Since MRTs are such a new concept, there's value in describing what what they look like. Who attends? Where do they meet? What do they do?There are now MRTs meeting in 14 different cities/regions. They are all similar and yet unique. Paint the picture of what your MRT looks like for the rest of us.
Here's a picture from Abilene, TX sent from Ron Longwell on 4/6...
Had breakfast this morning with my friends Kent and Austin. It's been two weeks since I've been able to be present (hence, no recent blog posts). We had a great visit at The Town Crier.
Since we hadn't had any real time to talk over the past few weeks (at least for my part), we spent the bulk of our time checking in and catching up, which we all needed. We've all had some interesting things going on in our personal lives, and we needed to share them with one another. It occurred to me that perhaps this is the first priority of an MRT - since all ministry is relational ministry, the MRT serves, first and foremost, as a venue for relationship-building with the people with whom we share a common ministry role.
Without overwhelming you all with the fine-grained details of our conversation, one theme seemed to stand out above all others this week: There is a tremendous need for discernment, clarity, and attentiveness in our walk with God. As we follow him, we are very aware that the devil is constantly at work trying to derail us. And in my judgment, he's not likely to try to pull most of us into debauchery or hedonism. He's much more likely, I think, to try to pull us off in a GOOD direction other than the one in which God is leading us.
Furthermore, we all have self-ambition, pride, ego, arrogance and other unsavory impulses lying somewhere beneath the surface of our faith. Even when we're listening to the Lord. The Lord is in our thoughts (this was an amazing revelation to me a few years back) and we can hear a word from him. The fly in the ointment, so to speak, is that I'm in my thoughts, too! And you see, I'm the problem. I'm the one who WANTS to hear God affirming my choices, blessing my bigotry, and encouraging me in my desires...
All this is why we need each other so very much. A word from the Lord is awesome, but sometimes I need someone outside my head to verify whether or not the word I've received is from the Lord and not from the gremlin within me.
It's also why it's good if my community is made up of some people who aren't exactly like me. What if we all have the same frustrations with traditional church, the same immaturity, the same sense of entitlement, the same political leanings, etc.? All these things represent my own personal matrix of resistance to the Spirit's leading. Said another way, all these things constitute the soup through which I must look as I try to see God, the noise I must filter as I try to discern his voice.
In the end, we must come before God prostrate, as people who know that we need to be led. We must come with empty hands, cleared agendas, and perspicuously open hearts. Our churches must be made up of such people. As people who will plant and lead churches, our MRTs must really be made up of such people.
What do you see in Ron's picture that you can bless? What does the picture of your MRT look like?
John
Your post has some deep thoughts. One that stood out to me is that we usually come to God for affirmation of our plans. We ask God to bless our goals. This is a part of the problem. Instead of asking God to join us, we should join Him. In either case God is present in the picture but only in one of them He is given the ultimate leadership.
ReplyDeleteI face the same problem in discussion of success. People want me to give them a number, or they want to establish a goal for me as a missionary. But their thinking is we'll set up a goal and ask God to bless it. I think that we ought to give God the supremacy that He deserves by taking two steps. First step is to discern what God is already doing; and second step is to join His work. This was what Jesus did (John 5:19-20). This all may sound repetitious as it all has been said numerous times. Nevertheless, this is where I find myself over and over again. I return to these truths every time whether it is my personal walk with God or discipling others.
Feel free to add on or pick up from here.
The Lord has been reminding me this week of Jesus' words: "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And as we've been saying here(and trying to live here) is that a key element in the Jesus/Father relationship was a stubborn committment on Jesus' part to do nothing without a cue from the Father.
ReplyDeleteRon's description of a typical MRT meeting with its emphasis on connecting relationally with one another, listening to one another, giving one another discerning feedback and noticing the themes of God's word to each one and to the group as a whole is encouraging to me. It paints a picture of what it might look like to gather together as ones who are sent by Jesus.
Can you imagine the fruit that might come out of a region full of bands of Jesus followers giving themselves to similar practices over the long haul?
Eastern European Missionary said: I think that we ought to give God the supremacy that He deserves by taking two steps. First step is to discern what God is already doing; and second step is to join His work. This was what Jesus did (John 5:19-20). This all may sound repetitious as it all has been said numerous times. Nevertheless, this is where I find myself over and over again. I return to these truths every time whether it is my personal walk with God or discipling others.
ReplyDeleteJohn: I love the simple, powerful way you say this! And, like you, I find myself returning to these truths over and over. My prayer is that God will use you to impart these things to a great many disciples when you return to Eastern Europe. "Lord, prepare hearts to hear this vital message!"