of relevance. Now, returning to NZ for two months (August-September), I find that our experiences have drawn each of those words into a deeper, fuller
conversation.
a sense that there are those with something to give and then there are the rest of us, who have something
to receive. The flow tends to be one way. Even with the best servant-hearted
intentions, this often perpetuates a dependency. And yet when we consider the
images of the church in the New Testament – body, temple, building – it is interdependency that is so striking.
Everyone has something to give. Everyone has something to receive. Everyone is
indispensable – in the global church, as well as the local one (1 Corinthians 12). Expressing
these truths is best done through partnerships, built on the foundation of friendship, where we think clearly and humbly about how the church in the majority world can resource us.
pastors who spend their entire careers battling this challenge with an evangelistic heart. I was with one of them earlier this week. And yet, further
afield in the majority world, people are responding to Christ in huge numbers. There is plenty of numerical growth, but
it tends to be growth without depth. The desperate need is for ministries which grow
people deep into Christ. Discipleship. Biblical preaching. Theological
education. Mentoring. It is this other mandate for the church in the New
Testament – the maturity challenge, if you like – which surfaces so often. I find a certain irony about New Zealanders going on mission trips, offering an expertise they don’t often have to countries which usually do have that expertise. I wonder what a ‘maturity trip’ might look like?
in NZ. Events. Music. Podcasts. Conferences. Speakers. Sometimes I wonder if there is a danger of being over-inspired? The parrot on Inspector Clouseau’s shoulder
in the Pink Panther movies comes to
mind – constantly being pumped up because it keeps deflating. Where are those lives that whisper to us the words of
Paul, ‘follow me, as I follow Christ’ (1 Corinthians 11)? The life they live quietly draws us close and changes us. Such people did wander through my life in NZ (oh yes, they did!) – but now I find my life is awash with them. The genius of such ‘followship’ is that
it plays on our aspirations. We want to be like that person who carries that
whiff of Jesus.
evident for all to see. In the majority world, with its oral cultures, story
is always going to be central. But here is the problem. Again and again, church leaders over there are saying
something else to us. “We’ve tried stories. Come train us how to teach the
Bible. That is what we need.” In one country that comes to mind, they see such biblical teaching to
be the way to secure their people against the threat of religious
fundamentalism. In another country, such biblical teaching is seen to be the
antidote to the prosperity gospel. In still another country, such biblical teaching
is the helping hand by which the marginalised are drawn close and valued. In still another region, such biblical teaching is seen to be the antidote to a pervasive nominalism. It is the cry for simple, clear, accessible and transformative biblical teaching that is heard most often.
like describing it to be irrelevant. But there is a problem here. The pursuit of
relevance – fitting in with the surrounding culture, flowing with its trends in
order to gain an audience – is barely visible in the Bible. In one testament
the people of God are ‘a light to the nations’, while in the other they are the
‘light of the world’. Light?! That sounds more like a life that contrasts, than it does a life that fits-in. The
instinct here is more about going upstream, resisting the flow, than it is about
floating downstream, going with the flow. How have we missed this? Is it partly because the love and justice of God has eclipsed the holiness of God in NZ? We sing a ‘holy’ here and there, but maybe if we taught it and lived it more, there would be a greater concern for resistance over relevance.
be going anywhere. But is it enough? No, it isn’t. What about building partnerships which
target maturity through an aspirational teaching which energises resistance? If
we are willing to be patient, we might be surprised about the fruit this brings.
nice chatting
Paul
[NB: this post is adapted from an article written for NZ Baptist News.]
About Me
the art of unpacking
After a childhood in India, a theological training in the USA and a pastoral ministry in Southland (New Zealand), I spent twenty years in theological education in New Zealand — first at Laidlaw College and then at Carey Baptist College, where I served as principal. In 2009 I began working with Langham Partnership and since 2013 I have been the Programme Director (Langham Preaching). Through it all I've cherished the experience of the 'gracious hand of God upon me' and I've relished the opportunity to 'unpack', or exegete, all that I encounter in my walk through life with Jesus.
Recent Posts
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