In a particularly gripping scene in Mel Gibson's powerful film
The Passion of the Christ, we see Jesus being aided by his mother after
stumbling as he struggles to carry his cross up the Via Delarosa. As
Mary looks into her son's blood stained face, Jesus says with an aura of
victory, "Look mother, see how I make everything new."
These words are indeed found on the lips of Jesus, not in the Gospel accounts of the passion, but in Revelation 21: 3-5:
And
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God
is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and
God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear
from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or
pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on
the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write
this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
Many of us
in the international ministry community long for unity. Yet unity
requires a common vision-and a common vision is precisely what we lack.
Many in the missions community are driven by a vision of spreading the
gospel and planting churches in the last unreached pockets of the globe.
Many Christian relief and development workers are motivated by a vision
of aiding poverty-stricken communities through various projects aimed
at meeting basic human needs.
It is my belief that these visions
are laudable, but incomplete. What ought to be our vision? Read
Revelation 21:3-5 again. Here is the answer in a word: Transformation. A
vision of a world made new. Of "no more death, mourning, crying or
pain." Of no moredisease, corruption, hunger, poverty, injustice or war.
A vision of completely and utterly transformed individuals, families,
communities, and nations. Surely this is the vision for which Jesus
lived, labored, suffered and died, and which He entrusted to His
disciples and the church.
In fact, evangelizing, planting
churches, and doing projects to help the poor are all means to this
greater end, and here is where a central problem lies. People tend to
accomplish what they set out to accomplish. If our goals are limited to
planting churches or implementing development projects, we can do
that-but we are in real danger of not pressing on towards the ultimate
goal of transformation.
Some will undoubtedly argue that such
transformation will only come on the other side of Christ's return.
Until then, things will only go from bad to worse. There is truth in
this. Paul starkly warned Timothy, "there will be terrible times in the
last days" (2 Ti. 3:1-9). But is this the whole picture? No! Jesus
overcame Satan on the cross. He appeared to His disciples before his
ascension as a victorious King-the supreme authority of heaven and
earth. He taught them, and us, to pray for His Kingdom to come on
earth-now-as it is in heaven.
In the words of J.I. Packer, "The
Kingdom of God is present in its beginnings though future in its
fullness; in one sense it is already here, but in the richest sense it
is still to come." Francis Schaeffer put it this way: "Christians who
believe the Bible are not simply called to say that 'one day' there will
be healing, but that by God's grace, upon the basis of the work of
Christ, substantial healing can be a reality here and now." The word
"substantial" is key. Not full or complete healing, but real and
substantial. This must be our vision.
For real, substantial
healing in every life, family, community and nation here and now, and
full, complete healing when Christ returns. Do we long for unity within
the church and within the mission community? Unity requires common
vision. Scripture provides us with a common vision. A definite goal to
work for, live for and die for. We must lift our eyes to a farther
horizon. One that goes beyond evangelizing, planting churches and doing
relief and development projects. A vision that understands these to be
means, and not ends. Our vision must be Jesus' grand vision of global
transformation. His vision of the world, and everything in it turned
right side up through Christ's shed blood on the cross.
An Inside-Out Process
Our
vision determines our purpose. If we have unity of vision, we can share
unity of purpose as well. As Christians, our purpose is to advance
God's Kingdom on earth, here and now, as it presently exists in heaven.
It's to see the truth; beauty and goodness of Jesus replace the lies,
ugliness and evil in this world-in every heart, family, community, and
sphere of society.
This revolution happens from the inside out. It
begins inside human hearts and minds, transformed through faith in the
living Christ. Someone once said, "God's law must be written on the
individual's heart, then later on the stone tables of the institutions
of society." If this is true, then our primary means of advancing the
Kingdom is by proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed. Transformed
people then transform the world-beginning with their families.
Transformed husbands and wives raise godly offspring, and such children
will truly shape the future.
