"Into All the World"

Jesus came with a really big idea! His contemporaries were hoping that God would send his Messiah to liberate the nation of Israel from their Roman oppressors and then rule as the earthly King of Israel. Granted, that would have been a history-making feat. But Jesus had a much bigger idea than that.

The religious people in Jesus’ day were looking for a righteous, spiritual leader who would be an instrument of cleansing in Israel, who would return a generation back to intimacy with God. To this day religious folks tend to see Jesus as a great teacher, a religious genius, a holy guru, sent to teach us how to live a full life (or even how to ascend through levels of spirituality culminating in some kind of divinity). But Jesus came with a much bigger idea.

Jesus came with his sight fixed on “the world.” Jesus had a vision for making disciples of nations. Jesus saw all humanity reconciled to God. He made that clear with his last words, his “Great Commission.” There are five versions of the commission, each one providing unique insights into the mission Jesus came to accomplish:

1.   Matthew 28:18-20, the commission to make disciples of all nations

2.   Mark 16:15-18, the commandment to go into all the world

3.   Luke 24:45-49, the prediction that the Gospel would be preached to all nations

4.   John 20:21-23, Jesus sending his disciples to carry on his mission

5.   Acts 1:5-8, a description of the church’s Spirit-empowered mission

The words of Jesus in Acts 1:8 are very interesting. It was the intention of Jesus that his followers be “witnesses” of all he was and did, and that their witness would extend to every corner of the planet:

1.  In Jerusalem, in the urban and religious center of Israel. A Gospel witness was to be provided, not just in the disciples’ home towns, but in the center and capitol of their culture. Our Jerusalem would not be LaGrange (Nazareth, Capernaum) so much as it would be Atlanta. This obviously includes our local community of LaGrange that falls somewhere within the sphere of our urban center.

2.  In Judea, in the region surrounding Jerusalem. Most of the people living in Israel lived on farms or in small villages. A strategy for reaching their society could not be limited to larger cities; everyone needed to see and hear a Gospel witness. For us, it’s not just citizens in our city but also those out in the country (even Booger Hollow, Alabama).

3.  In Samaria, those other people on the other side of the tracks. Everyone needs to feel that they are superior to someone. For those in Jerusalem and Judea (and even Galilee) it was Samaria. It was considered immoral to even share food or drink with a Samaritan. The two societies were kept completely segregated. (As a result, the Samaritans were not big fans of the Judeans either.) Observant Jews wouldn’t even walk through an area inhabited by Samaritans but insisted on walking around it. In our own area there are various cultures, some of which are under-valued or under-appreciated. Special effort needs to be made to provide a Gospel witness to every people group in our world, and especially to those who might be left out otherwise.

4.  To the ends of the earth, to every human person on the planet. Everyone is to be given a clear Gospel witness; every person is to be given an opportunity to hear and respond to the Good News about Jesus.

Acts 1:8 seems to describe a series of concentric circles, a ministry priority list. However, the language of the text describes a simultaneous witness that includes next door neighbors as well as people we may never meet. A literal translation of the verse would read (awkwardly) like this: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem – all Judea/Samaria – the end of the earth.” There is one Kingdom mission that literally touches every area of human habitation and enterprise. It would be inaccurate to conclude that when we have fulfilled the mission to Jerusalem we can then move on to Judea, maybe find some time to address the needs of Samaria, and support the missionaries who are concerned about everyone else. Because the mission of God has been passed on to us, we see the Kingdom of God coming to every corner of the earth. Our mission is both local and global.

We are concerned about the fact that there are still “unreached people groups” in the world. A “people group” is an ethnic group that shares a common culture and language. Currently missiologists have identified 16,598 people groups in the world. Of these, 7,165 are “unreached,” i.e., “there is no indigenous community of believing Christians with adequate numbers and resources to evangelize this people group” (joshuaproject.net). 41.5% of the world’s population, or 2.87 billion people, have no ongoing Gospel witness in their communities. In other words, there is no Jerusalem or Judea or Samaria for these people; they are only the ends of the earth.

