Asia and Europe (Italy), 2010: Day 26
The weather turned unseasonably cool, so we elected to continue the meetings indoors rather than out beneath the pine trees. I must confess, I was a bit disappointed that the weather was not more cooperative. Though it might easily become a mere gimmick, church-without-walls was a fantastic experience. I loved teaching outdoors, and I will look for every future opportunity to do the same again.
The kaleidoscope of people attending these meetings continued to spin and shift. I believe there was some uncertainty among the Italian pastors about the nature of this weekend and the teachings that I would offer. The wide variety of people, as well as the profoundly different levels of spiritual maturity, forced me to teach the way that I would at a public service, rather than what I would teach or how I would teach it at a leaders’ meet. Jesus taught the multitudes. But he also had special things to clearly say to his disciples. The multitudes got parables. The disciples received principles.
Late in the day, after I established credibility with the people listening, I elected to step close to the edge of rudeness. It was not my intent to be impolite, nor did I want to be critical. I believe everyone understood the heart behind what I said, and ultimately I think they received it as truth. At one point, the apostle Paul speaks to friends of his and tells them that though they should be eating meat (by now), they weren’t really able to chew. Instead of eating meat, they were only ready to drink milk. Paul wanted to teach the people more than the simple basics of Christianity. He wanted to explain more of the fascinating realities of the spiritual dimension. The maturity level of the listeners did not allow him to do so.
I felt very much like Paul must’ve felt. So many things in my heart, and yet I needed to lay a simple foundation. This is one of the dilemmas that pastors face in many countries — including our own. Overall, the lack of substantial and sustained teaching creates a hodgepodge of maturity levels among Christians. Where does the pastor begin? What basics need to be taught, in order to teach things that lead to greater maturity? Frankly, many pastors/teachers lack a systematic understanding of how the building blocks of the word of God fit together. This makes it extremely difficult to teach people in a sustained, coherent manner.
Additionally, most Pentecostal pastors prefer topical sermons. By that, I mean that they jump from topic to topic and text to text without a plan for how all of those teachings add up and fit together. Of course, I believe that the Spirit of God can give a pastor a timely word, a timely message or a timely sequence of four or five messages. I love to teach topically!
But I also believe the books of the Bible that have coherent structures. Most of the New Testament books were letters written to congregations, and each of those letters has an inherent logic. It makes a lot of sense, therefore, for a pastor to teach his or her way through an entire New Testament book. It’s amazing how many different subjects and doctrines are introduced in each of these books. A thorough teaching through the books will lead a pastor to discuss the kinds of basics that every believer needs to mature.
I told my Italian friends that I was salivating at the prospect of being able to teach and disciple a group like them. They really did understand that I was not being critical in my remarks. Rather, I was empathizing with the pastors — about the huge task they face in constructing a coherent body of teachings for their people — and with the sincere believers who truly want to be more mature than they are now.
Once again, I was reminded why Jesus wept over sheep without shepherds. Once again, I felt renewed in my passion to inspire and equip young men and women to become teachers of God’s word.
All the structures and buildings in the world, all the money and materials in Christendom, all the plans and strategies of denominational leaders come to naught unless we identify young men and women who are willing to suffer and be trained for teaching/leading ministry in the body of Christ. The cry of God’s heart is still, “Who will go for me? Whom shall I send?”
I respond to those questions ringing in my ears by saying, “Send me!”
But as I age, as the years of my-ministry-past outnumber the years of my-ministry-future, it becomes increasingly unsatisfying to say, “Send me.” My thinking, my energy, my resources ought to be progressively more devoted to declaring, “Send them!” This is why I traipse around the globe: to find them, to love them, to mend them and to send them!!
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