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Contents Letter from the Editor
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by Brandon O`Brien
Perceiving China’s Church-State Relationship through the Nestorian Stele
6
by S.E. Wang
The Nestorian Stele: Odes
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How to Reach the West Again
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by Timothy Keller
Preaching the Gospel Without Cultural Power
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by Tiago Oliveira Cavaco
Marketplace Ministry and the Church’s Mission
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by Sibs Sibanda
A Vision for Worship for Christians and Non-Christians
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by Anand Mahadevan
Unity in Christ in a Fractured Age
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Leave the Ninety-Nine: The Call for a Missional Church
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by Dennae Pierre
by Stephen Pues
Find Out What God is Doing and Join Him
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by Alan Hirsch and Mark Nelson
Discovering My Sonship in Christ by Julio Chiang
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Advancing the Kingdom Starts with Waiting
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by John Smed
Letter from the Editor B Y B R A N D O N O’ B R I E N
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very contributor in this issue is a missiologist, whether or not they would describe themselves that way.
They recognize that in order to communicate the gospel effectively where they live—Portugal or Canada or India or Australia—they have to think like missionaries. They have to firm up their theological foundations, question what they take for granted, pay careful attention to their audiences, and be willing to retire outdated modes and models of
contexts where the relationship between the church and state are changing, complex, and possibly contentious. Anand Mahadevan and Stephan Pues encourage us to recognize that our church services and programs will be radically different if we believe they exist to serve the lost sheep and not (exclusively) the found. And a couple of articles remind us that the mission of God neither starts nor ends in the church itself. According to Alan Hirsch and Mark Nelson, God isn’t waiting for us to be on mission. He is already
ministry.
at work in the world and He invites us to join him
They are also practitioners from six continents, who
should empower lay people for mission encounters
are all careful students of Scripture, their cultures, and themselves. As a collection, these articles give a well-rounded introduction to missional
there. Sibs Sibanda notes that local church ministry in their work throughout the week. The remaining articles identify three fundamental
engagement for our generation.
preconditions for missional engagement. And they
In his cover article, Timothy Keller offers hope to
division among Christians, so Dennae Pierre calls us
those disheartened by growing secularization in the West. He identifies several key ingredients that are essential for a “missionary encounter” with the West—the kind of missional engagement that connects, confronts, and ultimately converts.
are aimed at the heart. Our witness is damaged by to unity and reconciliation. Julio Chiang reflects on his own experience of gospel renewal in ministry, and John Smed reminds us that mission begins with waiting in prayer to the Lord of the harvest. We hope and pray that these articles inspire you to
S. E. Wang and Tiago Oliveira Cavaco reflect on
partner with God and other church leaders to reach
the postures and convictions that are required in
the world before us—all in the name of Jesus.
B R A N D O N O’ B R I E N is director of content development and distribution at Redeemer City to City in Manhattan and author most recently of Not from Around Here: What Unites Us, What Divides Us, and How We Can Move Forward (Moody Publishers, 2019).
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CITY TO CITY RESOURCES
How do we bring the gospel to cities all around the world? For nearly two decades, City to City has worked with Timothy Keller and global ministry leaders to answer this question. Join the conversation by exploring our resources on building, cultivating and serving a worldwide movement of the gospel.
Together for the City An inspiring story of a group of churches who decided to work together to reach their city, this book helps pastors, planters and leaders learn how to collaborate in their own cities—and how to attempt great things for God.
Center Church How do we communicate the concepts of God and grace in a post-Christian culture? In Center Church, Timothy Keller outlines a theological vision for ministry that applies classic doctrines to our time and place.
Movements of the Gospel Written for City to City Europe’s 2018 conference in Krakow, Poland, this collection of essays explores the perspectives of church planters and practitioners pioneering new kinds of ministry throughout Europe in the early twenty-first century.
Perceiving China’s Church-State Relationship through the Nestorian Stele
T
B Y S . E . WA N G he Nestorian Stele, the ancient tablet
The goal is to reduce the hundreds of thousands of unregistered churches to zero.
erected outside Xi’an in the 8th century, gives a fairly detailed record of
Will the unregistered churches survive this wave
the entry of Nestorian Christianity into
of persecution? Will they repeat the footsteps of
China (635 AD) and its 146-year history thereafter.
Nestorian Christianity in China1 and be entirely
This rich historical account can be viewed from
wiped out? The answer is an unequivocal,
multiple angles. Particularly, the relationship
astounding “No.” But why?
between the church and the state revealed in its contents can help today’s church in China better
When the Protestant missionaries2 were kicked out
comprehend its current persecution, appreciate its
of China in the 1950s, they asked the same question:
evangelical heritage, and be faithful to its own roots.
“Will Christianity survive this time?” The only thing they could do was pray for Chinese Christians. To
It is not a coincidence, by God’s providence, that
their surprise, when the door opened again in the
as I start to pen this article on the Nestorian Stele
early 1980s, the churches in China had multiplied
a nationwide campaign called “Reduce to Zero” is
beyond their expectations.3 What did they do right
being implemented in China under the powerful leadership of the central government. The targets of this campaign are the unregistered churches, or house churches, that refuse to comply with the government’s socialist guidance in spiritual affairs and submit the church’s governance and sovereignty to the state. The house churches are left with two choices: bow down to the state’s power by registering themselves, or cease being a church.
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1 Nestorian Christianity was cracked down and largely, if not entirely, wiped out Chinese society in 845 AD as part of the imperial campaign by Emperor Wuzong at the height of the Great Anti-Buddhist Persecution. 2 This is the fourth missionary movement in China’s history. The first two were Nestorian and the third was Roman Catholic. The fourth one is largely Protestant. 3 There are different reports and numbers concerning the growth. The consensus is that there were between 800,000 to 1 million protestant Christians before 1949.
that time? What can we learn from it this time? The
system for the Communist Party’s use. Parallel to
Nestorian Stele may provide some insights.
the “Reduce to Zero” campaign, a governmentsponsored sinicization of Christian theology is also
The Nestorian Stele delineates a model of
being undertaken, which even includes altering
Christianity that fits into the Chinese socio-
the translation of the Bible. The Stele shows us how
political framework that has lasted for more than
the Chinese emperors appreciated the usefulness of
two thousand years. It is exactly what the current
Christianity.
regime is trying to shape the house churches into by exerting the Religious Affairs Regulations of 2017.4
Lastly, Nestorian Christianity relied on imperial patronage and mercy. This is exactly the position
For example, Nestorian Christianity was primarily
the government-endorsed registered churches are
viewed as an international cultural exchange
in, and exactly the position the house churches are
program under the emperor’s supervision. This
refusing to enter.
is also how the Chinese government currently perceives Christianity: a Western cultural apparatus.
An alien religion, as a cultural enterprise, under the imperial patronage, to advance the emperor’s
Nestorian Christianity was also deemed useful to
agenda—this is exactly what the current Chinese
the imperial throne. The fundamental pragmatism
Communist Party is attempting to shape house
of Chinese philosophy was in play when the
churches into. The issue of the church’s lordship is
government welcomed the Nestorians. The current
at the heart of the matter: is it led by the savior Jesus
ongoing persecution similarly aims to assimilate
Christ alone, or the State?
the institutional churches into the socio-political Unlike Nestorian Christianity, the fourth missionary 4 “2017 Religious Affairs Regulations 2017: China Law Translate,” accessed June 14, 2019, https://www.chinalawtranslate.com.
movement into China—led by the Protestants—took
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a distinctive, evangelical approach. By focusing on
Editor’s Note: In the 7th century, the Church of
the grassroots people, genuine faith out of the Holy
the East, also referred to as the Nestorian Church,
Spirit’s regeneration, proper contextualization,
brought Christianity to China. By 781, they had
indigenous leadership development, and planting
carved the Nestorian Stele—the earliest recorded
churches, the missionaries helped root the
history of the Christian church in the country.
Christian faith in Chinese hearts in a relatively short
The stele found its home in the period’s capital
one hundred years. It was so successful that the
city, now called Xi’an, where it displayed details
great persecution from the 1950s to the early 1980s
about the church’s doctrine and members for all
only made Chinese Christians own their faith more
to see. Though it was buried in 845 due to religious
indigenously.
persecution by the Chinese government, the Nestorian Stele was rediscovered in the 1620s and
The northern entry point of Nestorian Christianity, 5
translated and published afterward.
as the Stele revealed, had inevitably determined it to become a tool at the disposal of the emperor. The evangelical faith took a totally opposite approach in the 19th century by starting its work in the southern provinces and pressing on westwards to inland China. For the first time, this endeavor has carved out a spiritually independent space filled by the people of God in the two-thousand years of imperial rule. They will courageously stand hopeful until the day their Lord comes, just as the stilldetained Pastor Wangyi wrote in his declaration of Christian Disobedience: “Separate me from my wife and children, ruin my reputation, destroy my life and my family. However, no one in this world can force me to renounce my faith; no one can make me change my life; and no one can raise me from the dead.” 5 In China’s history, the imperial powers often resided at the northern part of the country.
