Every Reformed Episcopalian Is A Missionary

1st Sunday After Trinity, 2004

This is the first one third of our Bishops’ instruction. Next week we will continue on with the remainder. Let’s pause and consider what has been said. The Bishops give us the background about how mission work used to be done. England and America sent white missionaries to Africa, Asia, and Latin America to give the good news of the Gospel to the heathen. The Reformed Episcopal Church participated in that grand venture. In the last couple decades the situation is nearly reversed. As the mainline denominations drift toward neo-paganism the Third World countries are beginning to send missionaries to Europe and America. We have much to learn from believers in the Southern Hemisphere.

The bishops also declare that the Great Commission is a duty of every individual. Isn’t that obvious? Doesn’t everybody agree that evangelization belongs to each Christian? No, some have viewed it differently. During the Middle Ages people argued whether the Great Commission applied only to the Pope and the cardinals, or to all the clergy. The debate went back and forth. It occurred to very few people that the command of Jesus to take the Gospel to all corners of the earth belonged to the laity. The Reformation did little to correct this notion. A common Reformation view understood the Great Commission as a message to the original twelve apostles. The command ceased after the original disciples died. Only in the late 18th century did missionaries like William Carey change this thinking. Today there is a view that says the Great Commission belongs to the Church in general and God has given certain individuals in the Church special gifts for evangelism. The gifted ones proclaim the Gospel; the others don’t. Other people suppose that Baptist and Charismatic congregations evangelize but not liturgical churches. Finally, some assume that missionary work belongs solely to a special committee. Our Bishops reject all these ideas. Jesus gave the evangelistic command to every believer.

You and I are responsible for doing mission work. Where evangelism and missionary work have been long neglected it is hard to turn things around. It is going to take some work. At St. Luke’s our evangelistic outreach has been anemic and I take responsibility for that. The Bishops are exhorting us to do better. Evangelism must be at the top of the agenda. So, what can I do? you ask. How can I help to spread the Gospel? Several suggestions:

4. What else can I do to become a missionary? Read a book about evangelism. The Bishops recommend a couple books on the subject and I add two more. Thirty Years that Changed the Word by Michael Green, and The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church by Roland Allen. Both of these writers are Anglicans. Harvest of Humanity by John T. Seamands, and The Art of Personal Evangelism by Will McRaney Jr. are very good too. Any one of these books would inspire you, and give you practical ways to get started.

You can do something this Thursday evening. The members of the mission team to Argentina (in July 2004) are meeting at the Rectory on Thursday evenings at 7PM. As part of our training we are trying to learn how to do evangelism. This is brand new stuff for us. We are taking baby steps. Last Thursday we went to the Farmers’ Market in downtown Fullerton and conducted a religious survey. We asked people five questions. Things such as: 1.) Do you have any religious belief? 2.) To you, who is Jesus Christ? 3.) Do you think there is a heaven and hell? 4.) Were you to die tonight do you think you would go to heaven? If yes, why?

The people answering our survey questions gave answers and we jotted them down. We postured ourselves as informal researchers seeking to understand what people are thinking and feeling. We didn’t try to share our testimonies or give any kind of Gospel presentation. We mainly listened. How come? What was the purpose of the survey? To break the ice! You have to start somewhere. It was more for our benefit. Getting started is the hardest part. We’re still frightened. We are afraid of rejection. We have a fear of looking un-cool, or sounding stupid. Or perhaps our problem is that we just don’t have enough love for the lost. Furthermore, many of us assume that people don’t want to talk about religion. These are the hurdles we have to overcome if we are going to be missionaries. We’re trying to overcome them.

Our experiment on Thursday revealed several things: a few people didn’t have the time or the inclination to talk to us, but most did. The rejection didn’t hurt that bad. Above all we found out that people are generally eager to talk about spiritual things. As soon as they find out that you are willing to listen to them they loosen up and start talking.

We surveyed a lot of Christians, yet that was beneficial because the Christians we talked to were encouraged in their faith. We talked to a Muslim. He said that Jesus was just a prophet, not divine. That’s interesting. What kind of answer can we give to that young man the next time we meet him? Some people were mixed up about eternal things. One man replied, “I’m going to heaven because I believe there is a heaven.” Another nice guy gave his opinion that Jesus was just an important historical figure. One respondent said, “I’d like to think hell isn’t necessary.” A woman named Julie claimed, “Hell is bad thoughts.” Another woman maintained, “Jesus is the guy who keeps us in line.” When we asked her if she thought she was going to heaven she said, “No, I’m not going to heaven. I live a terrible life.” She said it with sadness. It seemed that the Holy Spirit was working in her conscience. She may be close to the kingdom of God. She needs the good news of God’s grace and forgiveness in Christ. Gradually we want to improve our methods and sharpen our message.

If you want to get involved with some of us who are making the first tentative steps in trying to learn how to do evangelism, please join us this Thursday at 7 PM at the Howden home. Let’s learn together. The Bishops are only telling us what Jesus told us, that is, every Christian, every Reformed Episcopalian, should be a missionary.