Principles of Strategy and Methodology, Part 2

Introduction to Trinity Baptist Church's Missions Policy and Current Study

0:00 This Adult Sunday School class was held on November 12, 1989 at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.

0:11 Now we do extend a very cordial welcome to those who are visiting with us. We know of at least one family visiting from out of state and there may be others as well. And particularly for your sake, so that you will not be hopelessly lost, let me attempt very briefly to explain what we are doing in our adult class at this time and where we have been in the pursuit of the subject that we have been studying. This will now be the 14th Lord's Day morning.

0:41 We are considering the missions policy of Trinity Baptist Church as that policy was formally collated and articulated in February of 87 at a special elders retreat. And in articulating that policy, we are basically following this method. We are seeking to go to the scriptures and from the scriptures to see precepts, that is, commands relating to the work of missions, precedents set by our Lord and the apostles, and any principles involved in the apostolic practice or in the practice of our Lord, and having isolated those precepts, precedents, and principles to show that we are doing the work of missions. And to show how they apply to the particular missions policy of Trinity Baptist Church. We are not saying that these principles must find expression in precisely the same way they find expression in our congregation, in our own particular missionary endeavors, because in each local congregation, and we see this in the book of the Acts, there is a different deposit of gift and opportunity and a different stewardship given from the risen Christ. And so we are not pontificating for the whole Christian world in general,

2:08 nor for the Reformed world in more particularly, or even the Reformed Baptist world to be more particular, but we are simply seeking to articulate according to our own present light and understanding of both the teaching of the word of God and a sober assessment of who and where we are as a congregation, the policy that we are presently working. in our endeavors to fulfill the Great Commission. And in the articulation of this policy, we have presently limited it to seven major categories of concern. Six of those categories we have covered in our study together, and we are now in the midst of opening up the seventh.

2:52 And the seventh has to do with what I have chosen, or we have chosen to call, the essential elements of a biblical strategy, and methodology of missions. And the central issue in this category can be isolated by asking the question, what strategy and methods should we adopt in seeking to pursue the task of missions in accordance with the previously established principles? In other words, it is one thing to be convinced of the basic biblical perspectives on such things as the major tasks, the task of missions, the authorization and warrant for undertaking the task, the principles of inter-church relationship and cooperation in missions, the selection of missionary personnel, the necessity of companionship in the work of missions, the relationship of the missionary to his sending church, to churches already in existence where he goes, and then churches that may come to birth through his labors. It is one thing to have those principles, clearly established from the word of God, but now the question comes, how shall we actually implement those principles in a strategy and methodology of missionary endeavor?

Review of Previous Principles: Scope and Initial Methodology

4:17 Well, last week we took up the first two strands of the biblical answer to that question. First of all, we took up the matter of the scope of our concern, and we saw that any, any missionary strategy and any missionary methodology of any church that claims to be sensitive to the Bible will, as to the scope of its concern, have a world-wide perspective. And as we wrestled with the various scriptures, we came up with the statement that our concern should be that the Lord Jesus would receive all that was promised to him by the Father and all that he died to secure in the gathering of a people to himself from every kindred, tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation. And the practical disposition, then, that ought to be resident in the heart of every individual in this assembly, and then if we may speak of the collective heart of the whole church, is the disposition expressed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1, 14 and 15, in which he said, I am a debtor to all men, so as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel. And we ought as a church to recognize

5:44 that we have in the reception of gospel privileges incurred a great gospel debt, not a debt to work off some lack of virtue in the death of Christ in order to attain forgiveness of sins, but a debt of gratitude and love to bring the gospel to those who are yet in their sins. Then, from several passages focusing on the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul, starting with the first missionary journey, we began to consider the whole matter of what was the actual method, by which they determined where they would go in the proclamation of the gospel. And we saw that from Antioch, I wonder if I have the right map here, yes, I think I do, yes, that from the church up here in Antioch, we're in the wrong place, we've got Asia Minor here, ah, here we are, one map over, there we go, no? Yes, here we are. No, we've got the wrong thing again.

7:06 Let me get over here. No, that one's all right. I was seeing if this was blown up. This is all right.

