Window on the World
Window on the World
From Randal Dick
Superintendent of Missions
It does no good to say you love the Papa if you disrespect the Mama!
These words still ring in my ears. I was attending a conference on the future of the church in the 21st century. One of the keynote speakers was talking about the alarming number of professing Christians today who think that they have a good relationship with Jesus, but have no respect, active involvement or support of the church.
He pierced many hearts in that room when he said: "You know, you can't love the Papa and reject the Mama. It doesn't work that way. Not in my house, probably not in your house and certainly not in God's house!"
He went on to convict us all that Christ knew from the outset that the church would have spots and wrinkles from time to time, but she is still his bride.
The church, as the bride of Christ, is an intimate part of his plans and actions.
Through her, God is carrying out an incredible rescue operation, which forms the story of the Bible, and is the focus of all history.
The sovereign King of kings proclaimed, "I will build my church." That's the clarion that the Holy Spirit is sounding louder and clearer each day. The local congregation was designed to be the instrument of planting, nurturing and harvesting wherever it may be. No local congregation, no disciples. No disciples, no local congregation.
That is the primary mission of the church--to proclaim the gospel of Christ and gather believers into local congregations where they can be built up in the faith and grow to be effective in service. They in turn are the nuclei of new congregations throughout the world.
Of course, many other important tasks are to be carried out by Christian believers both individually and corporately.
But few of these objectives will be realized unless new believers are being added to local congregations, unless new local congregations are being added to the worldwide church, and unless existing congregations are growing up into the fullness of him who is their Head.
Anywhere in the world--in any community of people without an accessible spiritual community, or local congregation, whether they live in North America or South Africa--people are victims in need of rescue. This is the vital importance of mission.
A saying goes: "Neither a missionless church nor a churchless mission are in accordance with the plan of God."
In order for a congregation to be effective, happy and fulfilled, it must be involved in doing what Christ said we should all be doing until he returns.
That means that every person in every congregation should in some way be involved in the great rescue operation of God. Many forms of involvement exist, but everyone should know that they are involved, and how their actions are contributing to the operation.
When this synergy exists, the local church is effective in its own community, yet will automatically have a worldwide view, not a terminal case of "localitis."
Conversely, a missionary operation has no mandate separate from the local church. The role of mission is to establish congregations accessible to people of a particular place or culture, who would not otherwise have access to the body of Christ.
Mission that is not focused on planting new congregations can, in the long run, do more harm than good. Hence local churches and mission are bound together and need each other.
Mission is still thought of as over there, and evangelism is thought of as over here. Guess what? Over there has just moved in next door, providing us additional opportunity and accountability.
Christ said in the parable of the Great Feast (Luke 14:15-24) that when the invited guests made excuses and did not respond to his invitation, the master sent his servants out to get the poor, the blind, the crippled and the lame.
It is interesting that less than 20 percent of Christian America attends church regularly. They feel no sense of need to respond to the invitation of the Master.
Let something terrible happen, however, and they flock to church. But they (maybe we?) too often make excuses why, in normal times, they cannot accept the invitation to be a part of the greatest initiative of all time.
Jesus faced similar circumstances during his earthly ministry. But he didn't waste time trying to get complacent people to join him. Instead, he went where people knew they had need, and he supplied those needs by the power of God.
Jesus did give the people physical help, but primarily he led them into a relationship of allegiance to God so that they could continue to be nurtured long after he left their city and moved on.
If we want to be effective, we must go where Christ went--to the people who know they are in need. And these people fill our cities. Some of these people speak little English.
Many of these people are cast adrift socially and are lonely. Many of these people are seeking but don't really know why or for what they are searching. Most of them are struggling and feel that they are alone in their struggle. Who are these people?
Many of them are the strangers among us--the result of massive immigration. Last year roughly one million legal immigrants entered the United States, and an estimated 1.2 million illegal. By the year 2001, more Muslims will live in America than Presbyterians, and more Muslims will live in America than Jews.
We tend to think of Muslims as resistant to Christianity. This is a stereotype that is not necessarily true.
When you are in the large cities of the Western world, pay attention to the cab drivers. Ever notice that it seems nowadays that a majority of them are of Southern Asian origin (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh), probably either Muslim or Hindu?
When we look at them, we notice how different they are. What we don't perceive is that they may be trying their best to relate to us by using their best English idioms (they may even be wearing a U.S. flag, or Union Jack T-shirt).
We may not see a lonely someone reaching out asking to be accepted by the majority culture. But people in these situations are at the peak of receptivity to new ideas, new relationships and new ways of looking at things, including God's things.
Sadly, a study indicated that the average Hindu or Muslim immigrant is not invited into a Caucasian Christian home within the first 10 years of being in the United States. I imagine that the situation is similar in the United Kingdom and Western Europe.
The cities of the world are becoming increasingly internationalized and ethnically and racially mixed. U.S. cities, for instance, contain the largest African population next to Nigeria.
They contain the largest Polish population next to Poland. New York is the second largest Puerto Rican city.
Los Angeles County has 1.2 million Asians; 4.5 million Hispanics. Greater Los Angeles is the second largest Mexican city in the world and, sadly, the most unevangelized Hispanic city in the Latin world.
Evangelical churches in the United States (including the Worldwide Church of God) are predominantly English-speaking or middle class. Most urban poor are not.
This is much like the Jerusalem church, where the majority were of one culture. They kept the church homogenous by raising barriers against diversification or innovation.
The Antioch church on the other hand was determined to bring down or cross over any barrier that hindered anyone from receiving the gospel.
This is the crucible in which the apostle Paul's ministry values were formed (1 Cor. 9:19-22).
Instead of thanking God for opportunities to help rescue the lost, rolling up our sleeves and getting our spiritual hands dirty, we pack up and move.
Each year 2,000 urban churches disband, merge or move out of the inner city. Are we any different? Are we walking, in some cases, away from those whom Jesus came and walked toward?
To not lose sight of who we are called to be, we must always remember that we were called to follow Jesus--and that involves:
* Reaching the lost
* Bringing down cultural barriers (not moving away from those who are less desirable and are too different from us)
* Establishing groups of new believers into spiritual communities (planting of new congregations).
When the Master heard the excuses of his friends, he "was furious and said to his servant, `Hurry out to the streets and alleys of the town, and bring back the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' Soon the servant said, `Your order has been carried out, sir, but there is room for more.'
"So the master said to the servant, `Go out to the country roads and lanes and make people come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you all that none of those who were invited will taste my dinner!" (Luke 14:22-24, Today's English Version).
We were all spiritually poor, crippled, blind and lame. Christ has shown mercy to us and has given us his grace.
He now asks his bride, made up of the likes of you and me, to participate in the great rescue, and to take hold of someone who is like we were and be the agent of grace whereby they may come to know salvation.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1999