THE GREAT COMMISSION?

I'll begin in a contrarian mode by taking exception to the title "The Great Commission." And before I explain my issue with it, let me also confess that I lose no sleep over this title being in common usage and that I have no burning need to organize a campaign to change it. There is, nevertheless, an important observation to be made.

This is not a title that Jesus used to describe His final words to his followers in Matthew 28:18-20, and you will not find that phrase in any of the ancient texts. In 1907, Professor John Strong wrote:

"Neither master, disciple nor evangelist, however, is responsible for the title by which that final charge has commonly been known."

I have done some research into the origin of this title and believe that it came into general usage when the typesetter who printed the King James Version of the Bible put subtitles over various sections of scripture. The title he put over the final part of the book of Matthew was "The Great Commission," and by that title it has since been known.

I happen to believe that calling this final commission of Jesus "The Great Commission" does a disservice to a linchpin of the Christian Faith. It is true that there is a sense in which this charge from the Master to His followers is a "great" commission: it is the sense of being given a high or noble calling. The problem, however, is that the title tends to elevate these words of Jesus to a point where, what in fact is a corporate calling-applicable to all of us-is put into a special category that is above those of us who are just "regular" Jesus followers. To put it more directly, the Great Commission is regarded by many as being for "great" Christians, not for "normal" Christians. I believe that calling it "Our Commission" would be more apt, because, indeed, this charge is a charge for all followers in all ages.

In His departing words, Jesus gave this charge to His followers:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them inthe name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spiritand teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matt 28:17-18)

Jesus begins with the stark declaration that "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." Immediately following this unequivocal declaration of absolute cosmic authority, He uses the conjunctive adverb, "therefore." In other words, Jesus is saying,

‘Based on my absolute authority, I am charging you to go and make disciples. As you go on my behalf, you will carry with you my full delegated authority.' Jesus concludes His instructions with an assurance: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matt. 28:20b).Jesus delegates His mission-His purpose-to His disciples and assures them that, as they follow in obedience, He will be with them and will empower them to what He has called them to do. A disciple of Jesus fulfilling the Master's calling carries with him the official signet of the King of Kings.

• Going speaks of the necessity to move outside our own boundaries and comfort zones. We are by nature selfish and inwardly focused. We ALL need to undergo a process of spiritual transformation that puts our selfish nature to death and imparts the unselfish nature of Christ. The only effective means by which this can be accomplished is DISCIPLESHIP. Dallas Willard says that the evil within us is so radical and thoroughgoing that it requires an equally radical and thoroughgoing remedy: that remedy is discipleship.. Our focus needs to move off of "me and mine," to those who are far from God, those who are on the outside, those who have little or no worldly importance but who have great importance to God.

• Making disciples is why we go. It is among the prime reasons for the church's existence. The western church and the church in Peru do a poor job of making disciples. It's been said that the church in the U.S. is a thousand miles wide and an inch deep. Richard Foster wrote: "Superficiality is the curse of our age... The desperate need today is not for a greater number of intelligent people, or gifted people, but for deep people."  Only through discipleship can we go deep with God. Only through discipleship can our character authentically resemble His Character.

• Baptizing is an act of identification, of commitment and of initiation on the part of new followers. Jesus told us to go make disciples. He also told us to baptize them, to immerse them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptism becomes a practical necessity when we've obeyed what God calls us to do.

• Teaching is the means by which those who embrace the way, "the truth and the life learn how to be established, rooted, productive followers. Jesus' manner of teaching wasn't a classroom or a sanitary laboratory. He said to those who He was calling, "Come, follow me." It was hands-on, skin-on-skin, face to face-for a substantial amount of time. There is value to classroom instruction. It has its place. But it will never be an adequate substitute for discipleship. You will never really speak a language well without a time of immersion in an environment where that language is spoken. You will never be a competent Jesus follower without immersion in the discipleship process either.

Our natural environment is not conducive to discipleship. Maintaining a middle class lifestyle in the U.S. is time and labor intensive. We will never drift into spiritual effectiveness. It requires intentionality, it requires time, and it requires effort. 

The practice of disciplines is something that will enable you to do tomorrow what you cannot do today. Ask a world class athlete or a concert pianist. When they first undertook to learn their skill, they could do very little, or nothing. But through the discipline of daily practice, they could do at the end of a period of time what they could not do before they made that investment. Through perseverance and hard work, some get to the point where their ability enables virtuosity that causes the rest of us to watch in amazement.

There is a desperate shortage of authentic disciples. What the world needs today are those who've learned well from their master how to live a life that matters for eternity and who, in fact, are living it.