7:10 Okay, here we are. That from Antioch, we saw that in the first missionary journey, Paul and his companions went across to Salamis, preached the gospel across to Paphos, and then they sailed up to Seleucia, and then they preached the gospel in this area, and the principle that you articulated was this, that as to their methodology and strategy, they went from city to city in a distance-economizing way, preaching and planting churches as doors were opened before them. Now, after the class, one of my brethren came and suggested a connection between the original founding of the church here in Antioch and the complexion of that church and why it was that Paul and his companions went to Cyprus. Why did Paul and his companions not go up by the land route to Tarsus, his own home city, and then from there to Derbe, Lystra, and Iconium? Why did they take off across the water to the island of Cyprus? Well, the suggestion was given, and I think a valid one, as I went back over it and studied the matter in preparation for today's class.

The Role of Natural Contacts and Providence in Missionary Direction

8:31 If you'll turn to Acts chapter 11 with me, Acts chapter 11, and you'll notice instead of my bent coat hanger, I have a proper pointer today. I've had this for some time. I simply forgot to bring it last week. It's very nice and collapsible.

8:48 It fits right here, unlike the hanger that doesn't have that capacity. All right, Acts chapter 11. We read in verse 19 that they therefore that were scattered abroad upon the tribulation that arose about Stephen, traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to none only save to Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus, and Cyrene was down here on the northern coast of Africa who had been up at Jerusalem at the time of Pentecost and apparently had stayed there long enough to be involved in this scattering that came on the persecution connected with Stephen. And they were part of the founding of the church at Antioch. There were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who when they were come to Antioch spake unto Greeks also preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number that believed turned unto the Lord.

9:57 And then you know the rest of the story, how that God made a strong church, a strong church here at Antioch under the labors of Barnabas and then Saul was brought and joined Barnabas and stayed there for the space of at least a year teaching and preaching the word of God. And the point that this particular brother made to me was this. Could it be that as the church became conscious of its membership and its complexion that these men from Cyprus who knew their own eyes of the island and knew something of its need and perhaps of its receptivity to the word of God wove as it were into the fabric of the prayer burden and concern of the church at Antioch the need of the place that they knew best. So that without any direct revelation from the Lord as to where they should go as we shall see later on in Acts 16 God did at times give to Paul and his companions. They went to the place where their natural contacts had opened up a natural sphere of interest and concern. Now if that's true it certainly fits how our own missions policy has operated over the years.

11:18 Our first missionary endeavor in planting a church somewhere other than in our own immediate locality was the missionary endeavor of planting a church out in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. And as I trace back the history of that endeavor and we're thankful that that church exists today I preached at its 20th anniversary this past year and the work is being blessed of God it was as a result of certain natural contacts with people who settled in that area and who sent out a plea for help that when we had a young man who had a burden to preach and a burden for church leaders planting ministry whom God had providentially brought within the orbit of our influence that we commissioned him sent him forth committed ourselves to his support sought to stir up interest among other churches to pray that God would plant a church out there in Hazelton. Now those of you who were here during the time that Pastor Blaise was with us you'll remember that this same principle was operative in the matter of our sending him to East London to plant a church. He had spent some 11 or 12 years in that part of Great Britain when he left his home island of Dominica in the West Indies going to London fully intending to study for the priesthood and while there was converted

12:47 all of his spiritual roots were there in East London and after he had been with us a little more than a year the many letters that kept coming to him from sheep who were without a shepherd begging him prayerfully to consider whether or not the Lord would bring him back to establish a work and over a period of a year this was made a matter of prayer and investigation and consideration and then a three week visit of hands on contact and consideration of this matter and then we laid hands upon our brother and sent him and all of that grew out of this principle that in the establishment of our own assembly God had given us a very natural input of the need there in East London we did not take a world map paste it on a dart board and take three darts throw them over our shoulder see where they landed one of them landed in the East End of London let's send someone to the East End of London and the same thing is true with regard to the ministry in Pakistan. Our brother Arif Khan was dumped on our doorstep as a hungry man discontented with his present level of theological understanding having to leave the Middle East as a missionary by the skin of his teeth his fellow elder there having been put in jail for two years

