God is more concerned with the state of the lost than we are, and yet He didn’t immediately send most of the church out.

And we were doing so well! See, I don't believe God prevented most of the church from going out. I believe the church was sent to the world from the moment the Spirit descended at Pentecost. Fear, prejudice, and comfort held the church back (just like now — not much has changed – Jesus is risen and still we doubt and delay), until those nameless guys (who I can't wait to meet!) in Acts 11 are brave enough to submit to the call of the Spirit and preach the gospel in Antioch. I'm not at all convinced that the delay from Acts 2 – Acts 11 "was OK with God."

Yes, there were a few instances before then (Samaria, Cornelius, Candace's treasurer), but that was the first time disciples moved out of their comfort zone without a specifically-recorded kick in the tail by the Holy Spirit.

"…things work out in God’s time when God’s people work God’s mission"

And this can't be done without aligning the congregation to God's heart. Which obviously takes time, as you stated:

"…yet it was a long time before their heartbeat was aligned with God’s enough to begin working God’s mission to reach all cultures."

Which was OK with God. God is more concerned with the state of the lost than we are, and yet He didn't immediately send most of the church out. Just a few, who had already been aligned because they were with Jesus when He was here (talk about the ultimate training program!).

As we back out of the world to get a bigger picture, one church is sending, another is planning, another church just got planted all at the same time. The cycle continues every day: sending, planning, planting, in the right time for God's purposes.

Suffering Widows, to me was a "give them your coat" situation, rather than a "train to plant a church" situation. There are some parts of community you just don't have to train for: meeting needs. Hunger communicates without having to know the language!

This is one of those subjects that would be a lot easier – and much more encouraging – to discuss in person. Thanks for clarifying. I enjoy your thoughts very much.

I’m not disagreeing, per se. Perhaps you could give a little more detail about your “both and” remark as it applies to the God’s hand on a church, and His timing for spreading His gospel, just to clarify?

I think what I'm trying to say, Brad, is that God's hand on a church is (almost) never a domineering one. The letters to the churches, both in Revelation and in the NT canon more generally, show that things work out in God's time when God's people work God's mission. Repenting from a failure to have one's congregational heartbeat aligned with God's probably won't be an immediate switch. 3000 Jews repented and declared allegiance to Jesus on Pentecost, yet it was a long time before their heartbeat was aligned with God's enough to begin working God's mission to reach all cultures. In the meantime, there was organizational work that began to address both issues — that's the brilliance of Acts 6. The apostles decide that their work must be getting and keeping the believing community aligned with the heartbeat of God (I love you metaphor!), but they can't wait until that time to take care of the suffering widows, so they (under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) organize a group of believers whose hearts are already there and give the task to them.

See? both/and

And I appreciate organization and planning — but I’m unconvinced God needs they kind of help from us. And in the end, only God can draw someone to himself.

David, I think this kind of writing ignores the incarnational nature of the mission of God. God didn't need Adam in order to manifest sovereignty over creation. God didn't need Moses in order to rescue Israel from Egypt. God didn't need to incarnate. God didn't need the apostles to organize compassionate relief for the Greek widows.

It doesn't have anything to do with what God needs. It has to do with what "two or three of you" agree upon "in My name." (That sounds, at least a little bit, like organization) And it has to do with the fact that people cannot work together without organization (or at least order). Just as God spoke order out of the primordial chaos, we are to continue His work of ordering.

I do agree that order/organization/ (even an organism) without the Spirit is dead, no matter how much work we put into it. But we're not talking about what God needs, but rather how God created us to function, and that includes a certain measure of order/organization.

The weakness of mission efforts, in my view, is they are founded on organization efforts and require organizational support — which is not inherently bad, but often ineffective, burdened by organizational politics.

All of what you're original post said is sound organizational practice.

But if we really got grace and forgiveness and love, people would be evangelizing — locally and distantly — because they could not keep themselves from it.

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." (Blaise Pascal)

I'd love to hear, more often, about someone who is so convicted about being an evangelistic somewhere, that they go without an organization and a plan. And I appreciate organization and planning — but I'm unconvinced God needs they kind of help from us.

And in the end, only God can draw someone to himself.

I know many churches with good hearts and lousy missions programs. Having a good heart is essential but not enough.

On the other hand, as noted in the next post and a number of comments, having a well run missions program can change the heart of the congregation. But a church could support Paul himself and be unchanged if the congregation isn't kept informed as to his work and doesn't see his life as an example of how to live for God.

Missions as a program and the congregational heart live in synergy.

I believe the Holy Spirit not only provides passion and preparation, but providential timing (three p's – that'll preach!). In fact, the Spirit has been known to delay people (like Paul) from going to places they desired to go, because it was not their job to go there.

I'm not disagreeing, per se. Perhaps you could give a little more detail about your "both and" remark as it applies to the God's hand on a church, and His timing for spreading His gospel, just to clarify?

Yes, of course, absolutely, we need to work on "getting the heartbeat of the congregation to match God's."

But people are dying all over the world without Jesus, and they don't have time for us to wait until our congregation's heartbeat matches God's. So, in the meantime, let's be both-and folks, okay?

It's much like focusing on the best methods of finding five loaves and two fishes in a large crowd, without knowing what to do with them when you find them.

Jerry