Three Key Factors
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| The greatest challenge is not the mission field. It is the missionary. |
...And a great multitude from Galilee followed Him, and from Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and beyond the Jordan; and those from Tyre and Sidon, a great multitude, when they heard how many things He was doing, came to Him. So He told His disciples that a small boat should be kept ready for Him because of the multitude, lest they should crush Him. (Mark 3:7-9).
Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. (Matthew 4:24-25)
Men, women and children - people from all walks of life thronged about Him. Many were fascinated by reality of the Kingdom that was being demonstrated and all the signs and wonders that were taking place. Others were captivated by the authority of His message and His ministry. And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Matthew 7:28-29)
On one occasion, officers were sent by the Chief Priests and Pharisees to arrest Him and bring Him in. when they arrived, they found Him teaching. His message was so challenging that they went back without Him. When they were asked by those who sent them why they had not arrested Him, they responded, “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (John 7:46).
When Christ spoke of His true identity and what following Him truly meant, the reactions of the people changed dramatically. At this point, they began to realize He was not exactly what they had imagined Him to be. He did not fit their preconceived idea of who or what the Messiah was about. Not only that, His claims and His message was so radical that scriptures state many of His own disciples walked away and stopped following Him. Even Peter felt so disturbed once that he pulled Him aside before He had finished speaking and began to rebuke Him. The leaders of the day believed He had a demon and even His own family members arrived to seize Him by force and take Him away because they saw that He was out of His mind.
The more His ministry grew and His teaching spread, the more the enemies increased. So while some left the meetings with a sense of conviction and awe, others began leaving the same meetings to plot on how they could put Him to death. In the meantime, some among those who heard Him, like the rich young ruler, found His way too narrow for comfort and simply walked away. Eventually, even His own disciples deserted Him and fled. By the time we come to the final chapters of the Gospels, we see an entire city in uproar. Thousands of people on the streets of Jerusalem clamoring for His execution. To an ordinary observer, mainstream society had turned completely against Him.
The situation was so out of control that even Pilate the procurator was unable to contain the commotion. He tried to transfer the responsibility to Herod, but the latter offered no solutions. So He was brought back again to Pilate. The procurator could not comprehend how a single person could spark such a citywide uproar. He went back and questioned Jesus to find out what He had done exactly. Pilate emerged and told the multitudes, he could not find any fault with Him and was going to release Him. The multitudes would have none of that! They actually wanted Barabbas, a convicted murderer, released instead of Him. In other words, what the crowds were really saying is that they were safer with a murderer roaming freely on their streets than this Man from Nazareth.
As a military leader, Pilate acquainted with the logic in social upheaval and people can indeed stage an uprising against collective evils that had been done to them. But this was only one Person. He did not have an army or any visible band of malefactors. He not a terrorist, a cold-blooded killer or other type of dangerously violent criminal. Yet the multitudes kept calling for His execution. What could this Man have possibly done to catapult the population to the point of baying like this for His blood?
Let us now move forward in time. When Apostle Paul stepped onto the scene in the book of Acts, society reacted in a similar manner. In fact, it has been said of Paul that he seemed either at a riot or on his way to one! His ministry and his message attracted multiple beatings and imprisonments. At one point, 40 Jews hatched a plot, making a pact that they would not eat anything until they had made sure the man had been terminated. On another occasion, crowds dragged him out of the city, stoned him and left him for dead. When he came into Ephesus, the entire city went into in an uproar for hours with some shouting one thing while others another, and the Bible says that most of them did not even know why they were there (Acts 19:32).
His critics were growing in numbers not just in the general population, but among the churches he had started. Many in these churches began moving away into man-made doctrines and false faith that were easier to handle than this man and his radical message. He wrote letters to them while in prison, warning them of these errors and reiterating the true meaning and message of the Gospel. His own travelling companions began withdrawing from him, including Demas, who went back to the world. By the time Paul was finally brought in chains before the authorities, he states:
You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. (2 Timothy 1:5). Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. (2 Timothy 4:10). At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me... (2 Timothy 4:16)
Here again, Paul did not have an army or any visible band of malefactors. He not a terrorist, a cold-blooded murderer or other type of dangerously violent criminal. Yet here he was in chains, on a path that would ultimately lead to his execution. What had brought his life into these tragic circumstances? And why was everyone distancing themselves from him, including those who could be considered spiritually mature? Why were these outcomes so different from what we see today?
The answer to all these questions is the same.
It is the man, the ministry and the message.
In due course, we will examine these three in detail. It suffices to state here that the man always precedes the message and the ministry. The nature of the man that determines the quality, depth and impact of his message or ministry. His presentation and delivery may be wonderful and doctrinally accurate, but what of his person? How deep and refined is the human container? What does it feed the masses with, information or life? Has the person gone through the breaking and molding process required to become a true vessel of life? It is written of Christ that He became a life-giving Spirit. This is the manner in which the Kingdom is meant to be represented. When we look at ministry globally, the biggest problem before us is not the 10/40 window or societies that have embraced materialism and secular humanism. The greatest challenge is not the mission field. It is the missionary.
Today, the Gospel is communicated and imagined by many as a sweet, nice and appealing story that appeals to the mind, soothes the soul and gladdens the hearer. But the two accounts above bring us to a different conclusion. When the true Gospel was first conveyed, it brought a supernatural impact upon society and changed hearts and lives. At the same time, it provoked leaders, infuriated the masses, sparked riots, attracted persecution and death. The heart of the true Gospel is a message that is so radical, it can only work the way it was intended in those who are willing to lose everything, including their own lives.
In due course, we will examine these three in detail. It suffices to state here that the man always precedes the message and the ministry. The nature of the man that determines the quality, depth and impact of his message or ministry. His presentation and delivery may be wonderful and doctrinally accurate, but what of his person? How deep and refined is the human container? What does it feed the masses with, information or life? Has the person gone through the breaking and molding process required to become a true vessel of life? It is written of Christ that He became a life-giving Spirit. This is the manner in which the Kingdom is meant to be represented. When we look at ministry globally, the biggest problem before us is not the 10/40 window or societies that have embraced materialism and secular humanism. The greatest challenge is not the mission field. It is the missionary.
Today, the Gospel is communicated and imagined by many as a sweet, nice and appealing story that appeals to the mind, soothes the soul and gladdens the hearer. But the two accounts above bring us to a different conclusion. When the true Gospel was first conveyed, it brought a supernatural impact upon society and changed hearts and lives. At the same time, it provoked leaders, infuriated the masses, sparked riots, attracted persecution and death. The heart of the true Gospel is a message that is so radical, it can only work the way it was intended in those who are willing to lose everything, including their own lives.
There is a call in the Gospel and it is a call to die. Not all disciples become martyrs, though this may well happen. But all true followers of Christ are certainly on death row. They are called to die to themselves and to die to this world. This message demands nothing short of total surrender. To embrace the true Gospel is to say yes to the cross and to live in holiness without which no one will see God. It is to daily allow this instrument to do its work within our being till we no longer live, but Another lives in us. It is transformation on a personal level from the inside out. Such is the path of life.
The Lord Himself urged people to first of all count the cost before making a decision to follow Him (Luke 14:25-33). The true Gospel message goes completely against the modern culture of comfort and convenience. It is the antithesis of what is mostly circulated today as the truth about Christianity. In light of this, where do we stand? The path that leads to life is narrow and there are few that find it. Listen to the words of the Master Himself:
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword... He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it. (Matthew 10:34-39)
