Call down God’s fire or shuffle into irrelevancy – that’s the warning Tom Elliff gave trustees of the International Mission Board during their Feb. 26-27 meeting in Las Vegas.
Speaking from 1 Kings 18 (Elijah and the prophets of Baal), IMB’s president challenged trustees to ask God to show his power among the nations much like he did when Elijah beckoned fire from heaven, turning Israel’s heart back to the Lord.
David Uth, IMB trustee chairman and pastor of First Baptist Church in Orlando, Fla., helps honor 62 newly appointed missionaries Feb. 27 at Hope Church in Las Vegas.Elliff outlined five questions trustees must ask themselves if they are serious about fulfilling the Great Commission. But the questions aren’t just for trustees or missionaries, Elliff added. They are for every Southern Baptist.
Missions is the “stack pole around which the SBC was formed 168 years ago,” Elliff said, pointing out that the Southern Baptist Convention and the IMB are “inextricably woven together.” The degree to which Southern Baptists focus on the needs of a lost world serves as a barometer for the health of the entire denomination, he noted.
If not now, when?
Southern Baptists can no longer afford to delay, Elliff told trustees. They must choose now to live their lives in a way that demonstrates total devotion to the plan and purpose that Christ has for every believer – specifically, making disciples of every tribe, tongue and nation.
If not me, then who?
“We live in a generation that tries to shuck responsibility,” Elliff said. “We don’t want to be responsible for anything. But we are responsible, whether we think so or not. … Elijah thought he was the only prophet left in Israel, and even though he wasn’t, what strikes me is that he was willing to do something about it.”
If not here, then where?
Noting IMB’s role as the collaborative point for Southern Baptists’ international missions efforts, Elliff urged greater support from SBC churches. He said it is “appalling” to think that Southern Baptists are not sending out thousands more missionaries, but emphasized that IMB can deploy only the number of people Southern Baptists are willing to support. “We are ready to recruit, train and deploy thousands more into the dark corners of this globe, but Southern Baptists must first give multiplied millions more through the Cooperative Program and Lottie Moon offering,” he added.
If not for God, then why?
Elliff also asked Southern Baptists to question their motives for missions, evangelism and church planting, cautioning against false pride and self-serving interests. “If we don’t do everything we do for God, if he’s not paramount … then why do we have a heart for the lost? It’s because he has a heart for the lost.”
If not by prayer, then how?
Touching on the essential role of prayer in calling down God’s power, Elliff emphasized the role of the IMB’s School of Prayer for the Nations. Though still under development, Elliff envisions the school as a tool to help train and focus Southern Baptists’ prayer for global gospel advance. “If we don’t do this by prayer … what fuel do we have in the engine?” he asked. “We’ve got to pray that God would rain down his power on us in full force.”
Elliff announced plans for five key commitments he’s going to ask of every Southern Baptist in June at the SBC’s annual meeting in Houston. The challenge will include daily, weekly, monthly and annual commitments from both individuals and churches, including prayer, giving and connecting with Southern Baptist missionaries overseas – as well as going to the mission field.
“I believe that if Southern Baptists will ask those questions, I believe that if you and I get honest, the fire of God will fall on us,” Elliff said. “[If not], we’ll shuffle off down a long, dark hallway of irrelevancy and become just one more of those old denominations people talk about.”
Trustees appointed 62 missionaries, honoring them at an appointment service at Las Vegas’ Hope Church.
The next IMB trustee meeting will be May 14-15 in Springdale, Ark., in conjunction with a missionary appointment service May 15 at Cross Church (Pinnacle Hills campus) in Rogers, Ark. – IMB