Guidance in Community - Part 4
27 03 2007See previous posts:
Guidance in Community - Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Models of Guidance.
As I have been reflecting on guidance, both individual and in community (which I would argue is not nearly as different as we often make it to be), there are three pictures in the first few chapters of the Bible that can help us think about different ways in which God leads or guides people.
Noah (Gen 6):
God directed Noah specifically, with very precise instructions on how to build the ark. It was to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet high, with 3 decks, a door in the side … and the ark was to be make of cypress wood, with pitch on the sides and top. No detail left out. Clear, concrete direction. The world was very corrupt, a flood was coming, crisis looming, and so God was very specific with Noah in how he could escape the coming devastation.
Abraham (Gen 12):
Abraham was to set out on a journey, that would take him from Haran to Canaan (his father has already travelled from Ur). He was to leave his country, his people and his father to go on this journey. Abraham got to Canaan, and they carried on travelling, knowing the God was promising the land. But a famine came, so they moved to Egypt.
In this story, we see a direction that God was calling Abraham to travel in, a promise that the land would be theirs, but no real specifics about how that would happen, when, or where exactly Abraham would go. When circumstances change (no food, always a good motivating factor!), Abraham responds and travels to Egypt where there was presumably food, but was actually away from the land that God was giving him.
Adam and Eve (Gen 2):
In the story in Genesis 1 & 2, we don’t read of some specific instructions of how to do something, or a clear direction for them to travel, but more general tasks that they were to do: care and tend the land; be fruitful and multiply. There were boundaries, the 4 rivers marked a very large area of the “garden”, but within that area they were free to roam where they like. All they had to do was to fulfill the mandate God had given them, stay within the boundaries … oh and not eat the fruit of a certain tree.
So here is the crunch:
I think in church, we often have a model of guidance that is based on the picture of Noah. We wait for a specific “word” from God, what it is God is wanting to build, expecting a very clear answer of what it will look like. If you are given the type of wood, the dimensions, the layout etc, we have a very clear idea of what it is we are building. God is an architect, and we do His bidding. When people talk about vision, I often think that this is what they are talking about. They want to know what it looks like. They want to see the artist mock up, or the computerised graphic, so they can see what it looks like when we are all done. Clearly God can and does guide like this, but is it really the norm? Or is more when in crisis or immaturity?
Some of us are moving towards a journey model of guidance, and I was suggesting this in post 3, reinforced by some brilliant comments in that post. There is a direction in which we are travelling; God is calling us towards something, a promise, a hope. But we don’t really now what that will look like, and there are often things on the way that cause us to change direction for a while, or respond differently. God is an explorer and we are travelling with Him.
But is the picture in Genesis 1 & 2 an aspiration for redeemed humanity? Before sin entered the world (and aren’t we being restored to the garden, and a bit more as well?), Adam and Eve walked with God. They knew what their task was, but they had real freedom to choose where, when and how they would accomplish that. There were boundaries, things that God has laid down, outside which they weren’t to go, and a tree they weren’t allowed to eat from. But within the garden, they could go and do pretty much what they liked. God would be with them. God is a Father, bringing us to maturity and setting us free.
Rather seeing the Noah type of guidance as the goal, perhaps we should aspire for the Garden of Eden model? Or is this unrealistic in this life? Is this just an excuse for doing what we want and asking God’s blessing on us? Or are there different types of guidance needed in different situations, or perhaps at different stages of maturity in Christ? As less mature Christians does God give more specific guidance, and more mature we are free to choose? Or is that just a cop out for being less dependent on God as we get older?
What do you think?
or as you say Rupert, there are different sorts of models of guidance and sometimes God will use a specific one and sometimes a more general one?
Maybe God isn’t that hidden but often we live with the cork in the bottle as it were and don’t really want much guidance anyway - whereas Jesus seemed to practice this whole sort of presence thang all the time I very rarely bother unless it something where i have something staked.
