Dr. Jeff Broadnax has been representing GCI with racial reconciliation initiatives held by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). I recently asked Jeff to represent me at a gathering in Montgomery, Alabama. His letter below gives the details of this visit. We have strategically placed his letter in this issue of Update as a good introduction to the similarity training that will be held at each of the Regional Gatherings this summer. Thank you, Jeff, for your instructive and inspirational insights.
I was honored to represent GCI, along with more than sixty leaders and ministry members, on the NAE’s Racial Justice and Reconciliation Collaborative. For two days, we interactively discussed the Christian church’s response to racism, injustice, and social, cultural, and political division in America.
We gathered in Montgomery at the Legacy Sites established by the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Fueling our discussions and reflections were messages from NAE President, Dr. Walter Kim, Dr. Bernice King (daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), Dr. Christina Edmonson, and EJI Founder, Bryan Stevenson. We toured the Legacy Museum, the National Memorial for Peace and Justice (devoted to the victims of racial terror lynchings) and the newly opened Freedom Monument Sculpture Park [pictured above].
I felt like one of the pilgrims in Jerusalem on Pentecost. Peter’s compelling witness about the life and ministry of Jesus went beyond simply reciting teachings received as Jesus’ disciple. Peter’s narrative recounted his freshly baptized and restorative experience of Jesus’ calling, ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and personalized sending.
Peter unashamedly proclaimed hard truths to all with ears to hear because he understood that it was by hard truths that Jesus enabled his own ears and eyes to be spiritually opened afresh. The garden of Gethsemane, Pilate’s courtyard, the upper room, and the shores of the Sea of Galilee, among others, were key moments with Jesus that shaped Peter’s passionate witness to “strengthen his brothers.”
So convicting and compelling was Peter’s message, that the pilgrims cried out, “Friends, what should we do?” The answer was clear. “Turn to God and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38 CEV).
Every Jesus-follower’s responsibility is to listen for and hear truth from God, then respond by sharing it. While in Alabama, I saw and heard of the wonders of God “in my own language,” and the Holy Spirit took me deeper into some hard truths regarding racial justice and reconciliation in the Body of Christ.
Christian leaders gathered for the NAE Racial Justice and Reconciliation Collaborative
While sitting in the very same room where enslaved people were chained and examined before being auctioned off, Bryan Stevenson shared his visionary calling from God to confront the darkness of historical, current, and future racial division and injustice with the disinfecting light of truth and reconciliation found in Jesus. He chose Montgomery as the site for these museums because Montgomery represented the heart of racial division in America.
Montgomery was the site where Jefferson Davis was sworn in as the President of the Confederate States of America in 1861, and it was where Alabama governor, George Wallace, proclaimed in his 1963 inaugural address, “I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.”
These two days of Christian discussions and experiences of hard racial truths of American history were by no means my first. I have visited over a dozen major sites addressing America’s racial history. However, I can say, this experience was the most personalized.
You see, my paternal grandparents and great grandparents were born and raised in this racialized part of the south in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. With God’s help, they navigated in real time the hard truths I was learning about 160 years later.
Before arriving in Montgomery, I toured other key sites of the civil rights movement in Birmingham. I sat in my car and listened to Dr. King read his letter from that very jail to local Christian pastors calling them to experience a metanoia and join Jesus in the ministry of racial justice, inclusion, and reconciliation. (The Greek word metanoia means to change one’s mind.)
I then visited my great grandparents’ graves in the small, unkept cemetery at the end of a rural dirt road. I wanted to share a time of prayerful lament, thanksgiving, and worship to God for his faithfulness in allowing me to live out the dreams they only saw in their mind’s eye. While kneeling there in the Holy Spirit’s comfort, I was also convicted of some personal divisive darkness needing cleansing in Jesus. That’s how he works.
The Christian church, as ambassadors of reconciliation, must shine God’s disinfecting light of grace and truth into the dark brokenness of sin that hides, resides, and at times gets expressed within human interactions. GCI embraces this mandate and at the Friday sessions of the Regional Gatherings this summer, I will lead a Christ-centered equipping workshop designed by Pastor Miles McPherson, called, The Third Option Similarity Training exploring relational oneness in Jesus.
