Tak Bhana (2)

Yesterday I began a response to Tak Bhana's message called Every Christian is a Full-time Minister. There is a solution to the problem.

Jesus understood the spiritual risks of going into the world, so he always sent people out in pairs, so they could provide spiritual protection for each other. Sending people into intense battle on their own is naïve. Jesus disciples were a bit safer, because they did not need to submit to a non-Christian person when the moved to a village (if they had to submit to the headman, that could cause spiritual problems.

If Tak wants people to go into the world, it is much easier to send a few people to live close together in the place he are targeting. They do not need to submit to anyone who is not a Christian. If they submit to Jesus and to each other, they can establish a demon-free zone, which can be a base for reaching out to others. (This is what Jesus told us to Luke 10). It is why Jesus told his disciples to look for a Person of Peace to stay with. A Person of Peace would be less unlikely to be controlled by demons, so submitting to them (as you would need to do if you lived in their house) would be less spiritually risky. (I explain how this works in Being Church Where We Live).

The Biblical examples Tak gave are a bit irrelevant. God was with Joseph in his work place, but his authority was limited, so he had very limited influence in his work place. He actually impoverished and enslaved the entire Egyptian nation (and they have never been free since), because he was still Pharaoh’s slave. Not a good example.

Daniel is the same. God used his position in his work place to develop his ministry as a prophet, but most his people will not be prophets in their work place. There is no evidence that Daniel had much impact on the people he worked with (except Drach, Shack and Neg). All the other people continued to hate him and tried to bring him down. However, he did not warn his people what would happen to them if they tried to prophetic in their work place. Someone working for and employment agency in a factory would most likely be fired, if they challenged the management.

I am concerned that Tak Bhana is sending his people into the firing line, totally unprepared for what they will encounter. It is much harder than going into a spiritually neutral place like a café and having coffee with a couple of school friends.

Here is my challenge to Tak.

You are dropping another impossible and dangerous burden on his people. If it is so easy, why don’t you go and do it, seeing, as you are the one who is gifted in the Spirit. Jesus went ahead of his disciples and showed them how to do things. He never expected them to do what he had not done himself. Why should his people take you seriously, if you are unwilling to do it yourself?

I can see what you are trying to do, but you want make it happen by yelling from the pulpit, because you are out of touch with what work is really like. If it is really important, you should do what Jesus did, and go out and show how it is done.

I presume that you are still grabbing the best people to work in the church. When the best people like you, stay at the centre in the four walls of the church, you becomes part of the problem, because it gives the message that ministry in the church is more important. Actions speak louder than words.

In his sermon for the following week, Tak talked about giving to the church and overseas mission. The work place reverts to a place to earn money to give to the church.