By Mutua Mahiaini
Two decades ago, God graciously gave The Navigators what we call The Core: our Calling, Values, and Vision statements. To this day, The Core expresses what we are about, but we must keep learning how to fulfill our Calling and Vision.
Think about our Calling statement. “To advance the Gospel of Jesus and His kingdom into the nations through spiritual generations of laborers living and discipling among the lost.” What have we learned about how to do this together?
Many Navigators around the world are joyfully discovering the secret of working together among the lost, as opposed to serving as “lone rangers.” This could represent a significant shift in the way we approach our work. Navigator leaders in all our regions have been praying and thinking about how to lead so that we serve together rather than alone.
Here’s what I see in Paul’s ministry among the lost. His work in Philippi was cut short after just a few days. He was in Thessalonica for just a few weeks. And he was in Corinth for only about eighteen months. But if we look at what had happened ten years later in those places, we see that God had established communities of laborers, and through their collective efforts, the Gospel advanced into the Roman world.
Paul’s emphasis on establishing a community of people who would reveal Christ to the unbelieving world together—through their relationships—can be seen in Philippians 1:27. He writes: “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then . . . I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel” (italics added).
Importantly, Paul emphasized the need for Christlike relational qualities in these communities. In Philippians 2, he encouraged them to be “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” Later, he called them to imitate the humility of Jesus. By imitating Jesus in their relationships, his friends in Philippi would “shine like stars” in a corrupt age.
Paul even said that his life’s work would have been pointless if communities of believers were not living and discipling together among the lost. “Then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain” (Philippians 2:15-16). The Greek word for “in vain” is kenos, which means empty.
Working together should not be seen merely as a ministry strategy. As my good friend David Lyons said, togetherness is God’s design for life, extending from his nature as a triune God. “There is a community in the Trinity, a divine dance, and our lives are supposed to reflect that collective, community of God,” he said.
Jesus clearly stated that truth in John 17. By our unity “the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (v. 22-23). Jesus said that togetherness is the way we best reflect his nature among the lost.
A Practical Vision for “Together” and “Among”
By “together,” we mean that local laborers have a common purpose: to care for one another while also serving nonbelievers together. In my leadership role, I meet regularly with the busiest leaders in our movement. One of them and his wife have teamed up with a young couple to intentionally engage with nonbelieving neighbors. Together, they help one another grow in Christ and to imitate him. That Spirit-filled relationship with God inspires them to collaborate in reaching nonbelieving friends.
By “among” the lost, we envision communities who serve in “natural habitats” of work, school, business, family, and neighborhood. We will need to re-integrate our personal habits and routines to include more engagement with nonbelievers in their contexts. This can be done without overburdening ourselves. I encourage you to watch a short film that shows practical ways that Navigators with busy lives are intentionally reaching neighborhoods at this link: vimeo.com/332780473.
All of this is doable and simple. “Ordinary people” can intentionally pursue the lost together, as a community. We don’t have to be perfect. God doesn’t say, “First I’ll transform you and then I’ll use you”; rather, he says, “I’ll use you while I am transforming you.”
We are all learning about the importance of serving among the lost together. During the pandemic, it his harder; we are called to find ways to serve people while following public health guidelines. But we can keep this question in mind: Christians are often together, but are we together among nonbelievers?
Mutua Mahiaini is international president of The Navigators. Listen to a podcast on this topic at: www.navigatorsworldwide.org/worldwide-podcast.
