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We live in an era of missions when, if we don’t consistently and persistently shift our expectations to match reality, we will suffer great harm. The triumphalism of yesteryear will not carry us forward. In humility we must surrender our grand plans and yield to the new and wonderfully fruitful thing God is doing in our day.
What English speakers call the ‘dragon’ is a mythical creature that exists in cultures throughout the world. It is representative of that which humans cannot control – circumstances, powerful people, governments, etc. God is the only one who can ‘tame the taniwha’, but we can terminate its influence by lives lived faithfully in-Christ.
The COVID-19 endemic is giving rise to much speculation about the end of the world as we know it. Among some Christ-followers there is stiff resistance to government and other authorities, but in this instance there is little theological basis for it. The good news is that God is still at work behind the scenes and we’re not at the end of the story, yet.
In Thailand the community relies on food preparers to supply a variety of meal options for the neighbourhood who are rewarded with income. This symbiotic relationship strengthens community bonds, effectively establishing a common table.
Change can create a deep sense of disequilibrium, but it also present tremendous opportunities for innovative solutions to emerge. Rather than tangle our nets as we go about our mission, let’s cast them afresh for a new day.
We are too easily tempted to “save” what we get it in case we run out. This is a poverty mentality. The Polynesian people have an abundance mentality that informs their values of hospitality. The kumara makes for a great metaphor for the gospel.
There is a Maori saying that if you’re going to bow or submit to anything, make sure it is a lofty mountain (i.e. worthy of your honour and respect). Unity is the high ideal that we should aim to summit for the sake of Christ.
A very common proverb among Māori encourages us to think collectively as if we were all in a single waka/canoe. All God’s people should think this way and commit to unity as critical to the goals of mission.
Ezekiel provides a wonderful vision of the Kingdom of God spreading forth like a mighty tree. His vision predicts the diversity of God’s Kingdom and makes a missional statement regarding how the branches are sent forth and multiply.
Without getting too self-helpish, you really are God’s gift to the world! You have a unique contribution to make and a responsibility to find out what He’s asking you to do. As His love flows through you it will express itself in unique ways via your unique abilities to lovingly help repair the sin damage around you.
The English word “call” is probably derived from the Welsh “galw”. In English we intermingle this Welsh with Latin so that “calling” is related to many words with the Latin root “voco”: vocal, advocate, irrevocable, provoke, revoke, equivocal, even vowel and vocabulary. It is also the root of vocation.
As a mission mobiliser I’ve spent a lot of time considering why people choose to get involved in a type of mission that relocates them. There are a host of different reasons, but one thing seems clear from Scripture and lived experience: God moves people. Moreover, God moves people for His purposes.