14:15 and no door was opened back into the Middle East and God brought him amongst us he audited a number of the classes in the academy wove himself into the life of this church and then in the providence of God when the door opened to go back to the country of his birth it seemed quite natural that this should be a place where God was giving us another beach head for the gospel similarly with sending our brother Steve Hoffmeyer to the Philippines when Steve was studying in the academy it was evident that he had a special facility in languages he had a growing burden for missions and so one summer we sent him to Africa in order to get a feel for missions and to get a readout on how he adapted cross-culturally and we asked the senior missionary under whom he worked to give us a very honest assessment as to whether or not he felt that our brother Steve had those peculiar qualities essential for missionary work and when that came back positive we had then in the providence of God become aware of the work of our brother Brian Ellis in the Philippines and we said well let's send him into another cultural situation and see how he does and the same report came back in a totally different cultural setting but one radically different from his own and radically different from the one in Kenya and so by this means

The Holy Spirit's Superintendence in Missionary Strategy (Acts 16)

15:43 our concern and burden for the Philippines very naturally unfolded in what we would call the chemistry of God's ordinary providence in weaving into our awareness as a church these particular areas of need and so in our ongoing missionary strategy and methodology it would certainly appear that this is a matter concerning which we ought continually to be sensitive what has God sovereignly done in depositing among us those who may have a peculiar aptitude or inclination for the work of missions in a given part of the world alright now we come to take up another strand of our missions policy with regard to strategy and methodology and here I would like you to follow as I read from Acts 16 verses 1 through 15 Acts 16 verses 1 through 15 and remember now as we read through the passage we are looking for something that would be an indication of methodology and strategy in the work of missions writing with respect to Paul Luke informs us he came also to Derbe and to Lystra

17:11 and behold a certain disciple was there named Timothy the son of a Jewish that believed but his father was a Greek the same was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Lyconium him would Paul have to go forth with him and he took and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those parts for they all knew that his father was a Greek and as they went on their way through the cities they delivered them the decrees to keep which had been ordained of the apostles and elders that were at Jerusalem so the churches were strengthened in the faith and increased in number daily and they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia having been forbidden of the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia now they had been in this particular area Derbe, Lyconium, Lystra and here is the area of Galatia now the scripture tells us that they went through this region having been forbidden to speak the word in Asia that is Asia Minor apparently Paul desired to go across to some of the major population centers we have Ephesus over here on the coast and this whole area here in great need but the Holy Spirit forbade them

18:38 as he attempted to go west and then we read and passing they assayed to Gwintipithinia and the spirit of Jesus suffered them not I'm sorry I skipped the verse let me back up and when they were come over again they assayed to Gwintipithinia that would be up north here is Gwintipithinia and we read the spirit of Jesus suffered them not so they made an attempt to go west probably with an eye on Ephesus and were forbidden of the Holy Spirit they said alright we'll go north up into this area but now the spirit of Jesus suffered them not somehow God made it plain how we simply do not know and it's not unto edification to speculate if God says the Holy Spirit forbade them to speak the word in Asia and the spirit of Jesus suffered them not to go into Gwintipithinia it is clear and what is being underscored is that the Holy Spirit is the great executor of the missionary enterprise and the Holy Spirit is the executor of the head of the church the Lord Jesus Christ himself so you have this difference of terminology the Holy Spirit and the spirit of Jesus one and the same spirit but showing that relationship of the Holy Spirit as the executor of the will of the head of the church and the great president

20:07 of the missionary enterprise the Lord Jesus Christ himself so what do they do well we read passing by Mysia they came to Troas and Troas is right here on the coast God doesn't want us to preach there and there then we better get out here to the coast and try somewhere else so over here is Macedonia what is presently Greece and so they said well we'll push further westward maybe this is where God will open a door and the Holy Spirit will grant us liberty to preach well while they are there at Troas we read verse nine a vision appeared to Paul in the night there was a man of Macedonia standing beseeching him and saying come over into Macedonia and help us and when he had seen the vision straightway we sought to go forth into Macedonia concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel unto them setting sail therefore from Troas we made a straight course to Samothrace here from Troas they go across to Samothrace see if it's listed on the map here I don't see it listed here on this particular map it's not listed here they came across to Samothrace

