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Renewing Your Mind
Sharing the Good News
00:51:45
Jesus sends His church to make disciples of all nations. But He does not send us alone. Today, W. Robert Godfrey considers Christ’s promise to be with us as we fulfill our corporate responsibility of evangelism and discipleship. Request W. Robert...
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- [00:00]
W. Robert Godfrey
I'm with you always is an encouraging thing to say. But isn't it somewhat more encouraging to know that Jesus isn't just with us always, he's with us every day. That's the promise here. Wherever you go, all the places you go, I'm with you. And I'm with you as the one who is in control.
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Nathan W. Bingham
As we share the good News and seek to fulfill the Great Commission, there is even more good news. We are not alone. Jesus is with us. Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Renewing youg Mind. And today Ligonier's chairman, W. Robert Godfrey, reflects on the Great Commission and Jesus work to build his church. One moment in church history that we often reflect on is the Lord's work of reformation in the 16th century. While in the 17th century, Reformation truths were under attack. And in response to that attack came what are often called the five points of Calvinism. Read a new translation and pastoral commentary on that response to the attack in Dr. Godfrey's book Saving the Reformation. Simply make a donation of any amount@renewingyourmind.org and we'll get a copy in the mail for you. But respond today as this offer ends at midnight. Well, here's Dr. Godfrey on the Church's work of evangelizing the nations and making disciples of all peoples.
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W. Robert Godfrey
As I pondered what we call the Great Commission at the end of Matthew's Gospel, I thought how there's nothing guilt inducing in the Great Commission, there's only encouragement. So I'm here to encourage you in the great calling that Christ has placed on our lives. And let me read those very, very familiar words. I. I think it's important to read them because often I hear them not quoted correctly or not quoted completely. And so I want us to think carefully about the words of the Great Commission today that we might be encouraged and in our encouragement move forward to serve Christ. Let me start at verse 16 of Matthew 28. Now, the 11 disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him, they worshiped him. But some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, let me read my own translation of the Great Commission, which is not as elegant but a little more literal. And Jesus came and said to them, given to me is all controlled in heaven and on earth go therefore discipling all peoples, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you all the days until the completion of the Age. This is a great commission. This is a wonderful declaration of our Lord. It's an amazing declaration in many ways. They're back in Galilee after the resurrection. That should always sort of surprise us. Jesus had entered Jerusalem as king, as Messiah, as Lord, and he'd been rejected. And he died outside the gates. And now, although he's raised to glory and will soon ascend to be seated at the right hand of the Father. What he said to his disciples was, meet me in Galilee. Meet me in that nowhere place where we began. Let's go back to the beginnings as we think about moving forward. And they met him in Galilee, on the mountain to which he directed them. Which mountain, I suspect, can't be sure, of course. I suspect it's the Sermon on the Mount Mountain. Jesus is meeting with them there. And we read they worshiped him. But some doubted. Or maybe better. It's a little hard to know for sure. Maybe some hesitated. Even though he was raised from the dead, even though he had done just what he promised, even though he was there before them, alive. They hesitated. They're not sure what to do. They're back where they started. They're back to humble beginnings. Galilee is nowhere. And what does Jesus have to say to them? He says, one might almost say the most remarkable thing imaginable. Given to me, obviously, by the Father, given to me is all power, all control. Authority is a good translation. All authority is given unto me. But authority, I think, often sort of suggests in our minds people who have a certain measure of power but aren't actually in control of everything. Jesus is insisting to his disciples. Jesus is making this claim that all power is his, all control is his. And there's a universality to the claim of his reign here that he wants to impress in this humble place to these very, very humble followers. There aren't even 12 of them. There are only 11. All authority on earth and in heaven. Most of the time, when we're living our lives, we're only looking at earth and what's going on around us in the little unimportant places that most of us live. And Jesus is saying, wherever you are on earth, all control and authority is mine there. But just in case your mind rises to heaven, just in