We are those who have accepted the missional baton passed on to the followers of Jesus. And that means we have accepted that the mission is both local and global. We have a heart and a commitment to our Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, but we also share a passion for those who will never hear the Good News unless someone takes it to them. Our challenge is to find creative and effective ways to participate in the whole mission of God. 

A Kingdom Embassy

During the last few months I have pointed out that the earliest Christ-followers were not called “Christians.” Those first Christians simply referred to their faith in Jesus as “The Way.” Paul “asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2). “I admit that I worship the God of our ancestors as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect (Acts 24:14; see also 24:22). We think of being a Christian as a matter of believing certain things (and being able to say what we believe with the right of words), of praying the right prayers, of performing the right religious rituals. For so many today Christian faith is primarily a matter of avoiding hell. But that bears little or no resemblance to the vital, dynamic experience and lifestyle of the earliest Jesus followers. Referring to their faith journey as “The Way” meant that, for them, Christian faith was a matter of following in the footsteps of Jesus in very practical ways. Jesus came to teach and model a whole new way of living; to follow Jesus meant to live by his example in every area of life. When Jesus gave his commission he clarified the command to “make disciples,” to reproduce apprentices in every nation. “Go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20).

That’s why Paul’s instructions to the churches included admonitions about work. Being witnesses when around other Christ-followers was not sufficient for a claim to be a part of “The Way.” Those who follow in the Way of Jesus have a specific responsibility to provide evidence for the claims of Christ in very difficult circumstances, including those found in a challenging workplace. “[Workers], obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free” (Ephesians 6:5-8). And again, “[Workers], obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (Colossians 3:22-24). We work for Christ. “It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

As you know, Paul referred to himself and to all Jesus-followers as “ambassadors.” “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us” (2 Corinthians 5:20; see also Ephesians 6:20). An ambassador is “an accredited diplomat sent by a country as its official representative to a foreign country,” an official royal representative sent on an official mission. One of the first things an ambassador does is to establish an “embassy,” a “headquarters” from which the mission can be conducted. An “embassy,” is “a diplomatic mission, a group of people from one organization being represented in another; an ambassador and his/her entourage.”  In the Kingdom of God, the embassy is simply the local church. As ambassadors on a mission, our mission headquarters is the local church. Unfortunately, some local churches function more as “enclaves” than as “embassies.” An “enclave” is “a country or district surrounded by the territory of another country, an isolated territory; to isolate or enclose.” The purpose of an enclave is to create a protective barrier from the outside world. The purpose of an “embassy” is to effectively represent the King in the outside world. The church as an “embassy” is designed for mission. And the mission is simply this: Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. It is a “go and disciples” strategy, not a “come and see” strategy. The local church is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end, the end being the mission. The local church is an instrument being used by God to express the nature of the Kingdom and to extend the influence of the Kingdom in the world.

If we are Kingdom ambassadors serving together in a Kingdom embassy, it is essential that we see we are on mission 24/7 everywhere God sends us. A church enclave focuses on gathering for prayer and worship in a safe place, but does not see the need to be equipped for the mission in the world. Every Jesus follower is on mission with Jesus in the world every day and in every way. The purpose of pastoral leaders is to “equip the saints to do the work of the ministry.” The work of the embassy is the work carried out by all its citizens outside of the embassy. God is on a mission; Jesus was sent to carry out that mission; Jesus has passed that mission on to us. We share that mission in our neighborhoods, at school, on the job, in social organizations, in government, in education, in the arts, in science . . . in every nook and cranny of our world.

Are you willing to accept your mission? Are you willing to travel on the Way with Jesus? Remember: its transformed people that transform the world. 

