Bishop David Kendall's Blog

This summer I have been sharing with as many as will listen on the great prayer of Paul for the church found in 1 Thessalonians 5:23.  Many in our tradition will recognize this verse as a classic “holiness text.”  In fact, it is the only verse in the Bible that actually refers to “entire sanctification,” using that very terminology.   This verse, however, is not really a teaching on sanctification or encouragement to seek sanctification (directly).  It expresses Paul’s longing for the church everywhere, a longing he lifts to God.

This is a great prayer.  Paul prays that God would possess his people entirely, that his people would be his in ways absolute and without qualification; that his people would be all about whatever he plans and purposes for his world; that nothing about them would thwart his intentions for the ministry arena he calls them to serve. 

I think Paul’s prayer is that we would be a people for God’s possession.  This is a phrase that Peter uses in 1 Peter 2:9.  He describes the church as “ …  a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1Pe 2:9 NRS).  The phrase “God’s own people” is more literally, “a people for possession.”  It suggests that these people are owned by God, set apart for and completely at the disposal of God.  For a church, a people, on their way to such “possession,” here are some questions to ask in the company of one another and in conversation together with God:

¢  Does the community know we are there?  Would they miss us if suddenly we weren’t?  How long before they noticed?

¢  What kind of press has the church had as church lately?

¢  Are we known for joy and hope even, especially, in hard times?

¢  Are we known for God’s standards of morality & righteousness?  If so, well and good, but are we known for God’s standards by the seriousness with which we take them, insist on them, hold ourselves accountable to them, and by how we restore our own when they violate them? 

¢  Or are we just trying to tell everyone else how to live?

¢  Does the church engage in finding people—lost but cherished missing so far as God the Father is concerned? 

¢  Is the essential flow outward toward people in need of what only their God provides? 

¢  When people visit do they detect God, something they can’t explain which though weird still intrigues and draws them?

¢  When we’re together do we sense Someone?

¢  Is there joy and hope in the air?

¢  Do we make a place that convinces you we are not alone?  That God is real, present, taking us somewhere?

¢  When we work on the budget, making hard decisions, is the atmosphere sweet or tense?

¢  Are there subjects or events we shouldn’t bring up?

¢  Can we be real here? 

¢  Is it OK not to be perfect & not OK to be unforgiving?

¢  Can we laugh together, at ourselves? 

¢  Can we cry together?  Do we?  And do we cry and anguish over the things Jesus cried over?

¢  As you pray for the church’s sanctification ask, what’s really happening with us and between us, through us as church? 

¢  Does it trace back to the presence and power of the God who created all things out of nothing and raises the dead?

In recent weeks I have shared and reflected upon the shocking and heart-rending fact that hundreds of FM churches could not report so much as one new Christ-follower in 2008.  I have noted that this is an instance of self-defeating performance that profoundly violates our core tenets as earnest followers of Christ in the Wesleyan tradition.  I am confident that this does not represent our future.  Let me tell you why.

First, if this does represent our future, we shall have none.   We are finished, caput, null and void, charter cancelled, foundation shattered, little better than blight on our beloved Lord’s missional agenda.  We shall become, if we are not already, like the tree that was put on notice, given extraordinary opportunities to shake off its unfruitful ways, fortified with extra fertilizers, showered with nutrients, prayed over, and for one final year hoped for—all to no avail.  Thus, the master gardener will refuse to waste the soil any longer, chop us down and put us out of (or is it into?) our misery (see parable in Luke 13:6-9)!

Second, I have been sharing this uncomfortable truth all over the mid-west this summer and our people have at least said the right things in response and begun to do some of the right things as well.  There has been deep sorrow, earnest entreaties of the Lord, firm resolve and solemn promises to do whatever at whatever the cost.  I have had only one person, a pastor, engage me in conversation in an attempt to “explain” why he put a zero on the report last year.  And, in contrast I have had very many pastors confess to me that they put a zero last year, but they will not do so again.

As I have concluded my less than cheerful talk on past dismal performance I have suggested some things they could do to position themselves and the church on a path leading to a fruitful future.  Here they are:

1. Determine: not here, not now, not us!  The one who created the world out of nothing and who raised Jesus from the dead is on your side when you say this!

