Be Prepared

Regular readers of this blog will note that on more than one occasion that I have shared my doubts about long range strategic planning. When major companies have adopted planning cycles of only six months, it would seem that the church, which is supposed to be responsive to the leadership of the Spirit of God, should be flexible in its planning as well.

This does not mean that I think visioning and planning processes are unwarranted, but I do believe that such processes should focus on understanding the church’s ministry context, its resources, and ways to prepare its people for service that allow a rapid response to a changing world rather than developing inflexible action plans that may hamper ministry.

This was on my mind when David Cates, our church’s minister to students, preached last Sunday on Luke 12:35-38:

“Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake—and so blessed! Luke 12:35-38, The Message

Cates made a good case that “the servants are to be busy even if the master is not present.” In other words, are we doing the things that will please Christ and build up His Kingdom?

What are some things that we can be doing as God’s people to not only keep busy until He comes but respond to opportunities to do His work right now?

First, we need to be praying. In doing so, we pray not just for ourselves and for discernment about how to use each day for God’s service, but we pray that God will open our eyes to how we can help others and how they might help us to be what God wants us to be as willing servants.

Second, “we need to be in the Word” as preachers of an older era often implored. This means careful studying of the content of the Bible but is also putting ourselves in a place where God can speak to us through scripture. We are certainly concerned about what the Bible said to its original audiences, but we must also realize that there is a fresh word for us in scripture today that will guide our lives and work.

Third, we must discover our passions for service, recognize our spiritual gifts, and develop our skills for ministry. Like the servants in the parable cited above, we need to be dressed, awake and ready to serve when the opportunity arises.

Four, we need to be open to possibilities, especially those that come when we least expect them. When I did orientation sessions with college students who were preparing to serve as summer missionaries, I always told them that rule number one is, “Be flexible.” No matter what we told them that their assignment would be, they should be prepared for it to change. They needed the mindset to respond positively when it did!

“Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on!” Be ready for what God has prepared for you.

Comments

Check these out

Confessions of a Recovering Southern Baptist

I am grateful for my heritage as a Southern Baptist. I was exposed to the Bible and worship from a very young age. I grew up in a church in south Alabama that supported the Cooperative Program of missions giving. This meant that our church had the benefit of being part of a supportive group of local churches and the educational opportunities that afforded. Our state convention provided varied and effective ministries with groups like orphans, ethnic groups, and college students. We supported missionaries at home and abroad. We had good Bible study and training literature (which we paid for, of course). I went to an accredited seminary and paid a remarkably low tuition. Wherever you went on a Sunday morning (in the Southeast and Southwest, at least), you could find a church that sang the familiar hymns and studied the same Bible lesson. In hindsight, I realize that this Southern Baptist utopia was imperfect. There were significant...

The Bible Tells Me So

As I read the story of the Good Samaritan during my devotional today, I was reminded of the times that I have heard the story in the Christian education setting of the local church--as a youngster in primary and intermediate classes (old terminology), as a young adult in college classes, and then as an adult, often teaching the passage myself. The characters and story line are very familiar due to these experiences of Christian education. These are challenging times for Christian education in the church. Like so much of what is happening in the church today, the old forms do not seem to support present needs. What once worked no longer seems to be effective. Christian education or the formation of believers is in a state of flux. In an article on ethicsdaily.com , retired professor Colin Harris addresses this issue. He points out that the period of the 60’s and 70’s “saw the beginnings of a loss of vitality within the educa...

Metaphors of the Kingdom of God

In a recent blog , consultant Seth Godin addresses the power of metaphor. He points out, “The best way to learn a complex idea is to find it living inside something else you already understand.” In other words, “this” is like “that.” “When you see a story, an example, a wonderment,” says Godin, “take a moment to look for the metaphor inside.” Jesus turned this around. In the use of parables, he told a story or provided a metaphor and challenged his hearers to see the truth within. For example, in his teaching on the Kingdom (or Reign) of God in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus compares the Kingdom to such things as a mustard seed, yeast, a hidden treasure, a net, a king, and a landowner. His hearers are encouraged to use their imaginations to understand something that they had never experienced. He also attempted to shift their perspective so that they might see signs of the Kingdom breaking into their present reality. These are metapho...

The Tragedy of Willow Creek Community Church

File photo of Steve Carter, Heather Larson, and Bill Hybels As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to pray for Willow Creek Community Church. On the eve of the Global Leadership Summit, a worldwide conference sponsored by the church in cooperation with the Willow Creek Association, church leadership imploded as a result of further allegations against former pastor Bill Hybels. Last year, Hybels introduced the team who would assume church leadership upon his retirement--lead pastor Heather Larson and teaching pastor Steve Carter. Although the founding pastor planned to stay on to assist in a time of transition, reports of sexual impropriety involving Hybels surfaced early this year. He accelerated his departure from the church and left the board of the Willow Creek Association. When other charges emerged last week, teaching pastor Carter resigned. On Wednesday evening, Larson and the entire elder board--lay leaders who provide accountability ...

A Future for the Global Leadership Summit?

Craig Groeschel, the founder and senior pastor of Life.Church. The Global Leadership Summit which began as a project of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and its founding pastor, Bill Hybels, over 25 years ago was held this week without Hybels. For several years, the GLS has been now produced by the Willow Creek Association, a spin-off organization and a loose network of churches but Hybels has been its driving force. Attended by thousands at the church facility in South Barrington and broadcast to thousands more at satellite locations, the annual meeting brings together not only evangelical leaders but outstanding speakers from business, charitable organizations, politics, and business. For the first time, Hybels did not appear due to allegations of sexual impropriety brought against him over the past year by former employees, staff members, and business associates. He has already left the church and resigned from the board of t...

Barnabas File

Search This Blog