Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God. 2 Corinthians 3:4-5
When I was a young man, just out of Bible college, my mentor, Nick, would frequently deposit these words into me: Dream big. We need to be reminded to dream big because we have a tendency to think way too small. We forget that God is willing to do things that are “exceedingly abundantly beyond what we ask or imagine.”
When thinking of the impact our ministry efforts might have, we look at our own spiritual depth, abilities, resources, education, connections, skills, experience, and so on. Most of us are stocked in an average way when considering most of these things. Therefore, we only let ourselves dream in proportion to what we feel we can humanly accomplish. The problem with this thought process is that it leaves God out of the picture completely. We act as though God Himself is terribly limited by our limitations. We forget that He has done spectacular things through lowly shepherds, former blasphemers, a teen with a slingshot, gruff uneducated fisherman, women who were prostitutes—and even a donkey He made to speak.
Beyond our ability
We like to think our small dreams are just being humble. To think that we are great and destined to do some great thing in life, feels like pride. There’s some truth to this. We’ve all probably met someone with delusions of grandeur. But I would say very few Christians have this problem of dreaming unrealistically too big. The greater problem is dreaming too small.
The Lord loves to do things through us that we could never do on our own, that baffle the world. Think of Moses dividing the Red Sea with a stick. Think of Daniel shutting the mouths of lions. Think of David defeating Goliath. Think of Elijah calling down fire from heaven. Think of Peter walking on water. There are so many examples in the Bible of people doing things way beyond their ability.
You may be in Bangladesh, Providence, the west coast, rural Kentucky, northern Iraq, western Mass, or New York City. Wherever the Lord has planted you, it is for a glorious divine purpose. As Christians, we are called to go into all the world and make disciples. We are called to find lost people and bring them home. We are called to reconcile people to God through the message of the Gospel.
Whether you live in a densely or sparsely populated place you probably feel the mission is daunting. Even if you are in the “Bible Belt” you feel inadequate to reach people. But my message today is that we cannot let our own personal weaknesses and limitations squelch our dreams. Let’s remember that God is with us; He has unlimited resources; He can do the impossible. Remember, too, that the fulfillment of our missional dreams does not come immediately or easily.
Hard ground
My church is located in the city of Providence where the Southside, the Westside, and downtown converge. It is very densely populated. There are probably 100,000 people within a radius of a few miles. The largest homeless shelter is across the street. There are hundreds of drug users on the streets. Johnson and Wales University is about a ten minute walk. Thousands of artists and musicians live on the Westside. We have three large high schools we can see from our sanctuary windows. There are several high rise apartment buildings and hundreds of businesses and nonprofits.
Not many years ago our city was deemed the least Bible-minded city in America. That means that many are either ignorant or indifferent to the message of the Bible. It means that Providence is hard ground. The culture here is generally not very open minded toward the Christian faith—unless it’s a form of Christianity that makes itself agreeable in every way to the culture. Despite all this, I am called to share Christ with as many people as possible, and reconcile to God all who are willing.
Why I dream so small
If I can get vulnerable for a moment, I want to say that I am frequently overwhelmed by this task. It feels like trying to plant flowers in concrete. I have confidence in the seed (the Word) but it’s so hard to get the seed into the ground of people's hearts where it can begin to grow. I’ve labored in the Northeast for over 30 years. I’ve ministered in Providence for about 25. I have prayed countless hours and have cried rivers of tears. I have fasted for breakthroughs. I have pleaded with God’s people to do the same.
I’ve tried so many things to reach people—sidewalk Sunday school, art installations, art galleries, performing arts festivals, concerts, fundraisers, neighborhood beautification, partnership initiatives, craft markets, kids festivals, street evangelism, film discussions, Alpha courses, barbecue outreaches, Mother’s Day events, refugee support ministries, Adopt-a-Block, after school arts, family movie showings—and a million other things.
I’ve tried everything I can think of to create opportunities for unchurched people to explore and experience Jesus. Oh, I’ve seen the Lord do some powerful things, but the results have been relatively small. We’ve been wonderfully successful at gathering Christians and helping them grow spiritually, but we’ve been nominally successful at reconciling lost people to Christ.
When results are small, it is even harder to dream big. When I think of my own weaknesses and human limitations, along with my long history of extraordinary ministry exertion with minuscule results, I regularly feel discouraged. It’s not that I’m tempted to give up trying to reach people, but I start shrinking my ministry dreams down to something so tiny that I could fit it in my pocket. I start thinking that maybe it’s better to not shoot for the stars but to just mind my own business. I’ll be honest, I start thinking that I should just coast along for the next 20-30-40 years until I go home to be with the Lord. You know, just leave unchurched people alone. Let them come to church if they want to be found. Enjoy life. Hang out with like-minded Christians. Don’t worry about rescuing the perishing multitudes.
