Kingdom Come!

Recently, I was reminded of a photo taken in New York on the infamous 9/11. You probably remember it. In it sooty-faced men and women run terrified from the fiery Twin Towers as smoke billows through every door and window. Their faces show the anguish of their burning, horrifying world. They are fleeing for their lives, leaving everything else behind. The whole feeling is one of terror and fear.

But in the background running in the opposite direction is a firefighter, decked out in all the equipment necessary to protect him as he resolutely goes about his job of rescuing those trapped inside. These guys are on a mission!

Our world is reeling from rising gas prices, a looming economic recession, falling real estate values at home and a crumbling dollar abroad. The United States is involved in two real on-going death-causing wars. And cyclones, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis seem to devastate somewhere almost monthly.

USA Today recently reported that in the near future crude oil will rise to $200 per barrel. Delta Airlines is raising airfares by 15-20% to keep up with rising fuel prices; one third of their total budget is now spent on fuel. Delta also reported a $6 Billion loss the first quarter of 2008. Most airlines are reducing the number of routes they fly and implementing other drastic cost-saving measures. They’re not talking about profits anymore. They are talking about survival.

Like in the photo, they’re running from the building!

Businesses across the country are also scrambling to find ways to save money by lowering fuel consumption. One news commentator recently declared: “Take your money out of savings and buy food.” He was serious. He wasn’t talking about food shortages, but about food prices. These days, with such low interest rates and soaring prices, buying food is a better savings plan than putting your money in the bank!

So here’s one reason why this sits so heavy in my mind and heart…

Missionaries, like firefighters are those who run – not away from the flames and the danger and the difficulties, but toward them.

Their life, their goal, their focus is not on safety, security or comfort, but on taking the Good News of
Jesus to a world aflame!

The assignment God has given Phyllis and me for all these years is to prepare and equip men and women – not to run from danger and difficulties, but to run toward them! Not to seek comfort, success and ease, but to listen to the voice of God, understand His Great Mission and to run to the place He wants you!

In the next few days, we will once again graduate around twenty people from Globe’s Institute for Global Ministry (IGM). They will be better prepared to take the Gospel of the Kingdom to a hurting world! They will understand the biblical mandate to take the Gospel to the hard places. Places where there are no churches. Places where the governments are antagonistic. Places where the dominant religion is radically opposed to Jesus and the Gospel of the Kingdom.

These graduates will better appreciate the biblical understanding of “people groups,” tribes and cultural boundaries. They will understand biblical story-telling to non-literate learners. They will better understand the great Mission of God to change lives, reverse misfortunes, see His great Name glorified and worshipped by all men and women everywhere.

This season in our life is spent mostly in America with Americans. It is one of preparing, encouraging, mentoring and assisting them to explore God’s purpose and plan for their lives. A little different, but yet the same. And it’s a pretty big task – it seems. Everything in the world seems to be falling apart and the natural tendency is to disengage – run away. Flee where it’s safe and warm. But the men and women we’re training aren’t looking for the easy way.

Thanks for standing with us – in prayer and by giving – in our assignment to train and equip another generation to run toward the fire, not away.

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Tags: missions, missionaries, Globe International, IGM,

My friend James Graham sent me this link to a video lecture by Patrick Dixon.  Dixon is a futurist and gives some real insights into what the future holds.  (It’s about 45 minutes, so take some time to actually listen to what he says…)

Seems to me as we balance the globalization of our world (off-shoring services and multi-national manufacturing) and the tribalism (bikers, skaters, gear-heads, music-heads) of society, it becomes more important that we know and understand both The Gospel - what it is and what it means! - and the Church. 

Dr. Dick Braswell, pastor of a large church in Mobile, AL spoke last night at IGM and admitted that after 50 years in ministry and 45 years leading the same church (!) he’s questioning more and learning more about NT Church than at any point in his life! Yikes!

I’m excited by what I see and feel is happening in the marriage of “church” and “mission.”

And basically that’s what “missional church” is all about: the reclaiming of “mission” above “church” — or at least church as we know it (CAWKI)…

I like it when ”mission(s)” is no longer delegated to a small, under-funded, neglected part of “church.”  Mostly “church” is the “real thing” and “missions” is a once-a-year conference with fireworks and hoopla.  And the other 51 sundays are “real church.” 

(“Missions” is kinda like your Aunt Betty Jean’s 75th birthday party that you have to attend.  Have to.  And you have to eat the bad cake with too sweet frosting with gaudy yellow roses.  Have to.  And you have to drink that red punch that reminds you of antifreeze.  And you have to shake hands with Uncle Elmer and talk to cousin Frank with the bad breath.  You have to go and you have to be nice.  But basically - thank God! - when you leave, when you walk out the front door, you can get back to normal.  And you won’t have to see those people or think about them until Aunt BJ’s 76th birthday party.  Back to business as usual!) 

Reclaiming the missio dei - the mission of God - as the primary motivation and reason for church changes everything.  And making every person a part of that “mission” makes it real!

