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75 years of focused ministry
Derek Maxwell
In his address to a group of students in Geneva, Switzerland, John Piper said the following, ‘There’s only one kind of Gospel-centred ministry that I’m interested in, namely the kind that is God-glorifying, Christ-exalting, and Bible-saturated’.
As SGA celebrates 75 years of God’s faithfulness, we humbly acknowledge how God has preserved our focus on God-glorifying, Christ-exalting ministry. SGA has a rich heritage. Its godly founder, Peter Deyneka, who was used by God to establish the organization in 1950 in London, was driven by a desire to share the Gospel with his fellow Slavic people. Today I am thankful for my predecessors who offered the strong leadership that helped to both shape and preserve that Gospel-centred focus.
In recent years, the purpose and meaning of World Mission have often become somewhat clouded by the emphasis on man’s human rather than soul needs. It must be emphasised that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with caring for physical needs, but it must not be at the expense of one’s spiritual needs. A former General Director of SGA, the late Trevor Harris was of the opinion that the Gospel should be presented with a sandwich in one hand and the Gospel in the other. We see clearly in the life and ministry of Jesus that while physical needs were of great concern, the spiritual ones were all important.
Sadly, we have all observed how Gospel-absent ministries risk attracting people to Christianity for the wrong reasons, while Gospel-centred ministry seeks to apply the grace of God to the whole person. That is because the Gospel is the message of life, impacting the whole man.
The Gospel should be presented with a sandwich in one hand and the Gospel in the other
Our four established core ministries which incorporate training workers, supporting leaders, publishing literature and distributing aid, are in operation for the sole reason of Gospel expansion. Over many years the Mission with its partners across Central & Eastern Europe and Central & Northern Asia, has always believed that the Gospel should take priority. When the creators at Coca Cola wanted the whole world to hear about their product, they used the slogan ‘Coke is it!’ They had such confidence in their product that their priority was that the whole world would hear about Coca Cola and taste it. As we pass this milestone of 75 years in the Mission and focus on the work beyond, our confidence remains in the Gospel. We are acutely aware that if we build our ministries on anything else, then all will eventually crumble around us.
With God’s help we stand firm on the solid foundations that are laid in Christ Jesus. In the midst of a broken and ever-changing world, may we ever hold on to Gospel-centred ministry, Bible-centred preaching, and God-glorifying efforts. Pray that as we enter another phase in the life of SGA, Christ’s message of salvation will shape who we are and be at the very centre of all we seek to do.