21:37 and the day following to Neapolis and from thence to Philippi which is a first city of Macedonia the first of the district a Roman colony and we were in this city tarrying certain days and on the sabbath day we went forth without the gate the gate by a riverside where we suppose there was a place of prayer and we sat down and spoke unto the women that came together and a certain woman named Lydia a seller of purple of the city of Thyatira one that worshiped God heard us whose heart the Lord opened to give heed unto the things that were spoken by Paul and when she was baptized and her household she besought us saying if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord come into my house and abide there and she constrained us and the rest of the chapter is taken up with Paul's ministry there at Philippi right up here Philippi Thessalonica here Berea over here all right now in the light of these verses from the opening paragraphs of the account of Paul's second missionary journey what were some of the factors determining the strategy of the missionary enterprise the first missionary journey has been completed Paul has spent time back at the home church in Antioch he now goes forth on the second

23:05 missionary journey spends a little time in this area where churches had been planted in the first missionary journey tries to go west the Holy Spirit says no tries to go north the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Jesus says no he goes to Troas Troas he receives a vision of the Holy Spirit a man of Macedonia he sails across ends up at Philippi and there he finds a woman whose heart the Lord opens and the gospel is preached there the conversion of the Philippian jailer etc now what principle or principles do we see concerning the apostolic missionary strategy or methodology particularly with reference to where they should see the gospel and the gospel is preached there the seminaries in Gentile leagues you know Christian faith in the Zachariah church are known to Europe Church's were born mostly men who have some very deep and odd kinds of heretic secret and I don't believe they wereamin devils but a few were put together by Christians and Christians deities so it's clear that the church which had such a history of the issues in multiculturalism Facebook have had the same effect earlier and so it is very clear that the church grows there is a mark of commitment there's a book which says it does not swear it but works for Dem歰mv água it means determined with a certain status of his讲 they are going to consume Sugan here it's from an pouvdan sacrifice they are going to sell it back toYAN tri surely it has been committed to

24:31 principle do those two statements underscore with regard to a methodology or a strategy of missions all right rich all right so in all of this then they were what to the ministry of the holy spirit what's the word we want sensitive aware and sensitive to the ministry of the holy spirit in the missionary enterprise you see they were not wooden inflexible and mechanical there's no indication at least in the biblical record of any vision of any unusual restraints or constraints of the holy spirit in conjunction with the first missionary endeavor the only emphasis that is explicit in the text is that the holy spirit designated who the missionary should be the holy ghost

25:53 separate saul and barnabas for the work where unto i held them acts 13 so they sent forth but now there's no record that in choosing where to go that there was a vision that there was any direct revelation of the spirit and so we have tried to come up with a reasonable explanation in terms of the biblical materials as to what went on in their judgment and thinking in their desires and their desires and their desires and their desires and their desires and their concerns that could have led them to go to cyprus and then from cyprus up to seleucia and into this area however in the second missionary journey here the emphasis falls immediately upon the operation of the holy spirit now not designating who should go but where they should go so there was a sensitivity to the holy spirit and when the holy spirit made known his mind and will in forbidding them to speak the word in asia and in bithynia there is no indication that paul and his companions argued with the lord or went to their computers and said ah but here is the greatest concentration of people and we have heard that this is a responsive people and since

27:19 our computers tell us we ought to go where the most people are and they are most responsive we must go sorry holy spirit and we must go where the most people are and they are most responsive we will be there a little bit later on but the computer and the reports of men must override your superintendents no indication now i know they didn't have computers no i realize that but the thing that would make computers in our age a substitute for the holy ghost is something embedded in the human heart and if it isn't computers it would be something else that would seek to replace the ultimate authority and superintendence of the holy spirit so the first thing we see in conjunction with this second missionary journey is that they were sensitive to the ministry of the holy spirit in going into radically new areas of effort but what else is evident particularly in this second paragraph verses 11 through 15 and more particular verses 13 to 15 there's another strand of emphasis the holy spirit was superintending where they did and did not go in leading them to what what do paul and his companions find when they go forth by the riverside they find a prayer meeting apparently

