Lead Me On
(Being Catalyst; A Necessary Role in Launching Disciple Making Movements-DMM)
Bethany Dillion applies this generation’s well-honed musical skillset to cover the song entitled Lead Me On, the song that originated in an age of Christian music when big hair reigned. Big hair, high heels for the female artists (thankfully just for the females), along with oversized jackets accented with exaggerated proportioned shoulder pads of interestingly patterned designs were the norm.
I used to joke that my husband and I survived through the disco era and are so grateful for its death and annihilation as we caution this generation to never long for that scary forest domain ever again. More recently, I have come to realize that we have also lived through the various transitions of what was established as an industry in the 1980’s until present day; the contemporary Christian music scene.
It can be said that the 1980’s were the best of times in contemporary Christian music offerings, and yes, these were some of the worst of times.
Being counterintuitive game changers is the norm for the follower of Christ.
Amy Grant walked onto the stage canopied by the crisp northern Californian star spangled sky. Holding court for all who attended the outdoor amphitheater music event in the summer of 1985, she sang her heart out. That night marked my personal witness of the convergence of the attempt to intersect the old style of what was known as contemporary Christian music into the growing evolution of what would be to come.
Funny to assert, but in so many ways, she was a tipping point catalytic fire starter for Christian artists; big hair, spiked heels and all. Though you might think that comment a stretch to say, it can be said that the doorway to communicating the Christ life through the vehicle of song to non-believers had not yet been penetrated to that point in time.
In the 1980’s Phil Keaggy, Randy Stonehill, Keith Green, Benny Hester, Larry Norman, Steven Curtis Chapman, Leslie (a.k.a Sam) Phillips, Petra, along with others all had their unique followings which at times could reach the flow of those outside the flock (believers) as well. However, as I recall though free to be contended with, after Amy Grant took her music to a level, which could potentially connect with non-believers, Michael W. Smith was the next in line to expand his influence in order to see non-believers stirred toward the beauty and the power of the gospel. O.k., yes admittedly, the song “Baby, Baby” which ushered this breakthrough in for Amy Grant was largely bee bop fluff. However, this song broke the unwritten plane of separation between the sacred and holy, in terms of the music industry.
Spencer and I, along with some colleagues, Betty and Bobby, in our early years ministering among Muslims in Southeast Asia, had the highly random opportunity to meet Michael W. Smith while he came to town on tour. To highlight the randomness of his visit to this outpost of humanity would be like comparing an astronaut’s trip to the moon with stopping by Venus enroute.
From a human standpoint, his early 1990’s hit singles into the secular music realm had launched a newer platform of influencing the lost among his newfound fans. For whatever reason, perhaps his management team was being somewhat Kingdom strategic in their flying him to a highly remote large population of Muslim Unreached People groups or perhaps the bookings in the U.S. market had all but dried up (not likely). Either way, we decided to go to all of the events related to his arrival in said location. Let me emphasize that there were many common items of our home culture not available in this cross-cultural context; like toilet paper, cheese, or butter. Amazingly though, we stood in front of one momentary import, this music artist who loves Jesus.
At one point, being the only foreigners and Americans present at the two day event lauding his arrival to our territory we talked with him privately. We mentioned his opportunity to push the bounds to share about Jesus with this predominantly Muslim audience scheduled to enjoy a concert later that same evening. He smiled graciously at our request. Later that evening at the question and answer time during his concert we threw him a “softball” to hit out of the stadium type question. “Michael, we so appreciate your music. Could you explain to all of us the inspiration and meaning behind your song entitled Secret Ambition? “ (a great song highlighting the reason for Christ coming to this world. You can see this on YouTube. And yes, he had kind of the big hair mullet thing going at that time as well).
From this time of our brief brush of being around Michael W. Smith we began to pray that God would move him to compose songs which could break open the thin veneer of worship music available at the time in the Bride of Christ international. Soon thereafter, he began to produce worship focused songs and subsequently opened the heretofore blockades for inability to make money for the music producing companies. (Many secular parent company ownerships existed for several major Christian music company labels in the mid 1990’s.)
I am not asserting here that a few of us who chose to pray were the only piece in this tapestry of God’s design for this particular artist. I am asserting, though, that God does have His bride participate with what He wills, largely through intercession as well as being the hands and feet of His heartbeat.
What if we saw our participation with the Holy Spirit as a sort of catalytic “tipping point” to accomplish His will in this world for His own glory?
Being catalytic fire starters reads well in retrospect but during the process blazing new paths can cause push back to existing patterns of “doing” the accepted norms.
Being counterintuitive game changers is the norm for the follower of Christ.
To live out the Biblical patterns of obedience based discipleship is to be the norm for those who follow Christ. Being counterintuitive game changers for the glory of God is the norm for one as a follower of Jesus.
