Matthew 11:28 is a much quoted Scripture is the church. I've a question though. When we quote it, preach it, and send out the invite, does "all" really mean all to us? Do we really welcome all who are weary and carry heavy burdens? If we do, we need to be prepared for what that will mean: a bloody mess. Is your church fellowship prepared for that? Are you?
When I went to Northern Virginia in 1992 to plant a church, I thought "all" meant all. The work He called me to experienced steady and impressive growth in its first few years. I was beyond happy. We were attracting young families. Nice families. They had giftings and they enjoyed the fellowship they found there. I envisioned a church filled with such people. A church that could offer a wide range of ministries to these kinds of families and people. Yes, broken people were welcome and we did seek to minister to them with love. It shames me to say it now, but these were not the folks I wanted to build upon. I wanted to attract the kinds of folks that could help me get to where I wanted to be. All didn't really mean all. God had other ideas, and He wasn't shy about showing me that He did.
Northern Virginia is a highly transient place. People move in and out freely and constantly. That started to happen in our fellowship. People began moving to other areas of the country, but the same kinds of people were no longer moving in. I was crushed, and it was the Father who was doing the crushing. He was in the process of making Matthew 11:28 my reality, not just my ideal.
We continued to reach people, but they were not the kind of people who could "help me." At least not in the way I thought I needed help. They were wounded, broken, bloody.......and very hard at times to deal with. Some of our people became frustrated with that and left. Others were frustrated and stayed. But a few saw deeper, and one in particular verbalized what I was beginning to see was the Lord's purpose. He told me, "Pastor, we're like a MASH unit." MASH units are Mobile Army Surgical Hospitals. Their purpose is to attend to badly wounded soldiers on the front lines, do the immediate surgery needed to save them, and then pass them onto hospitals that are far better equipped for their needs. In a lot of ways, that's the kind of church we became. We met people who were badly wounded on the front lines of life, brought them in, ministered to them, bandaged the wounds as best we could, and led them to the Master Surgeon for Him to operate on them. It was a bloody business. A messy business. At times a heartbreaking business, but also, when they yielded to His hands, the most rewarding "business" one could be a part of. We never became the kind of church I had once envisioned. We never got to the place of offering the best kinds of ministries that so many are seeking, but I think we fulfilled our calling, or at least did our best to fulfill it. In the end, He'll have to be the judge.
I know that not every church is called to be what we were, but I think every church can be to some degree what we were. If not a MASH unit, certainly an ER that knows how to deal with trauma. Churches that really do invite all, including the ones who have nothing to offer that's tangible except themselves. Such ministry will not win the applause of the masses, but I do believe it deeply blesses the heart of the Father. It surely is a life that manifests the life of Christ to all, and seeks all......even those who are the most bloody and beaten.
If your church is a MASH unit rather than a showcase, take heart. The Kingdom desperately needs you, as much, and perhaps more than the showcase fellowship. Both are needed, both are loved by the Father. Celebrate where you are, and celebrate the ministry He's called you to. I never wanted mine, but now, from the perspective of my elder years, I would not trade what I learned there for anything.....and I would not trade what I experienced in Him for anything as well.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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