Decompartmentalizing the Mission: Caring for the Least
In the introduction to this series, I explained how I thought that people today tend to compartmentalize their lives. Because of this, we often compartmentalize what we consider the mission of God as well. In a previous post, I considered proclamation of the gospel as part of the mission of God as demonstrated and taught by Jesus and Paul. In the last post, I looked at their example of strengthening believers as part of their mission. In this post, I consider whether or not caring for the least – the poor, the hungry, the thirsty, etc. – was part of Jesus’ and Paul’s mission.
There are many examples in the Gospels of Jesus serving people, primarily by healing them or castint out demons. While Jesus often healed people in response to their faith, or he healed people who then followed him, there is at least one occasion in Scripture in which the people healed may not have followed Jesus:
On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:11-19 ESV)
In this story, although Jesus cleansed 10 people of leprosy, only one of them returned to thank him. Similarly, Jesus told his followers to serve others as well. On the night before he was crucified, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. He then told them:
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. (John 13:13-14 ESV)
Of course, I did not use the obvious passage from Matthew 25 where Jesus specifically say that the righteous will be those who care for the least.
Similarly, caring for the least was part of Paul’s mission as well. On several occasions, he stopped what he was already doing to carry support to people in Jerusalem who were suffering because of famine or poverty. For example, this was his response to the request from Peter, James, and John that he take care of the poor:
Only, they [James, Cephas, and John] asked us [Paul and Barnabas] to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do. (Galatians 2:10 ESV)
Paul also instructed others to take care of the least as part of their mission. When he traveled through Miletus and spoke to the elders from Ephesus, he told them to work with their hands. Why? This is what he said:
You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:34-35 ESV)
Not only does Paul want the elders to work to support themselves, but also so they can help others. He even sees this kind of help for others as a way to obey Jesus.
Again, with both Jesus and Paul, helping the least through various means was a part of their mission.
So, I’ve concluded that proclaiming the gospel, strengthening believers, and caring for the least are all part of the mission of God as demonstrated and taught by both Jesus and Paul. In the next post, I’m going to consider a few passages in which these three aspects of the mission of God are combined.
What would you like to add to my discussion of caring for the last as part of the mission of God?
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Decompartmentalizing the Mission of God Series:
Scripture… As We Live It #184
This is the 184th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
Only, they [James, Cephas, and John] asked us [Paul and Barnabas] to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do but I had to remind them that we were missionaries, so we must only focus on proclaiming the gospel. (Galatians 2:10 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Replay: If the family were a church
People often say that the church is a family. Sometimes they think of church as family in name only. But, usually, people know that the church should actually act like family, that is, they should act like brothers and sisters.
However, what if we flipped this around? Three years ago, I wrote a post called “If the family were a church,” wondering what it would look like if the family acted like a church. I found it helpful to recognize the many ways that the church does NOT act like family.
What do you think?
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If the family were a church
One of the most common scriptural metaphors for the church is “family”. In fact, the “metaphor” is so prevalent that it probably isn’t a metaphor at all. In other words, we truly are brothers and sisters in Christ. However, the church rarely acts like a family.
But, what would happen if we turned the picture around? Instead of encouraging the church to act like a family, what would happen if the family acted like a church?
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Two young men walked in the den where grandma was watching her “stories”. They shuffled their feet, made small talk, but finally got down to business.
“Grandma, we’ve all talked about it, and we don’t think you’re doing your job the way you once did – the way we need you to,” the first man started.
“What do you mean, son?” the older lady asked, trying to see the TV around the two men.
“Well, you can’t cook or clean anymore. You don’t tell us stories of the old days. We haven’t heard any wisdom from you in a long time. You usually just watch television and sleep. We’re going to have to let you go,” the second man said.
Grandma hung her head. “I realize that I’m getting older and can’t carry out my duties that I once did. Will you at least give me a few weeks to find a new family?”
“We’ll give you two weeks and a good recommendation. I’m sure that God is calling you to a good older family out there somewhere,” her son said.
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“Hey, Sis!” the lady said as she walked through the open door.
“Hi, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” her older sister asked as she closed the front door behind her.
The younger lady found a place on an overstuffed sofa and replied, “Well, we heard that you gave birth, and we wanted to see the new baby.”
As the older sister brought in coffee, she looked around the room. “I don’t think the baby is here.”
“What do you mean?” her sister asked as she sipped her coffee.
“Well, I’m not very good at raising kids. I just give birth to them and let someone else raise them. In fact, that baby is probably still at the hospital.”
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The parents brought dinner into the dining room for the family. The dining room was immaculate, with heavy drapes, carved furniture, silver place settings, and a crystal chandelier hanging over the middle of the table.
Father prayed an elaborate prayer and set the food down for each family member: a small piece of bread and a sip of juice.