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S . E. WA N G received his Master of Arts in Religion from Westminster Theological Seminary. He is currently the President of China Partnership.
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The Nestorian Stele: Ode
The true Lord is without origin,
When Kautsung succeeded to his ancestral estate.
Profound, invisible, and unchangeable;
He rebuilt the edifices of purity;
With power and capacity to perfect and transform,
Palaces of concord, large and light,
He raised up the earth and established the heavens.
Covered the length and breadth of the land.
Divided in nature, he entered the world,
The true doctrine was clearly announced,
To save and to help without bounds;
Overseers of the church were appointed in due
The sun arose, and darkness was dispelled,
form;
All bearing witness to his true original.
The people enjoyed happiness and peace, While all creatures were exempt from calamity and
The glorious and resplendent, accomplished
distress.
Emperor, Whose principles embraced those of preceding
When Hiuentsung commenced his sacred career,
monarchs.
He applied himself to the cultivation of truth and
Taking advantage of the occasion, suppressed
rectitude;
turbulence:
His imperial tablets shot forth their effulgence,
Heaven was spread out and the earth was enlarged.
And the celestial writings mutually reflected their
When the pure, bright Illustrious Religion
splendors.
Was introduced to our Tang dynasty,
The imperial domain was rich and luxuriant,
The Scriptures were translated, and churches built,
While the whole land rendered exalted homage;
And the vessel set in motion for the living and the
Every business was flourishing throughout,
dead:
And the people all enjoyed prosperity.
Every kind of blessing was then obtained, And all the kingdoms enjoyed a state of peace.
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Then came Suhtsung, who commenced anew,
His light penetrated the secrecies of men,
And celestial dignity marked the imperial
And to him the diversities of objects were seen as in
movements.
a mirror;
Sacred as the moon’s unsullied expanse,
He shed a vivifying influence through the whole
While felicity was wafted like nocturnal gales.
realm of nature, And all outer nations took him for example.
Happiness reverted to the imperial household, The autumnal influences were long removed;
The true doctrine how expansive!
Ebullitions were allayed, and risings suppressed,
Its responses are minute;
And thus our dynasty was firmly built up.
How difficult to name it! To elucidate the three in one.
Taitsung the filial and just Combined in virtue with heaven and earth;
The sovereign has the power to act!
By his liberal bequests the living were satisfied,
While the ministers record;
And property formed the channel of imparting
We raise this noble monument!
succor.
To the praise of great felicity.
By fragrant mementoes he rewarded the meritorious, With benevolence he dispensed his donations; The solar concave appeared in dignity, And the lunar retreat was decorated to extreme. He began the cultivation of intelligent virtue; His military vigilance extended to the four seas, And his accomplished purity influenced all lands.
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How to Reach the West Again BY TIMOTHY KELLER
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BY TIMOTHY KELLER e are entering a new era in which there is not only no social benefit to being Christian, but an actual social cost. In many places,
culture is becoming hostile toward faith more and more, and beliefs in God, truth, sin, and the afterlife are disappearing in more and more people. Now, culture is producing people for whom Christianity is not only offensive, but incomprehensible. Church leaders must find new ways to reach people who won’t even think about coming to church or believing Christianity’s most basic concepts. And we must find ways of churching and forming people as Christians in the midst of a very different culture. Let’s call this the “Outward Move” and the “Inward Move” of a missionary encounter with Western culture. To clarify, a missionary encounter is not a withdrawal from culture into communities with little connection to the rest of society. Nor is it an effort to get political power in order to impose Christian standards and beliefs on an unwilling populace. Nor is it such an effort to become relevant that the church becomes completely adapted to and assimilated by the culture. Instead, a missionary encounter connects (unlike the strategies of withdrawal) yet confronts (unlike the strategies of assimilation) and therefore actually converts people (unlike all the strategies, including that of political takeover). A church having a missionary encounter also does maintain its distinctiveness (which is what the withdrawal approach wants) and it does often affirm and always serve neighbors (which is what the assimilation approach wants) and it does call people to repent and change (which is what the politically assertive approach wants). And since our Western culture is post-Christian, this will not look exactly like any missionary encounter that the church has had in the past.
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Here are five basic elements to having a missionary
communities and families decline, and not free
encounter with Western culture.
subjectively, as we experience inner loneliness and
1
enslaving addictions. 1. Christian High Theory Before we can explain the gospel to a culture, we must explain the culture with the gospel. Historically, apologetics involves giving arguments and evidences for the truth of Christianity. Such apologetics, as in arguing for the historicity of the Resurrection, go back all the way to the New Testament (1 Corinthians 15). But the early Christian apologists, from Justin Martyr to Augustine, did
This work is largely going to be the work of Christians in the academy, who may have the help of non-Christians scholars and thinkers who see the fatal flaws in late modernity. Many have focused on the problem of unchecked individualism, the problem of the modern self, the problem of relativism—all of which are intensified in modern culture.
more than that. They did not merely try to show
2. A Truly Post-Christendom Evangelistic Dynamic
that Christian practice and beliefs came up to the
Western churches have many evangelistic methods
standards of pagan culture. Instead, they developed
and programs, but they often assume that there are
a radical critique of pagan culture that showed how
plenty of non-Christians who acknowledge basic
pagan culture, by its own standards, failed. In The
concepts of God, truth, sin, and an afterlife and
City of God, Augustine developed what would today
will seek out the church or are open to invitation.
be called “critical theory,” or High Theory. He used
To reach today’s culture, we must find a modern
the gospel to critique the dominant culture.
version of the evangelistic dynamic of the early church, which grew through conversion in a
Today, a biblical or Christian High Theory would
similarly hostile and non-comprehending culture.
seek not so much to live up to our secular culture’s
The elements of such a dynamic include:
standards of rationality, but would reject the standards and question its claims of neutrality,
Intentionality
objectivity, and universality. A Christian High
Michael Green estimates that 80% or more of
Theory would engage the late modern secular view
evangelism in the early church was done not
of the world publicly, exposing its severe problems
by ministers or evangelists, but by ordinary
on the basis of its own framework of beliefs,
Christians identifying and explaining themselves
showing how its basic narratives do not fit human
to their oikos—their network of relatives and close
nature and intuitions, and proclaiming the gospel as
associates.2 People paid attention to the gospel
the counterpoint. In particular, it should show how,
because someone they knew well, worked with, and
in an effort to free the individual self completely, the
perhaps loved, spoke to them about it.
modern secular framework has led to our modern condition in which:
Alternative Answers Helping non-Christians recognize they have a
•
All values are relative
problem that requires salvation requires questioning
•
All relationships are transactions
people’s answers (even before answering their
•
All identities are highly fragile, and
questions or objections to Christianity). By
•
All (supposed) sources of fulfillment are
“people’s answers,” we mean their working
disappointing.
answers to the big questions of life. No one can live without meaning, satisfaction, freedom, identity,
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We are still not free: not free objectively, as local
ways to get and give forgiveness, ways to resolve
1 See: Larry Hurtado. Destroyer of the Gods (Baylor, 2017).
2 Michael Green. Evangelism in the Early Church (Eerdmans, 2004).
moral questions, and hope for the future. Culture’s
3. A Category-Defying Social Project
ways to provide these things ultimately will not
In Destroyer of the Gods, Larry Hurtado seeks
work, and if we have their attention (usually through intentionality) we can, at the opportune time, point to the unsurpassed fulfillments Christianity can provide: •
a meaning in life that suffering can’t take away (and even deepen)
•
a satisfaction not based on circumstances
•
a freedom that does not turn community and love relationships into thin transactions
•
an identity that is not fragile, not based on performance or exclusion
•
a way to deal with guilt and to forgive without residual bitterness or shame
•
a basis for seeking justice that does not turn you into an oppressor yourself
•
a way to face not only the future, but death itself with poise and peace
Put another way, we must help non-Christians see that their indelible needs and longings for these things are actually echoes of their need for God. Good News We also have to explain the gospel in a way that is compelling and attracts many late modern people. The gospel is that “Salvation comes (only from) the Lord” (Jonah 2:9). Gospel presentations must always make two points: •
The bad news: you are trying to save yourself, but you can’t.
