When lesser gods controls the Mission!

Mission is languishing between Felt Need and the Real Need. There is a misconception among Churches and Mission organizations that lack of money is the number one reason for the gospel yet to reach the ends of the earth. A casual survey or discussion would confirm this truth that money tops the list as potential risk apart from various other threats for the gospel to reach every person on earth. Apparently, money becomes the crucial prayer point.

When Jesus along with His disciples was taking the good news to all the villages, towns, and cities, He saw the need for workers not money. He says,"...the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out workers into his harvest." Matthew 9:37-38. Today the needs are compartmentalized that the need for people is usually downplayed. People have been replaced as crowd gatherers and money generators. This point needs our attention as “People” are the need for the mission and pastors, leaders should focus on encouraging, training, equipping, and sending people to share the gospel in their area of influence. Then every strategy will revolve around spiritual multiplication, evangelism model and approaches, etc. Christ’s mission gets skewed as it’s invariably seen from a financial perspective and every plan, strategy, approaches, proposals, and campaign is twisted trying to build wealth. Unfortunately, pastors and leaders stoop to begging, borrowing, and stealing in the name of building God’s Kingdom.

It is a sad spectacle to see widely, the lesser gods are managing the mission. Mission and Church have become a status. Leaders are living in a make-believe world that they are doing everything right and serving God when what they are really serving is money. Jesus warned us about it already. "...You cannot serve God and money." Matthew 6:24 NLT. The need for money brings along into mission all its vices like power and status. Today, models and approaches have become Organizational/Church identity. They have become Unique Selling Point (USP), to generate money. God’s mission happens to be the means to accomplish their personal mission. This is exactly what upset God with the shepherds through prophet Isaiah, "These dogs have fierce appetites; they never have enough. And they are shepherds who have no discernment; all of them turn to their own way, every last one for his own profit.". Isaiah 56:11 CSB.

I remember in one of the pastors’ meetings how the two mites of the poor widow were misinterpreted as money is an important component in Church Ministry because Jesus sat and watched what was being put in the offertory box. The parable of the 5000 was misinterpreted as Jesus created pressure on the disciples for food and were made to think how they can generate money and be prepared for an event like this. That pastors and leaders should know to catch the right fish to find the coin in the mouth of the fish. The heresies are so deeply rooted today that many missions, Christian Organization and Churches largely have become an enterprise and a scam.

I wonder how pastors would interpret Apostle Paul’s traumatic experience, "Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. ²⁶On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; ²⁷ toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing. ²⁸ Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches. ²⁹ Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? ³⁰ If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses. ³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying. ³² In Damascus, a ruler under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me. ³³ So I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands." 2 Corinthians 11:24-32.

Jesus is God enthroned in majesty and there is no other demigod.  Praise God if we are not exposed to such threats. Many of us are accustomed to operating from a safe and luxurious positions some with lots of constriction and limitation. In any case Christ mission is the mandate, a commandment and a mission given to the Church and to individuals. Based on the need, God will provide resources. Do not allow the need for money to overtake and rule Christ Mission. If it happens, you start living with a shadow mission and working to mobilize money than people, and that can be too dangerous. You may want to read my blog I wrote about SHADOW MISSION. This is the matter of the heart and personal retrospection. Can we abandon any god's that have the power to rule us? I want to leave you with this verse for making a personal commitment with God our Saviour. "O Lord our God, Lords beside thee have had dominion over us: but by thee alone will we make mention of thy name.". Isaiah 26:13 KJV. May we stay focused to the true Mission, sincerely. 

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Cycle of the Christian Life!

 

Jude, the shortest book in the Bible, prioritizes on three responsibilities of a Christian. It is part of his conclusion in exhortation and benediction section. He shows the interdependency in relationships and their impact. Let’s review some verses to make my point.

Jude 1 identifies the author of the book as Jude, brother of James. This likely refers to Jesus' half-brother, as Jesus also had another half-brother named James (Matthew 13:55). Jude probably does not identify himself as a brother of Jesus out of humility and reverence for Christ. The Book of Jude is closely related to the book of 2 Peter. The date of authorship for Jude depends on whether Jude used content from 2 Peter, or vice versa.

The Book of Jude was written somewhere between A.D. 60 and 80. It is an important book for us today as it portrays the end times, and the end of the church age, which began at the Day of Pentecost. Jude is the only book given entirely to the great apostasy. He writes that evil works are the evidence of apostasy. He admonishes us to contend for the faith, as there are tares among the wheat. False prophets are in the church and the saints are in danger. Jude is a small but important book worth studying as its written for the Christian of today.

As we carefully read the verses 20 -23 in Jude, it draws the ultimate responsibility of every believer in the Church and of the Church as an entity. The big three responsibilities of the church categorized in these verses are as follows:

1.     Inspire every believer to remain in faith.

V 20-21 “But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.”

Growing in the faith results in multiple expressions. The person grows in the knowledge of the Lord and bears fruits with the focus on eternity. It is important to note that the pastor is not a superhero who can always ensure from his congregation 100% commitment to the Lord in the non-Church hours but yes, he can inspire and nurture a person enough with the uncompromising word of God and Christian ethics. Sometimes the Church tries this by keeping the people busy with the Church activities and weekly programs. And at the end making them more religious with Church sentiments and hardly making them accountable towards the Great Commission responsibilities. Diane Langberg states this, "God's purpose is not to build up spectacular ministries, or display brilliant minds, or articulate tongues or pleasing, arresting personalities. God's purpose is to make us, you and me, like his Son. It is the only outcome that brings glory to the Father.".

2.     Ignite the ones who waver from the faith.

V 22 “Have mercy on those who waver.”

Most of the time people go to Church to fulfil their weekly obligation. Sunday becomes a religious day like any other religion which has specific days in a week to observe piety. Along with it comes our offerings and few commitments, and there ends our responsibility. As Christians, are we helping the other fellow believers who are struggling in their faith due to various reason? John in his book 1 John 3:17 holds each person responsible for his fellow believer, “If anyone has this world’s goods and sees a fellow believer in need but withholds compassion from him- how does God’s love reside in him?” And Paul to the book of Romans 15:1 says, “Now we who are strong have an obligation to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not to please ourselves.”

3.     Influence the people to be missional outside the four walls of your Church.

 V 23 “save others by snatching them from the fire; have mercy on others but with fear, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.”

Here comes the big mission, where Jude reminds the third big responsibility of every Christians is to save others by snatching from the fire. The who one who does not know God are racing down the highway of hell. Paul while writing to the Thessalonians states, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 “when he takes vengeance with flaming fire on those who don’t know God and on those who don’t obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from his glorious strength.”.

As a Church are we successful in taking our people to the next level, i.e., to be effective in the marketplace? Or still struggling to stagnate them in the first stage, inspiring them to be in the faith. This is the best way to gauge your effectiveness and the Church’s effectiveness. Churches are stagnating in the first phase; the need of being inspired to be in the Lord. And then have convincing excuses on why they are not able to influence and inspire their friends with the gospel. One reason we lack the opportunity to share our faith is because we have little or no meaningful contact with non-Christians. Non-Christians are not hearing our message, because they’re not within the sound of our voices! The gospel hasn’t lost its power. We have simply lost their audience!

Understand the cycle of the Christian life.  You are not just responsible for your soul but also of your neighbours. 

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