The Salt of the Earth

I have a confession to make: I don’t’ have a sweet tooth. In fact, I don’t really like cake. I have a “salty tooth.” I find it hard to resist popcorn (especially when watching a movie in the theater), peanuts, potato chips, corn chips… (I think you get the picture). We often hear how salt contributes to high blood pressure as a result of water retention (which explains my puffy appearance). However, there are a lot of positive things about salt. As a seasoning, salt contributes a pleasant flavor (sometimes the only flavor some foods have). There are also health benefits: the body needs sodium in order to function normally. Salt is an important preservative – rubbing salt into meat or adding it to cheese or canned foods preserve them. Salt is also used as a cleansing agent in soaps.

That’s why I found it interesting that salt is referred to so often in Scripture. Salt is referred to over 50 times in Scripture. In the Old Testament, salt was used as a symbol of the covenant (“the salt of the covenant”) and was included in sacrifices (Leviticus 2:13; Numbers 18:19; Ezra 6:9; 7:22). Most famously, Jesus described his followers as salt. “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). Jesus simply says that his followers are salt – we are tasty, healthy, preserving people. We don’t have salt, we are salt. Salt sitting in a shaker on the shelf is not meaningful – salt always has a specific function. We are to have that function, and perhaps surprisingly, in the world. As Jesus followers we are to provide a pleasant flavor everywhere we go. We are to provide health benefits as we go through life. We are a preserving agent in the world.

Unfortunately, if salt sits around too long, unused, it begins to lose its saltiness, and can no longer function the way designed for it. That’s why Jesus went on to say, “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13). When salt became unsalty, it was just thrown onto the trash heap. What’s even more alarming is the statement that unsalty salt will be “trampled underfoot.” In fact, according to Luke’s account Jesus went on to say, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out” (Luke 14:34-35). I wouldn’t tell my worst enemy (on a sanctified day) that they weren’t even fit for the manure pile. But salt that looses is saltiness is not really fit for anything. Salt is designed to have a positive influence in every case and in a variety of ways. The opposite of being a positive influence is to simply be a “doormat” in the world. Instead, when Jesus defined us as salt, he was also defining certain kinds of influence.

Jesus made other interesting statements about his followers being salt in the world. “Everyone will be salted with fire” (Mark 9:49). Some of the fiery trials we experience have the ability to add to our saltiness. When we experience the Lord’s preservation, we can contribute to the preservation of others. Having experienced God’s grace in life can make us more flavorful. Jesus also said, “Have salt among yourselves, and be a peace with each other” (Mark 9:50). If we are functioning as “Jesus salt,” we will have a positive influence on each other; the way we relate to each other will reflect our saltiness. If we are serving as salt, we will be at peace with each other (rather than trampling and being trampled).

The apostle Paul used salt in a similar way. “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:6). Here Paul specifically addresses our conversation, the way we communicate with each other. Salty speech will be “full of grace,” it will minister grace with the words. A salty person will “know how to answer everyone” – wisdom is an important element to conversation that flavors and preserves.

As Jesus followers, because we have been brought into God’s family by grace, because the Spirit of God is at work in our lives, because the Word of God is forming a new way of thinking and living, we are salt. We can’t help but be salt – that is who we are. However, we do have a choice: we can be salty or not, we can provide all the benefits that come from salt or we can find ourselves on the trash heap being trampled on. We can be a Kingdom influence everywhere we go, or we can go through life without anyone really noticing the difference God’s grace has made in our lives.

What if we find that we are beginning to lose our saltiness? A similar question was posed by the Lord to the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). The Laodicean believers had become lukewarm, salty mineral water, fit only to induce vomiting. But they had a “positive confession”: “I am rich, I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing” (3:17). They literally said, “I have no need.” They didn’t see or feel their need, and ultimately that included their need for an intimate, personal relationship with Jesus. As a result, they lost their saltiness. Fortunately, Jesus prescribed a cure in two parts: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (3:19). They were to “burn with fire,” fanning into flame their first love, and they were to “repent,” to realize their need and turn back to God with their whole heart. Then Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (3:20). They were to take the time to hear Jesus knocking on the door; they were to get up from their complacency and self-sufficiency, and open the closed door of their hearts to Jesus. If they did, their intimacy with Jesus would be renewed and their saltiness would be restored.