case you've listened later in your lives to the apostle Paul about our struggle not being against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers in the heavenly places, let me assure you, all power is given to me in the heavens as well. All authority in all places is mine. Jesus says, remarkably. And therefore I'm sending You to all peoples. I think when we translated nations here, that's a fine translation. But his focus is not that he wants his apostles to go to Washington and to London and to Paris. It's that he wants them to go to all peoples. All the peoples of the earth need to hear the Gospel. And that's where Jesus is sending his apostles to talk in the authority of the Jesus who reigns over all to all peoples. And he wants them to give to the peoples all his commands. Teach them everything I've commanded you. And then he concludes this commission by saying so encouragingly, so encouragingly, as you go, as you go, I'm with you all days, every day. Now, to say, as the translators do, I'm with you always, is an encouraging thing to say. But isn't it somewhat more encouraging to know that Jesus isn't just with us always, he's with us every day. That's the promise here. Wherever you go, all the places you go, I'm with you. And I'm with you as the one who is in control. And he speaks this way because this little band of rather defeated and hesitant men is now being given a huge commission, a huge charge and responsibility. And Jesus wants them to undertake that responsibility with confidence. You're not going on your own. You're not going alone. You're not going with all the responsibility. You're going in the name and with the company of Jesus, who says, I will build my church and the gates of hell will not withstand its advance. That's the promise. That's the encouragement. Early in Matthew's Gospel, at Matthew 8, 11, we read Jesus saying, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. And he's sending them out to bring the many in to sit at table with him in the kingdom of his Father. And Jesus has promised throughout the Gospels, perhaps most powerfully and clearly in John chapter six, not one will be lost. Isn't that a glorious promise? Not one of Christ's elect will be lost. Everyone whom the Father calls will come to him. Everyone for whom Christ died will come to faith. Not one will be lost. And so he sends them out with this encouraging word to go and make disciples. It struck me in thinking about this, he doesn't say, go and try to make disciples. I think that's the way we often read it. Okay, boys, time to go. Do your best. Try to make a disciple or two. It's not what he says at all, is it? He says, go and make disciples. And what did they do? They went and made disciples. That's what the Book of Acts is all about, isn't it? Making disciples. Now, part of the sorrow of life is that not everyone who hears the message of Jesus responds in faith and repentance. That's a real sorrow, but it's not a failure. It's not a failure on your part. It's not a failure on Jesus part. Our commission was not to go and try to make disciples and do the best we can. Our commission was to go and make disciples and see people coming to Jesus. And 2000 years after this commission, around about 2000 years, maybe 1995 years, if we're looking for an anniversary, 2000 years after this commission, what do we see? We see that disciples have been made through every century and increasingly around the world until the Church of Jesus Christ has discipled the peoples all around the world. Not everyone. And our work is not complete because the Lord has not returned. There are still people who need to hear the message and be made disciples. But what a wonderful thing it is that Jesus is using us to build his church. We are not building his church. He's building his church through us and what we do. And that's our calling before Him. And it's a calling that we must pursue with joy and certainty that Jesus is accomplishing his purpose. And what we can see in church history is that he accomplishes his purpose in different ways at different times. Sometimes the Spirit seems more active in certain parts of the world than in others. Certain times, the church seems to be surging and growing dramatically and visibly. At other times, the church seems to be shrinking. It's interesting. I read a statistic that 75% of the people in the Netherlands have never been to a religious service. They've never been to a service in a church. Not a baptism, not a funeral, not a wedding. Nothing, ever. 75%. But then I just heard at this conference that there's someone from the Netherlands here who was asked, how's the church in the Netherlands? And the answer was, it's good. It's strong. So from one perspective, the church may be fading. It may not be as strong as it once was. From another perspective, what's happening? Disciples are being made. The church is being built. Christ is accomplishing his purpose. We should take confidence in that. And Jesus makes clear how we do that. How do we make disciples? He makes disciples through word and sacrament. Now, there has to be a better way than that. Has to be something