Pest

Being A Pest is the Body of Christ

Alan Hirsch has a way of thinking about leadership in the Church which comes from Ephesians 4:11: "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some shepherds and teachers,"

He calls is APEST. You can learn more about this on this site. 

I have not read the book where Hirsch lays out the APEST ideas of leadership teams. I am sure it is great. I want to focus not so much on the specifics of the acronym but on the whole of idea of being "A PEST". That is, the body of Christ is at it's best when we are A PEST - "an annoying person or thing; a nuisance"

The Body of Christ is not only a body of love and humility and these words make many of us feel that the Body of Christ is a passive body that is imagined by a group of people holding hands singing camp songs while we sway side to side. The fact of the matter things like love, humility, compassion and grace are a pest in many situations because they usually muddy up the issue. 

It is easy to hate the one who hates you. It makes life easier. It makes life easier to think that you have Truth and others are idiots. It makes life easier to "know" that there are people who are not worth it and who are "entitled" and "lazy" and "bums". It makes life easier to join in the chants of kill and bomb and "get justice". 

It is a pest when someone (the Church) says that we are to love the enemy. We are to be humble with our understanding of Truth. We are to be compassionate on those who have not been as lucky as we have been. We are to reconsider justice is never achieved absent of wholeness and reconciliation.

The Church is at it's best when it is a pest.

The Church was a pest when she circled those of other faiths to protect them as they prayed. Or when she worked to bring about civil rights. Or when she prays for ISIS. Or when she forgives the shooter. Or when she embraces the person who is different. Or when she stands against laws that prohibit sharing food with strangers. Or when she listens to the prisoner. Or when she protects creation. Or when she transforms guns into gardening tools. Or when she, well you get the point. 

Go be a pest.

Source: http://joannecortes.com/sometimes-you-just...