why churches or
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Christian presence might decline or disappear.
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It underscores that the church's existence isn't guaranteed
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unconditionally. It's tied to obedience,
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particularly to this mission. Yes, if a church fails to shine
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the light of the gospel to every tribe and tongue and nation,
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Christ has every right to take it away.
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It's not just abstract theology. No, it's presented as a living
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reality. The light needs to be actively
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shining out worse. Not just kept safe within the
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walls. Exactly.
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A church's vitality, maybe even its longevity, seems linked to
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its spiritual life and its outward mission focus.
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If we stop shining, our purpose is gone.
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And perhaps our presence might be too, in the eyes of the one
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who walks among the lampstands. OK, so that's the picture from
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Revelation. How does this connect to the
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situation today, to modern missions?
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Well, before getting into the critiques, the forces make a
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really important first point, which is to acknowledge the good
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work already happening. They say there are people
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serving in places who don't even have access to this conference
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who are doing marvelously good work in witnessing to Christ.
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That's vital, isn't it, to recognize the faithful efforts
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out there, often unseen. Absolutely.
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It's described as a crucial first caveat to avoid painting
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too bleak a picture or being unfairly critical.
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Because there are churches whose lampstands are burning brightly.
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Yes, definitely, and many dedicated people serving
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faithfully in very hard places. Think of missionaries in
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restricted countries, underground church planters.
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Facing real risk. Immense risk.
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Their work is a beacon. We need to acknowledge that.
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Learn from them, be encouraged by them before we look in
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problems. Humility is key there, right?
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But the sources don't stop with just that acknowledgement.
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There's a second observation. Yes, and it's quite stark.
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It highlights a huge mess out there in the evangelical
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missions world. A huge mess that sounds
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concerning. It does, and they add more crazy
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things happening in missions than I could possibly have time
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to cover. OK, So what kind of mess are we
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talking about here? Is it aimed at those on the
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front lines? Not primarily.
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It seems the critique isn't mainly about those in extreme
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situations who might use unconventional methods out of
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urgency. It's more of an internal concern
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aimed at churches and agencies. In perhaps more established or
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resourced context, the mess seems to refer to approaches
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that might dilute the gospel message, or maybe prioritize
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social action over clear proclamation, or rely on
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strategies that aren't really biblically grounded.
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Like maybe focusing only on relief work without the gospel,
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or using marketing tricks for numbers.
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Things like that, yes. Concerns about the integrity of
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the message and the methods being used.
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Are we truly representing Christ faithfully?
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So if there's potentially a huge mess externally, the sources
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then turn the focus inward, don't they they?
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Do asking what's really going on sadly, among many of us in the
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churches that should be sending and supporting.
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And the answer given is. Quite sobering.
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Not much at all. In some quarters, almost nothing
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at all. Wow, that's blunt.
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It is. There's a stated fear that in
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many quarters our love for evangelism, our love for
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missions, our love for proclaiming Christ has grown
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cold. That sounds exactly like the
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charge against Ephesus abandoning that first love,
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specifically as it relates to proclamation.
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It directly mirrors it. This cold heartedness is
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pinpointed as the core internal issue.
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A spiritual apathy. Yes, a lack of zealous passion
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for the lost, which then impacts the outward mission, even if
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other things look OK on the surface.
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Like doctrinal purity? Exactly.
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It's a failure to genuinely feel the urgency, the love for those
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who don't know Christ, and for His glory among all nations.
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It's not necessarily active rebellion, maybe more like
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passive drifting. A gradual cooling?
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Yeah, leading to inaction or just ineffective busyness.
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It can creep in subtly. So this leads to a really
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critical question for churches, doesn't it?
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For those churches that are good at guarding truth, active
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locally, but maybe their lampstand isn't shining brightly
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to the ends of the earth. What's the call?
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It's easy to point fingers at the mess out there, right?
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But the challenge presented is internal.
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It's to address the cold heartedness with regard to
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missions in here. Within our own churches, our own
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hearts, yes. Before criticizing others, look
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inward. It's a call for honest
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self-assessment and, if needed, repentance.
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Because a church can look solid, busy sound.
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But still be missing its primary missional purpose if that
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passion for global gospel proclamation has faded.
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The speaker in the source even suggests we should close our
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mouths about the foolishness out there for a bit.
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And examine ourselves. Are we prioritizing what Christ
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prioritizes? His name known among all
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peoples? Do we really long for that?
