Can
we use our theological students for world evangelism?
How
can we use our theological graduates for the present days’ missionary movement?
This is a question which each Christian and every church must answer properly
in order to win the world
for Christ. As we all know that India
alone has 1.2 billion people, it is a huge task to reach all of the Indians and
Asians with the Gospel of Christ. According to our human efforts, it is
impossible to bring all the Indians and Asians to Christ but nothing is
impossible with God. Amen. “Matt. 19:26; Mak.10:27; Lk.18:27, But Jesus beheld
them and said unto them, “with men this is impossible; but with God all
things are possible.”
Our
God is an omnipotent God. He could save the whole world without human
involvement on the matter but He will not. He is not even going to use His
heavenly hosts or the holy angels to preach the good news of our Lord Jesus
Christ to the dying souls in Asia. He has not given the holy angels to preach
the gospel to the whole world but He gave His Great Commission to mankind (Matt.
28:19 – 20). Since this great commission is given to men, it is obvious that He
is going to use men who are truly born again Christians. It is to state that
the genuinely regenerated child of God will be greatly used as an instrument to
reach these dying souls in Asia. This statement is simple and well known to all
of us. However, when it comes to reaching the world for Christ, we need to
rethink and restructure our system of reaching the unreached world. It is a
high time to restructure our system of theological education and promotions for
the great harvest yet to take place.
According
to my personal evaluation of the kind of theological educations that we are
providing and that we are receiving in India, we seem to be more worried about
the existing churches and the issues in Christian communities than the unreached
dying souls. It looks to me that most of the subjects we have are dealing with
the problems in churches and Christian lives, but very less thoughts and
concerns has been given for the lost sinners and salvations in Christ. It is a
high time for us to rethink the kind of educations we have and the need for the
lost world today. I believe in the imminent return of Christ, but even if He
delayed for the next 2000 years, there will always be problems in the churches.
Therefore, our concern should first of all focus on the lost and dying souls. May
I repeat this: “It is the high time for us to restructure our educations and
system of world evangelism in order to reach the world with the true Gospel of
Christ.”
I. Theological Education
and the Graduates:
After
I have visited more than twenty nine theological colleges and seminaries in
India, I came to the point that India alone is producing an extra – ordinary
number of theological students and world class theologians. The academic
performances of the students in Bible Colleges and Seminaries are second to
none. The classroom lectures are excellent. Above all, in one year there are
not less than 4000 theological students who are passing out in all over India.
In Matt.9:36 – 38 “But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion
on them … then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly is plenteous but
the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will
send forth labourers into his harvest.”
May
I repeat what Jesus had said 2000 years back that His disciples should pray for
the labourers, so that the Father in heaven will send forth labourers for the
harvest: “for the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few”. I
personally believe that this prayer request or matter to pray for more laborers
which was requested by our Lord Jesus Christ has been already answered by our Heavenly
Father. They are already available here in India. So far I have not heard and
I’ve not read any articles mentioning that there were more theological
graduates than at present. Neither there were more laborers available than at
present. We need to realize that these laborers coming up in India must be
used. What Jesus was talking about in Matt. 9:35 – 38? He was talking about the
lack of man power to make the great harvest. We as a church and truly born
again Christians need to use these man power which is available in India for
the great harvest that will usher the second coming of Christ. If we don’t now,
we will never!
There
is a huge printing press in India which was donated by the First Bible
International in several year back. This printing machine is also known as the
largest printing press in Asia with the cost of at least 1 million dollars. Out
of sincerity and simplicity, the primary purpose of that printing press was to
print Bibles, Gospel tracts and Christian literatures related to the winning of
dying souls in India and Asia. However, today that offset press is lying there
as a liability property. A mere excellent theological education is not enough.
Today this printing press is not in use and it is even getting rusted and decaying.
One day we will surely hear that this particular machine is completely spoiled
and in unusable condition. How sad it will be! Likewise, today if we do not use
our theological graduates, tomorrow they will be of no use and they will become
a useless man power. We are already seeing useless great theologians and
seminaries graduates. My sincere appeal to all the churches is to use your
theologically well trained graduates for the great harvest still awaited.
II. Theoretical
Theological Education:
On
top of high quality system of theological education in India and producing
several thousands of theological well trained laborers, we are still yet to see
the greatest harvest. We are still yet to see the increase of Christian
percentages in India. Why the 2.2% or 4.2% still stagnant there for the last
three to four decades? I see two reasons which caused problems in our efforts
to reach the unreached in India and Asia.
i.
