As an introverted WASP who spent her formative years in the Northeast, I would have to be possessed by supernatural forces before I ever spontaneously yelled "AMEN!" during a church sermon. Yet this past Sunday, there were three moments during the sermon when I came perilously close to leaping from my seat with a cheer. The text was Ephesians 4:11-12, "And He gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ." The message was that the 'professional' ministers are there to equip believers, not to do all the ministry. Paul's expectation is that the congregation does the work of ministry in the church and in the world. I wholeheartedly agree with this urging to let go of the spectator/consumer model of church that is so prevalent (and destructive) in US churches.
What I loved about Matt's approach to this topic, however, was that he wasn't speaking from the perspective of a worn out pastor who is sick of everyone expecting him to do all the work. I have heard this passage preached from that perspective before. What Matt emphasized was how detrimental it is to the individual believer to treat church as a spectator event. I firmly believe that there are few things as out-of-this-world fantastic as being used by God for His Glory. I don't have words strong enough to describe it. And if you never engage in ministry, 'get in the fight,' then you will miss one of the best glimpses of heaven that we get in this life. As just one example, I clearly remember a morning when I served breakfast to a batch of surly teenagers. Ladling out eggs with a smile and a greeting for each kid was the tiniest act of service, and yet it was one of the happiest moments I've had.
The application portion of the sermon was very much geared toward the idea of "going." There was a video highlighting the 100 People Network, which is one of the coolest evidences of the Holy Spirit's power I've seen in the past five years. Matt also spoke boldly about how the Austin Stone defines success--they would be happier about sending 3000 people out of the church to serve God's mission than they would be about attracting 3000 people into the church who simply attend and connect within the church. I love that, and I absolutely agree with the desire to 'release' believers to pursue God's passions, even if that means 'losing' a church member (or several thousand!).
As I sat listening, I thought of the fact that foster care, adoption, and global orphan care are missions for which the command "go" is not quite the right fit. Do these missions call you to step out of your comfort zone? Absolutely. Do they often require that you go to training, to different countries, to the limit of your financial and emotional resources? You betcha. But the mission of orphan care requires a further step. We do not simply obey the command "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you."(Matthew 28:19-20) That is definitely part of it, but the command we follow is more "Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." (Luke 18:16)
To go tell people about the great love of Jesus is one thing, and it is a great and God-pleasing thing. But to open your door, your home, your heart and show the great love of Jesus to a child who has been hurt, ignored, or abandoned is something else. I don't think one is better than the other, or that we must choose between them. I just think "GO" sometimes means saying, "come."
"See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 18:10
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