Once washed and compelled by the reconciling forgiveness in Jesus, I humbly look forward to asking the “What shall we do?” question to those ready to explore the hard truths guiding the ministry and message of reconciliation.
From the editor: To our U.S. readers, may you have a meaningful Juneteeth observance! If your fellowship held a Juneteeth celebration with your neighbors, tell us about it. Send your story to elizabeth.mullins@gci.org.
In my term as GCI President, I have worked with many of our longtime leaders helping to process them into retirement. It has been a privilege to come alongside these fine people. Whatever role you play in the life of the church, please realize you perform this service for a season. That’s an important lesson that I have learned. We are all interim servants. Yes, the ranges of time vary, but eventually, we will all be replaced.
Can we think about transitions with advanced planning and preparation? Succession may not be immediate, yet I suggest that it is urgent. It deserves our attention and care.
Whether you are a pastor, a ministry Avenue champion, or another position of leadership, what would advance planning and preparation look like? The critical question is, “Who are you bringing along beside you?” What traits are you looking for? Let’s consider what Paul wrote to his young protégé Timothy.
The saying is sure: whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task. Now a bishop must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way— for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he take care of God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil. 1 Tim 3:1-7 NRSVA
If a person is going to be an overseer of a congregation, fellowship group, or Avenue, there are markers that cannot be overlooked. I see these markers fitting into three categories.
Character
We are talking about the faithfulness of Jesus being evident in the life of a mature believer (not a novice). There are several examples in this passage that call to mind an often-overlooked gift of the Spirit — self-control. Self-control includes being moderate in food and drink and displaying an even temperament and emotional stability. These are fundamentals that must be present.
I challenge us to think about character from the standpoint of action and how we, as followers of Christ, engage others. Biola University President, Dr. Barry Corey, said that we Christian leaders need to live with a firm center and soft edges. I believe what he was saying is that we must be firmly centered in relationship with Jesus — loving him whole-heartedly, and then allowing his love and grace to extend to our neighbor through our actions and words. Jesus told us the new commandment was to love others as he loves us — he set the example of how to love. He also told us that dedication to and participation in the two great commands encompasses the entire message of the law and the prophets. You may not have thought of character in this fashion, and yet Jesus summarizes the message of the Bible in the call to love God and to serve others. Jesus, who was full of grace and truth, wants us to be likewise.
Credibility
Credibility can be described as reliability and trustworthiness demonstrated through relationships. An example might be a faithful, loving spouse, an attentive parent who manages the household well, or a good neighbor with a good reputation (not a brawler or heavy drinker at the local bar, etc.).
Corey wrote a book with the simple title, Love Kindness. As he interacts with faculty and staff, he finds that being kind has great rewards. On the day that the board meeting of the National Association of Evangelicals was hosted on the Biola campus, Corey was observed walking down the sidewalk with a box of doughnuts enroute to the custodial offices. He was demonstrating appreciation to staff members who are often overlooked. This was not a difficult task, but to acknowledge coworkers with something as simple as a doughnut is an act of kindness.
Calling
Paul, as a leader called by Jesus (remember the Damascus Road), possessed God-given discernment to know what to look for and see in others as emerging leaders. He recorded the sound advice above for Timothy.
I suggest that other veteran leaders in the church would also have this same kind of discernment to ask and answer, “What do we see in this individual?”
Then what about the individual? What do they see in themselves? Do they desire the role of a leader? Do they see how God has been preparing them along the way? Will he or she continue as an eager learner? Are they enthused and energized by the calling? As current leaders, it is crucial to have these kinds of conversations with protégés as they are developing.
It is important that we pay heed to Paul’s instructions that continue in verse 8. For any person taking on a service role in the life of the church, these instructions are relevant.
Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not indulging in much wine, not greedy for money; they must hold fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. And let them first be tested; then, if they prove themselves blameless, let them serve as deacons. 1 Tim 3:8-10 NRSVA
Servant leaders need to be above reproach and demonstrate the evidence of a Christlike life. Holding the “mystery of the faith” is non-negotiable. This means believing in the triune God revealed in Jesus, trusting in him for salvation, and finding depth of identity in a personal relationship with him. Others can follow this person because they are following Jesus.
