One of the things I look for in people is their ability to embrace a both/and reality, an ability to hold two things together that most people keep separate. For example, one of the things I have always appreciated about Mike Breen and the organization he leads, 3DM, is that they very intentionally embrace two things that are often kept separate in many people’s thought and practice: God’s power and strategic thinking.
It seems that some people are very serious about our need for God’s power to accomplish God’s mission, but they tend not to worry too much about structure, method, or strategy. They think if we can just get people in a room and see a few miracles, the world will be changed.
Others are always thinking about how to better organize things, thinking strategically about structure and method, but rely very little, if at all, on God’s power as a factor in their practice of mission. They think if we can just get our method right we’ll change the world.
But what if we really need both?
Jesus told a little parable about wine and wineskins. “No one pours new wine into old wineskins,” he said, “Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins.”
It seems to me that for one group it’s all about new wine (God’s power), and they assume the wineskin take care of itself. For the other group it’s all about building a better wineskin (strategy), and they don’t seem to think it’s that important to actually have wine in it. One group has new wine, but it’s being wasted because it’s running out all over the floor. The other group has a wonderfully functional wineskin with no wine in it.
When we hear this parable, we often emphasize the unfitness of the old wineskin to hold new wine, and focus merely on getting rid of our “old wineskins.” We forget that Jesus said that new wine needs a new wineskin. It would seem that even when God is doing a new thing, moving in power, doing what only He can do (new wine), we still need appropriate structures in place to make sure it is sustainable, portable, and reproducible (new wineskins).
I think it’s clear that we need both. We need God’s power to do God’s mission. He has to do it. We can do nothing without him. We need to own this deeply, and put ourselves out there in ways that require his power to be working through our weakness. But we also need to use wisdom and strategic insight to create elegant, sustainable, reproducible structures for God’s power to flow through.
Embracing God’s power and strategic structures allows us to maintain momentum and really build a kingdom movement. That’s what I’m after, and that’s why I appreciate anyone who can embrace this both/and reality and teach others to live in it.
Totally agree. I've as well that I tend to oscillate between emphasizing one over the other within my own thinking, especially as things get frustrating on one side. Seems like learning to embrace both also means learning to persevere in both at the same time. Thanks for your insights. I've been enjoying your blog a lot.
Thanks for your comment mgnow. I find I need to be careful about the same things.
The way I look at it, is I'm a stage hand, which means I am not the show. I help set the stage with strategic thinking or methodology and try to obey as I feel God calls me to. However, God is the show. He is the one who changes hearts and minds by the power of His Gospel. The analogy is by no means perfect; He doesn't need me, but I want to be involved in what He's doing.
I think “stage hand” is a good metaphor. We provide structure for the “show to go on” and try to stay out of the way.
Ben,
Great post. Love the insight and love the stream of thought connected with your post on "Which Comes First: Structure or Life?".
I have recently embraced a season heavy on the strategy/strategic thinking side of things. With that now settling in place we are about to embark on the adventure of the frontier and I know we must be embracing the new wine.
Any direct thoughts on what it means to embrace God's power (new wine)? Could you draw that thought out? Any Personal and Corporate disciplines you practice to keep the "New Wine" fresh?
Thanks Sean.Great question on disciplines to embrace God's power. One of the questions I've begun to ask myself about the things we're doing is: Will this fail if God doesn't “show up”? Am I really banking on that, or have I effectively managed to eliminate that risk by only doing things I can accomplish in my own abilities? Sometimes I find the temptation to “hedge my bets,” shrinking back from depending on God by only endeavoring to do what I know I can pull off myself.Also, it might sound cliche, but another practical discipline is making sure that I am praying a lot. Any time my prayer life slacks a bit I know it's typically because I'm not feeling the acute need for God's power and presence in what I'm doing, and then I know it's time to 1) Risk more and 2) Pray more.
Ben, you just have a such a good way of putting this stuff out there bro. I was thinking as I read this about the need for both structure and substance, form and filling, process and product. Anyways, thanks for putting this stuff out there.
Love the alliteration! Thanks Tim.
Ben,
Great response. Clean and solid. Very helpful.
Another thought:
Could you help me understand how we could and would measure both of these realities. It seems to me there would be emphasis on the strategic side when it comes to measurable items. (i.g. – Making Disciples; how many engaged in MC's; Leaders; etc.) I would love to know how you would go about having metrics for both sides: God's Power and Strategic Thinking. Should we measure both, and if so, what is it that you would measure to continue to be faithful and accountable to God and the work He is calling us to accomplish.
thanks.
More great questions, Sean! It's definitely more difficult to measure some of that intangible “God stuff” but not impossible. I would suggest that we could start thinking about the quality of our relationships – is there discord in families or are people settled and serving one another, for example. This could be my inner-charismatic coming out, but we could ask “Are people being healed when we pray for healing?” We could look at the lives of the people who are in discipling relationships and ask if they look more like Jesus this year than they did last year? Have they begun investing in others, reproducing themselves? In general, does this church look more like God's kingdom?
I think your point about structure is well taken but I guess I see it for a different reason. In the overall context of this passage Jesus is being questioned because of his acceptance and association with sinners. To my mind, they are the new wine, as opposed to God's power as you suggest. They are new followers of Jesus who don't fit into the structure of the Pharisees' world. New wine hasn't matured like old wine and isn't as good as old wine (verse 39).
Jesus is pointing out that the structure has to change. The old wineskin did it's job when it's wine was added to it. It stretched to accommodate the wine as it was maturing. But it has to change if there is going to be new wine added which will again stretch the wineskin.
Okay, so this isn't a common interpretation of this passage and I'm not sure of all the implications of interpreting it this way. But I recognize how hard it is for new Christians, especially if they are people normally looked down upon by the church (like the pharisees did), to fit in with the rest of the church. Our churches need to be ready for new wine.
Tom, I think your point is well-taken! I have to admit I've never thought about the passage this way, but there really could be something to it. I definitely understand what you're talking about in terms of new Christians (with “rough edges” etc) having trouble integrating into church contexts where everyone's been a Christian for quite some time.