What's The Mission?

I grew up listening to "Contemporary Christian" music as a kid, back when some of it was actually good music, and not just repetitive praise-and-mind-control music.

Off-topic kind-of rant: I enjoy MAKING music. I'll happily play keyboards or drums in a "praise" band, but I'm fairly confident that the push for "better worship" is really a push for "mood control."

When I listen to the lyrics of most "praise"music, it all sounds like this to me.

My family has been in and out of churches; leaving whenever the push for "better worship" overpowers the intended focus of what this post is supposed to be about.

I enjoy a band named "King's X."

They wrote a song called "Mission" The lyrics include:

Who are these people behind the stained glass windows
Have they forgotten just what they came here for
Was it salvation or "scared of hell"
Or an assembly of a social get-together

What's the mission of the preacher man
Some are true some do lie
What's the mission of the preacher man
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

These lyrics have echoed in my mind for decades.

Today, I was reminded of these lyrics as I was asked "What does Pentecost mean to you?"

This was asked in a Christian setting, so there were many answers about the "power and assurance and comfort or the Holy Spirit."

Sure. But.

This was also the beginning of The Mission, the ACTUAL calling.

Jesus, at about this point, tells his troop that they have a job. If you ask most anyone raised in the church, they will tell you that the job is to "make disciples."

Funny thing, though. If you ask what that means, you might get some baffling answers.

Does it mean:

Make sure everyone knows they're going to Hell?

Make sure everyone knows that everything they believe is wrong, but what we believe is spot-on?

Make sure others know that THEY are OTHERS and WE are BETTER?

Make sure everyone joins your church/social-group?

Get everyone in a church building and on the membership rolls?

In the field of education I am in, we engage in a form of instruction we call "Model-Lead-Test." It means you be the example, then you lead the student to do the task with you, then you allow the student to master the task solo.

I think this is what Jesus was doing for the three years of His ministry. He was showing us how to make His Kingdom work here on Earth. He was showing us how to Love. He taught His posse how to do it and shortly after "Pentecost," He said - now GO make DISCIPLES. Teach others to Love in the same way.

They did this for a time.

Then groups began to reform back into organized religious institutions; seeking the familiar "comfort" of the "pay for your sin/guilt" regulations.

So, what am I saying?

Jesus called us to Love.

He modeled it. So did SEVERAL other religious Prophets.

Making disciples means calling everyone to Love. It means modelling it until everyone is doing it.

Love IS the Kingdom of Heaven.

Until there is Love, there will be a push to "be better."

There is a constant greedy human need to "be better" than "others."

This is why we still have:

Racism

Destitution

War

Murder

Rioting.

When we still focus on being better, bigger, or best we are likely to make someone else less.

When we Love, everyone is equal.

Teach Love.

Spread Love.