more interesting, more exciting, has to be something newer. Americans, we're not all Americans here, but we're either American or want to be. That is the great American arrogance. As Americans, what are we? We're innovators. We're planners. We're program makers. What's the new program? The new program is the Word and the sacrament, actually, as we'll get to the sacrament. And since most of us in American churches have forgotten the sacrament, there is something new for us. Make disciples through the means Jesus has given us, the simple means, certain of success, that Jesus will do his work through us. So we go at this commission with certainty. And we need to see clearly that this commission is given to the church. Too often the commission is seen too individualistically. Are you individually fulfilling the Great Commission? Well, there's a role for every individual. But the primary focus of this commission is to the church. It's the church that makes disciples. It's the church that baptizes. It's the church that teaches everything. It's the church that commissions even apostles to go out places to minister. So this is above all a churchly commission and a churchly responsibility. And we have to see that as churches, as local congregations, our role in the Great Commission, to make disciples, to make Jesus known, to draw people to him. Now there's a role for individuals. I'm supposed to be practical in this message. I'm sort of opposed to practice in principle, but there is a role for individuals. What is your role individually? Well, in the first place, it's to be part of the church and active in the church. The church can't make disciples if you're not a disciple. There's an arresting statement in the Heidelberg Catechism, question 86, having described justification by grace alone, through faith alone. The catechism asked, so why then do we still do good works? And the last part of the answer is, so that by our holy living, our neighbors might be won to Christ. I wonder how much we really think about that as part of the evangelistic calling of individuals and of the church. So that by our holy living, our neighbors might be one to Christ. You can't make disciples if you're not a disciple. And that's what I think Christ is reminding us of here. How does your life look to those around about you in the places that you live? Christ will use holy living first. Peter talks about that, doesn't he, in chapters two and in chapter three, about how life can testify to Christ without a word. And that that's important, maybe more important. Certainly the holiness of life must support any word spoken. And then you need to know what you believe. You can talk about things you know. If you don't know, you can't talk. Well, that's not entirely true. Politics has proven that. But we have to know what we believe. That's why I'm so enthusiastic about the work of Ligonier. Ligonier is about the work of helping Christians and churches know more clearly, study more deeply, grow in knowing the word of God. And then as individuals, we can speak. We can speak out of what we live and what we know. And it seems to me the best way to begin to speak is to speak about what Jesus has done for you. I think we often are intimidated if we think we have to speak to people about what they need to do for Jesus or about what Jesus has to do for them. Now, there's a place for that kind of speech. But I think the way to open up conversation as individuals is to try to speak more naturally, more authentically about what Jesus has done for you. What has Jesus done for you? Do you have anything to say? We have to cultivate a kind of naturalness about that. And when we're all functioning properly as individuals, we're all contributing to this calling of the church as a whole, to be making disciples, because the Scriptures tell us that ultimately the church is the mother of the faithful. When Ligonier announced the topic for this conference, I will build my church, were you thrilled or disappointed? Did you think the church is an important topic or not so important? Jesus wants us to know about the church. Jesus wants us to be enthusiastic about his project, which is to build his church. And that brings us to what, for many American evangelicals, I think, is the surprising part of the commission that Jesus says baptizing them. If you were writing three verses to summarize what Jesus is after in the world, would you have included baptism? Why does Jesus include it? What does it mean? Is it important? Well, we know it's important because if you look carefully at the Great Commission, you'll discover it's a chiasm. The Great Commission begins with Jesus and ends with Jesus. And then the Great Commission talks about teaching and talks about teaching, making disciples, teaching them to observe all things. I've commanded them. And in the middle is baptism. Why is baptism in the middle? Why is baptism emphasized? Why is baptism mentioned at all? Too often for us, we talk about baptism only to dispute who and when baptism ought to be administered. And the minute we stop fighting about that, we don't think about baptism at all. Isn't that