Réveille… (Part 16)
GETTING THERE…
“And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” (Acts 16:10, ESV)
Now, there’s a model worthy of being made into a maxim: “Paul saw - we sought…”
From he-to-we without even blinking. The problem of sending was resolved before it was even a problem. How? A familial, enlightened excitement about the power of the Gospel and the prospect of preaching it in a new place… Seamlessly, cooperatively, passionately, joyfully—and again—immediately.
That’s not quite how it’s done today. We have allowed tradition and stagnation to be viewed as spiritual strengths… standing so firmly on the truths we embrace that we stand still. Prospective kingdom workers are forced to thread through a maze of inconsistent, idiosyncratic visions of kingdom work. The way things are now, they might raise support in a few years… having spent time, health, and lots of money to raise money to go somewhere—anywhere—besides in circles.
Stripping away all the tradition baked onto precedent, which was also based on tradition: What’s so hard to understand about going and sending?
In 1990, I wrote an article called “Deputation/Furlough: An Indictment.” It opened this way:
Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary: Deputation: 1. a deputing or being deputed. Furlough: a leave of absence Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible: Deputation: no reference Furlough: no reference
I ended with: “May we confront the work of missions with an ever-increasing spirit of collaboration in the ministry of reconciliation that has been committed to our mutual trust.”
If we loosened our ties and got over ourselves for a bit, I think we could devise some less tedious, more efficient, and blessed ways to get our Pauls to their Macedonias.
Again, the urgency to expand on the concept of a deeper, symbiotic relationship among all parties involved is undeniable. It starts at the foot of the cross and reaches into the hopelessness and suffering in every soul without Christ. What are we not prepared to do to get there and stay there… to facilitate and finance the endeavor… to stay the course alongside our boots-on-the-ground pioneers? Who knows, we may even have to learn to play better with others for the sake of the greater good.
In the opening chapters of The Contemplative Pastor, the author highlights a few characteristics that he deems essential for a shepherd. He calls one of them “subversive.” No, we don’t sneak around and undermine things. But we do embrace an underlying design for where we want people to be, whether it takes a year or a lifetime to see them get there. We lift up the Savior in word and deed. We work at friendship and physical presence in their trials and tragedies. We strive not to lose sight of the big picture in the detritus of our daily walk.
Since we’ve not been granted discretionary powers1 to make things happen when we don’t see the Spirit working our way or according to our timetable, we submit to the limitations we’ve been given. We’re “there.” We can’t create spiritually defining moments for others… but we can be there when those defining moments roll over them. These are the moments when we fulfill our role as mentors. And even that word might be too strong. Maybe we’re just nudgers… I started to say pushers, but that reminds me of something else. Appropriate nudges in timely moments… maybe over a long period of time. The goal never changes. We want to see everyone come to maturity in Christ.
“For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:29, ESV)
But that bleeds into the next post: “Being There.”
Over the years, I’ve called myself a church planter. A better descriptive title might have been “Gospel Planter.” Church planters tend to plant church services and a place to conduct them with all the required paraphernalia and protocols. Signs with adjectives are created to try to get people to come. I guess the adjectives are designed to let people know where we stand. It would be great if our purpose were to attract people who already understand what our adjectives mean and agree with them. For someone like me, before I came to Christ, those signs with adjectives might as well have been written in Sanskrit.
A Gospel planter is someone who thinks the best way to plant the seed of the Gospel is to share it personally with actual people we meet and talk with… get acquainted with… and maybe someday actually become intimate friends with. It can take a long time, so we must be there a long time. Eventually, birds of a feather flock together… as will the sheep of Jesus’ fold. Starting with a person beats starting with a building.
My point: Thinking through what we really want to accomplish by “being there” might free us to consider more straightforward, innovative ways of “getting there.”
It could be as simple as moving into a different neighborhood… something scary like moving into a ghetto… something intimidating like a neighborhood where little English is spoken. Yes, learning a language is a daunting task. But let me tell you how satisfying it is to be involved with people in their native tongue… and how awesome it is to watch the lights come on as the Gospel in their language reaches their heart.
And maybe—just maybe—pioneering with the Gospel will take you to places you haven’t even dreamt of yet. Many people have found novel ways to get into other countries, like finding a job teaching English.
We know a young woman in Mexico. She’s a dedicated believer with a heart for people in the Muslim world. She’s already been to the backside of the desert. She and her team are days away from departing their homeland, heading halfway around the world. They’re going to a place where it wouldn’t be helpful to share specifics here. They’ve devised a project to set up a business focused on women. It’s designed to do what I’m writing about—going somewhere to be there and pray for opportunities to befriend and share the Gospel. We support her and her team’s project. We are so proud and excited!
Where’s “there” for you? Where could you go to meet new people, make friends, and live a Jesus-kind life among them? Being there means your light’s shining there. How far are you willing to go?
Now, back to the symbiotic part: Have you ever heard “You’re either a missionary or a mission field”? The corollary is “You’re either a goer or a sender.”
Genuine senders share the passion and the risks inherent to Gospel Kingdom enterprises. They will look like Luke and company in Acts 16. When God told Paul to go to Macedonia, they immediately figured out how to get him there. Today’s senders need to be proactive… creative… and immediately respond to the needs presented.
Too often, we react to the word “commitment” as if it were a four-letter word. Where the transforming work of the Spirit has been allowed, commitment to Gospel work looks like excitement and adventure.
Ready for the ride?
Discretionary power “It basically refers to the freedom and latitude to act on one’s own authority and judgment in taking decisions and making choices within certain legal bounds.”