Church life can be a place of contrasts. It can be the very best place to be and it can be a lousy place to be. The puzzle is what makes the difference. I think I can give at least part of the answer.
We were in Athens recently for a couple of weeks, and part of our time was spent with missionaries and pastors. These outstanding men and women are working with the massive stream of refugees flooding out of Islamic countries from Syria to Pakistan and everywhere in between. One pastor spoke of being on the beach holding semi-conscious people in his arms. Conditions for pastoral and missions work are difficult, money is scarce and the government is not supportive of evangelical witness due to the predominance of the state Orthodox church, which puts evangelicals in the same category as Jehovah’s Witnesses and other cults. In the midst of this we saw great passion, great faith and great sacrifice. These are people on the frontlines of kingdom advance. And along with this comes the now-familiar stories of dreams Muslims are having of Jesus, with many coming to faith as a result.
Meanwhile back closer to home we hear about difficulties in churches due to immature and insensitive conduct. These are churches where there is little external threat and little cost to mission. And sadly in our comfortable western world, there often isn’t a lot of mission to begin with.
Churches have problems no matter where they are in the world, and the simple reason is that people, including you and me, are imperfect. Someone once said that only difference between a small church and a big church is that a big church has more problems.
But I think there is something else involved. The more churches turn outward, the healthier they are. The more they look inward, the more problems they have. God designed his church to be on a mission. The word mission derives from the Latin word meaning to send. God designed us to be a sent people. When we lose sight of this, we are in trouble. It’s like the difference between stagnant water and running water. The early church only baptized in running water because it symbolized the flow of life from Christ through us to the world outside.
Where the pool of our life becomes stagnant, things start to go wrong. If we are not going out to the world, we lose sight of our purpose and fall into selfishness and disobedience, and then the trouble begins.
We need more people with a passion for extending the boundaries of the kingdom outward. The church is meant to be an equipping base, not a luxury resort. We’re supposed to be creating new ministries, not fighting over positions in the ones already there. Apostolic men like Paul were too busy in the “regions beyond” to be concerned about babysitting what already existed
The biggest reason for short-terms missions trips is not the good you do while you’re there, it’s the change God brings in your heart by being in a kingdom-advancing environment. If you’re sending someone, try sending them for the long haul and stand behind them financially. The last thing people on the front lines need is to be worrying about their support.
Whether we stay or go, the fields are white for harvest, no matter where we are. Let’s turn our eyes outward and seeing the living water begin to flow.
And we, and our churches, will be the better for it.
CONSIDER PARTNERING WITH DAVID & ELAINE CAMPBELL IN HELPING TO SUSTAIN THEIR ACTIVE MINISTRY.
AWAKENING MINISTRIES // FOUNDATION of FAITH Project
Foundation of Faith Project is strengthening generations in faith and bringing beautiful changes to the communities around them. Through teaching, mentoring and coaching, many are finding out who they are and who they are destined to be. They are bringing more to their world. David Campbell is the key leader in this initiative and you can support him financially directly through Awakening Ministries.
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