The Monkey and the Fish

A typhoon stranded a monkey on an island. In a protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed to the monkey that the fish was struggling and needed assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree leaned precariously over the spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down, and snatched the fish from the waters. Scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments, the fish showed excitement but soon settled into a peaceful rest.

-An Easter Parable

Translation: the fish died!
Relevance to the twenty-first-century Church? Everything.

Our world is changing so rapidly, and more than ever, the church needs more than good intentions. We often enter a crisis with a great deal of enthusiasm, even compassion and heroism. But so often the result is tragic. Whether we're trying to reach a new generation or a foreign culture, we tend to proclaim. We often don't listen well. Too many times we resort to yesterday's answers and methods. But today, in a world driven by the forces of globalism, the crises and issues the Church grapples with far exceed our sometimes simplistic and insular, if well-intended, approaches.

To effectively carry Jesus' gospel to various place around the globe today — more important, to be Jesus' gospel — listening is required. We need to be sensitive and lead with an eager learner's resolve. Those who follow Jesus embody fluidity, adaptation, and collaboration. It's what we call the third-culture way. Adaptable to changing circumstances. To challenging cultures. To complex crises and problems.

If there's one quality that matters most to the fate of the Church in the twenty-first-century, it's adaptability.

This is a colossal challenge for us. Historically, the Church has been slow to embrace change and adapt to ethnic, cultural, and technological shifts. That's a problem because globalism — the intersecting of cultures that is happening today — is all about disruptive ethnic, economic, political, cultural, and technological shifts. Without adaptability, we're becoming increasingly out of touch with the global village taking shape around us.

Consider just some of the dynamics at work in our world today that the Church must navigate and wade into effectively if we are to be successful in bringing, and being, the gospel to the global village.

Natural disasters
Drought
Global warming
Violence
Regime changes
Global power shifts
Poverty
Rising prices
Food shortages
War
Poor health care
Disease
Immigration
Terrorism
Postmodernism
Declining influence of the Church

The problem is that formulas and one-size-fits-all programs so often do more harm than good. We need to learn to adapt, to be fluid — or liquid, a word I use a lot these days to assess my own abilities as a global citizen, follower of Jesus, and church leader.

To address the issues that mark today's world is not an easy task. This book may not solve any of these challenges, but it is a sober look at how we do church and measure making a difference.

To accomplish this, how about considering not only what we say and do but how we say and do it? Today, we cannot separate the what from the how, the message from the method. The issue is not just sharing our message but becoming the message. The form is just as important as the content. If the medium doesn't match the message is Jesus' message — the extravagant love of God for a needy world — the stakes could not be higher.

We'll explore in this book the concept of being liquid, or being third culture. It's my heartfelt conviction that to the extent we can become third-culture churches and third-culture leaders, we'll not only adapt but thrive. We'll recognize that third culture is who God is. Jesus best embodied third culture when, as an "outsider" yet still the Son of God, he chose to fully live in the world that would eventually crucify him.

Adapted from "The Monkey and the Fish" by Dave Gibbons (c) 2009 Zondervan. Reprinted by permission. www.zondervan.com/lnis

9 Comments »

1. For more information about THIRD CULTURE by a nominated emmy producer check out:

   http://3culture.tv

   Comment by dave G - Feb 17, 2009 @ 12:00 AM

2. What is the name of the book of which this article by Dave Gibbons seems to be an introduction?

   Comment by Alan Adams - Feb 18, 2009 @ 08:31 AM

3. Great illustration Dave and you’re right about enthusiasm, compassion and heroism. But here’s a question I have, when you say ‘Church’ are you unconciously narrowing the term to ‘Western’? I’m an Anglican in Australia which combined with Anglicans in the UK, USA and Europe number less than the Anglicans in Nigeria alone. The African and Chinese church are burgeoning, we are struggling! I’d be interested in exploring what the monkey would do if the metaphor changed from ‘fish’ to ‘whale’! Thanks for the stimulation. Ross

   Comment by Ross Nicholson - Feb 18, 2009 @ 07:36 PM

4. I like the point Dave is making, but I have to say..
   if there’s one quality that matters most to the fate of the Church in the twenty-first-century, it’s love.

   That’s what generates adaptablitliy versus status quo.

   Comment by francine phillips - Feb 21, 2009 @ 11:34 AM

5. Thanks for the comments, everyone! The book is “The Monkey & the Fish” from Zondervan. It’s like #15 on the top 100 bestselling ministry books on Amazon.com. Check it out.

   Ross, what do you mean, a whale? Are you saying that the Church outside the US has less influence on people (than in the US) and therefore is unable to even pull people out of the water and kill them? Just curious. Thanks for the comment!

   Mom, thanks for the comment! I love you!

   Comment by Jesse Phillips - Feb 21, 2009 @ 11:54 AM

6. No it was more in line with the thought that we in the West can have a superior attitude to the South because of our past missionary endeavours. If we Western (so that you know I’m not picking on the US church) christians are the monkey, I’m just amused pondering the expression on the monkey’s face when he discovers he’s got a whale by the tail.

   Comment by Ross Nicholson - Feb 23, 2009 @ 02:00 AM

7. Yes, I agree.

   Comment by Jesse Phillips - Feb 23, 2009 @ 08:44 AM

8. Thanks Dave… too often we are caught sleepwalking (the fish fell asleep eh?) into the future and keep on tripping over change. This is a great conversational book. Oops, I haven’t read the book yet… but we in Bangkok look forward to seeing it and reading it! We honour you and love you dude!

   Comment by Peter DeWit - Feb 26, 2009 @ 09:36 PM

9. I read “The Monkey and The Fish.”  The story has merit but reading the comments that followed left me scratching my head.  So, what I share is not to argue but to say that the one thing that I see that makes sense is that we should listen.

   Christians do rush in to “fix” the problem before the problem is truly known.  Simplicity or the uncomplicated is the method that we should use based on Jesus’ model.  HE went to the well in Samaria.  HE did not discuss drought, Global Warming (please), regimes, poverty, or any of the “listed discussion items.”

   Jesus asked for a drink.  A male asked a female to give HIM a drink of water.  HE crossed cultural barriers and frowned on what was politically, socially and religiously correct.  Conversation was based on physical water and then was turned to the spiritual application of everlasting or eternal water (never thirst again).

   She must have scratched her head.  Somewhere in the conversation, I believe the Samaritan women must have said the equivalent of “Are we talking about the same thing (water)?”  But Jesus heard her!  She was seeking more than water.  She was seeking love . . .  She did not find it in the first five men and now the sixth man she is not married to him.  She found love because Jesus took the time to listen, lead and love with a receptive heart.

   What kind of evangelistic approach would you call what Jesus did?  I would say simply in application to me now . . .  I will avail myself to the voice of the Holy Spirit and that will allow me to hear the need of the recipient.  I cannot reach a nation, a region, a state, a county, or a city.  But I can, you can, each one can reach one.  Someone once used the phrase . . .  “each one reach one.”  If we each could reach one in our life time . . .  What would be the implications of that.  Let’s just reach one and not complicate it with too much philosophy and figuring.  If we reach one, we will want to do that again.

   Comment by Aaron Ray - Mar 05, 2009 @ 02:37 AM

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