As moderns, we have the tendency to globalize when it comes answers. We want to find the one method, the one strategy, or the single solution that will answer every situation, for every location. We want to find the ‘silver bullet’ or discover the ‘mega-strategy’ that will work whether we are in Los Angeles, Munich, Nairobi or Hong Kong. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Mission’ Category
Globalized Answers
Monday, August 16th, 2010Wright Stuff
Thursday, August 12th, 2010Christopher J. H. Wright set many us on our heels in 2006 with the publication of his massive The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (IVP). In a post of nearly a year ago, The Mission of God, I encourage friends to work through this 535 page book. In a thoroughly biblical manner, Wright helps us to understand missions as being much broader and comprehensive than most of us have imagined. I said then and still believe that “of all the things you might do in the next six months, reading Wright might be the most formative and impactful.” In about two weeks, I will start my fourth reading of The Mission of God, along with a class of 19 students.
Well, more Wright stuff is on its way. His new book, The Mission of God’s People: A Biblical Theology of the Church’s Mission (Biblical Theology for Life) (Zondervan) is due to be released later this month (August 20, 2010). It looks as though he will be addressing ecclesiology from the perspective of missions. I have pre-ordered my copy and will be working through it this fall. Look for my review in an upcoming post.
BWA
Saturday, July 31st, 2010I have been part of a truly unique meeting … at least for Baptists. While I am tempted to write about what it was not, in comparison to previous denominational meetings and conferences, I really only need to describe what the Baptist World Alliance Congress was. The difference is clear! (more…)
The ‘Mission/Church’ Question
Friday, July 16th, 2010One of my chief concerns, both intellectually and practically, has been the relationship between church and mission. Since 1997 I have been trying to connect the two in both understanding and practice. (more…)
Saying “No”
Friday, May 21st, 2010One of the blogs I regularly read is by Vinoth Ramachandra. In a recent post, Who Says “No” to “Mission Trips”?, Ramachandra offers a needed, helpful perspective on the short-term mission phenomenon. He questions the necessity of and motives behind the large amount of mission traffic from the West to the Rest and dares to say that maybe someone should say ‘No’.
Renovate – Educate
Saturday, November 14th, 2009For the majority of Christians, church and missions operate in separate and distinct realms. The church nurtures and instructs the ’saved’, and missionaries cross cultures and evangelize the ‘heathen’. Church is here and familiar, missions is over there and foreign. The points at which church and missions usually connect are money and recruitment. Because the work of missions requires money and fresh recruits and since the church is where both can be found, mission organizations and agencies find it necessary to relate to the church. Likewise, since people within the church have full-time, secular jobs, they ‘do missions’ by providing finances for those who do the work of ‘fulltime’ missions.
Viva la Revolucion!
Monday, October 26th, 2009A revolution is taking place right before our eyes – a mission revolution. Some might mistake it to be a rebellion against power and authority, but such a characterization would be wrong. A rebellion is an attempt to overthrow and unseat, while a revolution is the act of re-creating or re-forming from the bottom up. Rebellion takes place in the halls of power, revolution takes to the streets. Over coffee at Starbuck, on airplanes returning from Niger, in church offices, and at small gatherings, ‘like-hearted’ pastors and church folk are joining passions and resources into mission collectives.
Those Questions
Friday, October 23rd, 2009There are a number of questions that I continue to ask, that still drive me. Some of you will wonder what is wrong with me. You ask – Why are you still asking questions? Don’t you have things figured out yet? Well, I keep asking because the given answers just don’t fit or are no longer clear. For example …
No Partiality!
Monday, September 21st, 2009A culture of abuse and slander swirls around us and seeks to poison our view of the world. Via the internet, television, printed materials – from politicians, talk show hosts, good ole boys, and even well-meaning people – we are told that Muslims, Democrats, homosexuals, illegal aliens, and others are less than human, represent the dregs of society, and are not worthy to live. In shrill tones, these voices shout – Fear! Protect! Attack!
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we must resist these voices and hold fast to an alternative vision. Instead, the voice of Jesus must order our words and actions – “whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” … “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5:40, 44). Jesus did more than speak these words, he lived them by touching lepers, speaking to women, embracing Samaritans, loving those on the margins, and suffering death on the cross.
The Jesus way confronted Peter. A lifetime of religious instruction and cultural reinforcement had taught him to hate, despise, and dismiss the Romans. And yet, God revealed to Peter another way – love and inclusion. Peter is confronted with a choice – either abandon his prejudice or deny God’s acceptance of Cornelius (Acts 10). In the end, Peter declares, “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality!”
