Both ... And

Too often we think in terms of "either ...  or" while God is thinking of "both ... and."  A good example is in our thinking about the Great Commission.  We think that we have to choose either to serve locally or globally.  But in Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples, "But ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth."  I have emphasized two words in the quotation from the King James version which is one of the few versions to get this translation right.  I used to think that Jesus was giving the disciples a sequence for preaching the gospel, first Jerusalem, then Judea, and so on.  But the "both ... and" construction shows that Jesus was not thinking sequentially but simultaneously.  We are not to do one after the other but do them all at the same time.

If we think, "First reach our Jerusalem, then our Judea, and so on," we fall into a trap because our Jerusalem will never be fully reached.  There will always be some around us who have not accepted the gospel.  If we think we should complete one stage before moving to the next, we will never move on.  There will always be more to do at home.

Sometimes we may think, "I'm called to work at home and others are called to missions."  But the Great Commission was not given to a select group of the disciples.  Neither was Acts 1:8.  We are all called to participate in the going (though the Apostle Paul seems to indicate in Romans 10 that there is a role for those who "send").  With today's technology and travel possibilities, it is no longer necessary to have to choose between local church service and missions.  We can do both.

I remember reading years ago about the debate between those who advocated the "social gospel" and those who argued for strictly preaching.  Which is it?  Either works of service or evangelism?  The answer is both.  As one writer said, "Asking which is more important, service or evangelism, is like asking which wing of an airplane is more important.  You have to have both."

We can't choose between missions and local church service.  We must do both.  Let's pray that we get our understanding right.  Let's pray that we get our actions in line with Jesus' instructions.