1 week down..it’s been a crazy one!
For my Missions class this semester, I have to read John Piper’s Let the Nations be Glad, among other texts. I would encourage anyone to read it..just make sure you have some time for digestion on your hands! In it, Piper quotes John Scott who writes “The highest of missionary motives is neither obedience to the Great Commission (as important as that is), nor love for sinners who are alienated and perishing (strong as that incentive is, especially when we contemplate the wrath of God), but rather zeal- burning and passionate zeal-for the glory of Jesus Christ.”
At first I thought to myself “hmm..that’s a nice quote. ..Yay Jesus!” But in all honesty, the more that it has sunken in, the more I have realized that its implications are quite radical..especially to the modern believer.
For most of the summer I have been reading and processing the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 9. What has been particularly challenging to me is verses 15-18 where Paul describes the different rights that he desires to put aside, that the Gospel might not be hindered:
“But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing these things to secure any such provision. For I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of my ground for boasting. For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward, but if not of my own will, I am still entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my reward? That in my preaching I may present the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the Gospel.”
The right that Paul is referring to in these verses is his right to be paid for his ministry. The rest of the chapter up until this point makes that distinction clear. And yet, Paul says that he would rather die than let this right get in the way of others hearing and receiving the Gospel!!
I chose to think of it this way:
Pretend that some scientist found the cure for cancer. Imagine that this scientist told you, therefore entrusting you with an amazing message of hope. You would have 2 choices. You could either use that information to your advantage, elevating yourself with it and desiring that others praise you for it and reward you for it, or you could proclaim the message for what it is, celebrating with those you tell that cancer indeed has a cure.
When believing Christians tell others about Jesus they have a similar option, so it seems. We can emphasize people pleasing through a more social gospel presentation, and we can pat ourselves on the back and think that through obedience to the Great Commission that we are somehow more righteous and deserving of praise. Or, we can celebrate the work of the Savior on the cross, reveling in his greatness, his glory, and in his sovereignty over all things. For Paul, it was not his ability to gain that he saw as reward when it came to the Gospel. The Gospel was his reward. It was his motivation. It was his source of delight.
So we could either tell people that there’s a cure for cancer in order to personally gain, or we could tell people that there’s a cure for cancer, and celebrate the good news all over again with each proclamation of the good news. May disciples of Jesus Christ see that in a similar fashion, our Gospel presentations are for us too..that we may be partakers of the Gospel alongside those we tell..that we might enjoy and celebrate what the good news of Jesus Christ does in the present!
Believer, may the Gospel be new to you today. May your delight in it alone, and in Jesus Christ himself satisfy you. May He be your prize, and may you count celebrating him through sharing the Gospel all the reward you will ever need. And to think that eternal glory is on its way too..how unworthy we are of this bounty of grace.
Blessings.