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“This is very difficult for me to say,” Father began with tears filling his eyes. “Do you all remember the people that visited us a few weeks ago?”
The family members nodded as the looked around, trying to discern what Father’s important announcement might be about.
“Well, those visitors were actually a Father Search Committee from another family. They believe that God is calling me to be their Father. After much tearful prayer, I agree. So, in two weeks I’ll be leaving this family to become the Father of their family. Don’t worry. I know that this is all in God’s plan, and I’m certain that God will provide another Father for this family.”
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I suppose I could go on, but I think you get my point. If the church is really a family, then the church would not act like it does towards one another.
So, we should ask ourselves, “Are we not living according to our nature? Or, are we living according to our nature?”
But, it’s not Thanksgiving anymore
So, the turkey has been eaten. The leftovers are stacked in the fridge. The relatives have returned to their homes. And thoughts have turned to Black Friday savings.
Thanksgiving is over; Christmas (shopping) is here.
I was thinking about this yesterday when I read the following on Dave Black’s blog (Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 24, 2011 at 8:26 a.m.):
“So, what will be our Thanksgiving verse today, honey?” Becky asked me as we sipped coffee this morning in front of a warm fireplace. The verse that came to mind was, of course, 1 Thess. 5:18: “In everything give thanks.” We both agreed that we should give thanks “in” everything but not necessarily “for” everything. After all, that’s what we have been taught all our lives. Then I remembered. “There’s a verse somewhere,” I muttered, “that says we are to give thanks for everything.” Indeed, there it was — Ephesians 5:20: “Giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God our Father.” Sure enough, the Greek preposition was huper, “for.” The takeaways from this verse struck us immediately:
- Thankfulness is to be the consistent attitude of our lives; we are to give thanks “at all times” (pantote).
- Thanksgiving must be more than an attitude, however; it must be expressed.
- We must learn to give thanks not only “in” every circumstance of life but also “for” every circumstance of life.
- A thankful spirit is possible because our gratitude is based on the name (character) of the Lord Jesus. Because He is our Master (He is in control of everything that happens in our lives), for us to be grumpy and gripy is like slapping Him in the face.
- Thanksgiving is directed toward God our Father — our Creator God (who is sovereign over all His creation) and our Father God (who is our Abba, tenderly loving us more than any earthly father ever could).
And, all of this made me wonder… if we are not thankful today, were we actually thankful yesterday?
More thankful for what God has given; less wishing for more
This coming Sunday, we’re doing something a little different when we gather together with the church. Instead of having a particular passage to study and having someone designated to guide us through that passage, we’re simply setting a theme: thankfulness. Everyone is planning to come together with a song, a passage of Scripture, a lesson, a prayer request, etc. concerning thankfulness and gratefulness.
(Yes, I know that many believers meet together in this way all the time. We’ve met together this way before. However, this is not the way we normally meet together.)
As Margaret and I were talking about being grateful to God this week, I kept thinking about a passage in Habakkuk. Yes, Habakkuk. This is actually one of Margaret’s favorite passages.
To set the passage in its context, Habakkuk foresees the coming invasion of the Babylonians. They are growing in strength, and he knows that God is going to use that nation to punish Israel for its disobedience.
At the end of this short book, Habakkuk records this prayer/song:
Though the fig tree should not blossom,
nor fruit be on the vines,
the produce of the olive fail
and the fields yield no food,
the flock be cut off from the fold
and there be no herd in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD;
I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
GOD, the Lord, is my strength;
he makes my feet like the deer’s;
he makes me tread on my high places.
(Habakkuk 3:17-19 ESV)
The prophet looks forward to a time (perhaps after the Babylonians invade the land) when there are no figs, no grapes, no olives, no grain, no sheep, no cows, nothing. The people will be starving.
Yet, in this midst of these, Habakkuk says that he will find joy in God. This is the attitude that I want in my own life.
There have been many struggles in our life lately, and we often do not find joy in the presence of God, even though we know that he is with us. In spite of our struggles, we have never been in a situation where we had nothing, where we were hungry.
If Habakkuk can look ahead to a time when he has nothing and yet continue to see himself finding joy in God, surely I can do the same thing.
Unfortunately, today, I still look at times when my wants are not met (my wants, not my needs), and I still seek others things for my joy.
I recognize that in order to live continuously and consistently in a state of gratitude and joy in the Lord, I must be content in him and only in him.
Each one should be fully convinced (of my position) in his own mind
My friend Eric at “A Pilgrim’s Progress” has started a new series on Romans chapter 14. So far, he’s written the first post (“The Issue“) in what he has promised as a four part series. The parts in the series will be 1) the issue, 2) the context, 3) what Paul says and doesn’t say, and 4) the application.