Leading short-term mission projects is among the various forms of ministry that Becky and I are involved with here in Peru. Sometimes we work with groups of adults, or groups with a blend of youths and adults. But most of our projects involve working with church youth groups from the U.S. who are led by a youth pastor and a few other adults.  The teens are normally between the ages of 15 and 18. 

We normally partner with a local church in a poor community for these projects. We consider this partnership vital. We do our best to work with churches that are Kingdom-minded and spiritually healthy. If short term projects are to have a long-term impact, the local church needs to follow-up with the progress that is made and to care for the spiritual seeds that were planted during the project. Our experience is that a number of people will respond to the gospel and invite Jesus into their lives. This new spiritual life needs to be nurtured and guided. The folks from the U.S. can't do that-the local church can. We choose not to work with local churches that do                        ministry in the marketplace

The forms of ministry vary. A typical project will include children's ministry, youth ministry, door- to-door visitation and some form of community service: construction, for example. We teach our participants how to listen for God's voice and this process of listening prayer infuses everything we do-especially our ministry activity.

There is a preparation process for our projects. The group leader is sent a training program called "Missions 101" and he or she must commit to working through that program with the participants. A well planned and executed short term mission project requires multiple months of preparation-the actual number of months depending on how intensive the training is. Four to six months of preparation is normal.

Our experience is that some groups come well prepared and other groups, not so well. We find that many teens do not have a clear picture of what salvation is and very few understand the spiritual authority that is available to them. So we build into the orientation process times to help the young people understand what scripture teaches about salvation, spiritual identity and spiritual authority.

Like most of you, I have had my share of frustrations with the U.S. Postal Service. But now that I have lived in Peru for three years, I look at things a bit differently. 

It's important to understand that this post office was not our local post office. This particular location does double duty by serving as both a customs office and a post office and it's a considerable distance from where we live. What's the rationale for having a customs office located in a post office, you ask? Very perceptive question.

Essentially, this arrangement serves as a means of generating tax revenue for the government. Packages sent from outside of Peru are directed to a designated center. As far as I can tell, the process is part random and part based on certain flags. Ostensibly the process is supposed to help keep contra-ban from coming into the country also. From my perspective, it's all about the money.

When your package arrives at this location they send you a notice. You must take the notice with you because it has a number that identifies your package. Step one in the process is to obtain a form (in triplicate, of course). Because the form is so complicated, there is a worker who completes the form by hand on behalf of the package recipient. This is a slow process and a bottle-neck in the system. Pregnant women, disabled persons and seniors are given preferential treatment.

The vast majority of people who arrive looking for their package don't understand "the system." They come in looking confused and have no alternative to asking others who are there how the system works. There are no signs that help you understand the process. I think the process is slowed tremendously by postal workers being interrupted by persons wanting to know what they need to do next. Add to this chaos the natural inclination of Peruvians to cut into lines or otherwise get ahead of the rest the herd, and you have a significant cross-cultural experience in front of you.

Step two is to take that form to another desk where they look for the duplicate of the notice that was mailed. They then take that duplicate and give it to someone who searches through the store of packages being held in the post office.

Then you wait your turn for step three in the process; your package to be inspected. This can be very time consuming. Every package that ends up in this facility gets inspected before it is released to the recipient. If there are wrapped Christmas packages, they get opened and inspected while you watch. The inspectors are looking for items that have a collective value above $100. They go on-line and check the value of certain items in a data base they maintain to determine the value. If they don't have the item in the data base, they'll look for it on sites that sell those types of items. I can't tell you how many heated disputes about the supposed value of an item that I've observed involving the customs inspectors and folks who are there to pick up their packages. It ain't pretty.

Step four takes you to a group of cashiers who collect the taxes imposed, or who enter your information into the system, whether you were taxed or not.   You, of course, must wait your turn to be "checked out."  Step five is moving to another line to wait to receive your package. Here, you can be charged again if your package was at the post office longer than the stipulated allowable time (3 days, I believe). They charge you for every day beyond that point and this clerk is the one who collects the penalty. You have waited anywhere from about 45 minutes to two hours, depending on the number of people who are there. You sign one of your documents that has been stamped and they release your once hostaged, now re-taped package. You're free! 

Thought I'd share a few New Year day reflections.

Late morning, January 1, 2010: The city of Lima is as quiet as you'll ever hear it.  Last night it was not so...

The fireworks began in earnest about 11:00 p.m. and continued unabated until about 1:30 a.m. There is a roaring crescendo that begins before midnight that lasts perhaps 30 minutes. A sprawling city of about 8 million people, Lima explodes in fireworks on New Year's Eve (as it also does on Christmas Eve). In addition to fire crackers that explode and make much smoke and noise, there are lots of fireworks of the rocket or airborne variety. These are actually quite impressive. I have no doubt that the pyrotechnics can readily be observed from outer space.  If there is such a thing as man-made global warming, this South American custom makes its own significant contribution.  A haze of smoke and the smell of sulfur hangs over the city for many hours afterward.