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OK, so if we identify this coldness, this lack of zeal, how
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do we fix it? How do we sort of reignite that
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fire? Well, the sources proposed 6
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foundational truths we need to grip firmly they either like the
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bedrock for any renewed missionary drive all.
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Right. What's the first one?
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1st, we must genuinely believe in the saving efficacy of God's
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Word. Meaning the Bible itself has
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power to save. Yes, the Gospel, delivered in
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God's infallible, sufficient word, actually saves people,
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primarily through its public reading and clear explanation.
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So just having the Bible exist somewhere isn't enough.
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Not at all, and this has huge implications for missions.
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Think about this fact highlighted in the sources.
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Go on. Thousands of language groups
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continue without a Bible in their language.
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Thousands without the word. If God's word saves and they
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don't have it in a language they understand.
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Then they can't hear and believe.
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Exactly. So this creates a sacred
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privilege and obligation for us to, well, lay down our lives if
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needed to get the Bible into every language.
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It's not. Just a nice project.
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It's essential. Seen as a direct requirement
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flowing from the nature of the gospel itself.
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This is why Bible translation has always been so central to
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faithful missions. Sync of.
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Wycliffe, Tyndale. Sacrificing everything because
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they believe people needed the word in their own tongue.
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So practically, this means we need missionaries willing to do
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the hard yards. Yes, people who will commit to
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learning the language to fluency.
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Which takes years. Often many years, and then
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undertake the painstaking work of translation, rejecting
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gimmicks or shortcuts. Like relying only on telling
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stories maybe, or reality movements.
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The sources seem to caution against relying only on that
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while storytelling is useful, the goal is seen as providing
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the whole counsel of God's written Word.
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And this is connected to Reformation principle.
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Yes, viewing access to Scripture in one's own language as a basic
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biblical requirement reflected in confessions like Westminster.
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It's about deep, lasting understanding, not just surface
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engagement, right? True transformation comes from
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engaging with God's revealed truth.
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OK, so Foundation 1 is belief in the words power.
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What's next? Second.
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We must believe in the supernatural effect of ordinary
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prayer. Ordinary prayer having
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supernatural effect. Yes, God invites his people to
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ask and He answers. Prayer is vital for everything,
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personal life, pastoral work, and especially global missions.
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It's not about twisting God's arm.
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No, it's about confidently asking based on his character
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and promises, aligning our desires with his revealed will
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for the nations. And yet our sources noted
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something sad here. The lament that our prayer
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meetings are not overflowing with participation.
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Despite the incredible invitation from the thrice Holy
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God to come and make requests. It's amazing, isn't it, that the
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Creator invites us into this partnership where our faith
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filled requests actually matter. They actually move His hand.
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Makes you wonder what we're missing by neglecting it.
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We are called to confidently cast ourselves before him and
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plead. Plead for what specifically in
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terms of missions? To save lost people.
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We know, yes, but also every lost people group on earth.
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Praying for the unreached specifically.
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And praying for workers for the harvest.
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Jesus told us to do that. Praying for missionaries already
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out there for clarity, strength against opposition.
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And for the hearts of unbelievers.
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Absolutely praying for their minds to be open to the light of
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the gospel. Because only God can remove
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spiritual blindness. Hudson Taylor's quote comes to
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mind. Prayers power never fully tried.
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Exactly. This is a call to get serious
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about prayer for missions, seeing it as the real engine
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room. Foundation 3. 3rd We must
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believe Jesus will build his church relying on his promise in
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Matthew 16.18. I will build my church, and the
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gates of hell will not prevail against.
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It that's the one. And this isn't just about your
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local church. It's his global body.
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Meaning his mission will succeed ultimately.
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Yes, regardless of setbacks, opposition, societal decline,
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whatever, Christ is building his church.
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So that should guard against what?
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Fear. Despair.
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Fear, despair, constant complaining about how bad things
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are, even disillusionment with the mess in missions we talked
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about earlier. If Christ is building it and
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nothing can stop him. Then our outlook should be 1 of
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faith, not fear. It should lead to Great
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Expectations and big visions for what God can do.
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We shouldn't be just a licking our wounds.
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Or complaining about decline. When Christ gave this mighty
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promise, it should mobilize us. You mentioned William Carey
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earlier, the Shoemaker. Yes, the father of modern
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missions started so small. With just fourteen men, a tiny
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amount of money, people telling him to sit down.
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Right, because they didn't grasp this truth perhaps, or didn't
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believe we had a role to play. But Carrie persisted, driven by
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this idea that Christ will build his church, and we obey his
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command. And his famous saying captures
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it. They expect great things from
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God, attempt great things for God.
