For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it.
In every age and epoch of human life, those who saw themselves as "God's people" have gravitated towards holding on too tight to the good things that God has given us. There is a danger in this for all of us. We are like children who hold our bag of sweets or crisps so tightly that they are at risk of getting squashed. We can be so focussed on ourselves that we wreck the thing that is most precious to us. There seems to be this human instinct in us from an early age to (like all children) to use the word "mine !". It's not that anyone taught us to do this... but an issue of wiring...faulty wiring, self kingdom building from an early age. At its core it is about selfishness (Sin) and rebellion to God.
Flying at high altitude over the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, Dr Luke (in volumes 1 and 2) gives us an editorial view of why this approach as Christians is the opposite of Jesus Christ, and why those who say they belong to God should be known as open handed givers, not closed handed grabbers. The mission of God drives us from inertia and introspection to being outward bound by grace for his glory.
A common theme in Luke is Jesus being accused or criticised for being more connected and with those outside of the network of God's people. The obvious window on this is Luke 7:34 where Jesus prioritises those outcast, marginalised by society, those historically distant and forgotten by God's people. The Jewish Messianic seekers in their protected mono-culture want to own Jesus rather than be owned by him for the purposes of global grace. They reject the notion that Jesus is for anyone else, that God's mission is bigger than just us, our culture, our future. They are so indignant and hurt by the wideness of Jesus' mercy that they miss His glory. God made flesh is standing before them, the definition of holiness, showering grace on the unloved, displaying power not of this world. Redemption unachievable by any human means is being played out before their eyes, and yet all that they can see is that he has broken their cultural boundaries, hopes, definitions, rules and expectations. Jesus / God's global mission of grace will not shrink down to our definitions and boundaries.
Jesus' stark and sobering judgement shows their lack of understanding and Godlikeness. Reaching the lost displays the Glory of God - it is core to God's mandate for humanity, what we are made for. He made us in the image of Christ - the one who came to seek and save the lost, (the distant, the disconnected with God, any people who like us were very far off where we should be, in need of his monumental far-reaching mercy and rescue).
The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say,
‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
Luke concentrates on those groups of people who are entirely and systematically disconnected with "God's people". They are however central to Christ, his mission and his obedience to the interminable, eternal mission of God.
The Luke magnifier focuses on 3 Groups
1. Women - Their
marginalisation had been normalised in 1st century Palestine and where not part
of public life - their only function in Greco-Roman culture was if they were
attachment to a male. In Luke's window on Christ however, women are in focus.
From the vital role of God honouring women and their prophetic role in the
birth of John and Christ himself (ch 1) to events where men (abusing power) are
challenged on their wrong view of women. Note how Martha and Mary
(10:38-42) turn the traditional view of women upside down, Mary as a women of
virtue, with a desire (and posture) to learn, who pleases God. This is
very purposefully viewed in the context of Jesus sending the 12 and 72 on mission, and
how we should follow Christ. (10:1, 10:38)
2. Sinners and tax collectors. The most despised and irritating of Palestine society. They exercised with energy the oppressive Roman tax system, Served neither society, business or authority well, Jewish tax collectors were especially offensive to Jewish society and especially the Pharisees. Across society they were on nobodies Christmas card list, and at the back of everyone's queue to be kind to. Jesus prioritises them in his frontier ministry (4:16-30).
Levi is the obvious example, (Luke 5:27 as he is brought lovingly to the front to publically walk with and follow Jesus. He was at the bottom of the list of human assessment and expectation, but at the top of Jesus' restoration and mission partner list).
3. Samaritans. Across the two volumes four instances focus on this group of people. (Lk 9:51-56, 10:25-27, 17:11-19 and Acts 8:4-24). The historical entrenchment and bitter relationship between Jews and Samaritans meant cultural avoidance. They repelled like opposing magnets. When Jesus was rejected by Samaria (9:51-56) ("because his face was set to Jerusalem"), the disciples are keen (understatement) to "bid fire from heaven and consume them". Jesus turns and rebukes them, in correction of their hostile attitude towards those not like them, Nationalism and territorialism is always rejected in the gospel (Gal 3:28). Heaven is gloriously bigger than your race and your denomination, so ask God to remove your territorial bias.
