Being Comfortable with Your Unique Call
Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. “I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:38-40)
Who would have thought that a small boy could slay a giant with just a sling and a few stones? David wanted to use a slingshot, but Saul wanted him to use his armor and weaponry. Everyone of that time knew that Saul’s advise was obviously better, but David knew that the popular choice do not fit him. He went ahead with what he felt comfortable in, trusted the Lord, and to the surprise of many, he gained success.
God wants to use us, but many times God did not pin-point the “how”. The variety of methods exponentially increases as globalization and technology matures. What that is not possible five to ten years ago, may be the most effective thing today. Inversely that which was effective five to ten years back may not necessarily be effective now.
This however provide the framework for a problem. Often times it is a tendency for us to look into the past and use that as a measure of success. Many times we do this to give ourselves some sort of identity which is recognizable by people. Some times we do this to ourselves, other times people project their thinking onto us. Often, this is an unconscious effort.
Let me give you an example. A traditional missionary is one who goes overseas and live among the community he or she ministers in. It was known to be the most effective form of missions as they are the ones who would be able to blend into the way of life and understand the thinking patterns of the community they are in. Today, given globalization and technology, who says that only a traditional missionary can be effective? It largely depends on the strata of the society you are reaching. If you are aiming the upper echelons, many are tech-savvy, financially influential and well versed in English.
Let me give you a local example. A pastor was known to be one who preaches and teaches on the weekends. However today, we can do the same online and almost at every moment! And the format need not be the same as the usual pupit-sermon. Today, gospel content could be found on msn, sms, facebook, twitter, in text, video, graphics, songs, dance, the possibilities are just endless! I learnt in my preaching class that the term “Preaching” is basically a time of proclamation with regards to the Word of God; and “Teaching” is a process of guiding people to discover the content on their own. It did not say how we are to proclaim or guide. It is the society that projects their understanding of the terms to be one of weekend pulpit speaking, or in the case of “Teaching”– classroom speaking. In other words, I could possibly be preaching to you now as you are reading this blog. Everyone can do the same!
Given these two examples, we must not limit our potential to peoples’ understanding of the terms. I mean, aren’t we are all seeking to obey God? Are we not giving ourselves to Preaching, Teaching and to Missions just like how our pastors does it? Do we even need a title to be spiritual? No. God wants all of us to be like Jesus . . . and Jesus does all the above-mentioned.
Jesus tells us to fulfill the Great Commission but he left it to us to strategize. I (wildly) presume that Jesus gave us this freedom because in his all-knowing, he knows that times change. Thus the methods should change while the message stays the same. People, do not be a Saul. Do not be someone who seeks to mould people into his or her image. Be brave and be like David, who dared to stick to what he is good at, rather than allowing himself to be moulded into an image which he is not. When we become comfortable with who we, the power of God flows through us in a greater and more powerful manner.
In the present Church, the concept of “Sincere Love” is very much like a book left on a shelf. Periodically, someone takes it down for referencing or to troubleshoot a particular situation. Very few people actually bother to carry it with them because it is just too heavy and troublesome. Throughout my time in school, one of the most important lessons I have learnt is to put “People before Paper”, and “Ministry before Mission.” Many secular teams are agenda driven, but I have grown to strongly believe that Christian teams should be people driven. When working as a team, it is always easy to use the team to push an agenda forward. However it takes a paradigm shift to put people first, and task second. As a minister, I must never allow the task to consume me that I forget to minister. Ministry is of prime importance, and I must always remember to keep it front and center. It is almost hypocritical to finish a project without ministering to your own teammates. It benefits only the individual self but it does not benefit the life of the people working with you. Thus this makes their serving in the team become more like doing a dead-end task rather than something they would actually be able to grow spiritually in.
