We’ve spoken at several churches all over the state of Parana here in Brazil. Most of the churches have been in or around Curitiba. And the message has been the same, challenging people to “follow Jesus.” Nothing fancy or clever. Just an outright plea to stop playing church and actually “follow Him.” We’ve incorporated drama into the message as well. Actually it’s gone really good. That is, until the last church we ministered in. It was horrible.
We arrived at the church and set-up our stuff and “tried” to do a sound check. I say, “tried” because they were rehearsing for worship at the same time. And after I did a sound check for the drama they changed the levels (sound level) on the channel we were going to use for our music (awesome!).
It came time for the drama and, for some reason, the boys (Dunn kids & Atkinson kids) just didn’t seem like they were into it at all. Actually Matthew and Marlon came up to me right before the drama and asked if they could skip doing it. What?! You guys are crazy! Get your butts out there and minister! (In Jesus name, of course.) I was starting to stress-out, that’s for sure. Then the service started and the pastor called me up, and as I was introducing our family, some of the boys were looking at me and silently mouthing “please don’t make us do this.” This only added to the amount of stress I was already feeling. So, I just ignored their request and called them up to the front so that they could get in place.
The drama started and during the drama, somehow a radio station started bleeding through the channel that we were using for our music track (that went along with the drama). And just a little FYI, the only music I hate more than Country Music is Country Music in Portuguese. And that’s what it was
: ) It was sooooo frustrating... for me that is. Then, at some point during the drama, something happened up front but I couldn’t see what it was because I was in the back running the computer (my view was blocked by everyone’s heads in the seats in front of me). All I knew is that it wasn’t good. Anytime the pastor and a few other people scurry up front to do something right in the middle of a drama, it usually isn’t good.
After the drama, I went up front to minister and as I reached the altar area I saw what all the hubbub was about... there was a “live” plant (emphasis on “was”) that the boys had knocked over during the drama and it was all over the place. There was potting soil everywhere! So, there I stood (in the middle of a pile of potting soil) on these white tile floors ministering the Word. Or at least trying to minister. I was so paranoid that I was gonna slip that I couldn’t really push past it. But I went ahead and ministered despite all the drama, get it... drama? haha! And at the end I was so mad. I mean, I didn’t feel a thing. I felt like I had l let circumstances totally throw-me-off and that the night was a waste. I was frustrated that the boys did a horrible job during the drama, I was frustrated that I did a horrible job during the sermon, I was frustrated that I had to use a translator to preach and couldn’t communicate with the people on my own, did I mention that it was horrible?! lol!
I was questioning God on why He had called me to a country where I don’t speak the language, where I can’t communicate the Gospel as easily as I want, where I still don’t understand the culture, where 90% of the time I’m frustrated, and... the list could go on and on... why God? It doesn’t make sense to me. And I left that church that night feeling like it had been a colossal waste of time! I was ticked!
A few days later we met with the pastor in his office to discuss partnering together on some future ministry stuff, and at the beginning of the meeting, he thanked us for ministering at his church and how impacting it was. What? Impacting? You mean in a negative way, right? The way I had felt about it, I thought we had ministered in that church for our first and last time, because I didn’t feel anything but frustrated about it. Sure the Gospel was preached but I felt like I had done a terrible job presenting it. And it was the worst drama we’d performed in any of the churches we’d ministered in, hands-down. So what was he talking about? He went on to tell us that his in-laws and a couple of other family members had been in service that night and that it was the first time that they had stayed through an entire service. One was a Hare Krishna and the others were Spiritist (or something like that) and that after service they said, “they enjoyed service and that then they understood more about the Gospel now” and that it really opened up dialogue between them (the pastor and his family) concerning the Gospel at dinner. He also told us that he had a lot of new believers in his congregation and that the things that I said were things that he had been speaking to them about and that it reinforced what he was already teaching them.
As I was sitting there I was dumbfounded. I mean, I hadn’t felt anything that night. I thought it was a dud, actually. But as we left that meeting, the Lord really convicted me of something that it seems like I had forgotten. He reminded me that it’s His Spirit that really draws people, not good preaching. It’s Him who really minister’s to people, not us as the ministers. And it’s His Word that has the power to convict and transform someones life, not my words. Sure we can deliver the best sermon of our lives, but if He doesn’t illuminate it so that it'll reach the people’s hearts, then all it was was a good sermon, nothing more, nothing less. So, hopefully I’ll remember that next time I’m not “feelin’ it” and hopefully I'll rest in the fact that it’s truly the Gospel that has the power to bring change, not me.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes...
Romans 1:16
Passionately Following Jesus,
Jim
PS- Yesterday was Mother’s Day, and even though this wasn’t a Mother’s Day blog, I definitely wanted to say that my wife is probably the best mother I know. She does things that amaze me daily. The way she takes care of the family is nothing short of miraculous, actually. I have no idea how she pulls it off and I love her. Thanks, Baby. The pics up top are of our front porch (that she decorated, of course). It's amazing how she can even make a house in the middle of the jungle look great. And even though there’s no Hobby Lobby here, she still finds ways to decorate. The picture of the wreath is of stuff she went out into the jungle and found just so that she could make it. That’s MJ for ya: )
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