As transformed families band
together, they form communities called local churches, and local
churches are the Holy Spirit-powered engines that drive Kingdom
advancement. Not just any church however. Kingdom-advancing churches are
ones that congregate to worship, pray, learn from the teaching of the
Word, receive the sacraments, and meet each other's needs. Then, having
been equipped for works of service, they disperse into the community
where they proclaim the Gospel, minister to the poor, and bring truth,
beauty and goodness into every sphere of society by means of their
vocations.
The Root Problem
Why do we see nations that have
been evangelized still trapped in a web of poverty, corruption, violence
and brokenness? In evaluating the results of the global missionary
enterprise over the past 200 years, we are forced to conclude that saved
souls and transformed hearts are essential-but not adequate-for true
Kingdom transformation. Minds must be transformed as well.
This is
a fundamental truth that has been neglected by both those in mission
and relief and development communities alike. For the Kingdom to
advance-for true transformation to occur-we must get to the root of the
problem. Yet roots, by their very nature, are below the surface and thus
often neglected. What is at our innermost core? It is our mind-our
ideas, beliefs, and assumptions. These "roots" drive our emotions,
feelings and values, which in turn shape our decisions and choices, and
these determine the kind of lives we will lead. They also shape the
kinds of societies we will live in.
For nations to be transformed,
churches must be transformed. For churches to be transformed, families
and individuals must be transformed-and this transformation must go all
the way to the root. Human brokenness and misery then, is not only
rooted in lost souls, but equally in darkened minds. Dallas Willard
describes the problem this way:
Christian spiritual formation is
inescapably a matter of recognizing in ourselves the idea system (or
systems) of evil that governs the present age and the respective culture
(or various cultures) that constitute life away from God. The needed
transformation is very largely a matter of replacing in ourselves those
idea systems of evil (and their corresponding cultures) with the idea
system that Jesus Christ embodied and taught and with a culture of the
Kingdom of God. This is truly a passage from darkness to light.
This
brings us to the topic of worldview. Worldview is simply another word
for the "idea systems" spoken of by Dallas Willard. Our worldview-and we
all have one-is the sum total of all the assumptions that we hold about
life which forms our view of reality. These assumptions are so
pervasive and essential to how we think and how we approach life that we
often do not even know they are there or understand when and how they
are at work. They form within us from earliest childhood from the
teachings, expectations and behaviors from family and community members.
Humans are social beings. We develop our mindsets-our way of seeing the
world-from our culture. We tend to think what our culture thinks and
value what our culture values. This is part of what it means to be
human.
The Solution
However, when we accept Christ as
Savior, our mindsets need to be renewed. The word "repent"-from the
Greek word metanoeo-literally means to change one's mind. Repentance
results in seeing the world the way God created it, then living within
that framework. Those who are saved must put on the mind of Christ. They
must repent from the "hollow and deceptive philosophies of this world,
which depend on human tradition and the basic principles of this world
rather than on Christ" (Col. 2:8). They must "no longer be conformed to
the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of [the]
mind" (Rom. 12:2). They must "take captive every thought to make it
obedient to Christ" (2 Co. 10:5). It is important that we understand
that this means more than simply assenting to certain key biblical
doctrines. It means seeing the world and everything in it in a whole new
light, and then living accordingly.
The error of the relief and
development community is in not digging deep enough, and not getting to
the root of the problem. Does the community lack clean water? Let's do a
water project. Do people lack an adequate, balanced diet? Let's do an
agriculture project. And if we are Christians, then let's do these
projects "in the name of Christ" and hand out Gospel tracts on the
weekends. But what if the lack of clean water or food is the result of
poor choices, which in turn, are rooted in false, destructive beliefs?
Then clearly these projects will have little or no impact.
