I was reading an
article recently that talked about the "radical missions" movement
and how it is leaving many in my generation feeling inferior for having lives
that aren't viewed as being radically abandoned for the cause of Christ. The author
argued, and I agree, that the traditional and typical American suburban life is
just as important mission field as the unreached and unrepentant people groups
of the world. Today, as I was going through the day's readings I couldn't help but
be reminded of the utter simplicity of the mission that God has called us to,
and it does not matter if you are living in suburban America or a mud hut in
Nepal - the mission is the same.
As a starting point,
remember the story of Paul. Massive conversion on the road to Damascus,
traveling the world preaching the gospel, changing the world - a life we would
say that is lived radically. When we pick up the story in Acts 20, he is
leaving the church at Ephesus, where he has been for the last three years.
Versus 28 through the end of the chapter serves as Paul's parting words to the
church leaders. Beginning with the charge to "be on guard for yourselves
and all the flock" (v. 28), he goes on to say that trouble is coming:
"…savage wolves will come in
among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men
will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them"
(v. 29-30). There will be people that wish to destroy the church and its
people; even those within the body will be turned away and begin to lead others
astray. Paul is challenging the church leaders to serve as protectors for the
flock.
I think there is a striking leadership lesson to be learned here, but it
would be easy to write it off as a message for those that lead the church:
pastors and deacons. We are all leaders, simply because we have people in our
lives that we influence. Paul happens to be speaking to the church leaders at
Ephesus, but the whole message is for anyone who has an influence on and a responsibility
for another. Whether you like it or not, you are responsible for your neighbor,
your coworker, your friends. When He was asked what the greatest commandment
was, Christ simply said that we are to love God and love others. Two sides of
the same coin, but it is clear that the we have a responsibility to care for
those around us.
Return, for a moment, to the passage from Acts. When does the trouble
come? Paul says that the "savage wolves" will come after his
departure. The Enemy will come to attack after he leaves. For me, this begs the
question of why is the Enemy not attacking now, while Paul is present? The answer
is that he likely is, but he cannot find a foothold. Again, the question is
why? Paul tells us: For the entire time that he has been with the church at
Ephesus, he has been admonishing, teaching, and praying for them - meeting spiritual
and physical needs. Spiritually, he has
been preaching and teaching the truth of the Gospel (v. 32). Physically, he has
met the needs of the lowly and poor (v. 34-35).
Go back to the first thing I said: the mission we have is exceptionally
simple, and here we have Paul articulating it to near perfection. What has Paul
been doing in Ephesus? What has he charged the church leaders to do? Love
others by teaching and protecting the truth of the Gospel. Love others by
meeting the needs of their hearts and bodies. Love others by leading them
deeper into the Lord.
It is that simple. Love God, love others.
We get so worried that about whether we are following God's
"purpose" for our lives. We are constantly reminded that a life not
"radically abandoned" to the Lord is not really fulfilling the
Christian life. Though this mission is simple, it is exceptionally radical. The
love that we are called to by stepping into the Christian life is not something
we can do on our own.
I won't go deeply into the other passages of today's readings, but they
inform this reality that we cannot live this life on our own strength or by our
own accord. Psalm 68: 29-30, 33-36 has the Psalmist crying out to God for
protection from the "beasts of the reeds" (v. 30). In John 17: 11-19,
Christ is praying in the garden before his betrayal and is repeatedly crying out
for the sanctification of His people so that we may be changed into people
capable of such radical love.
Let me be clear, we cannot step into the mission of radical love without
the saving grace of God and we cannot live it out without constantly digging
deeper into Him. That what makes this mission so radical no matter where we
are. It takes a fundamental transformation of our hearts for us to be even
capable of the love we are called to. It takes continual diligence to dig into
His truth and likeness. So though this mission of love is simple, it is quite
possibly the most radical we could ever pursue.
Today's Readings
Acts 20:28-38
Psalm 68: 29-30, 33-36
John 17:11-19
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