William Carey and “the Use of Means”
Tony Cooke
Born in 1761 in England, William Carey was a cobbler (shoe repairman) who later became known as the Father of Modern Missions. As vision and passion for reaching the lost grew in his heart, he became fully persuaded that the Great Commission was not just for first-century apostles, but for the church in every generation. This was not a sentiment commonly held in that day.
At a meeting for ministers, as Carey sought to share the church’s obligation to reach the lost around the world, he was rebuked by an older minister who said, “Young man, sit down! You are an enthusiast (a radical or an extremist). When it pleases God to convert the heathen, he will do it without your help or mine.”
Undeterred, William Carey wrote a masterpiece on missions that defended and detailed the responsibility of the church in every generation to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) and to “make disciples of all the nations” (Matt 28:19). Though its message was compelling and powerful, its title and subtitle are nearly endless (and even difficult to understand) by today’s standards:
An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens — In Which the Religious State of the Different Nations of the World, the Success of Former Undertakings, and the Practicability of Further Undertakings, Are Considered
How are we to understand the idea of “using means?” The older minister who had previously rebuked Carey did not think that believers should do anything to reach the world, that if God wanted to do it, he would just somehow do it without cooperative efforts from any of his people. Carey, however, argued that believers have a part to play.
Among the definitions of means is “something enabling one to achieve a desired end”[1] and “a method or way of doing something.”[2] If someone told me that he was going to undertake a certain project, I might ask, “Do you have the means to do that?” Some might think only of money, and that can be one form of means, but many endeavors require far more than money.
People often get into trouble because they don’t recognize or utilize the means that are available to them. The joke has been told about a man whose town was flooding badly. He had climbed on the roof and asked God to rescue him. As the water continued to rapidly rise, a rowboat came, and then a motorboat, and finally a helicopter. Each offered the man a way of escape, but he told them all, “No, I’ve prayed and God is going to rescue me.”
The man ultimately drowned and stood before the Lord. He asked God, “Why didn’t you answer my prayer and rescue me?” In the joke, the Lord responds, “I tried you rescue you. I sent you a rowboat, a motorboat, and a helicopter, and you turned each of them down.”
Carey’s point is that Christians have an obligation to use means. He was speaking specifically of missions, but this same principle applies regularly throughout Scripture. For example, Jesus often used means, such as mud in healing the blind man, waterpots in the miracle at Cana, and loaves and fishes to feed the multitudes.
Think about Paul. When it became known that people in Damascus wanted to kill him, “the disciples took him by night and let him down through the wall in a large basket” (Acts 9:25). What if Paul was like the unwise person in the earlier story? Can you imagine how that may have gone down?
Fellow believers: “Paul (Saul), the religious people in this city want to kill you. As a matter of fact, they’re watching the city gates day and night to capture and murder you.”
Paul: “No worries, I’ve prayed and am believing God for safety.”
Fellow believers: “That’s great, but we have a strategy — the means to get you out of here. We have ropes and a large basket, and we can lower you down over the walls.”
Paul: “No, I don’t need to do that. I’ve prayed, and I’ll be fine.”
But that’s not how the story went, is it? Paul did not turn down the means that were offered him, and thank God he didn’t. Apparently, Paul did not see means as a contradiction to faith, but he saw the natural provision (the means) as a bridge to his faith actually being realized.
There are times in Scripture where God told people to simply watch him work (see Exodus 14:13-14; 2 Chronicles 20:15-17), but even in those cases, there were steps of obedience preceding and following those times of simple trust. Also, there are many more examples in Scripture where God’s people were instructed to take specific actions of obedience as they trusted God to see desired outcomes.
Here is a final thought. When you do use means toward the accomplishing of a godly goal, remember the means is just a tool. Don’t let it become an idol or a replacement for trust in God. For example, if you desire to have provision later in life and begin saving/investing (which is wise), use a retirement account, but don’t let that account become a god. Believe God for provision and fund your retirement account.
Likewise, if you’ve prayed for revival in your city, but realize you need to add actions to your faith, don’t let the means (the methods or outreach endeavors) take the place of your praying and trusting in God. Combine actions with your faith, but make sure they work in sync with each other.
There is much wisdom in what Civil-war era abolitionist and social reformer Frederick Douglass said, “I prayed for twenty years but received no answer until I prayed with my legs.” James said that “faith without works is dead” (Jas 2:26), and William Carey admonished that we have an obligation to use means. What is it that you’ve been praying about or believing God for that would be more likely realized with corresponding actions on your part?
[1] Merriam-webster.com
[2] Dictionary.cambridge.org
