I am easily driven to despair over my personal problems and concerns. But reading articles like the one today Poor Haitians resort to eating dirt puts things quickly back into perspective.
How is it that we can get so wrapped up in our little worlds and feeling sorry for ourselves when around us are so many whose lives are devastated by hunger, crime, war, tragedy, loss, hopelessness?
What can be done about the crisis in places like Darfur, Kenya, Zimbabwe, the ME, the Congo, and countless other places? If you're like me, the easiest way to deal with these tragedies is change channels and watch Jeopardy instead.
I don't have the answers. But what I have learned over the years serving as a missionary is that we must do what we can to "love our neighbor as ourselves." Who is our neighbor? In Luke 10 Jesus gave us the story of the "Good Samaritan". Our neighbor is that person who is in need. He may be different from us in background and culture, or race. Are we going to respond like the priest and Levite who pass by on the other side (too busy, not my problem, I have other priorities), or will I be the one to actually inconvenience myself by making the effort to stop and actually DO SOMETHING about the need before me?
Many times over the years, I have seen the poorest believers going out of their way to stop and help those less fortunate than themselves. What they have to give is often insignificant in the eyes of the world--some ragged clothes, a few grains of rice, a couple of bananas--but they give what they have. Somehow, in God's economy, that is all that He asks of us. Is that not one of the lessons of the widow's mite? Jesus said her coins were more than all the conributors to the the treasury...
Maybe, instead of despairing over the plight of the unfortunate, what we need to do is tend to those people in need who the Lord allows to cross our paths. Our "two small copper coins" may be just enough to meet their crisis.
The IMB is set up to engage many of the crisis going on in the world through their Human Needs Ministries. If you are led of the Lord to respond financially to any of the above crisis, your gifts can be designated to go towards these needs through the IMB. Instead of flipping channels on TV, go to your computer instead, and click on the above link and do something to help. I did.
Thursday, January 31
Tuesday, January 29
Sunday, January 27
Church planting catalyst
What is my task/role as a missionary? I will not attempt to speak for my colleagues and fellow missionaries around the world. What I seek to describe is how I understand my own calling/role/function as a missionary.
Through the years, missionaries have served the Lord in many capacities: church planters, physicians, administrators, social ministries, Bible translators, pilots, social workers, educators, evangelists, are only a few of the many roles and tasks taken on by missionaries around the world.
In our own 20 years on the field we have served as a consultant, seminary professor, administrator, counselor, Minister of Music, teacher, and as a church planting catalyst.
We were appointed in 1986 by the IMB as a Mass Media Consultant. Our first years of missionary service were spent working closely with the Ecuador Baptist Convention as director of their Mass Communications Commission. This position evolved into an evangelistic counseling ministry known as Teleamigo, where we spent several years mainly in an administrative-leadership role.
When New Directions came along around 1997, we took on the role as a church planting catalyst.
Church Planter is really not an accurate descriptor of my role as a missionary. I have never planted a single church. There is a difference between being a church planter and a church planting catalyst.
With God's help, I might be able to plant one or two new churches per year. If, however, I give myself instead to a catalytic function of training, mentoring, and coaching 50 others to plant churches, there will be anywhere from 20 to 30, and possibly even 50 new churches planted. One church, or fifty? Which will make a greater impact upon lostness?
Using the words of Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom in their provocative book, The Starfish and the Spider, a catalyst is...
In our experience, outreach groups and new churches do not form by themselves in a vacuum. A human catalyst is needed if one is to see fruitful ministry. If you simply gather a bunch of people in the same room, not much is likely to happen of consequence. But add a CP catalyst and soon you have people talking and planning about planting churches.
While being careful to not make blanket statements that apply to everyone everywhere, I feel we need to have more of a catalytic mindset as missionaries. In our desire to impact lostness, too many of us are trying to do the work of "starting a church" when what we need to be doing is functioning as a catalyst. Someone who can be used of the Lord to ignite dozens of fellow believers to step out in faith to carry out the Great Commission.