In describing “the issue” related to Romans 14 (and I’ve suggested that he looks at Romans 14:1-15:13), Eric writes:
Two issues we must deal with related to Romans 14 are how to correctly understand it and how to accurately apply it. Specifically as it relates to church practices, I’ve heard Romans 14 used again and again to support various traditions, programs, activities, etc. that have little to no scriptural support. The argument goes something like this, “I’m convinced in my mind that what we are doing (whatever it is) honors God. Romans 14 tells others not to judge us. Therefore, we are going to continue to do it.” Romans 14 is often used as a sort of “trump card” to end discussions about church issues. When some Christians are unable to provide biblical evidence for why they do what they do, they pull out Romans 14 to both win and end the discussion.
I think this definitely an issue related to this passage and other related passages such as 1 Corinthians 8-10. Just how far do we go in allowing that “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind”?
I also enjoyed that Eric left this first post open. I’ve already left a few comments interacting with Eric, and perhaps you would want to also.
So, I’m looking forward to Eric’s series.
Decompartmentalizing the Misson: Strengthening Believers
In the introduction to this series, I explained how I thought that people today tend to compartmentalize their lives. Because of this, we often compartmentalize what we consider the mission of God as well. In the previous post, I considered proclamation of the gospel as part of the mission of God as demonstrated and taught by Jesus and Paul. In this post, I look at their example of strengthening believers as part of their mission.
(As an aside, I recognize the irony of working through a series on “decompartmentalizing the mission of God” by separately consider various aspects of that mission. Please stick with me until the last post where I intend to bring it all together.)
I need to make one point before I jump into evidence. When I say, “Strengthening believers,” I’m talking about helping people who are already following Jesus to follow him better. This kind of “help” is called by many names in Scripture: discipling, strengthening, edification, etc.
While Jesus spent much time speaking with people who were not currently following him, he also spent significant time helping people who were already following him. For example, he often spoke in parables to the crowds and then explained his parables to those who were following him:
All these things Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable… Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.” He answered… (Matthew 13:34-37 ESV)
In the previous post, I mentioned the “commission” passages as examples of Jesus instructing his followers of proclaim the gospel. The “commission” passage from Matthew also includes the command to help others follow him:
…teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you… (Matthew 28:28 ESV)
Paul also spent time helping those who had already received the gospel and were already following Jesus. It is significant that (what we call) Paul’s second missionary journey was begun with a desire to return and help those who received the message during the first missionary journey:
And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” (Acts 15:36 ESV)
There are many passages in Paul’s writings where he instructs his readers to strengthen others as part of their mission. Here is one example:
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV)
For both Jesus and Paul, helping those who were already following Jesus was clearly a part of what they considered to be their mission. In the same way, in both of their cases, they instructed others to follow their example in helping others follow Jesus. Remember that the type of help that I’m talking about goes beyond proclaiming the gospel. This is the kind of help that is offered to those who have already received the gospel, are already following Jesus, and are already indwelled by the Holy Spirit.
Whether we call this by the terms strengthening, edification, building up, discipling, or something else, it was part of the mission of both Jesus and Paul, and should be considered part of the mission of God today.
What would you like to add to my discussion of strengthening believers as part of the mission of God?
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Decompartmentalizing the Mission of God Series:
There is no golden age of Christianity
Christoper at “A New Testament Student” is preparing for his first seminary course, Survey of Church History, by reading one of the required books. He wrote about his response to the book in a post called “History.”
The book that he read is a very good book on church history called Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley. If you haven’t read it, you should.
Here’s the first “realization” that Christopher came to after reading this book:
First, There is no golden age of Christianity. Each age holds its own flaws, and each leader his or her own failings. The patriarchs, the Roman Catholics, the reformers, the emperors, even the apostles struggled in their understanding of God, and how we relate to Him. As a Christian growing up in the evangelical tradition, I have heard a great deal of praise attributed to the apostles and reformers contrasted by sharp criticism, if not hatred, for all things Roman Catholic. While I am a protestant, reading this text has opened my eyes up to an important truth. The Gospel did not pass away between the fourth and sixteenth centuries only to be resurrected by the Reformation. The name of Christ remained a focal point for a millenium in the midst of plagues, persecutions, and political strife, and the Catholic practice of monasticism preserved all of the ancient writings, including the Scriptures, that brought the reformers to their powerful conclusions. There may have been many distorted and overlooked truths, but there were men who stood firm in their trust of Christ and worshipped Him in the way their culture taught them was appropriate.
Much of the New Testament was written to correct problems that had already cropped up among those early churches. As early as Acts 5 and Acts 6, we see problems in the church. So, Christopher is right… there is no golden age. Of course, if there were no problems among the churches, we may not know as much about them as we do today.
Think of it this way… because of the problems and struggles and issues in the early church, we know how we should respond and live today.