When one chooses to embrace in loving obedience the commands of God, empowered and filled by the Holy Spirit, then one becomes a game changer for His Kingdom. One becomes a precision built strategic weapon for God’s transforming power to be displayed and to be declared in all Acts 1:8 applications. (“but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”)
Being Catalyst; A Necessary Role in Launching Disciple Making Movements-DMM
Spencer and I are soon to celebrate 29 years of life among Muslim Unreached People Groups. As we continue to trust God to launch a rapidly reproducing movement of house fellowships among the Muslim Unreached Peoples in which we serve, it is important to consider returning over and over again to the strategic steps of DMM.
DMM Critical Elements List
1. Vision: God’s glory
2. Reproduction
3. Extraordinary Prayer
4. Word of God Foundation, Holy Spirit Dependence
5. Evangelism: Finding Persons of Peace and oikos (households/affinity groups)
6. Discipleship: Teaching Oikos to discover and obey God’s Word in Discovery Bible Study
7. Commitment: New believers (preferably an oikos) obey Jesus in repentance and baptism, while preparing for persecution
8. Churches: Discipled oikos become obeying congregations, which reproduce
9. Leadership: Equipping indigenous leaders who reproduce indigenous leaders who reproduce indigenous leaders
10. Unflinching Evaluation: Focus on End Vision
Though we are forever grateful for the wisdom of those who had attempted great things for God’s glory prior to our arrival to our region of service, we have come to realise that there are also opportunities for on-going healthy evaluation necessary.
As believers, we are all invited to trust God for being a catalyst in the essentials of movements for His glory. The area of Extraordinary Prayer is one essential element of DMM, which I want to focus upon in this writing.
As you gaze upon the term extraordinary prayer and consider what it may mean to be catalytic, what comes to mind? Consider the ideas that follow as ways to further appropriate God’s intent in the area of the practice of extraordinary prayer.
Counterintuitives in extraordinary prayer to consider;
1. Forget Tradition-What has been done in former attempts to reach an Unreached People Group (or target group in home cultures) may or may not be the pattern that God has in mind to embrace presently. Most of the labourers (catalysts) who have seen significant Disciple Making Movements among heretofore resistant Unreached People Groups spend up to 3 hours per day, on average, in specific intercession.
2. Base All Prayer Upon God’s Word and the Holy Spirit’s Leading-Read through the book of Acts and do a Discovery Bible Study on Prayer. Use the patterns of prayers lifted up in the Epistles, the book of Nehemiah, for starters. Pray Scripture back to God. What follows is a specific example of ways to pray through Scripture on behalf of a people group excerpt taken from my husband’s book entitled Strategic Intercession for the SaSumBi;
Overcoming the Enemy
By faith bind the Evil One so that he cannot prevent people from hearing and believing the Gospel or blind them from the Truth (2 Corinthians 4:4). Ask the Holy Spirit to expose the lies and deception of the Evil One.
Cancel and render all curses and spells powerless and void in Jesus name
(Deuteronomy 18:10-11, Isaiah 47:9, 12).
3 Be Intentional in Prayer-Ask God to teach your heart how to intercede. Go and be taught by those who model intercession. As one of many examples to my heart, one band of intercessors has gathered to pray for God’s heart for Acts 1:8 themes for over 20 years at one of my dearest heart friend’s home. Come hail or high water, they have gathered weekly. They have wept as well as labored in prayer for the glory of God to be declared and displayed in their homeland and to the ethne peoples of the earth. Find a discipler or group of disciplers in this area of intercession and learn to be catalytic for God’s glory.
Summary
What once was, in terms of attempts to reach the Unreached People Groups of the earth, can be evaluated with heaps of grace and mercy. As one evaluates former attempts, to reach a given people group, it is with much fear and trembling to consider what was effective in former approaches and what could have been a hindrance.
Be careful what you set in motion in terms of what you model as the norm of walking with Jesus, while depending or not upon His Holy Spirit to lead. We have seen UPG efforts, which have been seemingly hindered by the ones who continue to rely upon self-life, self-effort, and self-importance.
Be intentional in the essentials of Disciple Making Movements on a personal level as well as modelling to others and expect God to move in power, in His timing.
Extraordinary prayer, as one of the main essentials of DMM, is predicated upon a heightened personal and corporate dependence upon God to be God.
The Christian music industry hit many crossroads moments, when catalytic artists intentionally chose the higher unknown road of equal risk of personal gain or personal loss. They took the best of the former things available and pitched out the non-effective methodologies in terms of music.
As those who desire to be the Biblical norms of catalytic eternal game changers among the peoples of the earth, your course is more challenging. Expect push back, and then respond in grace and humility. Expect God to move, lean not into your own understanding, and watch God rip the heavens open and come down in a given Unengaged/Unreached People Group or target population.
Remember, sometimes “big hair” ways are simply trends and not substantive in nature. Then again, catalytic fire starters of Christ-centered movements are willing to be counterintuitive, at all costs. Choose God’s blueprint of counterintuitive ways in the area of extraordinary prayer and watch His hand move in power.
‘til the Ethne Worship,
Rhonda
Beyond.org
