This week I was able to gather with mission pastors and leaders from all around the country in a roundtable. I was able to hear how God is moving in their congregations. I was able to hear how churches are being used to grow the Kingdom all around the world. It was a great time of hearing how others are going to the ends of the earth with the Gospel.
I also came away from the meeting ever more having two things stirring in my heart. Some was from discussion, but some is just what the Lord is doing in me right now.
First, as an individual, I don't want for a second to be involved in building my kingdom, but I want to be involved in building my Lord's Kingdom. As fallen, depraved, sinful men, it is so easy to get focused upon things of everyday life, of things that make us comfortable, and of things that bring attention to us. I don't want that. Do I have to live in dwelling? Yes. And, recently I bought a house. And, that's ok. The Lord provided an opportunity for us, and we sought His wisdom, and used what he has blessed us with. But I don't want or need a flashy house with all kinds of gadgets and slickness that brings attention to it, to say "I have succeeded in life". What a lie. Do I need a vehicle? In the context God has me in right now, yes. It would be very difficult not to have one. But I don't need to worry about figuring out how i'm going to get a slick ride, as if that new car smell determines my self worth or who I am. I just need something that gets me from point A to point B (and hopefully back to point A), so that I can more effectively do what God has called me to. Do I want people around me to respect me, to trust my leadership, to know I am trustworthy? Absolutely, and I pray they do. However, I don't need to take that to a point where i'm constantly worried about what others think of me. I simply must live in, and trust, and be enamored with, the Glory that is Christ, asking Him daily to be changing me more and more into a man that honors His Savior and Lord. I need to be a Great Commandement and Great Commission man. My life is not my own. I was bought with a price. My King is sovereignly in control, and he will provide what I need (even if it doesn't look like what sometimes I want)
So my life is not about building my own kingdom, or even worrying about it, but about building my Lord's Kingdom, and being worried about eternal things.
Second, as a member of the body of Christ, and as one that God has called out to lead in His Church, I wish the local to be the same. My heart desires the local church to engage in building the Kingdom in individual, strategic ways. So many times we get caught up in wanting to do "what works", or "what is trendy" in churches at any one time. We think "well, this church is doing it" or "wow look at this book" and we try to do what was successful in other contexts. Most of the time-it doesn't work. It fades quickly, and then we are back to "normal".
To see a church say, "Here is who we are, Holy Spirit guide us in the specific way ___________ Church can be used for your Kingdom" is to see a church that is on the brink of revival and being used by God. We talked for a time this week about asking the Holy Spirit to guide our decision making. What a novel concept, right? To allow our teacher and guide to reveal to us what we need to do, of course through and with the scriptures right beside us. Maybe more importantly, guiding us on what we do not need to do. Sometimes it is harder to say no to good things so that we can say yes to the greater things. I've learning in my young life this might be one of the hardest tasks, especially as a missions mobilizer/leader.
I love the church that God has called Leslie and I to be a part of, because in so many ways, they are self-sacrificing to efforts aimed at building the Kingdom. I'm constantly in awe of it. We have seen many missionaries be sent out over the years. We sacrifice financially for Kingdom work that has nothing to do with Second Baptist, Our name will ever hardly appear (if ever) publicly on a lot of the projects. It's not about us, and it's not about growing our kingdom, but it's about growing His kingdom. Are we perfect at this whole concept-certainly not. Not at all. But, I'm proud of my specific church in this, because we desire to strive more and more to be men and women who build His Kingdom, not our own.
But even we can do more. Even we can grow more in our Kingdom efforts. Even we can ask the Lord to pierce our hearts into how he desires us to expand His Kingdom specifically. We have not arrived, not have any of the other leaders I met with around the table this week. There are thousands of groups of people around the World that have never heard the Gospel. So it must not be our name that must be made famous, but must simply and only be the name of Jesus.
My prayer is simple for myself, and in relation, my church and all Gospel preaching churches. My prayer is that God would continually transform each one of us in our hearts, and in turn every possible decision we can make, would cry the Word of Psalm 115.
"Not to us, Oh Lord. Not to us. But to your name be the Glory" Psalm 115:1
