Missional Miasma

Just finished reading Missio Dei by Fred Peatross and found myself bored to tears by another conversation about being missional and moving out of old paradigms to embrace a more sophisticated approach to reaching the people Jesus misses the most. At the rate implied by such relational, missional approaches we will continue to fall seriously behind the rate of population growth for the next 250 years as we have for the past 250.

Once again I find myself thinking that a New Testament Book of Acts kind of expression of Christian faith is what we desperately need today to stem the tide of paganism in our world and especially in North America. Power evangelism as opposed to friendship evangelism is what I see in the NT narrative.

“Please God, pour out a fresh anointing on your people today so that prayer and power mark our relationships as much as friendship and acceptance. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.”

Peatross, in his Appendix says:

Jesus lives in you and me. The Holy Spirit leads us to others as the Father calls them. I’ve seen him work in AA meeting, restaurants, city streets.... God shows up everywhere if you look for him. He’s made his home in me and he wants me to create safe environments everywhere I go. I do it with a smile. I engage people, smile at them, brag on them, praise them, and when the Holy Spirit opens their heart I put in a good word for Jesus.. It is just that simple. No matter where you go or where you are Jesus is with you. He wants to connect, not only with you; he especially wants to make his home in the hearts of those who do not know him. So create warm safe environments in small groups, homes, coffee shops, schools, AA meetings, hospitals, jails – wherever you go love people and keep it simple, easy to understand. Go about doing things for people and put Jesus Christ in the center and watch the Holy Spirit work. He will connect you with Jesus and people. Connecting - Loving - Healing – Encouraging. That’s what Jesus wants us to do. Don’t ruin the environment with a bad attitude or critical spirit. Target pain. Pay attention to the hurt in people and meet their felt needs. Divorce – Depression - Anxiety - Addiction - Guilt – Grief. Find where they hurt and show them you care. Create the environment by being completely humble, patient , loving , and empathic – then – once they know you care and understand – ask Jesus to make the connection.”  pp 90-92 Missio Dei by Fred Peatross

I like all of the above. I just think it takes too long. People are going to hell every second. I am praying for such power from God to break out in the life and ministry of his followers that the miracles, signs, wonders, and healings will demand a response from people. Either they will hate him or love him but they won’t be able to be indifferent. Indifference is the attitude we have allowed to grow in this culture by our unbelief and prayerlessness. And I definitely include myself in that last indictment.  

Oh, for those who were wondering what on earth miasma means...

miasma - an unhealthy atmosphere or unhealthy vapors rising from the ground or other sources

Miracles, Signs & Wonders (msw) and What Matters...

I believe that miracles, signs, & wonders are for today. They are desperately needed. But not just to tickle our spiritual appetites or fancy. They are desperately needed in order to authenticate the message of God's people - the message that Jesus came in the flesh and died for our sins, then rose again to give us forgiveness and life when we repent, turning to Him for the gift of that life.

Without msw we will not get the attention of the lost in this world. Without msw we will not have authority as we speak. We will continue to win some to Jesus but a great turning, a flood of people coming to Jesus will not occur without these things. Someone might think I have become a fan of msw with this kind of talk, that I am preoccupied with signs and wonders when the great need of this time is that people discover and receive the love and grace of Christ.

What really matters is that people get to know Jesus in a life-changing way and they grow into loving and mature believers who are salt and light to the people of this world who God loves so very much. But what will bring a "fear of the Lord" to this generation if not signs and wonders? What will get the attention of people preoccupied with spirituality but unwilling to embrace that Jesus is THE way, THE truth and THE life?

When the present day church begins to operate in the "apostolic genius" of the New Testament church, then there will be a great spiritual awakening in our part of the world. So, how do we get this to happen? First, we must accept that this is not man's work. We cannot orchestrate this. We cannot plan this. We cannot manipulate this into being. God must do it. "Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it." I am tired of trying to build. I want what only He can build.

This leaves me feeling helpless but not hopeless. I hope that He will listen to and respond to our repentance, faith, and seeking. I am begging Him to move in power in my lifetime. I am pleading with Him to reveal His glory and grace. And I am waiting....

How about you???

A Glorious Day

Today, June 23, 2009 is a glorious day. I spent the early part of this evening with 46 Protestants and about 14 Roman Catholics. The Bishop of Saint John had invited us to join him for a barbeque at Villa Madonna. This very warm-hearted Christian leader spoke with such obvious delight of our common ground of faith in Jesus that my heart was drawn to his with great intensity.

Following some fellowship and food, a few of us had the privilege of sitting and sharing with him around an empty table. The warmth of his love for Jesus and obvious delight in sharing with us captivated our hearts. His desire is to be (like Mother Teresa) a pencil in God's hand. The humility and servant spirit in his words were beautiful and I cannot recall a time when I have felt greater joy and hope for the unity of the church than I felt at that table.