Our shared GCI vision for Healthy Church includes the expectation of healthy leaders who are actively recruiting other women and men who can be prepared to step up. As GCI President, it is my desire to see leaders like you and me embrace the reality of our interim status while doing the advanced planning and preparation for the future of GCI.
Looking to the future, Greg Williams
P.S. Susan and I enjoy visiting U.S. presidential libraries and then checking them off our bucket list. Recently, we were at the President Eisenhower Library in Abilene, K.S. I’ll leave you with a quote from “Ike” Eisenhower. It’s great advice for the young ones coming behind. “Learn as much as you can from those who know more than you, who do better than you, who see more clearly than you.”
I invited Grace Communion Seminary (GCS) President, Michael Morrison, to show us how our theological foundation is married to our mission. I very much appreciate the truthful points he shares that we all need to hear as we continue to strive to be healthy churches.
Please encourage your leaders and members to read Mike’s letter. I pray it inspires deep conversations about the mission for your congregation or fellowship group. Healthy Church equals healthy mission.
Greg Williams
The purpose Jesus gave us is to work together on mission to the world.
A few people seem to have taken the slogan “to be the healthiest expression of church we can be” as an excuse to focus on ourselves, on our internal relationships, rather than on the mission Jesus gave to us. Like a nursing home resident might try to be as healthy as possible, considering the circumstances, some of us seem to be simply striving to prolong our days with a minimum of discomfort.
Health is good, but it should not be a goal in itself; we want health so that we can do something else with our lives. We want churches to be healthy so that the churches can do something other than tending to their own health. A healthy church has a healthy mission – or we might say that mission is part of the measure of whether a church is healthy.
Let’s be honest, many of our churches have been in maintenance mode for decades, saving fuel by coasting along, not going anywhere but downhill. What is the alternative to maintenance mode? It is going up the right hill. It is working together to do something bigger than any of us can do on our own. It is reminding ourselves that we are called to sacrifice for others, to be on mission with Jesus.
As God led us to our understanding of Incarnational Trinitarian theology, some of us fell into the trap of congratulating ourselves on having better theology even when it didn’t seem to be having many results in our churches. Yes, we do have better theology, but along the way, some people drew some unwarranted conclusions:
Jesus did it all, so we don’t need to do anything.
Jesus is already at work in the world, and we can join him if we want to. But if we don’t want to, then don’t worry about it – Jesus will get it done anyway. There is no need for our involvement, so we might as well coast.
Many of us became passive. Not much happened in some congregations except that we got together and talked about our theology. Our theology does not teach passivity.
If we want to be the healthiest expression of church that we can be, then we need a purpose, and not just any purpose – it must be the purpose Jesus has given us. Jesus assigns us not just to focus on our internal relationships, but also to work together in a mission to the world. It is a mistake to wait until we get all our internals right before we begin working on the external mission.
The triune God is not a passive God – he is a God of action. God’s being cannot be separated from his doing. He is the one who loves, who saves, who wants to live with us. He reveals who he is with verbs, by what he does, and he has made us in that image. We reveal who we are by what we do.
In GCI, people sometimes talk about our need to believe “the truth of who I am.” We are dearly loved children of God, forgiven and holy – that is true. However, we should also say, “As a child of God, as someone who has been created to be like God, I am to do what God says I am to do.” Who we are defines what we do because doing goes hand-in-hand with being. God, the self-existent one, revealed himself most often as a God of action: “I am the God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, I am the God who saved you, I am the God who loved you and sent my Son to die for you.” He does not merely exist, but he does something in relation to others.
We should not separate being and doing, because we are what we do. In biology, life is detected by and measured by its results. In Christianity, people who love God want to do what God says we should do; we are involved in his way of life (love) and his mission (love). The New Testament describes people who didn’t just sit around telling each other to believe in who they are. People showed who they are by what they did. Indeed, the mission helped them understand their true identity.
