I was sitting at my desk at home working on some mission sermons, I am trying to get a bit ahead because I don’t know when our baby was to arrive.(He has now arrived!!)
When a couple of thoughts came to me.
Firstly, what does the church have to do with mission?
Well I had to stop and think about what I believe. I believe that the church is God’s agent for mission in a local space. In other words, this church is the agent of mission to our local area. How does that work then? Well, I stopped typing at that stage and went to the shed and jumped on my bike. As I was peddling, on a resistance training, a thing you clip your bike into so you can ride inside, I looked up at the spare wheels I had on the shed wall. And this is what came out. The Missional theology of Bicycle wheels.
- The Church service or gathering is like the hub. It is the middle of things. It is also the thing that keeps us all connected. So, church attendance is how we connect as Christian people who are attached to the Baptist church in Armidale.
Heb 10: 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-
He event we call church has a centrality to it. From this gathering most activities flow. Also the connecting part is important. We connect here with each other so that what we do during the week can function. Networking is an emerging church concept yet it has been happening within the church for many years if not since the churches inception. So thing is to stay connected. Get to church, not just for the sermon or the worship but for the networking with people. Notice in the verse we read it doesn’t say meet together to get fed, or worship it says encourage one another. Maybe the primary purpose of gathering is not singing or hearing a sermon but encouraging each other. Its about people.
- The spokes are the people of the church, notice all supported by the hub, all connected. Members of the wheel so to speak.
Eph 5: 29 After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church– 30 for we are members of his body.The body metaphor is familiar to us. The all connectedness of the body but notice the bike wheel concept. Hub, spokes connected but also reaching out. Fanning out if you like, notice too hat hey cross, its called lacing. A wheel that has straight radial spoking is light but very week. A church that people don’t connect or touch each other wont stand up to the pressure of mission.
- The spokes are in turn connected to the rim. This is where we have our ministries,
connected by people, all working together for one aim, the support of the rim. Eph 3: 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,An important verse this one, it says through the church. I believe that the church is God’s chosen mission station. That the church is the logical centre for mission in a community. The church can do it all. Mission, evangelise, nurture, disciple, train, minister etc. God has designed the church to function on a multitude of levels and it has the capacity to do it all. In other words, we have the capacity to evangelise, nurture, disciple, prepare for ministry train for mission. Yep, the whole lot.So the wheel is complete. No. This is a useless wheel. Complete but useless.
- The tyre. This is where the rubber hits the road. Mission. Actually doing it. Interfacing with the real road, the real bumps and potholes. In other words interfacing with real people. A church without a tyre is useless to the kingdom, no matter how good the wheel is.
Acts 1: 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”At some point the church actually has to do it. Acts is the record of a church doing. The church in Acts was neither trained nor established. They actually worked out their theology as they went. The big thing in Acts is the churches ability to just do it. There were hassles and potholes but they just did it. Persecution, oh never mind, just do it. No excuses, just have a go. It didn’t always work. But they went for it. So now the wheel is complete. Yes, but still ineffective.
- The wheel needs to be put in the bike. There needs to be a connection to the bigger picture. Missions can be anywhere, but if the wheel is off the bike then it will only ever be in one place, the shed.
RO 6:11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. In Christ has a different perspective when you’re a bike wheel. A bike wheel is designed to work in a bike. It needs to be connected. It needs to do its job. Hey we are the same. Take us out of God and our purpose of existence is gone. Take our mission away from us and our existence as a church is in question. What does it mean to be in Christ? Well, in Christ means to belong totally, In Christ means to be absolutely immersed with His purpose. Are we that? Are we absolutely immersed in God’s purpose? So we are ready to go.
- Nope, the chain, the drive, the power must be connected. See if everything doesn’t fit together, mission doesn’t happen. Then the church is disconnected from God’s purpose for it.
Acts 1:8 again.8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Now I am sure the metaphor could continue. But we will leave it there for the moment. But you do see what I am saying.
1.The Sunday church gathering (What we call church) is the central event that most things in church revolve around. We are strengthened, taught, encouraged and built up right here. It is where we connect.
2.We the people are connected through this gathering of people to ministry opportunities. Not necessarily by the event but by the people. The connection is to and from people.
3.The ministries are supported by the event and by the people. Practically, logistically, (by the giving of tithes and offerings as well as offerings of encouragement etc).
4.The ministries are connect to mission, they as a function DO mission . Where the rubber hits the road. Interfaces with people. That is why they exist – to mission in the sense of its meaning, diakonia – (Service, ministry, mission, help, assist).
5. We need to be In Christ, connected straight to Jesus both individually and corporately. If we are not IN Christ then we will never be able to do His will. We need to be place where Jesus wants us so we can be useful.
6. We need to be a couple of things from this. Connected to a power source. On going. (A chain is constant, as long as the rider moves the pedals, the chain will engage in power) No attachment to God’s spirit, the Holy Spirit, then no go.
One more thing that is bike related. There is a thing called a spoke key. It trues the wheel. Makes it straight. The interesting thing is that if one spoke is out of true then the rest have to be adjusted, and as one is adjusted, the ones around it AND opposite it need tightening or loosening. Every spoke affects the smooth running of the wheel. There is real tension in a bike wheel, there has to be so it is strong, and isn’t it interesting that it is called Truing an wheel. If we are not in Christ we cant be true. The story could continue but we will leave it there for you to contemplate this week.
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