•
The good news: you can be saved through Christ alone, not your efforts.
In traditional culture, in which the basic narrative is “the meaning of life is to be good,” the bad news and good news look different from late modern culture, in which the basic narrative is “the meaning of life is to be free.” We need to flesh out a new gospel presentation and new approaches for
to explain why an increasing number of people converted to Christianity in the Roman world, even though it was the most persecuted of all religions and carried significant social cost. But Hurtado speaks of the unique Christian social project—a unique kind of human community that defied categories then and will still do so today.3 It has at least five elements that could be broken down and expounded at greater length, but which also need to be seen together, as they constitute a whole. The early church social project was: •
Multi-racial and multi-ethnic
•
Highly committed to caring for the poor and marginalized
•
Non-retaliatory, marked by a commitment to forgiveness
•
Strongly and practically against abortion and infanticide
•
Revolutionary regarding the ethics of sex
The early Christian community was both offensive and attractive. But believers did not construct their social project in some strategic way to reach Roman culture. Each of the five elements was there because Christians sought to submit to biblical authority. They are all commanded. They are just as categorydefying—both offensive and attractive—today. The first two views on ethnic diversity and caring for the poor sound “liberal” and the last two views on abortion and sexual ethics sound “conservative.” But the third element, of course, sounds like no particular party. Churches today are under enormous pressure to jettison the first two or the last two but not to keep them all. Yet to give up any of them would make Christianity the handmaid of a particular political program and undermine a missionary encounter. 4. Counter-Catechesis for a Digital Age By using the word “catechesis,” I am not necessarily
corporate worship. 3 Larry Hurtado. Destroyer of the Gods (Baylor, 2017).
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calling for the use of the actual catechism method
gain the reins of coercive power, or took a more
of question-and-answer. I am a proponent of that
withdrawn approach in which being a Christian was
method, but that’s not my point here. I use it to
seen as something you did only in private with no
refer to the way churches have instructed and
application to every area of life.
formed Christians who are shaped by the Bible and Christian teaching rather than by the world. The fact is that we have virtually stopped doing catechesis as it was done in the past. We have forgotten three things about formation. Catechesis was always counter-catechesis.4 During the Reformation, there was an explosion of catechesis—new catechisms were written by the hundreds. This was not merely because they were incorporating their members into their teaching— they were also inoculating their members against the only real alternative to being a Protestant: being a Catholic. They not only constructed a worldview; they dismantled and vaccinated against the dominant alternatives. Catechesis was part of a moral ecology. It is no surprise that so many young people raised in the church, taught and instructed for years, say, “I don’t see what’s wrong about two people having sex if they really love each other.” Alarmed parents can point them to biblical texts, but they won’t be effective, because the underlying narratives that make such a view of sex plausible—narratives of identity and freedom and morality—were never identified as such and exposed as implausible. Catechesis must include faithful Christian presence in public spheres. We live in a culture dominated by non-Christian thought and themes (about reason/science, individualism, relativism, materialism). This
5. Grace to the Point We must never lose grasp of the difference between gospel grace and religious moralism. Why does the Protestant church constantly fall into the temptation to self-righteousness, dominance, and exclusion? Why does it fail to reproduce the early church’s social project? Because it loses its grip on the very core of its faith. When we lapse back into thinking that we are saved by our moral efforts, we become enmeshed in both pride and fear. Pride because we may think God and the world owe us acclaim; fear because we can never be sure we’ve lived truly good-enough lives. And so, when we lose the existential (or doctrinal) grasp on the truth that we are saved by faith alone through grace alone because of Christ alone, we not only lose our joy and fall into fear, but also lose our graciousness and fall into pride. The world, of course, is quick—too quick—to find fault with the church and thus justify its dismissal of the gospel message. And yet it is quite right to do so. If the church continually moves toward dominance and control rather than love and service, it shows that it doesn’t really believe the gospel it preaches. If the church doesn’t believe the gospel, why should the world? The challenges are formidable, but the gospel brings hope. There is no hope without it. We have, at least, these encouragements:
means that the church must train and disciple Christians to integrate their faith with their work
1. The Rise of Global Christianity
in the public sphere. If Christians are equipped to
One of the main developments of the 20th and
do this, the gospel will become “salt and light”
21st centuries is the explosive growth of non-
in culture more naturally than if we took a more
Western Christianity, the vast majority of which is
political approach in which Christians sought to
evangelical and Pentecostal. At the very least, 70% of all Christians today live outside of the West, and
4 I borrow this term from Alan Jacobs. “Dare to Make a Daniel.” Snakes and Ladders. September 19, 2018. Accessed August 21, 2019. https://blog.ayjay.org/dare-to-make-a-daniel
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many believers in Western countries are non-Anglo people from non-Western countries. There are more
Presbyterians in Ghana than in the U.S. and the U.K.
and multi-ethnic.
There are more Anglicans in Nigeria alone than in all of the U.S. and the U.K.
Cities are the culture-forming wombs of modern society. Through agglomeration—the amassing of
The reality is that the most secular populations
talent in urban proximity—new innovations and
of North America and Europe are in decline.
creative enterprises arise and spread out to the
Meanwhile, through evangelism and birth-rate,
rest of the culture. If churches thrive and grow in
Christianity is growing rapidly, and through
cities, and if increasing numbers of urban Christians
immigration and mission work, the church will
integrate their faith with their work in business, the
continue to thrive and grow many places in the
arts, the media, and the academy—then Christians
West. As a result, the number of people who are
will continue to be salt and light in society.
“secular” or who have “no religious preference” is expected to decline. 2. The Power of Chosen Religion
4. Everything is Unprecedented Once Up until 1900, there had never been a fast-growing revival in a non-Western pre-Christian country.
Some religions can be largely inherited. There are
Then there was (see the Korean revival and the
religions you adhere to because of your family
East African revival). There has never been a fast-
background or nationality.
growing revival in a post-Christian, secular society. But every great new thing is unprecedented until
“Of course I’m Lutheran. I’m Norwegian.”
it happens. There was never a renewal movement
“I’m Italian, so I’m Catholic.”
of monasticism until there was. There was never
“I’m Hindu because I’m Indian.”
a Reformation until there was. There never was anything like a Great Awakening until there was.
In modernity, however, the emphasis is on individual choice and decision. Young people do
Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of
not want to follow a path that they have not chosen
hell will not prevail against it.” There’s no reason to
for themselves. This is why traditional inherited
believe that this promise has an expiration date.
religion—Catholic and mainline Protestantism—is in sharp decline. But evangelical faith is far better suited to such a cultural situation because it insists on a personal decision of faith and a conversion experience for everyone. Nevertheless, evangelical faith, while well-adapted to the culture of individual choice, also appropriately challenges it. When we freely choose to follow Christ, we also choose to give up living according to our own desires but to submit to his loving authority.
T I M O T H Y K E L L E R is the founding pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, which he started in 1989 with his wife, Kathy, and three young sons. He is also chairman and cofounder of Redeemer City to City, which recruits, trains, coaches, and resources leaders who cultivate gospel movements in global cities through church planting.
3. The Culturally Formative Power of Cities As we read above, much of the energy of Christian growth today is among non-white, non-Western people and young people who want chosen religion, not inherited religion. This is why the great cities of the West may become hotbeds of new, growing churches. There, the populations are both young
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Preaching the Gospel Without Cultural Power
W
Paul models how to view our culture’s authority
B Y T I AG O O L I V E I R A CAVAC O hile Paul delivers at least six good
when sharing the gospel.
speeches in the book of Acts that work as models of good preaching,
In Acts 21, Paul arrives in Jerusalem only to be
his discourse to philosophers in
attacked by the Jews for preaching the gospel.
Athens (Acts 17) usually gets the most attention.
Roman soldiers imprison Paul, in part to protect
This is because it is a great example of cultural
him. After that, Paul finds himself in a massive
contextualization, a skill that is becoming more
legal trial as he testifies about his actions before the
and more valued among evangelical Christians
Jewish Sanhedrin, and is transferred to Caesarea
who don’t want to be seen as fundamentalists or
to appear before the governor Felix and, two years
culturally inarticulate.
later, Felix’s successor, Festus, and finally Agrippa.