28:48 there were not enough adult male proselytes or jews of the dispersion to have a proper synagogue at philippi so in place of that there was a prayer meeting on a sabbath day with some women and i've often reflected on this here in his vision he saw a man of macedonia saying come over and help us but when he gets there all he finds is a few women by riverside but he doesn't despise that because when he begins to speak what happens he finds here is a woman whose heart the lord has opened to give heed to the things that are spoken by paul so he is led he is led to give heed to the things that are spoken by paul so he is led he is led to give heed to the He and his companions, by the Holy Spirit, going into a radically new area of effort while being led to a prepared people. And it seems to me that those are the two dominant elements in this passage on the front end of the second missionary journey that constituted something of the principles of the methodology followed by the apostle and his companions. They were sensitive to the ministry of the Holy Spirit in going into a radically new area of effort while being led to a prepared people. Now, my question is this.

Discerning God's Guidance: Beyond Visions to Prepared Hearts

30:16 Do we have any right, any biblical grounds to expect that God will give us a vision in answer to our prayers that we be led of the Holy Spirit and be prepared to support your answer with the scripture? If it is negative or positive, do we have any grounds, any warrant to expect a vision to be the instrument of guiding us as to where we should put our missionary eggs in what basket, where anyone here this morning? I see faces and bodies. All right. I've never seen you so subdued or have not for a long time.

31:02 It's that last part that hung you up. I said, you're going to have to defend your answer from the scripture. If I'd left that off, we'd have. All right. Let's let's knock off the last clause.

31:11 All right. How many of you believe we have grounds to expect and to pray for some kind of vision or visit of an angel in making these decisions? Oh, good. I'm glad we don't have to unconvince anyone.

31:26 And when we ask why, that's a very long and complex and involved biblical argument. You can't just nail down one particular text. But suffice it to say. If even apostles could not, quote, demand and there's no indication they even prayed for visions.

31:47 But as the recipients of special revelation, we have this account of a vision coming. But to my knowledge, apart from another visitation of an angel of the Lord to encourage Paul to two such accounts, one in the ship that was apparently going to sink and another at Corinth in all of their mission. Very endeavor. We don't have accounts of visions and angels and all the rest.

32:11 And some of the nonsense claimed by modern day Pentecostals and charismatics with whom angelic visitations and visions are as much common fare as orange juice in the morning. I mean, they've gone far beyond the apostles and that can be put down as sheer fanaticism. And in some cases, I'm afraid satanic delusion. For remember what the scripture says.

32:37 No wonder. Satan can transform himself into a what? An angel of light and a messenger of righteousness. So we have no grounds to expect these things.

32:51 However, does that mean that the ministry of the Holy Spirit in guiding us is any the less real and ought any less be recognized? Well, the answer is obviously no. So that the abiding principle is that we. Must continually plead with our God that according to the promise of Christ, he would give his spirit to those who ask and ask that the Holy Spirit would direct us in the application of biblical principles in using our rational faculties subject to the principles of the word of God.

33:31 Proverbs three, five and six. Trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not upon thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct thy paths and then we cannot discount the fact that what the Lord was doing was bringing them to a people who were prepared whom he had sovereignly prepared and only the Lord could have known that you see John 1016 is a vital text here. Other sheep I have which are not of this fold them also I must bring and they shall.

34:08 Hear my voice and there shall be one fold one shepherd so the Lord Jesus knows where he has his people and he knows when he has prepared them to receive the word and he's going to bring his appointed heralds to his prepared people in his own sovereign will and way and so in the whole matter of the missionary endeavor. We must be. In the third missionary journey Paul stays longer at Ephesus than in any other place in his whole missionary career but it wasn't God's time. Not the second missionary journey but the third and when he gets there in the third he spends over three years at Ephesus and from Ephesus the word of God went out through that whole area of Asia well what was God doing in the meantime.

35:23 God was preparing hearts for the coming of his servant through whom his sheep would hear his voice and what a tale will be told when we get to heaven and the Lord unfolds all the things he did in that period of time and I'm sure. If it's anything that's disclosed in the intermediate state Paul's had more than one chuckle in the presence of the Lord as the Lord has shown him now my son and my servant had I sent you to Ephesus when you wanted to go the first time this is what would have happened but between the time you wanted to go and my spirit did not permit you and the time I sent you this is what I was doing and then the Lord calls this one over and says tell my servant Paul what I did in the years. He says well. Those are the years when I was over there in Macedonia and then they tell how God brought a disappointment that made them aware there was something more to this life than this life and how God began to show them the hollowness of the worship of Diana God of the Ephesians and then the Lord says come here and calls another spirit of a just man or woman made perfect says now you tell my servant Paul what happened in that same time frame and by the time the Lord brings a dozen or so Paul says Lord how wise you are. To forbid me.

