just a rag-bag collection of thoughts - some theological, some poetical, others merely alphabetical. All original material copyright Richard Myerscough.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
when you should take a risk
You do not evaluate a risk by the probability of success but by the worthiness of the goal. We were willing to fail because the goal we sensed was so urgent and strategic.
A wise quote from a great man! though it is not easily followed much of the time. I believe he just passed on to his reward a couple of days before you posted this. I really hope that his US Center For World Missions was prepared to outlive its founder. Too often we see that such organizations, great in their time, prove to have been too tightly tethered to their charismatic leaders.
I only meant that often great works of God are cut short by the failure of their leaders (in the human sense) to prepare sufficient numbers to carry on the work.
Some years ago I expressed a desire to visit the churches of CH Spurgeon and Dr. ML Jones. The Badger told me what I would find if I did, and it didn't sound appealing. While those two did a tremendous work and were enormously profitable to the Gospel, it seems that they failed to prepare anyone to fill their shoes once they were gone.
I'm sure that the USCWM (Ralph Winter's baby) will continue. My prayer is that it will continue with a passion for human beings that matches its founder.
Just one example will suffice:
Ralph Winter saw the work of Christ in the world not only in terms of winning souls to eternal life. He championed the idea that God was equally interested in human life here and now. Illness and disease were introduced at the fall of Adam. They are curses which humanity must bear. Ralph Winter argued that Christ died to redeam us from every curse of sin: disease included. He saw the eradication of maleria around the world as being as much the purpose of the Church as the preaching of the Gospel.
He did not in any way degrade the necessity of the Gospel; he elevated our role as people who fight the evil of sin on every front in which we find it.
His was a very widespread vision of missions: an all encompassing vision.
I only pray that such a vision prevails and moves forward without his charismatic leadership. We now will see whether he had nurtured and trained any to take over his role when he would no long be able to fill it.
3 comments:
A wise quote from a great man! though it is not easily followed much of the time. I believe he just passed on to his reward a couple of days before you posted this. I really hope that his US Center For World Missions was prepared to outlive its founder. Too often we see that such organizations, great in their time, prove to have been too tightly tethered to their charismatic leaders.
Yes, I think I copied the quote from a site that was reflecting on his death. I hadn't really been that much aware of him before, I have to say.
I think you're right to say it's not so easily followed, Doug. Just wondering what you think are the big reasons why we don't do so?
I only meant that often great works of God are cut short by the failure of their leaders (in the human sense) to prepare sufficient numbers to carry on the work.
Some years ago I expressed a desire to visit the churches of CH Spurgeon and Dr. ML Jones. The Badger told me what I would find if I did, and it didn't sound appealing. While those two did a tremendous work and were enormously profitable to the Gospel, it seems that they failed to prepare anyone to fill their shoes once they were gone.
I'm sure that the USCWM (Ralph Winter's baby) will continue. My prayer is that it will continue with a passion for human beings that matches its founder.
Just one example will suffice:
Ralph Winter saw the work of Christ in the world not only in terms of winning souls to eternal life. He championed the idea that God was equally interested in human life here and now. Illness and disease were introduced at the fall of Adam. They are curses which humanity must bear. Ralph Winter argued that Christ died to redeam us from every curse of sin: disease included. He saw the eradication of maleria around the world as being as much the purpose of the Church as the preaching of the Gospel.
He did not in any way degrade the necessity of the Gospel; he elevated our role as people who fight the evil of sin on every front in which we find it.
His was a very widespread vision of missions: an all encompassing vision.
I only pray that such a vision prevails and moves forward without his charismatic leadership. We now will see whether he had nurtured and trained any to take over his role when he would no long be able to fill it.
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