Hello, It’s God Calling
Wes at “a mission-driven life” has started what promises to be a very good series and conversation with his post “What is God’s ‘Calling?‘”
He is examining the popular use of the word “calling” to refer to a specialized vocation given to some by God. In Wes’s post, he’s primarily talking about “calling” for “missionaries,” but the subject affects many different types of “callings.”
Here is an excerpt from his post:
I’m wondering if we haven’t made our understanding of calling too specialized, technical, or spiritualized for our own good. Some think that only those who would do ministry, much less missions, are called to vocational ministry.  They may also believe that only those who become missionaries are called to a specific location or people group. Even within in a particular area or among a people group, missionaries only do certain types of tasks, evangelism, church planting, medical, educational, based on some sort of technical calling.
In the comments, Wes and I have also been discussing “missionaries” and how they relate to certain roles that we find in Scripture.
So, if you are interested in “calling” or “missionaries,” jump over to Wes’s post and join in the conversation.
Missional is as missional does
“Stupid is as stupid does” is a famous line from the movie Forrest Gump (along with many other memorable lines).
Recently, I started thinking about the phrase “missional is as missional does.” (If you do a Google search on that phrase, you’ll see that it is not original with me. Several people have tossed around that phrase.)
I’ve never tried to define the term “missional.” Several people who are much better at definitions than me has attempted to put the term “missional” into words. The closest that I ever came to trying to define “missional” was in a post that was part of a synchroblog on the term “missional.” In that blog post (“Missional Stew“), I suggested five ingredients that should be part of any definition of the term: 1) Gospel, 2) relationship, 3) intentionality, 4) cost, and 5) love.
However, I’m realizing that there’s another ingredient in “missional” that needs to be spelled out. That ingredient is “action.” That’s write, missional requires doing something. Missional cannot be defined or understood from a strictly academic or theoretical perspective. Missional without action is not missional.
Thus, the title of this post: missional is as missional does.
Now, it might seem that “action” would be included in some of my other ingredients, like love or intentionality or even cost. But, I’ve learned that those terms are often packed with words and thought, but sometimes are followed by very little action.
The mission of God required action; it requires work – hard work. Thus, a missional life – that is, a life that lives out the mission of God – must be a life of action. And, that action must be on behalf of others.
Let me spell out what I’m saying: Writing books is not missional. Speaking at conferences is not missional. Preaching sermons is not missional. Even publishing a blog is not missional.
“Missional” is found in the ditches and swamps and alleys of life, where people are hurting, in need, confused, depressed, hungry, homeless, oppressed, etc. If missional is related (intimately related, I’d say) to action, then it can only be “taught” through action as well.
This is what the phrase “missional is as missional does” means to me.
What do you think about that phrase? Do you agree?
Are we missional or traditional?
Jeremy from “Till He Comes” and “Grace Ground” has written a very good post (for Grace Ground) called “How to Tell if a Church is Missional or Traditional.”
In the post, Jeremy offers 10 questions to consider in order to determine if the believers you meet with (that is, the church) are missional or traditional. (Although, Jeremy doesn’t give us a definition of either “missional” or “traditional.”)
I thought they were good questions, so I told Jeremy that I would try to answer them. (I hope others attempt to answer the questions also.) Now, to be honest, I can only answer for myself and how I think my brothers and sisters would answer.
1. What would you do if the church members became convinced that to do a better job at reaching people in the community, they needed to change the name of the church?
I’m not tied to any organizational name, and I don’t think my brothers and sisters are tied to a particular organizational name. When we first started meeting together, we were much more traditional and organizationally minded, and we picked the name “Messiah Baptist Church.” I don’t think many (if any) would fight to keep that name. However, I’m not sure that an organizational name actually affects reaching people in the community. It may affect how people initially react to us (if we even say we’re from such-and-such a church), but I tend to say that I represent Jesus Christ, not a certain organization. Many people that I am serving don’t even know the name of our church (or that I am one of the elders), but they know the name Jesus Christ.
2. What would you do if the church members became convinced that to do a better job at reaching people in the community, they needed to sell the church building?
We don’t own a church building, so that particular issue would not be a problem. We do own a few things to facilitate our times of meeting together (chairs, tables, etc.). I don’t think people would have a problem selling any of those things; I know that I wouldn’t have a problem with it. Again, with the few things that we have bought, I don’t think selling any or all of them would help us reach or serve people in our community.
3. What would you do if the church members became convinced that to do a better job of reaching people in the community, the church needed to switch service times from Sunday morning to Tuesday night?