Through the years, missionaries have served the Lord in many capacities: church planters, physicians, administrators, social ministries, Bible translators, pilots, social workers, educators, evangelists, are only a few of the many roles and tasks taken on by missionaries around the world.
In our own 20 years on the field we have served as a consultant, seminary professor, administrator, counselor, Minister of Music, teacher, and as a church planting catalyst.
We were appointed in 1986 by the IMB as a Mass Media Consultant. Our first years of missionary service were spent working closely with the Ecuador Baptist Convention as director of their Mass Communications Commission. This position evolved into an evangelistic counseling ministry known as Teleamigo, where we spent several years mainly in an administrative-leadership role.
When New Directions came along around 1997, we took on the role as a church planting catalyst.
Church Planter is really not an accurate descriptor of my role as a missionary. I have never planted a single church. There is a difference between being a church planter and a church planting catalyst.
With God's help, I might be able to plant one or two new churches per year. If, however, I give myself instead to a catalytic function of training, mentoring, and coaching 50 others to plant churches, there will be anywhere from 20 to 30, and possibly even 50 new churches planted. One church, or fifty? Which will make a greater impact upon lostness?
Using the words of Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom in their provocative book, The Starfish and the Spider, a catalyst is...
...any element or compound that initiates a reaction without fusing into that reaction...Take nitrogen and hydrogen...put them in a container, close the lid, come back a day later, and...nothing will have happened. But add ordinary iron to the equation and you'll get ammonia...The thing is ammonia doesn't have any iron in it--it's made solely of hydrogen and nitrogen. The iron in this equation remains unchanged: it just facilitates the bonding of hydrogen and nitrogen in a certain way..."This sums up well what I feel is my role/function as a missionary. The authors clarify that in organizations, a catalyst is the person who does the initiating but then fades away into the background. A catalyst gets things going and then cedes control to the members.
"The catalyst is an inspirational figure who spurs others to action...A catalyst is like the architect of a house: he's essential to the long-term structural integrity, but he doesn't move in." (pg.92-94)That is exactly what I feel my role is as a missionary--to spur others to action, and then get out of the way and allow God to work through their lives.
In our experience, outreach groups and new churches do not form by themselves in a vacuum. A human catalyst is needed if one is to see fruitful ministry. If you simply gather a bunch of people in the same room, not much is likely to happen of consequence. But add a CP catalyst and soon you have people talking and planning about planting churches.
While being careful to not make blanket statements that apply to everyone everywhere, I feel we need to have more of a catalytic mindset as missionaries. In our desire to impact lostness, too many of us are trying to do the work of "starting a church" when what we need to be doing is functioning as a catalyst. Someone who can be used of the Lord to ignite dozens of fellow believers to step out in faith to carry out the Great Commission.
Friday, January 25
Missionary quotes
Ken Sorrell shares some quotes from missionaries attending the Global Training Conference. The bi-annual event is a time to hear and share best practices and ideas related to training missionaries around the world.
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- The most dangerous time in a missionary's life is when they become competent.
- Living organisms grow, but so does cancer.
- Faith is contagious, but so is fear.
- Missionaries are busy, not lazy, but what are they busy doing?
- It is easier to replace a flame than the pilot.
- Two questions difficult for many missionaries to answer and maintain their legitimacy for being on the field. Why are you here? Where does your pay come from?
- Most Christians do not know how to mingle among lost people. Foray evangelism is seldom an effective method of winning people to Christ.
- We do not find truth on the web, but in Scripture.
- Always be faithful to do what you know.
- Don't ever make the excuse that God cannot nor does not want to reach your people group.
- The responsibility of communication lies with the presenter not the listener.
- Learning is change. If you are not changing, then you are not learning.
- The credibility of the message is found in the credibility of the messenger. (or not)
- Leadership is being responsible for what you would have been against if you had only known it was going on.
Thursday, January 24
Freely you have received; freely give
What will it take to reach one-million new disciples of Jesus in the coming year? That was the topic of our all-day meeting yesterday that we asked you to pray for.
