February 27- Calvin on MIssions

February 27- Calvin on Missions
Ezekial 18:20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
21 "But if the wicked turn away from all the sins they have committed and keep all my decrees and do what is just and right, they will surely live; they will not die. 22 None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live. 23 Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?
Calvin: God certainly desires nothing more than for those who are perishing and rushing toward death to return to the way of safety. This is why the gospel is today proclaimed throughout the world, for God wished to testify to all the ages that he is greatly inclined to pity. (Commentary Ezek. 18:23)
The meaning amounts to this, that by proclaiming the gospel everywhere, they should bring all nations to the obedience of the faith, and next, that they should seal and ratify their doctrine by the sign of the gospel. (Commentary on Mathew 28:19-23)

Philip E. Hughes said that Geneva under Calvin became a “school of missions” where people learned about the need and the procedure to be missionaries. Later Calvinits (JH Rice of Union) would say that the church is a “missionary society” whose goal is to reach others. Presbyterians have started more mission fields than any other Protestant denomination (M. Carpenter).
In 1561 Geneva sent out 151 ministers to areas without Protestant Reformed ministers. They were evangelists, missionaries. Reformed ministers were sent from Geneva to Brazil and to North America- South Carolina (Port Royal).
Calvin knew that God was concerned about all people, no matter what they looked like, or where they lived. Contrary to what some want Calvin to have done and believed, he did send out missionaries and did believe in evangelism. Some would argue if you really believe in predestination, then you don’t have to invite others to know Christ or send missionaries out to minister to those who have never heard. Predestination in part means that God has a purpose for everyone- a plan for everyone. Just because there is a plan and a purpose, that does not excuse our sitting on our hands and not obeying God. For Calvin we do the work of an evangelist and go into all the world because God commands it- and that is enough. But we should also know that God does not plan despite what we do, but he works through what we do. It is utter nonsense to think God planned the cross so Jesus didn’t have to get up on it. It makes no sense that because Jesus predicted and knew certainly that Jerusalem would fall (Matthew 24) that the Romans didn’t have to fight to take it. God’s plan includes our actions (or inaction).

Prayer: God, when we see the news of tragedies around the world, help us to pray for those people. Help us to grow in our desire to see other people know your love, grace, mercy, and kindness.

February 26- Calvin on World Vision

God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and human beings, Christ Jesus, himself human, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 7 And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles. (I Timothy 2:4,5)

Calvin: "there is no people and no rank in the world that is excluded from salvation; because God wishes that the gospel should be proclaimed to all without exception. [those people insult God] "who, by their opinion, shut out any person from the hope of salvation.(Commentary on I Timothy 2:4,5)

One of our church members said that he was playing golf with a Baptist minister, who asked him if “he was a Calvinist.” Then he said that Calvin’s idea of predestination made Calvin not believe in missions. This is a common belief, not because of anything Calvin taught, but because people don’t think that anyone who spoke of predestination- which is God’s choosing us before we were born- could possibly be concerned with presenting the gospel so people could respond. There is an interesting article on this by Ray VanNeste at http://www.founders.org/journal/fj33/article2.html
A. M. Hunter, in his book on Calvin's teaching, said, "Certainly he [Calvin] displayed no trace of missionary enthusiasm." Some have even said that Calvin's teaching on predestination necessarily destroyed evangelistic fervor; "we are all familiar with the scornful rationalization that facilely asserts that his horrible doctrine of divine election makes nonsense of all missionary and evangelistic activity." Others, however, have said: "One of the natural results of Calvin's perspective of predestination was an intensified zeal for evangelism."
Calvin believed that God does predestine people, but he uses our words to do it. Contrary to many, Calvin never saw predestination as an excuse for inaction. It was through our telling others of the good news of Christ that the elect responded to Christ and the non-elect do not.
In his commentary on I Timothy 2:4,5 Calvin was saying that everyone should hear the gospel- no matter how rich, how poor, whether they are close are far away. We should never pick and choose who should hear the good news of Christ. Only God elects, our job is to proclaim to all people. Later, as we shall see, Calvin sent out 88 missionaries to France alone. He wrote tons of letters to people in other countries to spread the good news. He sent two ministers from Geneva to Brazil to begin to spread the good news there among Huguenot colonists and the natives.
Frankly, we are too quick to say only certain kind of people should be invited to church by us, or invited to hear the good news of Christ. When I lived on the coast of South Carolina, twice a year there were huge motor bike rallies. Some ministers from our area were complaining about these people because they were noisy, some said some tough words to the natives, and drinking and drug abuse went up during that week. But there were a couple of ministers who spoke about their efforts of trying to reach these migrating groups. Some churches set up lemonade stands, and passed out tracts. One church hired their own evangelist to do work among them. Everyone who breathes needs Jesus. Whatever benefit I have received from Christ is that much more reason to tell another about him. John Calvin, I believe, would agree.

Prayer- Lord help us to see others as you see them. Help us to be concerned with other people, and to grow in love of neighbor as well as those far off or different from us. Amen.