2. Pray your determination.  Pray for opportunities to get into the action, for people you know, for people to meet, for opportunities to come.

3. Use the good senses God gave when he created you and the Spirit now wants to fine tune within you.  Use your eyes—open them widely.   Look intently and ask, “What’s really happening?”  Use your ears and listen.  What are you hearing?   What impresses you?  What might God be saying to you in that situation or to that person?

4. Do something.  There are so many options.  Where is someone hurting?  Where do you see a need?  What could be done?  Do it!  Do it and know you’re probably doing more than you know.  Beyond or beneath the need something else is going on.  God will open a door.

 5. These are things you can do as individuals.  Think what you might do in partnership with others, as church, even a small church.   Think what could happen if the church was totally at the disposal of God in its community.  There’s just no way a whole year could pass without at least one new follower!

Lord Jesus, be blessed and delighted by your obedient people!

 

A stunning sets of stats: A church goes an entire year and no one is drawn to follow Jesus in the wake of their following, no one has even stumbled on to the truth, no one has developed a curiosity or thirst or hunger.  That is nigh on to unthinkable in light of some basic tenets of God’s redemptive embrace of the cosmos—things which Wesleyan Christ-followers have always affirmed.

I’ve already reminded you that God wants all people to be saved, and wants this so badly that he doesn’t wait for us to realize it or even to do anything.  He’s all the time at work, all around us–24/7 and at every set of coordinates.  A pastor told me the other day that his church often has—his words: “Salvations just drop into our laps”—laps of the church that is.  Exactly!  That’s how committed God is!  And what God wants to do is not half-way or make sift.  As messed up as we humans are, God determines to make it up—talk about extreme make-over, that’s the plan for every person.  Which means, that every way one can have a need is a potential open door or a cracked window, or perhaps a structural weakness in the wall that separates a needy person from the rushing flood of comprehensively healing grace.  All those “opportunities” for us to make connection with all those people all around us, all the time AND a whole year passes and out of them all there isn’t even one!  Unbelievable!

Here’s another thing: all people may know they are saved.  They may have confident awareness that the God of the universe knows their name, loves them beyond words, and seeks their company.  And, they may confidently enjoy that very company.  The God of the universe knows  how to squeeze himself small enough to fit into our little hearts and teach us his name—which is, in Aramaic, Abba—pops or dad.  Is that great or what?  Is that compelling if real or what?  Is that contagious for a person so God-connected and God-loved and God-sure about it all, or what?  How, then, in a world so clouded over with skepticism and cynicism , leaving people longing for something sure, can some of the longing folks rub shoulders with us and not be drawn in?  I don’t get it at all!

Here’s another thing: God loves and wants to restore the whole universe.  He’s not only interested in humans but in all of reality.  He has made humans to join him in loving, caring for, developing, drawing out the potential of just about everything that exists.  What that means, among other things, is that the human urge to know, understand, explore, find out, solve the problems, enjoy the beauty, create some more beauty, just to begin the list, is actually from God, reflective of his character, and moving into areas of his passionate concern.  So, not only the church but all things, all people, all places, all parts of the universe qualifiy as opportunity for God to work his plan.  And, come to find out, that for some groups that call themselves church—a whole year goes by and no place, no person, no time has ever worked out?  Again, as I type, my mouth wants to drop open in stunned shock.

Here’s a final thing to chew on a bit: our best traditions teach us we are all made to be “in the game,” to play a role in God’s grand designs for the universe.  God works lovingly and powerfully in our lives so we will be part of the solution of all that’s gone wrong in his world.  Our destiny is to be gathered up into God’s healing responses to the brokenness of the world.  We were made for this!  How sad that some never get that, never sense they are participating in things that make the difference for others and the cosmos.   What’s stunning to me is that though they are missing the most profound and joyful reason for the hope they claim to have, still they go on.  If God’s compelling love and transforming power manifesting here and there, and all over the place, doesn’t motivate them, then what does?

In my last post I told you about hundreds of FM churches that saw no new followers of Jesus in a year's time. I thought I would follow up over the next while with why these stats should stun us.