You are salt. You are God’s preservative in the world. How salty are you? What kind of influence do you add to your world? Are you beginning to lose some of your saltiness? If so, turn and hear Jesus knocking. He’s ready to enter into a new level of fellowship with you and make you salty again. Remember: it is only transformed people that transform the world.

"Worthy of the Gospel"

How we love the Good News about Jesus! Where would we be if God had not loved the world so much that he sent his Son to live and die for us? What would have happened to the human race of God had not taken the initiative to rescue and restore us?

However, sometimes it seems as though we are conflicted when it comes to our communication of the Gospel message. I remember sharing the Gospel with a friend in DC. After a good conversation he asked the $64,000 questions: “What do I have to give up in order to follow Jesus?” I appreciated his honesty; that question reflects common views of the Gospel, both inside and outside of the church. My answer probably didn’t help his decision: “Nothing . . . and everything.” We can’t do anything to earn our salvation, to add to our salvation. It is a free, undeserved gift. However, once we receive that gift, we turn from our old, self-centered life to a new life with Christ at the center.

Some Jesus followers really don’t understand the essence and power of God’s grace. On the one hand, there are those who instinctively seek a religious solution to their need for salvation, attempting to contribute to their salvation, to earn favor with God. They really don’t get it! God didn’t send Jesus to empower us to be more religious, to piously pile up religious deeds that will build a bridge back to God. Jesus came to restore us to a right relationship with the Father, to show us how to love the Father and receive all that the Father has purposed for our lives.

On the other hand, some think of “grace” as a cheap get-out-of-jail card, as permission to sin freely without consequences. For them, grace is entirely about forgiveness, freely given, no matter how many times we go our own way and do our own thing. It’s the “Fat Tuesday” idea – we need to get all of our sinning out of the way before Ash Wednesday when we have to be good. Dietrich Bonhoeffer called this “cheap grace.” I like to think of it as greasy grace (and it’s a slippery slope). In “Renovation of the Heart,” Dallas Willard defines grace this way: “God’s action in your life to accomplish what you cannot accomplish on your own.” In this way, “growing in grace” is growing “in the amount of God’s action in your life.” God’s grace is a gift, but it is also God’s power. God’s grace liberates us, then empowers us to live a surrendered, Christ-centered life.

That’s why the apostle Paul uses the mysterious phrase, “worthy of the Gospel.” It would seem as though “worthiness” and “Gospel” are not ideas that belong together. So what was this Gospel life Paul was thinking about? In one place, Paul said that the Gospel “is the power of God,” bringing salvation, deliverance, wholeness, to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Paul talked about being established “in accordance to the gospel,” referring “to the obedience that comes from faith” (Romans 16:25-26). Paul corrected those he saw “were not acting in line with the truth of the Gospel” (Galatians 2:14). And then we read this statement: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ” (Philippians 1:27). For Paul, the truth of the Gospel provided an introduction into a Gospel lifestyle, a life under the cross, a resurrection life, that even at times included suffering for the sake of the Gospel. Now that’s not cheap grace!

To the Colossian believers Paul held out the hope of reconciliation, of the possibility of being presented to God “holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel” (1:22-23). That sounds like more than just an initial expression of faith resulting in forgiveness. Indeed, salvation is a whole-life issue. For that to be true, the Gospel message must enter deeply into the heart of a person. In another place Paul testified, “our gospel came to you not simply with words but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). It almost seems extreme and unloving for Paul to say that God “will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). When writing to Timothy Paul refers to sinful behavior that is “is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:10-11).