right? We don't Talk a great deal about the importance of. Of my baptism to me. Of your baptism to you. How often do you think to yourself, I'm baptized. That's spiritually important. Baptism, I think, as it's presented to us in the Gospels, and particularly in Matthew's Gospel, is not just a narrow, wet moment in our church. I always have to smile. We baptize covenant children in accordance with the Scriptures. I'll try to annoy the Paedo Baptist somewhere as I move on. And our pastor always has a kind of handkerchief or napkin there on the baptismal font. So as soon as we get the baby wet, we dry him off. And I'm never quite sure about the visual symbolism of that. We have the wet moment and then we dry him immediately off. But when we go back and look at the introduction of baptism in Matthew chapter three, where we're introduced to John the Baptist, just remember he's not John the Presbyterian. See, I'm trying to be an equal opportunity annoyer. What do we see when John the Baptist is introduced in Matthew chapter three? What we see is that John came preaching. John didn't come baptizing. And actually in Matthew chapter three, no one is told to be baptized. He must have told them to be baptized. They didn't invent it on their own. But that's not what Matthew is highlighting. What Matthew is highlighting is that John came preaching. And he came preaching faith and repentance. And it was people who heard the message and believed the message who said, yes, I need to be a repentant person. My life needs to be turned around. Who then were baptized? Baptism as a sign and a seal of faith and repentance. And so when Jesus says, go make disciples baptizing them, he's not talking just narrowly about the moment of baptism, but he's talking about what baptism means for the people of God. It means the church has preached. The church has preached the truth of Jesus and salvation in him. The church has preached repentance and the need for lives to be changed. The church has preached that we have to be cleansed by the Spirit of God from our sin and renewed by that Spirit to a newness of life. And then we begin to see why baptism is so central. Are you a new person in Christ? Are you a disciple? Do you have a new beginning? Do you have a new identity? Baptize them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. I thought we might almost say, once we're Christians and people say, what is your name? We might say, My name is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That's my identity. I've been baptized into God. My life is in God. My identity is in God. That's why we're all brothers and sisters here, because we all have the same Father. That's our identity. That's who we are. That's who Christ has made us. That's why baptism is so tremendously important. I'm struck in the traditional Dutch Reformed baptismal liturgy. You know, I'd eventually get there to the traditional Dutch Reformed baptismal liturgy that goes back to the 16th century. Asks the question, what does it mean to be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit? And the answer is that when we're baptized into the name of the Father, we're incorporated as children and heirs of the Father. We have a Father. That means we are children. That means we belong to the family. And when we are baptized into the name of the Son, we're washed in the blood of the Savior. We are transformed when we're baptized in the name of the Son. He washes us in his blood from all our sins, incorporating us into the fellowship of his death and resurrection, so that we are freed from all our sins and accounted righteous before God. That's what baptism means for us. Now, it's important to say this is not saying that's what baptism does for us. The water of baptism doesn't wash away our sin. The blood of Jesus washes away our sin. But the water of baptism is given as a visible word to tell us that the blood of Jesus Christ reaches everyone who responds in repentance and faith to the word of the Gospel. And everyone who wrestles with the question, can God love me? We should be able to pause and say, I know he can love me. His Word says he can love me. And the water of my baptism preaches to me that he loves me, that his love reaches even me. And when we're baptized into the Holy Spirit, we are promised that the Holy Spirit will dwell in us and sanctify us till we shall finally be presented, finally be presented without spot or wrinkle among the assembly of the elect in life eternal. What a promise. That's what our baptism keeps saying to us. It doesn't say to us just once. It keeps saying to us, every time we see a baptism, we ought to say, the promises made. There are promises made to me. We had a question the other day about is the promise to us and to our children in Acts chapter two. And the answer says, absolutely the Promises to us and to our children and to all who are afar off. Jesus comes with promises. He who comes to me, I will in no wise cast out. Come. Jesus is not ashamed or embarrassed to say come. And when Jesus says come, he's not an Arminian, but he knows that the Spirit of God uses the word of God to draw people to