4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea[a] to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”
6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.
8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” 9 So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!
[I want to say this first part in Korean.]
I have lived in Korea for seven years, so I guess I’m about 7% Korean. I am sorry that I cannot preach in Korean yet. I am studying Korean, but I still have a long way to go. I hope that I will not need a translator in a few years. However, for today, I can only say about 7% in Korean.
Next, I want to thank you for welcoming me as one of your own. I know that our church is the first English speaking Nazarene church in Korea, and I know that it is sometimes difficult to include me in your discussions and groups. So I want to thank you – especially those who have gone out of their way to include me and to make sure I understand what is happening. In many ways, this monthly zone pastors meeting is one of the most important ways I am learning about the Korean church. So thank you for the opportunity to be involved here.
Now, I guess I better stop chatting and start preaching.
The snake in the desert is a story of powerful and creative ministry. It was both Spirit-led and practical. The snake in the desert led to spiritual revival and physical healing.
Moses was so connected with God’s Spirit that he was able to hear God’s plan to cure the people and to show God’s amazing power. Moses made a bronze snake, and anyone who even looked at it was healed. The people could now continue their journey to the Promised Land knowing that God’s grace is stronger than their sins and that God’s power is stronger than their problems.
We would all love to have this kind of ministry. Problems solved. Sins forgiven. Bodies healed. Miracles accomplished. We would all love to do that in our churches.
It would be great if the story stopped here. We could all go home and think about having amazing, miraculous ministries. But the story doesn’t stop here.
Later, in 2 Kings 18, we see that this story of incredible, successful ministry became dark and idolatrous. When King Hezekiah began his religious reforms in Israel, he tore down the holy pagan worship sites on the hills; he smashed the sacred stones; he tore down the Asherah poles. And … “He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.” (2 Kings 18:4)
Note what is happening here. The people no longer live in the wilderness. Snakes are not attacking them. They have a king, and they live in cities and houses. But the snake on the pole was so successful that people worshiped the snake on the pole after the snakes are gone. The snake on the pole was so successful at demonstrating God’s power that people believed it was a god. This wonderful tool of ministry became an idol. People worshiped the method long after the context had changed.
The same thing can happen to us. Sometimes, some ministries or some methods work miracles. People are saved. Bodies are healed. Communities are transformed. Revivals happen. And we all want to be like that. We all want to have that kind of ministry.
So we copy the snake. We focus on the methods. We want amazing revivals to sweep through Korea again, so we try to replicate the same actions and the same conditions that brought revivals in the past. The external culture changes and moves on. But the church culture is forever reaching into the past, trying to resurrect the old results with the old methods. Our methods have become our snakes on the pole.
This happens in every culture. Whenever there is success, snakes will follow. Whenever there is success, methods become objects of worship. As humans, it seems like we fall into that trap every time.
But, as pastors and leaders, our job is like Hezekiah. We stand back from our ministry and ask, “What is really leading people to God and healing our world? And what is just an old snake that is distracting us from God?”
Then, we destroy the snakes. That is hard and painful work, but it must be done. Some people will resist. Some will say that we are abandoning our history. Some will say that we are unfaithful or heretics. But snakes must not rule us. We do not worship methods. We worship God.
As I said, I’m only about 7% Korean. I don’t feel like I have the authority or the wisdom to point out snakes that may be in the Korean church. However, I would like to suggest some beginning topics that are relevant in many cultures. There are a few changes that the church around the world needs to make in this generation. We need to change our focus in three ways.
First, we need to move our focus from the church to the mission. As pastors, we are people of the church, and we spend most of our time thinking about the church. How is the church doing? How are our people, our programs, our buildings? And most importantly, how are our attendance and giving? Many times our focus is on how we can get more people involved in more programs within the church.
But the church is not the point. The mission is the point. The point is God’s love transforming individuals and communities. The church is a vehicle for the mission. We need to stop asking: “How can we get more people into the church?” Instead, we need to ask: “How we can get more people into the mission? How can we get the church more deeply into our community?
Second, in a similar way, we need to move from preaching evangelism to service evangelism. We can talk and talk and talk and talk, but it doesn’t matter if no one is listening. This week I saw a church holding a worship service in the park near my house. They had a two guitars and drums and lots of worship leaders and a nice sign and nice clothes … and no audience. No one was listening. No one cared. We can work really hard and preach really hard, but it doesn’t matter if no one is listening.
But if we help people with the real needs in their lives, they will start asking us questions: “Why do you care? Why are you helping us?” Then, we have people who are ready to listen to the gospel. “We care because God loves us and you. God changed us, and God can change you.”
Third, we need to move from success to faithfulness. Success is also an idol. Success is an idol in the world – money, power, honor, high test scores. Success is an idol in the church – buildings, attendance, power, honor.
One key sign that people have made success an idol is neglect of the Sabbath. Six days for work; one day for rest. It’s in the Ten Commandments. But when the hunger for success pushes us to work seven days a week or to make our kids study seven days a week, we care more about success than faithfulness. We care more about power than God.
As pastors, we need to change our church culture that says it’s OK for workers and students to neglect God for the sake of success. As pastors, we need to lead the way and take a day of rest every week. (The beautiful irony is that rest will also make us more successful.)
There are the snakes in every culture. Where are the snakes in Korea? Where are the snakes in your church? To be honest, I’m not sure exactly. However, I believe we will find them and remove them as we adjust our focus.
From church to mission.
From preaching evangelism to service evangelism.
From success to faithfulness.
From methods of ministry to the God who enables the ministry.
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