When the biblical idea of “unity and diversity” becomes a reality amongst Christians, most figure out that it is a lot messier than it sounds. There’s enough sin present amongst believers to make unity impossible, apart from a massive influx of heart-transforming grace.
One of the temptations in the midst of the friction is either to be, as Ken Sande so helpfully pointed out, a “peacefaker” or a “peacebreaker.” Peacefakers ignore problems that should be dealt with. Peacebreakers create problems. Jesus, of course, calls us to be “peacemakers.” Peacemakers face and fix problems with the grace of God for the glory of God.
As we all attempt to be the peacemakers that Jesus intends for us to be, I thought it might be helpful to offer a few practices that we should avoid.
Demonizing – It’s okay, in a world where we “see through a glass dimly,” to disagree. We should expect it. One of the temptations we need to avoid is the temptation to demonize those we disagree with. Demonizing is not just questioning their perspective; it’s questioning their motives. They have bad motives instead of the pure motives we have. C’mon. Love your neighbor as you love yourself. You love receiving the benefit of the doubt, and so do others.
Narrativizing – Narrativizing is putting people in a “narrative” or “group” because they said something that has been said by that “narrative” or “group.” Just because someone says something that has been said by a movement you don’t like doesn’t mean that they are a part of that movement. If you don’t want to be put in a movement you dislike, then do your best to avoid doing that to others. It’s intellectually lazy and dishonest.
Propagandizing – Propagandizing often happens when we exaggerate to advance a particular perspective. Exaggerating is a form of lying. Don’t exaggerate others’ perceived misdeeds or your own perceived successes. Nobody likes to have serious conversations with people who misuse the truth in this way. This is especially tempting when the person does not share your perspective.
Catastrophizing – We live in a world that acts like every little problem is the end of the world. Peter messed up more than once. The mission can still move forward even when leaders mess up doctrine or practice. It doesn’t mean it isn’t important; it means that it isn’t ultimate. Respond appropriately.
The answer for biblical unity isn’t less disagreement; it’s healthier disagreement. If we are going to be peacemakers, we need to avoid these four problematic practices.
Lottie Moon bravely and faithfully served as a Southern Baptist Missionary to China in the early 1900s. As news of her death made it back to the U.S., summary descriptions of the way she ministered in China were produced. I love this one from the Foreign Mission Journal from the International Mission Board. It read,
“She labored on bravely whether alone or surrounded by her coworkers.”
I thank God for Lottie Moon and her God-glorifying grit. May God help us all advance Christ’s mission in a similar manner in our day.
As I was reading Rod Dreher’s, Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents, I came across a story about a specific answer to prayer that I had to pass along to you. It’s the story about how Alexander Ogorodnikov, who was unjustly thrown into prison by an oppressive Soviet government, saw God work in an unusual way. He was one of the most famous dissidents of the late Soviet period (195). Although he was a rising start amongst the communists, even catching the attention of the KGB, he converted to Christianity in his 20’s and ended up in prison.
Dreher quotes Ogorodnikov, telling one of his stories from prison:
When they put me in the cell with the other inmates, I said, ‘Peace be with you!’ One of the prisoners asked if I was a Christian. I said yes. He told me to prove it. Another inmate said, ‘We are the scum of the earth. We don’t even have cigarettes. If your God will give us cigarettes, we’ll all believe in him.
Dreher continues,
Ogorodnikov told his fellow prisoners that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and smoking fouls it. But, he continued, God loves you so much that I believe he would even give you cigarettes as a sign of his mercy. Ogorodnikov asked them all to stand and pray together for this. Everybody laughed, but they stood respectfully as he led them in prayer.
Ogorodnikov continues,
That cell was very crowded, but it became very quiet. We prayed for fifteen minutes, then I told them the prayer was over and they could sit down. At just that moment, the guards opened the cell door and threw a bunch of cigarettes into the cell.
It was incredible. There was the sign I had prayed for. The prisoners shouted, ‘God exists! He exists! And that is when I knew that God was speaking to me too. He was telling me that he had a mission for me here in this prison.
As I read this story I couldn’t help but think about what the psalmist said in Psalm 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens and does whatever he pleases.” God is often more eager to answer our prayers than we are to offer them. I pray this story encourages you to pray for the specific things on your heart today, whatever situation you find yourself in.
