Fear Based Structure and Missionary Strategy
Fear Based Structure and Missionary Strategy
I've been in and out of town the last few weeks receiving and doing some ministry in Kansas City, Missouri. As I've been out and about experiencing different parts of the body of Christ and contemplating scripture I've discovered in my own life a lack of true boldness. It's an interesting thing, but most of us (most specifically me) in the body of Christ strategizes missions, church structure, and even theology with an underlying foundation of fear. When we really question why we do things, the guiding questions aren't "How will Jesus receive the rewards of His suffering?" but "How can we keep bad things from happening to His witnesses?" The latter thought process keeps us locked into man-centered outreach, "safe" church structures that don't call us to action, and theology that makes no provision for encounter with God. Until we make a dramatic shift in our thinking, being more concerned about the Glory of God than our own appearances, I believe the church will continue in a stagnant state.
What pushed me down this road was listening to Allen Hood at the Onething Conference. I’m pretty confident that Allen Hood will be responsible for more people permanently messed up in the Kingdom of God than many other men and women in our generation. While he was discussing the Forerunner School, he said that the number one question he's asked by potential students is "Is the school accredited?" And then he had the audacity to tell the truth. He said what people really want to know is "Will I be able to be paid after I attend your school?" And then with even more boldness he said, "Beloved, I am not interested in creating another safe system." He went on to say it was never safe to be a circuit rider for Wesley but they turned a nation back to God.
So that got me thinking about how we like to make everything in the church safe. Here's a good example. For weeks I've been talking about how I'm going to Kansas City to preach at a church there. After I finished, though the Lord met us, I began to realize that my weak, feeble preaching is nothing like that of the apostles in the book of Acts. Not only were my words not as powerful, but almost all of the recorded messages in Acts were amongst the unconverted. Beloved, the preaching of the apostles happened in city squares, markets, synagogues, and courtrooms. Some of the audience were cut to the heart and believed and others mocked, threw stones, and chased the apostles out of town. This was apostolic preaching and it required great boldness on the part of the Peter, Paul, and others of their day.
This was the style of missionary activity Jesus envisioned. When He describes their preaching strategy to the first apostles, He doesn’t give a politically correct strategy or method that works without risking their reputation or their name. He calls them to be “sheep in the midst of wolves,” “hated by all because of My name,” and even tells them they shouldn’t be expected to be treated better than Himself (Matthew 10:16, 22, 25). I’m not trying to be overly negative, I just desire us to soberly evaluate what Jesus had in mind when He calls forth preachers of the gospel. Jesus realized that this world is completely opposed to the Gospel of the Kingdom and our only hope for confronting evil is to do it boldly. He desired that His disciples would challenge the world’s system and bring down strongholds of darkness. Eventually it was said of these men that they “turned…the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). This mentality caused Phillip to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit and run up alongside a moving chariot (Acts 8) and we have to possess this same willingness.
One thing I know about this subject is that I possess very little of the virtue I am describing. But God is so kind that He has left us a pattern in scripture. Acts describes a situation where Peter and John had just been thrown in prison for healing a man. The Sanhedrin’s reaction is recorded in scripture: “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus,” (Acts 4:13). Then following the encounter, Peter and John regroup with the rest of the church and ask God to give them great confidence and signs and wonders to accompany the preaching of the word (Acts 4:29-30). These are the two things we need-an abiding presence of Jesus in our lives and continual intercession for God to strengthen us with boldness and perform signs and wonders as we preach His word. Let’s not only ask, but let’s begin to plan evangelism not making provision for what we’ll loose, but how much glory we can bring to the Lamb.
