The Apparent Piety of Numerical Goals

Dear CJ,

As to the greatest threat, it is always the same.  It does not vary.  It is our prideful rejection of God, His ways, relating to Him as our holy and loving Creator and Judge.  This does not change from age to age.

Having said that, I’m sure that each age has special challenges–in some ways they are simply appearances of this ever-present challenge of pride.  That, I take it, is what you want reflection on from us.

The greatest threat to the gospel specific to today is the indirect challenge of pragmatism among evangelicals.  Let me give an illustration of this.

I want to suggest that evangelicals are particularly open to self-deception when it comes to counting converts, and, oddly enough, with the best of motivations–faithfulness to the great commission, love to God, love for the lost–our vision of the Gospel can be whittled away, and our churches degraded.  It happens like this.

1)  Great call to evangelize the community/nation/world.

2)  Numerical goal set of raising our numbers (of missionaries, evangelists, churches, baptisms, conversions, Christians).

3)  Excitement follows at the thought of the missionary force tripling (or something like that).

4)  Differences over what may truly be considered a Christian, a baptism, an evangelist, etc., are attacked as divisive and counter-productive discussions.  Sometimes this is accompanied by ad hominen attacks on those raising the cautions as unloving, lazy, disobedient, hyper-Calvinist, loving theology more than people, etc.

5)  Goal-setters ascend; gospel-definers are ignored; society changes; new challenges come.  The very people who could have helped us stay on track have been shut out.  Organizations promoting numerical goals rarely have increasingly defined ideas of what constitutes a Christian, or a church.  The gospel becomes more and more assumed and less and less articulated.

6)  Evangelists–from Schleiermacher to John R. Mott–resist traditional distinctions and Biblical clarity on the gospel.  Constituency widens, enthusiasm crests, goals are met but having no effect.  Organizational officials have interest in the organization continuing.  Falling enthusiasm.  Eventually declining organization.  Is this not the description of too many evangelical associations in the last few centuries.  They become the seed bed of theological liberalism.  They even become opponents of the very gospel they were established to spread.

So much more could be said.  It is the tragic history of the church awaiting Christ’s return.

Let me be clear–I AM NOT AGAINST NUMERICAL GOALS.  They can be great motivational tools.  I think that they have dangers, and particularly severe dangers when allowed to hold firm in a culture of churches and church leaders that go less and less to Scripture and more and more to business, pscyhology, the health professions for pragmatic answers.  I could go on, but you all know what I mean.

While this is not in itself a complicated theological attack on the gospel, it acts in a complicated, multi-layered, subtle and unintentional way to degrade churches which are, in turn to proclaim, exemplify, define and defend the gospel. 

We can and should attempt great things for God, as Jesus’ parable of the talents tells us.  We should give our lives, our time, our talents and our money self-sacrificially for the evangelization of the whole world (see Romans 10!).  But we can attempt great things for God, expect great things from God, and avoid the over- or un-wise use of numerical goals. 

And if you fear that will simply lead to inaction, stop, pray and consider.  Be careful of the charges you level against those who are more cautious about numerical goals.  Consider Him who called us to evangelize no less than "all nations." He never set a smaller goal.  And yet great fruit has come from His lasting challenge.  I pray that we all follow Him in spreading His good news to everyone.

The Gospel from and about Christ

I think Augustine said somewhere that the cross was a pulpit in which Christ preached his love to the world.  I can’t remember (or just don’t know) where he said this.  If someone could supply me with a reference (Lig?) I’d appreciate it.  Anyway, that expression is a succinct way of drawing our attention to the holiness of God (a sacrifice was needed), His love (he provided the sacrifice), our sinfulness (we’ve been separated from God by our sin), His provision in Christ (his life and death) and our response (we need to hear this word preached and respond to it in repentance and faith).  So there it is–the gospel is about our holy and loving God, creator and judge, His creation of us in His image, our sin against Him, His amazing provision of us in Christ, whose life, death and resurrection was for us.  He then calls all who hear this message to turn away from their sins and trust in Christ alone for forgiveness of sins, restoration of a relationship with God, and even adoption as His children, now and forever!

How’s that for a start?

Thankful to God for These People

John Wesley  in 1787 (near the end of his life) mused on the future of Methodism: “I am not afraid, that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid, lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case, unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit and discipline with which they first set out.” [L. Tyerman, Life and Times of Wesley (Harper & Bros; 1872), III.519]. 

After spending several days in England, I’m reminded of how thankful I am to God for raising up the ministries of faithful men, and blessing them.

I am thankful to God for the ministry of Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who went to be with the Lord 25 years ago this month.  Reading and re-reading some of his works in preparation for the conference I just returned from was nourishing and re-freshing.

I am thankful to God for the faithful ministries of both pastors and other Christians at that conference who have known and served the Lord for far longer than I have.

I am particularly thankful to God for Fred and Elizabeth Catherwood, and their long faithfulnesses stretching back almost 6 decades in so many areas of God’s work.  Time would fail me if I began even to recite what I know of their work for God.

I am thankful to God for the ministry of Tim and Lucy Chapman, as they prepare to plant a new congregation.

I am thankful for the incredible ministry God has given Bruce and Lyn Winter over the last 20 years at Tyndale House in Cambridge.

I am thankful to God for many friends I saw there (old and new).

I am thankful to God for the ministry of John & Noel Piper, and the warm fellowship we shared (and the always-sharpening, hyphenated-adjective-filled  comments that John shares!).

I am thankful for fellow pastors here at CHBC–Andy Johnson working as a Trustee of the IMB, Thabiti Anyabwile going to care for a congregation in Grand Cayman, and Michael Lawrence faithfully feeding the flock here in DC.

I am thankful to God for Mary Mohler’s kind care for 140 of our church’s ladies on the women’s retreat this weekend.  My wife said that Mary did a wonderful job speaking to them.

Finally, I am thankful that evangelical Christians do NOT only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power.  I am thankful to God for how all these I’ve mentioned hold fast the doctrine, spirit and much of the discipline which God gave to those early Methodists.

Who are you guys thanking God for today?

Greetings from England

Hey, guys.  I’m trying to type this on  a weird BTphone/internet thing here at Heathrow.  I’ve had little internet access this week.  Great time here at the Martyn Lloyd-Jones Conference, seeing old friends, and then showing John & Noel P around Cambridge yesterday.  More when I get home today (DV).