Campaign Basics
Non-negotiables for all campaign team members
Besides the personal assignments God gives us, there are non-negotiables that apply to all members of God's campaign team all the time. We can think of the personal nudges or assignments as texts or e-mails to individuals, while these non-negotiables are found in the "campaign manual," the Bible.
For example, the manual tells us the whole story of the campaign--what it's about, how it got this far, how to join it, what we are doing in it now, where we get the power to do it, and how the whole campaign will turn out. None of that is negotiable. We aren't reinventing the campaign story, spinning it, or making suggestions for improvements.
Besides telling us the story, the manual has some specific instructions that apply to every campaign team member. For example, team members must honor Jesus as the director of the whole campaign, and they must not do anything in a way that brings shame on him or the campaign in general. We don't need any personalized instructions about obvious basics like that. We are expected to learn them from the manual and stick to them.
But the key to playing well on the campaign team is not a list of non-negotiables. It is the one main non-negotiable, seeing ourselves in Christ. If you SYNC (See Yourself iN Christ), you won't have to be taught a lot of other things. They will be obvious.
For example, if we see ourselves as trailers for the movie about the coming world of peace, we can't be hard to get along with or full of anxiety. Being difficult and being anxious are way out of SYNC with the coming world that we are here to represent. If we don't get that, we are missing the main idea.
For more see "Best campaign manual ever" under the "Resources" tab.
FAQs on non-negotiables and obedience
1. How is the whole Bible the story of God's campaign?
The Bible is basically one long story--the story of the world from start to finish. Here is one way we could put a "Table of Contents" onto it to show how the whole thing is the story of God's campaign:
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Genesis 1-11, What is wrong; why a campaign for change is needed
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Genesis 12-Malachi 4, Phase 1, the campaign before the Director, Jesus, arrives in person
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Matthew 1-John 21, Phase 2, Jesus, the Director, on the campaign trail
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Acts 1-Revelation 16, Phase 3, The Spirit of Jesus guides and empowers the campaign team
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Revelation 17-22, Victory, how things look after the campaign changes everything
2. Isn't the Bible too long and complicated? How do we get through all the fine print?
The Bible is thousands of pages, but don't think of it as one of those word piles on the Internet that you have to "read" and click I AGREE to before you are allowed to go any further.
The Bible is actually more like the story behind a movie than it is like an insurance contract, a company policy manual, or a textbook. About 60% of the Bible is narrative, telling what has happened during many centuries of God's campaign. Another 20-30% is poetry. That leaves only 10-20% for rules, teachings, and explanations.
Remember that you are not trying to pass a test on the Bible. You are trying to play on God's campaign team. To get off to a good start, get a clear picture of the campaign as a whole. You can do that in two minutes by reading any of the seven stories listed on the "Story of the World" page. It's not that complicated.
And God does not expect instant perfection from new players on his team. He does expect us to know what the campaign is about and to go along with as much of it as we understand so far. And he expects us to grow. If we ever think we already know as much of the manual as we need to know, we are out of step with the campaign.
3. What if a non-negotiable doesn't make sense
or doesn't seem right?
There is a sad story about this right at the beginning of the Bible.
God gave the first man and woman a command, told them the penalty for breaking it, but did not tell them everything about his rationale for it. Under those circumstances, they fell for the lie that the rule was his selfish attempt to shut them out of one of his privileges. They broke that rule, showing they trusted themselves more than God. That broke the original connection that humanity had with God. And that's why God had to launch his campaign to reconnect, heal, and bless the world.
With hindsight, we should not be overly tempted to repeat their mistake. If God tells us to do something but does not explain it fully, wisdom means giving him the benefit of the doubt. He masterminded the campaign. He brought us into it even though we weren't fit for the team at the time. Let's trust him to run it.