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In a viral movement of the Gospel there are two very distinct kinds of people who are used by God to spread his Kingdom. There are those who bring the Gospel to a new place for the first time; they are called apostles. Then there are those who continue the spread of the Gospel generation after generation. Jim Petersen and Mike Shamy, in their book The Insider: Bringing the Kingdom of God into Your Everyday World call these people “insiders.” These two types of Kingdom agents have very different roles and therefore act very differently. Both are important, both are highly strategic, both are essential if the Kingdom is to saturate a people, city or society with the Kingdom of God.
The apostle Paul understood the difference between these two roles and knew exactly who he was and therefore what role he was to play. He also understood and appreciated the role of insiders. He encouraged insiders to act like insiders. Their job was not to imitate his Kingdom activity, it was to follow Jesus into the harvest as they were designed. He alludes to these two distinct roles in Colossians Chapter Four.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone (Col 4:2-6).
Apostles
We know more about the Apostle Paul’s activity, due to Luke’s writing in Acts, than any other 1st Century apostle. He has become the gold standard of apostolic ministry. In this passage we can feel Paul’s heartbeat. Listen to what he says. He longs for an open door for his message. He wants to “proclaim” the mystery of Christ. He is willing to be in chains to do so. He is preoccupied with clarity and he feels that this bold assertion of the Gospel is what he “should” do. This is the no hold barred, bring the Gospel at any cost attitude of a committed apostle. Apostles often attract people to Jesus thorough supernatural demonstrations of power. But does he encourage all the Colossians to act the same way?
Insiders
Paul’s suggestion to the insiders at Colossae is in stark contrast to his own behavior and attitude. He suggests that they be wise toward outsiders. They are to make the most of opportunities. Their conversation is to be gracious, seasoned and considerate, so that they can answer thoughtfully. And, instead of the no holds barred attitude of an apostle, they are to have such deep relationships that people are asking questions about their faith. Insiders attract people to Jesus through living beautiful Jesus colored lives.
Two Different but Crucial Roles
Why is there such stark contrast between these two approaches to Kingdom expansion? In order to understand this, we need to delve a bit deeper into the apostolic role, the insider role and how they work together to saturate a society with the good news about King Jesus.
In my post What Is an Apostle? I refer to apostles as “sodbusters.” Their job, like early pioneers in the American West, is to break the ground in new territory. They do this by following Jesus teaching for apostles in Mt. 10, Mk. 6, Lk 9 and Lk. 10. Through the Spirit’s direction they find the person of peace and the household of peace and plant a church there. Then they help these people become disciples of Jesus, who can further spread the good news of the Kingdom. Once they have built a foundation (see Building on the Right Foundation), they leave the work to the new disciples, who are insiders in their own society.
To break this new ground, in a place where Jesus is not known or understood, where there is not a hint of what Jesus is all about (or a place where Jesus’ name and reputation has been harmed like here in the West), they must be bold. Their goal is to show that this Jesus they talk about is real and has something to offer. They want to get the first few seeds planted so that those seeds can reproduce thirty, sixty and a hundred fold. They only need to find those special few people called the people of peace to do this. People of peace will introduce them to their oikos, their sphere of influence, where the Kingdom will take root.
Once the person of peace and their sphere of influence become founded in the faith, the apostles job is done…and the insider’s job has come to the fore. Paul, as an apostle moved from place to place. But he encouraged the Colossians to do their insider’s job as they lived their daily lives with the people around them. They were to continue to spread the Gospel by by being Christians, “little Christs,” for people, see Sharing Jesus with Postmodern Friends. They were to allow the delicious aroma of Christ, like fresh baked bread, to attract people, see Disconnected. Insiders are there for the long haul. They take their time and allow their friends, family and associates to see Jesus, smell Jesus, and hear the beautiful music of Jesus in their life. To do this they need to be gracious, seasoned, and answer carefully.
It is important then to know who you are so you can know what role to play. Much damage has been done encouraging insiders to act like bold apostles with friends and family. Those who know insiders need to smell Jesus before they hear about Jesus. But, when that moment comes, insiders are to make the most of every opportunity. Who are you? In the power and direction of the Spirit, do what you were designed to do.
- How has Jesus wired you, as an apostle or an insider?
- Another way of asking this is; which role do you feel the impulse of the Spirit to fulfill?
- Have you, like many insiders, become hesitant to share the gospel because you have been guilt tripped into acting like a bold apostle?
- If you do have the spiritual impulses of an apostle, do you have the resources and knowledge to know how to play that role in the power and guidance of the Spirit?