We do not meet together on Sundays in order to reach people. So, if doing something on Tuesday night would help us interact with and serve our community, or help us proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in our community, then I think those who are able and available would meet together on Tuesday night (wherever we would need to meet). Many of us do this now on every other Thursday night when 300-400 families come together for a food pantry.
4. After attending meetings and preparing a sermon, the pastor finds that he only has five hours of time left in his work week. Do you think he should spend those hours with people who are already part of the church or with people who are not?
That person should be spending time with people. Period. If the elder/pastor only has a few hours to spend with people (whether part of the church or not), I would ask where all the time went. Perhaps (and probably) less time should be spent on “sermon prep” or meetings. (Of course, we don’t have meetings – well, once every two weeks the elders get together.)
5. Recently, some teenagers have been coming to church who wear all black, and smoke out front before and after the service. What do you think the church elders should do?
For those elders (and other brothers and sisters in Christ) who are not allergic to cigarette smoke, I think they would be sitting with these teenagers and getting to know them.
6. A single mother comes up to you after church one day for advice. Due to work and her busy schedule, she can only attend one “church function†a week, either the Sunday morning service or her Tuesday night “Life Group.†She confides in you that she actually “gets more out of the Tuesday night group and is developing good relationships there†but would feel guilty “skipping church†on Sunday. What do you tell her?
I tell her, “By all means, spend time with the group on Tuesday night. Those people you meet with on Tuesday night are the church also. Now, how can I personally (and we as a church) help you with your busy schedule? Do you need someone to watch your child/children occasionally? Could we fix meals for you, or would you come to our home for dinner?” (By the way, there is a young lady in our church – a teenager – who spends several hours each week staying with children (without pay) so that the mothers can do things they need to do. So, this is not an “academic” answer, but a real one.)
7. A Hindu attends church one Sunday, and afterward tells you that he doesn’t believe in eternal judgment or that Jesus is the only way to God. What do you tell him?
I would tell him, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God who died on the cross and rose again, just as Scripture says. I believe that salvation and a living relationship with God are found only through him. I believe that life in him is eternal. Now, I know that you don’t agree with me. I can’t force you to believe, and I don’t want to force you to believe. Would you like to share the lunch that my family brought today? During lunch, I’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have. I’d also like to learn more about you and your family.”
8. How long have you lived where you live right now? What are the names of your neighbors, and what problems are they facing right now?
We’ve lived in our house for almost 5 years now. I know the names of my neighbors around me, and I know some of their struggles (especially the single mom to the right of us). To be honest, this has been a difficult for our family. We have attempted to get to know our neighbors better, but have been shut down repeatedly. (I’m not saying it’s the fault of our neighbors; it might be our fault.) But, we’re constantly seeking opportunities to get to know them better or serve them.
9. How are you showing love to others tangibly, and to whom are you showing this love?
Without going into too many details, our family is tangibly showing God’s love in many ways. Primarily, we do so through day-to-day living out the relationships with people that God has brought into our lives. Plus we look for opportunities to love those who are in need, through delivering meals to the elderly and serving at a food pantry. We do not see those “ministries” as ends in themselves, but as opportunities to build relationships with people who need to know the love of God. And, God has blessed us with several relationships because of that.
10. How much money does the church receive, and where exactly does this money go? Is there a “missions” or “outreach” budget? What percentage of your budget is it? What sorts of things is it spent on?
Well, this question is impossible for me to answer, because our church doesn’t operate like that. The only “budget” that we have is for corporate expenses that we have agreed upon, such as rent for the building we meet in. We don’t ask people to give their “tithe” to the church so the church can redistribute it. We only ask that people meet those corporate needs (again, that we’ve all agreed on). Then, we encourage everyone to use their money to meet the needs of people around them and/or to support those who are traveling away from home to proclaim the gospel or encourage churches (i.e. missionaries). I know that our family and many of my brothers and sisters are often helping others, serving others, giving to others, and supporting missionaries.
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This was a very beneficial exercise for me. I’ll let my readers decide if we are more traditional or more missional. (I’ve always identified us as a hybrid traditional/simple church.)
Again, I hope that others answer Jeremy’s questions also. Then, let him know (in the comments of his post) where to find your answers.
Filling in what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings
Often, when Paul was traveling from place to place, he found himself in need. He found that God would always supply his needs. (Yes, at times he had to learn to live with less. At other times, he had plenty. But, God always supplied what he needed.)
