The modern Western Church is full of career missionaries. They are all around you. Chances are, you have encountered at least one such person. Chances are, you are one of them yourself.
To understand what a career missionary is, one must first understand what a true missionary for Jesus Christ is.
A true missionary for Jesus Christ is one who not only is genuine in one's motives for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is one who is unapologetic for it, and will never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever seek to reduce or deny the power of it, which is the power of offense to save souls (Romans 1:16). Acts 5:27-29 makes this clear:
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
In Acts 5:27-29, the unbelieving world is seeking to oppose the preaching of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostles respond by saying that they cannot stop preaching the Gospel of Jesus Chris. Importantly, they did not ever ever ever seek to present it in a more 'culturally sensitive' way so as to not offend.
You may say, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to the world. Good! As it should! The Christian should never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever be ashamed of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to offend. Rather, he should be glad it offends the world, for this offense is the full power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to save (Romans 1:16). There are several verses in the Bible which say that the power of Scripture is of the Word of God itself:
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29).
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20).
To even think about attempting even reduce this offensive power is itself to deny the teaching of the Word of God, for the power is of the Word of God itself. Without this power, the Word of God is itself denied. Thus, to reduce the offensive power of the Gospel is itself to deny the teaching of Word of God. This is extremely vile, and despicable in and of itself, for it is to say that God that one thinks it is in error, that it needs to be changed to suit the flesh of man.
Attempting to remove the offense from the Word of God itself to not offend unbelieving world is itself to pander to the carnal sensitivities of man. To even think of that is itself vile, wicked, despicable, evil and to blaspheme God.
So, to claim that one is a true follower of Christ, obeying His Command for the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), but yet deny the power of the Gospel, or attempt to reduce it, is itself hypocrisy. Such is what 2 Timothy 3:5 refers to people in the Last Days who "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof". That is why 2 Timothy 3:5 says: "from such turn away."
The modern Chuch in the west is full of such people. This includes many missionaries who have a form of godliness but deny the power, that is, its offensive power thereof. Such misssionaries are career missionaries, who despite being outwardly godly, are full of the fear of man, fearing man more than God, because they rely on man for money, that is, donations for their ministry, rather than God.
In seeking to not offend the unsaved, these hypocritical professing Christians who have a form of godliness, but deny its power offend God.
It is no wonder the unsaved in the west think the Church in the west think that religion is hypocrisy. The Church in the west is full of hypocrites which the world can see right through.
This indeed is a stumbling block for many unsaved people, and is one reason why the Church in the west in declining.
To understand what a career missionary is, one must first understand what a true missionary for Jesus Christ is.
A true missionary for Jesus Christ is one who not only is genuine in one's motives for preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is one who is unapologetic for it, and will never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever seek to reduce or deny the power of it, which is the power of offense to save souls (Romans 1:16). Acts 5:27-29 makes this clear:
And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us.
29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
In Acts 5:27-29, the unbelieving world is seeking to oppose the preaching of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. The apostles respond by saying that they cannot stop preaching the Gospel of Jesus Chris. Importantly, they did not ever ever ever seek to present it in a more 'culturally sensitive' way so as to not offend.
You may say, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is offensive to the world. Good! As it should! The Christian should never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever be ashamed of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to offend. Rather, he should be glad it offends the world, for this offense is the full power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to save (Romans 1:16). There are several verses in the Bible which say that the power of Scripture is of the Word of God itself:
Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God (Matthew 22:29).
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).
For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power (1 Corinthians 4:20).
To even think about attempting even reduce this offensive power is itself to deny the teaching of the Word of God, for the power is of the Word of God itself. Without this power, the Word of God is itself denied. Thus, to reduce the offensive power of the Gospel is itself to deny the teaching of Word of God. This is extremely vile, and despicable in and of itself, for it is to say that God that one thinks it is in error, that it needs to be changed to suit the flesh of man.
Attempting to remove the offense from the Word of God itself to not offend unbelieving world is itself to pander to the carnal sensitivities of man. To even think of that is itself vile, wicked, despicable, evil and to blaspheme God.
So, to claim that one is a true follower of Christ, obeying His Command for the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), but yet deny the power of the Gospel, or attempt to reduce it, is itself hypocrisy. Such is what 2 Timothy 3:5 refers to people in the Last Days who "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof". That is why 2 Timothy 3:5 says: "from such turn away."
The modern Chuch in the west is full of such people. This includes many missionaries who have a form of godliness but deny the power, that is, its offensive power thereof. Such misssionaries are career missionaries, who despite being outwardly godly, are full of the fear of man, fearing man more than God, because they rely on man for money, that is, donations for their ministry, rather than God.
In seeking to not offend the unsaved, these hypocritical professing Christians who have a form of godliness, but deny its power offend God.
It is no wonder the unsaved in the west think the Church in the west think that religion is hypocrisy. The Church in the west is full of hypocrites which the world can see right through.
This indeed is a stumbling block for many unsaved people, and is one reason why the Church in the west in declining.
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