We should admire Paul’s preaching to the culturally
Agrippa held power over Paul, as the opening scene
sophisticated in that passage, but there is much to
makes clear. He and his sister Bernice “came with
learn from another of Paul’s sermons: his defense
great pomp and entered the audience room with the
of his actions before King Agrippa, the Roman
high-ranking military officers and the prominent
ruler of Judea, in Acts 26. While his other speeches
men of the city” (Acts 25:23). His position included
provide valuable insight on bringing the gospel
the power to permit Paul to speak or remain silent,
to the culturally savvy, Paul’s speech to Agrippa
but his position also protected Paul.
models what it looks like to share the gospel when the speaker has a complicated relationship with
For many Christians, especially Europeans, these
the reigning political power. And this insight is still
two aspects of power and protection are familiar
useful for many of today’s Christians—particularly
and important to consider. It’s tempting for
those in Europe.
European Christians to feel ambivalent toward those who rule over us in our modern democracies, whether that authority is political, cultural, or otherwise. On one hand, our modern democracies
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Some are uncomfortable going against the grain and find themselves accommodating the desires of their culture, even when they conflict with the gospel. Others preach against cultural and political power all the time because they feel like they’ve always been against the grain, which can lead to unhealthy hostility and bitterness. These are two errors many of us experience. The first is the error of accommodation. The second, the error of hostility. In order to avoid them, we can follow Paul’s example: don’t prioritize cultural and political protection so you can feel safe preaching the gospel. Paul’s testimony emphasizes the freedom of the gospel over the freedom of earthly authority. In Athens, Paul was working to understand the culture’s story. In Acts 26, the culture is assessing Paul’s story. Initially, Paul defends himself by sharing the story of his conversion to Christianity (26:2-18). He explains that the Jews are outraged because he has testified to the story of Christ and encouraged Gentiles to follow him, as well (26:19-23). It works. At the end of it, Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice agree that Paul has done nothing to deserve death or imprisonment. To them, this court case got unnecessarily complicated. Why did they rule that Paul was innocent? Because protect us. But at other times, we feel its power in
he placed the gospel before his own vindication.
less positive ways.
Paul set aside his own interests to share what he believed in. Even though his judges were
Paul preached the gospel within this tension.
not convinced that he was right (26:28), they
He didn’t wait to find a perfectly comfortable
did recognize that he was sincere and therefore
environment before he preached again. He preached
undeserving of punishment.
the gospel in chains. In the same way, Christians today can’t wait for perfect trust in culture’s power
There will be times when Christians must strive
and protection in order to share the gospel with it.
to protect their civil liberties, but the story of
The gospel is to be preached when you feel at home
Jesus must always take priority over our safety.
with culture and politics and when you don’t.
Paul doesn’t let his innocence get in the way of sharing Christ. If we find ourselves seeking political
Christians engage this principle in different ways.
justification, we must make our case by sharing
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what Jesus has done for us. The gospel—not civil protection—is what sets us free.
•
If I feel drawn to share the gospel so I can see big results: Am I willing to find joy, humor, and God’s blessings in all circumstances?
Paul models reconciling with the results of preaching the gospel.
As we follow Christ, there will be times we feel protected by those in power and times we feel
Even though Paul is declared innocent, his sermon
overpowered by them. We’re called to preach the
earns him some degree of intellectual scorn from
gospel without compromise and hostility in both
the judges. Festus interrupts him at one point. “You
circumstances.
are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouts. “Your great learning is driving you insane” (26:24).
May the Lord help us as we strive to be faithful.
Paul, however, doesn’t seem discouraged. In fact, he replies to Agrippa’s joke—“In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (26:28)—with one of his own: “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these
Communication Sciences from the New University of Lisbon and is pastor of Lapa Church in Lisbon, Portugal. He has worked for ten years in television,
chains.” (At least, I read it as a joke.)
collaborates with Ler magazine, and has maintained
Though everyone in the room wasn’t miraculously
author of several books such as Six Sermons Against
converted then and there, Paul maintains his position with hope and high spirits. After all, he is granted freedom. His words are still read today. We too should remember that even though sharing the gospel may not always seem like it produces big results, there is always something to be gained when we tell the story of Jesus the way the gospel shows us to. Paul’s example encourages us to ask ourselves these questions: •
If I feel drawn to accommodate to the culture around me: Am I willing to recognize that the gospel, with all its truth and challenges, will always make people uncomfortable?
•
If I feel drawn to share the gospel only to confront and challenge people: Am I willing to extend to others the tremendous mercy Jesus has given to me?
•
If I feel drawn to share the gospel just to defend my civil privileges: Am I willing to imitate Paul (and Jesus) by letting go of my natural rights to celebrate the freedom we’ve been given by God?
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Tia g o Oliveir a Cava c o holds a degree in
the blog “Voz do Deserto” since 2003. He is the Laziness and Having Faith in the City, published by Vida Nova.
Marketplace Ministry and the Church’s Mission B Y S I B S S I BA N DA
A
out, God was not at fault—I was; and so were many
B Y S I B S S I BA N DA fter completing my engineering degree
other pastors I knew. God was not passively seated
twenty years ago, I responded to God’s
at the drink table. Our preaching and approach
call to become a pastor. The first eight
to ministry had put him there in the minds of our
years went by quickly. By the grace
people. I knew it was time to put God back into the
of God, I experienced a time of fruitful ministry.
race! This great task is what many today refer to as
However, a nagging question pushed me closer and
developing a theology of work, or simply, faith and
closer toward disillusion: “Are my sermons actually
work.
helping my congregants live and work in a uniquely Christian way?”
There is a diversity of opinions about the importance of “faith and work” to the church’s mission. Some
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I could see that they drew strength and
see it as the brainchild of trendy, urban churches
encouragement from our church, but—drawing on
fighting for relevance in postmodern society, while
the biblical analogy of the Christian life as a race (1
others welcome it as a useful, bolted-on ministry
Corinthians 9:24)—I couldn’t reconcile how a God
to keep professionals interested in church life. A
who claims sovereignty over the entire race would
growing number, however, see it for what it truly
be content to simply hand out refreshments at five-
is: the inescapable implication of a God who is
mile intervals and leave the runners to handle the
Creator of all and Sovereign over all. The integration
grueling miles in between on their own. As it turns
of faith and work is an integral part of the gospel’s
narrative, rooted in the Cultural Mandate, embodied
sin compromised humanity’s ability to fulfill the
in the Great Commandment, and proclaimed in the
cultural mandate in the way God intended—and
Great Commission.
corrupted our motive from glorifying him to self-glorification (Genesis 11)—God’s calling upon
The Cultural Mandate
all human beings to develop the earth’s potential
The cultural mandate for integrating faith and work
remains unchanged.
is God commanding Adam to take dominion over the earth and develop its latent possibilities (Genesis
Furthermore, as John Frame points out in The
1:26-28; 2:15).
Doctrine of the Word of God, human beings were the perfect image-bearers of God when the
Some argue that this mandate does not apply to us
command was given, such that filling and subduing
in the same way that it did to Adam and Eve because
the earth amounted to filling the earth with God’s
of the Fall, and that the work of the Christian is now
glory—meaning this mandate was not just cultural,
strictly to evangelize and make disciples. While it’s
but spiritual. Work is an act of worship. The Fall
true that the Fall had far-reaching consequences
separated these two aspects of work, leaving human
that can’t be ignored, we need to be aware of the
civilization to continue unabated (the cultural
limitations of these consequences. For example,
aspect), without reference to God’s purpose in
while Adam’s sin corrupted the image of God in
creation or concern for his glory (the spiritual
man, it did not revoke or annul this image. While
aspect).
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Throughout the New Testament, however, Christ’s
The Great Commission
redemption restores the unity between the cultural
One of the biggest concerns in my city
and spiritual aspects of the mandate in his followers’
(Johannesburg, South Africa) is crime. People live
lives. This is why Paul instructed the church in
behind high walls, and those who can afford it
Colossae to work wholeheartedly—ultimately, all
throw in dogs, electric fences, and alarms—and
work is unto the Lord, a spiritual endeavor, an act of
armed response for good measure. I wonder if God
worship (Colossians 3:23).
took this into account when he gave us the Great Commission to go and make disciples. “Sorry Lord,
The Great Commandment
we can’t get anywhere near the people you want us
Let us consider the implications of the Great
to reach!”
Commandment, given that many of us spend most of our time at work. The verse reads:
That is, of course, until 6:00am on Monday morning, when they leave their fortresses
“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
and gather in offices, warehouses, hospitals,
with all your soul and with all your strength and
construction sites, performance theatres, and
with all your mind’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as
courtrooms—and stay there for eight to twelve
yourself.’”
hours a day, five to six days a week!