There is a cevicheria (a restaurant/bar) across from our apartment. The party there began around midnight. Being quiet for the neighbor's sake simply does not enter the minds of Peruvians. After struggling for hours to get to sleep, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. and the fiesta was still going strong. Finally, around 10:45 a.m. the celebration exhausted itself to an end and, most likely, a bunch of whimpering hang overs. Our neighbors put in a full ten-hour shift of drinking, dancing and singing. They know how to party hearty...I'll give them that.

 Some of us make New Year resolutions in the hope that this year will be better that the ones past. At the same time, there seems to be a consensus that resolutions rarely pan out the way we hope they will. This "consensus" apparently does little to curb our tendency to make resolutions. I confess to making my own 2010 resolution: This year I will do a better job of reading through the Bible in one year. Hold me to it, will you?

"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

AN AUSPICIOUS BEGINNING

My wife and I were invited to attend the inaugural service (Sunday 12/20/09) at a new church in San Juan de Lurigancho, one of Lima's more populous and relatively poor areas. Even though it was scheduled on Becky's birthday, we accepted the invitation. It was a joy to have a part in the birthing of a new church.

This church began as a cell group made up of mostly teenagers. There was an amazing 17 year-old from Iglesia Shalom which is in Villa el Salvador named Jon Carlos who traveled 2 ˝ to 3 hours by bus every Saturday to disciple other teens in San Juan de Lurigancho. They met in a home and studied the Bible together. As the cell group grew to more than 20 regular attendees, they collectively felt it was time for more mature leadership.

For three years, Levis Melendez has been studying theology in a program sponsored by Camino de Vida-a large church in Surco. Becky and I attend this church regularly. Levis came to Lima from a broken home in the Jungle and ended up living with-and being mentored by-Pastor Moises of Iglesia Shalom in Villa el Salvador. He has functioned as the worship leader at Iglesia Shalom and most recently he's been serving as the youth pastor. Levis was married a little over a year ago. His wife is a nurse. He graduated last week from his theology program. Several months ago, Levis took over the leadership of the group in San Juan de Lurigancho. The group has continued to meet in the home (a relative of Jon Carlos, I believe). I visited this cell group about a month ago and did some teaching.

GOD PROVIDES

They found a private school willing to let them use their facility and scheduled their first service for this past Sunday. They opened to a full house. How that happened is an interesting story-and this is where the Christmas angle enters.

The most prevalent custom in Peru for Christmas is to have hot chocolate and a sweet bread with candied fruit in it called panatón. I'm not sure how this tradition began, but December in Peru is when the school year comes to a close and "summer vacation" begins. It is the month when spending time at the beach begins in earnest. Go to the department stores to do some Christmas shopping and you'll find swim wear on sale. Believe me, hot chocolate is not consumed because the weather is cold.

In the poorer communities, different groups, including the government, distribute "chocolatada"- hot chocolate and panatón. It is also common to give out gifts for children at the same time. As we were setting up for the service, the lines began forming outside the school for chocolatada. Fortunately, Levis and his wife Elizabeth had already planned to serve chocolatada at the end of the service and the supply was adequate. We informed the people gathering that we did not have gifts and that we were preparing for a church service with worship and the preaching of God's Word. They all stayed.

Most were mothers with children. There were also some children unaccompanied by parents. A few men also showed up. The worship was two songs long. They used music that had a great beat and was lively. All seemed to enjoy it, including the kids. Then Levis' wife, Elizabeth, had a word for the women. She gave voice the pain that is a common reality for the majority of these women. Then she presented the gospel as their best hope for authentic change in their circumstances. Six women came forward and prayed for forgiveness and to ask Jesus into their lives. I never get over the openness to the gospel here. There is such need and God's Word speaks life and hope into great desperation, pain and hopelessness.

Levis and Elizabeth are transitioning into full time ministry at the new church in San Juan de Lurigancho (it doesn't even have a name yet). They will be leaving Iglesia Shalom and relocating their residence also. They will, of course, maintain their connection to their sending church. Elizabeth will continue working as a nurse while they are getting the ministry established. She works at a medical practice in Surco-a very long commute from San Juan de Lurigancho.   These two are not only competent; they have huge hearts for God and very sensitive spirits. They've got years of ministry experience at Iglesia Shalom and know how to work with the people in the type of community they are in. We have committed  to support them in their first year of ministry.

