Shiloh. Andy Hunter. Kubiks. Uberzone.
What do you think when you hear these names? Do you think, “Man, that guy is certainly doing the work of God”? Do you think, “That is where Christians need to start being”?
Over the 4 years or so that I’ve been involved on TF, and especially lately since I started getting more involved, I’ve seen a trend take root. That trend is the belief that only those that are in the secular scene, working with the lost, influencing the people, are doing the work of our Lord. I’ve seen several large-scale arguments about the place of Christians in the general music scene, both secular as well as Christian. The majority have almost always said that being in the clubs, “being the light” (which is interesting because we cannot be the light, only a reflection of the One True Light) in the clubs, is the most important thing we can do. I’ve seen some people question the purpose of putting the label Christian on music and say that we should simply make music.
However, I think if we asked that question to those who are deep in the secular scene, we may just be surprised to the answer. They would answer the question something like this:
“The most important thing is to walk the path God has constructed for you. If that is being in the clubs, be in the clubs. If that is being in the studio, be in the studio. If that is supporting others, support others.”
I think, as a body, we have missed the point of a passage we all know and many quote.
Matthew 28:19 says, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We missed the meaning of disciple. We generally use this verse as a call to go into the nations, to preach the Gospel. But this verse does not exclusively mean that. The Greek word used here is “matheteuo”, which is best translated to something like “to enroll as a scholar”. We want to preach, but God wants us to start enrolling people. I think, as a body, we have placed too much emphasis on outreach. I think, as a body, we have made reaching the nations an idol. I think, as a body, we need to take a step back and look at what is the most important thing.
There was a thread not too long ago that really got me thinking about how this community needs to run. I remember back a few years ago when we were really trying to figure out what God wanted to do with us. What direction we needed to head in. We started the idea of Groove Fellowships so that TF would be a meeting place and the Fellowships would be a place to get local and work in the way God wanted them.
I have yet to see this take place. I have seen several people trying to start a Fellowship in several areas around the US, Canada, and the UK, and from what I have seen, they have all pretty much flopped. Many said they would attend, few did.
I would ask why, but I think I already know the answer. It’s the same reason that so many college students, as many as 80%, turn their backs on God. There is almost no follow-up. There is almost no discipleship. We have stopped teaching as soon as we get a person enrolled. You could say, “Well, we are a missions-oriented body.” I agree. We should be missionaries to the lost, but not at the expense of being missionaries to our community.
So what does this look like for TF? I cannot say for sure, other than to offer one more Scripture and a bit of encouragement.
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. – Romans 12:4-8
I point this Scripture out because I think it shows exactly how we need to run. Each person needs to serve with his gifting. We need to look at our gifting and seek how God would use it. Those with the gift of reaching the lost need to be out looking for them. Those gifted with prayer need to pray for both those looking and those lost. Those with a gift of encouraging need to encourage those who are in need.
Let's look at this a different way. Those with a gift of reaching the lost, your calling is pretty self-explanatory. But, we are also called to teach each other. The Bible talks about building each other up. The people I mentioned earlier have an incredible ministry where they are. But they also need to understand that there is also a responsibility to train those who will take over that ministry later. That means teaching others the trade and giving pointers on where people can improve and how to improve. Something that I would love to see is those out there in the clubs using TF effectively. One idea is saying something like, “Hey, I’m going to be in this place this day and wanted to see if anyone wanted to get together and hang out and work together a bit.”
Those with a gift of prayer need to keep lifting the body and its members up in prayer. There is such great need in this body, and we need to have people praying for it and its members all the time. We need to have people praying for those out in the fields searching as well as those back in the house resting and healing.
Those with gifts of encouragement need to be encouraging. Something that REALLY blessed me the other day was on New Year’s Eve. I got a last-minute invite to spin at a youth outreach. Right after the New Year came, I got a phone call from a friend on TF. I was still spinning, so I sent the call to voice mail and kept going. About 2 minutes later, the phone rings again. It’s my friend. I had just gone over to a new track and figured a small break wouldn’t kill me. I grabbed my phone and ducked into the bathroom, the only place where I could hear. He says, “I just wanted to wish you a happy New Year brother!” I got off the phone and ran back to keep spinning. I didn’t realize it at the time, but he is in a different time zone. He had called me to wish me a happy New Year when it came for me, not when it came for him. It blessed me so much. Those who have been called to encourage need to encourage. Sometimes a simple email, phone call, or private message is such a blessing. They are maybe having a crappy day, and all they need is someone that will call and say, “Hey man, I was thinking about you today. I just wanted to say that God loves you and that I appreciate you.”
We need to do something different. Instead of saying we need to be this or we need to be that, we should look at where each person is and minister, teach, encourage, and train them. Instead of telling people what they need to do, we need to support them in what God is calling them to do and trust that they know what that is.
I firmly believe that, when I get back from my own training in the UK, this body can be something it never has been before: a single body with each of its members exercising its gifts in a way that supports others and reflects God’s glory to those around us. The Word says that people will know us by our love for each other. We should start showing that love by serving each other. It is not difficult, especially for those who are not actively called to reaching the lost. It is not hard to say a quick prayer for a brother. It is not hard to send an email, private message, or phone call of encouragement. But everyone will know the love we have for each other if we do it.
We will know the love we have for each other if we do it.