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FOMenter -- a mission memo to missionaries, administrators, pastor and laymen
THE DANGER OF COMPROMISING BIBLICAL CONVICTIONS
Leigh E. Adams, President FOM
[An excerpt from the President’s Annual Report to the Fellowship of Missions]
Last fall I had opportunity to attend the Mid-Atlantic Pastor’s Fellowship and Bible
Conference at North Hills Bible Church in York, PA.
A number of those present were associated with churches that support
missionaries serving under our FOM banner.
In addition to being encouraged by inspiring messages/challenges from
the Word, David E. Moss, pastor of the host church gave me a copy of his essay
on The Biblical Doctrine of Separation in which he wrote,
The flaw in the evangelical ecumenism being promoted
today is that it uses an erroneous basis for getting together.
Christian unity, they say, is not based upon the striking similarity of
all those who belong to Jesus Christ, but upon the ability of those who use
His name to lay aside their differences…
The Bible cautions the disciples of Christ against
association with those who claim to follow the Lord but whose doctrine and
behavior give evidence they really do not (I Corinthians 5:7-11; Romans 16:17;
Galatians 1:7-9; Philippians 3:14-21; Colossians 2:4-8; II Thessalonians 3:6,
14; II Peter 2:1-2; II John 10; Revelation 2:14,20). It also instructs
that both the error and the people who proclaim it are clearly identified so
that less discerning believers may guard against association with potentially
harmful influences. Paul said ‘mark them’ (Romans 16:17) and ‘note
that man’ (II Thessalonians 3:14). Talking in generalities is not
always sufficient. Sometimes it is necessary to be very specific.
(pp 11.12)
In 1962, while serving as a missionary church-planter in Quebec I received a request for a New Testament
in the French language. I was surprised to find that the address was a Roman Catholic boarding school for
young men. Soon after asking to speak with the young man who had requested the New Testament, l’aumonier
(chaplain) appeared and asked me to leave. I said, “Monsieur, surely you can not object to my giving this
young man a copy of God’s Word!” He replied sharply, “Billy Graham I can accept but not you.
Please leave now!” Billy
Graham had just concluded a crusade in Sao Paulo, Brazil.1 Interestingly Graham’s invitation to the Roman Catholic
Bishop to join him on the platform and give his blessing to those who came
forward had been reported in both the Montreal and Quebec City newspapers.
Some years later James Michael Beam’s interview of Billy Graham appeared in McCall’s January 1978
edition. Graham was quoted as saying,
“I am far more tolerant of other kinds of Christians
that I once was. My contact with Catholic, Lutheran, and other leaders
— people far removed from my own Southern Baptist tradition — has helped
me — hopefully, to move in the right direction. I’ve found that my
beliefs are essentially the same as those of the orthodox Roman
Catholics…” Would he, I wanted to know, accept an invitation
to preach in Rome if it were offered to him? Graham’s surprising
answer was that he was invited to preach there five years ago by the handful
of Protestant churches in Rome. What’s more, he has received word
through his friend, the Papal Nuncio to Belgium, that the Vatican would not be
opposed to a Graham Crusade in Rome. “Then why don’t you go?”
I asked. “The facilities aren’t good” was his businesslike
response. “All they have is a sports arena outside Rome that holds
only eighteen thousand people. But I did look at the Roman Coliseum.
If they could fix that up and make it safe, I think I’d go.”
Billy Graham’s practice in citywide campaigns is to work with all denominations including the Roman
Catholic Church. In the 1957 New York City crusade, liberal churches (non-gospel, non-redemptive churches)
received the most cards from the campaign and also the most members
(New York Times 1/26/58). Dr. William Ward Ayer, a former member of the NYC Protestant Council concluded his
report saying, “I think Billy has made the mistake … that while not making
war on some things, he has gone to the other extreme, and made peace, not with
the doctrines of apostasy, with those who preach the doctrines of apostasy.
This I believe is deadly, and may one day defeat the whole cause for
which this man of God is laboring.” 2
The present day move to “close the gap” is but another evidence of Satan’s opposition.
We have been warned! "Beloved,
when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was
needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”
(Jude 1:3) The Evangelicals and Catholics Together movement continues to move forward.
The spreading tentacles of postmodernism’s encouragement to accept
lies, hype and spin are having an impact on many.
In my report on the Dangers of Dialogue
(Focus On Missions – Vol. XXV, Number 2), I quoted a report from J.
I. Packer who served as spokesman for evangelical Protestants at an Orthodox
conference (May 16-20, 1995) in South Carolina session on Ecumenism At the
Threshold of the Third Millennium.