Last night a tornado tore through TN. The latest reports say that there are 25 confirmed dead. Besides the heart-wrenching loss of life, reports show numerous homes, apartment complexes, churches, schools, and businesses that have been demolished. Tennesseans in the tornado’s path are just starting to figure out how to work their way out of this stunning wreckage.
Like many others, Redemption City Church wants to do what it can to help. I’ve been in conversations with government and state relief leaders throughout the day. At this point, it seems that the best immediate course of action includes the following steps.
Pray – Because God can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime, we pray. No matter where you are, you can help by asking God to help everyone where they are. TN needs God’s help to move forward. Pray for those without water, food, electricity, and the disaster relief teams already on the ground.
Stay Out Of The Way – As tempting as it is to drive down to the areas most impacted by the tornado, Governor Lee and others have said that the most helpful thing non-essential personnel can do to help the disaster relief effort is to avoid those areas. With trees and wires laying on the roads, the ability to get around is greatly hindered. This doesn’t just impact the commute of those who live in those areas, it also impacts the ability of disaster relief teams to get their equipment to needed areas. That’s why staying out of the way is a great help.
Sign Up To Serve – There are a lot of ways that people will be able to sign up to serve immediately and for the foreseeable future. Whether it’s with our TN Baptist Disaster Relief teams, Hands On Nashville, or some other organization, sign up to serve in some way. To serve with some Redemption City folks this weekend, email us at info@redemptioncity.com. We are still exploring various possibilities, but it looks like there will be great ways we can help this weekend.
Give Financially – Because God generously gave his Son to meet our eternal need, we give generously in his name to meet the needs of those around us. Practically speaking, we all know that it’s going to take a lot of money to make things better. 100% of the designated financial gifts we receive will go to help the disaster relief work.
Jesus came to meet needs. He’s still doing that through his Spirit-empowered church. Let’s be available and engaged in this unique time to show the love of Christ to our fellow Tennesseans.
Around 1 out of 6 Tennesseans are hungry. 1 out of 6! That means over 1 million of our fellow Tennesseans have stomachs that are growling each week and can’t make it stop the way many of us can. And hunger, of course, doesn’t just impact your stomach, it impacts your ability to focus, listen, relate, your inner sense of well-being, and more. These problems are particularly felt developmentally by the 1 out of 4 children that make up Tennessee’s hungry population. If we reduce hunger, we reduce so many other problems that plague our neighbors.
That’s why, starting this year, Redemption City Church will be using a portion of our 30.9 acres to grow thousands of pounds of food that we’re going to give away in the name of Jesus. No, we’re not growing food because we want to be farmers. We’re farming because we want to be like Jesus who both SHARED God’s love verbally and SHOWED God’s love practically.
We know this is true because Matthew summarized Jesus’
ministry by saying, “23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching
in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every
disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23).
Jesus drove this point home when he said that at the end of time we will answer for how we treated the most vulnerable around us. He said, “35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me’ (Matt. 25:35-40).
Later, Jesus’ brother, James, emphasized that saving faith
is a working faith or it’s a dead faith. He wrote, “So also
faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).
There are, of course, many other passages in the Bible that tell us that Christians who have a saving belief in the gospel should make a practical difference in the lives of those around them. Christianity is compassionate or it’s counterfeit.
From the very beginning of Redemption City Church in 2013,
we have sought to be a people that SHARE God’s love verbally and SHOW God’s
love practically. We’ve seen God do amazing things as we’ve built houses for
people in need, fed the hungry, provided clothing and education to those who
desperately needed it, and supported missionaries who do the same.
But we feel like God is calling us to something more,
something unusual.
That sense of leading started in 2018, when God gave Redemption City Church over 23 acres of Williamson County farmland through the generosity of Frank and Francis Ingraham. Immediately, we started asking God to make clear how we could best use this gift—farmland that I grew up working on—to advance his kingdom purposes. About 8 months later God led us into conversations with a local non-profit doing amazing work called Cul2vate.
Over the past 5 years, Cul2vate has been growing food to feed the hungry and using the chronically employed to do it, helping equip them to get back to the life God created them for. Cul2vate was founded by and is led by a childhood friend of mine, Joey Lankford, who also worked on the Ingraham farm with me.