What drives me
The problem with this kind of small thinking is that God does not want us to dream according to what we think we are capable of, but rather—what He is capable of! There are two facts that drive me to keep going in my efforts to reconcile lost people. The first is the fact that the majority of people around me—precious souls—are not ready to stand before the glory and majesty of Jesus Christ on the great Day of judgment (Rev 20). If they die today, they will be lost for eternity! The second thing that drives me is this: The Lord is not willing for any to perish but desires all to repent and come to the knowledge of Christ. In other words, God Himself loves and wants the tens of thousands of lost people around me.
In light of these things I cannot stop praying and laboring to reach people. I’ve been at wits end for years over my utter insufficiency to awaken sinners to eternal realities. I’ve preached some of my best sermons at weddings and funerals, sometimes with 100 unchurched people present, but have often seen no fruit.
What I’m dreaming of
I am more convinced now than I ever have been of this one thing: Apart from Christ I can do nothing. I believe He loves the tens of thousands of lost souls in my city. I refuse to dream small and to be content with seeing only a handful of folks baptized once in a while.
No!
I’m dreaming of a move of God that sweeps through this whole region. I’m dreaming of thousands upon thousands streaming into local churches to encounter Christ. I see hardened sinners melting under the power of the Gospel. I see layers of delusion falling off of people as they are captivated by the beauty and reality of Jesus Christ. I am dreaming of a movement of people—atheists, agnostics, addicts, artists, athletes—all kinds of people, coming to Christ. I see new churches popping up everywhere. I see demonic worldviews crumbling like houses of cards. In this month of November 2021 I can say Providence, Rhode Island is still one of the least Bible-minded cities in America. I can’t change that. But I believe God can, and God will.
Moving mountains
One of the things that has increasingly felt like an impossible mountain to hurdle is that many in our city identify as LGBTQ+, or fully support the practice of homosexuality and other sexual practices. It is a city with a strong collective mindset that the gay community has been oppressed for too long, and this is the generation to set them free. They consider it a human rights issue. Because of this, they will not consider Christian faith that holds to an orthodox view of the Bible. They are extremely, adamantly opposed to orthodox views of sexuality and gender. Most would never become a member of a church that is not aligned with their LGBTQ+ views.
I think there’s a place to dispel some of the deficient teachings that churches have put out there. For example, I think it is an error and very unhelpful to say all those with same-sex attraction have chosen that lifestyle. People need to be taught that everything is in disarray because of the fall of man. I also think that the political fight to oppose gays from getting married, and having the legal privileges that go with it, is unhelpful. Christ came into the world not to condemn the gay community but to save them. He came to be the fulfillment of their desires for love and satisfaction.
I think Christian sexual ethics and gender views are counterculture but reasonable. I have had, and will continue to have, conversations with people about this. But I’m at a point where I feel completely incapable of changing someone’s mind. Only God can do that. Most people nowadays would never become orthodox Christians because they feel it would be a betrayal of their gay friends and, in some cases, family. It feels morally wrong to them to not fully support and celebrate the gay lifestyle. It feels almost shameful to not jump on the bandwagon of gay pride.
Truth
The only thing that would cause them to change their thinking is if God Himself revealed the truth to them. When a person suddenly sees the glory of Christ, he or she will forsake their religion, will disappoint friends and family, will suffer marginalization, will put themselves in danger—will do anything—because they know that the Word of God is the word of God. The truth will set people free.
That’s my prayer for my city. I’ll continue to reason with people and try to creatively engage people every way I know how. But I’m praying that God Himself breaks in and displays His glory in ways that are beyond what I could ever do. This is what happens when God sends revival. Some have called it an invasion of God, a visitation of the divine. Suddenly, entire regions of people experience the awesome dread and glory of the living God. Somehow God causes masses of people to simultaneously experience eternal realities. He opens their eyes and enables them to taste, to see, to feel God.
When this has happened in history (in New England many times) it has transformed entire regions. People who were notorious sinners have been so touched by the power of God that they became sweet, godly, devoted individuals for the rest of their lives. This is the work of God! This is not something we can pull off by our own efforts, gifts, business savvy, resources, oratory skills, or whatever. But God is able to manifest His glory in this generation. May we never settle for small dreams. Believe that God can and will do exceedingly beyond what you ask or even imagine He can do through you. Selah.
Bonus questions to ponder:
What is one local mission focus that interests you?
What is the most amazing thing you can imagine happening in your mission of interest?
If you had 50+ hours a week to devote to this mission, what might you do with your time?
If you could hire any one person on the planet to help you fulfill this mission, who would it be and why?
If someone donated a million dollars to you to help you succeed in your mission, how would you use the money?
What do you think would be the greatest obstacles—spiritual or practical—that would hinder you in your mission?
What would you want the Lord to change about yourself that you believe would help you to be more successful in your mission?
What specific things would you ask God to do if He said, “Ask me for anything”?