“Can conservative Protestants, Eastern Orthodox and
Roman Catholics of mainstream type join together in bearing witness to all
that I have spoken of? I urge that we can, despite our known and continuing
differences about the specifics of the salvation process and the place of the
church in that process….
To be sure, fundamentalists within our three
traditions are unlikely to join us in this, for it is the way of
fundamentalists to follow the path of contentious orthodoxism, as if the mercy
of God in Christ automatically rests on persons who are notionally correct and
is just as automatically withheld from those who fall short of notional
correctness on any point of substance.”
His railing accusation does not bode well for this noted theologian and expositor. Sadly, it appears
he has chosen to walk with the crowd rather than follow the clear teaching of
the Word of God to separate from error. Obedience
to the Word of God cannot be defined as “the path of contentious
orthodoxism.”
To be accused of proselytism by unbelievers can hardly be considered as an excuse for not
obeying the Great Commission! Any compromise on the doctrines of justification
by faith alone or the acceptance of the Bible as sole authority must be
clearly identified as error! Spurgeon’s counsel to his students is needed
today. "Neither
when we have chosen our way can we keep company with those who go the other
way. There must come with the
decision for truth a corresponding protest against error."
I am grateful to the Lord for having raised up those who saw a need for TAM and the organization of the
Fellowship of Missions in 1969. I would like to encourage you to become familiar with our “roots.”
Dr. William Smallman presented a “Historical Sketch” at the time of
our 25th annual meeting in Harrisburg, Penna. Copies are available by contacting our office or you may also download
a printable version from our web site. http://www.fellowshipofmissons.org.
It would be very difficult to improve on the description of FOM as set forth by Dr. Robert Gilbert, a former officer.
“FOM holds fast to the clear biblical standards of separation from apostasy that has through the years distinguished
it from other evangelical organizations. It is a difficult “row to hoe”
when there is such a tendency to make the Lord’s work “user-friendly”
it is hard to drive a stake and say ‘here I stand’ and not be allured by
the temptation to compromise a bit here and there and finally awake to the
awful truth that the Lord’s blessing has been removed and all you have left
is what man can do without the blessing of the Holy Spirit.”
1http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/bgeachro/bgeachron02.htm
2 Authorized report of 1957 NYC Crusade
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ABOVE REPROACH?
Reuter’s reported “charitable giving in
the United States rose by more than $15 billion for the third year in a row in
1999, pushing the total to $190 billion or twice the amount of a decade
ago.” 1 It has been 13 years since a number of dishonest non-profit “charitable”
organizations were exposed. Investigations
disclosed that a number of individuals had used charitable contributions for
personal benefit. A glaring example was the $8,000 of donor contributions spent by Jim and Tammy Bakker on
their pet’s air-conditioned doghouse. Reader’s Digest lampooned charitable giving with a cartoon picturing a housewife
handing a donation to a representative of the Audubon Society while asking, “How
much of this will go to the birds?”
Serving at the time as a mission administrator, I received the following
inquiry from a concerned pastor requesting a copy of the auditor’s report.
“Our church board is just interested in making sure that our missionary dollars are being wisely spent. In a day, when the financial credibility of many evangelical
organizations and institutions is being questioned, we want to be able to let
our congregation know that we have investigated the organizations which we
support, and that we have found them to be above reproach.”
More than a decade has passed since the scandalous
revelation of misuse of the Lord’s money by the Bakkers and other
televangelists. At that time, the
media focused on financial integrity. Regrettably,
many donors still seem to be unconcerned how their mission funds are handled.
But, as believers, we must also be concerned for doctrinal purity and
the moral character of mission administrators and missionary personnel. Do not unscriptural alliances contradict the doctrinal stand of an
agency?
Investigative reporting should not be
limited to the media. Responsible
leadership will ask questions, as did the concerned pastor. Local church leadership should clearly be concerned over compromise and
inconsistencies evidenced in some mission agencies. Is the non-profit organization, which you have chosen to
extend your ministry, above reproach? Have
you asked the right questions? Here
are some suggestions.
- What percent of the contribution, if any, is earmarked for administrative costs?
- Is an annual financial statement or independent audit available on request?
- How are the funds sent to the missionary?
- How does administration evaluate missionary ministry?
- What are the recommended monthly support levels and actual monthly support?
- What are the current agency affiliations?
- What is the governing body of the agency?
- How is accountability assured at all levels of ministry?
Missionaries,
although serving with a mission, are in fact the extension of the ministry of
the local church. An informal
meeting with the missions committee during furlough provides an excellent
opportunity to become better acquainted.
Ask about ministry goals, family needs, finances, personal
relationships, retirement provisions, associations, etc.