I can disagree with another and even be on the opposite side of an issue, but the gospel does not allow me to slander, curse, strike or kill another human being. If I slander or demonize another person, be they Republican or Democrat, Jew or Muslims, black or white, poor or immigrant (legal or illegal), homosexual or disabled, then I deny the gospel. For the gospel of Jesus Christ …
* is powerful enough to transform anyone – “it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom 1:16)
* is for the whole world – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)
* unifies people – “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)
* creates a new humanity – “a multitude which no one could count, from every nation, all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, … and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Salvation to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb” (Rev. 7:9, 10)
The gospel destroys the walls that separate the people. As the people of God, we are called to join him in the ministry of wall-demolition. For you see, while we were enemies of God, Christ showed no partiality toward us; rather he died for our sins and made a way for us to know him, his love and grace. We serve his mission not through venom, hate, exclusion, slander, curses or self-preservation but by laying down our lives for the other. This is the gospel – may we have courage to speak and live it in the midst of a polarized and uncivil society!
… and then the end will come.
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009It’s Sunday morning. A man rises and reads the following text:
This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come (Matt. 24:14).
The speaker then exhorts his hearers to do missions in order that they might hasten the return of the Lord. They are told that through missionary activity they can actually accelerate or speed up Christ’s return. Since every sincere Christian wants to see Christ return as quickly as possible, it makes logical sense that they should be involved in missions. In fact, they are told that one of them could possibly be the actual person who preaches the gospel to the last people group and thus initiate the Second Coming.
While this may be a popular interpretation of Jesus’ words and seems to be a persuasive reason for missionary service, several questions need to be raised …
Will we actually cause Christ to return? The implication is that in some logical, mechanistic manner we trigger or force God to bring human history to a close. Rather than merely living in the expectation of his coming and being acted upon by his return, we stand above this event in a controlling, initiating manner. On the contrary, Jesus is not issuing a command or prescribing a strategy. He is stating a fact – “the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached.” God will return when he decides to do so and will conclude human history for reasons that are far beyond our comprehension or control. Thus, it seems unwise for any of us to obligate God to a timetable conditioned by our actions.
Doesn’t such an interpretation encourage escapism? The message is – the world is evil, you want to get out of it as soon as you can, and therefore, do yourself a favor by doing missions. And yet, in the preceding verses, Jesus encourages his disciples to do just the opposite. Even though things will become harder and harder before the end, Jesus tells them to remain firm and faithful in the present, evil age. It seems that an appeal to do missions in order to bring about the end may have more to do with our desire to escape suffering than the redemption of the world.
What constitutes ‘the whole world’? It seems the speaker makes clear what Jesus has left unclear. Does ‘the whole world’ mean all geo-political entities (nations), ethno-linguistic groups, dialects, cultures, provinces, cities, or villages? Must these be 25%, 45%, or 65% evangelized or Christianized? Do each of these portions of the world have to have one or two churches, a group of churches, or a ‘church planting movement’ before Jesus returns? Do these churches have to be self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating? In my lifetime, I have seen various definitions of ‘the whole world’ come and go. What is now in vogue will surely be replaced with a fresh explanation. Jesus does not give specifics at this point, and thus, it seems unwise for any of us to speak in quantifiable absolutes about what will precipitate his return.
What does it mean that the gospel of the kingdom will be preached? The speaker implies that proclaiming the kingdom is a verbal sermon about personal salvation. Could it be that the gospel of the kingdom encompasses much more than people merely hearing a message or even giving intellectual or emotional assent to it? It seems that the Kingdom of God that Jesus proclaimed was a call to lordship and discipleship (Matt. 5-7) – the transformation of life, family, clan, and village. We may be proclaiming less than the gospel of the kingdom, if all we are doing is preaching evangelistic sermons in hopes of representative converts from people groups.
I confidently expect the gospel of the kingdom to be proclaimed in the whole world, and I fervently desire to see the whole church involved in this mission. At the same time, I believe that our motivation should flow from interpretation that is true to the historical context, as well as the intent and aims of Jesus’ life and ministry. Rather than appealing to a desire to escape this world, or a desire to make our actions significant, or to fulfill some nebulous aim, shouldn’t we base our motives for mission on Jesus’ summon to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and to love our neighbors as ourselves? May you and I be found loving well when the end does come!