Oct

26

Unhindered

Filed Under Evangelism, Missions, The Church 

With our World Mission Conference behind us, I want to think again about the theme: Unhindered. The word is the final word of the book of Acts. Paul is in Rome, under house arrest, just coming off a rather unsuccessful meeting with the local Jewish leadership. We know from history that this about the time that Nero begins his rampage to ‘cleanse’ the city from the blight of Christianity. Paul will soon be a victim himself. Yet Luke describes Paul as preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all openness, unhindered.

Unhindered (Greek, akolutos) seems a strange word to describe the situation. The situation of Acts 28 sounds pretty hindered to me. But does this not tell us something about the kingdom of God? Does it not tell us that we judge things wrongly if we judge by what we see, that what we consider hindrances to the gospel’s advance do not really constitute hindrances? I think of Paul writing to Timothy, Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory [2 Timothy 2:8-13]. The Word of God is not bound! Christ cannot be contained! The gospel cannot be silenced! The salvation of sinners cannot be stopped! This message is for everyone!

We look at obstacles: lack of laborers and money, uncertainty about vision and purpose, resistance and barriers in the community, hostile governments and religions. In the closing service I realized that the real hindrance is inside of me. I need the kingdom of God to get inside of me more and more so that unhindered becomes a reality in my life: content and relaxed, confident and humble, ready to spend and be spent, welcoming and bold, self-forgetting and Christ-remembering. Oh, that this would be the mark of our fellowship to increasing degrees! If the World Mission Conference is to be successful, it will be seen in more of all openness, unhindered among us. Oh, that Christ would open our hearts, our mouths, our homes, our checkbooks, and our fellowship.

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