STEP
has been in some ways been similar to that of the Synod Youth Internship
Programme(SYIP), from the allowance of an estimated $5.50/hour to the topics
that were covered. However, I did realise that certain questions inside of me
have yet to be answered. This short write-up will focus upon the the idea of
Calvinism, and how the idea of predestination might interact with that of
missionary work. But first, some context.
I know
if you are reading this you probably have a much richer understanding of what
the doctrine of predestination is about, but similarly to how Youtubers try to hit that 10 minute mark
in videos for monies, I too have word requirements. Besides, maybe its stored
in some dusty corner of your brain and some memory jocking will be what aid in
the retrieval of that information.
To start things off, the idea of
predestination has been mentioned many times in the bible, one of which:
Ephesians 1:5 “Having predestined us
unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will” (other verses
includes things from Eph 1,4,5, Acts 15 ,etc). This verse highlights how there
is this idea that God being eternal, with the foreknowledge of stuff has
already foreordained things that will happen in this world (universe too i
guess).
This concept, obviously, can be quite repulsive to some to know that
their lives have already been predestined by some cosmic entity. Nonetheless,
the doctrine of predestination is one that highlights the sovereignty of God,
his omniscience - basically complete knowledge, and his omnipotence - all
powerful.
Back to the main point of this
discussion. After learning about this whole predestination thing, the question
which popped into my head and probably you the first time when u heard it was
that of “WAIT bro, if you are saying that God has already decided who he wants
to save and who he wants to not save, wouldn’t that mean that I don’t need to
go out for missionary???”
Initially when this question entered my head during
SYIP (3 years ago), my main resolution to it was really we go out for missions,
because Jesus had commanded us to go for missions, and being that good guai
chinese boy who has been in church all my life, I have come to respect the
commands of a sovereign and omnipotent God. For it written in the bible in the
all so famous verse of Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit.”. Of course, to follow God’s commands is and should be a good
enough reason for one to carry it out, but I however have found out that there
exists more than simply that.
In an interview with R.C. Sproul
(American theologian, author and pastor), he was asked about this exact topic
by the interviewer, that if people are predestined, why do we bother doing
missions. In which he very nicely described how it is true that God does not
need our help to carry out this spreading of the gospel (He can probably do it
in a Thanos-ish manner), but, and I quote him on this “(God) gives me the
unspeakable privilege of participating in this work of redemption.”
In the
video Sproul too highlighted how God has not only predestined the end, but also
predestined the means. In another interview of John Piper pertaining to the
same issue, he give a comparison of how if a nail is to be sunk by a 2-by-4(had
to google what a 2x4 was), it had to be hit with a hammer. So in that example,
we are the hammer carrying God’s plan of sinking the nail into the piece of
wood.
In conclusion, God has predestined us
to go out and spread the gospel to who he has already predestined to save. Thus
why we need to carry out missions and evangelism. Oh yeah and because Jesus
commanded us to.
With that questions hopefully
satisfied, time to move on to the more reflective part of the essay: how does
this understanding then affect the way in which we carry out our spreading of
the gospel? My main takeaways that I will bring with me the next time I spread
the gospel can be summarised into two things: Confidence and Gratitude.
Confidence, to know that we are
backed by an all powerful God when we spread the gospel would bring confidence.
Just like how I feel way more confident that a dish is going to turn out fine
when following instructions off my Mother versus some random friend who watched
a Buzzfeed video. This topped off
with stories and testimonials that I've heard during step really brings forth
the idea that God really works in ways unimaginable, so even though I may think
a situation is headed downhill, it might just simply be a necessary detour.
Secondly, gratitude. It has been touched on
the previous paragraph about how it is a privilege to be able to play a part in
God’s plan in redemption of other people, and I do think that this idea can be
brought to even other settings like serving in the church. But back to
spreading to gospel. It mainly reminding me of how it is true that the very
fact that i am able to go for missions, the very fact that I am able to tell my
friends around me about Christ is on its own a privilege. Not so much a task to
earn brownie points, not just a command given by Jesus, but an opportunity
granted by God himself, for a broken and flawed creature to do the work of a
pure and perfect being.
All in all, predestination and
missionary are complementary and has reminded me to be both confident and
grateful when doing so.
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