Pastor Julian Dangerfield (Part 1)

Pastor Julian Dangerfield

Sermon: The Lion King, Prayer, Praise and Pentecost

Life Mission Recap

By Kristy Alexander

Picture this: You have worked for a company for 20 years. By God’s grace and, as a result, of the excellence you have shown in your work ethic you have been consistently promoted. Over the years you made the company millions of dollars as you went above and beyond the call of duty to improve efficiencies and increase sales. You’re the clear front-runner for a major promotion.  All seems to be in your favor and the excitement is hard for you to contain. Suddenly, in a drastic turn of events, your “conniving co-workers”, implement a plan to discredit you and, within a few days, you’re unfairly accused of a crime, taken away in handcuffs, and thrown in prison without bail. Would you see this as part of God’s magnificent mission? Pastor Julian Dangerfield declares, “Sometimes what you think is a set-back is a set-up!”

As he laid out this scenario, Pastor Dangerfield, executive director of Shalom Outreach, a Christian non-profit dedicated to global missions, opened his sermon with the very familiar passage of Daniel 6:1-10 where the two governors conspire to get rid of Daniel, their chief competition, and trap King Darius all in one clandestine plot. Pastor Dangerfield does not, however, take the familiar route in expounding on this passage. Instead, he ties it seamlessly to God’s approach to mission in the bible from Genesis to Revelations, “God started to help when humanity began to hurt,” he said. He further explained that God used two types of missions: centripetal and centrifugal.

Centripetal mission is inward-focused. God tells the children of Israel to speak of His works to their children and their children’s children. As a result, Daniel had been taught of Solomon’s prayer that if exiles would pray facing the temple in Jerusalem, their prayers would be heard (2 Chronicles 6:21).  We are to share the message of the gospel with our families and those in our immediate circles. 

The second type of mission God uses is centrifugal mission.  Centrifugal is outward-focused; we are instructed to take the gospel to other nations. Daniel was in exile in Babylon and was on mission for God when he demonstrated his faith and God’s power in that region.

Daniel prayed and praised.  Pastor Dangerfield explained that prayer is like dynamite but praise is like the fuse – when this explosive connection is made we will experience our Pentecost, our magnificent breakthrough!  Daniel could not die in the lion’s den.  He still had chapters 7 through 12 to pen concerning the apocalyptic vision. With an amazing demonstration of power, God, the Lion King, rescued Daniel from the lion’s den. Christ refers to this same power in Matthew 28:18 (KJV) when he says, “All power has been given unto Me in heaven and on earth.  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations”.  It is with this same power that we are commissioned to centripetal and centrifugal mission. How wonderful it is to know that God empowers us and trusts us to be on mission with him.

Kristy Alexander