We praise God for the unity and common vision that was shared amongst all those attending. There were plenty of tough issues and concerns that had to be worked through. One by one these came out in our dialog. Those present seemed aware that unless we are united under the guidance and Lordship of Christ, nothing will be accomplished.
For me personally, yesterday's meeting was one of the most stimulating and challenging dialogs I have had in my twenty-year missionary career. Sitting in a circle with this group of influential Godly leaders with all their experience, resources, and people they lead, and discussing matters that impact the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world, was priceless! All the themes close to my heart were amply discussed: prayer, unity in the Body of Christ, evangelism, discipleship, church planting, ekklesia, empowering lay leaders, COSECHA (Harvest) training, city-church, mobilizing, etc.
I felt one of the major points dealt with was ownership. Who "owns" this undertaking? If this undertaking is to take off, those doing the actual work must have ownership and view the task as their own. With that understanding, all that our team has been given was freely shared with our brothers. It is now their project and undertaking. We are servants to assist them in any way needed. And God is the only one to receive glory, honor, or credit for all that He will do in the coming months.
Thank you for praying! The Lord was definitely in our midst yesterday. As the Lord brings us to mind, please continue to pray for this enormous undertaking that the Spirit would continue to lead, guide, and direct each step of the way.
We praise God for the unity and common vision that was shared amongst all those attending. There were plenty of tough issues and concerns that had to be worked through. One by one these came out in our dialog. Those present seemed aware that unless we are united under the guidance and Lordship of Christ, nothing will be accomplished.
For me personally, yesterday's meeting was one of the most stimulating and challenging dialogs I have had in my twenty-year missionary career. Sitting in a circle with this group of influential Godly leaders with all their experience, resources, and people they lead, and discussing matters that impact the Kingdom of God in our corner of the world, was priceless! All the themes close to my heart were amply discussed: prayer, unity in the Body of Christ, evangelism, discipleship, church planting, ekklesia, empowering lay leaders, COSECHA (Harvest) training, city-church, mobilizing, etc.
I felt one of the major points dealt with was ownership. Who "owns" this undertaking? If this undertaking is to take off, those doing the actual work must have ownership and view the task as their own. With that understanding, all that our team has been given was freely shared with our brothers. It is now their project and undertaking. We are servants to assist them in any way needed. And God is the only one to receive glory, honor, or credit for all that He will do in the coming months.
Thank you for praying! The Lord was definitely in our midst yesterday. As the Lord brings us to mind, please continue to pray for this enormous undertaking that the Spirit would continue to lead, guide, and direct each step of the way.
Tuesday, January 22
Pray the Lord of the Harvest
Wednesday, January 23, we have been invited to train 15 leaders. The stated goal of these fifteen denominational leaders is one-million disciples over the next two years. Fifteen doesn't sound like very many (neither do the original twelve!) But these fifteen represent some of the most influential leaders in the strongest evangelical denomination in the country. These fifteen will train others who, Lord willing, will in a domino effect fashion continue to train others until 60,000 receive the training by year's end--at least, that is the plan!
Can such a lofty goal be reached?
I don't doubt for a minute that it can. Of course, such undertakings are a "God thing" and certainly not anything men can make happen.
All of the month of January our house church network has been praying through Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. Verse 20 says, "Now to HIM who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..."
Therein lies our hope, in HIM who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think...
As a team, our daily prayer for years has been for the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Why can't this opportunity be the answer to that prayer? If it isn't his intention to answer that prayer, why would He have us pray it?
We believe it is his desire and will that laborers be sent forth. We live in expectancy of Him doing exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish (one million disciples? 60,000 laborers?), and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. --Jesus
Wednesday is just the beginning. But we would ask that you join us in prayer asking the Lord:
EVERY PRAYER COUNTS!
For more background and details click on my earlier blog post One Million Disciples.
Can such a lofty goal be reached?
I don't doubt for a minute that it can. Of course, such undertakings are a "God thing" and certainly not anything men can make happen.