Often, God would supply his needs through other brothers and sisters in cities and towns that he had visited previously. (Interestingly – and not a point in this post – it seems that Paul never accepted support from the people of the city where he was currently working.) In many cases, these brothers and sisters would send that support via the hands of one of their own.
For example, in his letter to the Philippians, Paul recounts a time that the church in Philippi helped him. The Philippians had sent that support via Epaphroditus. This is part of what Paul says about Epaphroditus:
[Epaphroditus] nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. (Philippians 2:30 ESV)
While the Philippians wanted to serve Paul and while they sent support to him, that concern and support was lacking something: a personal, face-to-face touch. The fact that our care and concern is lacking without face-to-face contact and interaction is brought home even more clearly in this passage in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians:
For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? (1 Thessalonians 3:9-10 ESV)
In this passage, we clearly see that “supply[ing] what is lacking” requires seeing someone face-to-face. Paul understood the importance of that type of personal interaction. Yes, he sent letters (and today he would probably use phone calls, and email, and maybe even Facebook), but something would always be lacking with the person, face-to-face interaction.
Similarly, consider the following passage in Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth:
I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence, for they refreshed my spirit as well as yours. Give recognition to such men. (1 Corinthians 16:17-18 ESV)
Paul was happy because these three brothers “made up for [the Corinthians’] absence” (literally, “filled in what was lacking” as in the passage above). All of the Corinthians believers could not be with Paul. But, Stephanas, Fortunatas, and Achaicus traveled to meet Paul, and thus were able to spend face-to-face time with him. By their presence and their mutual service, they filled in what was lacking in the care and concern that the church in Corinth had for Paul.
This brings me to a very interesting passage in Colossians:
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church… (Colossians 1:24 ESV)
Paul’s sufferings somehow filled in what was lacking in Christ’s own sufferings. And this “filling in” was on behalf of the church. Certainly, in some ways and in some aspects, Christ’s sufferings are completely sufficient – i.e., there is nothing lacking. However, in at least one aspect, something is lacking in Christ’s sufferings.
What’s lacking? By examining the passages above, it seems that it’s the personal, face-to-face interaction that is missing. While Jesus is still present and real and living, he is not physically present and the believers in the Colossae (and other places) did not see him face-to-face. In this context, Paul is talking about his service for Christ for the sake of the church. Paul’s own sufferings and afflictions and hard work (“toil”) were a personal, physical, face-to-face representation of the sufferings of Christ and, thus, “filled in what was lacking” in the sufferings of Christ.
The people around us also need a personal, physical, face-to-face representation of the love and service and sufferings of Christ. We are here to “fill in what is lacking” in Christ’s sufferings for them.
Would you drop everything?
What would you do if someone you barely knew called you from jail? What if a police officer called you to say that “so-and-so” asked them to call you so that you would come pick her up? What if you had to drive several hours to pick her up at the jail?
Would you do it? Would you drop everything?
Even if you knew this girl struggled with drugs? Even if you knew she had made some bad decisions in her life and was headed in the wrong direction?
Well, this has never happened to me. But, it happened to Frankie (from “The Gathering Lakeside“). He tells us about this in his post “Today.”
Here’s an excerpt:
Officer blah blah, “pastor frankie can you help, if not i have to arrest her for prowling and loitering?
“uh, i guess†i answered looking at my wife in the car with me..who said whatever and smiled
I told officer blah blah i would guarantee i would personaly come get miss no where to go..
Read the rest of Frankie’s article. This was an awesome opportunity that God gave him, if he and his wife were willing to give up their own plans and agenda (die to themselves?) and give themselves completely to this young girl. They took God up on his offer and had an opportunity to serve this girl.
What would you do? What would I do? Would we be willing to drop everything in order to serve like this?
“Simply inviting them to church isn’t very effective”
Lately, I’ve been able to catch up with a friend (Josh) who was a student in the college here a few years ago. I wrote about him briefly in my post “My friend is serving the needy in Belgium.” It turns out that my friend is now serving people in Belgium.
After writing that post and linking to a video that showed Josh (and others) serving meals to the homeless, I was able to talk with Josh a couple of time via Skype. It was interesting and exciting to hear him talking about trying to challenge Belgium believers to care for those (like the homeless) who were in need.
Now, thanks to Dan, I’ve found another video of Josh. This time, the video is an interview of Josh. In the interview, he explains how his love of music is helping him build relationships in Belgium.
Here’s the video:
Untitled from Go2819 on Vimeo.