Jesus told his disciples to take a message to the world, not just keep it to themselves. Many of our congregations are not doing very well at carrying out his commission. The apostle Paul worked hard to take the message to “those who are perishing” (1 Cor. 1:18; 2 Cor. 2:15; 4:3; 2 Thess. 2:10). Is this word “perishing” referring to life right now, or to the future life? Either way, people are perishing. They are alienated from the life of God (Eph. 4:18; Col. 1:21).
Paul believed that his message made a big difference in their lives. He did not try to put a positive spin on their situation by assuming that they will eventually believe. He did not reason, “God will take care of them in the future, so I don’t need to try very hard.” He saw they had a serious need, and he worked as hard as he could to address that need (1 Cor. 9:20-22). That is love in action. That is living and sharing the gospel.
Some GCI members are universalists; they hope that God is as merciful as they believe they are. But this measures God by our own sentiments. We ought to say, “I hope that I rejoice in whatever God does, because I trust that he knows what is best. I leave it to him.” If Paul was a universalist, he didn’t make that part of his message. His hopes for the future salvation of Israel (Romans 11:26) did not reduce his desire to spread the gospel.
If speculations about future opportunities for salvation cause us to neglect the mission Jesus gave us, they are harmful. Speculation in itself may be okay, but it’s not healthy to respond with passivity, a lack of concern, and a neglect of Jesus’ command. Our commission, as dearly loved children of God, is to do the work Jesus gave us to do, not to speculate on how Jesus might do his work in the future.
Jesus is good news for the world, and he has good news for us to share. But for us to be able to describe that news as good, we need to be able to describe the negative consequences if the news isn’t shared. People are alienated from the life of God and are perishing, and the question for us is, do we care? Do we see their serious need and work as hard as we can to address that need? In other words, do we see our mission in the same way as Paul and other apostles did?
If our theological mantra of healthy church leads us into inaction, we need to think a little deeper. That was certainly not its intent. We need to get back to our Master’s business. Numerical growth may or may not come – that is not our responsibility – but we should be doing the job that Jesus gave us. We should be living in light of the gospel and sharing it with the world in our deeds and words. If we want to be healthy, we need to focus on Jesus’ mission, not on ourselves. Spiritual health requires love – an orientation to others; it cannot be achieved by focusing on our own health.
A healthy church will also have a healthy mission, and our mantra of being the healthiest expression of church includes community life and mission. Both are necessary for healthy church. Both are necessary for us to participate with Jesus in fulfilling the mission he gave us. Both are necessary to be the people Jesus wants us to be.
Down the street from the home office of GCI, there is a storefront church nestled in among a couple other businesses. Underneath the name of the church, their sign includes this slogan, “Belong, Believe, Become.” I like the phrase, especially because it is in the right order.
Belong
All of humanity belongs because of Jesus. He is the creator of every person who has ever lived. He is also our Redeemer and active mediator. The first chapter of Ephesians eloquently describes our adopted status through Jesus.
He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace Ephesians 1:5-9 NRSVA
Jesus, who is the beloved of the Father, has made us the beloved. The beautiful picture of adoption is that he chose us. Being chosen makes you feel special and satisfies the longing to belong.
In our acceptance, we are free to believe and explore. It is within the believing that we also receive.
But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. John 1:12 NLT
As children of God, we believe that Jesus is the unique begotten Son of the Father and that he set aside his glory to take on flesh and blood. We believe that he was both man and God and walked among us proclaiming the kingdom of God. We believe that he demonstrated his godly love by going to the cross and dying in our stead. We believe he arose in glory from the tomb on the third day, that he ascended to the right hand of the Father, and that he will return to establish his unending kingdom. We believe!
We also believe that Jesus draws us to himself in personal relationships. We believe as the old hymn says, “He walks with me, and he talks to me, and he tells me I am his own.” There is a factual knowing of Jesus that may help us if there is a pop-up quiz, and there is a relational knowing of Jesus that leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, by the still waters and green pastures, and everything in between.