All of the month of January our house church network has been praying through Paul's prayer in Ephesians 3:14-21. Verse 20 says, "Now to HIM who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us..."
Therein lies our hope, in HIM who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think...
As a team, our daily prayer for years has been for the Lord of the Harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Why can't this opportunity be the answer to that prayer? If it isn't his intention to answer that prayer, why would He have us pray it?
We believe it is his desire and will that laborers be sent forth. We live in expectancy of Him doing exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish (one million disciples? 60,000 laborers?), and it shall be done for you. By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. --Jesus
Wednesday is just the beginning. But we would ask that you join us in prayer asking the Lord:
- the name of Jesus Christ be glorified throughout the process
- His Kingdom come and His will be done (not our kingdom, nor our will)
- laborers (60,000 would be a good start!)
- unity and common vision amongst believers coming from different denominational backgrounds (the enemy always seems to find a way to create division amongst us)
- clarity and simplicity in grasping the COSECHA discipleship/church planting steps
- one-million new disciples in established churches and new simple churches
GuayasMestizoTeam-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
EVERY PRAYER COUNTS!
For more background and details click on my earlier blog post One Million Disciples.
Sunday, January 20
Once Upon A Time
There are a few bloggers out there that consistently churn out good material. Every now and then these guys/gals out do even themselves with exceptional postings. Such is the case with Alan Knox's "Won't Get Fooled Again." See if you don't agree!
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Once upon a time, God used a donkey. How foolish! Not today. Today, God has other means of transportation available to him. He uses nice cars - Cadillacs, BMWs, Mercedes, even limos. God even uses jet planes. Why would God want to use something as foolish as a donkey when he has planes available to him?
Once upon a time, God used pagan prophets and philosophers. How foolish! Not today. Nothing good can come from culture. Today, God wants his people to read Christian books, watch Christian movies, and listen to Christian music. If God has something to say, he would never be so foolish as to speak through a pagan.
Once upon a time, God ate with prostitutes, drunks, thieves, and other malcontents. How foolish! Not today. God has enough good people now that he doesn't need to hang out with that sort anymore. It would be foolish for God to be found among the dregs of society today.
Once upon a time, God gathered people in fields, and on a mountain, and in a valley, and in homes, and in a school. How foolish! Not today. If people want to meet with God today, they can come to his house - a church building. Wouldn't it be foolish for people to think that God would come to them when he has beautiful buildings now?
Once upon a time, God spoke through untrained people. How foolish! Not today. There are plenty of college- and university- and seminary-trained people for God to speak through today. He doesn't need to speak through the unlearned. What if they said something wrong? How foolish to think that God would still speak through uneducated people today.
Once upon a time, God called the foolish, weak, and unknown - the nobodies - of society. How foolish! Not today. Now God calls the smart, the powerful, and the celebrities to speak on the lecture circuit, write books, and hold conferences. How foolish to think that we could make it without our Christian celebrities!
Once upon a time, God asked people to drop everything and follow him. How foolish! Not today. God realizes that today we need a steady job with a good salary, a home, two cars, health and life insurance, a good dental plan, excellent schools, vacation, and a retirement plan. Do you foolishly think that God would ask us to follow him without these necessities?
Once upon a time, God expected his people to encourage one another when they met together. How foolish! Not today. Now God has provided us with professionals to handle all the dirty work, to study, to teach, to sing, to deal with problems. How foolish to think that God would expect us to do these things today.
Once upon a time, God wanted his people to trust him completely without relying on their own ability to understand. How foolish! Not today. God knows that people today need to think logically about things, to make reasonable decisions. God knows that we need all the details of his plans, especially the outcome. Do you foolishly think that God still expects us to trust him completely?
Once upon a time, God created and enforced covenants. How foolish! Not today. God now expects us to write our own covenants and to hold people accountable to them. If we don't hold people accountable, then who will? How foolish it would be to think that God is still capable of taking care of his covenants and his children.