When the
disciples lose touch with human need in (10:26-37) they (like all of us) are revealed
as compassionateless and indifferent to the purposes of God. The Samaritan in
contrast however is instantly moved and purposed by the heart and active mercy
of God.
Jesus and the redemption plan of God is so radically different compared to our instinctive approach.
APPLYING THE PRINCIPLE:
As followers of Christ, because of God's mercy towards us, we are compelled and propelled to apply this where we are, and wherever we go. Our desire is to serve those who are reaching the unreached, and get stuck in with them. For us as a growing team this means...
1) In the UK we must regularly ask ourselves who are marginalised, forgotten and neglected / missionally unreached in the regular purposes of the uk church network ? We would love to hear your thoughts and reflections if you have some...
· Who do you think has been forgotten?
· Who do we not prioritise through unintentional behaviour / communication/ setup, (or even nationalistic tendencies) in our church culture ?
· How do we apply Luke 7:47 ? Those who are forgiven much - love much.
We are currently in the throes of connecting a number of like-minded friends who having asked these questions are now united purposefully in this motivation . Through training and in some cases retraining, friends are moving house, moving out of their settled middle class confines of comfort and potential mediocrity, and re-establishing family home in the middle of the most neglected (and despised) locations in Britain. Life will not be dull. There are reasons churches have never existed in some of these large social areas of the Uk, they're just not good reasons before God. These brothers and sisters are choosing a future and lifestyle defined by where others don't want to go. These are gospel driven families and individuals. Challenged by the practice of what we preach, our desire is to encourage and support this network in very real and personal (sacrificial) ways with long term commitments. God please use us as a group of believers to strengthen their hand as they display the heart and action of Christ.
2) Around the world each culture has ways of prioritising its own, and (sadly) so do churches and denominations. The church is in danger of prioritising itself across the world, seeking to hunker and protect, especially in volatile times. We can plan to reach those we feel comfortable with, connect with those we'd like to include in our family and likeminded friendship. Within one generation of churches being planted it is amazing how quickly things can fall easily into a a form of comfort driven - dead religion. When churches chose inertia and bubble wrapped survival mode, it looks like the Gospel is stuck in a cul-de-sac, but God is always bigger than this. Thank God his heart and plans are bigger than us. We are grateful to God for a new army of younger gospel trainees and next generation practitioners who think God's thoughts after him and feel his heartbeat for the unreached, the lostness of emerging generations.
There is a commonality of issues they and we are working hard on together...
1) A LOCAL CHURCH WHICH WELCOMES, UNDERSTANDS AND INVESTS.
Loving the city and the forgotten rural outpost are often quite different challenges but both identically need local churches who invest grace unconditionally. What does it mean to lead a church where the majority of disciples have had criminal convictions, been abused, seen unbearable trauma, have had little or no education, been involved in prostitution, with multiple life partners, a history of addictions and the effects of substance abuse? How do we train indiginous leaders in this context? How are you doing in this, and could we be of any help or encouragement?
Part of our planned training and encouragement is to fertilize understanding of cross cultural barriers, so that understanding unreached people better we can love and communicate the gospel better. We are so encouraged at what is emerging, a reformation under God's heart and word, a power propulsion of grace which is over spilling to places previously unreached. It is such a privilege to be part of. These are unique times and this is a unique juncture in global missional opportunity - sometimes the issues and challenges are identical throughout the world. It is so great to see answered prayers, incubated leaders flourishing and being more fruitful than we have ever been. As we humbly relearn the gospel and go deeper in his grace, so God works good in us and through us.
2) A growing dynamic of Spirit directed purposefulness. May God give you an me an increasingly soft heart, a growing compassion, a sacrificial desire to see his purposes of grace outworked through us to the unreached. May comprehension of His showered grace upon us give us clarity and urgency, especially in the perspective that eternity will soon come for all of us, and many are yet unreached. Would he make us more like Christ. These core principles which are driving our missional strategy and fuelling training will continue to filter down on the blog here. In all things our desire and joy is to focus on Christ. He is our motivation, treasure and message. The gospel in its entirety and our only hope is Christ.
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