[Originally a letter to our church’s ministry partners]
“Learn to move men, though God, by prayer alone.” James Hudson Taylor
To our gracious supporters in life and ministry,
First, thank you for loving us, our church, and the people of our city.
Oftentimes, learning to live by God confidence (“faith”) rather than self-confidence feels crazy. There are days (especially since the planned merger fell though) where we feel crazy…like we are missing some part of our brain that thinks rationally. The thought is that- if we had that part of our brain- then we would not have planted our lives in Seattle. But, remembering you all, I am reminded that we are loved and cared for by you and by our Father.
We may be somewhat crazy, but we are not crazy and alone!
Every year in the Spring, I end up reading a book called Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret about the life- and radical Godward trust- of the 19th century missionary to China. I don’t plan to read the book again in the Spring, I just tend to do so. As someone who is often saturated with deep, irrational fears, reading about the life of someone who found soul rest in trusting a Good Father is life giving to me. I am often reminded through Taylor’s life that our Father is trustworthy…even when so many circumstances tell me to act out of mere pragmatism and not wait on the Father to do what he has promised. Doing “what works” when I am fearful seems much more wise than waiting for the good the Father will surely come though on.
Mr. Taylor lived by a principal (and taught it to those who followed his lead) that he would only try to “move men, through God, by prayer alone,” determined never to ask anyone for financial resources, but only to pray and let the Father stir up people’s hearts. He was one of the busiest men who have ever lived, leading a missionary agency to engage the unreached people of China and no one would have ever described him as passive or lazy. He just knew that the things that matter most in the eyes of the Father can only be accomplished by the Father and not what some would call “realistic” means.
A Life Defined by God-Reliance, Not Self Reliance
I have had 3-4 conversations with church goers in the last week who expressed to me that they do not know if they have faith in Jesus. They have “a faith” (i.e. they are religious rather than non-religious), but they don’t know if they deeply, truly, actively trust the good heart of a Good Father. James (not his real name) loves Jesus and is faithful to his church, but he told me he hasn’t stretched his “faith muscles” for years. Braxton (again, not his name) is a believer who is questioning a lot of what he believes because it isn’t working for him. He is “Christian,” but- in his estimation- he doesn’t know if he has ever trusted Jesus outside of asking for forgiveness. His life doesn’t demand trust.
The most telling conversation was with a man who attends a incredibly large church about an hour north of us. I met him recently through a mutual friend. This church- in his eyes- “has it all.” A rocking band. A good looking preacher. Hundreds of people that he can be around Sunday after Sunday. As he shared his story of how he got to be part of the church, he was deeply moved by the amenities of the congregation. As he “evangelized” me on the attributes of his church over 20-30 minutes, I noticed that he never mentioned Jesus. As a matter of fact, he told me he is not a believer in Jesus, but he was a believer in the church. In his mind, faith in the person of Jesus is irrelevant, unnecessary, and impractical.
I left grateful that he found a church that he can attend and he can hear the gospel. God willing, the Spirit will give him a bigger picture of life with Jesus than what he sees on Sunday morning and the Spirit will lift his eyes (and his faith) towards the beauty of the Savior.
I will follow up with each of these guys. God is at work in this, creating hearts which are more reliant on Himself.
Faith in Jesus is Not Borne from Faith in Ourselves
One thing that grabbed my attention in each conversation is a very simple truth: faith in Jesus is not borne from mere pragmatism. Only Spirit-inspired trust in Jesus in a person (or people) will call other people to the same kind of faith. Faith in Jesus (and ONLY faith in Jesus) begets faith in Jesus.
Your trust in Jesus reminds me that he is trustworthy. Hudson Taylor’s life of faith inspires me to believe God’s promises. Mere pragmatism has never inspired any more than a deep-seated belief that trusting Jesus is not necessary if we have all of the skills, abilities, resources, connection, and prestige to do what we think should happen.
Or, another way to say it, it is so much more tempting to rely on ourselves instead of relying on Jesus. I am tempted to expect from God only what I can accomplish myself and am often left impoverished in my faith because of it.
But, what if there is more to life with Jesus than relying on our own abilities? What if, our entire lives would be radically reshaped and wonderfully adventurous if we took Jesus’ call to follow him- and the impossible experiences he invites us in to- seriously enough that we cannot rely on “what works” over and above God’s work?
I say all of that to tell you those are the things we are considering here. My faith in Jesus seems so small and so fragile and the tests of faith come so furious and fast. It is head-spinning at times.
The Author of our Faith
“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:2
But, with that said, the people around us- both believers and non believers- need to see and hear from people who have an honest, heart level trust- even if it is the size of a mustard seed. If our friends who do not yet trust Christ will come to trust him it will be because the Spirit uses us to show them that life with Jesus is REAL life. If the people we shepherd are going to grow into people who ache for more than mere church attendance, but long for a life that reminds them that Jesus is real and alive in everyday things, then we must model that kind of faith for them.
Seattle needs people who trust the loving heart of our Father in Heaven so that they will turn away from trusting another old thing that seems good and feels good. Seattle needs people who are learning to trust even when trust doesn’t make sense.
My simple ask of you: would you pray that we would be people who trust the Father in the way Jesus invites us to trust him? For Jesus’ name’s sake. For the good of the people around us. For our own soul.
Please pray that we would “learn to move men, by God, through prayer alone”?
Thank you for partnering with us. You are a gift!