Why don’t people heartily engage in mission?
This is not a new question and I won’t propose any new answers. However, the question remains important to ask and answer. When I say “mission” I mean the mission of the church, specifically, the making and training of disciples (Mt. 28.19-21).
THE PROBLEM
Why is there disengagement with and ambivalence towards mission? The answer is simple: selfishness. Selfish people do not give themselves away for the purpose of others. Selfish people do not serve, they want to be served. Selfish people will not open their homes, mouths, or lives for the sake of others. The enemy of mission is me.
This reminds me of a powerful verse in the back third of our Bibles. The Apostle John writes 3rd John to commend the church towards a gospel-driven hospitality. A “gospel-tality” if you will. He does this by highlighting the faithfulness of Gaius and Demetrius in contrast to the mission-sabotaging rebellion of Diotrephes. He could also be known as “me first guy.”
“ME FIRST” GUY
What is the root issue?
I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. (3Jn. 1.9-10)
This is pretty straight forward actually. He loves to put himself first. In the infamous words of Terrell Owens, “I love me some me.”
Why might this be a missional problem? It is a problem because at its heart the gospel tells us to fall out of love with ourselves and to fall in love with Christ. When the gospel is received it unfastens our death-grip upon the world and the mirror of vain glory and fastens our grip upon Christ and his fame. If we love to put ourselves first then we also love putting Jesus first. We cannot have two Lords, we’ll love the one and hate the other.
Diotrephes was a big-time selfish guy. He probably took a lot of #selfies on Instagram and didn’t even realize it was ugly. However, it got worse. This preoccupation with self morphed into a lack of submission to biblical authority (v.9), active verbal attacks, opposition to hospitality, and a fracture in the unity of the church (v.10). Selfishness never stays in kindergarden, it always progresses on the fast-track at the University of Me.
You might say, “I don’t do all of that.” Well, that is good to hear. But before pronouncing that this does not apply to you (and me), let’s remember that he was not heartily engaged in mission. This is the problematic posture for far too many Christians.
“ME SAFE” GUY
Let’s tease out another implication here. Not only did Diotrephes exalt himself but he isolated himself. He pulled himself back from the mission. Selfishness will oppose mission through isolation. Maybe we do this because we are seeking comfort and don’t want to be laughed at, rejected, or whatever. Maybe we do this because we aren’t confident in the power of the gospel. Maybe we do this because we don’t want to live for something bigger than ourselves. If we pursue the idol of comfort then we will never promote the mission of God.
If you are a Christian and are not engaged in mission then I can confidently say you are being selfish. You may be like Diotrephes in exalting yourself or in isolating yourself. Either way you need to see that selfishness has always been the enemy of mission. It is selfishness that the gospel comes to arrest and transform. After all, how can Christians go out and proclaim a message to fall out of love with yourself while being in love with themselves?
GRACE BRINGS ENCOURAGEMENT
Thankfully that same gospel continues to unfasten our grips upon the mirror and refocus our eyes upon Christ. Where there is a true love for God there will be a true love for God’s word, God’s people, and God’s mission. Look at Gaius and Demetrius. They got it because the gospel got them. Let’s go!
