Four Ways to Kill a Gospel Movement

Gospel Movement

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Third, the movement can elevate the results. The minute a movement begins to be enamored with the results and not the God of the results, is when it disconnects itself from the source of movement. 

Idolization, in short, leads to fossilization. 

3. Contamination 

One of the ways to kill a healthy organism is to poison it. The church is an organism with institutional qualities that services the movement of the gospel. To do this effectively, the church (or local churches) will need to remain healthy.

According to the New Testament, there are a couple of things that can contaminate churches that restrict the movement of the gospel.

First, disunity derails mission. A fractured church — big “C” or small “C — is a frail church. A frail church focuses more on their frailty than they do their vitality. As a result, they focus on managing their aches and pains rather than focusing on advancing the gospel to meet the aches and pains of humanity. 

Second, bad theology corrupts good mission. Good theology begins with the glory of God and should then lead a church to be Christ-centered (or gospel/Word-centered), Spirit-empowered (or Spirit-dependent), family-oriented (or community-oriented), and mission-driven. For example, William Carey encountered bad theology when a church leader responded to him, “Young man, sit down! You are an enthusiast. When God pleases to convert the heathen, he’ll do it without consulting you or me.”

For a movement to start and be sustained, it will need to have a unity of vision and values between its members as well as a cultivation of good sound biblical theology that fuels its mission. But fractured unity and fast-food theologizing is sure to contaminate any gospel movement.

4. Humanization (Monetization) 

One of the characteristics of churches in the West over the last few decades is adopting and implementing various models of ministry and mission that have worked in one locale into one’s own context. 

It has been interesting to say the least to read the various titles of books over the last two decades that spell out the various kinds (or models) of churches that have had some success. 

While there are principles we can learn from movements, we must not humanize the movement of God as something that you can bottle up and sell to other contexts. In other words, a movement of God isn’t something that can be marketed or sold. It is what it is — a move of the Spirit of God on the people of God in a certain time and space. 

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Josh Laxton
Josh serves as the Co-Director of the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center in Wheaton, IL, the Co-Regional Director of Lausanne North America, an Adjunct Faculty at Wheaton College’s Graduate School of Ministry, Mission, and Leadership, as well as a Teaching Pastor at Wheaton Bible Church in West Chicago, IL. He holds a PhD in Missiology and loves mobilizing the church to participate in God’s mission. He and his wife Joannie live in Wheaton, IL with their three kids.

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