Why point out all these verses from Paul? The apostle is the source of so much of our teaching about the “gospel of grace.” However, Paul understood the rich depths of grace and of the Gospel life Jesus came to make possible, a life “worthy of the Gospel.” Even today, God is offering his free gift of salvation, a gift that will open the door to the abundant, Christ-centered, Spirit-led life under the yoke, on the Way with Jesus. What will it cost you to accept his gift? Nothing . . . and everything! Everyone is welcome!

"We Would Like to see Jesus"

In the middle of all our religious and theological differences and conflicts, one person stands out as of supreme and final significance. (No, it is not the Pope or the Pastor.) We are, first and last, apprentices of Jesus, walking and serving with Jesus on the Way. Our goal in every situation is to see the name and reputation of Jesus honored in every way and in every place.

This central truth reminds me of an interesting story in the gospel of John. Jesus had just entered Jerusalem on the back of a young donkey to the shouts of “Hosanna” from the crowd (the same crowd that would later shout, “Crucify him”). As usual, Jesus was not impressed with the vagaries of human followers. Jesus was carefully attuned to the heart and purpose of the Father. Jesus knew that his glory would soon be revealed. An important step in that process involved a group of Greeks (probably “God-fearers”) who were in Jerusalem for the feast. This group came to Philip and made a simple request: “We would like to see Jesus” (John 11:21). I’m sure the disciples wondered what to make of this request. Jesus had not come to save the Greeks, had he? Would he even honor their request? They may have been surprised when Jesus responded, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 11:23). Jesus came to save the whole world, not just Israel. His glory would be revealed to the whole world. His purpose was to show the world God’s love and purpose. The whole world needed to see Jesus!

In his first epistle John elaborated on this theme. “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). Then John made a very important statement: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus” (1 John 4:16-17). The nature and heart of God is clearly defined: “God is love.” God is not loving or lovable; God is love. John further equates God with love by saying, “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” Whoever abides in, makes their home in the love of God are those who have a real, intimate connection to the heart of God. And then this pronouncement: “In this world we are like Jesus.” This world needs to see Jesus; they need to see the God who is love. And the way they are going to see Jesus is by seeing us. We are the Jesus the world will see.

Ouch! We are the revelation of God in the world. Jesus used the word “witnesses” (see Acts 1:8). A “witness” is someone called to come before the court and offer testimony, to present evidence in support of the defense. We are the witnesses of Jesus, the official evidences presented before the court of a watching world, proof that Jesus is who he claimed to be and accomplished what he came to do.

Jesus talked about our “witness” in the upper room. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). The evidence, the witness we are to provide, has everything to do with the way we treat each other, with the quality of our relationships, with the authenticity of our community. Then, on the night he was betrayed Jesus prayed, “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me: (John 17:21). The fact that Jesus-followers are able to avoid “normal” human divisions and stand united in Christ, the miracle of God’s love working in the hearts and lives of the redeemed ones, will be an authoritative proof that it was God who sent his Son into the world to be the savior of the world.

I think that’s what Jesus meant by the “Kingdom of God.” The domain of God’s righteous rule, starting in the hearts of those who are connected to God through Jesus, will demonstrate the nature of God to the world. Paul gives us one of the most interesting and helpful definitions of God’s Kingdom. The Roman church was treating the Rule of God as if it was primarily about religious rules and regulations and not primarily about love. Paul responded by writing, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The reign of God is the rule of three things: (1) Righteousness, right behavior in the context of right relationships, love and justice that comes as a result of love; (2) Peace, the inner harmony and wholeness that only God can bring, hearts and minds ruled by God’s peace; and (3) Joy, a positive expectation of the future based on an unshakable confidence in God’s rule and will. When God is ruling, when God is in control, the evidence can be seen in the rule of God’s righteousness, peace and joy, and those three things are seen primarily in the relationships God’s people have in community.

The world longs to see Jesus. When they see the church, what do they see? When they observe our relationships, the way we love and honor one another, the way we serve each other, what do they see? May they see the love of God ruling in our hearts and lives, made possible by the real presence of Jesus in and among us.