Adoniram Judson's Advice for Missionaries

Before you depart …

“I want to be a missionary. Now what?” Here, in paraphrase, is the advice Adoniram Judson gave to a missionary association in New York:

1. Be a missionary for life, not for a limited term.

2. Select a healthy and good-natured spouse.

3. Don’t be overzealous to do good on board ship and thereby get in the way.

4. Take care that you are not weakened by the hardships you will face during the preparation and travel to your destination.

5. Don’t judge the local Christians in your field of labor before you know their language and understand their culture. You will undoubtedly be disappointed when you first arrive and may regret that you came, but don’t let first impressions dishearten or embitter you.

6. Don’t let fatigue and frustration tempt you into seeking retreat or focusing on tasks that distract from real missionary work.

7. Beware of pride arising from your good reputation and guard against it by openly confessing your shortcomings.

8. Trust God in all things; don’t lay up money for yourselves.

9. Exercise to maintain your health.

10. Avoid excessive socializing with other Westerners and don’t try to keep up a fashionable lifestyle that will separate you from the people you are there to serve.

Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) Is know as the Father of Baptist Missionaries, lexicographer, and Bible translator to Burma. Born in Massachusetts in 1788. Helped form the American Baptist Missionary Union. In 1834 completed a translation of the whole Bible into the Burmese language. During the Anglo-Burmese War, he spent twenty-one months in prison. From 1845-1847, after thirty-four years in Burma, he took his only furlough to his native land. Returning to Burma, he spent his remaining years working on his English-Burmese dictionary. He died in 1850 and was buried at sea.

Bibliography:

Christian History Magazine-Issue 90: Adoniram & Anne Judson: American Mission Pioneers (Carol Stream, IL: Christianity Today, 2006).

Once Saved, Always Saved

During or Mid-week service a comment was made by Pastor Bud about those whom are saved and in sin.  I have talked to people on several occasions about this.  On one hand, I have talked to people who see people that have professed to be saved and live like the devil.  On the other hand, I have talked to the actual people who have made a profession and have told me that they have forsaken Christ and lost their salvation.  To these folks, I often tell them you can’t give back what’s not theirs in the first place.  Anyway, the doctrine is called Perseverance and we’ll take a quick look at it today. 

If properly understood this is an incredibly comforting doctrine, but is indeed often abused, misunderstood, or both.  The Bible teaches that all who are by faith united with Christ, who have been justified by God’s grace and regenerated by the Holy Spirit, will never totally nor fully and finally fall away from the state of grace, but with certainty persevere until the end.  Romans 11:29 states that the “… the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”   Leon Morris comments, “It is one of the precious things about the Christian faith that our continuance in eternal life depend not on our feeble hold on Christ, buy on His firm grip on us” (Morris, “The Gospel According to John (ref. John 10:27-30)).

It’s important to remember that perseverance is not dependent on us the same way salvation is not dependent on what we do or don’t do.  Jesus’ work on the Cross was accepted by the Father (Rom 1:4; 4:25).  Romans 5:8-10 tells us that Christ died “while we were yet sinners.”  However, Christ’s present ministry purposes to keep us saved just as much as his past work on the Cross purposed to save us in the first place.  Christ at this very moment is seated next to the Father. Why? – to continue to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25).  You see, I believe God the Father answered Jesus’ prayer in John 17, among other things that He would keep those who believe and that they might enjoy the blessings of eternal fellowship with him.  And so our Savior is presently at the right hand of the Father interceding for us (Rom 8:34).

This, however, does not mean that everyone who professes to be saved is eternally saved.  Furthermore, it doesn’t mean that everyone who is members of our church and even manifests certain gifts in Christian service is necessarily eternally saved.  This doctrine of perseverance of eternal security is applicable only to those who have a dynamic experience in salvation.  I say dynamic because, it’s a salvation that they shall never totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace.  It’s dynamic because the Spirit of God has testified to their spirit that they are his child (Rom 8:16).  This is not to say that they shall never backslide, never fall into sin, and never fail to show forth the praises of him who called them out of darkness into this marvelous light.  It simply means that they will never totally fall away from the state of grace into which they have been brought, nor fait to return from their backsliding in the end. 

The born-again Christian can no more lose his sonship to the heavenly Father than an earthly child can lose their sonship to an earthly father.  Once saved, always saved!

It's Good to Be a Child of the King

We have been studying the book of Galatians at Mt Zion Baptist Church, which is a wonderful book about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Within the context off salvation, Paul is the only one who mentions the word adoption.  The other writers of the NT associate this word with the blessings of the doctrines of regeneration and justification.  Paul uses adoption five times in the Bible (Rom 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5).  In one instance it is referenced to the nation of Israel (Rom 9:4); another time when that adoption becomes fully realized in the future coming of Christ (Rom 8:23); and then in three instances Paul declares it as a present fact in a Believers life. 

The word adoption literally means “placing as a son.”  I like how Evans summarizes it, “Regeneration has to do with our change in nature; justification, with our change in standing; sanctification with our change in character; adoption, with our change in position” (Evans, The Great Doctrines of the Bible, p. 161).  Wow!  In regeneration then we have a new life; in justification, a new standing; and in adoption, a new position. 

I love Gal 4:6 “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”  Before salvation, the Gentile (all those not Jews) was a slave and the Jew a minor.  Yet through adoption, both now have legal standing as sons of God (Gal 4:1-7).  Of course, our full adoption and all that comes with it is not fully realized until the coming of Christ (Rom 8:23).  Then, if you can imagine, our broken sin riddled bodies will be delivered from all corruption and mortality and be make like unto his own glorious body (Phil 3:20).

Praise God that until Christ comes for his own, God has given us a down payment in the person of the Holy Spirit as I already mentioned in Gal 4:6.  Because of this there is a great appreciation and desire for the believer to have fellowship with the Father.  This is manifested by how we are to walk and be led by the Spirit and a conformity to the image of God’s Son (Rom 8:29). 

What a glorious thing to be a child of the King!