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The 'Reformed Charismatic Missional' Conference
I am delighted to be speaking alongside Jeff Vanderstelt (vice-President of Acts 29) and Elliot Grudem (from Mars Hill and the Network Coordinator for Acts 29) at a conference combining some fascinating Biblical themes. Some would argue that "Reformed" and "Charismatic" could never live together, but I am reminded of an event in the life of the Apostle Paul when, confronted with the challenge of Corinth, a hostile city, he was encouraged by God not to be afraid, but to go on speaking.
'I have many people in this city'
It’s fascinating to see the combination of Reformed, Missional, and Charismatic in this encounter. Paul was wonderfully strengthened by God with the promise that he had many people in the city. It might be asked how God could say in advance that he had people in a city Paul had barely started evangelizing? Those who embrace the Reformed doctrine that salvation is of the Lord will be confident, knowing God himself foreknows whom he will call and those who are ordained to eternal life. He can encourage Paul that, if he will continue to evangelize, God’s elect will be awakened by the gospel and will respond. Paul is ultimately a servant of God, and God’s purpose was to call from death into life those he had foreknown in Corinth.
God's sovereignty and missional effort
But of course it is often argued that if we emphasize that it is God who saves, we will encourage passivity in the church and cultivate congregations who neglect evangelism. If God is going to do it anyway, why should we worry? Happily, that was not the Apostle Paul’s response. Rather the opposite, Paul was encouraged by the certainty that God would act in partnership with him in saving the elect.
He found fresh courage to stay on in a hostile city for another year-and-a-half, preaching the good news about the Lord Jesus. Paul’s faith in God’s sovereignty in no way robbed him of his passion to preach the Good News. Nor did embracing that same doctrine prevent George Whitefield, William Carey, or C.H. Spurgeon from being fervent and effective preachers of the gospel and being passionately committed to the mission.
Receiving power from on high
The third ingredient in our conference is the Charismatic. How did Paul learn that God had many people in the city? God spoke to him in a vision (Acts 18:9), as he did to Peter in Acts 10 in connection with Peter’s commission to go to Cornelius’ house.
Peter tells us this age will be characterized by men seeing visions (Acts 2:17). We are in the promised age of the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was manifestly involved in the mission: directing, encouraging, restraining, comforting, fortifying. He came upon the original Twelve, released them from the concealment of the upper room into the streets of Jerusalem, and empowered them to stand boldly against the fearful authority of the Sanhedrin. His confirming signs and wonders authenticated their powerful preaching so their hearers were confronted by the Word that "the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven."
Even though they received the word in much pain and pressure, they also knew the supernatural joy of the Holy Spirit.
The coming of the Holy Spirit upon these unlearned fishermen transformed them from being Christ-deniers into becoming Christ-proclaimers, demonstrating a boldness reminiscent of Jesus himself. Apart from the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, it is incomprehensible that this feeble band of followers so scattered, so fearful, could earn the reputation of being men who were now turning the world upside down. They had skills and courage beyond anything they had known before.
Paul’s claim to the Thessalonians was that the gospel didn’t come to them in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction (1 Thess. 1:5). Even though they received the word in much pain and pressure, they also knew the supernatural joy of the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 1:6). Similarly, the powerful gospel preaching of Stephen and Philip was accompanied by Holy Spirit activity.
The 21st-century church must rediscover its roots in the sovereignty of God, its call to be on a mission, and the promise of the Holy Spirit’s power enabling them to fulfill the task. Maybe you should consider attending what should prove to be a very timely and fascinating conference: Reformed, Charismatic, Missional - March 4–5, 2011 - Tacoma, Washington.