A discussion primer
“I have not come to be served, but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.” Jesus (Matt 20:28)
“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself” Acts 20:24.
On this verse Oswald Chambers writes:
It is easier to serve God without vision, easier to work for God without a call, because then you are not bothered by what God requires; common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will become more prosperous and successful, more leisure-hearted, if you never realise the call of God. But if once you receive the commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad; you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common sense basis. Never consider whether you are of use, but ever consider that you are not your own but His. What do I really count dear? If I have not been gripped by Jesus Christ, I will count service dear, time given to God dear, my life dear unto myself. Paul says he counted his life dear only in order that he might fulfil the ministry he had received; he refused to use his energy for any other thing. Practical work may be a competitor against abandonment to God, because practical work is based on this argument - ‘remember how useful you are here’ or ‘think how much value you would be in that particular type of work’. That attitude does not put Jesus Christ as the Guide as to where we should go, but our judgement as to where we are of most use.
THE GOOD SAMARITAN IN THE New Millennium
As we read the Parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ in Luke 10:25-37 we find a great many challenging instructions from Jesus, particularly about loving our neighbour. The question that prompted the parable by Jesus was in fact ‘who is my neighbour?’ That is a question that we still need to answer today.
In a now global community we are presented consistently with a barrage of needs, emergencies and crises.
The medium of money has enabled us to even further de-personalise involvement in these needs simply by being able to ‘throw money’ at some faceless organisation or institution who will, it is hoped, alleviate the problem. The pace of society that always looks for the ‘new’ and consequently accelerates obsolescence at almost immeasurable speeds, has also meant time is a premium and therefore it is often perceived time spent on broken things is not a good investment.
So, begs the question, what, in the midst of so many needs, do we give priority to? In early 1997 I had what I call a ‘Divine prompt’. I was talking about boundaries with a small group and the words came to me - “Christianity is not about claiming our rights, it is rather about helping the unable redefine their responsibilities.”
When we ‘Christians’ start ‘claiming our rights’, we are often simply pre-occupied with keeping impediments out of our agendas, the ‘if you wanna fly with eagles don’t hang with turkeys’ mentality. When instead we should be discerning how we may help others find God’s agenda. If I may speculate, I think Jesus was the master at making turkeys fly like eagles.
By way of just getting you pondering/discussing, here are some categories to help put legs on this idea.
Category One - The Bleeding
This is your ministry. This is the priority. When you come across these situations it is your responsibility to assist. The only thing you must be careful of is the repeated self-inflicted wounds. When something happens that is the result of external factors then you rehabilitate. If there are some individual contributions to the problem then your rehabilitate and educate. If it is the result of self-infliction, your love expresses itself as rebuke, education and discipline, all to the end that restoration to God’s wholeness ultimately realised.
Category Two - The Begging
This is your discretion. As stated, there are many ‘needs’ that cry out and, as the writer of Proverbs notes, certain things that ‘never say enough’. That is why your discretion is imperative. What is the Lord saying to you?
If you, by nature, are a ‘rescuer’ it will be difficult to discern, but discern you must. For if you do not, then you will be a risk of ‘burn-out’ and all for the wrong reasons. The first question you must ask is: ‘Is my assistance going to make a difference, not in the interim, but in the long run?’ Remember it is not about ‘quick fixes’ but wholeness. Will your assistance contribute to the achieving of wholeness? The second question you must answer is more importantly not ‘can I help?’ but it must be, ‘is God’s purpose for me to help?’ When we consider some of the disturbing practices and problems of first century Palestine, we are able to deduce from the biblical record that there were many instances where Jesus (who had the capacity to help everyone), chose to walk by. That is why discerning God’s priorities are vital. That’s one of the remarkable components of Kingdom, it is an invitation to all to participate and contribute, enabling everyone to be part of God’s restoring, rehabilitating, and recalibrating community. YOU can’t do it all – and you’re not supposed to.
Category Three - The Bailing
This is your challenge. If situations, structures, or people are in crisis as the result of people opting out of their responsibilities or failing to own what they must own, then you must not go straight into rescue and repair mode, but rather investigation. Why someone has ‘bailed’ is important. You must evaluate what has produced this and why. It may be that the situation, structure or support process is what is causing the ‘demise’ of people’s commitment. If so, then simply replacing them or gap filling will only produce the same result.
If it was the wrong person for the situation, then ensuring the right one is found is vital. If it is because the parties concerned are indifferent, passive or failing to reach demonstrated potential, then it is your challenge to assist them to grow up and out. It is an act of convenience to tire of these people and replace them. It is an act of Love to work with them and challenge them to grow. Your capacity to love ‘God’s way’ in a variety of situations that will greatly determine your capacity to influence people toward God’s best for their lives, rather than being pre-occupied with pursuing what is simply the best for your life, or attempting to fulfil their perceived ‘felt need’. Selah!
So how am I going as a servant?
a. Do I know the call and commission of God in my life? If so, what is it?
b. Am I lead by a ‘rescuing’ agenda? Do I get caught up in every need around?
c. Can I discern in my world at the moment, the i) bleeding; ii) begging; iii) bailing? If so, what are those situations?
d. How am I modelling servant-hood to the disciple I am walking with? Am I simply doing what I want or am I following the Master’s mandates?
© S.W. Varcoe 1998 Disciplesplanet