Buildings, Money, and Power: Healthier Churches
Mr. David Platt spoke a few years ago about a problem he saw the Middle East among corrupt pastors and churches that also relied too much on Western money. Unfortunately, these problems are often worldwide. Through Christ there is grace to change and grow healthy congregations rather than focus on buildings and income.
‘Nhưng chúng tôi cũng đã có cơ hội để gặp gỡ một số nhà lãnh đạo hội thánh tại một số nước khác nhau và hình dung ra được tình trạng chung của các hội thánh tại đó. Không phải là việc có nhiều hội thánh tin lành, tức là những hội thánh thực sự tin vào sức mạnh của Phúc âm. Mà trong số những hội thánh có mặt tại đó, chúng tôi nhận thấy có rất nhiều người bị lôi kéo vào những sự tranh giành, mà chủ yếu liên quan đến hai điều: tiền bạc và quyền lực.
- ‘But we did have the opportunity to spend some time with some church leaders in a couple of different countries and to get a picture of the state of the church. And it is not a lot of evangelistic churches, churches that believe the gospel. But of those that are there, many of them, what we became aware of is that many of them are embroiled in struggles and a lot of those struggles deal with two things: money and power.
‘Một thực trạng là hầu hết các hội thánh tại đó đều được mở hoặc đang được hỗ trợ bởi các hội thánh tại phương Tây. Thậm chí tại một nước kia, không có một hội thánh nào được mở bởi những người bản địa. Tất cả đều được mở và hỗ trợ bởi các hội thánh phương Tây. Vì vậy mà chúng tôi thấy các nhà lãnh đạo hội thánh tại đó giành hầu hết thời gian để kêu gọi giúp đỡ nhằm xây dựng cơ sở vật chất và xây dựng các chương trình trong hội thánh để cạnh tranh với nhau nhằm thu hút được nhiều sự hỗ trợ hơn từ phương Tây, để rồi lại đầu tư vào xây dựng cơ sở và các chương trình khác.
- ‘And the picture is the majority of the churches over there have either been started by or are currently supported by churches in the west, i.e., here or other places, western culture. And in one particular country, all of the churches, there was not one church that was started by a nationalist. All started by westerners and supported by westerners. And so what you have got is the church leaders who are there spend much of their time raising resources from the west to build buildings and to create programs in the church and they compete with each other for resources from the west to build buildings and to create programs.
‘Và tại đất nước mà tôi có nói là không có một hội thánh nào được gầy dựng bởi người bản địa, có một hội thánh sắp sửa trở thành một siêu hội thánh. Đó là từ họ dùng. Họ muốn xây những tòa nhà thật to lớn. Một siêu hội thánh ở đó chỉ gồm vài trăm tín hữu. Họ chỉ muốn xây những tòa nhà cho thật to. Họ lập kế hoạch xây dựng và rồi tìm kiếm sự hỗ trợ để thực thi kế hoạch đó.’
- ‘And in that one particular country where there is not one church that has been started by a national one of those churches now is preparing to be a mega church in that country. They used the term. They want to build a big building. A mega church is a couple of hundred members there. They want to build a big building. They have a plan for a big building and they are going to get funds to build the building.’
-‘Sống Trong Đấng Christ: Sứ Mệnh của Môn Đồ,’ (2007). (VN link) / ‘Abide: The Disciple’s Mission,’ Matthew 9:35-10:4, (2007). By David Platt. © David Platt & Radical. Website: Radical.net (EN link).
(Planting)
John Calvin and Missions
Mr. Shawn Wright helps us consider a few truths often forgotten from church history:
‘Even though the Protestant reformers of the sixteenth century were regularly fighting for their survival because of Catholic assaults, and even though they had few resources and were land-locked, they believed in and practiced missions. We see this in the ministry of John Calvin (1509–1564)….’
Taking the Gospel to the Nations
‘Calvin argued that God “means that the work of this deliverance will be so excellent that it ought to be proclaimed, not in one corner only, but throughout the whole world….”’
Three Key Missions-Focused Events in Calvin’s Ministry
‘These missional ideas were lived out through Calvin’s ministry. Three events prove this to be the case. In 1544 Calvin had a hand in sending the first Protestant missionary, Pierre Brully, to the Catholic region of the Netherlands….’
‘Calvin’s heart for missions, as well as his aggressive record of church planting, is on display in his beloved country of France….’
The Results
‘The results of these efforts were awesome, as Pierre Courthial recounts: “In 1555 there were five organized Reformed [i.e., Protestant] churches in France; in 1559, the year the first national synod assembled in Paris, there were nearly 100; and by 1562 they numbered 2,150” (in W. S. Reid, ed., John Calvin, 77)….’
‘Calvin also showed his heart for missions when, in 1556, he was asked to send pastors to Brazil….’
-Shawn Wright, “John Calvin and Missions: That God Gather Churches from All Parts of the Earth.”
Read complete article here.
(Resources in Vietnamese and English at GSiV:
Who are the Reformers?
This year, 2017, is the 500th year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, starting officially with Martin Luther (1517). Celebrate by learning about your Protestant history.
Here are just a few of the Reformers:
(GSiV {Tiếng Việt và Tiếng Anh}: Luther, Calvin, Farel, Reformation & Chỉ Duy Nhất 5 ‘Onlys,’ 5 ‘Solas’)
Does Calvinism Kill Missions?
- ‘John Calvin: Calvin sent missionaries from Geneva into France and as far away as Brazil. Most of these young men sent to France died a martyr’s death, but the church of Geneva continued to send them.
- ‘John Eliot: A missionary sent to the American Indians in the 1600′s. He is believed to be the first missionary among this people group. As many have said, if William Carey is the father of the modern mission’s movement, then John Eliot is its grandfather.
- ‘David Brainerd: A missionary to the American Indians in the 1700′s. Many historians believe that he has sent more individuals into the mission field than any other person in the history of the church via his diary, An Account of the Life of the Late Reverend David Brainerd.
- ‘Theodorus Frelinghuysen: The great evangelist and preacher, who set the stage for the First Great Awakening in the middle colonies.
- ‘Jonathan Edwards: The great theologian, writer, and preacher of the First Great Awakening. He was also a missionary to the Indians.
- ‘George Whitfield: The great voice and preacher of the First Great Awakening. He journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean thirteen times and scholars believe he preached over 18,000 sermons….’ Continue reading.
(GSiV: Missions and Evangelism,
QUYỀN NĂNG CAO CẢ CỦA ĐỨC CHÚA TRỜI Ở VIỆT NAM (Ê-phê 1:4-5) 