Yes, once upon a time, God used a donkey. But we can all see how foolish that would be now. We won't get fooled again.
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Once upon a time, God used a donkey. How foolish! Not today. Today, God has other means of transportation available to him. He uses nice cars - Cadillacs, BMWs, Mercedes, even limos. God even uses jet planes. Why would God want to use something as foolish as a donkey when he has planes available to him?
Once upon a time, God used pagan prophets and philosophers. How foolish! Not today. Nothing good can come from culture. Today, God wants his people to read Christian books, watch Christian movies, and listen to Christian music. If God has something to say, he would never be so foolish as to speak through a pagan.
Once upon a time, God ate with prostitutes, drunks, thieves, and other malcontents. How foolish! Not today. God has enough good people now that he doesn't need to hang out with that sort anymore. It would be foolish for God to be found among the dregs of society today.
Once upon a time, God gathered people in fields, and on a mountain, and in a valley, and in homes, and in a school. How foolish! Not today. If people want to meet with God today, they can come to his house - a church building. Wouldn't it be foolish for people to think that God would come to them when he has beautiful buildings now?
Once upon a time, God spoke through untrained people. How foolish! Not today. There are plenty of college- and university- and seminary-trained people for God to speak through today. He doesn't need to speak through the unlearned. What if they said something wrong? How foolish to think that God would still speak through uneducated people today.
Once upon a time, God called the foolish, weak, and unknown - the nobodies - of society. How foolish! Not today. Now God calls the smart, the powerful, and the celebrities to speak on the lecture circuit, write books, and hold conferences. How foolish to think that we could make it without our Christian celebrities!
Once upon a time, God asked people to drop everything and follow him. How foolish! Not today. God realizes that today we need a steady job with a good salary, a home, two cars, health and life insurance, a good dental plan, excellent schools, vacation, and a retirement plan. Do you foolishly think that God would ask us to follow him without these necessities?
Once upon a time, God expected his people to encourage one another when they met together. How foolish! Not today. Now God has provided us with professionals to handle all the dirty work, to study, to teach, to sing, to deal with problems. How foolish to think that God would expect us to do these things today.
Once upon a time, God wanted his people to trust him completely without relying on their own ability to understand. How foolish! Not today. God knows that people today need to think logically about things, to make reasonable decisions. God knows that we need all the details of his plans, especially the outcome. Do you foolishly think that God still expects us to trust him completely?
Once upon a time, God created and enforced covenants. How foolish! Not today. God now expects us to write our own covenants and to hold people accountable to them. If we don't hold people accountable, then who will? How foolish it would be to think that God is still capable of taking care of his covenants and his children.
Yes, once upon a time, God used a donkey. But we can all see how foolish that would be now. We won't get fooled again.
Friday, January 18
My kind of church
I love this story that appears in Tony Campolo's The Kingdom Of God Is A Party. Below is Gary Snowden's abbreviated retelling of the story...
Campolo found himself wide awake and hungry one morning at 3:30 a.m. while on a speaking trip to Honolulu. He found a greasy spoon diner open and ordered coffee and a donut which Harry grabbed off the shelf (without tongs or wax paper of course) and plopped on his plate. As he was eating, a group of 8 or 9 streetwalkers noisily entered the diner. Their language was crude as well as the subject matter of their conversation and Campolo was planning his exit when he heard one of them who was seated next to him tell her companion that the next day was her birthday. Her friend seated on the other side of her from Campolo responded, “What do you expect me to do, throw you a party or something?” The woman by Campolo replied, “No, I wouldn’t expect you to do that. In fact, I’ve never had a birthday party in my entire life.”
After the women left, Campolo asked Harry if they came in often. He replied that they were regulars every night. Campolo asked if the lady seated next to him also came each night. Harry identified her as Agnes and said she was there each evening. Campolo proposed to Harry that he come back the next night if it was okay and decorate the diner for a birthday celebration for Agnes. Harry agreed and insisted that he would bake a birthday cake for the occasion.