Principles of Holy Spirit Guidance in Missions Today

36:39 To go at that when you had not yet done that work of preparing hearts well it's all so plain after the fact but you see we don't have the privilege of reading history backwards only the Lord knows the end from the beginning and therefore we must live and labor in that context of sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in seeking what I have called radically new doors of opening and utterance new doors of gospel endeavor. All right. Any question or further comments that anyone wants to make on that principle. Yes Tony.

37:17 Involved in that passage weren't using sanctified reasoning not sitting back and waiting for that vision but they were planning with that sanctified reasoning what would be a reasonable plan to break the gospel out and it was in that posture that the spirit of God dealt with their hearts and did even as in Acts 13 when they were in the business of serving. Yes. Very good point. The point that Tony is making is they weren't passively sitting back with minds blank not using their sanctified judgment and making plans but it was in the context of using their judgment making plans having holy ambitions and desires for the spread of the gospel but they were open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit active but open not active and inflexible.

38:21 Not passive and just waiting sitting on a log for something to break loose but they are seeking actively to move ahead and even we see that when they then went over as far as they could go on the coast of Asia Minor going there to Troas and then taking their ship across to Macedonia. Very good point Tony. Any other observations. Yes.

38:48 I think that's Jerry. The lights are in my eyes. Yeah that's Jerry Doman. Okay.

39:10 Yes. And God the Holy Spirit can do that in many ways and one of them is he can allow a certain flu bug or God can allow a fender bender. I mean God has control of everything to guide his servants who want to do his will so that they are indeed privileged to have the fulfillment of his promise if in all our ways we acknowledge him he will direct our paths. All right.

39:37 Any other comment. Yes. Linda.

39:47 Yes.

39:54 Yeah. Yes. When we come to the whole matter of whether or not we should trust visions for guidance that's why I say it's a very complex biblical argument to show that that is not God's ordinary way of revealing his mind and his will in this particular epoch of God's dealings with his people and there is no simplistic way of responding that will hold up to someone who is intelligently committed to a contrary opinion. Yes.

40:21 Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

40:22 Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

40:22 Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

40:22 Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

40:24 It's exactly what I am. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

40:24 You know get into that. You just can't take one text of scripture and tell them but one thing is clear at least it seems to be in the text that that Paul and his companions were not praying or expecting or waiting for a vision. They were again in the path of duty and then God sovereignly came the same way with Peter when the Lord had to come to him and repeat the vision three times to get him to go to the household of Cornelius. Yes.

40:52 But these records of God guiding by vision are in the context of the apostolic missionary endeavor. And therefore, we better be very careful since there are no apostles now claiming that since they had visions to know where they ought to go, we can have the same. It gets into the whole category of, well, since they perform miracles and Paul formed special miracles at Ephesus, cloths were taken from him. And if they were laid upon people, they were healed.

41:19 Now you can send in for your prayer cloth. But no indication Paul charged a shekel for them. Very interesting. They claim to be doing what Paul did, but they add a factor Paul didn't.

41:31 They charge for their prayer cloths. They're making merchandise of the word of God and they're false apostles. And, well, we better not get on that or we'll never get back. All right.

41:42 Any other question or comment? Yes, Pastor Nichols. The Holy Spirit, both in giving positive and in giving negative direction. The point has also been made that we do not receive today direct revelation, whether in verbal messages saying, go here, don't go there, or in visions saying, go here, don't go there.

42:14 The question then is, well, how do we be sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit? In what way does the Holy Spirit guide us? That's either to go here or not to go there. And while I don't have an exhaustive answer to that question off the top of my head, there is.

42:32 There is one thing that I think should be said, which I would like to say. And that is, I believe it is often the case, as with the vision, though we may not receive a vision, what did the apostle see in the vision? He saw a man saying, come and help us. He had impressed upon his heart a burden for the need of people in that place.

