“We don’t support single missionaries, so please call me back when you are married.”  That is the statement often heard by those whom God has called to the mission field and, yet, are still unmarried.

It is not the purpose of this article to cause offense concerning this issue.  Rather, after several days of contemplation, I believe it would be good to biblically examine such a position.  For those men who hold the position of not supporting a single missionary, please note that your position is between you and the Lord.  It is not my desire to attack your position.  However, it is my belief that it is always correct to reexamine one’s position in light of God’s Word, for the purpose of either validating the position or modifying it to fit within biblical parameters.

Our convictions, standards, positions, etc., must be firmly fixed in the Word of God.  While the Bible does not address every issue of life with a “Thou shalt” or a “Thou shalt not,”  there are biblical principles that govern all issues.  That is the reason Moses was instructed to teach the “commandments, the statutes, and the judgments” (Deuteronomy 6:1).  The “commandments” are the Law of God (i.e., the “thou shalts” and “thou shalt nots”).  The “statutes” are the principles of God’s Word.  The “judgments” are the consequences from God (i.e., for violating the commandments and statutes).  Thus, I would ask. . .Where is either the commandment or the statute for omitting single missionaries from mission support?  How is this position biblically justified?

Concerning this issue, it would be best to examine the Scriptures to see what God’s thoughts are on this matter.  The first example that comes to my mind is the Apostle Paul.  He was a single missionary.  It should also be noted that Paul, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote “For I would that all men were even as I myself” (1 Corinthians 7:7a).  He also wrote, “But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife. There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband” (I Corinthians 7:32-34, emphasis added).  In other words, the unmarried can serve the Lord with less difficulty, (more…)

This article was received in an e-mail from a friend of mine.  He is a man that is committed to the faithful exposition of the Word of God.

The dearth of biblically sound, expositional preaching is a sad indictment of the pulpits of our day.  It seems that too many men have too busy schedules that allow too little time in the study of God’s Word.   The results of the reduced study time are sermons that are more lung power than God’s power.

Some of the signs of needing more study are listed in the following e-mail article.  Of course, they are somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but they do present a sad truth about many pulpits.

18 Signs that You’re a Fundamentalist Preacher That Might Need to Study More for Your Sermons

1. You consider studying for sermons something that lib’rals do instead of soul winning.
2. You prepare your sermons on the way to church, which explains why you recently preached against tan lines, energy drinks, and men wearing short sleeve shirts.
3. You actually make fun of preachers who use Greek and Hebrew in their sermons.
4. You consider volume a fine substitute for substance.
5. To you, “exegete the Greek” is a funny rhyme.
6. You decide on what sins to preach against based on who’s in the congregation.
7. You consider a pulpit more of a punching bag rather than a place to rest your Bible.
8. You have 35 sermon outlines prepared and ready to preach – as soon as you find text verses for them.
9. In a 117 minute sermon, you spent 53 minutes telling stories from your childhood, 47 minutes telling stories from your early ministerial days, 15 minutes denigrating men who wear pleated pants, and 2 minutes explaining your text verse.
10. You have actually spent an entire sermon preaching against the evils of Barney the purple dinosaur.
11. Your favorite illustrations are Darwin’s deathbed conversion, the “microphone in hell” bit, and Spurgeon giving up his cigars.
12. You quote John Gill as supporting your position against Calvinism.
13. You think people who know what “supralapsarianism” means need to get saved.
14. You think it’s okay to preach a verse out of context, as long as you tell your people that you’re doing it on purpose.
15. You love to apply Messianic prophecies to yourself.
16. When you preach, you can’t help but say “evangelical” effeminately.
17. You think “expositional” is someone who doesn’t take a position on anything.
18. You’re not sure what TULIP stands for, but you know you’re against it.