The
error of the mission's community is quite similar. Evangelizing and
planting churches is essential to, but not adequate for Kingdom
transformation. They are means to an end-not ends in themselves. New
believers, unless they are carefully discipled down to the level of
their mindset, or nations, at the level of culture, will continue to be
trapped in many of the false, destructive beliefs they had before coming
to Christ. Being converted doesn't automatically entail a complete
shift in beliefs. The transformation of the mind is a lifelong process
that is central to sanctification, and sanctification is central to
Kingdom advancement. Here is precisely where many missionary efforts
have failed.
Too often, their vision ends with numbers of
conversions, numbers of churches planted, or the size of church growth.
When this is the case, there is little motivation for discipleship.
There is little or no vision to see these precious new churches operate
as engines of Kingdom transformation. Many missionaries either don't
care that these things happen, assume someone else will do it, or that
somehow it will happen automatically.
A Case Study in Transformation
The following is a true story.
The
Pokomchi Indians are among the poorest people in the poorest state of
Guatemala. A generation ago, missionaries came to evangelize and plant
churches. Many Pokomchi accepted Christ, but their communities remained
desperately poor. The young Christian converts gained hope for the
future, but no hope for today. In fact, they were literally waiting to
die, so they could leave their miserable existence on earth and go to be
with Jesus in heaven. After awhile, several relief and development
organizations came to work with the Pokomchi, interested in helping them
overcome their physical poverty.
They brought in large amounts of
outside money and completed many projects, labeling them successful.
Now, there were latrines, but they were largely unused. There were
school buildings, but very few children attended or graduated. Many of
the projects intended to improve the physical condition of the Pokomchi
were completed, but there was no transformation in the lives and
communities of the Pokomchi. The people remained desperately poor.
This
began to change when Arturo, a young Peruvian pastor, began to work
among the Pokomchi in the early 1990s. Unlike earlier missionaries and
relief and development workers, Arturo understood the importance of the
biblical worldview for individual and community transformation.
Likewise, he understood that authentic Christian ministry is to be
wholistic-reaching out to every area of brokenness in the community. He
began to work with illiterate Pokomchi pastors. He prayerfully took them
through a comprehensive study of the Bible, in hopes of challenging
their mindsets. Arturo understood that true repentance involves more
than spiritual belief. It also requires a completely transformed frame
of mind.
As Arturo taught them from the Bible, he used everyday
illustrations to teach concepts, like God's intention that mankind
exercise stewardship over creation. A common problem among the Pokomchi
was the lack of proper storage facilities for harvested crops. Often,
peasant farmers harvested a good crop, only to have rats eat it before
their children could be fed. Arturo asked the farmers, "Who is smarter,
you or the rats?" The farmers would laugh and say, "The rats." Arturo
asked, "Do you have dominion over the rats, or do the rats have dominion
over your lives?" The farmers reluctantly acknowledged that, in a real
sense, the rats had dominion over them and their families.
Then,
Arturo pointed out the truth contained in the Bible-that men and women
were given dominion over creation. He pointed out that God had blessed
them with creativity because they were made in His image. With their
God-given creativity and a proper understanding of their role to subdue
and care for creation, they could overcome this problem.
Gradually,
the mindsets of these Pokomchi pastors were transformed. As their
mindsets were transformed, the church was impacted. Through the church,
the community began to be transformed. Children started to go to school
because the people valued education, particularly education in God's
Word. Women learned to read because they understood that God cares
equally for men and women. Men began to try new farming techniques
because they wanted to be good stewards of what God provided. Women
built stoves in their homes so their children would not fall into open
cooking fires and get burned. Women also began to create small pantries
to keep insects and vermin out of their food supplies because they
understood their responsibility to exercise stewardship and provide for
their communities.
A seminary professor from the United States
visited Arturo. He witnessed how the lives of the Pokomchi had been
transformed and tears welled up in his eyes as he said, "This is the
coming of the Kingdom of God to the Pokomchi!"