We hope this Christmas story blesses you. The people got their chocolatada and panatón, but they were also offered the best gift of all-new life in Jesus-and several of them received that gift in this season of Christmas, 2009. This is why He came.

We also want to extend our wishes to all of you for a blessed Christmas. We hope your time is rich with the good things of the season, but even more so with the awareness of His Presence and thankful hearts for the coming of baby Jesus-Emanuel, God with us.

With Lots of Love,

Robert and Becky

For all our efforts, Christmas simply isn't the same here in Peru. This has allowed me to realize that much of what has been special about Christmas for me is cultural.

I cherish our family traditions: going as a family to cut a tree; an evening together decorating the nicest balsa or blue spruce we could find, listening to Christmas music and enjoying hot chocolate or hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick. Giving each of our kids their own Christmas ornaments each year; playing guitar and all of us singing Christmas carols and reading the Christmas story on Christmas morning; gathering with extended family for a communal feast and time of fellowship. I also relish the Christmas environment of home, the sounds, smells, foods, all the lights and decorations, even the hustle and the bustle of the season. I enjoyed office parties and other holiday gatherings--getting together with the elders or members of our small group, for instance. Children's Christmas plays and special services and happenings at Church were always a blessing. What were especially meaningful for me were the closeness of relationships and the sense of family in it all.

These glorious cultural amenities are all about Christmas and are generally intended, I think, to help focus on the true meaning of Christmas. But now that these things are mostly missing, I have personally come to recognize that my affections were much for these things and not so much for Jesus Himself. Jesus kind of gets buried underneath all the layers of Christmas tradition.

 

This evening my wife and I went to a movie.

The theater was located in a U.S.-style mall with big department stores, a giant food court and lots of boutique shops. In addition to many local restaurants, this mall has a Starbucks, a Chili's, a TGI Friday's, Pizza Hut and Tony Roma's. There are auto dealerships there and a Home Depot-like home improvement store.

Lima is a city of about 8.4 million souls-close to a third of the nation's population lives here. There are, of course, some areas where affluent Peruvians live, but there are many more areas where poor people live. There are also some middle-class neighborhoods, but the middle class is much smaller in Peru than it is in the U.S. Poverty runs from extreme to moderate.

This particular mall, Jockey Plaza, is in Surco, one of the more affluent parts of Lima. On our way from the theater to where we catch a micro-bus back to our apartment, my wife and I walked past seven or eight beggars.

There was a man-a little younger than I am-without legs sitting on the sidewalk. I gave him some pocket change.  He seemed genuinely appreciative. There were two women from the highlands with nursing babies. One was sitting on the stairs to an over pass for pedestrians and the other was up on the overpass itself. They had bulky skirts, wore multiple sweaters and had hats that resemble the hat worn by the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. Their hands were coarse from work. From my perspective, their utter passiveness evoked a sense of hopelessness. There was also a man with long white hair and a long white beard who was very skinny and frail. His cane was in his lap as he was sitting on the steps on the far side of the overpass.  I've seen him there before. And then there were a couple of older women who I took to be from the highlands also. One was making quiet pleading sounds.  It was really sad.

Beggars are a fact of everyday life here. More often than not, if you're eating in a restaurant some beggars-mostly scruffy, not-very-clean children or a young mother with her baby-will make their way in and ask for some money or ask you to buy some wrapped candy from them. If the staff sees them, they generally ask them to leave. And honestly, I'm generally relieved when they do.

It's different in the states. Maybe once in a while you'll come across a panhandler, or you'll deal with someone trying to wash your windshield at an intersection. I've seen disabled people asking for help from time to time also.

I have never seen poverty in the U.S. like the poverty here. The U.S. and South America are two different worlds. Here, millions live in temporary shelters built on land that doesn't belong to them. Millions have dirt floors and plastic roofs and may very well not have electricity or running water. Hot showers are pretty much a given in the states. Here, (if there are shower facilities at all) the majority take showers with cold water. I guess you get the picture.

 It really bothers me to witness how, for many, it's like these individuals don't even exist. They're not just dehumanized, they aren't even present or worthy of a response. I understand the turning of a blind eye. I'm tempted to do that every day. It's easier to become desensitized than it is to come face-to-face, day in and day out, with the depressing reality represented by the actual lives of these flesh and bone human beings.

Thank you, God, for the beggars. I pray you'll give me your heart for them. I pray you'll give me divine wisdom to know how to relate to them in a way that can turn their hearts toward you. I hope you'll help me make a real difference for some of them. Help me to always remember that there is a sense in which we all are beggars, needy for someone to treat us with compassion and generosity. Please keep my heart soft, Lord.