"Christ had given the apostles a world-wide commission, embracing all the nations; but intellectually they did not understand what He meant. They found that out as they followed the impulse of the Spirit"
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Roland Allen points to a paradox at the heart of Christian mission: Jesus gave a global command that embraced all nations, yet the first disciples did not grasp its scope until they moved, witnessed, and were carried along by the Spirit. The Book of Acts traces this dawning awareness. Pentecost gathers languages from across the known world, persecution scatters believers beyond Jerusalem, Philip meets an Ethiopian official on a desert road, Peter is pushed by visions and a knock at the door into the house of Cornelius, and a mixed church at Antioch sends Paul and Barnabas further still. Even Paul’s route is shaped by dreams and prohibitions, the Spirit closing one path and opening another until the gospel crosses to Macedonia. Understanding follows obedience.
Allen, an Anglican missionary thinker, uses this pattern to challenge overengineered strategy and paternal supervision. He argued that mission advances best through what he called the spontaneous expansion of the church, when ordinary believers carry the message into their own networks and local churches swiftly become self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating. The apostles did not unlock the universality of Christ’s command in a council room; they discovered it as they welcomed unexpected people, handed on responsibility, and yielded control. Theology matured on the road.
The dynamic he names cuts against the temptation to wait for perfect comprehension or airtight plans before acting. The Spirit presses outward, beyond cultural fences and administrative comfort, and vision clarifies as communities are formed and gifts emerge. Allen is not commending anti-intellectualism; he is placing intellect in the posture of responsive discernment. The pattern of Acts suggests that clarity is often a fruit of trustful movement, not a prerequisite for it. To embrace a world-wide commission, the church must risk going first and understanding more fully as it goes, confident that the same Spirit who sent the apostles will meet and guide those who follow.
Allen, an Anglican missionary thinker, uses this pattern to challenge overengineered strategy and paternal supervision. He argued that mission advances best through what he called the spontaneous expansion of the church, when ordinary believers carry the message into their own networks and local churches swiftly become self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating. The apostles did not unlock the universality of Christ’s command in a council room; they discovered it as they welcomed unexpected people, handed on responsibility, and yielded control. Theology matured on the road.
The dynamic he names cuts against the temptation to wait for perfect comprehension or airtight plans before acting. The Spirit presses outward, beyond cultural fences and administrative comfort, and vision clarifies as communities are formed and gifts emerge. Allen is not commending anti-intellectualism; he is placing intellect in the posture of responsive discernment. The pattern of Acts suggests that clarity is often a fruit of trustful movement, not a prerequisite for it. To embrace a world-wide commission, the church must risk going first and understanding more fully as it goes, confident that the same Spirit who sent the apostles will meet and guide those who follow.
Quote Details
| Topic | Faith |
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