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No. 34: Be There to Say "Yes, and..." instead of "No, but..."

Writer's picture: The Well Community ChurchThe Well Community Church

There is an individual I work with who has an interesting habit of saying "yes... and..." when he's speaking to people. If someone says something that is pretty close to being correct but may need clarification, he whips out this "yes... and..." phrase. This all came about because there was a colleague (a non-engineer) who made the observation that all engineers are a little cynical. It's hard to simply get a straight "yes" or "no". Typically, the answer to any question is some form of a "no" with a "but" statement to caveat where the answer could be a "yes". Confused yet?


Even though I associate this say-no-first mentality with engineers, a lot of churches have gotten good at adopting the same disposition. During a recent conversation with two of our church planter families, a series of questions were raised about how The Well would handle a new believer wanting to take action and get involved. I mean, you wouldn't just let a new believer go and start a bunch of Christian activities would you?

Let's go to the Bible for this one...

Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately about Jesus, although he knew only John's baptism. (Acts 18:24-25)

Let's take this little story and make it something more relatable. Let's say you have someone... we'll call them Andrew... who has been "around" Christianity for a while but only recently became a saved, born-again believer. Andrew wants to begin an outreach ministry working with children who live in the under-privileged areas of our community. The only problem is that he's a new believer and new member of the church. Now, you have a few different options here. You can (1) just let Andrew do whatever he wants... which would be reckless, (2) you can tell Andrew "no, you haven't been a Christian for long enough", or (3) you can try to find a way to make Andrew's idea work. Let's see what Acts does... though I'm guessing you might have an idea of where this leads.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. After Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God to him more accurately. When he wanted to cross over to Achaia, the brothers and sisters wrote to the disciples to welcome him. After he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. (Acts 18:26-27)

As you might have guessed, the early church Christians took this passionate brother aside, helped him grow, and enabled him to get traction with his ministry. Let's look at a few things they did not do...

  • They did not discuss whether it was worth their time/resources to follow through on Apollos' passion.

  • They did not discuss whether Apollos was really the "right person" to be representing them.

  • They did not come up with all the reasons why Apollos shouldn't be teaching before becoming a more mature believer.

Instead...

  • They discipled Apollos so he'd be better equipped (v26).

  • They encouraged Apollos to continue with his passion.

  • They prepared the way for him to succeed ("...wrote to the disciples to welcome him." v27).


Sometimes when we use phrases like "the church today has lost its footing", it may come across like we're just ranting and raving about the status quo. I won't lie: sometimes we like to rant and rave about the status quo. It's cathartic. Other times we are referring to instances like what we see here in Acts 18. The status quo church has long been an institution very proficient at explaining why individuals can not follow through on their passions. Whether we dampen someone's passion due to budgetary constraints or due to some concern that it might ruin our public image, we have a unique ability to disable passion rather than enable progress.

There is always wisdom and discernment that pastors must weigh, but the job of any minister, church, or religious mentor should be to determine how to enable the convictions and passions of individual believers.

So as an individual Christian or believer, what do we do with this lesson? Some of us are church leaders. There is a clear message here to us; that we should love and nurture the convictions of others and celebrate in the joy others get from serving God. Some of us aren't anywhere close to what we'd call a "leader" or might even feel like Apollos being a newer Christian who just knows he wants to get more involved. To those individuals, maintain your passion and do not let the cynicism or weak faiths of others discourage you! Sometimes even our religious institutions get weak and don't know what to do with someone who's passion outpaces their discipleship. Do not be turned away! If it appears that the door to whatever you're passionate about closes, kindle the passion for your calling in your heart and pray that God will help bring those individuals into your life that will enable you to do far more than you ever hoped!


This is the meaning of Philippians 4:13... I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me. Even when individuals doubt our proficiency, competency, or capacity to do great things, God says "you don't need to be enough because I am enough." Keep the faith and kindle the fires within one another's hearts. Do this, and the church will be a strong institution for Christ.

 

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

A Prayer for Passion


Lord, we pray that you continue to fan the flames in our hearts and to keep our minds resolved on you. Help us to kindle the passion in our own lives and those around us. Help us to have a can-do attitude and to strive to find ways of enabling those around us. If we lack the knowledge, give us mentors. If we lack the capability, give us those who are able. If we lack the resources, open doors to make the necessary resources available. Help us to be on the look-out for others who need encouragement and give us strength during those moments we, ourselves, need a little encouragement. We love you and thank you for the chance to serve your kingdom. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.

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Hub Location: 144 East Broaddus, Bowling Green, VA 22427

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