Fire On Your Head

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

We’re not called to make converts, but disciples. We’re supposed to make reproducers of reproducers. This post is basically a continuation or a satisfaction of some of my thoughts I began to unpackage in my last post.

I met with someone from Agape, the European version of Campus Crusade For Christ, before I came home from Holland and whom I’d been doing evangelism on a college campus with in Rotterdam. This brother was telling me their main focus and modus operandi was to teach people how to teach people. In other words, the disciples that are raised up and made, are able to go do the same as a result of being taught by example. This process of advancing the kingdom of God should continue to move and grow, without the continued involvement of the original ‘discipl-er’.

Let me say it this way: I think a successful pastor or teacher, is someone who can work themselves out of their job. This is backwards to the way the world operates, but in the kingdom of God we’re to make disciples of all nations. For me, a finger on my hand of my arm of doing this is podcasting and blogging, in case you haven’t noticed–being able to make an impact on people hopefully for the better towards them doing something without necessarily having direct contact with them.

I like listening to the teachings of a specific healing minister, but I don’t really quote from him or post him on my blog, not because he’s a heretic or in error, but because his whole focus is on getting people to attend his meetings; having people come to his church meetings and get healed there. He doesn’t teach me how to BE a healing minister in my daily life in public, where I spend way more of my time than I do in church buildings. He doesn’t reproduce into me that “reproducing anointing”. He just teaches on how to BE healed, and in many ways the flock continue to be dependent on his anointing instead of operating in their own. I don’t want to teach anyone to come to me with their sick ones. I want to teach and motivate them to lay hands on people themselves. Some pastors and teachers don’t do their sheep any favors towards making them grow, but teach and preach in a way of maintaining an audience so they’ll always have an outlet for their teachings and sermons. There are even some Bible colleges that exist not to raise up laborers, but to make pupils more intellectual with Bible knowledge who remain absolutely useless and socially retarded to the dying culture around them. And, I dare say some Bible colleges only exist to pay some teachers a salary?

Whose kingdom is being built? God’s or “the ministry’s”? The idol of ministry is something that needs to be toppled in some areas of the body of Christ, in favor of a more organic expression that actually advances GOD’s kingdom.

With that on my mind, I also used to get a little bit jealous of a few people I know who seemed to have doors open to them to preach more than me, but who I’d arrogantly perceive as being way less ready to do it than myself. It seemed to be like they hadn’t had to ‘earn their stripes’ like I did. I realized eventually that sometimes my concern wasn’t always an arrogant attitude on my part, but a genuine observation that God was teaching me and showing me my hunger was more geared towards having riches and reward in heaven, not so much an “audience” or being vindicated of anything on earth. Some people, that’s what they’re striving for, and that’s what they’ll get. Sometimes people who I’ve impacted in a mighty way seemed to have gone off and ‘out shined’ me. I’m excited about that instead of jealous or upset. Why? Because I know how the kingdom of God works, and I’m more interested in seeing and being involved in raising up long-term committed followers of Christ who will do the same:

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building…Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.
(1 Corinthians 3:7-9, 12-15)

I am happy to water what others have planted. I am also happy to plant only to see someone else water people and build them up. I’m not building my own ministry empire. I want to build in such a way that HIS kingdom is built, and it lasts the test of any flame. I want a reward from HIM, not man. Better to have something tangible that lasts in HIS kingdom, than to have my own little flock or my own church or some kind of ministry or non-profit organization. When thinking of the Great Commission, the point is not to go make converts. The point is to BUILD – and build something that will last for all eternity.

Gold, silver and precious stones are not only materials that are going to last the test of the flames, but they are the minerals that are hidden in the ground. Wood, hay and straw all grow above the surface, in the sight of man. Didn’t Jesus say something about doing things in secret, and being rewarded openly?

What’s represented here is the works that are birthed out of the secret place of intimacy. Things that are laboriously dug up. On that final day, many ministries that stand tall and mighty, and may look like they’re doing the right humanitarian effort, or might boast of thousands of people in a mega church, will be tested by fire, and only then will we know how productive it was from an eternal perspective.

What materials are you building with? Is what you’re building going to last for eternity?

I don’t need followers. I don’t know a large readership on my blog or a large audience on my podcast or a large crowd of people in any church building to hear me orate. On that day, it says we’re going to lay our crowns at His feet. I strive to have as many crowns, rewards on THAT day than any vindication of any kind in this life. If I can impact you to impact others, I receive my credit for it in God’s system of doing things.

We need to have that eternal mindset about all we do, and only then will be start fleshing out the Great Commission in a powerful and relevant way.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

I’ve been a full time “missionary’ or even technically a “minister” (whatever that means) for a couple of years now, and I always have a lump in my throat when answering a specific question I get asked frequently: “How many people are coming to Christ as a result of our ministry?”

I’m not writing the following entry to be defensive against this question, but I think a lot of the Church has the idea that a missionary, literally a “sent one” is synonymous with “evangelist”. I always get that lump in my throat not because I’m nervous of how to answer–I am evangelistic by nature, no matter the setting you drop me in. But when I read the Great Commission verses, I see words like “go” and “make disciples”. I don’t actually see “go lead people to Jesus” specifically or “go get people to make a decision for Christ”, or “make converts of the nations”. Actually this text I just posted is LOADED and I could unpack a lot from it.

