Every generation wants to see the Great Commission fulfilled in their lifetime. But for all our urgency, fidelity is often the casualty. Elliot Clark’s new book, Mission Affirmed: Recovering the Missionary Motivation of Paul (Crossway/TGC), presses us to reconsider the missionary example of the apostle Paul. Here are 20 quotes that caught my attention.
Paul’s ministry was motivated by more than the pioneer advance of the gospel. The anxiety he felt about Corinth was common to his experience with multiple churches (2 Cor. 11:28). He was constantly concerned with issues of ecclesial unity, moral purity, theological accuracy, and leadership development. Paul’s goal wasn’t just to preach the gospel but to teach the whole counsel of God and present everyone mature in Christ (Acts 20:27; Col. 1:28). Paul was a goer and, sometimes when possible, a stayer. (17)
In missions, we recruit missionaries with urgency, not toward longevity. We tend to go fast, or we don’t go at all. We invest untold material and personnel resources to help others in the short term but do so in ways that often hurt them in the long run. We start countless programs and projects, only to watch many fizzle out and die. While our missionary mantra of late has been “Work yourself out of a job,” one has to wonder if a more appropriate goal would be, “Build something that lasts.” (21)
My concern, and one reason for writing this book, is that we’re living at a time in global missions today when the gospel and faithful ministry are threatened by the tyranny of the urgent. We’re driven by a vision of “Mission Accomplished.” To that end, we’ve often sacrificed the important for the immediate, the best for the most pressing. Over the last few decades, as our focus has been on reaching the unreached and finishing the task, we’ve increasingly prioritized rapid reproduction, with a programmatic and results-driven focus that looks more like Western capitalism and business franchising than genuine Christlike servanthood and faithful stewardship. (23)
Today, I’m deeply concerned that much of evangelical Christian missions is a straw house built on a sandy shore. . . . Many assume that the all-important goal of reaching the lost validates our use of almost any means. . . . At such a time as this, we don’t necessarily need more impassioned pleas about opportunity and urgency. While those are important, I’m convinced that what we desperately need are voices of discernment, calls for wise investment, and plans for better building. (25)
The goal of missions isn’t quick gains but lasting results. (56)
We should carefully consider every aspect of our ministries. Not all sacrifices receive God’s acceptance. Divine commendation is not the birthright of every missionary. (57)
While there are multiple examples of Paul being distracted away from pioneer evangelism for the sake of existing churches, there’s a striking lack of complementary examples where Paul intentionally left a struggling church for the sake of pushing into an unreached area. (67n14)
Western theology tends to ask why God allows suffering more than how he uses it. (72n17)
Western missionary colonization still happens. Sure, we’re no longer exporting pews and pipe organs. We’re beyond that. But we do import our comforts and our fears. We implicitly inculcate others with our timidity, secrecy, contingency, and luxury. The great danger of cultural colonization isn’t gone; it’s only changed. We’re still making disciples in our image. (78)
I’ve personally heard from national leaders on at least three continents—even in unreached areas—who all say essentially the same thing: “Please don’t send more missionaries.” By that they don’t mean, “Never come.” They mean, ask before you come. Be a learner before you arrive. Listen to local advice. Partner with a national congregation. The paternalism of past generations won’t be resolved simply by doing our own thing or working in isolation with one national, then calling it a partnership. Missionaries should pursue genuine relationship, fellowship, and ongoing collaboration with local churches and their leaders. (90–91)
Simply having a heart to help and a plane ticket in hand doesn’t make one a missionary. Sharing the gospel or being passionate about reaching the unreached, while admirable, is not what qualifies someone to be sent out. (92)
Sometimes Western Christians speak as if what qualifies someone for ministry is the recognition that they aren’t really qualified. We’ve equated the admission of inability with the virtue of humility. Similarly, I’ve seen churches eagerly encourage all who feel called to missions yet hesitate to place any requirements of education or experience upon them. We easily affirm their willingness to sacrifice without considering their ability to serve. (93)
It’s not enough to listen to national believers. You need to need them. (103)
For [many] missionaries, simple teaching isn’t a concession; it’s the strategic ideal. . . . [But] Paul’s goal wasn’t mere reproduction, but spiritual maturity and gospel fidelity. (117)
[Paul] didn’t passively wait for the Spirit or speak up only when he discerned that God was already at work. He didn’t enter a city and delay preaching until he found a person of peace. He didn’t defer to dreams and visions, only speaking with those already interested in Jesus. Nor was Paul’s method to reluctantly submit personal opinions and defer to his hearers. He didn’t facilitate self-discovery or promote group-led discussions of the Bible. If there wasn’t a preacher, how could he be confident that the lost would believe and be saved (Rom. 10:14)? Without a teacher, how would they understand (cf. Acts 8:31)? (146–47)
When reaching others becomes your primary end, you’ll easily justify any means. (151)
Throughout his ministry, Paul made strategic decisions based not solely on what would reach more people but also on what would receive more praise. His desire for God’s approval directed his missionary ambition. (203)
For missions to flourish in our day, I believe we’ll need to recover this promise of reward from our Savior—and this neglected motivation of the apostle. If we’re to inspire a generation of comfortable Christians to take up their cross and follow Jesus to the hard places, if we’re to stir up Westerners to gladly surrender their wealth for the sake of the gospel and the poor, and if we’re to awaken a new generation of missionary heroes willing to sacrifice their all for the sake of God’s fame among the nations, then I believe we need a renewed theology of sacrifice and reward. The one who gives most in this life is the one who expects most from the next. Sacrificial missions won’t survive without the assurance of reward. (205)
Seeking God’s approval has a way of wonderfully redirecting every other aspect of our missionary endeavor, because God’s affirmation is more than just a glorious goal. Like a guidebook, it also directs our globe-trekking steps. God’s approval both motivates and regulates our every ambition. (220)
Paul’s ambition wasn’t simply to reach as many people as possible or to preach the gospel where Christ wasn’t named. One of his deepest passions, which he repeatedly refers to in the Corinthian correspondence, was his desire to receive honor and approval on the last day. Paul’s pursuit for God’s affirmation is his forgotten missionary ambition. (228)
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