What does it mean to be a Gospel Patron?
Title: Calling of the Apostles
Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio
Year: 1481
What is a Gospel Patron?
That was the question I asked when I heard my father talk about this incredibly impactful book for the first time. While I understood the Gospel portion of the phrase, I didn't grasp what it meant to be a patron. A quick Google search later, I found that it means "a person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, cause, or activity."
Okay, that makes sense. A Gospel Patron is someone who gives for the good of the Gospel. I love that. Yet, while I loved the phrase, it took me a while to actually understand it. Over the course of these four weeks and through reading the book Gospel Patrons by John Rinehart, God spoke something to me that I never really expected to hear.
A spotlight is where I have continuously operated. Whether it was on the athletic field or a stage, I am used to having people look at me. It's something that I love and I cherish. It's fun, exciting, and empowering. I have seen God do some incredible things throughout my time on Earth. It's been incredible to be directly a part of it.
But that’s not the point of a Gospel Patron.
Through this series, God has been teaching me this phrase: You can have success without the shine.
We live in a world focused on where the spotlight lands, but guess what? Someone must work that spotlight to get it into the correct position. My job in furthering the Gospel is simple: help other people reach their potential and let God work through them massively. In fact, I have recently written my mission statement this way: I want to create successful cultures by helping people reach their potential for the glory of God.
If I can do that, the spotlight won't be on me. It will be on other people, crushing it in whatever God calls them to do. How can I support them and the mission? My words, my life, and my finances are dedicated to helping them however is needed.
That’s what Humphrey Monmouth did.
That’s what Lady Huntingdon did.
That’s what John Thornton did.
These are all powerful examples of people who were not in the spotlight but were amazing Gospel Patrons. They changed the world by focusing the spotlight on William Tyndale, George Whitefield, and John Newton. It's crazy to me that I have never heard of any of them, but their impact has been felt by me and millions of people all over the world.
Your impact is not dictated by how big your circle of influence is. Sometimes, your influence might be just one person, one small church, or one missionary, but through the extension of that one, maybe all will be reached for the good of the kingdom.
The people we discussed in this series are a great example of that: the women of Luke 8, the little boy with his lunch, Mary, and Joseph of Arimathea. None of these people were superstars; they were just people who saw a way that they could support, and they did—by stepping up and being a "Gospel Patron." Through those moments of patronage, thousands were impacted at the moment, and millions upon millions have been impacted throughout time.
We all want to be in the spotlight, but that's not everyone's role in spreading the Gospel. Heck, even think about the disciples for a moment. Let's list them:
Peter
Andrew
James
John
Philip
Bartholomew
Thomas
Matthew, the tax collector;
James, Son of Alphaeus
Thaddaeus;
Simon the Zealot,
and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus
The average Christian knows little about Peter, James, John, Matthew, and, unfortunately, Judas.
These are the 12 disciples! The 12 guys that followed Jesus! The 12 guys that changed the world more than almost any other humans that have ever walked this Earth, and we know five of them on a basic level! That's unbelievable to me!
Sure, we could study and know a lot about all 12, but from a spotlight level? People focus on these four disciples from a material standpoint. Even the disciples, on the receiving end of the spotlight, needed to make sure the spotlight was pointed elsewhere.
Would any of us say they weren't successful? Absolutely not. They were incredibly successful in what they did. It's another reminder that the spotlight is only sometimes where success is found. When you choose to be a Gospel Patron, you say I don't care where the focus is as long as God gets the glory.
This means we have a responsibility to constantly do everything we can to ensure the glory goes to the right place. We do that through humble sacrifice. We give our lives, finances, and dreams to God and say, "Lord, do your work."
I read this last night at our commitment night, and I think it fits well with the context of this conversation.
Ephesians 1:3-11
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on Earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
God has a great plan for us all, and I will praise him every step of the way. I will be a Gospel Patron willing to work the spotlight and help others know that his kindness and grace are shown through the blood of His Son because I know that I can be successful without the shine.
Will you be a Gospel Patron as well?
About the Artwork
Title: Calling of the Apostles
Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio
Year: 1481
Where is this at: The Sistine Chapel.
Fun Fact: The people on the right are people representing Florentine power who had recently accused Pope Sixtus IV in the conspiracy of the Pazzi, another powerful Tuscan banking family, to murder the leading members of the Florentine Medici family.