Kingdom Perspectives
“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam . . . and everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. There were about 400 men.” 2 Samuel 22:1,2
The church is in time of great change. Change always carries with it two things; opportunity and opposition. Whichever of these two we choose to seize on will profoundly impact our future. That’s a big deal.
The followers of Jesus (the term ‘Christian’ isn’t useful anymore; in our culture it can mean almost anything) are being given a clear opportunity to develop new definitions, and candidates, for leadership.
There is a faith population ‘out there’ in American culture who is in need of leaders who can help them find affirmation and purpose for their lives. They’re tradesmen, artists, teachers, farmers, activists, retirees, factory workers . . . . all genuinely converted believers, but they, for whatever reason, don’t ‘fit in’ with the traditional organized church.
Of course many churchmen will label these folks as ‘flaky,’ ‘rebellious,’ or ‘unaccountable.’ In some cases that may be so, but not for most of them. They love Jesus but the traditional Christian venues are somehow inadequate for them. This might be due to negative experiences, emotional or psychological issues, doctrinal causes, cultural stresses, or maybe, . . . just maybe, there’s little that is nourishing for them there.
This population is diverse, often free thinking, pretty mobile, and action oriented. For them to sit quietly, to ‘amen’ all the preaching, promotion, and propaganda, and attend the many meetings, and groups, and clinics, and ‘fellowships’ would likely make them bleed out of their eyes or suffer from claustrophobia. Being part of a crowd is perhaps terrifying, or else insufferably boring to them; they will seldom be found under a church roof.
So, much of the church dismisses them; marginalizes them. They are the ‘others’ that won’t comply, that don’t ‘get with the program.’ But what if I suggest that, for them at least, we’re offering the wrong program?
Obviously there is no space to answer that question, but I pose it for your thought. The fact is, God loves these believers, Jesus shed His blood for them, and they are as valuable to Him as the preachers, and the priests, and the deacons, and all of us do-gooders.
Now the question is; where are we going to find leaders for this vast and expanding population of saints? And the other question is perhaps most important; what are you going to do if the Spirit of God fingers you for the task? Will you see the opportunity there, or retreat as part of the opposition? Maybe pray about that a bit.
As just a youngster, David was anointed by Samuel as God’s chosen leader. His encounter with Goliath, his ability to comfort the king, his talent and gracious manner endeared him to the people. But as hard as he tried to fit in with palace life, over and over he was forced outside. Ego, jealousy, fear, and anger was the reward for his service. I suggest David was displaced by Divine design. God was wanting to develop a new kind of leader, and that would require some special people!
So, David’s first lesson in actual leadership came in the shape of a bunch of desperate, embittered, indebted ‘misfits.’ These guys were angry and looked like very much like trouble. But David seized the opportunity.
Christianity’s highly cultivated concepts of ministry and Christian practice put clear limits on how things and people should develop in ‘the system.’ The folks I’m describing will jam up that machine pretty quickly. They may be more suited for a cave than our churches.
The new kind of leadership we’re in need of . . . the kind of leader God needed David to become, isn’t developed by tending a flock of compliant sheep who aren’t messy, or rowdy, or self-willed and sassy. This leadership must welcome new challenges, from people and from the Spirit. He or she must be conflict focused, not insisting things be easy or reasonable. They will need to operate simply, with a lean agenda, and lead mostly by example! No sense handing this crowd a catechism, or a book, or a CD; they’re just going to watch you intently, and do precisely what you do!
So, David led those guys, roaming the rugged terrain of Southern Israel, keeping distance between themselves and the army of Saul. Those 400 men observed ‘the man after God’s own heart’ as time after time he chose integrity, fairness, and goodness over self-interest and strategic advantage. Gradually trust, unity, and loyalty developed among them. They became cohesive, and they got stronger. “And they kept coming, day after day, until they were a great army, like the Army of God.”
What if there is a population of genuine believers who need the liberty to establish their own unique form of community, their own priorities and practice, their own ‘mission?’ Does God have our permission to develop a ‘church’ that doesn’t follow the cultural cues of American Christianity? And are we willing to help God provide leaders for them?
David needed those misfits and crazies in order to become the leader God’s kingdom required. But God was not only developing a different kind of leader; He was at the same time creating a different sort of army.
They didn’t fit anybody’s mold, or win any military beauty contests. They were unpredictable, difficult to manage sometimes, raw and ragged. But here’s the payoff . . . . when you assemble some outsiders with nothing to lose, and you show them respect, and give them a chance to experience something genuine like honor and personal value, they’ll do things ordinary folks would never do, couldn’t do!
Three of those guys broke through the Philistine lines at Bethlehem to bring David a drink from the well he enjoyed as a boy. One guy fought alone, bloodied and exhausted, repelling an entire Philistine company away from someone’s bean field! Those men brought down giants, grappled with lions, and defeated over-whelmingly superior numbers because they had found a leader who believed in them, inspired them. His mission and calling became their passion and purpose. History has given us the roll call of David’s ‘mighty men’ (1 Chron. 11), but they weren’t mighty in the beginning!
So, here’s my thought. Those multiplied thousands of ‘unaffiliated’ believers in our culture are the raw material for a profound spiritual movement as strategic as any ‘revival.’ Their potential is stunning, their energies and insights largely untapped, even ignored. Is there some way we can engage them, affirm them, and let them know they’re significant; valuable to God?
We probably won’t get anywhere inviting them to our church; let’s see if we can get invited to their place!
Rallied around a leader who saw them as a divine opportunity, I’ll bet they’d become ‘difference-makers;’ a spiritual force to be reckoned with! We all know a few of these good souls, don’t we? What if God’s hand is on you to help validate their faith and offer them a kingdom connection? The church needs some more ‘mighty men and women’ to emerge, but their leaders will need to be of a different breed. Can we help?
Maybe we’ll talk more about this in the days ahead.