What does it mean to live "subversively" for Christ?
To subvert means to put something back in its proper place. As Christians, we are called to live according to the lordship of Jesus Christ.
To live subversively for Jesus means that our lives should undermine the other loyalties vying for primacy. Many times, these other loyalties are not bad in and of themselves. Money, sex, recreation, power, etc... these are all good gifts from God. But we humans have the tendency to take God's good gifts and invest them with ultimate significance. When we begin living for money, sex, recreation, success, etc... these gifts become idols that enslave us and rob God of his glory.
To live subversively for Christ means that we as Christians will identify the prevailing idolatries of our culture and then deliberately subvert those idolatries by the way we live.
Early on in the book, you point people to the "Ephesians Road" as a way of showing how the biblical understanding of salvation puts human beings back in their proper place. Why Ephesians?
The "Romans Road" is a popular evangelistic tool in which certain verses from Romans show how a person can find forgiveness of sins. The Ephesians Road is a twist on the old Romans road. Instead of picking out a few verses here and there from Romans, I take the first two chapters of Ephesians in their entirety and show how salvation begins in the heart of God, focuses on Christ, comes to us through grace alone, and then leads to the Great Commission within the context of the Church.
The purpose of the "Ephesians Road" is to show the God-centered nature of our salvation. In each of these steps, you see the Self subverted - not done away with, but put back in its proper place, where the Self can then reflect honor and glory to Jesus. Over and over again, the emphasis in Ephesians is on what God has done.
- His plan is to unite all things in Christ.
- The gospel message is about Jesus.
- We can do nothing to earn our salvation; God has done it all.
- We are saved in order to be faucets, not sinks - in order to be vessels through which God's blessing flows to the nation.
You spend a chapter contrasting a worldly understanding of Success with a biblical understanding of success. How should church leaders redefine "success" according to the Scriptures?
It's sad to see so many people come to church who are still formed by the patterns of this world. And yet, we shouldn't be surprised to see people living according to the world's definition of success in their respective vocations if we as pastors and leaders have adopted the world's definition of success for ourselves as well.
For many pastors, success is equated with numbers. If you're successful, you're growing. Numbers tell the story. Well, numbers may indeed be an indicator of success. But they can be misleading as well. You may have unhealthy churches growing by attracting other church members, not reaching the lost. And you can have unhealthy churches that use a declining number as "proof" of their faithfulness, when actually, they might just be unwilling to make any adjustments.
So numbers tell a story, but they don't determine success. Biblically speaking, faithfulness is success. God calls us to be faithful, to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit, and to trust him for the results. When we do this, we're successful. Regardless of the outcome, we've been obedient.
You call people to personal evangelism that takes seriously the costs of following Jesus. Why should the costs of discipleship be part of our evangelistic call?
Too many times, church attendance and the responsibilities of the Christian life are like the fine print at the bottom of our gospel sales pitch. We stress the benefits of Christianity and may mislead people into thinking that God will solve all their problems. Or we speak of Christianity within the framework of religious tradition and give the impression that Christianity doesn't lead to transformation in all areas of life.
Unfortunately, when hard times come along, many people find that Christianity hasn't delivered what was promised. Or people limp along at church, but continue to live without a true understanding of what it means to be a disciple.
Holy Subversion is about discipleship that backs up evangelism. When churches live subversively for Christ, showing up the idolatries of the world as the phonies they are and demonstrating that Jesus is King, we provide space for people to witness the life of the kingdom in action. We add credibility to our evangelistic activities, and our understanding of evangelism itself is strengthened as well.
How does living subversively strengthen the local church and serve its mission?
Not too long ago, I was reading some church history, and I was impressed by the way that some of the early Christian apologists made their case for the truth of Christianity. When facing persecution, some said (in effect), "If you don't believe what we're saying, look at our lives. See that we're good citizens. Look at our morality. Divorce and adultery are not named among us." I'm inspired by that kind of devotion, and yet I'm saddened that I can't say something like that. I can't point behind me to the Christian community and say, "Look at how different we are!" And too often, I can't even point to my own life and demonstrate the difference.
I want to challenge myself and others to take the call to discipleship seriously. We need to be accountable to one another as we seek to be a community of self-giving love and forgiveness. Once local churches are filled with people who are seeking to subvert the Caesars of this world, perhaps the church's mission will also be strengthened, as we become a foretaste of the future, spreading the fragrance of new creation into the world. Then, our evangelism can be strengthened as it is backed up by a community of faith seeking to live in the way of Jesus.
looks to be a very interesting read. thanks for sharing this
Trevin, could you share a personal experience of being blind to something you needed to subvert? I'd like to learn how God opened your eyes and how you went about subverting that sin.
Good question, Ed.
When I was doing mission work in Romania, I took pride in the fact that (for the most part), I covered my own expenses. Money meant independence and demonstrated my self-sufficiency.
When I was just starting out at my current place of service, we were in need of funds for a summer seminary class. Someone in the church made an anonymous donation, and I had a real problem accepting the gift. It went against my pride and my idea of self-sufficiency. My pastor gently rebuked me by reminding me that everything we receive ultimately comes from someone else's hand. Say thank you and move on.
I have fought against that desire for self-sufficiency ever since. It is not only untrue (we are dependent upon God and upon one another); it causes us to hoard money like misers and to spend things on ourselves.
Trevin, thank you for that answer. The pressure from society to be independent and self-sufficient is tremendous in contemporary culture. I think the good feeling that comes from the perception of self-sufficiency is really just pride masquerading as healthy self-confidence.
I guess holy subversion requires a good bit of discernment. Thanks again, Trevin.