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And, you know, we have vastly more resources today,
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communication, travel, money. Far more than carry in those
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early pioneers. Which does make you ask, why
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does our vision sometimes seem so much smaller?
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A challenging question indeed. OK, Foundation 4 What's at the
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heart of our motivation? What truly compels gospel
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ministry? The sources point clearly it's
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God's love for us in Christ. Paul in 2nd Corinthians 5.
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The love of Christ compels us. Or constrains US, drives us.
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It's not self generated, not just duty.
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It flows from experiencing God's love for us.
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And how does that happen? How does his love become the
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driver? Romans 5.5 The Holy Spirit pours
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God's love into our hearts, and the sources emphasize it is His
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love to us that gives birth to our love to Him.
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We love because he first loved us first.
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John 4.19. Exactly.
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And this love isn't based on anything in us, our merit, our
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attractiveness. It's rooted in God's very
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nature. God is love.
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He loves because he is love. Yes, His love actively pursues,
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redeems, transforms it creates beauty where there was none.
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So really grasping that love. Understanding that everlasting
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love, the love that sought us, died for us, showers us with
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grace. That should compel us to do
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what? To run to every highway and
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byway and compel people to come to Christ.
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It should be an irresistible force.
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And if we don't grasp that, love deeply.
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Then our zeal fades. We become more concerned with
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our own comfort, our security here and now.
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Than with the eternal state of others, yes.
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We hoard the good news, forgetting it was freely given
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to us precisely so we could share it with the world,
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desperate for that same love. This love fuels bold obedience.
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All right #5 this one seems very direct. 5th We must believe the
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gospel call is to proclaim Christ in every tribe, tongue
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and nation. Not just general evangelism, but
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specific groups. Yes, the Great Commission isn't
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vague. It's Jesus, having received the
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nations as his inheritance, commissioning the Church to go
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and claim his inheritance for him.
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Claiming his inheritance. That's a strong way to put it.
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It is, and it means taking the gospel specifically to every
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ethnic group, to every tribe and tongue and nation, like the
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picture we see around the throne in Revelation.
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A comprehensive global vision. Not just focusing on personal
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evangelism, right where we are, though that's included.
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It's bigger. And this leads directly into
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that issue of imbalance again, doesn't it?
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It does. The sources call it a gross
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imbalance in modern missions. Remind us of the stats.
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Over 3000 people groups have never heard of Jesus, yet
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simultaneously well over 90, 90% of our missionaries and our
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monies go to the most reached places.
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Places with existing churches. Lots of resources already.
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Exactly. It shows a significant
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disconnect between the biblical command and where our efforts
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are actually focused. Why do you think that happens?
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Is it intentional? Probably not malice as a source
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to suggest. Maybe it's just easier to go
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where things are established, where there's less hardship,
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where we have existing connections.
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Comfort tones. Perhaps lack of intentionality
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maybe, rather than deliberate disobedience, but the result is
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the same, a serious challenge to our obedience and strategy.
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The source is called this imbalance.
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What was the phrase gross imbalance in our obedience?
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Yes. And they challenge churches to
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become obsessed with gospel privilege.
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Obsessed with privilege? How so?
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Obsessed with the shocking disparity that some people have.
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Bibles, churches, podcast like this one.
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Easy access everywhere. While others whole people groups
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have literally 0 access never heard the name of Jesus once.
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Right. Thinking about that disparity,
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feeling the weight of it like John G Payton felt for the
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people of the New Hebrides. Haunted by the thought of them
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dying without hearing. That kind of burden for the
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unreached specifically, that's what seems to be called for.
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So the conclusion here is pretty stark.
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Churches do not have the right to shine the light of Christ
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only to the parts of the globe that most appeal to us.
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Or where it's most comfortable. Right.
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A church's vision is described as out of whack if it's so
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focused locally that it fails to intentionally raise up and send
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people to those unreached groups.
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Our vision needs to align with Christ's global purpose for his
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inheritance. It's about his will, not our
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preferences. OK, brings us to the 6th and
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final foundation. 6th We must believe it is necessary to obey
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the Great Commission. Not optional.
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Not a suggestion, it's a command from the Risen Lord.
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It is in fact, the reason your lampstand exists.
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To give off that light, the light of the gospel.
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It's not an add on program for the church, it's fundamental to
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its purpose. And you mentioned the
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relationship between worship and missions earlier.
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Yes, worship is the ultimate goal, the ultimate purpose,
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seeing God glorified by all peoples.