—Luke 10:27
The most effective thing church leaders can do to bring in the lost is to help our people understand
At the very least, loving our neighbor at work
they are God’s missionaries and the workplace is
means demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit to
their mission field. Engaging in this task may seem
those around us—being patient with colleagues,
daunting for many of us, but I assure you that as we
showing kindness to subordinates, being joyful
partner together for the sake of the gospel, God will
through challenges, and so on. However, an honest
help us be fruitful for his glory!
reading of the command (“with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind”) demands much more— which leads us to ask how believers can love their neighbors through the substance of their work and not just their behavior at work.
Faith & Work Alliance (FWA) and the Lead Elder of
Martin Luther’s exposition of Psalm 147 assures
FWA is a non-profit organization whose mission is
a city that, “God strengthens the bars of your gates” (Psalm 147:13). Luther concludes that “good government, good city ordinances and wise rulers” are all part of God’s plan to protect a city. In other words, every time a police officer puts on his uniform, he is in a very real sense, doing the Lord’s work of protecting the city. I’ve seen firsthand how this revelation gives Christians a genuine sense of “work as worship” and helps them answer the question of loving their neighbor through their work.
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S I B S S I BA N DA is the Executive Director of the City Hill Church in Johannesburg, South Africa. The to equip Christians in churches, schools, businesses, and other organizations across South Africa with the tools that will enable them to be effective agents of redemption at work and in public life.
A Vision for Worship for Christians and NonChristians
F
B Y A N A N D M A H A D E VA N or far too long, I lived under the strong impression that worship was an exclusive, two-way relationship between Christians and God. My idea of worship was eyes
closed, arms raised, heart in bliss, unaware of all that was around me — just me and him. As much as I enjoyed this idea of worship for many years, I started feeling uneasy about it about a decade ago. I began to wonder if I had reduced public worship to something less than God intended it to be. The reason for my discomfort was, of course, the non-Christian. I was oblivious to him in public worship—and more often than not, the culture and vocabulary of the church were quite inaccessible to him, too. I live in India, where Christians are a tiny minority — less than three percent of 1.2 billion people. But that’s still 28 million—large enough for us to form a unique subculture of public worship that, unfortunately, can exclude outsiders. While the gospel tells us that God came looking for the lost, many worship services I participated in seemed to think it was the job of the “lost” to decipher the cryptic code of our services in order to find God.
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Once I recognized this tension, I couldn’t ignore it. One passage from the Old Testament, Solomon’s prayer of dedication for the temple, gave me insight and helped me finally begin to understand the true, biblical nature of public worship. “As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm — when they come and pray toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place. Do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name.” —2 Chronicles 6:32–33 In the middle of his thoughtful prayer for chosen Israel, Solomon unexpectedly flings the doors of God’s grace wide open to all other nations. Solomon expects and plans for foreigners seeking God to come to Israel’s public worship at the temple he built. Not if they come. When they come. That’s a sound theological basis for contextualized and missional public worship. After my eyes were opened to this passage, I began to see public worship as a triangle: Christians worshiping God, and in the process, also inviting non-Christians to worship him. Thankfully, God led me to this revelation before I started planting New City Church in Mumbai. Solomon’s prayer formed the theological foundation of why we contextualised our worship services to reach professionals in Mumbai, a city of about 23 million people. Three years into the church plant, we are still learning how. It isn’t easy. We’ve made several mistakes and encountered various challenges. I’ll be the first to admit that we still have a long way to go. But here are a couple of worship principles we’re beginning to piece together.
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Deep Need and Shallow Needs
idolatries, contextualizing the gospel (and our
All of us are needy. Ultimately, our deepest need
worship) becomes natural and spontaneous.
is the need for a Saviour. We are sinners saved by grace. Let’s call this the real need.
Contextualization and the Holy Spirit One of the biggest mistakes we made was
But we are needy in other areas, too. Mumbai is a
overestimating our role in stirring a non-Christian
performance-driven city. In Mumbai, you are only
to faith and underestimating God’s role in it.
as good as the last deal you made, the last quarter
Somewhere down the line, I functionally began to
of sales you logged, or the last pitch you gave. You
believe that contextualization was a substitute for
have to prove yourself over and over and over again
the Holy Spirit.
every day. And we feel other needs, like the need for a new romantic relationship or better finances. This
Granted, we must simplify, explain, and
culture creates a neediness in us.
contextualize the gospel. It is our joy, privilege, and duty to do so. But ultimately, it is still the Holy
These are all shallow needs. Living in busy, bustling,
Spirit who brings people to faith in Jesus (just as it
competitive cities like Mumbai make us more aware
is the Holy Spirit who gives us skill and wisdom to
of our shallow needs and less aware of our real
contextualize the gospel).
need. At New City Mumbai, we’re learning that these shallow needs can make us self-focused in our
When we recognize that this is true, all we can do
worship.
is pray. Prayer is proof of our dependence on God. Humble and audacious, patient and persevering
When we seek God only to meet our shallow
prayer must go hand in hand with skillfully crafting
needs, we treat worship as an exclusive, two-way
contextual worship services.
relationship with God, desperately (and selfishly) seeking him to get what we want. God himself is not
With the help of faithful prayer and a well-
the ultimate goal of this kind of worship.
contextualized worship service, those who are initially skeptical or foreign to Christianity can
On the other hand, when we disciple the
begin a journey of discovering the remarkable story
congregation to see our real need — the need for a
of Jesus. And when we open up our worship to
Saviour — authentic and heartfelt repentance begins
them, we help them take their first steps
to sweep through our worship services. This makes public worship contextual and attractive to nonChristians more than anything else. Let me explain. In big cities, it’s amazing how similar the repentance of Christians and non-Christians is. For example, both of us wrestle with the idolatry of work and the pride and fear associated with our careers. It’s therefore quite easy for non-Christians to identify with Christians’ repentance. As we publicly and genuinely repent of the same things non-Christians struggle with, we open up a pathway to the gospel for them to follow. When our worship services and congregations are characterized by repenting of our culture’s
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Ana nd Ma h a deva n is a business journalist, church planter, and author. He is also the lead church planter at New City Church Mumbai. His first book, Grace of God and Flaws of Men, explores the gospel through the many failures of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is married to Ajitha and they have two children, Varun and Varsha.
Unity in Christ in a Fractured Age
R
BY DENNAE PIERRE  ight now, the United States is experiencing fractured, polarized, and anxious times. Unfortunately, the church is not exempt. It’s not
uncommon for dehumanizing words to flow freely from the mouths of evangelicals, often about the most vulnerable in our society: the poor, the immigrants, the incarcerated, the unborn. Our fractured and divided world is in desperate need of a church that displays her union in Christ through her love for the entire body of Christ. There may be no greater public witness to the love, goodness, and glory of God than for the church to display the unity we have in Jesus. Unity Across Divisions In Phoenix, we are beginning to see the fruit of Christian unity as pastors and churches from various denominations partner to display Jesus in our city. Churches across the city are working together to provide hospitality and relief to thousands of asylum-seekers. Three hundred and seventy-five churches have partnered to serve
32
public schools and a hundred work together to address foster care needs. An Assemblies of God church recently commissioned one of its pastors to spend a year at a Presbyterian church so they could send out a new church plant together. My own multi-ethnic church has gathered in homes for meals, prayer, and difficult discussion, seeking greater unity in the midst of our national and political divisions. This unity has not come easily or naturally. In virtually every instance, we have experienced competitiveness, misunderstandings, and relational fractures that need healing. Our leaders care deeply about their theological convictions and denominations, and they disagree about racism,
injustice, and politics at times. Unity is not achieved
Ephesians 4 sheds light on what it means to be
by ignoring these differences or even by resolving
unified. In verse 3, Paul instructs the church in
them, but by learning to practice reconciliation and
Ephesus to keep the “unity of the Spirit through
live in union with each other.
the bond of peace.” He then reminds them that God himself is one and that we have been baptized
Imagining Christian Unity
into his oneness (4:4-6). Our union with Christ
In a world that pulls us further away from one
is a mysterious, holy reality that we embody
another, unity in Christ means gathering around
as we experience union with each other (4:11-
a table with only Christ at its center. But we must
13). Practicing humility, gentleness, patience,
recognize that none of us approach the table from
forbearance, and love toward others (including
a purely objective position. Fail to understand this,
those with different convictions and values) helps us
and we are easily swept up by the “spirit of the age”
keep unity with the Spirit (4:2, 32) and even builds
(Eph 2:2) only to be polarized one from one another.
up the body of Christ, growing us into a mature
Instead, Christ asks us to be anchored to him and,
people, allowing the church to grasp the “fullness of
in doing so, not let go of our brothers and sisters
Christ” (4:13).
around the table who are different from us.