42:54 I believe it is often the case that the Holy Spirit does guide us and prompt us by placing upon our hearts a burden. Hmm. For the need to give help and assistance to people in a special place or a given place. Hmm.

43:08 To be sensitive to that burden which the Lord has put upon us. And it's often the case that the same degree of burden is not placed upon our hearts for all of the people in every place at the same time. Yes. And therefore we need to be careful of people guilt manipulating us if we don't feel an equally intense burden for all people in all places all the time.

43:31 Or allow what may be. A legitimate burden placed on the heart of one individual or one congregation for a given area. And because it's their burden, they feel the whole world, the whole Christian world ought to share that burden and are ready to bully us if we don't share that burden with them. And we must be careful of not doing that.

43:51 And that's why I've emphasized that we're articulating our own local church missions policy in its concrete outworking and not pontificating for everybody. Uh. In the. In the church universal in the application of the principles.

44:06 And I think we can add to that. Yes, Rich. Go ahead. This is based on two-hasty of a judgment on false.

44:20 It's not pursuing the path of duty as best they do it. Yes. And we tend to be led to either an admissions policy or any other area of life while not pursuing the area of duty as it's laid out to us at that point. Amen.

The Holy Spirit's Guidance and Ethical Conduct

44:36 So the Holy Spirit guides us. Let's get the two principles now. Number one. By.

44:43 By laying a particular burden for a particular people upon our hearts, he guides us in the context in which we are living to the hilt in the present, the revealed will of God for us. All right. Then I'd like to add the third principle. The Holy Spirit leads us, whether forbidding or encouraging and opening in a context where he is not grieved and quenched.

45:09 Ephesians 430. Grieve not the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God, whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption. First Thessalonians quench not the spirit.

45:21 And so if we individually and corporately are to be in the place where the Spirit of God can guide us by the principles of the word in the path of present duty, laying particular burdens upon our hearts, he's not going to do that if we are grieving and quenching him in the area of our. Ethical conduct. Now, some people ask, why are the elders of Trinity Church so constantly emphasizing the need of not allowing attitudes and dispositions to one another that would grieve the spirit? Well, often the emphasis falls upon the fact that if he's grieved, he'll not be present to make our worship living worship, spirit filled worship. Our prayer. Meeting. Things will be lifeless and dull with no spirit of intercession upon us, but there's also an additional reason, and that is we will not be in the place where the Holy Spirit can guide us in the ongoing unfolding of the will of Christ for us, his people in conjunction with the missionary endeavor.

46:35 And that ought to fill us with fear if I sit here this morning with a spirit of unforgiveness to a brother or sister, a spirit of. Jealousy, a spirit of ill will an attitude of cynicism. I'm grieving the Holy Spirit and I could be contributing to the hindering of the outworking of God's missionary purpose for this assembly. That's serious business.

46:59 You and I can't afford the luxury of grieving the Holy Spirit. We can't afford it. It only took one Aiken to bring the whole nation to a grinding halt in its conquest of Canaan. That's all one Aiken, one Aiken.

47:17 That's all. There wasn't a whole union of them, just one. And God said until that's dealt with no more corporate victory. So this is serious business is serious business and we need to cry to God that we will indeed be sensitive to the spirit.

47:35 And then, of course, the fourth great principle is the spirit is the spirit of truth next to being called the paraclete, the comforter, the one called alongside to help. Next to being called the paraclete, the comforter, the one called alongside to help. Next to being called the paraclete, the comforter, the one called alongside to help. Next to being called the paraclete, the comforter, the one called alongside to help.

47:46 The most predominant designation of the Holy Spirit in the upper room discourse in John 13, 14 and 15 and 16 is John 14 to 16. I'm sorry. The upper room discourse, the most common designation is spirit of truth, spirit of truth. So the Holy Spirit is going to guide us as he gives us illumination in the understanding and proper application of biblical principles.

48:15 So the Holy Spirit is going to guide us as he gives us illumination in the understanding and proper application of biblical principles. So the Holy Spirit is going to guide us as he gives us illumination in the understanding and proper application of biblical principles. So the Holy Spirit is going to guide us as he gives us illumination in the understanding and proper application of biblical principles. It's as we wrestle with the word of God, in dependence upon the Lord, that the Holy Spirit will work by and with the Holy Scriptures.

