“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else's foundation.” Romans 15:20-21
A few years ago, I felt the conviction that my church should go fewer places much more frequently on mission trips rather than go several different places each year. We started to pursue partnerships so that we could be actively involved in the discipleship and church planting process rather than in just the evangelism. As a result, we started to work in a barrio in
After 14 trips over 2 and a half years we have just a couple of Bible studies or house churches meeting. There have been few victories and several set backs. So far the work has been difficult.
Hybels has a great leadership phrase, “vision leaks.” Whenever you establish a vision for your church or ministry, over time the vision “leaks out” among your people and some may encourage you to go in another direction.
For whatever reason, lately, I have been inundated with alternative mission opportunities or partnerships. The advocates for a new location justify the change by proclaiming that we need to go to (blank) location because God is at work there. In other words, they are using Blackaby’s old moniker, “find out where God is working and join with him there.”
I have a few problems with this phrase. When I read the New Testament, it seems like Christ commands his followers to do the exact opposite. Instead, as long the aim was to proclaim his gospel, Christ told his followers to go throughout the world, to testify to all nations, and that he would be with his disciples wherever they go.
The idea of finding out where God is working and join with him there is very appealing, especially to the American desire to be successful. Joining God where it seems like he is working is a lot easier than going to a place where it seems like God has not been at work. It would be easier to go to a place where hundreds of people are “getting saved” every week rather than going to
For example, if God’s people adopt the idea of going where God is at work, we would never go to places in the world where it seems like the gospel is not advancing. Especially places such as
After all, I would rather go to the Saddleback community of
It would be much easier go where God is “at work” than to go where it seems like God is not. However, if we only go where the gospel is presently at work we would not enjoy the rich blessing of taking the gospel to new places.
The choice is hard. The gospel is hard. But seeing God bless a new work is amazing.
The old Blackaby comment is telling. If we are to go where God is working, who were the men and women who went there first? If William Carey only adhered to Blackaby creed, would there be a church in India or even a missions movement?
ReplyDeleteWe then have to begin to question how we know that God is at work. Is it in the number of conversions or the deepening of the disciples? If we are promised the Holy Spirit in our lives, isn't it the case that God is moving wherever Christians are?
With this in mind, Mark's call in this post is to do the hard work. This is the mandate of Scripture. God is not glorified when we jump on the latest Christian bandwagon, but when we jump out of our secluded comfort into full reliance on Him as we share the Gospel. That requires men and women ready and willing to do the hard work. Men and women ready to work and never even see the fruit. Men and women who know that their job is to proclaim the truth of Christ through Scripture and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.