The Pokomchi
communities in this story are representative of millions of communities
all over the world. Churches exist, but are making little or no
transformational impact. The same can be said for relief and development
projects. Hopelessness, fatalism, poverty and despair still reign. Yet
here we see a spark of real transformation! What can we learn from this
story?
What Was Needed?
In this case, the agent of
transformation was not a project, but a person. Not just any person,
Arturo was a pastor whose life had been radically transformed by an
understanding of the importance of worldview and the power of the
Biblical worldview. Arturo had the right vision. As for the earlier
missionaries, they had come and gone. Churches were planted. Mission
accomplished. Check it off the list and on to the next frontier. The
same can be said for the relief and development workers. Projects
completed. Photos taken. Check it off the list and on to the next
community. But Arturo was looking for something far beyond churches or
projects. He was looking for transformation. It hadn't happened yet.
There was still much to be done.
The comprehensive transformation
that Arturo envisioned required a comprehensive response-or as some
might say-a wholistic response. The "whole" is transformed lives leading
to a transformed community. The "parts" are spiritual, physical, social
and mental needs being addressed in a seamless, integrated manner.
Arturo's vision demanded a wholistic response. Simply addressing one of
these needs while neglecting the others would not get the job done.
Furthermore,
Arturo was trained to think "worldviewishly." He correctly recognized
that the root problem was not a lack of resources, or even lack of
churches (which already existed), it was the beliefs; assumptions and
ideas held by the Pokomchi themselves. Or more accurately, false,
destructive ideas and beliefs that were still intact and operating.
For
Arturo to recognize these problems took time. Short-term missions
wouldn't suffice. It required him to deeply acquaint himself with the
community; its history, beliefs, and values. This necessitated him
living within the community-becoming part of it. This is what it means
to work "incarnationally."
Arturo relied on the whole council of
God's Word, both its breadth and depth. The breadth comprises the flow
of Biblical history: Creation - Fall - Redemption - Consummation. The
depth is the Biblical worldview, the basis and standard for Kingdom
Culture of truth, beauty and goodness. With these firmly in mind, he was
able to evaluate local beliefs and values and determine which ones were
true and wholesome and which false and destructive. He was then able to
effectively counter false beliefs with the truth. This was done in the
context of informal and formal teaching using local illustrations. Yet
for the truth to bear its fruit, the supernatural power of the Holy
Spirit was required. At the deepest level, transformation is only
possible through the direct power of the Holy Spirit translating,
convicting, opening eyes, and empowering people to change their beliefs,
values and behaviors. It is a work of grace. Genuine Kingdom
transformation is always done by God's power and for His glory.
Arturo
built on the foundation that already existed. He started with the
Christians in the community-the church pastors and leaders-because he
correctly understood that the church is the key engine of Kingdom
transformation. If a church hadn't existed in this community, then
Arturo would have needed to work towards planting one as an essential
first step. Arturo first challenged the Christians to live out these
beliefs in the context of their families. Husbands needed to see their
wives in a new way. Parents needed to see their children in the light of
God's revealed truth. Families are the most basic of social units. If
Kingdom transformation can happen within families-then it can spread to
the entire community and beyond. That is exactly what happened in the
Pokomchi community.
Equally instructive is to consider what wasn't
needed for transformation in the Pokomchi communities. It happened
without large infusions of money, outside resources or technical
knowledge. With the exception of Arturo, all the resources needed were
already in place-eyes simply needed to be opened to seeing them. This is
not to say that money; resources and technical knowledge are bad, just
that we must be careful not to put our hope in them, and they must be
introduced only if appropriate and then with great care.
Conclusion
Can
this case study be replicated? Yes! In fact it must be. Our hurting
broken world is crying out for transformation. Here we find real hope
and vision for the broken nations of Africa, Asia and Latin America as
well as for the confused, lost nations of the developed west. What is
required? God's vision combined with a clear understanding of the root
problem and the inside-out process of Kingdom transformation.
SCOTT D. ALLEN is President of Disciple Nations Alliance, Inc.
