The first thing every base-running instruction says is you have to lead off.
You gotta get off of first.
Your foot off the bag.
You lead off. And when you do, you’re no longer on first … and you’re a long way from second.
And, in this condition you can be thrown out.
There’s a risk to leading off and there’s no other way to steal second.
In life, like in baseball, you have to give up what you have in order to have something new—in order to have a chance to get there! And, giving up what you have, what’s familiar, predictable, anticipatable, even strangely comfortable involves risk. Trust. And the very real possibility of loss.
In a church culture that more and more is oriented around safety and security and avoiding loss, leading off seems so strange.
But, is it?
Imagine the Book of Acts if the saints were unwilling to risk, to lead off.
In the upper room they’d not take the initiative to replace Judas with Matthias. “But, wait a minute, only Jesus chooses apostles.” Standing on first, they couldn’t possibly attempt something new.
“Who does Peter think he is to address this huge crowd on Pentecost? No talking! We were specifically instructed to pray.” Willing to lead off, Peter stood up. The eleven followed his lead… and thousands came to Christ on that day.
Did you notice?
Many of us revere the church we read about in the Book of Acts. That book is full of leaps, risks, and doing things for the very first time. Consider just three chapters:
Healing the crippled man [3:7]
Calling the onlookers to repent [3:19]
Boldness and courage before the Sanhedrin [4:20]
Praying for even greater boldness and the power to heal [4:29-30]
Sharing wealth [4:32]
Disciplining Sapphira [5:9]
Public healings [5:15]
Obeying the directive of an angel [5:21]
Proclaiming the good news everywhere [5:42].
When you read this, it’s easy to overlook the fact that each of these was a brand new experience for them. There was no precedent. No rulebook to follow. No polity. No Book of Order.
God intended us to be people willing to do anything to obey. To follow Jesus. To respond to the Holy Spirit’s leading. To advance Christ’s Kingdom wherever we go.
That’s the pedigree of the early church.
A church of action.
A church in motion.
A church characterized by risk.
See, you can’t steal second, while standing on first.
Coaching Distinctions #17
Great article. And very encouraging for me. As our chuch is ‘leading off’ and stepping out into mission, we’ve recently had a backlash of people saying ‘we can’t go and serve others- there are still people in our congregation who are being overlooked.’ When pressed, they are unable to name anybody to back up their claim. ‘We have to take care of ourselves’ is the message. It’s astounding to me. I’m committed to being an interruption to that kind of unbiblical and self-centered thinking.
Thank you, Darren. Jesus stood as an interruption to so much of what had become a very bizarre misinterpretation of how God intended that we understand him and live as a result. So much of his teaching, relating, and behaving was an affront to the prevailing worldview in that culture.
How many times did he say, or allude to: “You have heard…BUT I SAY UNTO YOU…”.
One example: Jesus’ focus was on THE HEART. The religious elites were fixated on outward behavior and appearances. Jesus kept interrupting and kept demonstrating a new way to be. A new way to be with outcasts, with the powerful, with foreigners, with religious leaders, with children, with the duplicitous, with the wealthy, etc. That’s a lot of what you and I get to do.
We get to stand as a interruption to what’s not working and to model another way to be.
If you think about it, the Twelve were Jesus’ “pioneers”. It’s with them that He spent the majority of his time. Those who were open to his leadership, his influence, his message. Those who responded to His invitation to live a new way.
Friedman was clear: “The unmotivated are invulnerable to insight.” Jesus spent little time trying to convince those who opposed him… except when constrained to do so! Think about it.
When leading change of this magnitude, we have to surround ourselves with those who are willing to go where God is leading us. We’re unwise to exhaust ourselves trying to reason with people to go where they’re unwilling. It’s tough enough to make ourselves go where we actually want to, isn’t it?
Sadly, in Jesus day, most didn’t have the stomach to follow Him… to pay the price to be a disciple. Undeterred, Jesus showed the way to everlasting life for those who were thirsting for it.
So do you.