To discover and be a part of OPERATION 200 you can read below or listen to the 10 minute audio file at this link:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByCi9HdTc_XcT1M0NmR1THlNQ3c/view?usp=sharing

You joined Village because people who are far from God matter a lot to you, and you want to see them find Jesus and fall in love with God.

But how do we see that happen?

I was at prayer in the Park the other day when I felt God switch on a light for me.

It was the still small voice of God that I feel suggested that instead of doing it all in one hit, we need to tackle our call to mission in stages. The mission is too daunting and inaccessible, but what if it were manageable?

Stage 1: Talk to People

Our purpose if you extrapolate it out is to apply the Gospel to Burleigh so as to change it spiritually, socially, culturally and through it, to change our society and the world.

That means:

Change in civility –

Reduction in crime and corruption, increase in integrity with business decisions, more neighbourliness, where people are actively seeking the wellbeing of their neighbour.

Change in family structure –

Better relations between sexes, kids are safer, marriages are made healthy, singles are encouraged to thrive and people are not defined by their relational status.

Change in Race and Class relationships –

Greater engagement between the ‘haves’ and have nots’ of society, involvement in every community group that seeks to improve the community and actively seeing the poor have restored to them, what has been taken.

Change in cultural work being produced –

Art, scholarship, literature, theatre and movies become inspired by the special revelation of Christ. Resulting in all work that expresses an appreciation for our Creator, his moral law and the value and dignity of humanity.

Can you imagine living in that place, as Jesus Kingdom comes to it? Wow… The result would be more people in love with Jesus. Maybe even every person in Burleigh becomes a disciple. That’s our vision. That would be gospel change. That would be a world we all want to live in.

So we come to Stage 1… If we want to redeem culture, overthrow idols and see Jesus reign in our culture we have to begin by listening. While we have much to share with those in Burleigh they have much to teach us. And if we learn from them, we are better equipped to lead them to Jesus.

It’s been bugging me of late that those who aren’t Christians see the church as irrelevant, obsolete, hypocritical or arrogant that they know what’s best. Maybe we’ve all be guilty of that in one form or another. I think we begin seeing the redemption of our culture by learning from it so we can speak into it.

That’s where OPERATION 200 comes in.

In a nutshell it’s this… between us, as a team, we initiate a conversation with someone who lives or works in Burleigh around a simple question:

What kind of church does Burleigh need? What would it look like?

And we have that conversation with 200 different people.

Churches are renowned for their ineffective missional endeavours, and much of that is because they didn’t understand inside and out the culture they were trying to make a difference in.

With the findings of 200 conversations we will have a great idea of where Burleigh is at spiritually, the needs we can respond to and how people are feeling about the church and God.

It’s formally known as qualitative research. I look at it as initiating 200 conversations, each of which might help someone take a step toward Jesus.

Now to the nitty gritty…

I know some of you don’t live in Burleigh, so you’re not here daily or even much during the week. OPERATION 200 gives you some incentive to spend some more time here and engage with the people here.

There is no set number of conversations you need to have, but I assure you that I’ll deliberately have more conversations than any other person on team. Even if it requires me to go out again and again.

How do you talk to people? Where do you find these people I hear you wonder?

Have you ever bought a cup of coffee, sat near someone in a restaurant, been served by a waiter, bumped into a friend down the street, got chatting with a check-out chick, been stuck in a line at the supermarket, had to wait next to someone to cross the road, sat down near someone who was sitting down by themselves, caught up with a friend, worked next to someone all day…

Of course you have, it’s the human experience!

So relying on the Spirit’s leading in those moments, Jesus is calling us to listen and step out when not delayed by the Spirit’s insight. Why not take that general chat and drop this into the conversation:

“Can I ask you a question? I’m part of a church that’s just starting in Burleigh and we’re asking the question: What kind of church does Burleigh need? What would that look like?”

Mentally note the answer during. Jot down some thoughts afterwards and once you’ve had the conversation I want you to email me. Tell me how many conversations you’ve had and what you discovered from them. Without this aspect we won’t gain much.

If we can invest in this and take it seriously over the next two months, we’ll see significant results.

Our deadline is July 31 and our challenge 200 conversations by then.

You could even use it as an excuse to hang out with someone on team and go and chat to people. That’s basically what Jesus told his disciples to do. Jesus sent out 72 disciples out. Do you know where?

Luke 10:1 After this the Lord appointed seventy–two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.

He sent those who would follow him ahead of him to prepare the way for what he was going to do. He sent them to the places where he was going to doa great work. He is sending us to the places where he is going to do a great work.

When they got back and shared with Jesus what took place he said this:

²¹ At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children (that’s us). Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Jesus was overjoyed with their faith, courage and what the Spirit had shown them. It pleased the heart of God. This work we will do pleases the heart of God and brings joy to Jesus the son, as we learn more and more to walk with the Holy Spirit.

Are you in? I want you to let me know if you are.