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7. Christian Mission Umbrella
Evangelism
The Rev David Watson (1933-1984), the British author and evangelist, once described the church as a bus! The driver was upfront, and the passengers all faced forward too. Somebody even came and took your money! Like a passenger vehicle, the Christian community moves forward while Jesus steers! Everything that happens inside that "vehicle" is the mission of the church. "Mission" includes all activities that occur within a fellowship, church, or congregation. Evangelism is one central element in a healthy church, worship another, and social activity is another. Together these and other aspects combine into the "Christian mission umbrella." By the way, Umbrellas date back 3 thousand years, even to ancient Egypt. Umbrellas were used not only for protection from the sun but as a symbol of wealth. If we neglect one element in this mission umbrella, then the Body of Christ becomes unbalanced. A small ear infection can cause a full-grown man to stagger and fall. In the same way, an overemphasis on one element of the Christian mission, such as worship to others' detriment, disrupts the Body's delicate balance.✞
Fulfilled Christian Ministry
God has called the disciples of Jesus to have a fulfilled Christian ministry within the Body of Christ. I have had the personal experience of being bedridden and finding that an arm or leg not exercised quickly loses its strength. Once disabled for any length of time, you cannot leap out of bed and immediately walk. It would help if you had time before you can hobble, then limp, then step out as before. So it is when the local church does not practice evangelism. At first, it feels bizarre, and the movements tend to be exaggerated like a toddler learning to walk again, but finally, it takes its usual place in the fellowship's life. We experience fulfilled Christian ministry once again. "Balance" is an essential word for the church's activity, and by that, I do not mean "compromise." Saint Paul told his assistant Timothy in 2 Timothy 4.5, "As for you, endure suffering, do the work of the evangelist, fulfill your ministry." Note the absence of compromise here, even though it means enduring suffering. Some congregations did not know fulfillment in Christian ministry because they leave certain things like evangelism out!✞
Benjamin Disraeli
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881), the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, once wrote, "The great majority of men exist but do not live." It is also true that the vast majority of Christian congregations exist but do not live! The Early Church discovered the secret of living and not just existing. It learned to enjoy fulfilled Christian ministry as the Body of Christ.✞
"Christian Mission Umbrella"
by Ron Meacock © 1982-2021
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