I've been reading a fascinating book this spring with a colleague of mine at the seminary in Osijek. The Drama of Scripture takes the reader through the Bible following the threads that connect the books while also unpacking the main themes. Towards the end of the book, in Act 5, the authors notice that in the way Luke tells the story "Mission is first of all an act of the Spirit". How could I argue with that? And yet, I do feel like many times when mission is discussed, it's done so in a way that is dependent on our initiative, our enthusiasm and our effort. Part of that, I think, is because the early church was both enthusiastic and devoted to being witnesses. We certainly don't see a passive church in the book of Acts. Indeed, although it's called Acts of the Apostles, it could just as easily be call Acts of the Holy Spirit, as my New Testament textbook emphasized. Which leads me to the question; how do we both allow the Spirit to lead, while also bei...
Serving in Croatia