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What We Believe and Why
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1986
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

THE AUTHORITY TO MISSIONIZE RESTS IN THE CHURCH
MARK 16:15

We believe that God gave the authority for doing mission work exclusively to the church and that it alone has the right to conduct mission work. As individuals participate in missions, they are to do so through the church.

I. Missions work is to be conducted directly by the church:

A. God gave the great commission to the church; not just to individuals apart from His church:

1. The commission is given in Mt. 28:19-20 to the first members of the church, I Cor. 12:28.

2. The commission is reemphasized in Acts 1:8.

B. The practice of the early Bible churches was to directly conduct mission work:

1. The Bible missionaries were directly approved and sent by the local church:

a. Acts 11:22 The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas directly by the church.

b. Acts 13:2-3 The Antioch church directly sent Paul and Barnabas.

C. Acts 15:39-40 Paul was sent a 2nd time directly by a church.

2. The Bible missionaries also answered to the local church:

a. Acts 14:26-28 Paul and Barnabas answered directly to their home church.

b. Acts 15:30-31 Again Paul answers to a local church.

c. Acts 18:22-23 Again the missionary answers directly to the church.

3. The Bible missionaries were directly supported by the local church:

a. Phil. 4:14-18 The Philippians directly supported Paul.

b. II Cor. 11:9 The Macedonians practiced direct missionary support, II Cor. 8:1-4.

C. II Cor. 11:8 Other churches supported Paul too.

C. It is also true that all the glory that God gets for souls saved, churches built, Christians made steadfast, etc. He wants to get through the church:

1. That's the institution which Eph. 5:25 says Christ "loved ... and gave Himself for."

2. He wants whatever glory that comes to Him to come through it for Eph. 3:21 says, "Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."

D. Remember too that God wants His business conducted in His way:

1. Missions is His business and the only way of doing it given in the Bible is the local church way.

2. No church is at liberty to alter God's method for missions.

E. When missionaries are sent directly by the church:

1. The church knows the missionary and each missionary is supported solely on his own merits and is personally responsible to the local church regardless of what any other missionaries supported by that church do or are.

2. All the voice of approving and administering each missionary rests solely in the church. This missionary receives 100% of the money sent by the church to him.

4. Once the church approves a missionary, no other religious organization has anything to say about whether he goes or not or what he does when he arrives.

II. The trend today is to depart from the "church sent" mission plan:

A. The tendency is to set up an organization to do the work the church originally did:

1. Such organizations are generally called boards or societies.

2. The board or society is often the arm or suborganization of a large organization of churches and thus is indirectly the organ of the churches.

3. The board sets up standards, approves, and administers missionaries.

4. Some even direct funds and determine a missionaries financial set up.

5. The missionary is directly responsible to and answers to this board.

B. This system is quite different from the local "church sent" missions system:

1. The board assumes the responsibility of the great commission, which was given to the church.

2. The board approves or disapproves the missionary and the church loses its voice in the matter:

a. it matters not that God called the missionary and the church would send him.

b. If he can't pass the physical, is too old, doesn't have sufficient education, or hasn't taken the missions course in their college, they usually won't approve him.

3. Once the missionary is sent, he answers to the boardfirst; the church second. The real power and authority lies in the board.

4. The board missionaries are only indirectly supported by the church.

5. Any glory that God would get out of the work of that type missions set up would come through the board, not through the church as Eph. 3:21 teaches.

C. This system is an alteration of God's plan. Thus we believe God does not approve or sanction it and neither do we:

1. We believe missionaries should be sent, administered, and supported solely and wholly by the church.

2. We believe thus that no person or group has any scriptural right to engage in missions work apart from the Lord's church.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"