“The time has come.”
-- Jesus in Mark 1:15
“So, how’s Jesus been messing with you lately?” I was asking this of a pastor I had just met. His response? A knowing smile.
I get that a lot.
My name is Greg Finke, and my wife, Susan, and I have a ministry called Dwelling 1:14. It is a ministry dedicated to helping congregations disciple their people to be neighborhood missionaries. We help leaders connect their people for seeking God’s Kingdom and joining his mission in the places they live, work and go to school. It’s a lot of fun. The name “Dwelling 1:14” comes from John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The name reminds us that in order to join Jesus on his redemptive mission, we need to actually be with (dwell with) people who don’t yet know him.
As my wife and I travel around the country with Dwelling 1:14, we have the opportunity to meet pastors and people from all types of congregations and communities. And during our initial conversations we often pose the “how’s-Jesus-messing-with-you” question. It is a question designed to make them stop and think.
It might help you to know that the phrase “messing with you” is a phrase we use here in the south where I live. It’s not a phrase that assumes Jesus has been bullying or picking on someone. It’s more along the line of, “How’s Jesus been trying to get your attention lately? What’s he been showing you? What’s he been stirring in you? How has he made you uncomfortable with your status quo?”
And do you know what I’m finding out? Jesus is messing with a lot of us.
People struggle to put it into words, but we’re sensing that Jesus is up to something, showing us something new, inviting us to perceive what he is doing next. It seems to be right there in front of us and yet still just outside our ability to see clearly or articulate fully. We are like the blind man in Mark 8:22 who is beginning to see but cannot quite make out what he is seeing. It is frustrating and exhilarating all at the same time! We know we are beginning to perceive new things (exhilarating!) but we do not yet have the perception we need to clarify what we are seeing (frustrating!).
Can you relate? You are not alone.
There is a growing sense among the leaders I am talking with that Jesus is up to something, that he’s messing with our presumptions, calling us to something more than what we have settled for. He is giving many of us a holy discontent with the status quo so that we will look up from what we are doing, pay attention to him and start to wrestle with what he is currently showing us and asking of us. I hear it as I talk with twenty-somethings in places like Houston, New York City and Portland. I hear it as I talk with retirees in the Midwest and the Deep South. I hear it as I talk with the white pastor in Minneapolis; the Native American pastor in Alaska and the black pastor in New Orleans. I hear it as I talk with congregational leaders from small towns and big cities, from new churches and 150-year-old churches.
Something is coming to a close and something new is coming upon us. And Jesus wants us paying attention.
It’s unsettling and uncomfortable. And yet, I think because we sense it is from Jesus, people are also stirred, excited, like an adventure is about to begin. And an adventure is about to begin – the adventure of joining Jesus on his redemptive mission to our own community. However, if we’re going to be able to follow Jesus into his next adventure, he needs us paying attention to him. Jesus messes with us so that we stop and look around. He wants us to take note of what he is already doing around us. He wants us to look up from our routines and notice that the world is changing and he is already on the move in response.
And why does Jesus need our attention for that? Because he intends for us to join him. [excerpted from chapter 1, “Joining Jesus on His Mission”]
How Can I Help Your Congregation Get Started?
Getting started is as simple as 1, 2, 3:
1) Prepare
Prepare the congregation for action by walking them through my book, “Joining Jesus on His Mission.” Hope goes up and anxiety goes down. People are inspired, motivated, and ready.
2) Equip
Equip the congregation to take action by having me come for a “Joining Jesus Weekend.” People gain clarity and craft personal plans to start living as everyday missionaries.
3) Support
Support the congregation as they implement their plans over time. People are invited to join me on monthly Zooms where I encourage, coach, and then help facilitate their next steps.