Become
Through the relational exploration that we share with Jesus, we become more like him. Jesus is the influencer of all influencers. Walking and talking with him, being open and aware of his presence, shapes and grows us.
I love the imagery Jesus uses when he stands above Jerusalem and expresses his desire to gather the people, like a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But alas, the chicks scatter about and refuse to be gathered. I am often a maverick chick scurrying about. My best response in all circumstances is to slow down, take a breath, and know that Christ is Lord and is near.
Our becoming that is taking place in Christ is beautifully expressed in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians.
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 NRSV
Brothers and sisters, it is within the context of belonging, believing, and becoming that the Lord is transforming us from one degree of glory to another one, a greater one, an eternal one.
As Jesus was sharing the good news about the kingdom of God with his disciples, he shared the following:
He told them this parable: “No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. Otherwise, they will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, ‘The old is better.’” (Luke 5:36-39 NIV)
What Jesus was saying is simple: you can’t take the arrival of Jesus and his kingdom and simply put it on top of the Jewish Pharisaic system and traditions. It won’t fit.
Something new was happening. There was a new covenant. The old covenant paved the way with sacrificial and ceremonial laws constantly pointing toward the need for a Messiah/Savior. And when Jesus the Messiah/Savior came, he referenced the old, and he accomplished what the symbols can only point toward
His classic teaching is the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus didn’t abolish the law, he said he was the fulfillment of the law. (He alone was perfect and without sin.) He reminded the audience of what they were told in the past under Moses, and that now he was moving beyond the letter of the law to the spirit of the law. The new covenant and law of love that Jesus was bringing couldn’t be absorbed totally by the old. There had to be a new and better agreement – hence the idea of new wine.
By extension, you can’t have Christ and squeeze him into your old life and expect that to work. As the apostle Paul explains, when you are in Christ you become a new creation. You are forgiven of past sins. And by the power of the Spirit, you are being transformed into the image of Jesus, day-by-day. He spells this out for the Corinthian church.
But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:11 NIV)
Paul is saying you are forgiven, transformed (moving from glory to glory) and made the righteousness of God because you are in Jesus. An old, dried out wineskin cannot contain this. It demands a new, flexible, expandable wineskin.
When GCI (formerly Worldwide Church of God) came to Jesus and the understanding of the new covenant, did we think Jesus could fit into our old containers, our old system and traditions? We certainly tried to retrofit Jesus into the old traditions, especially holding onto our Sabbath-keeping and Old Testament Holy Days.
Thank God that he has enlightened us to adopt the Christian calendar that displays Jesus as the center of the center. As we cycle through the year, we are constantly remembering our center – Jesus.
We worship him for his incarnation; Immanuel, God with us.
We worship him for his endurance through the passion week and his sacrificial death on the cross.
We worship him for his triumphal resurrection on Easter Sunday.
We worship him for ascension to heaven where he continually intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father.
We worship him for his earthly ministry, where he revealed the Father, proclaimed his eternal kingdom, and made the way for the Holy Spirit to be poured out at Pentecost.
We worship him for establishing his church and being the head over the church for all ages. We worship him as we anticipate his glorious return and setting up the eternal kingdom.
See the theme here? We worship Jesus. As washed, set apart disciples of Jesus, we embrace him as the new wine. We remember and receive him every time we gather at the Lord’s Table. And as he said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. Take and drink.” May we be the flexible, expandable wineskins who gladly receive Jesus and worship him in all seasons.
Embracing and enjoying the new wine, Greg Williams
When we turn to Scripture for biblical instruction about mentoring, we often look to the life of the apostle Paul. One passage that stands out is in Paul’s second letter to his young protégé Timothy.
And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:2 NKJV
What you have learned from me is not exclusively for you, Paul is pointing out. As a pastor and overseer of the church, Timothy is to pour into others. He is to teach what he has learned from Paul, which is grounded in the life and person of Jesus. He is to teach “sound doctrine,” not myths or speculations. He is to be a guardian and preacher of the good news of Jesus. He is to keep the message and teaching pure and unstained.