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Notice the significance of that—we only grasp the
in our city, only to discover that I often harbor
fullness of Christ when we live in union with each
judgment, and even contempt, toward those I feel
other. That means Christian unity is not only a
oppose me. I get frustrated with people who have
helpful missional strategy to attract onlookers.
been dismissive or divisive, only to speak about
Unity is essential for any of us to experience all of
them in ways that are dismissive and divisive! And
Jesus. Christ has deposited something of himself
so we must confront our own sin and delight in the
in every part of his body and if we don’t commit
love poured out to us through Christ. Receiving this
to remaining together, something of Christ will go
abundant grace from Jesus makes it possible to move
undiscovered. It will also compromise our ability to
toward one another in humility and forbearance.
bear witness to Jesus and his kingdom.
Cultivating a life of humility and patience requires a life of repentance and renewal by the gospel.
It is only when God’s people learn to practice this type of unity, grounded and rooted in the love of
It is in laying down our lives for our brothers and
Christ and his gospel, that we are able to withstand
sisters that we model the path toward resurrection.
the spiritual darkness always seeking to pull us away
Remaining at the table where we cling to Christ
from Christ and each other (4:14-16).
together, all while he reconciles us to one another, displays the gospel to a world in desperate need of
Too often, church leaders treat unity among
the peace, love, and hope that can only be found in
different doctrinal, political, or cultural views as
Jesus.
unholy compromise, as though their own faith will be made weaker by fellowshipping with their brothers and sisters. It is hard to make biblical sense of this fear-based response. If unity in the midst of diversity “builds up the body,” then distancing ourselves from one another always makes us weaker. Our fidelity to the cross is practiced in loyalty and love toward our brothers and sisters. Unity and Grace It is one thing to give lip service to “unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” It is entirely different to learn to listen, speak truth in love, and move toward those who seem hostile or dismissive of us. Trying to “practice” love, gentleness, patience, humility, and forbearance with one another can reveal layer upon layer of bitter envy, selfish ambition, and pride in our hearts. It is easy to see the idols in another person’s worldview while being blind to our own; easy to be repulsed by the distorted cultural values of another while missing our own; easy to allow righteous anger to justify unrighteous behavior. I continue to be confronted by how often selfrighteousness has blinded me. I ask others to suspend their judgment about the most vulnerable
34
D enna e P ier re and her husband, Vermon, planted Roosevelt Community Church in Phoenix, Arizona. Today, she is Executive Director of the Surge Network — a group of 60 churches working together to be a witness for Jesus and plant more churches in the Phoenix metro area.
“...a Gospel Melody and a Holy Invitation.” DANIELLE STRICKLAND
A passionate manifesto, calling followers of Jesus to reframe and reenchant our worldview, enlarging our perception of God and gospel. It’s an invitation to stretch our minds, expand our hearts, and awaken ourselves and those around us to the grand story of God.
Available now on A M A ZO N and R E F R A M AT I O N BO O K . CO M
Leave the NinetyNine: The Call for a Missional Church
I
BY STEPHAN PUES JAMES EAEY
There’s at least one thesis I’m sure Luther would
n 1517, Martin Luther knocked his Ninety-five
give the church today. It’s one he wrote 500 years
Theses onto the church door in Wittenberg,
ago:
Germany. Two years ago, we celebrated the 500th anniversary of this Reformation. It’s
“The kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies.
a great story of how God used Luther to call his
And he who will not suffer this does not want
church to a much-needed, healthy change. But this
to be of the Kingdom of Christ; he wants to be
change wasn’t something totally new. It was a call
among friends, to sit among roses and lilies, not
to come back to what the church should be like.
with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had
Today, the church in Luther’s home country,
done what you are doing who would ever have
Germany (and the whole Western world), needs
been spared?”1
to hear this call again. Church buildings are empty, membership is declining, and most
Dietrich Bonhoeffer used this quote from Luther
people—especially younger ones—don’t consider
in his book Life Together to make the case for an
Christianity relevant or helpful. If Luther was alive
outward-focused church. As Bonhoeffer stated,
today, he would surely call the church he loved so
“Church is only church if it is church for others.”2
much to another reformation.
Today, many people call this being a missional church—and this must be one of the theses of
But what would the next reform be? What change
reformation for the 21st century’s church.
would God want the church to make now? What would have to happen for people in places like Frankfurt, London, New York, Paris, Athens, and Moscow to say, “Church is relevant and helpful for me and my city”?
1 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (HarperOne, 2009), p.18. 2 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letters and Papers from Prison (Touchstone, 1997), p. 382.
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The Vision of a Church for Others
effort strictly inside the church. Being a Christian
Jesus explains the reason he lived missionally in two
today often means that you do a lot of Christian
parables: the story of the lost sheep (15:3-7) and the
things with other Christians in Christian places.
story of the lost coin (15:8-10). The two stories are quite similar:
This is the opposite of how Jesus called his church to live. Before Jesus ascended to his Father, he did
•
Someone owns some things.
not command to his disciples, “You guys form a
•
One gets lost.
subcultural religious community and exclusively
•
The owner leaves everything behind to rescue
spend all your time with like-minded people.” But
the lost item.
this is how many experience church today. We need to stop being a church just for ourselves and start
This is how Jesus thinks the church should be. After
being a church for others.
all, rescuing the lost was his vision when he came to earth. Jesus’ job description in Luke 19:10 states
My dad gave me an old Ford Fiesta as my first car
“The son of men has come to seek and find what is
(probably because he knew I would wreck it (I did)).
lost.” And that’s the same job he gave to the church:
But even before I wrecked it, the car had a problem.
“How the father has sent me, I am sending you”
Whenever I drove it, it always turned slightly to the
(John 20:21).
left. I had to actively steer against it to avoid hitting another car or running into the fields. In the same
The Practice of a Church for Others
way, the church needs to actively steer against the tendency to become an inward-focused religious
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all
group.
drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives
The Heart of a Church for Others
sinners and eats with them.’”
Both parables end the same way: what was lost is found. Both the shepherd and the coin’s owner
—Luke 15:1-2
are more than just glad. They don’t simply put the sheep into the barn or the coin back into the purse
These two verses describe how Jesus acted during
and go on their way. They throw a party! They invite
his time on earth. He was always with the tax
all their friends and let everyone know. There is
collectors and so-called sinners. And they loved
great joy when something lost is found.
to be with him. He was always hanging out with a group that was quite diverse: rich and poor, men
With these parables, Jesus challenges his church to
and women, different nationalities from all parts of
reach others not out of guilt, but out of joy. We, too,
society. But they all had one thing in common: They
are the lost sheep the Great Shepherd saved. He gave
weren’t considered the religious in-group.
up his life to bring us home. Our great joy at being found should compel us to search for the lost and
In some sense, this group describes people in
help them experience the joy of being found.
Western cities today. In my city (Frankfurt), we call them bankers, business-people, young
To be a truly missional church for others, we must
professionals—most of whom wouldn’t consider
always lead with the gospel. After all, the story
themselves religious. Jesus, according to these
of Jesus is what caused Luther’s Reformation and
verses, had a lifestyle of receiving them.
many other revivals in the church’s history. As Luther said, “The true Treasure of the church is the
Unfortunately, the lifestyle of many churches is different. Often churches spend a lot of time and
37
holy gospel of the wonderful grace of God.�3 When it comes down to it, the great treasure of the gospel is really what Frankfurt, London, Athens, Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam, and all the cities of Europe need. And missional churches will help them find it.
S t ep h an P u e s is the director of City to City Europe, which aims to create gospel movements throughout the cities of Europe. Originally from Bonn, Germany he has served as the planter and pastor of Nordstern Church and a leader of the CTC D-ACH network in Frankfurt. Stephan is married to Verena, and they have three children.