himself. Come, come, why will you perish? Says the Lord. And that's the promise. If you come, you'll be his, because he'll give you life. And the baptismal form makes crystal clear that in coming we have responsibilities. By baptism we are admonished of and obliged unto new obedience, namely, that we cleave to this one God, trust in him, love him with all our heart, that we forsake the world, crucify our old nature and walk in a godly life. That's what baptism says to us. This baptism is a seal and an indubitable testimony that we have an eternal covenant with God. Is that your self identity, that you have an eternal covenant with God? That's the promise of baptism. That's why Jesus highlights baptism. This is why baptism is really important and central in our lives. Maybe at the risk of being practical, maybe when we talk to people occasionally, we ought to say, have you been baptized? What does that mean to you? You know I've been baptized. And part of the joy of that, it means every day I know Jesus is with me. He made me a promise, he sealed that promise. And every day, because I'm baptized, because my new family name is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I can know that Jesus is with me. Have you been baptized? You really should be, you know. No, don't go there. Well, maybe baptism central to what Jesus is doing and calling us to do, it's central to making disciples. If you're here today and haven't been baptized, you ought to be. If you're not part of a church, and that's why you're not baptized, you ought to be. And then Jesus, in this commission, he's called us, as we think about this commission, be certain and encouraged by it. He's called us to see the churchly character of it. He's called us to see the sacramental character of it in baptism. And now he wants us to see the comprehensive character of it in terms of the teaching of the church. Go and teach them all that I have commanded you. No, he doesn't mean that. Right? This isn't a trick question. The answer is, of course he means it. But the church acts today in many, many Places as if he doesn't really mean it. Well, you know, if we teach all that he commands, it will alienate some people. Jesus has always alienated some people. What has Jesus commanded? Well, Matthew offers us a summary of what Jesus commands, doesn't he, in the Sermon on the Mount? Matthew 5, 7. We can go back and survey that summary. It's only a summary. It doesn't have everything. Oh, but wait a minute. We don't really want to say all those things to people, do we? Do we want to say, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Make the kingdom of God the first priority in your life. That's going to alienate people. Do we want to say, remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath unto the Lord thy God. Don't say that. That'll alien. Do we want to say that God hates divorce? No, I think there are biblical grounds for divorce, but God hates divorce. Do we want to say that room got very quiet. You see, Jesus wants real disciples. You've probably heard me say before, John chapter six is what I call Jesus Church shrinkage seminar. I've never seen anybody but Jesus hold a church shrinkage seminar, although I did have a church historian friend who once had a Scottish revival ends with all the churches being smaller. We'll depend on Dr. Ferguson to comment on that. Jesus in John chapter six starts out with 5,000 followers. And at the end of John chapter six, he has 11 followers. No one would have made him a church planter except the Father. And what does that chapter say? That chapter does not say small is better. That chapter says, Jesus wants true disciples and he'd rather have 11 true disciples than 5,000 fans. And this is a responsibility being given to us as the church teach all that Jesus commanded. You live out all that Jesus commanded as a true disciple, and that will help the church to grow and make other disciples in the holiness of your life. The work of the Holy Spirit bringing Christ to you will be seen. That's what we're called to. That's the comprehensive nature. Jesus never said, let's all sit together and figure out how to make this as easy as possible for people. And there have been missionaries that adopted that sort of strategy and said, well, you know, in some cultures, baptism is really controversial, so let's not require baptism. Is that fulfilling the Great Commission? You see, Jesus is demanding, he's loving, he's caring, he's Providing he's strengthening, but he's also demanding all authority in heaven, on earth have been given to him. And that means authority over your life and my life as well as the world's life. And he said, I've given you my word to tell you what my will is. Are you listening? Are you listening? This is what the Savior has come for. So practically, how do we summarize this? How do we fulfill the Great Commission? We fulfill the Great Commission by being a disciple and seeking to live a holy life. You know, I think a good test question is, do I want to do everything Jesus wants me to do? Do I want to do everything Jesus wants me to do? I think if you can't say yes to that, you're not a