New Birth: The Fuel of Missions

The doctrine of the new birth is the fountainhead of so many Christian essentials, especially of missions. It is the mark of true revival. But when we look at our congregations and our missions today, when we look at what we encourage and tolerate and what we're known for, would the world suspect that we are people who hold this new birth in high regard?

‍A Non-negotiable Biblical Identity

The imagery of birth is used throughout the scriptures, both in the old and new testaments, to describe what it means to be in a right relationship with God. New birth transforms us from the inside out by God's Holy Spirit, transforms us by His word. Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God and all that flows out from it.

When we look carefully at the scriptures, we see that the new birth has implications that extend perhaps far beyond what we might have initially imagined. John says,"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of Him…everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:1, 4). What a great identity. What a great family that we have because of this truth of being born again. But this change in identity is undermined when a mission movement insists that Christians can continue to worship false gods or fail to own the name of Christ, their elder brother, the one whose inheritance they share.

The Character of New Birth

How will this emphasis on the new birth change us once we begin to appreciate it? First of all, it will challenge us to consider our own state. Thomas Chalmers had been ordained by the church and was engaged in some kind of preaching ministry, and yet by his own admission had not been born again. It is a sad fact throughout history that there are many who preach the gospel but do not have a living knowledge of Christ, who have not been born again by the Holy Spirit of God. For those who have perhaps committed themselves, at least in some initial way, to the task of missions, Jesus Christ could not be clearer. Now is the acceptable time. Now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Jesus says, “whoever comes to me, I will not cast out…I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:37, 40).

Jesus says that there is a day of judgment and all of us will stand before the Lord, so you must be born again. You must be born again. In addition to that, we have to say that because the new birth is the fountainhead of the Bible's teaching on sanctification, it is also the case that whether here or anywhere, the character of a Christian is significant, particularly when it comes to leadership within the church. Character that reflects true conversion must be seen as non-negotiable in missions.

It is striking that in that first missionary journey that we have recorded for us in Acts 13, the Holy Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas for this great task of missions. These were not men who were untrained or had poor character or whose character was questioned in any way. No, they needed to be qualified for the work. No standards were lowered, as if what was needed in evangelism and church planting and missions was somehow less than what was needed in an established church.

Prayer and Preaching

Because true conversion leads to spiritual life and growth in the Holy Spirit, and because this is a supernatural work, we must commit ourselves to prayer. We must pray knowing that the results that we seek are spiritual and wrought by the Holy Spirit. To the extent that we believe that missions is a supernatural work, to that extent we will commit ourselves to the task of prayer. We must give heaven no rest. We must commit all that we do, all that we are thinking of doing, into the hands of our Creator and Sustainer. If it is in fact a work of the spirit of Christ, to change someone from death to life to bring about new creation, we must plead with God to do just that. We need organizations and plans and goals, but never at the expense of dependence on the Holy Spirit who blows where He wills. The success of missions, the conversion of lost souls, the planting of healthy churches is nothing if it is not the work of the Holy Spirit.

We must also be absolutely committed, non-negotiably committed, to the primacy of the proclamation of God's word. We must commit ourselves to the glory and necessity of preaching in the same way we commit to prayer. It is through the proclamation of God's word that dead souls are brought to life, exchanged for new and living ones. There can be no compromise on this if we are to remain biblical in the task of missions. It's clear from the scriptures that God uses the Spirit of God to do the work of God, including the work of bringing dead sinners to new life. So missions that are committed to the reality of the new birth, that have not forgotten that central truth, are missions committed to preaching God's word.

The Fuel of Missions

If the history of Christ's church teaches us anything about this doctrine of the new birth, it teaches us that it will fuel missions. When this doctrine is recovered, when we really begin to grasp the truth of “unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3), then we put the teaching of God first.

John Leighton Wilson wrote,

And what is the spontaneous feeling of every regenerate heart, especially when that heart feels the freshness of atoning blood applied to it? Is it not, ‘Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?’ And what is the answer that comes down from heaven, if not in articulate voice, yet in the indications of providence which sometimes speak even louder than the audible voice? Is it not, ‘Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature’? If, from some providential hindrance, anyone cannot go himself, then, to the extent of his ability, let him help those that can go.

He begins by asking, what does it look like when you're really converted? You say, “Lord, what will you have me do?” And the Lord answers in His word with clarity.

His answer will fuel missions.

We know that many today are on the broad road to destruction. They know nothing of the saving grace of the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world. If we forget the doctrine of regeneration, we forget Christ. We go forth in God's name, but without the truth of His message of reconciliation. We must refuse missions that are devoid of real Trinitarian theology. We must refuse missions that have no biblical understanding of conversion, no prayer, and no preaching.

You must be born again.

We point people to Christ and we can do so with confidence knowing that His Spirit uses His word to do things we could not hope to do–miraculous things. And, we point people to His word and we point people to the Lord Jesus Christ, confidently, boldly. We say to them, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

When we do that, the Holy Spirit does His work through His word and builds His church.