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Subscribe to the NetworkUniversity as Mission (Part II)
Ok, now that we got some juices flowing with this topic, let me add to what I said in the previous post. I can tell, from some comments as well as a few emails I received, that this post got some of you pretty fired up. Frankly, some people might be irritated or frustrated with me. To that I say, “good.”
The good part of frustration is that we think more deeply. And, that was part of my point in the last post.
Now, let me list out some of the balances to part one. I will issue 3 here, get some of your thoughts, and then post at least 3 more tomorrow. I didn’t want to balance it out in part one for the purpose of discussion. So, there are a few things I’ll add here that may balance some things out for you (or possibly further your frustration/thought process!):
- I know I worded things as an either-or issue in part one. I did that on purpose. However I don’t think this is an either-or issue at all. My point is to get those of us who don’t even think about connecting with what God is already doing on the campus before just marching in with our own agenda’s. The reality is that there are Christian’s in the “core” part of the “system” that God is already using. I think we need begin to think more about connecting with what He is ALREADY doing and come alongside of that instead of just charging in.
- We cannot ultimately undermine God, but we can undermine some things He’s done in the past through others. Let me explain. Lets say you’ve been spending a ton of time with a co-worker. You’ve learned this person, their thoughts and experiences, and because of the time you’ve spent with them have a really good understanding as to why their perspective of Christ is off. You’ve been walking with this person for a year or so now, seeking to help them understand the gospel. Then, someone comes in and “preaches” to them – totally turning them off to any further discussion with you. Would you not be upset…at least a little? Sure, maybe you help them understand that the message that was preached is still the message they need to receive. But surely there could be some damage done to the process you’ve been in with that person. At the end of the day we embrace the sovereignty of God, but that does not mean that the process God had you in with that person wasn’t thwarted to some degree. This is what I’m trying to get us to think more about. Not that it’s wrong to begin a brand new ministry on a campus. But we ought to think much more about joining in with what God is already doing on a particular campus. This, my friends, is not a waste of time – but it does take some time to understand. Maybe 3-5 years is a bit of a stretch (again, I used those #’s on purpose to initiate thought), but taking a certain amount of time to understand what God is already doing and joining in that with unity is not a waste of time – or being unfaithful. I think it’s quite the contrary. It’s simply trying to tune in to what God is doing, being sensitive to the Spirit, and working in unity with the body of Christ.
- James 4 speaks about the arrogance of going into a town with a plan of our own. I think we need to be very careful of our arrogant attitude and approach. Some college campuses are much larger than towns or cities. I think this certainly applies to this context. In addition I am also issuing the thought here that maybe it’s not the Lords will for you or I to begin a new ministry on a particular campus, but instead join in with what He’s already doing there. This, unfortunately, is typically not something we even give the time of day.
Ok, so I’ll post at least 3 more thoughts about this tomorrow, but before I do I’d like to hear your thoughts again….
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This happens all the time…
More good words, Chuck.