By Linson Daniel
I have had the privilege of going overseas to partner with various churches and indigenous ministries – especially in India. Every time I interact with believers and leaders from the Global Church, I walk away feeling inspired, emboldened, and challenged. We have much to learn from the Global Church. I gained a refreshing lens on the apostolic. Below are five lessons:
Lesson #1 – Money is not Everything
If you believe that planting churches and reaching the unreached is powered by money, then all it will take to stop your progress is for someone to “price you out of the market”. Too expensive for you to travel. Too pricey for you to create materials or websites. Too costly to rent space. Too steep for you to gain access. Our reliance on the almighty dollar will inevitably be our greatest weakness.
Churches in developing nations like India, China, and countries in South America are not wealthy even by their own standards, but make more impact than we do. Like Peter and John, they declare, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk!” The power and love of God has more worth than their currency ever will. If they do need something, they believe that God will provide it!
Let our apostolic work move forward with confidence in Christ and not in money.
Lesson #2 – Persecution is not the End
Persecution is something that the American Church does not fully understand. I don’t think I can really wrap my mind around it. Being tortured and killed for my faith? Unfathomable. However, our American churches suffer from a persecution mindset. Anytime laws or propositions conflict with our agenda, the church cries, “persecution”. The American church feels beat up and then loses momentum.
The Global Church faces persecution on a completely different level. They face it with stark realism and eternal optimism. For them, persecution declares that the Kingdom is making progress in a hostile environment. Instead of fighting back, they suffer and bear tribulation in love. Their church is built on the literal blood, sweat, and tears of the saints. How I wish I even had an ounce of their faith, courage, and determination!
Let us not be stifled by setbacks, but let hope embolden us to charge forward into new areas.
Lesson #3 – Bigger is not Always Better
Ah, the mega church. The impressive church buildings with the famous preachers — it’s quite the feat! The American church is big and beautiful. I’m from Texas and everything is BIG in Texas — especially our churches. We have a fascination about being big. But bigger is not always better. Bigger can be very disadvantageous. Bigger can feel fake, shallow, and glitz-y. Bigger can lose focus on what matters.
In some parts of the world, the Global Church cannot be as big as American churches because they would be shut down and persecuted — some may lose their life. Does that mean they lay dormant? Quite the opposite! They remain the same size but multiply. Over and over! Networks of small churches float under the radar and make inroads into dark, unreached places. When you add these small churches together, they outnumber any mega-church. They have more leaders, more disciples, and more church planters! It is flourishing! Simply amazing.
Our apostolic activity should not seek to be big, but multiply Kingdom influence across boundaries.
Lesson #4 – Faithful is not the Same as Successful
“Be successful. Be powerful. Be marketable. Be the next big thing!” This is the ethos of our American society. This mindset trickles into our churches. Our churches get sucked into becoming the next “great” story. But we forget the “great” commission and the “greatest” commandment. We fail to love our neighbors. We fail to love God. We fail to make disciples. All because we fail to see that faithful is better than successful.
In stark contrast, I’ve seen Global Church pastors walk miles to visit families, pray for the sick, and feed the hungry. I’ve heard stories about people being tortured because they are believers. I know missionaries who toil everyday and not sense any forward progress. They shed tears. Pray desperately. Serve tirelessly. Many will die and be forgotten. We may define this as unsuccessful. But when this life is over, they will hear, “Well done, my good and FAITHFUL servant…”
Success comes and goes. Faithfulness should be cultivated in the hearts of apostles.
Lesson #5 – Kingdom is not Convenient
In our “ready-made, microwaveable, easy-bake oven” kind of world, the American church expects convenience. The average American churchgoer expects spirituality to be easy and “on-demand”. But the Kingdom is far from easy and convenient. Bonheoffer stated, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you everything.” Our church has lost that old school, gritty, boots-to-the-ground approach to faith. Instead the Gospel has been tamed, defanged, and kept in a cage to entertain us at our convenience.
I remember being in Orissa, India. We drove hours through tough terrain to visit a village and a nearby church. We were met by hundreds of people living in impoverished conditions. They built the church from their own resources and meager wages. They were full of joy and passion as we sang and worshipped. I sensed God’s presence in a beautiful, electric, tangible way. Their faith is filled with sacrifice. And far from convenient.
Convenience robs our apostolic activity of deep passion. Instead, let us go the extra mile because Jesus loves us!
I pray that we would become more like Jesus every day. Let the Global Church inspire you to take action, to pray bigger, to love more deeply, and to see God’s Kingdom reach new places! You are an Everyday World Changer! Start today.
Which one of these five points captured you the most today? Why?
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All this is so true. I think that ‘convenience’ has become one of the ‘go to’ factors in the western Church and it leaves a Church bereft of genuine conviction and passion.