Going A.P.E in Menifee County on a Friday Night

Friday was an interesting day. Mostly it was great, a lot of good ministry. And then there was something that came up that was disappointing, discouraging, and if I am honest was very hurtful. But the Lord has a strange way of setting things up that fix the impulse to be angry and bitter. The first one was a comment I came across, “You have to love Jesus more than your mission.”

And then I just started thinking that the Lord really used an already-planned trip to Menifee County to even things out, and actually, to encourage me.

I should have known. I should have taken steps beforehand; my good friend Mac always has that advice. He has to listen to me gripe way too much. And whatever it is, hurt, lonely, angry, tired, resentful, prideful, his advice is always the same: “Who have you told about Jesus today?” or “Go out and share the Gospel with someone,” or “Go tell someone what Jesus has done for you.”

So, it was with great anticipation that I went APE last night.

We have a pretty solid list of contacts for the new church in Menifee County. So we went down the road to catch up with some of them-- folks not in church, but who had a sensitivity to the Gospel. Our DS, Terry Reffett, has been encouraging us that our District is leading the way in church planting because was are going out into the highways and byways! (Luke 14:15-23)

So we headed down some side roads and came to the first house on the list. We had an incredible conversation with a fellow. He was really excited to see Mike (Mike Adams, our church planter in Menifee County). The fellow is well aware of the drug problems facing the county, and he has been thinking about trying to start some AA/NA programs... I went out on a limb... “Do you know AA comes from the old Methodist small groups?” I got to tell him a little bit about our vision of multiplying small groups where we ask the tough questions, pray for each other, and see lives changed. He is all in. He asked us to pray for something real in his life, and he just kept going on and on about how glad he was that we stopped... “Y'all blessed me tonight.”

Off down some more sideways and to a beautiful sunset on Tarr Ridge. We stopped to see a family that was very open to our message and received prayer at the Easter Egg Hunt. I knocked, the door opened, and as I was introducing myself, the husband said, “I know who you are, come on in!” In 18 years of street evangelism and going door-to-door, I have never received such a welcome. Nadia went right in because she saw kids! They played and had such a good time, and the family had real, open, honest conversation with us. They even remembered the questions I asked them about what do they think a church should be like? If they could build it from the ground up, what would they do? Jessie was able to talk to them about children's ministry and children's worship, the very thing almost everyone in Menifee County has asked for. We had heartfelt prayer, and left with joy.

So it was off to the far end of county, in the corner between Montgomery and Bath counties. It was pretty dark, but we really felt that we needed to make this last stop, head slowly down narrow roads and hopefully not meet a combine! We pulled up to a contact my man Scott Wilson made. I had emailed the family a week or so ago.

We came up and waded through loud but friendly dogs. The husband came out and was so happy to finally see our faces! Mike told him that we are planting a new church and would he and his family be willing to help? The man said... “When someone asks you something like that, how can you say no?”

Wow. They have had a hard time finding a church. He was quick to open his great house and property to inviting folks to some fellowship. Man, oh man.

So we went home tired but refreshed. Cracking up that this was how we spent Friday night, but it was glorious! Mike kept saying, “it's like an adventure!”

Yes. We went APE. That is, Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist. Ephesians 4:11-13 lays out the DNA of the church: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, Teacher. The institutional church really only knows how to deal with the last two. That's generally what we think of in terms of our ministers. We recruit, train, and install them. They are absolutely necessary, but they are the final parts of the “equation.” If that is all the church has at work, then it can only manage an already-existing institution. And, it can only decline over the long haul.

The Apostolic function is to push out, to implement the mission of the church. Alan Hirsch defines the Prophetic role this way: “Prophets know God's will. They are particularly attuned to God and his truth for today. They bring correction and challenge the dominant assumptions we inherit from the culture. They insist that the community obey what God has commanded. They question the status quo.” The Evangelist is the one who gathers people together in a community through his hearer's repentance and faith in Jesus. Once the Apostles, Prophets and Evangelists have had success, the Pastors and Teachers strengthen and encourage the believers.

People can function across the range of these gifts. But you have to have them all working in the church. So while often Mike and Jessie and I find ourselves teaching and pastoring, and being surrounded with other leaders who are also pastoring and teaching, we have to find some more APEs!

We went APE last night and had a great time! And had great fruit! We are praying for more APEs who will push the message into the next counties!