What do you think? Was there a golden age of Christianity?
Decompartmentalizing the Mission: Proclaiming the Gospel
In the introduction to this series, I explained how I thought that people today tend to compartmentalize their lives. Because of this, we often compartmentalize what we consider the mission of God as well. In this post, I want to consider proclamation of the gospel as part of the mission of God as demonstrated and taught by Jesus and Paul.
(As an aside, I recognize the irony of working through a series on “decompartmentalizing the mission of God” by separately consider various aspects of that mission. Please stick with me until the last post where I intend to bring it all together.)
I’ve decided to use examples from the lives of Jesus and Paul because they are typically considered the quintessential Christian missionaries. Jesus, obviously, is the missionary par excellence, while Paul is the primary example of an itinerant servant of Jesus. I believe there were other servants of Jesus who traveled from place to place, but we do not know as much about them, and they are only mentioned in Scripture. So, I’m going to focus on Jesus and Paul.
This is what Mark records concerning Jesus immediately following his baptism and temptation in the wilderness:
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15 ESV)
There are many, many similar examples of Jesus proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
Similarly, there are many examples of Paul proclaiming the gospel. Here is one example:
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)
There are indications from both Jesus and Paul that others were also proclaiming the gospel or were expected to proclaim the gospel as they followed Jesus. Jesus’ final statements (often called “commission” statements) are a good example of this. One of those statements relates specifically to “sending” (the root word of the English term “mission”):
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” (John 20:21 ESV)
Another statement specifically relates to proclaiming the gospel:
And he [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.” (Mark 16:15 ESV)
Similarly, Paul encouraged others to proclaim the gospel in Romans 10:14-15, and he praised the Thessalonians because of their proclamation:
For not only has the word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. (1 Thessalonians 1:8 ESV)
I’m giving the least amount of evidence or discussion to this part of the mission of God because it is widely accepted that the missio Dei includes proclaiming the gospel. (In fact, the disagreements usually stem from the question of whether or not other types of service are including in the mission of God.)
So, when we consider decompartmentalizing the mission of God, we should definitely include proclaiming the gospel as part of that mission. However, I do not think we stop at proclaiming the gospel. In the next two posts, I’ll examine whether or not Jesus and/or Paul included strengthening believers and/or serving the least as part of their mission.
What would you add to this discussion of proclaiming the gospel as part of the mission of God?
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Decompartmentalizing the Mission of God Series:
Community in Christ develops as we serve together
Dave Black announced yesterday that he is putting the finishing touches on a new book called Will You Join the Cause of Global Missions? If you read Dave’s blog, you know that he and his wife have been focused on proclaiming the gospel and strengthening the church in various countries around the world for the last several years. They do not do this work through any kind of missions organization, although they gladly work with many such organizations. Instead, they go around the world at their own expense, and they are including other believers in several churches around them in their efforts. (I know this first hand because I traveled with them to Ethiopia just over a year ago.)
In announcing his book, Dave shared a quote that I hope you will find encouraging and challenging (see the entry from Sunday, November 20, 2011 at 8:54 a.m.):
Jesus’ disciples enjoyed community simply because Jesus and not a set of dogmas was at the center of their life. They never tried to “build community.” They didn’t have to. Community was the result of being united in the Christian mission; community emerged naturally when they committed themselves to something bigger than themselves. And so it is in the church today. It is my personal observation that most Christians begin to enjoy genuine community only when they begin to serve the poor, evangelize the lost, and plant churches. The glue that unites them is the missional task of loving their neighbors. A shared sense of mission drives them to community. Their congregations are mission-shaped. Like Jesus, they literally go. For them the Bible, not tradition, is normative, and they hold themselves accountable to each other in love even while they work closely with the surrounding neighborhood, developing strong links between Christians and not-yet Christians.
If you have read much about the “missional” movement or about missions especially in the United States, you know that many (perhaps most?) efforts are quite sectarian in the sense that people tend to work together only with those who agree with them (on whatever “doctrines” they consider to be most important).
Dave’s statement above flies in the face of that practice. If he is correct – and I think he is – community in Christ is developed as we serve others in Christ’s name by proclaiming the gospel, building up other Christians (discipleship), and serving the least. Many today say that we cannot work in these ways (or at least in some of these ways) with other Christians with whom we disagree. I think this shows a desire (intentional or not) for community based on our interpretations instead of community based on Christ.
Certainly there will be difficulties and issues related to working with those who disagree with us especially concerning those beliefs that we hold dear. However, according to Jesus, our unity (even unity in mission) is important – perhaps necessary – in order for the world to know that Jesus Christ came from God the Father. (John 17:20-21)
Practically, how do we serve (in the various ways mentioned above) with brothers and sisters in Christ who disagree with us?