I want to address the question for you all, ‘What does it take to sustain a life of mission?’Now I don’t mean what does it take to have success in ministry, or what does it take to see fruit in mission. No, I mean what does it take for me, for you to fulfill the calling to a life of mission. What does it take to sustain a life dedicated to mission over long days and weeks, and months, and years.
In seminary, we were required to attend 3-4 chapels per week. And different people would come and tell us all about the things we needed to know when we got out into the real world. All the secret “keys” they don’t teach you school. By the time I graduated, I had a key chain full, and I’m not talking about normal key chain, I mean one of those janitorial staff key chains that looks like an impossible knot of like 400 keys. Keys to being a good minister.
But I have found that there really is no “key.” There is not some special practice that no one has ever told you about, it’s not some magical ratio of the time spent in prayer to the number of hours spent with people that will sustain you. The only “key” is the most ancient, most widely practiced, most fundamental, simplest, clearest, and well-known thing you can imagine.
I have found that sustaining a life of mission takes an unyielding commitment to the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ. That’s right folks, the answer is Jesus. Now don’t confuse what I am saying here. We are not talking about the doctrine of Christ, although that is extremely important. And we are not talking about the text of the Gospels, although they are some of the most important documents in the history of our world. We are not even talking about the veracity of the historical Jesus, although the fact that the apostles give us reliable witness to the real Jesus is of crucial importance.
Now why do I say we must have an unyielding commitment? The problem that we face is our own tendency in ministry or mission of any kind, to confuse the means with the end.It should be clear from what I have said that the end I speak of is the very person of Jesus Christ himself. He is true end, or goal, or purpose, of everything we do in ministry and mission. What I am saying is that the means by which we reach this end are easily viewed as ends in themselves.
Probably the most insidious confusion of the means for the end happens with the Bible itself. Make no mistake about it, the Bible is a means, not an end. The Bible is the unique and inerrant witness to God’s actions. It is the specially appointed place where we can meet with the Lord, here his voice, experience his grace and love, and most importantly encounter our savior, Jesus Christ. The Bible is the primary means by which we come to know and commune with the very person of Jesus Christ.
But in my life, the Bible became an end in itself. When I went to seminary, I wanted to master the text of scripture. I don’t mean just to know a lot about it, I mean I wanted to be an exegete. Through my mastery of Greek and Hebrew, I wanted to become deeply acquainted with every detail of the text. Through my research, I wanted to become well versed in culture and literature of the Biblical world. Through my reading, I wanted to become aware of every possible perspective, interpretation, idea, or argument related to the text. I wanted to master the text. For me, knowing Jesus fundamentally meant knowing the text. It was a complete confusion of the means with the end.
Making the Bible an end in itself will leave you very knowledgeable about the text, but completely cut off from its living Author. But if we will see the Bible as a means rather than an end, if instead of seeking to master the text, we come seeking to submit to Christ, the Lord himself will meet us there. I will tell you that in sustaining a life of mission, there is no substitute for encountering Jesus Christ himself through the Bible.
The statement that the Bible is a means rather than an end may be striking to some. What do you think about that (or about anything else I said that struck you)?
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I can remember in earlier years when we were all required to memorize scripture--usually 3 verses a week. We'd get together to review them on Monday mornings. Those of us who were able to memorize quite easily came off looking very spiritual (which only reinforced my performance-oriented value system). Those who struggled to memorize, or to recall to mind what they truly did know by heart, seemed to be looked upon as less spiritual, or as though they did not measure up. I don't recall being asked how we had applied the verses, or how our lives had been changed by them. Maybe that did happen, but very rarely. As a result, it was much more of an academic exercise--the "end," rather than a means to the end, which it should have been. I still struggle with the meditation part of "hiding God's Word" in my heart--that exercise which works God's Word in me through and through, which changes me to the point that it truly does "hold me back from sin." But I press on. . .
ReplyDeleteSusie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
Scripture memory is one of those things that really tends toward being an end rather than a means. It is fascinating how easily it turns into a performance!
For me, my greatest temptation is to be proud of the number of books I have read; to read them to have read them, not for the benefit they provide.
Thanks!