true disciple. Now hear me very carefully. I didn't say, do you do everything Jesus wants you to do? None of us would be true disciples then. But is it the desire of your heart to know Jesus will and to do it? If you had the strength, if you had the wisdom, if you had the holiness, would that be the desire of your heart? Then you're a true disciple. You'll fail often and he'll forgive you often. But where's your heart in relation to Jesus and following him? And then invite people to church. That assumes that you go to church. Invite people to church. People say, I don't know what to say to people. Can't you say to people, I go to this great church. Now, you shouldn't lie. I go to this pretty good church. I go to this church where there's real fellowship and caring. I go to this church where there's real truth telling and encouragement. I can't explain to you maybe everything about the Gospel or about the Bible or everything you need to know, but, but, you know, come to church with me. It's a great place to begin. You know, sometimes I think we act only people who are already disciples should come to church. That that's not really a biblical model. Invite people to church. That great preacher John Chrysostom said, when the gospel is preached, people are converted. And I think in the history of the church, that's what we see. Some people have to come years to church before they're converted. Some people come just once to church before they're converted. But the faithful preaching of the Gospel will be used by the Spirit and in the hearts of the elect to gather his own. As my friend Claire Davis used to say, if you want to be run over by a train, you ought to sit on a track. If you want the gospel, you ought to go where it's preached. Invite people to church. That's easy to do, isn't it? And if you say, you know, I'm not so sure about my church, then you need to try to change that church. Talk to the minister. Talk to the elders about why you might be hesitant to invite someone to come. Tell them about what Jesus has done for you. Ask them if they're baptized. These are very simple things that we can do. The most important thing Remember that Jesus is with you every day. Wherever you go. Wherever you go, Jesus is with you every day. And Jesus will build his church and Jesus will make disciples through you, and people will be baptized and people will obey his commands and not one will be lost. Praise God.
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Nathan W. Bingham
Praise God indeed. That was W. Robert Godfrey, chairman of Ligonier Ministries, from one of his sessions at this year's Ligonier National Conference. It's good to have you with us today on Renewing youg Mind. I'm your host, Nathan W. Bingham. Until midnight tonight when you give a donation of any amount@renewingyourmind.org or when you call us at 800.435.4343, we'll send you Dr. Godfrey's book Saving the Reformation. It's a new translation of the Canons of Dort along with his pastoral commentary. What are the Canons of Dort, you ask? Have you heard of the Five Points of Calvinism? These canons or articles were responses to the theological attacks on Reformed theology. Request this book before midnight tonight@renewingyourmind.org or by using the link in the podcast Show Notes, and if you would like the ebook, respond to the Global Digital offer@renewingyourmind.org Global Today's message from Dr. Godfrey was recorded at our national conference in April. We'd love to see you at next year's conference on the theme Crucial Questions. Browse the questions that we'll be addressing and the speakers who will be there. Watch the conference trailer and register to secure your place@ligonier.org 2026Another reason to attend our national conference in person is because of the extra activities and teaching that takes place this year. I spoke with several Christian leaders about the global church. I asked Reverend Joel Kim, who is president of Westminster Seminary California, where Dr. Godfrey is president emeritus, to describe the state of the church in South Korea.
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Reverend Joel Kim
The most dominant denomination in terms of size is probably Presbyterian, which seems very unnerving and different than the US in particular. But part of that was we had a lot of Presbyterians ending up as missionaries in Korea. And so anyone who argues that having Reformed or Presbyterian theology prevents missions, I don't think that's true, or at least it's not true historically anyways. And so the churches are big, many of them being in the thousands. And then you also have a lot of infrastructure of theology where you have the education system to produce many of the pastors and they send missionaries all over. And so until more recently, when Brazil overtook the second place, it was the second largest sending country in the world when it comes to their engagement. And Southeast Asia, and Asia in particular, there are lots of theological things that we can discuss. But overall, the Lord's really blessed the church and we're grateful for how the church continues to labor faithfully in South Korea.