3 Martin Luther, Thesis 62.
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Find Out What God is Doing and Join Him BY ALAN HIRSCH AND MARK NELSON
O
ne of the most significant missional
Later, when he checked the note, he realized he
leaders in Australia (and a friend of
had just agreed to meet her at one of the city’s most
Alan’s) was a man named John Smith.
notorious strip clubs. He decided to go nonetheless
A prolific activist, communicator,
(we ask that you suspend your judgment here).
and missionary, John engaged those in schools,
At the strip club, he found a table and asked the
pubs, motorcycle gangs, Parliament, and anything
waitress to get Linda as she had asked him to meet
in between. I (Alan) clearly remember John talking
her there that night. The waitress, not believing
about prevenient grace and telling stories to a
the story, asked for his name. When he told her
packed room full of young leaders at a conference
his name was John Smith, she replied, “Oh yeah,
(of which I was one)—stories about how he made it
sure. Everyone is called ‘John Smith’ in this place.”
his practice to find out what God was doing in the
Eventually, he persuaded her to get Linda.
odd and edgy places of our culture. When Linda arrived, she thanked John profusely for John told a story of how one day, after speaking at
coming to this risqué place and began to tell him the
one such large event, a young woman approached
story of her life: She had always loved dancing and
him and told him she had been profoundly moved
always wanted to be a performer. At seventeen, she
by what he had said and she very much needed to
met a young Christian guy and fell in love. At some
talk further about Jesus and his meaning for her
point, he took her to hear John at his local church
life. Unfortunately, the event had gone on too long
and she became a Christian. However, things were
and she, somewhat enthralled by his message,
not all well; her boyfriend came from an ultra-
realized she was late for work, so she begged John to
conservative denomination that looked down on
meet with her later that evening so they could talk
all types of activities as “worldliness,” especially
further. Always a passionate evangelist, he of course
dancing, and the parents forced the young man
agreed. She then thrust a piece of paper in his hand,
to end their relationship on those grounds. It was
asking him to meet her at that address, and ran off.
dancing or teenage love. Because of her deep sense of calling, Linda chose dancing, but having to make
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this choice devastated her. Believing all Christians to be soul-crushing legalists, she gave up on church
***
and devoted herself to a career in dancing. Jesus said, “The truth is that the Son does nothing Now, life is difficult for professional dancers and
on His own; all these actions are led by the Father.
she, like many in the arts, struggled to find work in
The Son watches the Father closely and then mimics
her chosen calling. Following her longing to dance,
the work of the Father” (John 5:19 The Voice). In
and against her better judgment, she ended up
other words, when Jesus goes to the pub or to the
stripping for a living. It was not the best solution,
market, he is always looking for what the Father is
but she adamantly explained that she was not a
already doing, and he joins the Father in what he is
prostitute and that the leering men could not touch
already doing. And we believe this is exactly what
her, and well, at least here, she could dance… and
we need to do when engaging in any and every
get paid for it.
context of life.
She talked to John about her family, her dreams,
Finding God everywhere is at the core of a missional
Jesus, the meaning of life, and how she felt it was
spirituality rooted in our growing awareness that
time for her to come back to Jesus. Later that night,
God can be found in every person, in every place,
John had the privilege and joy of praying with Linda
and in all things. This means we must pay attention.
about “coming home to faith” right there in the
We must learn to become aware of what it is God is
strip club.
doing and where it is that he is doing it.
I (Alan) remember being in that room full of
Recognizing this pattern in the life of Jesus, Brad
enthralled young leaders as John recounted this
Brisco notes that we often wrongly assume the
story. I still remember the stunned silence as
primary activity of God is in the church.1 He states
John then asked a question, one that in a moment
the primary activity of God is in the world, and
changed my entire perspective of mission: “Was
the church is the chief instrument created by God
Jesus in that strip club that night?” Can God be
to be sent into the world to participate in what he
found in that place of tragedy and brokenness,
is already doing. Therefore, instead of ministry
and in others like them? There is no other biblical
being all about human ingenuity and what we can
answer than, “Yes, of course.” We now found
do for God, it is rather about discovering what
ourselves on the horns of a dilemma: if God really
God is already doing, and in light of our gifts and
was in that place, wooing Linda to himself through
resources, discerning how he wants us to join him.2
Jesus Christ, is it alright for us as God’s people to
Brad is not alone.
join him in his mission in these places? And again, I believe we are forced to affirm that it is not only
For instance, Lesslie Newbigin insists that, while
possible, but that it is necessary that some of God’s
the kingdom of God is always present in the
people join him in these so-called “godforsaken”
church, God’s sovereignty must never be allowed to
places of the city.
become the domesticated possession of the church. Speaking from forty or so years of experience as a
The point we want to make here is not that all believers should go to strip clubs and evangelize strippers. That’s incidental to the real (God) story going on in the narrative. The question that must drive us is whether we can join with God in his mission—learning to pay attention in whatever place we find ourselves.
1 Actually, mission is something that God is always (eternally) doing and precedes the work of the church, individual or corporate. This was precisely the key point of David Bosch’s seminal book Transforming Mission, that missiology is an intrinsic dimension of the doctrine of God proper, and not the doctrine of the church. The missiology precedes and informs ecclesiology and not the other way around. See Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in the Theology of Mission (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2011). 2 In a conversation, used with permission.
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missionary to India, he notes that “Mission is not
Isn’t God everywhere present? Surely by virtue of
simply the self-propagation of the church, on the
his immanence in all things, the creator God already
contrary, the active agent of mission is a power that
was and always is present in every dimension of
rules, guides, and goes before the church: the free,
the universe. As Redeemer, God is always wooing,
sovereign, living power of the Spirit of God.”3
forever courting, constantly wowing. God is relentless in his pursuit. By his Spirit, he’s always
The kingdom of God is prior to, and also beyond,
on the scene long before we get there. He has been
the church. It is God’s rule and sovereignty over
there, waiting for us to become aware enough to
the entire universe. By definition, it is not, and
show up, forever pointing us toward his Son in a
cannot be, limited to the church. This means that
gesture of appeal: “Hey, check out my magnificent
when we begin to articulate good news to someone
Son! Isn’t he utterly amazing? Go to him!”
who does not yet believe, we can be assured that God has concerned himself with this person long before the would-be evangelist ever arrived. In fact, contextualization of the gospel depends as much on finding out how Christ is already active in the culture as it does on bringing Christ to the culture. The Bible affirms that God is constantly at work in the world in many ways, in every time, and in different places. “Evangelism is not about Christians working on God’s behalf because God is powerless without them. Effective evangelism must start with recognizing where God is already at work, and getting alongside God in what is going on there. God’s story, not ours, is the authentic starting point.”4 Many evangelicals talk as if we’ve got God in our back pocket, somehow transporting him like a commodity, taking him with us wherever we go. The assumption is that he just arrives on the scene when we get there and not before. We dialogue with people about God, assuming they have had no prior experience with him—theophanies, yearnings, religious experiences of the transcendent, and the like. We conclude they were entirely godless and unspiritual before we came along. As we have already seen, this is simply unbiblical; it cannot explain Paul’s approach to the Greek people in Athens, let alone our own personal stories of
Ala n Hir s c h is author of numerous awardwinning books on movements, organization, and leadership, and teaches extensively across North America, Europe, and Australia. He is the founder of 100 Movements, Forge Mission Training Network, Future Travelers, and now 5Q Collective. All these organizations focus on pioneering leadership development and training and consulting in on the church as missional movement. Ma r k N els on is the lead pastor of a faith community called Crossings in the city center of Knoxville, TN. He has over 30 years of experience in vocational ministry including youth ministry, campus ministry, and church planting. He also co-leads the Forge Knoxville Hub and serves on the Forge America board. Editor’s Note: The previous article is an excerpt of Reframation: Seeing God, People, and Mission Through Reenchanted Frames, a new book by Alan Hirsch and Mark Nelson on reframing our worldview to enlarge our perception of God and the gospel. To order the book, visit reframationbook. com.
experiencing the good news.
3 Lesslie Newbigin, The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995), 56. 4 John Drane, The McDonaldization of the Church: Consumer Culture and the Church’s Future (London: Darton, Longman & Todd, 2000), 63.
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Discovering My Sonship in Christ
I
BY JULIO CHIANG
I took hold of it immediately. I was told that if I
was the seventh child in a very big family. My
believed Christ was the son of God, died for my sins,
parents were divorced, so we all grew up with
and was resurrected from the dead, then I was going
my father. And from early on in my life, I felt
to be forgiven of everything I’d done wrong and
like I needed to do something special to get
receive eternal life. So, that’s what I did.
his attention. With so many children and a job as a plastic surgeon, he was a very busy man.
Something new started in my life—but I didn’t understand the implications that truth would have.
