Off I went - 2010-2011
It was late November 2010, and there I was leading a small group of world-changers to a previously un-experienced Missionary adventure in the rural parts of India. I was 22 years old and with enough enthusiasm to power the little Air Asia Airbus we were flying on - off we went - to change the world.
So our small team of three set out to "convert the heathens" and "change the face of Christianity in India" - or so we thought. We arrived at our destination after almost a day and a half of travel and transit - and were driven to our first street meeting - literally - a meeting in the middle of the street in a tiny village. We were welcomed as heroes from some "higher spiritual plane" - little did they know, how little we knew.
We lacked in our skill to teach - but God is faithful and He delivered - as always, He honours the preaching of His Word. We gave the altar call, a few people came forward and gave their lives to Jesus. "Wow! This stuff works" - we looked at one another and thought. Soon it was time for the healing line - and to our amazement - that worked too. Everywhere - aches and pains were disappearing! We knew in our hearts - that we were not prepared one bit for the journey God was taking us on. Over the course of that one and a half month trip - hundreds were saved and delivered (yes, of real demons). On a physically spectacular level - at least a hundred were healed miraculously - blindness, paralysis, deafness, barrenness - even a severed finger tip regrowing! Yup, we fell on our faces each night, sobbing and marveling at the goodness and mercy and power of our risen Lord to save, deliver and heal. Though our ability was lacking, the conviction and zeal in our hearts was real.
The unwilling return
On coming back to Australia towards the end of January 2011, however, we found coming off the "haze of glory" we were on and readjusting to "normal life" really difficult and challenging. For one, quite judgmentally - we found the spiritual climate in churches in Australia to be tepid. I say judgmentally, because that's exactly what we did - judge. I put it down to personal immaturity and a lack of understanding and appreciation of what God was up to in and through His Church on earth - in particular, the local church. To make matters worse - I was on staff at a local Church.
In the months after returning to Australia after that life-changing First Mission Trip, we gathered people around this idea of "radical ministry" that imitated the life of Jesus, "fully convinced" that the Local Church was not up to the task. We hit the Melbourne CBD hard - talked to people, shared the Gospel with anything that moved, took care of the drunk, snuck into hospitals with families of patients (and managed to minister to a lady in a coma - who then woke up from said coma! Praise the Lord!). Fellowship - Oh we loved fellowship - we met almost every Thursday night and gathered to worship our Lord, dug into the Word and shared life with one another.
Heroism or Hypocrisy?
Eventually, all of this ran out of steam - it simply could not be sustained. For one, our mindsets began to revert back to "pre-mission" days - thoughts like "You can't just talk to a stranger on the bus about Jesus" or "You can't just ask every person in a wheel-chair if you can minister to them" or "Ugh! Worship on a Sunday morning is so boring". And so, all of that inflated sense of purpose - came undone by our own thought patterns. We had returned as heroes - with epic tales of God's mighty power through us and in us - but after a while, we reverted to hiding under the veil of our own thoughts and confusion, all the while still proclaiming judgement on the state of the Church in Australia. I can only speak for myself at this point - What was probably the hardest year of my Christian life ensued, I was living off the "glory" of the mission trip, now 5-6 months prior and was not living out my Gospel convictions in my everyday life. And then, I began to yearn for the next time I could head off to India - and see the "fireworks" so to speak. Oh the Hypocrisy!
More on that later.
Called again to India 2011-2012
The Lord, granted that we go back to India in December 2011 with now a much larger and more organised team. Well, as organised as I could be back then. Similar spiritual fireworks ensued. We set up a Pastors Training Centre, named after the independent ministry I had begun in 2011, saw dramatic healings - the mute speaking, blind eyes opening, deaf ears opening, paralysis leaving, demons leaving people and ultimately - the lost being found and saved! Things were looking good. The convictions were real this time too, the skills had improved, but still there was this stubbornness of heart in me towards the local Church. All the while, I was so terribly aware of the hypocrisy of the outworking, or lack-thereof, of my convictions back in Australia that year. The heart said "Yes" but the head, hands and feet simply said "No".
Returning once more - minus the baggage
On my way back to Australia, I finally had it out with the Lord, in my hotel room. Who knows what the occupants of the neighboring rooms thought, but who cares! I wrestled with the Lord for hours in prayer, in anguish over the discrepancy of my convictions and actions, my judgmental attitude towards the Church in Australia. In my view, one of the most hideous ways to exist is to have a conviction of the Glory of God, and then do nothing about it. It was in this time of admittance of guilt and the Holy Spirit working repentance that I could truly see how much God loves His Church, His bride. It was in this time I was fully convinced from the Word of God that, the Church has been, is, and will be - until His return - Plan A! There never was, is not and will never be a Plan B. There was no running away from "Mother Ship", as I now lovingly refer to as the Church, or the "nursing mother" as John Calvin puts it.
