The Mission and Confession of the Church
By Dr. Robert Godfrey, President WSC
I think back on the history of the French Reformed Church, for example. A church that experienced, in the 1550s and 1560s, some of the most remarkable growth that perhaps the church has seen in her whole history. In the matter of a few years, the French Reformed Church grew by millions of adherents. And it grew in the face of severe persecution without any compromise of its doctrine or its worship. In fact, I think we would have to argue, that it grew very significantly because of its doctrine and its worship. It held up, before a world that had long been in bondage to superstition, idolatry and works righteousness, the glorious freedom from superstition, idolatry and works righteousness to be found in Christ. And it was the courageous, uncompromising testimony of those preachers, who went forth-largely from Geneva-to preach in France, that gathered those millions of adherents.
The graduates from the Genevan Academy used to joke that their graduation diploma was their death certificate. Students always have a strange sense of humor. But it was largely true, so many of them died as martyrs in France. The churches were known as “churches under the cross.” They were churches that experienced persecution. So many of the martyrs went to the stake singing Psalms that their persecutors took up the habit of tearing out their tongues so they were unable to sing on their way to the stake. These were extraordinary people who were militantly Reformed and doing the most remarkable job of missionary work amongst a people who had not known the Gospel. There was no tension between being Reformed and being missional.
And this point is made not just in the remote history of Reformed churches. Look at the 20th century history of the Reformed church in Nigeria and that of the Reformed church in Korea. But much more importantly, this is the teaching of the Scripture over and over again. It amazes me that so many people who are so enthusiastic about the Great Commission seem regularly to overlook that element of the Great Commission where Jesus says to His Apostles, “Go in to all the world and preach the Gospel, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”-not teaching those things that seekers respond to, not teaching those things that happen to fit in well into the cultures to which you go, but, “teaching all things that I’ve commanded you.”
The texts from January's conference on being Missional and Reformed are up. Go forth and read.
I think back on the history of the French Reformed Church, for example. A church that experienced, in the 1550s and 1560s, some of the most remarkable growth that perhaps the church has seen in her whole history. In the matter of a few years, the French Reformed Church grew by millions of adherents. And it grew in the face of severe persecution without any compromise of its doctrine or its worship. In fact, I think we would have to argue, that it grew very significantly because of its doctrine and its worship. It held up, before a world that had long been in bondage to superstition, idolatry and works righteousness, the glorious freedom from superstition, idolatry and works righteousness to be found in Christ. And it was the courageous, uncompromising testimony of those preachers, who went forth-largely from Geneva-to preach in France, that gathered those millions of adherents.
The graduates from the Genevan Academy used to joke that their graduation diploma was their death certificate. Students always have a strange sense of humor. But it was largely true, so many of them died as martyrs in France. The churches were known as “churches under the cross.” They were churches that experienced persecution. So many of the martyrs went to the stake singing Psalms that their persecutors took up the habit of tearing out their tongues so they were unable to sing on their way to the stake. These were extraordinary people who were militantly Reformed and doing the most remarkable job of missionary work amongst a people who had not known the Gospel. There was no tension between being Reformed and being missional.
And this point is made not just in the remote history of Reformed churches. Look at the 20th century history of the Reformed church in Nigeria and that of the Reformed church in Korea. But much more importantly, this is the teaching of the Scripture over and over again. It amazes me that so many people who are so enthusiastic about the Great Commission seem regularly to overlook that element of the Great Commission where Jesus says to His Apostles, “Go in to all the world and preach the Gospel, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you”-not teaching those things that seekers respond to, not teaching those things that happen to fit in well into the cultures to which you go, but, “teaching all things that I’ve commanded you.”
The texts from January's conference on being Missional and Reformed are up. Go forth and read.