Lack
of Practical Educations
Theological
Education though they are excellent in its academic performances, the students
are not given practical educations in the Colleges and Seminaries. Many
students are deprived their rights of practical educations while in Colleges
& Seminaries. Most students whom I had opportunities of discussing on this
issue of practical works or ministries in the Lord’s field, they all informed
me that they are not motivated enough to practice what they learnt in their
theoretical class rooms. Most of them are not given opportunities to exercise
their faith and put into practices what they learnt from their professors. Most
Bible Colleges and Seminaries seem to be not worried about the students’
practical life and ministries in future. Therefore, lot of them could not come to
the final conclusions and convictions of their callings. Today most of the
theological students in India are coming from the North Eastern regions of
India (NEI). However, to my great surprise many of them are being exploited in
the name of the theological educations. The 99.99% of the students from the NEI
are given very less or even no practical ministries whatsoever while they are
in colleges. In some colleges 100% of the NEI students are completely denied or
not given the opportunities to practice what they learnt in theory classes.
There
are many authorities of the colleges in India who says the following excuses
such as: The students do not know the regional languages or the local languages
of the people where they are studying. Therefore, when students are sent out,
they encountered problems. The unbelievers around the Bible Colleges and areas
around them are radical Hindus or Muslims. Due to such oppositions the students
should not develop any relationships in order to avoid contingents and conflicts
with the local people, so that the colleges will avoid getting into persecutions.
I called this is a very pitiful excuses on the part of the college authorities.
My comments on those statements are such as, that these colleges or the
authorities are not even burdened for their own communities around their
colleges. Those students who are victimized from such colleges cannot exercise
their faith. They are afraid to face the problems and issues because they had
never experienced during their college times or studies. No wonder we have
thousands of young people who are theologically trained but seeking for easy
jobs, or secular jobs, etc. No wonder we are still yet to see the growth of Christian
percentage here in India. What can we expect from a MBBS doctor or a GNM/ANM
nurses, if he or she had not done any practical works while in medical colleges
or studying their nursing? Would you like to listen to a doctor who may be
excellent in theory and zero in practical? Will you go to a doctor who doesn’t
know how to prescribe a medicine? Will you go for a major operation on your
body to a doctor who doesn’t know how to operate a patient practically? No, is
the answer for all these questions. Practical work experience is a major field/
task for all the theological students. Certain years of related practical
experiences with earned degree holders are preferred to fill in a vacant post. No
Bible Colleges/Seminaries should take it for granted that they (students) will
learn after they graduate but may I say
this to all the concerned institutions that “which they do not or never put
into practice while studying or training in colleges, they will never practice
thereafter.” Therefore, as a result, there are hundreds and thousands of
theological graduates in NEI who are engaged in all kinds of secular jobs and
unable to preach the Gospel of Christ. Having studied theologies for several
years but end up serving in high-tech companies such as call centers,
restaurants, etc. is the outcome of lack of practical ministries while in Bible
colleges. This is my simple thought and
sincere encouragement for all the Bible Colleges and Seminaries in India that
they should encourage the students to practice what they learn in theory
classes. The Professors themselves should strongly influence their students to
practical ministries. Mere going into churches and preaching during summer and
winter vacations are not enough for a student to come to a strong conviction
that will lead him to be a missionary or a soul winner. When a student is
preparing for fulltime ministry after the college life, if the practical ministry
or works are not done, such student is most likely to end up his life by hiring
himself for a secular jobs as mentioned above for his livelihood and family
supports. Live by faith is unknown and unreasonable to most of our theologically
well trained graduates.
I
grew up in a village where there are two rivers. I also remember going to these
rivers on uncountable occasions for fishing. I was never satisfied after I
caught just one fish. In fact, I would try to catch more fishes. Due to the joy
of fishing, I used to forget to go home in the evenings. Though fishing is
interesting, it is never an easy job but I will still go again. Sometimes we
went for fishing in the nights. You do what you do is because of the joy of
doing what you do. The conviction that conquers your heart to do what you do is
because of your conviction through experiences. Rich experiences will lead one
to confirm or recognize own callings. Great joy or great success never comes in
an easy or short cut ways. We need to toil into waters to catch a fish. A rich
experienced plays a vital role in any successful project. Similarly we must
allow our theological students to practically enjoy in fishing the souls for
Christ on daily or weekly basis. I’m grateful for my seminary authority whose
programs on practical ministry had moulded me and shaped me with practical
ministries while I was a student. Unfortunately, most of our students do not
get a chance to experience practical ministries and therefore, they could not
come to strong convictions that will take them extra miles for their ministry
and personal walk with God. We also see that deficiency of exercising their
faith to take a step ahead for world evangelism. As a result on the other
hands, Satan is happy because of more and more people that are going to hell
everyday due to the lack of practical programs in Bible Colleges and theological
Seminaries. Please note that the practical experiences will play a vital role
in the lives of our theological graduates.
