Pardigm 20: "Leading towards success" (14/2/20)
Edmund Chan asks us to radically redefine success. Success is not related to largeness, but greatness. We are all called to the latter, but not the former. We are not called only to grow in numbers. While Scripture is clear that numbers are not everything, it also teaches us that barrenness is not desired by God - we are to be fruitful. We are not to lose heart because our ministry is not growing, and we must not lose the courage to do what it takes to make it grow. Numbers are there to help us assess our effectiveness, not to boost our egos.
Chan says that success is about fulfilling purpose. When we redefine success, we must relook at our purpose. We are successful when we accomplish what God has called us to do.
What comes to mind when we say that someone we know is successful? Many times our idea of success aligns with material prosperity. We could also say that the successful are able to fulfill their dreams. They accomplish the purpose that they set out to do.
Jesus was successful because He only did things like His Father and according to His Father's will (Jn 5:19, 37; 10:36) and completed all He set out to do (Jn 19:30). Isaiah's mission was to harden the hearts of the unrepentant people and to announce the grace of God to a remnant (Is 6:9-13). Tradition has it that he was sawn in two. Jeremiah was called to pronounce judgement through the Babylonians. He was denounced and persecuted as a traitor and could not even spend his last days in his homeland. None of these would be considered successful by earthly standards.We then learn that when we pray for success, the shape of success may be different from what we imagine.
What is God's purpose for us as disciples? How do we define success?
Jn 15:1-16 tells us that we are asked to "bear fruit" (six times in this passage)
What is this fruit?
Fruit is an image for all the good spiritual results in the life of the believer. It can refer to inner qualities of character (the fruit of the Spirit, Gal 5:22-23) as well as to our outward mission to the world (Mt 13:8). In this regard we must reproduce after our own kind - as disciples we make disciples.
John 12:24ff tells us that fruit results from death - the loss of our old identity as we follow Christ (Lk 9:27, Gal 2:20). This is success.
Just as we redefine individual success by fruit-bearing, we also find definitions of success for a church by looking at the purpose of a church.
The general mission of a church is to make disciples of all nations (Mat 28:29-30). We are called to be light and salt to the world (Mat 5:13-16) so that God is glorified. The three basic purposes of a church are:
Chan says that success is about fulfilling purpose. When we redefine success, we must relook at our purpose. We are successful when we accomplish what God has called us to do.
What comes to mind when we say that someone we know is successful? Many times our idea of success aligns with material prosperity. We could also say that the successful are able to fulfill their dreams. They accomplish the purpose that they set out to do.
Jesus was successful because He only did things like His Father and according to His Father's will (Jn 5:19, 37; 10:36) and completed all He set out to do (Jn 19:30). Isaiah's mission was to harden the hearts of the unrepentant people and to announce the grace of God to a remnant (Is 6:9-13). Tradition has it that he was sawn in two. Jeremiah was called to pronounce judgement through the Babylonians. He was denounced and persecuted as a traitor and could not even spend his last days in his homeland. None of these would be considered successful by earthly standards.We then learn that when we pray for success, the shape of success may be different from what we imagine.
What is God's purpose for us as disciples? How do we define success?
Jn 15:1-16 tells us that we are asked to "bear fruit" (six times in this passage)
What is this fruit?
- It is something God desires, so much that if we do not bear it, we are removed. If we do bear it, we are pruned to bear more.
- It is something we can produce only when we abide (remain, persevere) in Christ.
- It is something that glorifies the Father
- It is something that proves that we are disciples of Christ.
- It is something that Christ chose us and appointed us to bear.
- It is something that should 'abide' (eternally).
- It is something that will ensure that we have the ear of the Father so that our prayers in Jesus' name are answered.
Fruit is an image for all the good spiritual results in the life of the believer. It can refer to inner qualities of character (the fruit of the Spirit, Gal 5:22-23) as well as to our outward mission to the world (Mt 13:8). In this regard we must reproduce after our own kind - as disciples we make disciples.
John 12:24ff tells us that fruit results from death - the loss of our old identity as we follow Christ (Lk 9:27, Gal 2:20). This is success.
Just as we redefine individual success by fruit-bearing, we also find definitions of success for a church by looking at the purpose of a church.
The general mission of a church is to make disciples of all nations (Mat 28:29-30). We are called to be light and salt to the world (Mat 5:13-16) so that God is glorified. The three basic purposes of a church are:
1. The
Church worships God (Col
3:16, Eph 1:12, 5:16-19)
2. The
Church nurtures believers (Col
1:28, Eph 4:12-13) and supports their physical needs (Ac 11:29, 2 Cor 8:4, 1 Jn
3:17)
3. The
church reaches out to the unbelieving world in evangelism (Mt 28:19) and mercy
(Lk 6:35-36; 4:40)
It is perhaps a temptation to tell ourselves that in our youth we will one day "be successful" if we keep working hard and following our dreams and so forth. This is not a Biblical idea - instead we are to be successful at every point of our life because at all times we do what is pleasing to the Lord, fulfilling His purposes for us.
It is perhaps a temptation to tell ourselves that in our youth we will one day "be successful" if we keep working hard and following our dreams and so forth. This is not a Biblical idea - instead we are to be successful at every point of our life because at all times we do what is pleasing to the Lord, fulfilling His purposes for us.
Comments
Post a Comment