A Global Family, Church, and Mission

I really enjoy working in downtown Bentonville. It affords me the occasional stroll to the Square, which cannot happen without a visit to the Spark Café for ice cream. I made the mistake of ordering something other than mint-chocolate chip one time. It’s not that butter pecan was that bad, but it was clearly NOT mint chocolate chip. Case closed.

I decided to take one of these walks last Wednesday. When I got to the Square it was adorned with all the flags of the different nations that will be represented at this week’s shareholder's meetings. Guests from all over the world have converged on our little town. I had the chance to interact with one of our international guests, and my prayer is that he was able to experience a little Southern hospitality. I actually was able to keep him from making the mistake of his life by recommending the mint-chocolate chip. Tragedy avoided.

The wheels of commerce that drive our town extend around the world. Many of my parishioners work in the retail industry are intimately connected to the global economy. My shareholder report reflects a profit in 27 different countries. That’s really impressive.

As I enjoyed my ice cream on the Square in the presence of these 27 flags, the Lord began to speak to me about my connection not to a global economy, but to a global family. As a connectional church, we are united with brothers and sisters in the Church of the Nazarene in over 160 world areas. In just a little over 100 years, we have taken the Gospel to the “uttermost parts of the earth.” This mission is to “make Christ-like disciples in the nations”, including nations that will never have a flag represented on the Bentonville Square, but are eternally important to God. We engage in this mission without regard for a nation’s GDP or the average annual income of its citizens. Our reasoning for entering a country is simple: Do people there need to know Jesus? The answer is always the same, and so we go.

Ironically, our students leave today to go to the Dominican Republic, a country not represented on the Bentonville Square. The people they will be serving this week would have difficulty finding something they could afford in a Supercenter. We send our students to the Dominican Republic, however, because we are driven by God’s mission. This mission is much different than the one that drives the economy. The one who calls us to go says this:

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.” (Isaiah 55:1)

Living this verse out makes for a lousy shareholder’s report, but it produces a great Church.

Today is the National Day of Prayer

Yesterday was the National Day of Prayer. This day was established by President Truman in 1952 as a call for people of faith to pray for God’s protection, provision, and blessing upon our nation. I was able to participate in multiple events that commemorated this call to prayer.

One of the events was on the Bentonville Square. The Daily Walk, a ministry to business professionals, sponsored “Prayer on the Square.” Several hundred people gathered on the steps of the courthouse, sang a few worship songs, and prayed for our nation. It was attended by several of our elected officials, including the Mayor of Bentonville, and I was greatly encouraged to hear these leaders praying over our city and for our families.

In this age of political correctness and hyper-sensitivity to all things religious, it felt strange to be lifting my hands in praise in the shadow of a county seat of power. As the American and Arkansas flags flew above me, I kept looking over my shoulder wondering if some lawyer from the ACLU was going to come in with a bull-horn and shut the whole thing down. Gatherings like this in the USA are becoming the exception and not the rule. Moreover, I was reminded of all the places on this planet where a gathering of believers like this would not be possible.

While the loss of overt Christian influence in our government is lamentable, the Lord reminded me of this: no government, no power, no amount of legislation, no amount of resistance can stop God’s kingdom purposes from being realized through the work of His people who are empowered by His Holy Spirit. In fact, the Church has historically thrived in contexts that are hostile to its message. While I do not welcome the secular values and growing opposition toward the Church that is present in our government and society, I know that God’s presence is a promised reality in scripture and his ability to work through His people in the midst of such challenges has been proven again and again.

With this in mind, I hope we, as the Church, realize that prayer must be a constant practice, and not just a novelty that we display on the first Thursday in May. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “Pray without ceasing.” As you consider the direction of our government, our ambivalence in regards to basic morality, and the current pulse of our culture, has there ever been a greater need for God’s people to pray?

Let’s stand with the Apostle Paul. It's a stand that will not require new legislation. A boycott will not be necessary, nor a march on Capitol Hill. As God’s unique covenant people in the world let’s declare today as the National Day of Prayer.