Jesus told his disciples to go “into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15). The book of Acts gives an account of the apostles and early preachers executing this commission. Indeed, their examples give impetus for our efforts in preaching today. We sing song like “The Gospel is for All” and “Send the Light” in the spirit of such work. However, in light of this emphasis on “going,” we must not forget another and just as important part of our efforts to teach the gospel, consolidation.
Among other things, consolidation means: “The act of making, or process of becoming, solid; the act of forming into a firm, compact mass, body, or system…” (Webster’s New Univ. Unabr. Dict., p. 390). With reference to the spread of the gospel it has to do with the firm establishment of a church in a given place. By this we mean grounding converts and getting a church functioning. We see an example of this beginning in Acts 11.
- In converting the lost. Missionaries need to do more than simply preach first principles. Either they or someone working with them will have to spend some time working with new converts to ground them in the truth. Paul was concerned for his new-born brethren at Thessalonica when he unexpectedly had to flee that city and sent Timothy back to them to “establish” them (1 Thes. 3:1-2). This word’s definition is “to fix, make fast, to set” (Vines, p. 41) and calls to mind the definition of consolidation. It was not enough that someone go to Thessalonica and preach first principles. Those brethren had to be grounded in the faith if they were to go on to eternal salvation (Eph. 4:14-16).In our day, we have witnessed many efforts to take the gospel to various parts of the world. Many, if not most, of the ones that have taken place in the former Soviet Union have been short-term endeavors to make contacts and study with them. From what I understand of most, if not all, such places where souls were converted, it was only where the new converts were grounded in the faith that they actually stood the test of time. First principles converted them, but the teaching done to ground them in the faith kept them.
- In the use of our collective energies. Care should be taken to not bite off more work than can be done by the workers available. The work at Antioch and Thessalonica testify to this truth. We cannot neglect new converts we make. In our work in Lithuania we have witnessed the effects of “zeal without knowledge” in this area. Myself and others have tried to evangelize other cities and/or towns while trying to continue working with the brethren in Kaunas and Vilnius. The results have been that we have found ourselves spread to thin to effectively teach all the converts we made. I now try to encourage brethren who come there to not go to new towns and cities to preach the gospel. Once we have sufficiently established the churches with which we are presently working or when more workers come to Lithuania than have heretofore come we can then go on to such efforts. What we have learned there is a microcosm of the East European work.For years now, brethren have been striking out into some new city or country to preach the gospel. All of us admire and uphold such zeal. However, I would like to suggest that brethren consider whether or not we may have come to a point where consolidation of existing works is needed. While we are finding men willing to come and work with existing works, anyone familiar with the overall situation knows that it is difficult to find even these men. It seems to this writer that we need to ask if it is wise for brethren today to strike out into some new area where to our knowledge the gospel has never gone. Rather, such time, money, and effort would be better spent working with the churches we have already established in Eastern Europe. In short, we need men willing to work where other men have already labored like Apollos did at Corinth (1 Cor. 3:5-9). Please remember, the cities wherein Paul would later preach the gospel in Acts 13-19 waited while he and Barnabas worked in Antioch of Syria. After they had grounded the church there they were able to go elsewhere. Paul was concerned that his labor of initially establishing a church not be in vain (Gal. 4:11). We should have such concern today.
- In dealing with doctrinal matters. Handling doctrinal matters is part of consolidation. Such things were just as important to Paul and Barnabas as trying to reach the lost. We are facing some serious issues today, issues which basically revolve around weather the sexual sin of adultery can ever be acceptable in any church (Many are tacitly saying that it can.). It is common to hear the complaint that we need to quit arguing about these things, and go out and reach the lost. Some will say or imply that they have no time for such discussion as they are trying to “take the gospel to a lost and dying world.” Paul and Barnabas — spirit-led men whose examples of executing the great commission stand as examples for us to follow — knew nothing of this kind of attitude. When doctrinal issues arose they dealt with them. This is seen not only in Acts 15; it is also seen in Paul’s revisiting churches he had established with (as near as can be known) copies of the letter the church at Jerusalem had written regarding its alleged part in the matter of the Judaizing teachers of Acts 15 (cp. Acts 16:4-5). Paul paused in his efforts to reach the lost to write several epistles wherein he dealt with doctrinal issues (Galatians, 1&2 Corinthians, 1&2 Thessalonians, etc.). He called the elders of the church at Ephesus to warn them about future doctrinal problems there (Acts 20:28-32). Brethren who “have no time to discuss differences” today are, to say it kindly, found wanting in light of Paul’s example. When doctrinal issues are splitting churches and dividing brethren a time of consolidation is needed.
