One of the ObeyGC² values is that work is transformational.

This is related to the idea that work is wholistic but it goes beyond that. The wholism aspect is that all work has a spiritual aspect which transforms people. Transformational, however also brings in the idea of “systems thinking” and the idea of being developmental. Systems thinking means we view situations in terms of the entire environment rather than viewing people as somehow separate from the environment or community in which they find themselves. Developmental thinking causes us to think of the process of helping people grow in their capacity to care for themselves and assist others. The result of taking a transformational approach is that we help people make changes that last and that are mutually reinforcing. We do not merely view persons wholistically but we view communities and environments and sometimes even nations wholistically as we respond to areas of need.

The bottom line is that God is concerned about a whole range of issues and of righting systemic wrongs. He wants us to be concerned as well and to act accordingly. He wants us to do so wholistically and developmentally.

Jonah 4:10-11

10 But the LORD said, “You have been concerned about this vine, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. 11 But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?”

Ex 3:7-8

7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.

1 Cor 9:9-10
9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he?

One of the ObeyGC² values is that work involves every member.

That is, every member of the church. This is for practical as well as theological reasons. Practically speaking, “Many hands make light work.” One of the major reasons the giants of spiritual lostness, self-centered leadership, poverty, illness and ignorance are so large and so widespread and so severe is that in many respects only “professionals” have been engaged in battling them. Most ordinary people are not involved in dealing with medical issues because they view that as the realm of medical professionals. Most education issues are left to the educational professionals. Most church-planting is left to religious professionals, and so on. There is not a good reason for this. There are basic but important contributions which can and should be made by ordinary people with basic equipping in all these areas. If more people were making such contributions then the professionals could have a significant amount of their time and resources freed up to deal with the more advanced issues that do require professional intervention. Two billion people claim to be Christians. What if all of these were regularly using their discretionary time to minister in simple ways to battle these evil giants?

God has made it clear that as His family, His body, His bride, His followers, we are to be involved in meeting needs in these various areas. Jesus spent His time doing that. He taught His disciples to do that. The Bible tells us to do that. The Holy Spirit guides us to do that. There are a few fringe theologians who believe that Jesus’ commands to His disciples, such as the Great Commission, were only given to the Twelve. If that is the case then we are “off the hook” so to speak. Unfortunately for those of us who are lazy, those people are regarded as crazy by most of the body of Christ and that thought would have been considered ludicrous throughout church history. The fact of the matter is that God intends for us all to be engaged in service for the Kingdom.

Eph 2:10
10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

One of the ObeyGC² values is that work always respects the church.

This not only applies to the universal Church with a capital “C” but also to local congregations. The church is the bride of Christ. If we love Christ we need to respect and love and honor His bride. One doesn’t come without the other. We can’t love the Head without loving the body. They are one (or will be), just as the Father and the Son are one. (Jesus said that, by the way, not me.) In a practical way this means that the local church, if it exists, should be included and involved both in the planning and leading and doing of the work. In their community they are the God-ordained representatives of the Kingdom. If they don’t have a vision for the work, do what you can to help increase their vision. If their approach is all “wrong” and not ObeyGC²-like then do what you can to help them grow into ObeyGC²-ness. If only a small part of the church is interested or even spiritually alive then do what you can to help the entire body understand their calling and fulfill it. Of course, the path of planting new churches is always a good one, but involve existing churches in the process if you can…a local parent is always better than a distant one. God honors the church. God will exalt His church and grant her authority in His Kingdom. Let’s get started working with Him on it right now!

Eph 5:23-28
Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

Col 1:18
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

One of the ObeyGC² values is that work is team-based.

Have you ever noticed that Jesus always sent His disciples out in pairs? Have you noticed that all the missionary journeys recorded in the Bible were team affairs? Teamwork and cooperation seem to be at a premium throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Ask Moses about it. Jethro helped save him from a nervous breakdown with his advice on how to establish a ministry team. God designed the church, His body, to function interdependently as well, which requires teamwork and cooperation if we are to accomplish what He intends for us. The wisest man in the world had a little to say about it as well in Ecclesiastes:

Eccl 4:9-12

9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
10 If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

1 Cor 3:5-9
5 What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe-as the Lord has assigned to each his task. 6 I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. 7 So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 8 The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Cor 12:14-27

14 Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

One of the ObeyGC² values is that presence should precede projects.

This was the pattern of Jesus’ ministry. This was the pattern of Paul’s ministry. The presence does not have to be of you personally, but it should be of someone personally if we are talking about discipling someone and not merely announcing the Good News to them. The same principle applies for other forms of ministry besides the “spiritual” forms. In any sort of ministry it is next to impossible to equip people to help themselves and others without a relational presence. First people need to learn how to use what God has given them more effectively. Then they need to learn how to increase their resources and abilities so they can continue to grow and develop. Then they need to learn how to help others do these things. Then and only then (in a development situation) is it the ideal time to consider applying outside resources into a problem. Any time prior to this is disempowering. (Of course these considerations do not apply in a rescue/relief situation, but we often use relief approaches when development approaches are called for. The difference is that a relief situation is a life-saving operation and generally is an acute rather than chronic one.)

