Beachheads

 

Philippians 1:12-18

I've learned to complain less about the entertainment approach of modern ministry. A local Jewish rabbi taught me that lesson. We were at a meeting and the subject came up because a well-known ministry in our area was in the middle of one of those kinds of campaigns. The rabbi commented, "God bless them. They're more focused on entertainment and they just don't know it." Maybe they didn't know it. Maybe they did. Either way, he was more gracious than me. In speaking of Jesus' disciples, Dallas Willard once said Jesus sent them "to establish beachheads of his person, word, and power in the midst of a failing and futile humanity." Beachhead is a military term. It refers to an army occupying a stretch of land close to water in hostile territory. This foothold allows for other soldiers to come as reinforcements before the next advancement. Think of it as winning the battle piece by piece. How do you eat an elephant? One small bite at a time. In Willard's estimation, the disciples weren't commissioned to construct buildings or establish ministries. Their primary mission was to teach people what it meant to be followers of Jesus. And they accomplished that. So much so, their message has reached our modern ears. Today, disciples of Jesus build in different ways than those first followers. We do have buildings and programs they would never have dreamed of . Now, we'd like to think we haven't disregarded their first mission. That discipleship means as much to us as it did to them. Maybe it does. Maybe we get distracted. Either way, God still uses all ministry. I often go back to that lesson the rabbi taught me. It has helped me understand something better I always said I knew. Churches are not in competition with each other. Instead, we are all beachhead congregations. We're all advancing God's kingdom as God leads us. We're making way for God's Spirit to transform us all into new creations, true followers of Jesus. Stay blessed...john