What do you think about what Josh said? How much of it do you think applies to your culture (wherever you are)?
(HT: Dan)
First Update from Jason
Yesterday, I asked you to pray for my friend Jason who recently moved to South Africa for a year to minister in some villages there. (See my post “Pray for Jason in South Africa.”)
I told you in that post that Jason landed in South Africa yesterday, and that he was getting settled in to his new home. Well, apparently it doesn’t take him long to settle in. According to his latest blog post “Arrival,” Jason and Wim (the man he’s working with) will begin going out to the villages tomorrow.
Jason writes:
Tomorrow, Wim and I are going into Lesotho to check up on one of the care centers. Â Its a long ride, an hour to the border, then another 3 on dirt roads to the village.
If you’re interested in following Jason’s adventures, jump over to his blog “Second and Content.” There’s much more information in that first blog post; you’ll learn about the parrot that he’s living with.
He’s even added a section to his site about South Africa with a page detailing how you can get in touch with him.
Pray for Jason in South Africa
If you’ve been reading my blog for at least four months, then your probably remember my friend Jason. I did three video interviews with Jason back in November and December 2010. (Interview 1, Interview 2, and Interview 3)
In those interviews, Jason talked about traveling with South Africa for a year to work with orphans and to strengthen some churches there.
Well, Jason boarded a plane at RDU yesterday morning at 7:00. He flew to JFK in Washington DC, then on to South Africa. I just received word that Jason has landed safely in South Africa and is getting settled in.
When you think about it, please pray for Jason while he is in South Africa, and pray for his family who are still here in North Carolina.
I will try to post updates from Jason whenever I get them.
Empathizing together
According to one definition, “empathy” means “understanding and entering into another’s feelings.”
When trying to empathize with hundreds of needy and hurting people in the same place at the same time, it can become overwhelming. I’ve felt that sense of being overwhelmed many times, especially when working with the food pantry where 300-400 families come every other week for help. As I talk to the different people and hear their stories, it can become very overwhelming.
But, I’ve learned that empathy (even empathizing with many people at once) can be less overwhelming when there are others there empathizing with them as well. Last week at the food pantry, several friends joined together to talk with the people who needed the extra groceries. We all talked to people, heard their stories, prayed with them. Sometimes I talked to people alone; sometimes others were with me. But, either way, it was a great encouragement knowing that we were serving people together.
The stories we heard were difficult – heart-breaking. But, we were able to help one another bear these burdens.
Yes, sometimes empathizing with others can be overwhelming. But, when serving with a group, you can encourage one another even when you are overwhelmed.
He said, “Pray that I understand the word of God better.”
I usually struggle with what to write about the time that I spend at the food pantry every other Thursday evening. First, I talk to so many people that it’s always difficult to choose which conversation(s) to write about.
Also, I’m not always the only person talking to these people. When we first started serving people who came to the food pantry, I was the only one who roamed through the big room where they were waiting, talking with them, listening to them, and praying for them. But, lately, several of my friends have been joining in the service. Last night, for instance, at one point there were five of us. (Of course, we still didn’t talk to all of the 300+ families who came to the food pantry.)
But, there is one conversation from last night that stood out. I was talking with two older ladies and a man who was about my age. While talking to them, I learned that they lived in a small town about 15-20 miles north of us. When I asked how I could pray for them, the ladies said things that I usually hear: health, family, or employment.
But, the man looked at me and asked, “Pray that I understand the word of God better.”
I prayed for them all, then I sat beside the man and talked to him further. He said that he was interested in getting together to read and study Scripture together. He told me that his father sometimes helps him understand Scripture, but he still struggles with it.
I asked him what version he reads. He told me. I’m not going to mention it here, because I don’t want to get inundated with search hits from well-meaning brothers and sisters telling me that that particular English translation is the only one we should be using. Suffice it to say that this version was translated into English 400 years ago (this year).
I suggested a couple of English translations that are more recent, and more easily understood. We really had a great conversation, and he even gave me his telephone number – which is rare. I often give people my number, but they don’t usually give me their number. (I’m sure there is still an issue of trust there.)
I’m looking forward to talking with this man again soon. I’m praying about how to approach this. I know that he does not gather with a group of believers regularly. I will probably ask one or two other mature brothers and one or two other new brothers to begin meeting with us to study Scripture and encourage one another. There are a couple of fast food restaurants situated in the middle of all of us that might make a good meeting place – at least at the beginning.
So, last night was a really good night. And, the conversation above is just the tip of the iceberg.