Meek Achievements

Tena tātou katoa e te iwi mīhana… (Greetings to all the people in mission),

This month’s whakataukī (proverb) is: “Mahia i runga i te rangimārie me te ngākau māhaki” (With a peaceful mind and respectful heart, we will always get the best results). The standard interpretation of the proverb is expanded when you understand the importance of ngākau (heart/mind) as the place of your deep affections and a ngākau māhaki person being one who is humble or mild mannered—meek. So their affections (thoughts, psyche, emotions, convictions, values, preferences etc.) are not easily inflamed. That kind of person can accomplish much (mahia i runga: above average achievement).

Leaders worthy of great respect are those known for their level-headedness and self-control.

The Māori “warrior spirit” is a pervasive myth and popular stereotype, amplified by legend and media bias. Yet the values revealed through Māori proverbs, customs and practice suggest quite the opposite. Aggression is considered a base response to adversity. Leaders worthy of great respect are those known for their level-headedness and self-control—their calmness in crisis. It is my understanding that these traits are expected of most indigenous leaders around the world. It is a mark of wisdom.

All too frequently an aggressive activistic posture is required of visionary leaders in the industrialised world. Business seems to run on the ‘natural selection’ core values of Darwinism—survival of the fittest. It is the uncompromising imposition of a leader’s will that gets things done. Usually, the energy required for that sort of imposition comes from an agitated inner being, which can take a tragic toll.

Western culture has passed its zenith of tolerance for bullying and manipulative behaviour by people of influence.

Sadly, and very contrary to Scripture, an arrogant and demanding attitude is found in ministry leadership as well. Nowhere has this been more sensationally exposed than in Christianity Today’s podcast serial, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. The wildly popular series is an investigation of the “New Calvinist” sect in America and the abusive ministry of Mark Driscoll in particular. Thankfully, Western culture has passed its zenith of tolerance for bullying and manipulative behaviour by people of influence and they are being called out in spectacular fashion, Christian leaders among them.

I have never cared for the aggression or competition that is unhelpfully associated with masculinity. Sure, I am prone to comparing myself against others as much as the next person, but I have little energy to fight for a superior position. Growing up under the explosive temper of an angry and volatile stepfather has made me hyper-sensitive to belligerent people. One of the things that attracted me to Jesus was His offer of peace. True to His promise, being in-Christ has been for me a place of protection from the abusive excesses of unregenerate humanity. I obviously still live in the world and am exposed to the effects of sin in society, but the community of God’s people, living out Biblical ethics of love, is a haven that affirms the mild mannered—or, at least, it should be. For us, meekness is meant to be normative.

Scripture exhorts us to be completely surrendered to God in every circumstance.

Rather than relying on our own strength or imposing our will to harness the strength of others, Scripture exhorts us to be completely surrendered to God in every circumstance. Our faith in God should be such that we offer no resistance to what the Spirit is doing in our lives through external circumstance. This is not fatalism, where we are hapless victims of circumstance; but faith, where we are strengthened by the situations God leads us into or allows. The difference is a perspective of purpose. We are meant to live and grow in-Christ according to God’s design, surrounded by the loving support of God’s people. It is an attitude of humble dependence on God and interdependence with God’s people. Furthermore, the purpose of our faith leads to high achievement—the meek inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).

We have a legacy that assures us of a habitation, a place to live and call home, on earth. This is central to the gospel of Christ’s kingdom. In-Christ we are certain of an eternal abode and the shalom-peace it implies. The humble and contrite of heart will dwell in a land devoid of zero-sum competition, aggression, abuse, fear and pain, for the Prince of Peace will reside there. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus says His offer of a peace-filled inheritance will be declared in all the inhabited places of the earth before He returns as the King of Glory. Imagine the glory of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Iraq, Yemen, Aotearoa New Zealand and every other nation under Christ’s righteous reign. Mine join the prayers of many in asking God for the day of shalom to come. Maranatha Lord Jesus.

I welcome the new era of respect and generosity that my generational cohort and younger are demanding of Western societies.

While it is disparagingly called “wokeness”, I welcome the new era of respect and generosity that my generational cohort and younger are demanding of Western societies. I consider this an echo of the Judeo-Christian heritage that informs our values. That echo is rapidly fading, and I concede that tolerance has a dark-side, but for the Christ-follower, our attitude towards those who think and behave differently from us ought to always exhibit the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Love is the fruit of the Spirit and meekness (gentleness) is a core attribute of love, as is self-control. Love is wise.

How much more could we achieve in God’s mission if we focused on developing a peaceful, respectful and humble manner, resisting the urge to take control over anything other than ourselves as we participate together in God’s mission? In the end, it will help us #stayonmission.

Whakapaingia te Atua, to tatou kaiunga ki te ao whanui (May we be blessed as God sends us into the wider world),

Jay