In the last 48 hours I’ve had personal conversations with leaders from Latvia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Germany, Serbia, Montenegro, South Africa, Namibia, Malaysia, Switzerland, India and the USA. That leaves only 175 countries to go before departing Sunday night J.
Among many other things, everyone with whom I talk shares a common commitment to 1) the authority of Scripture, 2) the uniqueness of Christ, 3) the lostness of man, and 4) our inescapable responsibility to share the Good News with every soul on this planet – as soon as possible.
This evening we honored the legacy of Billy Graham, the Father of the Lausanne Movement. It was his vision that rallied 2300 evangelical leaders from 150 countries in 1974 under the banner, “Let the Earth Hear His Voice.” As Graham declared in his opening address, “We here tonight stand firmly in the evangelical tradition of biblical faith”. Consistent with this claim he called upon the Congress to “reemphasize those biblical concepts which are essential to salvation;” namely, 1) the authority of Scripture, 2) the ‘lostness’ of man apart from Jesus Christ, 3) that salvation is in Jesus Christ alone, 4) that our witness must be by both word and deed, and 5) the necessity of evangelism for the salvation of souls.
Looking back over the thirty-six years that have passed since that historic meeting, we can identify at least three lasting legacies. First, the Lausanne Covenant emerged as the standard to define the doctrinal and practical priorities of the evangelical movement. Second, the mission world reprioritized itself around the command to reach all people groups, as opposed to mere countries. Missiologist Ralph Winter later observed that his speech on ethne before the Lausanne Congress was the most important twenty minutes of his career. Finally, since Lausanne I, evangelicals have made significant strides in learning to work together in pursuit of the Great Commission.
Sadly, for the most part the Grace Brethren Fellowship sat on the sidelines as the Lausanne Movement gained momentum. Having researched this period in our archives and by interviews, I see that our primary concern was fear of doctrinal compromise.
History is proving otherwise.
Today was the first full day of the Congress, and, appropriately enough, the theme was Truth. Speakers from a wide spectrum of cultural backgrounds and evangelical traditions emphasized that absolute truth really exists, and that it is incarnated in a person – Jesus Christ – as revealed through His Word. Time and space don’t allow for an adequate summary of their challenges (mp3 downloads will soon be posted), but I will share a few of their more quotable observations:
People usually come to Christ to meet a need, and stay with Christ when they realize he is truth.
We must use our greatest cognitive energies to get across the truth of who Jesus is.
The day we lose the wonder of the Gospel, we have lost everything. – Ajith Fernando
In a world of transcendent values, the worth of a person lies in his ability to fulfill and function. Without absolute truth, might is right. – Carver Yu
Making the case for Christ is not shouting louder than the others. Truth is not a proposition; it is a Person. – Os Guiness
Clearly one of our greatest challenges today is how to proclaim Christ in a secular and pluralistic world. As claims to absolute truth grow increasingly unpopular, the true church will be called upon to endure ridicule and even persecution. But the foundation of our faith is based upon the eternal truth that “He is the way, the truth and the life.”
And speaking of persecution, the evening session was dedicated to prayer for the persecuted church. That includes the 200 delegates from China, who, at great personal expense raised all of the funds needs to participate in Lausanne III, only to be prohibited from participation at the last minute. May God comfort them once again. The most moving moment of the evening was the testimony of a young North Korean woman whose father was martyred for his faith. She has dedicated her life to returning to her homeland to fight for the spiritual and physical liberty of her people.
Personal reflection: I was only in Junior High School during the first Lausanne Conference, so obviously I didn’t participate in the debates or experience the fears that led our movement to the sidelines. And I want to be gracious with my spiritual forefathers. But today it seems incomprehensible that the Grace Brethren would pursue the Greatest Commission apart from the greater Body of Christ. The urgency of the task and the love of Christ compels us. As was stated today,
“Lausanne is a global gift exchange.”
“Global challenges require global conversations that lead to global solutions.”
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