Timothy’s doctrine was grounded in what he was given from Paul, and I would strongly suggest that his pastoral skills were shaped by what he learned from Paul as well. Paul’s mantra was, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” In other words, take on the Christ-like ways you see me operating and treating others, and cast away anything that is not Christ-like. This is the relational aspect of ministry skills and practices, which are caught more than taught. This is what is called “the special sauce,” the secret ingredient of mentoring that can only take place in relationships and over time. To learn more, don’t miss our new series, The Art of Mentoring.
Let’s be clear that Timothy and all Christian ministers are to preach the gospel to everybody, but take note to whom Timothy was to pass along the ministry treasures he had received from Paul — to faithful individuals. It doesn’t say popular, smart, good-looking, etc. It says to mentor those who are demonstrating the faithfulness of Jesus in their lives. It is from this passage that we latched onto the acronym FATE. Is this emerging leader, pastor, Avenue champion flowing in the Faith of Christ? Is this candidate Available? Is this individual Teachable? Does this person demonstrate Enthusiasm for the ministry of Jesus? This short checklist proves time and time again to be helpful.
If Timothy is diligently pouring into others in the same way Paul poured into him, what would be the expected outcome? The ones who have been mentored well would then become mentors who pour into others. Does this remind you of the Coaching Triangle I often refer to? Sound teaching is foundational, yet good information alone does not transform. It takes the imitation of Christ-centered leaders to produce more Christ-centered leaders. The multiplication of ministry leaders becomes normal to the life of the church. Wherever you observe this happening, you will be witnessing a healthy church.
Paul spends time encouraging Timothy (the mentee who will become the mentor) in the surrounding verses. In verse 1, Paul exhorts Timothy to “Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” This is one of the times that Paul tells Timothy to be strong in Jesus. Timothy seemed to have had a personality that was naturally timid and prone to shrink back. It is through and in Jesus that Timothy was empowered to do all things. Great responsibilities were thrust upon Timothy, and dependency and trust in Jesus was the only way forward.
In verse 3, Paul tells Timothy, “…endure hardship as a good soldier in Jesus Christ.” Paul did not sugarcoat ministry. There would be hardships – personal temptations, difficult people, false doctrines, poverty, and the highs and lows that come with the experience of being human. Being a “good soldier” starts with keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus, then having a realistic mindset that this will not be easy, but it will be good. To grow into the brave, courageous soldier of Jesus Christ, it begins with proper training and preparation, just like what Paul afforded Timothy.
I see this being one of the greatest challenges facing us in GCI. As ministry leaders, are we willing to be intentional and sacrificial in the way we pour into the younger ones coming behind us? We need to be if we want to continue on our path toward healthy church. Do you have a protégé like Timothy that you can call your son or daughter in the faith? Do you have a mentor like Paul? My continual prayer is that our leaders will have the courage to seek out such relationships and pour out their lives for the development of others.
The December 20 issue of Update was a recap of the year. It featured a word cloud showing the most frequently used words in my 2023 letters. By a wide margin, “Jesus” was the most used word. He is the radiance of the Father, and if you have seen him, you have seen the Father. In GCI, we stand on the truth of the triune God revealed in the person of Jesus.
The 2023 word cloud did not show me using the words trinity or triune frequently. Please understand, this does not infer that we are moving away from our bedrock Incarnational Trinitarian Theology. In fact, our direction in GCI is to see what we do in ministry fully dependent on how we relate to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God is three personal realities; these three do not exist in isolation. Rather, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always interweaving and interpenetrating each other, are pure oneness in thought, purpose, and action, and are perfection and beauty—one God in three persons eternally in relationship. (This might be a good spot to pause and worship.)
The story of creation and subsequent salvation of fallen humanity tells us that God goes out from God’s self in love. The triune God is intentionally sharing a communion of life and love with his created children.
In the Christmas season, we set our minds on the miracle of the Incarnation. The Father sends his only begotten Son to take on flesh and blood and to be a child of a humble Jewish couple from Nazareth. The word “sends” does not mean condemned as some like to interpret, or that God sent an unwilling Son.
