This week, I had the blessing of attending the missionary conference in Florida, a missionary conference celebrating 500 years since William Tyndale’s translating work on the English Bible (click here for the link to the conference). The conference was hosted by Radius International, a missions organization that focuses on planting churches in unreached people groups, and a professor at Moody graciously invited a group of Moody students to attend the conference, which was such a blessing to attend. From the conference sessions to discussing and processing through what we were learning in between sessions with the group and our professor, it was a tremendously impactful week. I want to briefly share an overview of a few of my reflections and thoughts here, but you can expect future posts with many more in-depth thoughts on each of these (as and when I can find time to sit down and write more, it has been so busy lately)! I will also put the link to the conference website at the bottom of this post if you would like to check it out; all the sessions were live-streamed for free. I’m not sure if they were recorded and posted yet, but they might be!
Conviction from Tyndale
“Lord open the eyes of the King of England,” were the last words of William Tyndale before he was deemed a heretic and burned at the stake. Tyndale laid down his life so that we could hold the copy of the English Bible we have. One of the conference speakers described Tyndale as a “One Thing Man”, in that, he was fully and wholly devoted to one thing- living for Christ, to make Him known. Everything he strived for and pursued was for the glory of Christ to be made known. He had a high view of Scripture and knew that the Word of God must be in the hands of the people, no matter the cost. I sat in one of the sessions, overcome with conviction, hearing that when imprisoned in a cold and dark prison, Tyndale’s request of the prison guard was a candle, his Hebrew Bible, and Hebrew Dictionary to begin translating the Old Testament. Only a heart deeply devoted to Christ could respond to imprisonment with such a request. His unwavering commitment to his calling and mission for the Lord is beyond convicting and deeply humbling. Hearing that, I have to ask myself, do I love the Lord and His Word with such deep passion that I would respond similarly if ever in a situation as such?
Christ-Centered Missions
One thing I really appreciated was how almost every speaker in each session emphasized that the focus of missions is the proclamation of the gospel. Each session was extremely Christ-centred, and the speakers very well raised up Christ as the focus of, motivation for and the center of missions.
No, Everyone is Not a Missionary
The Lord might call you to go as a missionary, or he might call you to stay and send missionaries, and neither call is greater than the other. But the words “missionary” and “missions” apply directly to those who “go” into the nations, to a different culture/people group, bringing the gospel of Christ. One thing I appreciated was that throughout the conference, there was talk around defining the word “missions” and “missionary”, a word that they described as having become too blurred today. We’ve all heard the, “every Christian is a missionary if you evangelize” saying, and there is immense danger in saying that, for if everything is missions and everyone is a missionary, then there will be a huge decline in people going into the nations with the gospel. There is a clear distinction between ministry and missions, and I appreciated that they spoke to that. I have heard far too often that there is no need to go because “you can do missions right where you are,” and I think the distinction here that needs to be made is that of ministry and missions.
The Lord might call you to go as a missionary, or he might call you to send missionaries, and no call is greater than the other. But the word “missionary” and “missions” applies directly to those who “go” into the nations, to a different culture or people group, bringing the gospel of Christ.
As John Piper says, “if everyone is doing missions, then very likely missions is going to be lost.” I think he defines the distinction very well in this article, if you would like to read more on that.
For instance, as passionate as I am about pro-life work and believe that every Christian should be prayerful for the end of abortion, I personally wouldn’t call any pro-life work I’m involved with in North America as “missions”; I would call it ministry. When I share the gospel with someone on the street in Chicago, that is not missions and I am not being a missionary in doing that. It’s not any less important, but it is not missions. Making this distinction is crucial, and I think the words “missionary” and “missions” were well defined in the conference.
Compelled by Christ’s love
Throughout the sessions, we were reminded that there are 3,000 people groups that are unreached, people groups where the gospel of Jesus Christ has not yet reached and do not have a Bible in their language. That means that even today, people around the world in 3,000 people groups have lived and died never hearing the name of Jesus Christ or having touched a Bible. One thing I really appreciated throughout the conference was the emphasis of how Christ’s love compels us to go. We do not go out of guilt, but we go compelled by His love and driven by love for Him.
A Sense of Urgency
John Piper closed the conference in the last session with reminding of the urgency of missions, and that the “optimal time” to go into the nations doesn’t exist. There will never be a perfect time when no difficult circumstances or barriers to going overseas are entirely lifted. If we wait for an optimal time to live out our calling, we never will. He reminded of how most of Tyndale’s work was done in the midst of immense suffering, and difficult circumstances, even imprisonment. The way Piper phrased it, “if you wait for the optimal time to be a missionary, you will not be one.” This closing session was deeply convicting and a good reminder of the urgency of missions and the sovereignty of God over my life as I follow his call for my life to be a missionary, according to his timing and will, even if it may not seem like “the optimal time” to me. Whenever the time comes for me to, Lord willing, go overseas, it will never feel like the “optimal” time.
Treasuring and Knowing the Word of God
Throughout the conference, there was a beautiful emphasis on the proclamation of the Word of God as the focus of missions, and every speaker maintained a high view of Scripture. Tyndale’s life and legacy move me to, with deep gratitude, treasure my Bible. Knowing that Tyndale gave his life so I can hold a copy of the Bible in a language I can understand makes me want to live in my Bible, love it more, study it deeper, and value it more. Knowing that 3,000 people groups around the world do not have a copy of the Bible in their language, makes my heart burdened for the unreached even more.
Coming back to Moody
I came back to Moody from the conference yesterday, refreshed and energized to throw myself back in these classes, with a refreshed sense of passion to learn more about the Bible. Although I know that I, Lord willing, want to be a missionary to unreached people groups in the future (I will write a post sometime on that), I am excited to use this time at Moody to equip myself so that I can make Him known to those who haven’t heard in the future. As I sit in Systematic Theology and Hebrew Grammar, and Trinitarian Theology (a few of my classes this semester), I can remember that what I am learning deeply here is equipping me for wherever the Lord calls me to after. It makes me grateful that I can walk less than 10 mins from my dorm room to a library with thousands of theological resources. It makes my heart burdened deeper to know thousands of people around the world have never touched a Bible, where I have so much in abundance here. It reminds me that, to whom much is given, much is required, and I am accountable for how I use the access to resources I have to knowing the Lord. I have a responsibility, not only to myself and the Lord, to know Him deeply, but to the people He may call me to reach in the future.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” -Matthew 28:19-20
Each session this week led me to a deeper knowledge of and love for Christ. I left the conference having learned a lot, feeling a lot of conviction, and feeling deeply encouraged and refreshed.
These are just some initial reflections and thoughts, and I could write extensively more on each of these areas, which I hope to do as and when I find more time!!