I’m excited when I see pastors and church leaders who begin to see beyond their dream, their vision, their world, their “in-flow” to see a bigger world where CAWKI no longer works.  Where CAWKI fails to impact and we look in The Book and see that CAGWI (Church as God wants it) functions and serves the People of God igniting their dreams and fueling their passions so that they can change their world!

When christology drives our missiology, then our missiology will shape our ecclesiology. 

OK, there I said it!  And I’m not taking it back!

A few days ago my friend James Graham sent me an email and link regarding Pagan Christianity.  He wanted to know my call on Frank Viola and his movement.  I whipped off a quick email basically saying what my other friend Bill Kinnon says in his blog.  My only other comments were that basically one generation’s contextualization becomes another generation’s syncretism and religion.  Christendom - that era where the churches influence was greatest - was ushered in by Constantine’s acceptance and promotion of the Church.

Regarding contextualization I wrote…

• We have to understand the Church historically in terms of contextualization… Paul at Mars Hill was contextualizing.  Missionary/apostles were taking a basically Hebrew context and making it palatable to a pagan audience.
• Perhaps, the Hellenization of the Gospel and the Church was a legitimate attempt to contextualize Good News so that it was heard by those accustomed to Greek temples, etc.  Keep in mind too that there was a huge Christendom shift going on too with the acceptance of Constantine and the movement away from roving itinerate Apostles to territorial resident Bishops… different mindset completely.
• Some of the issues today involve contextualization in missions and Po-Mo ministry.  Guys like Viola and Barna see it and applaud it here but can’t see it “there” - back then…
• When we contextualize in the present, we expose our selves to syncretism in the future. And I think that one generation’s contextualization often leads to a “generation-to-come’s” syncretistic compromise. From spirituality to religion…
• The Church is primarily relational not institutional.  The Gospel is best passed on relationally through life-style discipling and mentoring - not programs and courses.

I’ve picked up and am rereading Alan Roxburgh’s The Sky is Falling.  I read it whne the ink was still wet in 2005, but even with all the new books on my desk, decided I neede to reread it. 

For my “recreational reading” I’ve just finished Chasing Francis a novel by Ian Morgan Cron.  I’d seen it recommended by Jonny Baker, so I bought it and read it.  As Christian fiction, it’s okay.  It reminds me of Wisdom Hunter (also Christian fiction) that I read years ago.  It came out in 1991.  (My friend Rick Thompson, with whom we worked in Kenya in the 1990’s and who died a few years ago, enjoyed the Wisdom Hunter immensely and referred to it over years of conversation and dialogue.)  Both books involve disillusioned evangelical church leaders who search for meaning and relational Christianity.

Josh and Diana gave me a copy of Rob Bell’s Sex God for Christmas.  I read part of the first chapter and then Phyllis stole it and now I occasionally see it when she pulls it out of her reading bag…

We began our classes of Globe’s Institute for Global Ministries (IGM) this week.  There are around twenty people signed up and attending.  I taught this week on “Why God Thinks He Can Use You.”  Basically it addresses God’s investment in His people so they can be missional in life and attitude.  Then we did the same teaching over in Mobile on Thursday night for IGO’s IWM.

Phyllis and I have been watching the DVD series of Heroes.   I’d not seen it on TV, but had heard great things about the series from credible sources - not just TV ads.  And when it came out on DVD for $50 - I thought, well I’ll have to borrow it.  $50! We can’t do that!  But then walking through a Target, I saw it on sale for $19 so I scooped it up and we’ve been enjoying it very much!  And on DVD, you don’t have to worry about commercials and you can go back if you missed some dialogue!  (It’s great living is the digital age!  Maybe…)
Hiro is great!  I can’t quite figure the Mr. Bennet connect, yet nor the Niki/Jessica deal… we’re maybe 1/3 through the season.

I can see why some people are hooked by its plot and why some people are really ticked by its supernatural Darwinism.  One of my takes is that we - as 21^st century people - are hungry for the supernatural.  And hungry to see that we are “special;” that somehow as average going-to-work people we are endowed with something beyond the “normal.”  We’re hungry for God to move in our lives and give us a mission (“Save the cheerleader; save the world!”) and then empower us to do it! 

Yikes!  Sounds like the missional Gospel, huh?  We can’t just wait for the next “movement” to come and allow us to surf on for God.  We can’t expect the Big Boys to do it!  We’ve gotta find out our “specialness” and then see how it fits into the whole plot of the save the world scenario.

I’d like the whole IGM group to see the series and then plug it into my “Why God Thinks He Can Use You” teaching.  But we can’t do that…

Hiro reminds me of new Jesus-followers who discover their “specialness” and just believe God is going to use them!  Claire and Matt remind me of some of us who stumble into our gifts and are scared silly.  (I remember when Phyllis first found herself “prophetically gifted” and she began to see and understand other people.   She saw stuff and was a little freaked!)

Life goes on!  And we are challenged and blessed!