48:19 It's as we wrestle with the word of God, in dependence upon the Lord, that the Holy Spirit will work by and with the Holy Scriptures. It's as we wrestle with the word of God, in dependence upon the Lord, that the Holy Spirit will work by and with the Holy Scriptures. It's as we wrestle with the word of God, in dependence upon the Lord, that the Holy Spirit will work by and with the Holy Scriptures. that the Holy Spirit will work by and with the Holy Scriptures.

48:28 And so we must always remember spirit and word go together. Not the word without the spirit will be left to carnal wisdom in the application of the word. Not the spirit without the word will be open to fanaticism and mysticism. But spirit and word together.

48:46 Those are crucial.

Preview of Next Week's Study and Legal Barriers

48:49 Hours gone. And we didn't get to category three. Well, let me give you some scriptures. These are going to be the scriptures, God willing, that we'll take up and try to isolate another very vital principle of the missionary strategy as recorded in the book of Acts.

49:08 Acts 13.5 and then verses 14 to 16. Acts 13.5 verses 14 to 16.

49:20 Acts 14.1. Now that's all in conjunction with the first missionary journey. And then the second passage is from the second missionary journey.

49:31 Acts 17.1 and 2.

49:34 Acts 17.1 and 2. And then the third passage is from the third missionary journey. Acts 19.8.

49:42 And as you read those passages, one from, or two of them, or three of them from the first missionary journey, then one from the second, one from the third, see if you can isolate a very predominant element in Paul's missionary strategy and having identified it, then see if you can answer the question, why was this such an integral part of his missionary strategy and what application would that have to us today? So what was the element of strategy? Why did he incorporate it? And what would be its application to us today?

50:22 God willing, that's what we'll take up as the first part of our study next week. Well, let's pray. Yes.

50:33 Yes, that's fine, Brian.

51:01 Hmm, yes. So that we have not taken the attitude that if we're convinced we ought to go, we can run roughshod over the proper legal barriers that might be there. But rather believe that God could remove or move those barriers in such a way that we could enter those doors with a good conscience. It's a vital point that again, the Holy Spirit leads us in the realm of conformity to the ethical norms of Scripture.

51:36 He doesn't lead us to be lawless. Now, when men's rules forbid something God has clearly commanded, then there comes a time when we may have to preach against men's rules. Acts chapter 5. They forbade them to speak in the name of Jesus.

51:52 And they said, we've got to obey God rather than men. But we must not assume that we have that situation too quickly until we have sought under God to secure wherever possible the proper legal rights to enter a given country, etc. Because again, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit who has authored all of those biblical texts which mandate that we have a care to provide things honorable in the sight of God and of men. We render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's.

Concluding Prayer for Sensitivity and Guidance

52:28 Well, let's pray and ask the Lord to continue to guide us as we wrestle with these matters together.

52:36 Our Father, we do thank you that as we bow in your presence this morning, we can do so confident that the Holy Spirit dwells in the midst of the church as well as in our individual hearts. And we do earnestly pray that if in any way any one of us is presently grieving or quenching the Spirit, that you would help us to isolate and identify our sin, to repent of it, to flee to the fountain open for sin and uncleanness, that we would not enter the hour of worship this morning with a grieved spirit, but, O Lord, that as he is ungrieved in our individual hearts, so he may be ungrieved in our corporate gathering, that he will move powerfully and freely upon us and in us, inciting that abandonment of holy praise and worship, the earnestness of fervent and believing prayer, and the unction upon the preaching and the hearing of the Word of God. And, O Lord, we pray, with reference to our ongoing concerns in conjunction with the work of missions, that you will help us increasingly to be sensitive to the superintendence of the Holy Spirit.

54:04 Keep us from carnal reasoning. Keep us in the way of obedience to present duty, knowing that light will come in that pathway. Be with those whom we have sent forth to serve you. May they know your goodness and your good hand upon them in all of their endeavors.

54:24 Hear our cry and answer us, we plead, in Jesus' name. Amen.