Just when we were praying for a partner that could help provide the needed expertise to grow food on this kind of scale and help people along the way, Cul2vate was looking for an opportunity to multiply what they’re doing somewhere else. The timing was perfect!
After agreeing to work together, this past December we launched our “Hope for the Hungry” initiative, asking you to give $15,000 to get it started. This money would cover costs like putting in a small gravel parking pad, purchasing needed tools, seeds, and more. And you responded by giving over $27,000!!! Yes!
Then, this past Sunday, I spent half of my normal preaching time to interviewing Joey at Redemption City Church. I thought it was so important for everyone to hear his powerful story of walking away from everything the world could offer to give his life away through this ministry. You can listen to it here.
This past Sunday we also began asking for 250 people to commit to work 1 hour a month for 7 months, starting mid-March, to provide hope for the hungry. You don’t, of course, have to be a farmer, just willing to provide hope for the hungry in practical ways. You’ll plant seeds, pull weeds, harvest food, and deliver food, just to name a few of the key jobs. Families, groups, and anyone else, can do this together. It’s going to be something you’ll never forget.
Will you pray that God would use our efforts to provide physical and spiritual hope to the hungry this year? We believe that we need God’s help to advance God’s purposes, so we pray.
Will you be one of the 250 people who sign up to help 1 hour a month for 7 months? If so, let us know here. Signing up in this way will enable us to get the needed information to you as easy as possible.
God is going to do amazing things through this new ministry effort. I’d love for you to be a part of it. Check out the Cul2vate’s video below to learn more about this awesome ministry (btw, Dr. Coffey, who you will meet in this video, will be volunteering full-time at RCC’s property!).
I love “mission trip meals.” Not so much for the actual food, as much fun as that can be, but to watch the way team members respond to the “exotic” meals placed before them. These meals aren’t the kind that you’ll find at Whole Foods or any other American restaurant. They are, shall we say, “unique.” Thankfully, most people find a way to show their appreciation for the great generosity being shown to them. While it’s rare for anyone to eat everything, most of us end up eating something.
As you make your way back into “normal life,” I’d like to offer you some food for thought. I’d like to serve up a few pieces of advice that might help you transition back into American life in a way that energizes you and positions you to take greater steps forward for the kingdom. Like your “mission trip meals,” I doubt anyone will take everything I offer here. But, perhaps, you’ll find one or two pieces of advice nourishing to you as you go. Here are 12 insights I think are worth remembering when reentering the States.
Remember What It’s Like To See Past “Normal Life” – When you spend time amongst people from different cultures, you realize pretty quickly that your definition of “normal” really isn’t “normal.” You don’t have to be on the go all the time, pursue more and more, care what’s happening on the internet, or be involved in ___________, to have a life of joy, hope, love, peace, and meaning.
Remember What It’s Like To Be Thankful – Most of your days on the mission field are filled with gratitude. You’re thankful for big things and small things. Often times, you’re gratitude naturally overflows into conversations where you share your thankfulness with others. Gratitude is supposed to be one of the key marks of every Christian’s life, although it’s often missing in our normal lives. If you discover it anew on the mission field, don’t let it go when you come back.
Remember What It’s Like Not To Be “Too Busy” – The slower pace of the mission field often helps us realize the hyper speed we’re accustomed too. It’s amazing how much more of life you actually see when you slow down a bit. You won’t be able to keep “mission field pace” when you return to “normal life,” but perhaps you are better equipped to slow down in life giving ways.
Remember What It’s Like To Disconnect From The Internet – Limited internet access on the mission field is steadily becoming one of its most transformative elements. After a few days of detox, people often realize they enjoy life more when they have limited internet access. When you go back to normal life, try to maintain “limited internet access” so that your life can be more of what you hope it will be.
Remember What It’s Like To Be Present – Mission trips are typically filled with people talking with others more often and more deeply than they would otherwise. The amount of time you spend with a mission team requires you to move past the surface. Some of this level of fellowship is caused by the lack of Internet access. Indeed, when we lack internet connection, we often find personal connection. There’s, of course, more to this dynamic. At the very least, remember to be like Jesus who prioritized consistent, unhurried conversations.