So today, I celebrate Biship Robert Harris, a man of God and a servant whose desire is to love Jesus with all his heart. Praise God for this wonderful Christian leader.

Burden of Guilt

A friend emailed me her friends article, published in the Globe and Mail today. Read it at the link back there. I read it and thought Karen Nicole Smith's question about whether she had spent her last few years well was quite interesting. She received a kidney transplant and it is starting to fail. As she reflects on the health provided by her donor she is wondering if she has done well with such a valuable gift.
I understand this burden of guilt. I have received a life too. A wonderful life. A blessed life. For many years I have been enjoying the benefits of this life. Now, I am approaching another milestone. I'll be 55 on my next birthday. That will qualify me for senior discounts in some places. Ouch. I have lived as a follower of Jesus Christ for most of my life. But I wonder. Have I lived it well? Would He be pleased with it? Have I invested well? I don't feel like a failure or that it has been a life poorly lived. But I wonder if I have maximized what He gave me.
How many more years, months, weeks, or days do I have left to invest the life He gave to me? I really want to invest it well. I want to invest it in people. But I don't just want to be liked or even loved. I don't want to simply be well thought ofm by those I have been privilege to know. I want to save lives too. Like He saved mine. I want His life given to me to count for more than just this world. I want it to count in His Eternal Kingdom, the Kingdom not of this world. The Kingdom of Love. The Kingdom where people are valued above all else.
My Burden of Guilt will be eased if I use this life He has given me to make a real difference. "Father, please light a fire of passion in me that will not be satisfied with mediocrity. Help me to burn out for You and Your Kingdom. Help me to spend the moments, minutes, and hours of my life well. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen."

Guatemala Missions Trip

I have been home for almost two weeks and have not said or written much about our recent trip to Guatemala. 30 people from 3 provinces, several denominations, and from various backgrounds spent 9 days in the beautiful, though sometimes brutal countryside. Surrounded by 7 volcanoes, we spent a few days trying to minister to those who may have more to offer us than we have to offer to them.

Let me share one incident with you that hit all of us quite hard. We were dedicating one of the three homes we built. After the prayer, the lady who we built the house for said...

Thank you for this beautiful mansion."

You could have knocked us all over with a feather. What we built was a 10 foot by 16 foot cement structure with a tin roof supported by rough 2 by 5 or 2 by 6 lumber. No paint, no windows, no doors, just a space sheltered somewhat from the sun and rain. A space she could call her home and which we would only use for a shed.

I think this is her mansion.

And I think this may have been her old home...

The simplicity and the joy expressed to us by this lady shames us greatly. We, who have so much, are so often ungrateful, disrespectful, unsatisfied. We complain about our lot in life. We moan about our problems and challenges. I think I am going to try to be more thankful and celebrate the many blessings I enjoy as a matter of routine, almost every day.

Longings

I find myself filled with longings. Unnamed, unclear, but real. And deep. I know these longings are for Him. But I am so cerebral at times. I want to figure it out. Explain it. Understand it. Understand Him. But this is just my mind wanting what my heart does not need. So I pray. I plead. I beg. I yearn. Satisfy this ache in me Lord. Break into my stubbornness, overcome my resistance, fill me.... please.

Loss and Friends

My neighbor passed away suddenly last night. He was my friend. I love him and his family. And suddenly I realize that I did not spend nearly enough time with him. On my way back to my house from his house tonight, I saw another neighbor friend sitting in his car and we chatted about our friend and our loss for a while. And we decided to repent of not spending enough time with each other. We are going to try to be neighbors who actually celebrate our friendship and love by spending some more time than we have in the past.

I sincerely hope this is more than just a passing, emotional reaction...

DISCIPLESHIP

I am reading "Goodbye Generation" by David Sawler, a Canadian who is writing for the church. David's concern is that we are losing a generation of youth and young adults from the church. In the fourth chater he diagnoses our major problem. Here is my summary of his diagnosis...

We are more interested in being spiritual sperm donors than in being parents. We find it exciting to lead someone to Christ, preach a great evangelistic sermon and see the altar lined, or be part of an outreach where decisions for Christ are made. But once born into the Kingdom, what happens to these babies. They become orphans.

Ouch. I have to admit that there is truth in what he says. Discipling means getting involved in someone's life at a level that means sharing deeply, caring completely, living with, teaching, correcting, and loving enough to do whatever is needed to insure that spiritual growth is happening. Unfortunately this cannot be done in a program or from a pulpit and certainly not by one person for a whole church. Sawler believes that discipleship programs don't even cut it when it comes to true discipleship. I agree.

What do you think?