One of my favorite stories in all of Scripture is one from the Old Testament in 2 Kings, chapter six where the Aramean king is trying to defeat Israel. Over and over again he tries to attack but the king of Israel always seems to know when and where the attacks will happen. Finally, the Aramean king asks his servants how this can be and they tell him that Elisha the prophet is the one to blame. He is the one sending the information and so the king turns his armies towards Dothan where Elisha is staying. They show up and the array is impressive. So impressive that Elisha's servant is scared to death. He cannot imagine how they will get out this trap. But Elisha prays and asks the Lord to open the servant's eyes so he can see what is really going on. The servant looks up and suddenly sees the chariots and horses of the Lord surrounding the Arameans!
Look up! See what God is really doing in the world. Stand ready and faithful to go on mission with God. That's what this life is all about. Last evening, I had the pleasure of hanging out with a new friend. He and I met because he is intrigued by what God is doing through this new church in Sun Prairie. He attends another church about forty minutes away but has been feeling God's call to be more involved locally. So we met and I described the vision we have to equip and send out God's people to be missionaries in their workplaces, their homes, their neighborhoods, wherever God has already placed them in life. He struggled at first but then you could almost see the tumblers fall into place. Instinctively he knew "church" was more than a building or a worship service. In his soul, he knew that God had a greater vision for his life than an hour on Sunday morning or a committee meeting during the week. God wants him on mission. God wants him reaching out to his unchurched friends with the Good News of the Gospel. God wants him to be a part of what God is doing in our community and in the world.
I felt a lot like Elisha last night. It was very cool to watch the Spirit open this young man's eyes to see the glories He has prepared for us if we will just faithfully follow. And it reminded me once again that the failure of the institutional church to inspire is my failure. It is my failure to cast a vision that is worthy of God and worthy of God's mission in the world. God's people long to be a part of something bigger, something grander than themselves and if we will just release them, challenge them, encourage them, SEND them out, they will surprise us with their passion!
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