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This post tackles a tendency for some to get aggressive in our evangelism and missions approach. A triumphalist mindset remains prevalent in global missions circles but the posture encouraged in Scripture is that of quiet humility, gentleness, and honouring others’ dignity.
In a world marked by conflicts, it is appropriate to ask “whose side are you on?” as we start a new year. The question arises from Joshua 5 and this post is a prelude to a longer 2023 Leader’s Missions Forecast essay distributed to the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission network.
Death is associated with separation, so too the antichrist/s. Anger is associated with separation which can lead to death if it is not well processed. It is transformational if it is well processed. Protest can be a legitimate expression of anger, but ultimately our aim should always be to process toward reconciliation.
Our English-language concepts of love can be woefully inadequate, but we need strong concepts of ‘merciful loving kindness’ to lead us into effective Kindgom witness. God’s mission is always accomplished through loving sacrifice and there is no better time to remember that than through the Lenten season.
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 light of the great uncertainty around us, we can easily be tempted to try and take control of that which appears to be within our control. We must rest in the fact that God is in control and, for those who are in Christ, that will always work out for our good. Rather than fatalism, we need to hold on in faith and focus on meeting the needs of those most negatively affected.
As COVID-19 restrictions persist for good reason, it is understandable that our patience wears thin and we start to push the boundaries. But by doing so we can put others at risk of harm. Rock solid leaders cannot afford to think only in terms of the needs of their own. We must work to keep the collective good in mind, always acting with love for all.
Meekness is a grossly under-rated quality in our day and age, yet Jesus insisted that the meek will inherit the earth. In this month’s post, I reflect on the need for meek leadership in a world that is dominated by agressive activistic visionary leadership that imposes a leader’s will on others to achieve goals.
I got called out. I made fun of a friend and fellow leader in a way that stung him and he challenged me to consider if there was some deeper resentment behind the banter. It was a needed wake-up call. Self examination before the Lord revealed some ‘stuff’ to work on. As leaders’ we’re never above reproach.
The forest lord of Māori lore visited God in the highest heaven and was gifted three baskets of knowledge: spiritual, historic and experiential. When we encounter others in missions, humility demands we do so with an empty basket ready to learn from them, to add that to our existing baskets of knowledge.