In that sense i live under a general wander round do what i like sense anyway - sometimes i remember not too graze off every bit of low fruit i come into contact with but often I don’t.
Maybe that is why the there is the law knocking around - it’s like life for dummies - ok gang really don’t murder that is just not a good choice etc.
The other thing that strikes me is usually I get so concerned about guidance so i have something/someone to blame when it all goes wrong - in classic Adam/Eve style i can point my finger and say her fault, serpent fault etc
So i can continue to blame someone for my choices - God you never really spelt out that whole don’t murder thang did you, so its not my fault that i accidently topped my boss last week, it’s your fault for not specifically guiding me not too - and really you should have given him a bullet proof vest if you didn’t want me to shoot him…
I guess what i am saying in all this blabber is that my sat nav is often switched off, i prefer to wander around lost rather than ask for help and when i do its only usually to prove a point.
Hmmm i definately need to spend more time with the guide and less time on the ance
Paul Ede has also blogged on a similar topic: see A Philosophy Of Risk.
I am not sure which model, if any, of guidance is more “right” or “suitable” for a church. But I suppose we have many streams of guidance available to us:
- the scriptures, in particular the New Testament letters concerning churches
- Wisdom: from the scriptures, from others
- Apostolic figures: those with a gift and calling to help guide the church at large
- the calling(s) of the community members
- the “desires of the heart” of the same
I suppose it might help to be certain what our mission is. Noah knew what it was (in detail!). Abraham knew it (in outline?). Also we can learn from the mistakes of people like Abraham. Even though he was promised the Holy Land, he disobeyed God at went to Egypt (was it twice?), I believe both times causing mayhem for his household. Egypt represented a worldly path which Abraham kept falling into. (Its been a while since I read Genesis so forgive me I am getting muddled here!).
Anyway, I suppose even Adam and Eve had a mission or mandate.
So my question is, what is the mission/mandate of the church? Or one’s local church? Do the two differ?
I suspect if we asked a bunch of folks what they understood the mission/mandate of the Church to be, you would get a lot of different responses?
How does the mission of the church relate to the gospel and the kingdom?
Oh dear, I’ve gone off topic again…
As a pastor, I hear a lot of new Christians asking “What is God’s will for my life?” I hear it a lot less among life-long churchgoers. One of the challenges the Church faces is that we either look back with paralyzing regret or fond nostalgia and we fail to move forward with hope and faith in Christ.
Thanks everyone for the comments. Good stuff. Sorry to be so long in acknowledging what you have written.
Paul - yes, i think you are right there are different types of guidance … and i am sure you are right we often have our sat nav turned off. I guess though, one of the points i am trying to make in all these posts, is that often when God leads us individually, we do stumble along, seeking the way on the journey, taking some wrong turns etc. But when it comes to the church, we want it all sorted out before we begin the journey - we have to know where we are going, what it will look like, and be certain that we will get there. It seems as though we have different expectations for individual and corporate guidance, and that doesn’t make sense to me.
Is that your experience too?
Alastair - you raise some good points. I think you are moving the discussion on in a very helpful way to how does God lead us, through all (and maybe more?) ways that you outline.
BUT i think you are raising a very important point at the end: Adam and Eve had a mandate. So does the church: love God & people, and make disciples. In one sense how much guidance do we need, or should we just be getting on with the job?
Pistol Pete - thanks for joining in the discussion.
I think you are right … but i guess I am asking myself if that is a bad thing or not.
A wise friend told me this parable, in my early days of being a christian, when i was very enthusiastic and not a little judgemental about the seeming lack of enthusiasm of older christians:
A River at the source is full of life, bubbles aways, full of noise and enthusiasm, but doesn’t have much substance, and has go around every obsticle. But as the river enter the flood plain, it is much less noisy, bubbly fast flowing, but has real depth and power.
I wonder if as we grow older, we can lose that desire to follow God, or look back in regret (as you say), but we can also follow Jesus but in a very different way from our youth? Is that not how children grow up? What do you think?