So many of us this week attended a church service. For some it was in a large building full of thousands of people with a full band to lead in giving praise to King Jesus. Or for some it was a small group of people meeting in a home to study the word of God. The latter is what the majority of the church looks like globally, from week to week. But as the body of Christ, the church, we can meet anywhere for fellowship and teaching from God’s Word. These two functions of the church are vital for church health, but they are not exhaustive pertaining to health. When meeting with the church most of us have been in the listening position more than the teaching position. But have you been there too long? Today, I’m going to challenge you with Scripture to move beyond just listening, but to teaching or doing!

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1 Peter 5:6, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in due time he will exalt you.”

Last week I was standing in a village overlooking the beautiful hills of Darjeeling. The clouds were rolling in and creating a most majestic picture. It was a quiet morning with not much happening. The reason for coming to this village was to teach on making disciples. This particular trip was focused on organizing what we call “Timothy groups,” groups designed to encourage believers to share the gospel and teach their disciples to obey Christ, which will result in churches being established.

This is the work God has given me to do.

It has brought great blessings to my life and given me experiences I had never imagined. As I was in my quiet moments of reflection looking over the mountains, I began to think about what led me to this point in my life. At different times in our lives, many of us will ask the question, “How did I get here?” Or, “Why am I here?” For some it maybe that you are in a spot you don’t particularly like. Or, like myself, it is a time to remember God’s faithfulness to you.

After much reflection on God’s past grace, the Lord revealed once again a scripture that played a significant role in guiding my life. 1 Peter 5:6 filled my thoughts, which says, “Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in due time he will lift you up.” The Apostle Peter’s wisdom has served to guide my heart and ministry for several years.

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In my previous post about world missions, we discussed a vision for how we can accomplish the Great Commission. Now, we will discover whom God wants to use to finish the task.

Recently in Turkey I was able to visit Ephesus, one of the major cities the Apostle Paul took the gospel to. It all began by searching for a taxi to take us from the port city to this wonderful ancient city. My sister arranged a taxi driver and we were on our way to Ephesus. Excitement filled the car! The driver began to tell us all about the area. He was eager to explain every detail about this historic place. One phrase he kept using that caught my attention was the way he referred to Ephesus. He would say “In my town”….

It amazed me that I was sitting in a taxi with a man who would refer to one of Paul’s mission hubs as, “my town.” After a day filled with new sights and sounds reflection was inevitable. First, my thoughts focused on how Paul came to Ephesus in obedience to the Great Commission. Secondly, I pondered upon who were those disciples. Who were the men and women who owned the vision for Ephesus?

Just as the driver referred to Ephesus as, “my town,” Paul was looking for men and women who would utter similar words regarding the spread of the gospel. Phrases like, “In my town I want all people to know about the power of Jesus.” Or, “In my town I want all people to hear about the risen Christ.” These are just a few of the phrases the people might have said (although we know it was not English but Greek). When Paul went to this place there were not any seminary trained people available, but only ordinary men and woman. Remember, these were the types of people Jesus used to turn the world upside down. Acts 13:4 says “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary me, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Jesus took fishermen and made them the leaders of his movement.

This was a movement that would cover the entire Roman Empire in a decade. If we look into the Old Testament it should not surprise us that God chose to use men such as this. What kind of work did Abraham do? What about Moses? Or David? All of these great men of God were Shepherds. They were all entrusted to watch sheep. But it is men like this that God chose to lead his people. It is simple men and women that take the kingdom to the world.

In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians he congratulated them with these words, “The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia– your faith in God has become known everywhere” (1 Thess. 1:8). One friend of mine has said that the gospel is not meant to be controlled, but it is meant to be unleashed. The nature of the gospel is found in it being spread. For it to advance and not shrink back. The Thessalonian church lived this out and the results were not only, “my town,” but, “the next town.”

How many of you today have a vision for your town or city? Are you making disciples in such a way that ordinary people can do extraordinary things? Is your church or small group conveying this vision weekly so it will be in the forefront of your mind and written on your heart? Or, are you trying to control the gospel and not unleashing it?

One of the Apostle Paul’s greatest resources was his vision. He wanted to see his disciples do more than even he could do.

What is needed for a good after-party?  If you ask your average college student they would probably say a big keg and a lot of people ready to get loose.  But the after-party I’m speaking about here is not your typical festivity. Louie Giglio, in a message he recently gave to college students, described heaven as just that – an after-party. In his message, he mentioned every type of people group worshipping before the throne of Jesus, the King of Kings.

 I am currently working in India, and as one could say, I’m working together with brothers and sisters for the biggest after-party ever.  I train others to go and reach their people so that particular people groups will be a part of the heavenly party.  So I ask the question what is needed for the after-party?

 I believe the answer is found in a quote written down in the front of my bible.

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