What
I am talking here is a case studied. Most of these students somehow heard the
called from above for them to become the servants of God. Another unfortunate
situation is that due to lack of this practical ministry during studies, many
of these students lost their visions and burdens for the Lord and the world
evangelism. The pathetic results of such students are that they do not see
themselves as fit to serve the Lord and end up hiring themselves in the called
centers in IT companies in the metropolitan cities in India, instead of mission
centers or mission fields. Some students came to the point where they saw
themselves as incapable of handling the great responsibilities of the Great
Commission of the Great God. They felt unworthy to follow Christ. They could
not materialize their callings due to lack of practical ministries/ experiences.
They often conclude about themselves by saying that they do not know their
callings. Would you like your graduates to serve God in mission fields or serve
Satan in restaurants and call centers?
ii.
Lack of vision by the Churches.
In India most of the missionaries and
church planters are not supported by local churches. We need to change this
mindset that a missionary should be supported by a mission organizations or
agencies only. I would like to encourage churches to start supporting new
missionaries. Churches should have a mission programs to recruit more missionaries
and church planters.
My sincere suggestion to the existing
churches is that they should start discipleship programs for the Bible College
students so that the ongoing theological students will become their
missionaries. No doubt there are many churches in the North East India that are
supporting several church planters and sending many into cross-cultural mission
field to work as Church Planters in North India, Nepal, Bhutan, and other Asian
countries. On the other hands, there are hundreds and thousands of churches
with beautiful buildings and so many workers in their respective churches but
they could not support even a missionary with minimum supports. They have
several programs and performances in their local churches but nothing is there
for the dying world and great harvest fields still awaited.
In
Rom. 10:13 – 15 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? …” According to Paul’s method, bringing a soul
to Christ is by sending a preacher first. Today the world is growing very fast
in every aspect. Theology or theological thinking is growing rapidly. Ideas and
opinions are growing and changes are taking place in various forms according to
circumstances and school of thoughts. However, Scripture never change. People
try to change Scripture by way of reproducing various versions. Yet one thing
we need to know is that the God whom we serve and worship is a God who has no
pleasure on the dying souls. Deep in the heart of God remains a strong desire
to see all men from everywhere to come back to him and be saved. He wants all
men to come unto the knowledge of the truth (I Tim.2:4). Our Savior has no joy
in our worship if we are not reaching our neighbors with the good news of
salvation in Christ. Our praises and worships are futile if we aren’t
exercising in reaching our world. The church and mission are two wheels of a
bike/ bi-cycle. They both must roll together less they fall. When we start to
talk about sending a missionary one will first tend to see is the financial
support. Hudson Taylor said that “God’s work must be done in God’s way and will
not lack His (God’s) supply”. We must encourage all of our church members to
involve in whatsoever capacity to make the vision a reality.
Many
Pastors are unable to preach a subject on Missions and soul winning, because
they themselves are not mission minded. There are Pastors in our churches who have
not experienced the joy of leading a soul to Christ. Therefore, they could not
comprehend the importance of sending a missionary to the unreached and dying
souls. There are also some who have been pastoring in churches and they have
never been a born again Christian. Such pastors will preach on social gospels
but the gospel for salvation is always missed out. The simple fact is that you
can’t give what you do not have.
Excuses
and Reasons for less or no practical ministries in colleges and less or no
discipleship by local Pastors:
1. May
I repeat this thought once again as I emphasize the matter here. Some colleges’
Presidents and Lecturers or Professors in India says that the students
especially from the North Eastern part of India are unable to speak languages of
the local area and therefore, they are not sent out for practical ministries. If
that is the case, why not teach them the local language? The students are
required to learn Greeks and Hebrews which 99% of the students will never use
them in their entire ministries or life. However, if the Bible colleges will
make a mandatory for all the students to win one soul in one academic year,
there will be hundreds and thousands of new believers in and around the Bible
colleges.
2.
Another reason is that
in numerous occasions when the local areas are being reached out by the
students, they encountered with fanatic Hindus or Muslims who in return try to
cause troubles and agitations/ filed cases against the Bible Colleges or
Seminaries. Therefore, in order to avoid the further problems, the students are
not sent for practical evangelism or ministries in the local areas. Gospel is
always offensive to those who are in darkness. When Jesus said in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no
man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” It is already offended to those
around us who are holding their pluralism theory. Therefore, encountering with
the oppositions should not be our lame excuses.
