God's Grace and the Church Directory

Today my family is scheduled to have our picture made for our "new" church directory. I'm sure most of you know what that is, but just in case you don't, it is a photo book of all the families that are members of our church. This is the third directory that we have done in my 11 years as serving as a pastor in this wonderful congregation.

The other night I poked my head into the room where they are taking the pictures and made a joke about the family that was sitting there getting their photo taken. Then I stopped and looked in on a family that had already gotten theirs done and were reviewing the photo. I made some silly joke about him breaking the camera. We shared a couple of laughs and then I left.

As I was leaving my mind starting to think about how both of these families have been a part of my life for over a decade. A lot of life happens in that span of time. When we moved here our son had just turned one, and now he is twelve and in the youth group. Yes, a lot of life happens in a decade.

This little picture book will prove that. I always love looking to see how time has changed us. Some people will look a lot older, because they are! There might be more gray hair and bald heads than in the last book. Some now have a spouse, or maybe a new spouse. Some families will be larger because of children that have been born, and some will be smaller as some kids have grown up and marched out into the world. Some kids that were young when I arrived have graduated college, gotten a job, and have a family of their own. Some are living in different parts of the world. Some are serving the Lord in this congregation, and I have had a front row seat to watch how Jesus has been working in the lives of these families.

Some faces will be missing because in the few years since the last book they have walked through the valley of the shadow of death. As a pastor, we know that disease and death are roads that we travel with our flock. I have stood by many a hospital bed and discussed the comforting grace of Jesus with many a friend who was headed home. There will be a few more widows in this directory than the last one.

Some faces will be missing because in God's sovereign plan He has moved a family to another town or another state. They were only passing though this place for a little while, and I praise God that our lives intersected and that I was able to serve their family, even if for a short time. Some will be missing because they have been called to serve as either pastors or missionaries. What a great joy to this pastor's heart to not see their faces, if you know what I mean. But other faces will be missing because they just simply left to attend another church in town. Their picture will show up in another pictorial directory of another church down the road. It happens. But the beautiful thing is to see the new faces, the ones who didn't live here 5 years ago whom God has brought to this little town and into the life of this little church.

There will also be the faces of new believers and new staff members since the last picture book. God is faithful to His church to provide resources, leadership, people, ministry and mission.

So, when I get my book I'm going to look through it slowly, looking at each family and thanking God for His grace to allow me to be a part of this. There has been a lot of tears along the way. Divorce, disease, death. Rebellion, addiction, and tragedy. But there has also been a lot of joy. Lots of laughter. Way too much food. Mission trips, baptisms, baby dedications, celebration of graduates, people called out to serve, times of prayer and communions, camps, Bible studies, mission conferences and a ton of other things that have knit this little band of people together. What a gift to walk together with a desire to glorify the Lord by making disciples who advance the gospel.

There really is a great testimony of grace in this little picture book.

Mission Before Me

Paul, the great apostle, preacher, theologian, missionary and church planter woke up one morning in a dark prison cell, not knowing if he was going to live or die. He had traveled the world preaching the gospel and planting churches with mixed results. Some believed in the message of a Savior who had died for their sins, while others rejected his message as rubbish or foolishness. All this preaching had gotten him beaten on occasion, run out of more than one town, as well as thrown in jail several different times.

This time was different. He seemed to know deep down that he might not ever walk out a free man. But he might. There was no way for him to know, so everyday was filled with wondering and praying. 

He also did some writing. There were a lot of people who were concerned about him and even though he was in chains there was still work to be done, work that at this moment could only carry on through his pen.

On his mind was a little band of people who lived in Philippi. He might never have visited Philippi were it not for a dream one night. Paul was a transformed man on a mission. Ever since Jesus Christ had arrested him on the Damascus road he had been committed to traveling the world preaching the gospel and planting churches. So he headed for Asia Minor. That would be the field that he would sow the gospel seed. Or so he thought.

One night as he was deep in sleep, he had a dream of a man from Europe standing before him; a Macedonian man to be exact. He simply stood there and said, "Come and help us." Believing that the Lord was re-directing his journey, Paul and his little mission team headed to Europe. The first town they came to on their European adventure was Philippi.

The details of the story are told in Acts 16. He is able to share the gospel, see the grace of God take root in a few hearts, and plant a gospel church in the midst of a pagan culture. But that was a few years ago. If he ever gets out of those chains he might be able to visit the church again, but that's a big if. 

It wasn't easy being a Christian in the first century, especially in the city of Philippi. Many in the church suffered for following Jesus and declaring that Jesus is Lord. Some may wind up in that Philippian jail that Paul himself spend a night in years ago. So, from his place of arrest he takes up his pen to encourage this little church in the gospel. He wants them to know that there is one thing they can be certain of in the future...that the gospel will advance.

As you read this little letter written to such a small, trembling band of believers living for Christ in the middle of a vicious, pagan world you see one flashing message, like a flashing neon sign on a dark night: the mission is more important than me.

Paul knows the reality of his situation, which really boils down to three options. One, beheading; two, torn to pieces by lions in the Roman coliseum; or three, crucifixion. Do any of those sound appealing to you? What he writes to the church in the face of this is stunning and instructive for us.

"I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel...Christ is proclaimed and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life of by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:12-21)

Here is what Paul is saying--in that moment, with the real possibility of dying a horrible, painful death, I don't want to back down. I don't want to wimp out. I don't want to be ashamed. I want to boldly declare the gospel. In that moment I want the mission to be more important than me.

Paul lived in a shame and honor culture. It was shameful to be a prisoner. He expected to be vindicated and not at all to be ashamed. We would expect to read from him, "But instead I will be honored." But those words aren't written. Instead he says that Christ will be honored. He doesn't want to walk into the courtroom and demand his rights and his honor. Why? Because the gospel had radically reshaped his purpose and his goals. Mission before me.

I read somewhere that 100 years ago missionaries boarded their ships to go to the nations with their belongings packed in their coffin. Why? Because if you couldn't fit it in a coffin you didn't need it and also, you didn't plan on coming home. The advancement of the gospel was greater than life itself. To live is Christ, to die is gain.

When your supreme purpose if to magnify Christ, then you will say, "Mission before me." You will put the advancement of the gospel above the advancement of yourself. Instead of praying that your life would be more comfortable, more pain free, more enjoyable, and more blessed with stuff, you pray that you would walk each day into a world hostile towards the gospel and that you would be bold, that you would not be ashamed of the gospel, and that you would magnify Christ by your words and your works.

This little phrase, "mission before me," has become an unofficial motto among the staff at DBC. It is a truth that I regularly ask the Lord to make true in my life. It is also what I pray for the body of Christ. So, when trying to decide what to call this blog, MISSION > me seemed like an appropriate title. 

Lord, let it be true of us, that we live our lives in such radical joy in the grace of Christ that we are able to say, "To live is Christ, and to die is gain." May Christ be the greatest treasure of our hearts so that we don't deceive ourselves by thinking that the things of this earth can fulfill us. And may we be able to say and live out this truth: "The mission before me."