Project Description

2014/09

Distinctives

Features of Free Presbyterianism

EVANGELICAL AND EVANGELISTIC

There was no one there. The lepers ventured into the Syrian camp realizing that death was likely no matter what they did. They went from tent to tent, found food and drink, silver, gold and clothing, but there was no one there!  They feasted and they hid, but the realisation dawned that good news should not be hidden.  “We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace” (2 Kings 7:9).

Good news is always worth sharing, so these men determined to ‘go and tell.’ While the news would have been a source of great joy to the people of Samaria, it pales in comparison to the greatest news of all: the forgiveness, peace and reconciliation with God through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ!  We have good news to tell.

When those of my generation read or hear of the foundational days of the Free Presbyterian Church, one thing stands out. I remember, as I contemplated joining the Church, being struck by what set the denomination apart: It had a burden to go and reach souls with the gospel of Christ.  By the grace of God, our Church is both Reformed in principle and reaching in practice. It is not only evangelical, but is distinctly evangelistic. Thus, those early days were marked by efforts to enable people to hear the good news – open airs were held; missions were conducted in local halls; doors were knocked, and a radio ministry pioneered to get the gospel to the masses.

This phenomenon was not the novel idea of those seeking to market a new denomination. Rather it arose as the Spirit of God filled men and caused them to see the truth of the Scriptures.
Thus this distinctive must mark our church in these days as much as in the past. It is not enough to preach the gospel to the converted, as important as that is – we must endeavour to bring the gospel to the lost. Our task is that of the servant in Luke 14:23: “Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”  Hence, as we pray in our prayer meetings for God to bring the people in, we must determine to put feet to our prayers and go and reach those people for the Lord.

Foundation
This distinctive has a sound theological foundation.
• God has given people to His Son before the world began. “I have much people in this city.” (Acts 18:10)
• Those people will come to Christ.  “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me.” (John 6:37)
• They will come in repentant faith.  “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
• Faith is a gift of God in response to the hearing of the Word of God. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  (Romans 10:17)
• Hearing comes in response to the voices of those who, with beautiful feet, “preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15)

Our task, then, is to bring the gospel to the lost and play our role in the outworking of God’s eternal plan of redemption.  Being Reformed in doctrine should never hinder our evangelistic efforts, but rather enhance them!

Application
This distinctive will have a practical application. The command of the risen Lord to the early church has a profoundly practical challenge. Recorded for us in Mark’s gospel, it reads: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

God has established His church for the purpose of fulfilling His will in saving people from every nation. The command is plural, and, addressed to the apostolic company, it sets the pattern for the church in this age. Those apostles are the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20) and the foundation of a house establishes the plan for the superstructure of the building. As they were told to go, so are we. We may do many good and valuable things in our congregations, but unless we are going into the world with the gospel we are not obeying the Lord’s commission.

The gospel should be announced in all places. The command is clear: ‘Go…into all the world.’ The Apostles were to be witnesses of Christ “in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) God’s will is to use us as He seeks the lost, so let us be active in going into the world.  We must go to Australia, to Nepal, to Kenya, to Mexico, to Liberia, and the rest. But are there places in town and country which we look on as ‘no-go areas’ for the gospel? We will always be tempted to wait for the lost to come to us but the command is to go to them. How we do this work will vary from place to place. We must be “wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) Clearly the Spirit-led church will separate and send people out to preach the Word in the world (Acts 13:1-5). But every child of God must be a witness for Christ.  Like Andrew to Simon we can tell others: “We have found the [Christ]” (John 1:41). Like the scattered disciples we can go “everywhere preaching the word.” (Acts 8:4)

The gospel should be announced to all peoples. We must offer Christ to all men without distinction. We must reach children as well as adults. We must reach both male and female. We must endeavour to go to people whatever their sin, whatever their ethnicity, whatever their religion. The gospel is for the republican paramilitary, the recalcitrant sodomite, the religious legalist: they all need Christ, and He is able to save! Too many think that ‘our Christ’ is not for ‘them’. But He is for the world. He is come to save ‘whosoever’. There must be no sectarianism in the preaching of Christ.  The church in Corinth was made up of “fornicators… idolaters… adulterers… effeminate… abusers of themselves with mankind…thieves… covetous… drunkards…revilers… extortioners” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). What a company! And all now saved by the precious blood of Christ, all now united in Christ!

As we go to sinners we should always remember that we have the best news to tell.  The lost around us need to hear the truth of the gospel: Christ died; was buried and rose again; and is the way back to God from the dark paths of sin! They need to hear the message of Christ. To know the gospel is one thing.  To go into the world is another thing.  To know and go is the right thing.

Dr Stephen Pollock.