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Nathan W. Bingham
You mentioned the size and the growth of the Presbyterian Church in Korea. As a Presbyterian myself, if I visited and attended one of those worship services, what are some of the things that I might find surprising or different from just what I'm used to here in the United States?
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Reverend Joel Kim
My guess is that depending on what church you're coming from, you're going to see the diversity of even Presbyterian churches here, both in terms of liturgy, prayers as well as music that's being displayed. And to be honest, the focal point of the preaching that is taking place in many Korean churches, when visitors go, you're going to notice right away how big it is, both in terms of of size and number. And certainly if you're coming from the south and Southern Presbyterian churches where you have big steeple churches, this may not be as startling. But for some of us coming from California, where Presbyterian church is growing but still small, it's a shock to the system in terms of how big these things are. And we're talking attendance and membership of not just thousands, but tens of thousands are people who. There's this one particular occasion where with our children, we ended up in South Korea, we decided to visit one of the largest Presbyterian churches. As I understand, 11 services and the sanctuary fits multi thousand with translations being done in 20 plus languages. And our kids sat there amazed. We have a decent sized church we attend, but yet they could not fathom how big every. And so I think that may be the most shocking thing. Initially, Korean churches also love choirs. Not all the churches here in Presbyterian background in particular have choirs, but usually you're going to have huge choirs that sing beautifully as part of the worship taking place. But I think the beauty sometimes of belonging the same lane in terms of theological commitments is that you're going to see a Lot of elements that are very similar. That is, you're going to have the priority of worship as an important part of who they are, but especially in worship, the priority of proclamation, that preaching takes center stage and the worship order takes the priority of worship very seriously in what takes place. So while you're going to be surprised by the size and scale and certainly different kinds of tombs in worship, as well as some orders being changed, you are going to find some familiarity such as the priority of proclamation and preaching as part of worship for us.
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Nathan W. Bingham
What do you think the global church can learn from the unique experience of the church in Korea?
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Reverend Joel Kim
That's a great question. These are things that we're discussing more and more. One very much an important thing for us to remember is the Korean church is a praying church. From the very beginning, prayer was an important part of the unique ethos of the Korean church to the degree that they have worship almost every morning. And so Monday through Saturday they have what they call many people now know as the early morning prayer service, usually a devotional and teaching taking place and then times for prayer, both corporately and individually. And I think that's an admirable thing where the church prays and understands the importance of importance of prayer in all that they do. The church in Korea also is a sending church. And the importance for us to remember is as a blessed church, they want to be a blessing onto others. And in that more so than, let's say, American churches in the sense that we don't have countries that are nearby, Korea does. And so they have the opportunity to send out many people in immediate locations that are not as far away as many of us would would explain. But being in a cross cultural context in which they do serve. And so for us to be able to see the fervor of cross cultural missions in South Korea, I think is an important part of, I think what makes the Korean Christianity and its practice somewhat unique. If I may mention the last thing in particular is the centrality of the church in their Christian walk in life. And realize all of us theologically believe in the centrality of the church. But there is this kind of ethos in which on Sunday you come to church and stay in church the whole day and you go back after you're exhausted physically, but being made full by the worships that take place. That kind of devotion to the church, while it can be always a problematic thing, right. The good things can become problems, but I think is a unique contribution of the Korean church.
- [50:44]
Nathan W. Bingham
That was Reverend Joel Kim and he was also a guest at the conference on a panel discussion on the Global Church, moderated by Chris Larson along with several other Christian leaders, and you can find that seminar in the free Ligonier app as you browse the messages from the 2025 National Conference. Sinclair Ferguson closed our national conference with a message on the Holy Spirit and how Christ is building his church. Don't miss Thursday's episode here on Renewing youg Mind.
- [51:35]
W. Robert Godfrey
Sa.