Sorry, That's Not Really My Job: Clayton Tibbit

Recently I have discovered that the Wesley and I have a similar goal: to get bigger. I can do certain things to achieve this goal. I set plans for what kind of food I eat, the kinds of activities I do in my free time (pick up heavy things and put them back down), the kind of information and advice I receive, and whatever else I need. But when it comes to the growth of the Wesley, this doesn’t really work. Aside from the fact that the Wesley is not actually trying to grow bigger muscles, it's not our job to set up fool proof plans to get people in the doors. 

Many of the sermons in scripture with the most people there seem to just be some guy telling people the truth about God. While it is very much possible to get the numbers, as we see this becoming the standard for college ministries, maybe that shouldn’t be our main focus. I am by no means a biblical scholar, but I can’t seem to find the biblical equivalent of “get as many people here no matter what.” I will admit that it is rather tempting to view the idea that there is very little I can do to grow the Christian community as a burden, but it should be a relief. In Acts we catch a glimpse of this being lived out. These people are just living their lives doing the thing God told them to do: “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” [Acts 2:47]. The church in Acts is just sharing life with the people around them, and God is rewarding their efforts. We often get caught up in making rules for the sake of rules on how to do “Christian things”. Acts makes it pretty clear that when it comes to building relationships and “breaking bread” with each other, that means just spending time loving each other like Christ has done.  

All of this is not to say that we should just live life with a sort of righteous complacency. We are given instructions that, when followed diligently, help grow ourselves and our community. We should be proactive in our community, meeting people where they are. We are called to spread not just the “facts” of the Bible, but also the love of Christ. A common theme of the Bible is to do what God tells you and He does the rest. This is not a complex idea. On the surface it is really quite simple. Go and build relationships with people, invite them to have relationships with others (including Jesus), and love. When we try to add our plans and the policy so many churches needlessly add to the gospel, we just end up diluting the powerful simplicity of entering into a relationship with Christ. Solomon is a perfect example of this. God said that “as long as you walk in my ways you will prosper.” (Of course, Solomon did not keep this covenant of the Lord and suffered accordingly.) When we follow the instructions laid out by God we're able to pursue people and community faithfully and with simplicity.  

 
In conclusion, it’s not really my job to save people. If you just wanted numbers and hordes of people, the campus cafe seems to be doing something right. But in all seriousness, we have the responsibility to share Christ and life with people. So to an extent, we need to pursue those around us, and that does take time and planning to do well. Some of us have jobs that require more or less active planning. An evaluation of what we could be doing better is not a bad thing, but it becomes one when that evaluation turns into: how can I be better at saving people. If we put as much effort into keeping the gift of Christ’s love simple and straightforward as we do into complicating it, we would have more time for sharing life with those we are surrounded by. Sure Jesus is a pretty smart dude, but he mostly just talked and ate with people.          

Clay, a senior engineering student at Tech and a member of this year’s Discipleship Team, is deeply loved by the people here at the Wesley. He knows that the secret to savoring the important moments in life is to recognize that they only come rarely. He loves to fish, power lift, drink semi-sweet tea, and play and listen to music.