We often talk about “blessed to be a blessing,” but what would that look like? Here’s a story that’s too good not to share, told by Navigator Brad Jonswold who traveled abroad in search of what Navigators are calling “local laboring communities.” (The “laboring” comes from Jesus’ lament that “the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few.”) Back to the story:

“I will tutor your kids in chemistry on one condition,” said the believing chemist in Kuala Lumpur to his local laboring community. “Have them bring all their non-believing friends who are also struggling with chemistry, and we’ll make it a tutoring party.” Soon the entire group got together so the students could study. Somehow Jesus came up in the conversation, and some of the non-believing students went home and told their parents about it. Then something amazing happened. Several parents called believing parents in the group and asked, “Next time the kids get together to study chemistry, can we also come and study the Bible with you?” The group has been meeting in a home on a regular basis with one table of students studying chemistry and another table of adults reading the Bible. 

We often talk about Christian community, but here’s a community with a purpose. Not just people who gather in a church on Sunday but who do life together “out there” in the world. Communities which are, in Brad’s words:

• Communal
• Transformational (changed lives is the objective)
• Missional (not just a Bible study for the in-crowd, as helpful as those might be)
• Generational (nothing stops one group from spinning off another group to do the same thing)

As another example, we have friends who read this blog who didn’t just watch The Chosen at home by themselves but invited their neighbors to watch it with them. This sort of practice is not something I’m good at, but I’d like to be.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12.1 – 3, ESV)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1.8, ESV)