To understand my comment about the need to get the churches motivated to equip the saints again please read Ephesians 4:11-13 and then just hold it up to what you see happening as many of our churches are doing the opposite of what this verse actually teaches! Until the churches make reaching directly into the harvest and making evangelism a priority again we will continue to be wiped out one by one.
It was a great pleasure to meet Matthew this last week. I pray that the Lord will show CCSBA a way to expand the Kingdom of God through his leadership. I am praying that those who understand missions and the need to get the church "members" engaged in missions will remain united on that front. I am a big believer in "The Church is the Missionary" concept of church. Over the years the world has seen the gospel as very hostile to its ways. The Devil has done to the church the same thing people do to contagious diseases, he as quarantined the Gospel into the little buildings to keep it from spreading. The Pastors must lead the charge...we are at war. I pray that Matthew can rally the troops and not fall into the same old trap of DOING missions for the churches. I remember quite well when our president of the IMB, Jerry Rankin, told us that it was not the IMB's job to do missions! I thought to myself, "is he crazy? Of course it is the IMB's job to do missions" then he explained...it is the local SBC's church's job to do missions and the IMB's job to make sure that it happens abroad. Now that I am trying to start churches overseas in two cities with populations of just under 1,000,000 people ,(with only three active Baptist churches) I see that Dr. Jerry Rankin was exactly right and that I had been taught incorrectly and was in direct conflict with the concepts that really clarify the local churches responsibilites.
I pray that Matthew will be able to bring a new awareness to this need and not just become as some of said, "A pastor to the pastors". I hope and pray that God will stir his heart and that he will be responsible for getting many of our SBC church "members" to accept the call to missions abroad. Our churches are dying because we have our eyes on the economy more then the Lord above and the next life. May God forgive us for loosing site of our priorities! May the churches begin to make the "Kingdom of God" their primary concern again.
