This past Tuesday I was the guest speaker at the Baptist Student Union (BSU) on the Wake Forest University campus. I led this diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students in conversation about what it means to really listen. If you’ve ever wondered what it means to be a Baptist in the 21st century, the BSU would be a great starting point.
The BSU is led by First on Fifth’s Chris Towles. With a background in interfaith dialogue, Chris’ work cultivates relational ministry among college students and creates a welcoming space for students to engage their faith in community. The BSU welcomes students of diverse backgrounds: Southern Baptists, Cooperative Baptists, Anglicans, Muslims, Atheists, and Agnostics. They also come from across the globe: North Carolina to Idaho to California to China to Pakistan.
We discussed the story in Luke 18 where Jesus heals a man who was blind. The man was at the margins of society and begging on the side of the road. While on the surface this scripture is about someone receiving sight, I offered that the scripture is really about learning how to listen. The crowds do not want to listen to a man crying out for Jesus to help him. Jesus however listens to the man. Jesus also doesn’t assume he has all the answers, because after hearing the man’s cries he begins by asking the man a question: “What do you want me to do for you?”
In their discussion—engaging one another and the text by listening—I saw that these students are already embodying the Jesus-way of listening. Being curious about the needs of others is the starting point for Jesus. Though the BSU is a campus ministry, it has a lot to teach us about missions and ministry in the 21st century.
A previous model of missions is reflected in the hymn “We’ve Got a Story to Tell the Nations.” Familiar to many of us who grew up singing this hymn on Missions Sundays, the song begins: “We’ve got a story to tell the nations/that shall turn their hearts to the right.” This hymn assumes that Christians have the answers and the goal is to convince others. While Christ’s love is definitely something to be shared, we often forget that the sharing goes both ways.
A newer model for missions is about being present and asking the right questions. What is God already up to? Where is God at work? What would the gospel look like in the lives of people who may see the world very differently? What can we learn as we work alongside those in need?
This past summer our youth and kids at PASSPORT Camps learned of Carson and Laura Foushee, CBF Field Personnel in Kanazawa, Japan. They have served in Japan since 2013 and have committed to long-term presence, seeking to be Christlike neighbors and share Jesus’ love with their local church and community—this in a place where the church accounts for only 2% of the total population. Our kids and youth gave money in PASSPORT’s mission offering to support their work. Now it’s our turn!
On October 5 and 12 First Baptist Church on Fifth will be joining with the Cooperative Baptists for the CBF Offering for Global Missions to support field personnel like the Foushees who extend the love of Christ around the world. You can learn more on the CBF website at the link here: https://cbf.net/global-missions/ogm/. We give thanks for the gift to extend the love of Christ around the world! 100% of the offering supports the long-term presence of CBF Field Personnel in the United States and around the world.
At the end of story in Luke 18, Jesus heals the man and he follows Jesus. The crowds who first scoffed at the man and refused to listen to him were now praising God with him. His sight was restored. Their hearing was restored. Everyone was healed by Jesus that day. May it be so with us!
– Kyle