Some folks believe that the Great Commission has been fulfilled long ago, while others disagree. I have found a rather balanced article on the issue, called Mission Accomplished.
Here is an interesting quote:
However, I have witnessed some Christians who are very zealous about
foreign evangelism use the Great Commission passages in such a way as to
try to make brethren feel guilt or remorse for not traveling to some
other country to preach and teach. They make comments, whether from the
pulpit or in conversation, that would make one think they should
question their own faithfulness for not being eager to travel to Africa,
or India, or the Philippines, or wherever. Shame on anyone who dares
one make his brethren feel guilty for not engaging in foreign
evangelism! Are the lost souls in Africa more precious in the sight of
God than the lost souls in our own town? Of course not!
(emphasis mine)
Personally I think that even if the Great Commission wasn't fulfilled in the 1st century AD, it has been surely fulfilled by now. Plus, we have the internet so that anybody anywhere can read the Gospels online and before someone objects that all Third Worlders are poor and have no access to it, I regularly get visitors from India, African countries etc. So the wealthier people in these countries who have access to the internet can convert from reading the Bible (I did, without anyone preaching to me personally) and then go and enlighten their country folks. It's not uniquely a European Man's Burden, after all!
I agree. I think modern-day 'mission trips' done by youth from First World churches are all too often merely glorified vacations, and the money spent on subsidizing such vacations could be better spent on local ministry, food banks, homeless shelters, etc. But of course, such causes are less 'sexy' than overseas mission trips, and so those get the donations from pew-dwellers, after the youth pastor / group leader makes the pitch from the pulpit... (I have argued thus before, here.)
ReplyDeleteYes, "sexy" has definitely to do with it, though it quite another can of worms. Thanks for the link!
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