I've been in and out of town the last few weeks receiving and doing some ministry in Kansas City, Missouri. As I've been out and about experiencing different parts of the body of Christ and contemplating scripture I've discovered in my own life a lack of true boldness. It's an interesting thing, but most of us (most specifically me) in the body of Christ strategizes missions, church structure, and even theology with an underlying foundation of fear. When we really question why we do things, the guiding questions aren't "How will Jesus receive the rewards of His suffering?" but "How can we keep bad things from happening to His witnesses?" The latter thought process keeps us locked into man-centered outreach, "safe" church structures that don't call us to action, and theology that makes no provision for encounter with God. Until we make a dramatic shift in our thinking, being more concerned about the Glory of God than our own appearances, I believe the church will continue in a stagnant state.
What pushed me down this road was listening to Allen Hood at the Onething Conference. I’m pretty confident that Allen Hood will be responsible for more people permanently messed up in the Kingdom of God than many other men and women in our generation. While he was discussing the Forerunner School, he said that the number one question he's asked by potential students is "Is the school accredited?" And then he had the audacity to tell the truth. He said what people really want to know is "Will I be able to be paid after I attend your school?" And then with even more boldness he said, "Beloved, I am not interested in creating another safe system." He went on to say it was never safe to be a circuit rider for Wesley but they turned a nation back to God.
So that got me thinking about how we like to make everything in the church safe. Here's a good example. For weeks I've been talking about how I'm going to Kansas City to preach at a church there. After I finished, though the Lord met us, I began to realize that my weak, feeble preaching is nothing like that of the apostles in the book of Acts. Not only were my words not as powerful, but almost all of the recorded messages in Acts were amongst the unconverted. Beloved, the preaching of the apostles happened in city squares, markets, synagogues, and courtrooms. Some of the audience were cut to the heart and believed and others mocked, threw stones, and chased the apostles out of town. This was apostolic preaching and it required great boldness on the part of the Peter, Paul, and others of their day.
This was the style of missionary activity Jesus envisioned. When He describes their preaching strategy to the first apostles, He doesn’t give a politically correct strategy or method that works without risking their reputation or their name. He calls them to be “sheep in the midst of wolves,” “hated by all because of My name,” and even tells them they shouldn’t be expected to be treated better than Himself (Matthew 10:16, 22, 25). I’m not trying to be overly negative, I just desire us to soberly evaluate what Jesus had in mind when He calls forth preachers of the gospel. Jesus realized that this world is completely opposed to the Gospel of the Kingdom and our only hope for confronting evil is to do it boldly. He desired that His disciples would challenge the world’s system and bring down strongholds of darkness. Eventually it was said of these men that they “turned…the world upside down” (Acts 17:6). This mentality caused Phillip to hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit and run up alongside a moving chariot (Acts 8) and we have to possess this same willingness.
One thing I know about this subject is that I possess very little of the virtue I am describing. But God is so kind that He has left us a pattern in scripture. Acts describes a situation where Peter and John had just been thrown in prison for healing a man. The Sanhedrin’s reaction is recorded in scripture: “Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus,” (Acts 4:13). Then following the encounter, Peter and John regroup with the rest of the church and ask God to give them great confidence and signs and wonders to accompany the preaching of the word (Acts 4:29-30). These are the two things we need-an abiding presence of Jesus in our lives and continual intercession for God to strengthen us with boldness and perform signs and wonders as we preach His word. Let’s not only ask, but let’s begin to plan evangelism not making provision for what we’ll loose, but how much glory we can bring to the Lamb.
posted by Travis at 4:14 PM
1 Comments:
Travis,
This is Bryan again. My funk began when I quit my job in nov. God revealed my wicked heart to me and has refined alot of stuff out of me. I am at a point where I am no longer shocked by the wickedness of my heart. I do get dismayed and depressed. I want to forget who I was. God let us forget if it hinders our love. After we got back from that trip. I realized I didn't really want fellowship the way god wants to release it. I find myself qiute satsified most times with the luke warm lazy lifestyle we enjoy. Yet Gods love is like a splinter in your mind that never goes away. Reminding you of your reward and eternity. I am holding on to the cross trusting him to get me thorugh. The fact I am not excited about God right now, still clinging to him. Is the proof to me I truely do love him, even though my flesh and most of soul want to quit.
Hopes this encourages you!
Bryan
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