THE QUICK SUMMARY
For too long church leaders have focused on increasing the size of their church rather than increasing their reach outside of the four walls of the church building. The result? Church life becomes a predictable set of routines with predictable results. Church members struggle to reach the neighborhoods they drive through on their way to church programs, unable to penetrate their surrounding communities in a meaningful way. Reaching the Unreached recounts the stories, struggles, and triumphs of individuals and churches that have reinvented themselves to meet the world where it is, working to reach the ones that no one else is reaching.
The search for the “silver bullet” of success has diverted us from tapping into the timeless principles found in the book of Acts, says author, pastor, and front-line church planter Peyton Jones. Yet the spiritual climate that Paul and the Apostles stepped into is not all that different from the brave new world the church faces today.
From accidentally planting a church in a Starbucks in Europe, to baptizing members of the Mexican mafia in Long Beach Harbor, Jones has been on the front lines of today’s missional movement and has lived to tell the tale. In Reaching the Unreached, he teaches church planters, pastors, and church leaders how to convert pew jockeys into missionaries and awake the sleeping giant of Christ’s church, one person at a time.
Today there are two types of churches: those who put their proverbial heads in the sand, and those who champion 1st century principles, meet the challenges head on, and embrace the adventure of mission in community. Tomorrow, only one type of church will survive – those that accept the challenge to reach the unreached.
A SIMPLE SOLUTION
People in general, and leaders in particular, have a difficult time accepting the concept of “waiting.”
We’ve got schedules to keep, meetings to hold, appointments to honor, and well, life to continue.
After all, the mission Jesus gave us begins with “Go.”
But hurrying to accomplish our mission may be the greatest hindrance to accomplishing it.
In our rush to accomplish the mission Jesus gave us, we’ve forsaken the power that propelled those first apostles out of the upper room and across the entire world.
The words of Jesus to the apostles in Acts 1 are the secret to accomplishing that mission:
Wait.
What happened when the apostles waited for God’s power instead of moving out on their own? What would happen to believers if they were willing to do the same today?
Waiting empowered the apostles to accomplish eight different aspects of their mission, and it will still do so today.
They would be empowered despite their weakness. “In a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:5)
They would become fearless risk takers. “You will receive power” (Acts 1:8)
They would be contagiously consumed with him. “When the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8)
They would become channels of the Holy Spirit. “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8)
They would impact the unreached in their own neighborhoods. “In Jerusalem” (Acts 1:8)
They would step outside their comfort zone. “In all Judea” (Acts 1:8)
They would reach the ones nobody wanted. “And Samaria” (Acts 1:8)
They would become men and women of action. “To the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
It’s not too tall an order to see the church spiritually empowered once again in our time. Each believer has the potential to light a spark that sets the world ablaze. That’s probably why it’s easier, less messy, and more convenient to stay packed like lemmings into predictable rows of pews week after week. Acts is the story of the Spirit of God raging like an out-of-control forest fire in a people who have been consumed with what consumes him.
Peyton Jones, Reaching the Unreached
A NEXT STEP
For many people, waiting is difficult. Many of us have to be doing something, going somewhere, anywhere, just – moving.
As the author writes in the excerpt, the apostles first waited – and then moved out, changing the world for all eternity.
Consider these questions:
- Describe a time in your life when God made you wait, trust, and depend on Him. What made this difficult? What was the lasting fruit of it?
- Which of the eight results of waiting on God for His power and help most excites you? Why?
- Which of the eight results of waiting on God for His power scares you? Why?
- Which of the eight results of waiting on God for His power challenges you?
Like the apostles, we must wait. Evaluate the next seven days and schedule 2-3 blocks of time in which you embrace the discipline of waiting. Plan intentional scripture reading, prayer and even moments of personal worship into these times. Journal what God revealed through these moments. Where did God call you to go? How did He empower you to engage the world around you?
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