This is an entry in a series of blog posts entitled – Mistakes in Outreach. When it comes to applying all of this—in beginning to walk out a plan for changing the world—it’s about action. We can think through scenarios galore prior to obedience. None of that will help advance the Kingdom a bit. It is action that brings Jesus’ reign and rule forward.
Sometimes Believers mistakenly think we might wreck the Kingdom of God if we aren’t careful. There might be a smidge of truth to that concern.
Fact: We will make mistakes, that is guaranteed, but the much greater error is delayed obedience.
As someone has pointed out, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.” The name of the game is action without hesitation. When God can find that willingness in us he has something powerful to work with.
Fact: We make a mistake when we try to demand perfection from our outreach activities.
We cannot take our initial actions too seriously. If you think about the details of outreach too long you will talk yourself out of even getting started in outreach.
Fact: God is up to something in your community.
Our job is to join ourselves to what he is already doing. Jesus healed the one man the Father was interested in healing at the Pool of Bethesda. When the Apostles asked about that encounter he responded, “I always do the works of my Father…” Our role is to do what the Father is doing. Where is the Father healing? Where is the Father reaching people right around you? Where is the Father seeking to bring people into the Kingdom right now? It’s not a question of Is the Father doing something. Rather it’s What is the Father doing. He is always up to something, right around you. Join yourself to his current forward action.
We are all prone to being cautious—sometimes overly so. Ignore such fear. It is getting in the way of what God is calling you to. Just start. Start now! Let me know how it is going as you experiment your way forward. st**********@*ac.com
About the author
Steve Sjogren
Steve Sjogren is widely regarded as the father of servant evangelism — the idea that small acts of kindness, done consistently and without strings attached, can change a church, a community, and eventually the world. He is the founding pastor of Vineyard Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, which he and his wife Janie launched with a group of five people — eventually growing to over 7,000 weekly attenders across seven weekend services.
His first book, Conspiracy of Kindness, has sold over 300,000 copies and has been translated into several languages. Today he writes, speaks, and mentors church planters around the world.
