Protectors or Proclaimers?

Last month I challenged you be selective on where you get your wisdom. I took my own

recommendation and immersed in a full week missionary leader conference two weeks ago. Not

only was it great for connections, but it was richness for my soul. Two of the speakers had

intersecting devotionals, which I am mashing together. Here is the core question: are we

satisfied as a church being protectors of the Gospel or are we serious about being proclaimers

of the Gospel.

Your first response is probably, “well, both”. That was my first response. There is value in

protecting the Word and the accuracy and the hope of the Gospel. But are we content to stop

there, or willing to be sold out in presenting it? We should have a HOLY DISCONTENT with the

spiritual condition of the world. I see social media posts (yes, danger zone!) every day about

the threat of Islam to the west, our way of life, culture and our freedom. I see lots of posts about

the moral decay due to secularism. Here is the tension to manage: Our first response is

defensive – to go into protection mode. Let’s throw those Muslims out, or, let’s try to shut down

that secular influence. I get the arguments for it, but God did not call us to protect Him, he

called us to proclaim the Good News. To be agents of transformation in this broken world.

Let me illustrate this with two passages from Acts. In Acts 3 and 4, Peter and John are heading

to the temple for prayer, come upon a lame man, and heal him by the power of Jesus. It creates

the opportunity for Peter to boldly launch into his second public sermon. Right there on the

temple mount. It got them arrested, and after a night in the clink, it also earned them a trial in

front of the Sanhedrin – the same folks who recently decided to kill Jesus to protect their power

base. Now, let’s pause. What would you do at this point? Dial LAWYERS??? When the

inquisition started, rather than mounting a defense, Peter presented the Gospel to the entire

Sanhedrin. He nails it in Acts 4:12. Go have a read.

In Acts 26, Paul has been arrested by the same bad actors and is now before King Agrippa to

mount his defense. But look at Acts 26, culminating in verse 29 with a call to accept Jesus

Christ. Paul doesn’t mount a legal defense for why he should be set free. He takes the

opportunity to proclaim the Gospel to several influential leaders here. Perhaps this point seems

subtle, but it is powerful. Is that Muslim down the road a threat to be thrown out, or is it an

opportunity to share eternal life with them? That secular person is passionately arguing for what

they think will make life better. Could we maybe lead them to that better existence they desire?

The late Paul Harvey, a brilliant radio commentator on American life once observed: “We’ve

drifted away from being fishers of men to being keepers of the aquarium.” I think he nailed

my point with that one phrase. The Joshua Project observes that there are now more believers

than ever before walking this earth. They also observe that there are now more people than

ever before walking this earth without the hope of Jesus Christ. We can’t afford to be content

keeping the aquarium – we need to get fishin’.

Give Hope! Give Life! Give Bibles!

Chuck Hayes