This week, the blog is sponsored by Reformed Free Publishing Association (RFPA). This post is about their brand-new book Go Into All the World, written by Rev. Daniel Holstege of Wingham, Ontario.
It is often said that the Reformed doctrines of election and God’s covenant with believers and their children discourage or even impede missions and evangelism. Though those claims are erroneous, the reality is that many Reformed circles have often inadvertently given them credibility by neglecting evangelism and maintaining a self-focused church culture that produces what C. John Miller called “the ingrown church.”
But that need not be so.
In Go Into All the World, pastor and former missionary Daniel Holstege demonstrates that, far from impeding missions, a proper understanding of the doctrine of God’s covenant should actually encourage evangelism. Though unashamedly committed to the Biblical doctrine of election, the Reformed faith does not allow the believer to attempt the impossible task to curiously investigate God’s decree, and to speculate about who is and who is not elect. Rather, the Reformed faith emboldens the church to proclaim the gospel to all people, nations, and tongues indiscriminately.
The book starts from the inner life of the triune God. It was God himself who sent his Son into the world as the chief missionary. And the book ends with the final consummation of God’s covenant with his people, when the chief missionary will come to complete God’s plan of restoration of all things. Christians find themselves in between Christ ascension and Christ’s final coming. As we wait for the latter, but all Christians (and not just ministers and missionaries) are called by the Lord to bear witness of the gospel of Jesus Christ to their neighbors.
Rather, the Reformed faith emboldens the church to proclaim the gospel to all people, nations, and tongues indiscriminately.
But Go Into All the World is not a purely doctrinal book. Holstege honestly reckons with the reality that sharing the gospel is hard work. Besides the possibility of an ingrown church culture discouraging us, sometimes we can also feel discouraged by our own weaknesses, desire for comfort, or timid personalities.
Whether you need doctrinal clarity, practical advice, encouragement for personal or church witness, or a combination of these, Go Into All the World will help you grow in your ability and zeal to be a witness of Jesus Christ, according to your gifts and calling in life.
