There are so many great books we’ve been reading in preparation for the adventure ahead! I wanted to share this passage in Rolland Baker’s PhD entitled ‘TOWARD A BIBLICAL “STRATEGY” OF MISSION: THE EFFECTS OF THE FIVE CHRISTIAN “CORE VALUES” OF IRIS GLOBAL’. It jumped out at me and made my heart leap for joy. My Spirit was saying “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
Our values teach us that we cannot arouse love until it so desires (S of Songs). Love and relationship are not produced automatically by external, physical miracles. We have noticed time after time that even those raised from the dead and healed of serious disease do not necessarily respond well to the gospel or stay fervent and faithful to the Lord. Only one out of ten lepers healed by Jesus came back to thank Him. This understanding leads us to concentrate in our preaching and teaching not solely on external signs and wonders, but always on relationship. Churches deteriorate, pastors fall away, people lose interest, revival declines and our movement dries up if all we emphasize are prosperity, healings, manifestations and external phenomena. In Iris we have never chased signs and wonders, but only the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Signs and wonders then chase us. “Doing the stuff” is not the point. Jesus is always the point. (Page 237)
YES! Jesus is always the point! I love that!
It’s never about what He can do for us or through us, it’s always about Him! Relationship with our Father and King is what we were all made for.
It’s good to know that we’ll be in the company of leaders that have a heart after God and prioritise relationship with Him over miracles and circumstances.
God has been speaking to us much about the Kingdom and what it looks like to lay down our lives for the Kingdom’s sake.
When a soldier is in battle, ready to shoot or take the next bullet, the thoughts running through his mind could be – ‘I could get killed’; ‘What about my family and kids?’; ‘How would my wife cope?’. These are all sincere and natural thoughts OR he could be thinking – ‘It’s an honour to serve my country and leader. I’m available and ready to die for the sake of my country and it’s people because I love them’. What a perspective … the same one Jesus had on the cross … the same one we should have.
It’s not about us or our house, it’s not about the welfare and comfort of our family and kids. God didn’t save us so we could have a better day or a life filled with no trouble (in fact He promised us persecution would come). He saved us for perfect fellowship with Him and to be transformed into His likeness! When the world looks at us, they should see the Father, just as Jesus said in John14:9 – ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’
This is so humbling and makes me want to run to daddy God even more!
~ D