To begin, what else are we here for and what else are we doing? Will someone say, "duh" out there? John Wesley, forefather of our branch of the world wide community of Christ-followers, said, "you have nothing to do but to save souls." I know, he meant more than most evangelicals in the U.S. have meant by this. I know that often we have focused on winning "souls" as if it's only important to guarantee a safe transition from this world to the next, especially for the soul-part of us. Most of us know how reductionist that is, how we are whole people, and how ministry must target all dimensions of our humanity.

Most of us know Wesley had much more in mind than the church has sometimes meant. No question Wesley meant more. But that is NOT to say he meant less, that having absolutely zip new followers over the course of a year is anything other than incredibly out of the norm for a people earnest in following Jesus.

Because to follow Jesus earnestly is to join Jesus in inviting, welcoming and encouraging others to join us in following. The two always go together. All of this reminds me of some basic elements of Wesleyan theology that makes my jaw drop in dumbfounded-ness at the thought of a whole year passing in the life of a church with no one new joining them.

Wesleyans believe that all people may be "saved." God created all people, and longs for all people, just the way we do for our children. Out of his longing, God mobilizes numerous efforts to reach toward people who have yet to come home to him. He seeks to woo and win people. He sent Jesus in the first place. He gave his Spirit to his followers. and now he sends the church. All the time he is at work, all around us, with great urgency.

That's why he sent Phillip across the path of the Ethiopian official (Acts 8).  That's also why he sent Peter to the home of a Cornelius (Acts 10). And, that's why most of us could tell stories of times when we were in just the right place at just the right time to assist someone searching for Jesus. It is literally true that Jesus is always afoot, reaching toward people, arranging opportunities, and doing so through his people even without their knowing it. Yet, a whole year goes by and no one even "trips" over Jesus? How can that be?

Wesleyans believe that all people may be saved completely. That is, as much as we humans have messed up and been messed up–God determines to make it up. Where sin abounds and has a Field-Day, grace super-abounds and brings home the prize. Think of all the ways people can be messed up and in need. Think of the church as Jesus calls us to be: Full service providers of just about everything in a sea of people who need just about everything. And still in a whole year, not one new followers! I can hardly believe that!

There is something stunningly wrong with this picture!  More later …

Recently as I was preparing to give a brief report on things happening in the church I learned that 455 churches reported no new followers of Christ during 2008.  I could hardly believe my eyes.  Could it really be that nearly half our churches did not see even one person begin to follow Jesus throughout the whole of last year?  Surely not!

 

I know that some pastors and probably some non-pastors do not like the question we ask on the annual report form.  It asks about the number of converts, and some object that we are not into a numbers game, and it somehow seems wrong to be fixated on numbers.  And, for that reason, some refuse to answer the question.  Some of the 455 are in this category.  They likely did welcome some to the ranks of followers among them, but do not like our method of reporting.

 

Others are convinced that we do not ask the right questions, at least not all of them.  We ask about the number of people who said a prayer, but seem uninterested in many other people who may not have said the prayer–yet–but made highly significant progress toward their design as bearers of Christ's image in God's world.  What about them?  In frustration of this type, some do not bother answering the question about converts.

 

There may also be some, probably only a few, who have seen multitudes of people converted.  Yet, because they are humble and do not wish to draw attention to themselves or their church, and out of profound conviction that it is all God's doing when even one comes to faith, they therefore refuse to answer the question. 

 

So, there are reasons to believe that the number–455–is not totally accurate.  Perhaps it's only 300!

 

Only 300! Let's suppose that's correct; it's only 300.  Brothers and sisters that is way too many, don't you think?  Can you really believe that nearly a third of our churches did not see anyone new come to faith in a whole year?  Can it be that not even the pastor of those churches won anyone?  Can it be not one Sunday School teacher in any of those churches guided a tender child to give her heart to Jesus?  Can this really be?  Or am I just having a nightmare? 

 

Of course, I do not know how to make sense of this startling number.  But I do know that no church claiming to be a community of Christ-followers should rest content while no one is coming to faith and who knows how many around them are missing the very reason for their creation, some of them ultimately and eternally! 

 

Don't you agree–455, or 300, or even 3 such churches would be way too many?  Don't you agree that if people in such a church prayed earnestly for just one new follower that the Lord would surely answer such a prayer?  Don't you agree that to do so would represent the very reason God called such a church into being in the first place?

 

Don't you agree?

 

Won't you join me in praying, teaching, preaching, sharing until the day comes when the number of such churches is zero?