From me,through me, to me VS From Him, through Him, to Him

On Monday night I listened to a panel discussion of missionaries that was part of the Family Festival of World Missions sponsored by First Alliance Church, Toccoa. These can be really cheesy events but this one was different. Actually, I don't know when I have more clearly seen the heart of God for lost people than I did when these folks were talking. One comment by Matt Fisher, who serves with his family in Krasnodar, Russia as a professor of theology in a Bible college particularly got my attention. When asked what one of the disappointments he had faced during his first term on the field he shared this-many of the people who are being trained as leaders in the Russian church have felt led to come to the U.S. and ostensibly minister to Russian immigrants in this country. While I have no desire to judge the motives of these brothers the effect on the church in Russia of these leader's decision to leave for the "Land of Opportunity"seems to be negative. Let's just suppose that the real motive of this re-location was for self-promotion or self-advancement. I can speak to this motivation because I have surely been guilty of it myself. I believe that this is one of the major issues that we the Church in 2009 must face if we are going to make progress in taking the Gospel to the 2 billion people in the world who are in effect cut off from it. In Paul's soaring doxoloogy in Romans 11:33-36 he ends with the bedrock truth that all things are "from him and through him and to him" speaking of God the Father. In light of this truth he then in 12:1-2 urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. One of the results of this sacrificial giving of self is that we are no longer conformed to the "pattern of this world". I think it's accurate to say that the pattern of this world is summed up in the phrase, 'all things are from me through me and to me', or to put it another way 'it's all about me'. This ancient motivation of self-promotion and self-advancement is something I deal with every day. I have been helped recently by realizing that God is actively at work bringing everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. (Eph.1:11) So, I must make decisions to lay down my life even while the momentum of this world and the temptation of the evil one pull toward self-preservation. So must church leaders in Russia-so must you. We are not alone in making Christ-like decisions to do the Father's will in order to fullfill the Father's plan. He is at work with all His mighty power bringing everything into holy conformity.