Remember What It’s Like To Engage With God Daily Through Bible Reading And Prayer – Most people find themselves praying and reading the Bible more on mission trips than they did before. These habits are necessary for any relationship to grow, especially one with someone you don’t “see” everyday. Remember how meaningful these moments were to you on the mission field as you get back to “normal life.”
In Part 2, I’ll offer the remaining pieces of advice. In the meantime, would you pray with me for a team that is transitioning back into “normal life”?
I know a lot of Christians who wish they were more evangelistic. They long for the day when they’ll experience the great joy of leading someone to Christ. They hunger to be like the Apostles and the early church who saw unbelievers from all walks of life give their lives to Christ.
The desire to be evangelistic isn’t near as rare as actually being evangelistic. I don’t know a lot of Christians who share the gospel regularly. Fewer are those who have actually led someone to Christ. And every study that I’m aware of says that my experience isn’t unique. Most Christians never share the gospel with lost people.
So what’s at the heart of our evangelism problem? Why don’t we share the gospel? Most Christians know that Jesus came to “seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19:10). Most know that we’re called to make disciples of all nations, a command that requires evangelism (Matt. 28-18-20). So if we don’t have a problem understanding that we should be evangelistic, what is our problem?
The reasons, no doubt, are many. Some people are probably scared of the responses they’ll get, whether that’s a fear of being made fun of, having tough questions thrown at them, or something else. Perhaps others find that they just forget to make it a priority because they’re so busy. I’ve come across a lot of Christians that simply don’t know where to start. For this last group, I’d like to offer 4 ways that every Christian can join Jesus’ mission to save the world.
Pray For The Lost Regularly – Only God is powerful enough to change our hearts. He alone is able to give life to dead hearts. That’s why evangelism starts with prayer. Ask God to save the lost people you encounter throughout your day. Ask him to show you a few lost people whose lives you should invest in. Evangelism starts with prayer because our confidence is in God not our evangelistic efforts.
Invest In The Lost Consistently – Most people need to belong in some way before they believe. They often need to get to know who you are before they’ll follow the God you worship. While it’s true that many people become Christians as a result of a gospel presentation from a stranger, most conversion stories I’m aware of include a part where a Christian has invested relationally in their lives. Together they hung out, worked out, shared meals, coached, or something else like this. Invest in the lost people in your life so that there’s a relational bridge strong enough to invite them to take a step towards Christ.
Invite The Lost Repeatedly – Christians are called by God to be an inviting people. No, that doesn’t mean we’re supposed to be “nice” when unbelievers come. It means we are called actually to invite people to come toward or to Christ. When you invite an unbeliever to a meal, a worship gathering, a group, or something like this, you’re inviting them toward Christ. You’re inviting them to take a step toward Christ that isn’t exactly the same as inviting them to Christ. When you share the gospel with someone and invite him or her to trust Christ, you’re inviting him or her to Christ. Both types of invitations are significant kingdom advancement actions. The Enemy hates both types of invitations and will try to discourage every believer that attempts them. Satan wants to take one of the greatest kingdom advancing actions, a believer inviting an unbeliever towards or to Christ, and use it to discourage you. Negative responses to your invitations don’t change the fact that God loves you and celebrates every imperfect invitation you extend in his name. Keep praying, investing, and inviting.
Connect The Lost Strategically – Christians are called to be connectors. We’re called to be a part of connecting unbelievers to the family of God, the body of Christ, and the temple for the Spirit. When unbelievers respond to your invitation, whether that’s towards or to Christ, do your best to connect them relationally. If they respond to an invitation to come towards Christ and show up at your house, worship gathering, or group, connect them with those they’ll have the most in common. If they come to Christ and surrender their lives to him, connect them to potential disciplers. Every born-again Christian needs to be parented again. Don’t just worry about how you’re connecting, help others connect to Christ, his body, and his mission too.
I’ve had the privilege of leading people toward and to Christ. Without question, these moments have been some of the most exhilarating moments of my life. Even as I write this, many of their faces are running through my mind, causing tears of joy and gratitude to run down my face. I’m praying that every believer would experience the unique joy that is available to those who follow Jesus as he “seeks and saves” the lost in their city, country, and world.