I had to repent, choose to die to self, and humble myself in the presence of the Lord. I returned to Australia, with one A4 page of things I had written down that I wished to honour and to change in my life and ministry and relationships that year. I shared this with my then Pastor and boss, who listened with an almost-sigh of relief. He was very patient with me as I went through that list and encouraged me immensely to live out of my convictions. That was the start of 2012 - It turned out to be the most fruitful year of ministry for me at that Church, in terms of me being free to live out my convictions within the local church - being released and supported by that local church to live as a disciple of Jesus and to also train up the youth there to do the same. It was also the most productive and blessed year of relationships in the local church. Those old mindsets that had dogged me in the previous year upon return were no-where to be found. There was something different.
What was different?
My convictions of God's power to save, heal and deliver did not change - I did. To say the least - humility was a lesson repeatedly and necessarily learned. And by humility I don't mean "I'm a wretched worm, dirty sinner saved by grace", but more along the lines of - "I'm going to see myself as God sees me - nothing less, nothing more". And because all that matters is - who God is, and what He has done and consequently how He now sees me ; I am free to live out of His promises, in His presence and partaking in His activity in the world to bring about His purposes through the Church.
I was convinced that I didn't have to "Go" on mission - I am part of God's missionary effort wherever I may be, even when I choose to go overseas or when I am staying local. God's promises, presence and purpose are no longer bound to one particular place or the other. His promises are for me - and us, He lives in me - and us and He works through me - and us. And that we, as the body of Christ are on this mission together - not at odds with the local Church - but taking shelter under her maternal care.
A note from our Sponsors
When Jesus said "Therefore having gone, disciple all the nations, baptising them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20a) - the emphasis of the imperative is on "Disciple". An emphasis on discipleship and the process of making disciples in ministry, enables us to see the energy and momentum gained from mission trips, beach missions, etc to not only be conserved but even strengthened and multiplied.
Furthermore, when Jesus said "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few" (Luke 10:2), this needs to be read in conjunction with John 4:35 when Jesus says to His disciples "Don't you have a saying 'It's still four months until harvest?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." Jesus' exhortation is for us to open our eyes! Where are we to open our eyes? Wherever we are currently standing of course. When are we to open our eyes? Now! The harvesting of souls and the expansion or manifestation of the Kingdom, as it were, need not be a deferred event some time in the future or at a location that you are not currently at, though other locations are fine too!
What does life look like today?
So why begin a blog on Mission with such a long story?
Well, I want the reader to know that I am not making the statements I just have, and the challenges I am about to throw out, purely from some un-lived, academic or theological grievance. I want you, the reader to know, that I have been on this journey - and still am, and if I can pass on some wisdom, often learned through mistakes - maybe you will avoid some of those same pitfalls.
So I am going to phrase these as a set of questions for you to reflect on. These questions are addressed to 3 Categories or Groups of People.
Firstly, to the participant of a short-term overseas Mission Trip, Beach Mission or any other kind of missionary Adventures:
1) Are there things you do or will do on your mission trips, wherever that may be, that you do not currently live out in your everyday life nor plan to live out when you return from "mission"?
2) Do you have the blessing and support of your local Church?
3) Do you know what Scriptural convictions, firmly rooted and established in love in your heart, are driving your involvement in your missionary adventures?
Secondly, to the organizers of short-term Mission Trips, Beach Missions or any other kind of missionary Adventures:
1) How does your time with participants equip them to live out their convictions and actions displayed on these camps, beach-missions or mission trips overseas when they return to their usual context?
2) How do you encourage, from the Word of God, a missional mindset, a mission readiness and participation in the Mission of God through the Local Church?
3) Are you ensuring that those who are participating in your missionary adventures, have a real conviction about why there are there?
Thirdly, to the local church
1) How are you blessing, encouraging and supporting the participation of your congregation in camps, beach-missions or overseas mission trips? If not, why not?
2) What discipleship ministry is in place to ensure that the seeds planted on such trips are watered?
3) How are you ensuring that noble heroism is celebrated but hypocrisy is lovingly confronted?
4) How has the Word of God informed those in your care's participation in a specific mission?
Finally!
Having said all that, I remain committed to seeing young people, especially, participate in things like camps, beach missions and overseas mission trips. As a Church-Worker, you can be assured I will be asking myself those four questions under "to the local church", and also asking myself personally those four questions under "to the participant" as I prepare to take yet another missionary team to India in January 2014.
I pray that if there are any things in this blog that infuriate, stirr, encourage, edify, exhort you for what ever reason, that you remember that I am for Mission and The Church (Universal & Local). I am for Gospel convictions being lived out and am eager to help Christians live out their convictions - everyday, wherever they may be. I am for intentional discipleship. I am on a journey. I am for you and I am for Jesus!
Yours in Christ,
Akhil Gardner
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