A modern vernacular might be parents sending their children to college. In the 1940s, the term was often used in the U.S. as parents “sent” their children to fight for the country they loved. There is an implied agreement in the sending. The point is, the second member of the eternal Godhead set aside his divine prerogative to become the second Adam, who was both human and divine, for the primary purposes of revealing the Father, going to the cross as the Savior of the world, and sending the Spirit in his stead. The Incarnation is God going out from himself in love.
During this Easter season, I am smitten by the powerful statement of Jesus, “When I am lifted up, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:32 NIV). Taking his place as the true prince of the world, Jesus emphatically says “I” will attract, invite, and draw all people to myself. Everybody. God is going out from himself in love.
As we plumb the depths of the triune God revealed in Jesus, our image of God is shaped. We come to see a God who always acts out of love; a God who is for us, not against us; a God who saves and not condemns. The realization of God’s nature, and the truth that he goes out from himself in love, impacts us deeply. It impacts how we commune with God in our personal lives and devotion. As a body of believers who experience and know the triune God, it impacts how ministry flows from this collective body called the church.
Just as God is faithful to go out from himself in love, may the church, in its communion and reliance on the triune God, go out from itself in love as well. May we join and participate with Jesus in attracting, inviting, and drawing all people to him.
In the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Greg Williams
When I attend National Association of Evangelical (NAE) events, I get to sit next to denominational leaders, Christian organizational leaders, and presidents of Christian seminaries. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge in this esteemed group, and I am humbled and enriched to sit among them.
In a recent gathering, I sat next to Richard Stearns, former director of World Vision. World Vision started in the 1950s and has a long history of working around the world to help hurting communities lift themselves out of poverty. Richard, who has recently retired from his position at World Vision, is also a published author and highly respected among his peers. It was unexpected that we ended up at the same table and in conversation.
During our NAE gathering, we listened to a session entitled “Leading from the Deepest Place.” It was a prompt for us to think about what is most important to us in this stage of life and ministry. Another prompt was, “How do we decompress from the pressure of our jobs?” I found Richard’s answer humorous for both questions. He said that retirement was his new stage of life and his method of decompression. That rang true for many of the attendees.
As we went into a time of silence, I noticed all the participants were leaning in and fully engaged. The silence was followed by roundtable sharing. It was somewhat surprising and refreshing not to hear talk about executive teams, ministry strategies, or the next hill to climb. Rather, we heard story after story about heartfelt concern for adult children and grandchildren. The hopes and prayers were that family members would fall in love with Jesus and be committed followers. We discussed how we, as leaders, can be more present in the lives of our dear families and how we can be more intentional to point them to the life and love of Jesus. Lord, help us!
NAE President Walter Kim recognized this session as a holy moment. Many of the sessions are informative and helpful, which is great. However, Christian leaders need ministering to as much as the staff they guide, the audiences they serve, and the causes they champion. I am deeply grateful for Walter taking a pastoral stance in his leadership of the NAE. I am grateful and proud to represent GCI at these gatherings.
The most notable attribute that I observe as I periodically gather with these leaders from across the body of Christ is humility. This transparency and honesty testify to the Spirit’s work, and it gives me hope for the church amid the challenges that are rampant in our society.
The church of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, and GCI has its part to play.
Greg Williams
P.S. Jeff Broadnax represented GCI when the NAE hosted its first Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) retreat. Be sure to read his article about the retreat.
Back in July I had an interesting weekend involving two separate occasions with two people with whom I was able to engage in what I call “Jesus conversations.”
The first event was a Saturday golf tournament where my playing partner was an 80-year-old who was new to the neighborhood. It was a hot day, and the tournament lasted six long hours. Waiting between shots gave us ample time for extended conversations. We spoke of family, travel, fine wine, his time as a Navy aviator. Then he queried me about GCI. What kind of church is GCI? What was my seminary training? I enjoy talking about GCI, but I enjoy talking about Jesus more so.
My golf partner was harkening back to his college days when he had taken a class on Christianity and an overview of the Bible. His family of origin was Lutheran, and his wife’s family of origin was Methodist, so for most of their church-going time they went to a Presbyterian church (that makes sense). He had been stationed in foreign countries, like Japan and Saudi Arabia, so he had been exposed to other world religions. Now at age 80, he was having a heightened curiosity about Jesus and Christianity. We conversed how most other world religions require you to sacrifice and appease their gods through all sorts of ritual and idolatry, where our God took on flesh and came into our world to live and die for us.
