Today I begin a series of posts related to my forthcoming book Pressure Points: Twelve Global Issues Shaping the Face of the Church (Thomas Nelson). Lord willing, the book is to be released in July. Until then, I want to give you a glimpse of its contents. For a quick overview, see last month’s post HERE.
Ever since the first century, the church has experienced challenges to her mission of making disciples of all nations. For example, we read of persecution (Acts 4:1-3), racial issues (Acts 6:1; 10; 15:1-35), immorality (1 Cor 5:1; Rev 2:20), wealth and apathy (Rev 3:15-19), false teachings (Gal 1:6-7; 2 John 7-11), famine (Acts 11:27-30), and poverty (Acts 3:2; Gal 2:10).
And while sin, satanic forces, a groaning world, and an ungodly world system may at times slow the growth of the Church, the Bride will never be crushed. Jesus promised to build His Church. The Kingdom Economy often leverages such pressures to bring about wonderful manifestations of God’s grace and omnipotence.
Jesus reminded us that not only is the call to Kingdom citizenship a call to be world-impacting disciple makers, but also a call to experience the pressures in this world. We find ourselves swimming in a sea of difficulties and delights, challenges and comforts, and opposition and opportunities. In every age, the Church has experienced pressures affecting Her mission of disciple making. However, we are to remember that our Lord has overcome the world (John 16:33), will present us blameless (Jude 24), and has provided His Spirit, enabling us to do even greater things (John 14:12) while on mission.
Stewardship of Innovation
For better or for worse, the global pressures of our day are shaping and will continue to shape the Church. Here are a few of the many questions we should be asking:
- How are we to respond to the growth of cities in our world?
- What Great Commission opportunities exist with large numbers of unreached people groups living outside of their countries of birth?
- How should the Church in the West relate to the Church in Majority World countries?
- What does the Church need to be doing now in sub-Saharan Africa in light of the large number of children with HIV?
- How does the growth of Islam influence our mission?
- How do we equip new believers and long-term Kingdom citizens for life and mission in pornified societies?
This book is written not only to raise awareness of global issues, but to challenge the Church to ask questions and to submit humbly to the Lord, crying out for wisdom, discernment, and guidance in view of the pressures that surround us. In our integrated world, the global issues are not ones that we can say are “over there” and not in our own communities.
The call to follow Jesus is a call to remove from our vocabularies the phrase “We’ve never done it that way before.” He is a dynamic Savior with His Spirit at work in and through the pressure points of our age. Innovations—even in missions—often take people in new directions while building on the labors of those who have gone before.
Throughout the book of Acts, the Church often had to innovate for mission as the Spirit led into new frontiers. As Kingdom citizens, we are often required to change our general ways of thinking and functioning for the health of the Church and gospel advancement. Structures, institutions, organizations, and traditions are to remain nimble and held loosely. It is when the church resists Spirit-led change and the need to innovate in light of global circumstances that she soon finds herself impotent and in poor health.
Unfortunately, such adjustments are usually painful and difficult. Christians are the ultimate conservatives when it comes to making necessary institutional adjustments for missions. And—it is sad to write—in many cases, until our pet preferences become a burden to us, or are cataclysmically removed from our control, we are likely to hold on to them, grieving the Spirit yet believing we are walking the straight-and-narrow path for gospel advancement. We are often guilty of taking what the Spirit provides for kingdom advancement and, over time, turning it into an idol for which we will sacrifice our lives.
With four billion people in the world who are not Kingdom Citizens—including over two billion who have never heard the name Jesus—we have much to do in our day. Knowing how to live as wise stewards involves knowing our world in light of our commission. Knowing our world means understanding the global pressure points shaping the face of the church and mission.
Pressure Points may be pre-ordered HERE.
(image credit: Microsoft Office)
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