When I was eight, he bought me my first motorcycle. I started riding and I won my first race. My dad was so proud of me he carried me around on
I was using God for my own purposes. I started realizing that I became a Christian for the wrong
the bike (I was pretty small back then).
reasons. I just wanted to avoid suffering and pursue
Ever since that moment, I was highly motivated to
the same drive I had for motorcycle racing—made
happiness. My old need to perform and succeed—
perform well to gain my father’s approval.
its way into my new Christian life. I got involved
I raced in nearly every country of Latin America,
successful and meaningful, not because I loved God.
from Mexico to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Chile, Argentina, Brazil. Many years later, I became the national champion of motocross in Peru ten times, and the champion of Latin America twice. By then, I didn’t race for my father anymore—I raced
in ministry, but it was because I wanted to feel It took me years to realize that. It did make me feel meaningful for a while. Our ministry was successful—our church grew, many came to faith, and I became a success story for
to get girls.
the mission I worked with. But after a few years, I
But as I raced, my desire to find a greater purpose
about God’s love and not feel loved by him myself. I
grew bigger and bigger. It wasn’t enough to win races. There was something screaming inside of me that wanted more. But I didn’t know what more was. So I got involved in a lot of stupid things.
42
As time went by, I started feeling a little guilty that
started to feel empty. It was hard for me to preach disliked everything about myself. I had a hard time understanding how God could love someone like me.
Nothing filled the void.
This went on for years.
That’s when somebody shared the gospel with me.
I remember one day when I was flying from Lima to Pucallpa and the flight attendant said, “Prepare for
an emergency landing. Take any pointy objects out
in love with God. It changes the way you preach.
of your pockets, put yourself in a fetal position, and
You don’t feel like you manipulate people—you want
get ready for impact.” At that moment, I realized
to lead them to the loving presence of the Father
I wasn’t ready to die. It didn’t matter how much I
and let him do his work. You can be vulnerable with
taught about the security of salvation—I was afraid
them about that.
of dying. In my first church planting experience, a lot of the One phrase rang through my mind: “I’m not good
leaders felt used by me. Now, I think the team can
enough.”
be honest and transparent with me. The focus of my preaching has also changed a lot. Even though ***
I preached from the Bible in my first church, the teaching could be very centered on moralism—
A little over five years ago, I left my first church
living a proper Christian life. “Shame on you if you
plant after nine years and came to the U.S. While I
can’t do it.” Now our preaching focuses on making
was there, I read a little book called Surrender To
Jesus the real hero. We still show the beauty of the
Love. It asked the question, “What do you think
Christian lifestyle, but we also show how we will all
God thinks of you when your name comes to his
fail to live up to it at times. And we show how Jesus
mind?”
helps us bridge that gap.
I paused for a moment. Disappointment, I thought.
If I could say anything to my younger self fifteen
By this time, I should’ve been a better person, a
years ago, I would tell myself the discovery of a
better dad, a better husband, a better pastor, a
lifetime: “You don’t need to go into ministry to
better planter, and I wasn’t.
prove your worth. You don’t need to gain your father’s love. You are already a beloved child of
But that book made me realize I wasn’t following
God.”
God out of love—I was following him so I felt good enough about myself. And I realized this after many years of full-time ministry. That revelation started a journey that I’m still on. The first thing I did was go back to the church I planted in Peru. I’d been gone for a year and a half. I met with the leader and the elders, described what happened to me, and asked for forgiveness. I did the
Julio Ch ia ng is a church planter in Lima, Peru. Julio and his wife, Olga, lead Iglesia de la Ciudad (City Church) and, in partnership with City to City Latin America, are building gospel ecosystems for leading Latin American cities through the development of urban church planters.
same thing with the church. I asked them to forgive me for using them. I felt a strong desire to have another chance— another chance to plant a church with the gospel at the center this time. We moved back to Lima to do just that. The gospel changes the way you relate with God— not only as your savior, but as your father. It changes the way you disciple people, not just giving them moralistic laws to obey, but helping them fall
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Advancing the Kingdom Starts with Waiting BY JOHN SMED
T
he biblical word “wait” is filled with
“Do not leave Jerusalem…Wait for the gift God has
dynamic force. There is nothing
promised… you will receive power when the Holy
static or sedentary about it. Waiting
Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses”
is drawing back the bowstring in
(Acts 1:4, 8). The chapter also tells us that waiting is
united and earnest prayer, allowing latent power
enacted by earnest, united prayer: “All these with
to accumulate. And when the bowstring is fully
one accord were devoting themselves to prayer”
drawn, God lets loose the arrow of his answer in full
(Acts 1:14).
force. Between Christ’s ascension and Pentecost, the Here are three biblical benefits to waiting in prayer:
disciples must wait for ten days while their power for evangelism steadily grows in the soil of
Waiting in Prayer Unleashes the Spirit’s Power
kingdom-centered prayer. Despite being given
Christ’s call to wait is fixed at the beginning of the
what sounds like a restrictive order, these believers
church’s mission. In Acts 1, Jesus tells the apostles,
wait in joyful anticipation. They aren’t restrained
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by prohibitions; they’re fueled by the promise that
Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands
they will receive power when the Spirit comes upon
on them and sent them off. So, being sent out by the
them.
Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia.”
But Christ’s command isn’t buried in early
—Acts 13:2-4
church history. It stands immoveable today. The effectiveness of every evangelistic outreach or
This is a perfect example of waiting for God to
missional endeavor begins with waiting for Christ to
reveal his plan for advancing the kingdom. The
pour out a Spirit of power.
word for “worship” in this text means “to serve or wait upon.” The text does not indicate that they’re
Waiting in Prayer Fulfills the Spirit’s Strategy
asking for anything. These leaders are also fasting,
Earnest prayer starts a world-changing movement.
disconnecting from the busy affairs of the world
Once power is poured out from on high (Acts 2:1-4),
in order to contemplate and enjoy Christ. In this
conversions multiply by the thousands (2:41, 4:4).
atmosphere of worship and waiting, the Holy Spirit
Human community is transformed (2:42-47) and
unveils his plan. The Holy Spirit is in charge of the
leaders are multiplied and deployed (6:1-7). The
mission, and those who attend to his majesty and
result is that Christ’s promise of regional church
await his marching orders are the ones who discern
multiplication is fulfilled:
his future plans and purposes.
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee
We may find this passage a profound rebuke to our
and Samaria had peace and was being built up.
unceasing planning, worry, and anxious ambition,
And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the
but we should also take hope in its promise. It’s
comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.”
an invitation for every Christian to work together with Christ (2 Corinthians 6:1) as he confides in his
—Acts 9:31
people and empowers initiatives. “I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from the Father I
This sequence of verses reveals the Spirit’s strategy
have made known to you” (John 15:15).
to reach the world—waiting in prayer triggers the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Learning How to Wait From these texts in Acts, we can summarize what it
Today, prayer is sometimes treated as a last resort,
looks like to wait in three points.
but if we try to accomplish the Spirit’s strategy without prayer beforehand, our failure may be
•
The call to wait is a cease-and-desist. Waiting
guaranteed. If we bypass the waiting and move
always requires declaring a fast from our
ahead to gathering people, choosing leaders,
own power, ambitions, and plans in order
planting churches, or engaging culture, the
to participate in Christ’s. When we wait, we
outcome will be a mere facsimile of the powerful
discover his unfailing plans to reach a lost
work of Christ’s Spirit.
world. •
The call to wait is a call to worship. When we
Waiting in Prayer Reveals the Spirit’s Plan
fast and pray, we take our eyes off ourselves and
The prophets of the church in Antioch give us a
fix them on Christ. As we wait, we rest from
marvelous example of how to wait on the Spirit:
the ceaseless turmoil and distractions of life in order to attend to our Saviour.
“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting,
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•
The call to wait is an invitation to gather
the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas
together for prayer. Although not commanded,
and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’
the first church gathers to pray—they couldn’t
stay apart if they wanted to. “They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and prayer” (Acts 2:42). When faced with opposition, the leaders and people merge in a common cry: “They lifted their voices together to God” (4:23). After ruling powers endanger a beloved leader, Christians rush together to pray through the night. “So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (12:5, 10). Waiting in prayer is often an afterthought—a polite parenthesis to our other, strenuous priorities. But if we ignore prayer, we ignore Christ’s mission. The historical record says the leaders devote themselves to prayer—a strong word encompassing both a heart’s attitude and committed, sustained action (Acts 1:14, 2:42, 6:4). As our prayers move from peripheral to crucial, we “receive power” as we wait (Acts 1:8). We see God’s promises fulfilled. And we make ourselves available to participate in the ongoing advances of Christ’s kingdom.
J oh n S med is founding director of Prayer Current Ministries in Vancouver, British Columbia. He and his wife, Caron, studied prayer at L’Abri, in the Swiss Alps.
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