3. A
very pathetic situation for not using the students in practical ministry near
or local area of the college is due to lack of practical work experiences by the
professors and college authorities. Most of these professors are not experience
in the joy of leading someone to Christ. Why this is taking place in our
country where there are more than a billion of dying souls? It is due to wrong
selection and appointment for the right profession. Many of these teachers are
being picked up from fresh graduates who are excellent in theological studies/academic
excellent but practically nil. Therefore, they cannot strongly influence their
students for practical works to start winning souls for Christ. They cannot
teach what they do not know or experience.
4. Many
Pastors are so busy that they do not have time to disciple their theological
students, therefore most of them are not interested in Mission works and souls
winning. Most of the theological students are not given carrier counseling.
5. Many
Pastors are unable to direct the theological students to win souls since they themselves
are not soul winners.
In October 2010, I met Dr. Jaya Kumar
the President of IIM in a Church Planters’ training in Mirik, Darjeeling. I
asked him why do we have so many theological colleges and graduates, yet we
have very few missionaries? He told me that one day he asked to a group of
professors in one of the well-known Bible Colleges in India about leading a
soul to Christ. To his great surprise, none of those 10 – 15 professors had
experience of leading a soul to Christ. What a sad and pathetic condition! No
wonder that we have hundreds and thousands of theological students who are
without passions for the dying souls! This is unfortunate that many professors
are not soul winners. As a result we have many graduates who are not passionate
for the lost souls. Recently, I spoke to a group of theological students about
soul winning. 7 out of 10 were not even saved. They do not have the eternal
security, why? They were not taught and they were never influenced in that
direction of the importance of souls and for the eternal destinations. I asked
another question: How many of you had led someone to Christ? There were only
two out of 10 who raised their hands to tell me that they had led someone to
Christ. What happened to the other eight students? Either they did not know
Christ or they are not influenced to lead someone to Christ. Though winning a
soul is the work of the Holy Spirit to bring the lost souls to Christ, we as
the people of God should play a vital role in this great task of harvest.
Primary concern of the churches and the
theological colleges and seminaries is evangelism. There are many colleges
today that don’t have even a course on evangelism. Isn’t that a sad condition?
Most of the Bible Colleges and Seminaries courses are to meet the need of the
existing churches and nothing for the dying world. No wonder the 98% of Indians
are still orphaned.
CONCLUSION:
In
conclusion, I want you to note that even if we know the whole knowledge of the
world and heaven, yet if you haven’t led a soul to Christ, you have no gain.
After one earns all the knowledge of the Bible and philosophies of the
religions in the world, if you are not a soul winner, what is your gain? What
will be your rewards in heaven? Will you receive a crown for winning souls for
Christ? All other things are important but the most important thing we need to
know is winning souls for Christ. A soul is more worth than the whole world
Matt.16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and
lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his souls?” In
other words, the whole world is not worth enough to exchange with a soul.
Therefore, Christ had a great concern for the lost souls.
Matt.18:11 – 14, “For the Son of man is
come to save that which was lost. How think ye? If a man have an hundred sheep,
and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and
again goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray? And if
so be that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray. Even so it
is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little
ones should perish.” This scripture portion reminds us the important of a soul.
I strongly believe that the coming of
Christ with His rewards is very near. Pro.11:30 “He that winneth souls is
wise.” If you are a soul winner, you are a wise person. Your excellence in
theological education will not qualify you to be a wise person in the sight of
God if you are not a soul winner. Jesus is coming soon. His coming is imminent!
Any time now!! He is coming with his rewards on his hands. It could be today,
my friends. May I ask you this, what will be your rewards today? All your good
works and knowledge you gained in this world will be left behind here. However,
the souls that you won for Christ will go with you for eternity. Therefore, let
us work for eternity. Please take a careful note to the things that which will
remain for eternity and for which you will be rewarded with crowns of
righteousness.
I would like to make a wake-up call to
all the Bible Colleges, Churches and to all the theological students in India.
“It is now or never”. Let us
do the work of an evangelist (2Tim.4:2 – 5. Let us preach the word of God, the
Gospel of Christ in season and out of seasons. Let us study the word to give a
full proof of what we believe (2Tim. 2:15). So that we shall be looking forward
to the second coming of Christ with rewards and crowns from above for the souls
that we have won to Christ. Will you begin to defend your faith from today? Or
will you go to Him with your empty hands when He’ll calls you home? May our
blessed God bless you all to bring many souls to Christ. Yes, we can use our
theologically well trained graduate students for the world evangelism. Yes we
can! Amen & Amen.
(Rev. Athem Khiang Chothe )
