Lausanne World Pulse – Missions: A Humble Journey Toward a New Creation
By John Edmiston
Missionary work frequently involves the determined pursuit of a godly vision or some compelling understanding of “what God wants us to do” for his name. This guiding vision or theological understanding then governs the rest of the activities of the mission agency. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that we get the vision right.
Unfortunately this is not always the case. Occasionally, some very theologically inadequate metaphors (e.g. metaphors dependent on over-realized eschatology, the prosperity gospel or soulless corporate success metaphors) take centerstage. Therefore I would like to suggest a metaphor of the new creation as a guiding vision for missions.
In the new creation metaphor the missionary is taking the old creation, the old fallen order of things, and transforming it into the new creation and into the heavenly order of things. By the power of the message of the gospel God creates persons who are new creations in Christ, and forms them into a unified cross-cultural community that Paul calls a “new humanity” (Ephesians 2:12-22), who then live under a new covenant, and eventually inherit a new heaven and a new earth. The missionary is simply a co-worker with God in his new creation.
New Covenant and New Creation
The glorious new covenant is different from the old covenant that is “passing away” with its priestly hierarchy, temple-building programs and ecclesiastical grandeur. The new covenant is a community-building, mustard-seed covenant of forgiveness, love and hope in which the temples are people and where God dwells in the midst of them during their gatherings for prayer, worship and mutual edification. In the new covenant people are taught by God and have the law written on their hearts as new beings and transformed creations who are connected to God in the depths of their spirituality (Hebrews 8:8-13). Thus, new covenant ministry seeks to do an interior work rather than an exterior work. It produces spiritual fruit such as reconciliation, community, love and joy rather than the mere completion of institutional programs and agendas.
The missionary, like Paul, is someone who is crucified to the world (Galatians 5:24, 6:14), who leaves its values behind and who does not exalt him or herself
over others or seek personal glory.
This metaphor is about a major transformation in personhood and in community under a new set of values and ethics. Central to this is the cross and the notion of dying to self. The personal ego must die. In this new creation people are humble, meek and lowly servants. There is no domination, “lording it over” or missionary imperialism. The missionary, like Paul, is someone who is crucified to the world (Galatians 5:24, 6:14), who leaves its values behind and who does not exalt him or herself over others or seek personal glory.
The missionary thus becomes a humble, redemptive servant of those made new in Christ. He or she becomes someone who offers both death (to the ego, the world, the self and the “kosmos”) and life. To those who are seeking salvation, the missionary is the fragrance of new life (2 Corinthians 2:14-16).
The new creation metaphor also applies to the spiritual depth and quality of those whom we send to the field. In Matthew 23:15 Jesus speaks of those who tried to make converts without being new creations themselves: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to make one proselyte, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as fit for hell as you are!” Thus evangelistic efforts can have negative spiritual consequences if the missionary (who travels over land and sea) is not redeemed and simply inculcates the convert into an inadequate and grace-less spiritual paradigm.