In the Body of Christ, we have such an emphasis—a healthy one at that–on the idea that wherever one goes, they are bringing the kingdom of God with them. This is true and I’d never do anything to pour water on the flames of that notion. However, just because I’m able to give advice and be pastoral to people, doesn’t make me a pastor. I can teach also, but that doesn’t necessarily make me a teacher. I can evangelize (so can–and so SHOULD all believers!)–but that doesn’t make me the specific gift of an evangelist (Ephesians 4:11). I can prophesy, but that doesn’t make me a prophet. Likewise, many in the body of Christ are mission-minded or they’re at least bringing the kingdom of God to their sphere of influence at jobs, schools, or in their circles of friends. But does that mean every single person who is a disciple of Christ is a “missionary?”

No. Well, yes. Sometimes. But my ‘yes’ is qualified: we are all supposed to be . But that doesn’t mean just because you’re breathing air in the same vicinity as an unbeliever, that you are making any impact whatsoever on them.

I don’t pretend to have the specific answers about all these things, but I also want to challenge you that the Great Commission talks of GOING, not staying. The emphasis is on making disciples in ALL nations, not specifically just our own culture. And in order to make disciples, they need to actually be saved, or following Christ, first, right? If you’re like me until about six months ago when my podcast co-host Dan challenged me on something–you’d be forced to realize much of our idea of discipleship is flawed. For example, you probably answered my question with the answer “yes, disciples are supposed to be saved before you can disciple them.” But when did Jesus pick His disciples? Before or after they made a commitment to lay their lives down and follow Him?

Interesting indeed.

So in a sense, my mission to make disciples of Christ, in all nations, is successful according to God’s standards I would assume. However, many people, individuals or corporate fellowships have absolutely no missions focus whatsoever. This is a unfortunate, but I’m not on here to beat any sheep. Some churches are successful at reaching their neighbors or communities and impacting them in some way, but more than 95% of church growth in North America–I heard this statistic about 7 years ago–is actually transfer growth where people change churches and start going to another one better suited to them. Only a small fraction of church growth in North America is actually from leading first time converts to the Lord.

So why do we brag so much of how little we’re doing as if it’s more than it really is? I constantly listen to people refer to themselves as evangelists or missionaries to their school campuses and workplaces. Again, there’s nothing wrong with that per se–IF you really are being a shining light in a dark place. I’d never do anything to pour water on this flame because I think this is healthy and a great attitude–and I’d rather fan that into flame in people and equip them and help, and encourage this in every way I am capable. But I am concerned that we (myself included) often say things like that to make people think we’re doing more than we really are. Or to convince ourselves we are really doing more than we are.
One time I posted the following quote by Tony Campolo that kind of addressed that:

“Too often, I hear Christians in mainline denominations saying things like, “I don’t have to talk about my faith. I live it! My witness is the life I live before others, and I believe I so live out what it means to be a Christian that words are not really necessary.”
What arrogance! Do any of us live out our faith so compellingly that anyone merely observing us will be swept into giving himself or herself over to God? Of course not!”
-Tony Campolo

What I am not saying is that you are a failure if you’re not overseas, or standing in a pulpit–by no means am I saying that. In fact, the entire Body of Christ is called to the Great Commission, but probably 95% will never do “ministry” in the tradition form of ‘pastor’ or clergy or whatever our old wine skins look like .

But no matter your giftings and what you’re qualified to do, Jesus DID say go…

“But Steve, Jesus was speaking to His disciples”.

I hate listening to that argument in most of the ways I hear it used, because many Christians borrow and live out other things Jesus said “only to His disciples”, but then other commands are disregarded on the same basis. Jesus also said to them, He would be with them to the end of the age, but the disciples all died off in the decades to come, and this ‘age’ is not over. I’m kinda getting on a soap box a bit, because I know much of my audience has never left their country, whether you’re Dutch or Canadian and reading this.

I worked at a camp once and heard a co-worker refer to her summer that year as “the next several years of her missions service to God rolled into one summer.” She was making that remark in reference to how challenging this summer was working with under-privileged youth. But isn’t it odd how WE tell God what we will give Him and how much of ourselves and our lives we are willing to give? Similarly, I remember a friend of mine after getting engaged, telling me the same sort of thing; explaining to me how maybe her and her husband will spend one year on the mission field ‘at the longest’, before doing other things with their lives–because somehow God would be happy they are doing more than many. Better to do this sort of stuff while young, yes. But when I challenged her on the idea God was in charge of what HE wanted to do with her life, and not her, she got very offended with me and thought I was being pushy and judgmental. This was years ago, before I ever knew I’d be a missionary.

I hate to break it to anyone reading, but if you are a follower of Christ, your life is not your own. Period. If we are disciples of Christ, then that means HE OWNS US. He is the one who determines what He wants with your life, and I think as soon as about 80% of the Body of Christ in North America finally yields WHOLLY to Him, we’ll probably see a rise in foreign missions in particular, and probably see things like the entire world have the Bible translated in their own languages in just a few decades or faster. Dare I say the biggest thing slowing us down is much of the Western Church not being as concerned about it, while the Gospel explodes in other areas of the world where people aren’t as distracted by materialism and comforts.

“But Steve, not everyone is called to foreign missions.”

You’re right, not everybody is. But I don’t believe the number of people called to stay is anywhere near as large as I’m seeing all around me. Something like 90% of all the Christian resources in the world, such as Bibles, Bible colleges, Christian books, television, etc.. is in the West, but Church attendance in this part of the world is declining. Does it not concern us then that over a billion people in the world have never even heard the name of Christ at all, let alone gotten saved, lazy and complacent? With that in mind, I have a hard time understanding why all sorts of people don’t feel called to GO.

But there IS a generation rising who are radical and hungry and want to go…without necessarily knowing where they should invest their time and resources. I say just go for it! Eternity is forever, and this lifetime is too short to build our own little empires and ways of life. I’ll settle down in heaven when this lifetime is over with, since after all, this life is but a dressing room for eternity.