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So where does missions fit? Missions is called the
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penultimate purpose, the second to last purpose, if you like.
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Why it exists? Because worship doesn't yet
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happen among all peoples. Ah OK, Missions is the bridge.
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It's the necessary work to bring about that ultimate goal of
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global worship. It's how God's glorious name
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will cover the earth. So every missionary effort is
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working towards more voices joining that final chorus of
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praise. Precisely seeing more people
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worship the Triune God. Which brings us back to those 3
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stark options presented in the sources.
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Yes. Go send or disobey.
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No middle ground, no neutrality. Seems not every believer, every
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church, falls into one of those categories regarding the Great
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Commission. And sending isn't presented as a
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lesser option, is it? Not at all.
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Senders are called fellow workers for the truth, Co
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workers of the gospel. Utterly necessary.
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Yes, through their prayers, their financial giving, their
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practical care and support for those who go.
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It's not just writing a check once a year.
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No. It implies active partnership,
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real burden sharing, consistent communication, being just as
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committed to the task as those physically on the field.
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So ascending is still a missionary church.
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Absolutely fully engaged in the task.
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Now, if we tie all this together, where does the
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responsibility really lie for fostering this kind of renewed
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vision? The sources place a huge
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emphasis on the role of pastors. Central and vital.
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Yes, it is our pastors with whom the work of missions must rise
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or fall under God. That's a heavyweight.
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It is because they're teaching their leadership.
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Their prayers shape the whole congregation's outlook.
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So what should pastors be doing specifically?
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First, consistently instruct Christ's people in God's heart
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for the nations from the whole Bible.
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Not just one Sunday a year, no. Tracing that theme from Genesis
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all the way through showing missions isn't peripheral, but
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central to God's whole. Plan, making it part of the
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regular diet of teaching. Exactly.
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Second, they need to actively lead your people in prayer to
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the Lord of the harvest to raise up workers.
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Making corporate prayer for missions intentional and
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regular. Cultivating that collective
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dependence on God to send people out.
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And 3rd. They should exhort your elders
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to be pursuing promising young people for ministry, including
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foreign missions. Actively looking for them, not
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just waiting. Yes.
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Identifying, mentoring, encouraging those with gifts and
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a potential calling. Being proactive.
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And the goal is to send. The sources say send the best of
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the best of us. Not just anyone who volunteers.
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No, those bearing fruit spiritually mature, doctrinally
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sound, even if it hurts the local church to let them go.
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That demonstrates real sacrifice, doesn't it?
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It does a willingness to prioritize the global harvest
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over local convenience that shows the church's vision isn't
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out of whack. A tangible sign that we truly
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believe this matters more than our own immediate comfort.
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And ultimately, the church's very existence as a lampstand,
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its continued presence, seems tied to this commitment.
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Back to the warning to Ephesus. Failure risks the removal of the
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lampstand because the church isn't an end in itself.
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It's a means to God's end his glory among all peoples, right?
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So the call then is for repentance where there's been
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cold heartedness or lack of zeal.
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Yes, a call to let the Holy Spirit relight that fire, that
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love for Christ that overflows into making His name known
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everywhere. It's a spiritual renewal that
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has to lead to action. And it boils down again to those
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three choices. Go send or disobey, examining
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where we truly stand. So wrapping this up, what does
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this all mean for you listening in?
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Well, that image of the church has a lampstand.
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It's both a privilege and a really serious charge.
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We can't just be content guarding the light if it's not
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shining outwards, especially to the darkest places.
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It pushes us to look at our own hearts and our church's actual
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priorities. Is our lampstand truly burning
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brightly for the nation's? Are we genuinely compelled by
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God's amazing love for us to share His message with of all
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peoples, especially those who haven't heard?
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Are we actively involved in either the go or the send?
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We really hope this deep dive has shed some light on how
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central God's heart for the nations is to the churches
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identity and purpose. And maybe underscored the
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urgency of our response. Maybe a final thought to leave
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with you. If worship is the ultimate goal,
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and missions exist because worship doesn't yet happen
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everywhere. What's one step you could take
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this week? Maybe in prayer, maybe in
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action. To see God's glorious name cover
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the earth as the waters cover the seas.
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Could be praying for an unreached people group by name.
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Could be looking into mission opportunities.
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Or even just asking your pastor how can our church better equip
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and send out our best for this task?
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Something to consider, definitely.
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Thank you for joining us on this deep dive into reformed
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thinking. Keep seeking to know Christ
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more. Until next time.