Study 6 ("Go into your world"
We began by noting that the Acts 1 keynote passage for today is another way of expressing the Great Commission (Mt 28:18-20). Other places where the Great commission is expressed include John 20:21-23 and Mark 16:15-18. So the Great Commission is not a peripheral matter - it is the heart of what Christ wants His Church to be and to do in expanding missionary effort. The version in Matthew emphasizes the way in which disciples are to be made. The Acts version emphasizes the empowering of the Spirit.
We noted that the purpose of the Great Commission is to save souls. We believe then, that if we do not go, that salvation does not ensue. (Ro 10:9-15). Notwithstanding stories of special revelation of Christ to individuals, we are not taught in Scripture that God saves through individual revelation. Instead, preaching is His chosen way of saving the world. Accounts we hear of Jesus' self-revelation to others more closely parallel the story of Cornelius in Acts 10, where divine revelation prepares the way for gospel preaching.
We must affirm that Christ is the only way of salvation (Jn 14:6, Ac 4:12, I Ti 2:5 etc), and that there must be faith in the gospel and explicit affirmation of that faith before one can be saved. This is the view of other religions called 'exclusivism' . In contrast, 'inclusivism' is the idea that, while the world is saved through the work of Christ, sincere adherents of other religions can also be saved. This is the official view of the Roman Catholic church (and the view C.S. Lewis appears to hold, cf. his Narnia chronicles). 'Pluralism' on the other hand, means that Christianity is equal with other religions in its grasp of truth, and is not superior to any other religion. If one is an inclusivist or a pluralist, there is no motivation for undertaking the Great Commission. In fact, we run the risk of those we witness to losing all chance of salvation if the reject the gospel when it is presented to them!
We also affirm that all who have not heard the gospel are lost because we stand condemned (Ro 1:18 - 3:23) by general revelation. We need the special revelation of the gospel to be saved. There is no hint that there are alternative ways to salvation other than through Christ.
There is an extreme type of exclusivism that regards all aspects of other religions as being demonic and worthless, but moderate exclusivism holds the view that, because of general revelation, there are both good and true aspects of other religions as well as evil and demonic aspects of other religions. This is the basis of reasonable inter-faith dialogue.
I also then asked - do we wait for our personal Pentecost experience of the Holy Spirit's empowering before we go out to witness? Do we or do we not already have spiritual power? My answer, from John 20:22, is that the disciples already had the Spirit's work and influence in their lives prior to Pentecost, but that on Pentecost they experienced the fullness of the Spirit's empowerment. So it is with us - we have the Spirit within and His power, but we must also long for and depend on His fullness (Eph 5:18) to enable us to witness boldly with power. "Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord (Zech 4:6). Let's think of our own Jerusalems, Judeas, Samarias, and ends of the earth to put the Great Commission into action in our lives!
Also, it was Joshua's birthday celebration!
We noted that the purpose of the Great Commission is to save souls. We believe then, that if we do not go, that salvation does not ensue. (Ro 10:9-15). Notwithstanding stories of special revelation of Christ to individuals, we are not taught in Scripture that God saves through individual revelation. Instead, preaching is His chosen way of saving the world. Accounts we hear of Jesus' self-revelation to others more closely parallel the story of Cornelius in Acts 10, where divine revelation prepares the way for gospel preaching.
We must affirm that Christ is the only way of salvation (Jn 14:6, Ac 4:12, I Ti 2:5 etc), and that there must be faith in the gospel and explicit affirmation of that faith before one can be saved. This is the view of other religions called 'exclusivism' . In contrast, 'inclusivism' is the idea that, while the world is saved through the work of Christ, sincere adherents of other religions can also be saved. This is the official view of the Roman Catholic church (and the view C.S. Lewis appears to hold, cf. his Narnia chronicles). 'Pluralism' on the other hand, means that Christianity is equal with other religions in its grasp of truth, and is not superior to any other religion. If one is an inclusivist or a pluralist, there is no motivation for undertaking the Great Commission. In fact, we run the risk of those we witness to losing all chance of salvation if the reject the gospel when it is presented to them!
We also affirm that all who have not heard the gospel are lost because we stand condemned (Ro 1:18 - 3:23) by general revelation. We need the special revelation of the gospel to be saved. There is no hint that there are alternative ways to salvation other than through Christ.
There is an extreme type of exclusivism that regards all aspects of other religions as being demonic and worthless, but moderate exclusivism holds the view that, because of general revelation, there are both good and true aspects of other religions as well as evil and demonic aspects of other religions. This is the basis of reasonable inter-faith dialogue.
I also then asked - do we wait for our personal Pentecost experience of the Holy Spirit's empowering before we go out to witness? Do we or do we not already have spiritual power? My answer, from John 20:22, is that the disciples already had the Spirit's work and influence in their lives prior to Pentecost, but that on Pentecost they experienced the fullness of the Spirit's empowerment. So it is with us - we have the Spirit within and His power, but we must also long for and depend on His fullness (Eph 5:18) to enable us to witness boldly with power. "Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord (Zech 4:6). Let's think of our own Jerusalems, Judeas, Samarias, and ends of the earth to put the Great Commission into action in our lives!
Also, it was Joshua's birthday celebration!
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