Be a Bridge
In a culture that tries everything humanly possible to avoid discomfort and pain, being walked on is something we want to avoid. But what if it shouldn't? What if it is a pathway to something so much better?
Last week I attended a meeting for Christian leaders in our city on the topic of race reconciliation. It was such an important conversation and I was challenged and encouraged greatly in it.
One quote from one of the speakers really jumped out at me, "Bridges are made to be walked on." That resonated deeply in my heart and mind. I want to unpack why.
Called to Be a Bridge
For many years now, Danielle and I have felt we were being prepared in our ministry to be used by God as a bridge. As we enter the second half of our ministry, we feel a calling to be a bridge between the leaders who have gone before us and the up and coming leaders behind us. We believe the mission of Jesus is unchanging, but the methods of how that is accomplished need to change in order to reach a changing culture. This creates very difficult and potentially divisive conversations.
The conversations are difficult because, as church people, we love our methods. When we see people blessed and reached through our ministry methods, we can slip into a style of leadership that is more about guarding and justifying our methods instead of evaluating them to make sure they are still doing what we expect them to do.
As a couple, we have been very blessed to be a part of these conversations. Not in a spirit of division, not trying to prove we are right, but rather to see the church be fully on the mission of Jesus in our city.
Sometimes these conversations are life-giving and exciting. Other times they are frustrating and we leave them feeling beaten up and trampled on. Why is that? Because, as I learned last week, bridges are meant to be walked on. We can't do the work of being a bridge without those difficult conversations.
Guess what? If you are a follower of Jesus, you are called to be a bridge as well!
Ministry of Reconciliation
In the letter to the Ephesians, the Apostle Paul teaches that, as followers of Jesus, we have been reconciled to God and to each other. It is Jesus' death that caused the reconciliation to happen. To be reconciled means former enemies have been brought into an amicable truce, and that they have become completely compatible with each other.
In our sin, the Bible teaches us that we were enemies of God. I know that is tough pill for a lot of people to swallow. But it is what it says. And even while we were enemies of God, he loved us so much that he sent Jesus to die for us! We didn't deserve it and we didn't earn it. It was done completely by God himself to bring humanity back into being completely compatible and at peace with him.
When this happens, we also fully become a part of God's family. As brothers and sisters in one global, eclectic church, we have been reconciled to each other. We are fully compatible and have an amicable truce. We are not enemies with one other. We are what the Bible calls "A New Humanity"!
So what does that have to do with being a bridge?
You are a part of bringing that reconciliation to the world! You are an ambassador of Jesus Christ here on earth.
The Ambassador Life
What is an ambassador? Here is how the dictionary defines the role:
A diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative.
Jesus is our sovereign King. He is the King of Kings. His church is full of officials of the HIGHEST RANK to be his representatives in this land. And what are we to represent? His character, his nature, and his mission!
The mission is to see reconciliation happen everywhere that we go. Reconciliation between people and God. Reconciliation between people and people!
We are to be a bridge between people and God. Remember the old way of sharing the Gospel from the 1970s? We'd draw two cliffs separated by a big chasm. On one side is us, the other side has God. The chasm is our sin. The bridge between the two is Jesus! You just need to walk over the bridge.
Jesus was walked all over! He was despised. He was rejected. He was crucified.
We are his ambassadors. We bring Jesus to people so they can get to the other side of the chasm. They walk over us to get to him.
We may be despised. We may be rejected. But Jesus says that is normal. Because the world hated him, it will hate us... but we can take heart because Jesus is victorious. He started by being victorious over us! Remember we were the enemy at one time.
The Life of a Bridge
If we are all ambassadors and we are all a part of the work of reconciliation happening all over the world, how does that play out in our lives? More specifically, how does that play out in your life?
Let me share what I'm doing with this and maybe it will encourage you in your role as a bridge.
When it comes to seeing people reconciled to God, I'm constantly trying to find new ways to engage with people who would never step into a church building. I read about new church methods. I study and learn from people very different from my normal routine. I experiment with different tools and platforms. I make myself available to people to talk about spiritual things. And then I pray that God would help me be a bridge for whoever he brings my way.
When it comes to seeing people reconciled to people, boy oh boy, this is a big one. Over the years we have tried to make our church a hard place to leave. What I mean by that is, it is very easy for people to leave a church when they are mad at someone or don't like something the church is doing. We try as much as possible to pursue those people, and we do the hard work of ensuring that people are actually leaving in a healthy way. That work can be really messy, but it is so important.
With the conversations on race reconciliation, it is easy to think that is someone else's problem. I refuse to do that. We all have a part to play in the conversation, especially as Christians. So I'm attending talks, I'm looking for resources to read, I'm open to having difficult, uncomfortable conversations. God wants his church to be reconciled with each other as people.
It is Worth It
Jesus never said that following him would be without trouble. He said that when we focus on him and what he wants us to do, he will be with us every step of the way.
Let's embrace the life of a bridge together! Sure, we will be walked on, but it is worth it!
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