Why I'm Not Reformed

 The theology most likely to be correct – at least so it seems to me - is the one that makes Matthew 28:19-20 the most important.  Any theology that downplays the importance of missions would have a very hard time explaining itself to me in terms that made me likely to believe it.  This is true of any area of theology, including eschatology. Any eschatology that makes missions less important seems untenable to me, no matter how sound your arguments appear at face value.

This is my main issue with Reformed theology. The entire system downplays the Great Commission. If you asked most Reformed Theologians why do missions matter, the only answer is “because Jesus commanded it.” Now, that’s true, but it rings hollow. If the Elect are going to be redeemed regardless, that removes the urgency to take the message to the uttermost parts of the earth.  But if God desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth, and the way that happens is by way of faithful men and women sharing their faith, suddenly, eternity hangs in the balance and it makes sense that Matthew 28:19-20 would be Jesus’ final words before leaving us here to navigate life until His return.

He obviously knew the entire truth, right? It would be pretty awful to claim to BE the Truth if you didn’t even KNOW the truth (John 14:6). So if Jesus knew that He was going to pick who would be saved and take them regardless, why waste his final words commanding his followers to go waste their lives trying to make disciples of people whose destinies were already decided before the world began?

Think about it this way. When parents go away for the evening, they leave a list of things for their kids to remember. But they verbally go over the most important stuff as well. Why wouldn’t Jesus do the same? Verbally emphasize the important stuff before he left, and then make sure the written instructions made it into our hands?

If evangelism isn’t ACTUALLY important, Jesus might as well have told his disciples to teach people how to make peanut butter or blue jeans.

But he didn’t. 

We have the final words of the Gospel of Matthew as well as Luke’s account of Jesus’ final words to his disciples right before his ascension in Acts 1. Again, you would think his final words would be the one or two things he wanted to make sure they remembered. And what were they? You’re going to be my witnesses. You’re going to go out and make disciples.  Go tell people about me.

Go. 

Tell.

Lord, make evangelism as important to me as it is to you.  Open my eyes to the people around me who are hungry for you, and give me the words they desperately need to hear.