Luke 22:24-27

24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. 25 Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. 26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. 27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

1 Thess 1:4-7

4 For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 6 You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.

1 Thess 2:10-12

10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, 12 encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.

One of the ObeyGC² values is that people should both do ministry and train others to do it.

This means to live it as well as speak it. Practice it and pass it on. Apply it and not simply theorize about it. There is a name for people who only teach others without having experienced something themselves: hypocrite. Many people have heard the old saying, “Those who can’t do, teach. Those who can’t teach, administrate.” Unfortunately, this saying probably brings specific people to mind for each of us. That is not God’s intention, however. God wants us all to be learners and doers and trainers of others. We can learn from anyone. There is no truly great person who is too proud to learn from others. Everyone has things they are good at and areas of weakness or ignorance. God designed us in this way so we could help one another and learn from one another. Humility really is the key to growth.

Also, God is a wise investor. He gives more insight to those who pass on the insights He’s given them. He reveals more of Himself to those who reveal Him to others. He gives more to those who give away what He has given them. This principle is clearly taught in the parable of the talents and is repeated in one way or another throughout Scripture. For example, Luke 12:48 “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Or Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.” Or 2 Timothy 2:2 “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” Or Matthew 28:19-20a “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” You get the idea…

Matt 5:17-19

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Ex 18:20
20 Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform.

Ezra 7:9b-10
The good hand of his God was upon him.

10 For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel. (NAS)

One of the ObeyGC² values is that one should listen and learn before acting.

This is not only a principle in good missiology, but a good principle for life in general as well. First, we will be better received if we do this. We should always go as learners before training others. This is definitely not an issue of becoming a subject matter expert on something. Training is all about taking someone from where they are to where you want them to be in knowledge, attitude and ability. Being a subject matter expert in some field only enables you to know where you want to get someone to. It does not equip you to know where you are taking them from. That requires learning from them. It requires relationship. Your training or serving cannot be appropriate without this process.

James 1:19

19 My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

1 Thess 2:6b-8
As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7 but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8 We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.

One of the ObeyGC² values is that work does no harm.

The Hippocratic Oath refers to the oath taken by medical doctors and one of the key phrases is that they will “do no harm” in their medical service. It dates back to the Greek Hippocrates. Just as that oath is a cornerstone of medical ethics, we should have a similar attitude in our ministry for the Kingdom. Unfortunately, much harm has been done in the name of the Kingdom which has crippled and disabled and demotivated the very people who were intended to be helped. Often this is in terms of creating dependency or at least an attitude of helplessness among people who are being served. Dependency is a huge topic. One of my favorite writers on the subject, Glen Schwarz, has a website that is a great place to acquaint yourself with the basics of the topic. You can access a list of articles on that website at http://wmausa.org/resources/article/. Much of the plight of sub-Saharan Africa today can be largely attributed to poorly conceived efforts to help there. That happens to be where Glen lived and served for a number of years so he has seen this problem up close. The greatest tragedy of dependency is that it creates a pattern of looking out for help rather than up (to God) and inwardly to see how to use what God has already given.

Isa 31:1
Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help,
who rely on horses,
who trust in the multitude of their chariots
and in the great strength of their horsemen,
but do not look to the Holy One of Israel,
or seek help from the LORD.

One of the ObeyGC² values is that work is transferable.

This implies that work should be simple, appropriate and sticky. I discussed the concept of simplicity in the entry on viralocity and gave an example of appropriateness in the entry on oral-friendly. Appropriateness can also deal with issues of language, education level, income level, socioeconomic factors, ethnolinguistic factors and so on. The question is whether or not work is able to be replicated in a natural fashion.

Stickiness refers to the idea of being memorable and, in a sense, life-changing. Someone once said something like this: “The human mind, once it encounters a new idea can never be the same as it was before.” The degree to which this is true for an idea is related to its stickiness. Stickiness also is determined by the “purple cow” effect, that is, how notable and novel something is. The Gospel of the Kingdom is sticky.

Simplicity and appropriateness determine if something is transferable. Stickiness relates more to whether something is transferred or not.

1 Cor 1:18-25

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

One of the ObeyGC² values is that work have local ownership.

This is important in order that the work might have continuity, sustainability, and the capacity for scalability and reproductivity. Local people in every place need to “buy in” if the work is going to continue, grow and expand. Local resources must be maximized and developed. No project is going to prosper in the long term which depends on outside resources, whether it is people, money, or anything else.

This means that local people need to be involved from the beginning of the process. They need to be involved in the research phase, the planning phase, and the execution phase. Not just involved, but leading or at least co-leading. The church, if it exists, needs to be a key player from the beginning. If it doesn’t exist, planting a church should be one of the early goals. Community leaders in general should be involved and consulted (on the non-“spiritual” aspects) whether or not they are Christians.

Titus 1:5
5 The reason I left you in Crete was that you might straighten out what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town, as I directed you.

Rom 13:1-5
13:1 Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.

Titus 3:1-2
3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.