The
Fellowship of Missions requires its member agencies to maintain a policy of
financial integrity in addition to unwavering faith and practice as
fundamental, separatist, and premillennial organizations.
Local churches seeking to support additional missionaries are
encouraged to contact one of our member agencies.
Leigh Adams, President FOM
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RESTRICTED AREA -- Thrilling testimony of David and Kathy Spradling, Remnant Ministries missionaries
My mission
field is in a Restricted Area here in Ohio — the operating room of one of
the major hospitals of my community. As a volunteer chaplain, I have the
freedom to share my faith with patients and families who face life-threatening
situations.
The Lord
opened this door of ministry after I explained my burden with the director of
a hospital who as a believer extended the invitation to serve in his
department. My pre-surgery visits with all of the inpatients the day
before surgery have resulted in a number of people coming to faith in Christ.
But it was becoming evident that most arrived just before their scheduled
appointment making it difficult to talk with each one. Following surgery
I usually was not able to see them until after they left the recovery room and
were placed into a regular room. Many patients went home a couple of
hours after surgery and I never had a chance to meet them at all.
I began to
pray about how to minister to the frightened and apprehensive patients who
were transported into the operating room. The doors to the O.R. door
warned, “RESTRICTED AREA, POSITIVELY NO ADMITTANCE! AUTHORIZED
PERSONNEL ONLY.” As I discussed the possibility of being admitted to
the O.R. to minister, the Director asked me to put a plan together that could
be presented to the leaders of the surgery areas as to how I could be a
benefit to their patients. However, the door remained closed as some in
O.R. administration remained unconvinced of any value to such a ministry.
Others prayed with me that God would open those “Restricted Area” doors.
Then I
found an article in a very well-respected medical journal that explained the
positive effect of an O.R. chaplain presence in one Pennsylvania hospital.
The article told of a chaplain who met with patients and families just prior
to heart surgery, offered to pray with them, or minister to their needs if he
could. The chaplain then would accompany the patient to the operating
suite and minister to them until the patient was asleep. During the
surgery, the chaplain would visit the family waiting area and provide much
desired updates as to the progress of the surgery. The article also told
of the medical benefits that were being observed due to this ministry such as
less anxiety, which helped the patients have a lower heart rate and thus
required less anesthesia which made the patients’ time in the recovery area
more beneficial.
The
leadership took this article and read it while I met with some of the
Christian surgeons to pray once more that God would open the doors to this
“Restricted Area.” Within hours, God had changed the heart of the
O.R. leadership. The O.R. manager said that “This is good stuff and I
will do whatever I can to help you make this work.” The doors were
opened to me to minister in a “Highly Restricted Area.”
At first, I
worked only with the patients and families of several cardiac and orthopedic
surgeons. The results were so positive that I was asked to expand my
ministry to as many patients and patients’ families as possible.
Recently I was asked to share the details of this new program to the entire
surgical staff.
God
answered prayer! I am considered a part of the care team and even dress
in “scrubs” with cap and mask. I have the wonderful privilege of
visiting the patients and their families before surgery and ministering to
them. I am then present in the Operating Suite and relay information
from the surgeon to the family as to the progress of their loved one.
Frequently I am asked to accompany the surgeon to the family consultation
following the surgery, especially when the news is not good. I can then
stay with the family and minister to their needs while the surgeon goes on to
his next case.
Of course
many patients now go home the same day of their surgery but I still have time
for follow up visits with them in the recovery area and in the rooms of the
patients who are admitted following surgery. Many times the post-surgery
visits are very profitable even if the pre-surgery visits seemed fruitless.
Through
this opportunity, God has given me an open door to present the Gospel to many
unbelieving patients and their families and God has saved several of them.
It is also a great privilege to pray with and minister to the needs of
patients and families who are believers in Christ, and encourage them in their
faith. I have even seen many of these believers recommit their life to Christ.
I am also
having many opportunities to minister to surgeons and support staff in this
endeavor. This has been an added blessing that I am praying God will
continue to use. It is a powerful time when, during the middle of a
surgery a surgeon who is not a believer turns around and asks me to pray for
him to be able to help the patient who is in a “hopeless” situation.
It is an
unusual ministry opportunity that God is blessing in a major way. I have
been given an awesome opportunity to minister to Jew and Gentile, rich and
poor alike and it is due to the awesome hand of God pushing open a door to a
“Restricted Area.”
David
and Kathy Spradling are missionaries serving with Remnant Ministries,
Inc. For further information on how to establish an O.R.
ministry contact David at kydave@juno.com or the Remnant
Ministries, Inc. PO Box 21100, Cleveland, OH 44121-0100.
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