We went deeper into the matter of salvation by grace alone. Apparently, he was impressed by how I had been treating him. He is older and, on top of that, he has had double knee replacement surgery. The course was quite hilly so often I would offer to pick up his stray golf ball and bring it to the cart. He would say, “Aren’t you a gentleman?” It was a great opportunity to turn the glory back to Jesus.
We talked about the apostle Paul’s comments in the letter to the church at Rome where he says that he knew what was right, desired to do what was right, but often failed and felt wretched about this human condition. Paul then asked and answered the key question, “Who shall deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24b-25a NKJV) I told my new friend that any good action of kindness that he sees in me is all due to Christ who lives in me. He acknowledged that salvation by grace and through Christ alone is the only thing that makes sense to him as well. I hope to continue the friendship and conversations with him.
The second experience that same weekend was an impromptu drop-in with our good friends across the street. This couple have become like family to Susan and me, and it warms our hearts to see how they have become more active in their home church, especially as their granddaughter participates in the life of the church.
My dear friend and I have a history of engaging in rather deep conversations. He is a retired chiropractor and a well-read individual. He often circles back to one question. “Which came first, religion or civilization?” So, we spent almost two hours on his back patio unpacking this question. I was able to share with him about how Father, Son, and Spirit – the triune God – is a relational union of three in one. They abide in a harmonious flow of perfect love and perfect union. And because of who we are as children of God, made in his image, we were created for relationship as well. The structures of government and religion fall back to rules that dictate right and wrong behavior, and because of the fall, even God’s chosen nation of Israel could not live up to the regulations and standards delivered to them through Moses. The entire history of Israel pointed to the need for a Messiah/Savior.
Our conversation progressed toward the notion of division between the sacred and secular (back to civilization and religion). What did I mean by sacred versus secular? My simple explanation was compartmentalizing your life where you spend a couple of hours on Sunday tending to sacred matters and then living your life for the other six days in the secular realm. I asked him if he had experienced Jesus in his work as a chiropractor. This opened his mind to a whole new way of thinking.
He had spent his life’s work helping people who were bent, broken, and in pain to begin a process of healing and to live a more productive life. He began to muse about a lesson he had learned from a mentor years ago: chiropractic medicine is a hands-on discipline that involves touch. I seem to recall that Jesus touched people, even ones deemed untouchable. He also spoke about a flow – the flow equated to the gift he had received to be a doctor and the flow that goes out from him to his patient. So, I asked, “Haven’t you been participating with Jesus all along in the care and healing of hundreds of people who have needed help?” My question resonated with him. What a joy to see where Christ has been present and working all along.
Concluding thoughts
I am coming to believe that our neighbors do not need us to challenge their values and then engage in a battle of wills. Nor should our highest priority be attempting to discern their perceived needs and develop programs accordingly. They need neighbors who are true believers and who, through the love of Jesus, demonstrate and proclaim the goodness of Jesus, regularly and repetitiously.
It is then through the credibility of these genuine relationships we can invite people into a new reality that is to be a new creation in Christ and to become a citizen and representative of the kingdom of God—to experience the kingdom life now.
The expectation in GCI is that when people join a gathering of true believers, whether a Sunday service or a Love Avenue connect group, they will come into an environment where Jesus is worshipped. That means he is talked about, he is adored, he gets the glory, and his presence is experienced.
An old rock and roll artist from my era, Alice Cooper, said this, “I’ll tell you one thing, when Jesus opens your eyes, and you finally realize who you are and who he is, it’s a whole different world.” Amen, Alice!
Romans 1:16 gives us something to really think about. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel; it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (NRSVA)
The gospel was certainly powerful for Alice Cooper. It was powerful for my friends on that weekend in July, and I believe it is also powerful for your friends and neighbors, too. Jump in and have those Jesus conversations and see where they go!