The next night Campolo arrived about 2:30 to decorate the diner with balloons and streamers and a big banner that said “Happy Birthday Agnes.” By the time Agnes and her friends arrived, the diner was packed with other women who shared her profession. News had gotten out via the grapevine about the party. On cue, Campolo led the group in singing Happy Birthday to Agnes and Harry brought out the cake with the candles already lit. Agnes had gotten a bit teary-eyed at the singing of Happy Birthday, but at the sight of the cake she lost it totally and began to weep uncontrollably. Harry kept insisting that she blow out the candles or he’d do so himself, which he finally did. Harry handed Agnes a knife and said, “Go ahead and cut the cake, Agnes. We’re hungry. We want some cake.”
Agnes paused, staring at the cake and finally spoke to Harry. She asked him if they might wait a bit before the cut the cake. He replied, “Sure, it’s your cake. You can even take it home if you’d like.”
Agnes replied, “Can I really? I live just down the street. I’ll be right back, I promise.” Then carrying the cake as if it were the Holy Grail, she walked out of the diner and everyone sat in stunned silence.
At that point Campolo said, “What do you say we pray?” Looking back on the event Campolo said it was a highly unusual setting—a Baptist preacher surrounded by streetwalkers in a diner at 3:30 a.m. in a prayer meeting. He prayed for Agnes’ salvation and the blessings of God upon her life.
When he had concluded his prayer, Harry leaned over the counter a bit confrontationally and said gruffly, “Hey, you never told me you were a preacher! What kind of church do you belong to?”
In a moment of inspiration, Campolo replied, “The kind of church that throws birthday parties for streetwalkers at 3:30 a.m.”
After a brief pause, Harry responded, “No you don’t. There’s no church like that. If there was, I’d join it. I’d join a church like that!”
Campolo found himself wide awake and hungry one morning at 3:30 a.m. while on a speaking trip to Honolulu. He found a greasy spoon diner open and ordered coffee and a donut which Harry grabbed off the shelf (without tongs or wax paper of course) and plopped on his plate. As he was eating, a group of 8 or 9 streetwalkers noisily entered the diner. Their language was crude as well as the subject matter of their conversation and Campolo was planning his exit when he heard one of them who was seated next to him tell her companion that the next day was her birthday. Her friend seated on the other side of her from Campolo responded, “What do you expect me to do, throw you a party or something?” The woman by Campolo replied, “No, I wouldn’t expect you to do that. In fact, I’ve never had a birthday party in my entire life.”
After the women left, Campolo asked Harry if they came in often. He replied that they were regulars every night. Campolo asked if the lady seated next to him also came each night. Harry identified her as Agnes and said she was there each evening. Campolo proposed to Harry that he come back the next night if it was okay and decorate the diner for a birthday celebration for Agnes. Harry agreed and insisted that he would bake a birthday cake for the occasion.
The next night Campolo arrived about 2:30 to decorate the diner with balloons and streamers and a big banner that said “Happy Birthday Agnes.” By the time Agnes and her friends arrived, the diner was packed with other women who shared her profession. News had gotten out via the grapevine about the party. On cue, Campolo led the group in singing Happy Birthday to Agnes and Harry brought out the cake with the candles already lit. Agnes had gotten a bit teary-eyed at the singing of Happy Birthday, but at the sight of the cake she lost it totally and began to weep uncontrollably. Harry kept insisting that she blow out the candles or he’d do so himself, which he finally did. Harry handed Agnes a knife and said, “Go ahead and cut the cake, Agnes. We’re hungry. We want some cake.”
Agnes paused, staring at the cake and finally spoke to Harry. She asked him if they might wait a bit before the cut the cake. He replied, “Sure, it’s your cake. You can even take it home if you’d like.”
Agnes replied, “Can I really? I live just down the street. I’ll be right back, I promise.” Then carrying the cake as if it were the Holy Grail, she walked out of the diner and everyone sat in stunned silence.
At that point Campolo said, “What do you say we pray?” Looking back on the event Campolo said it was a highly unusual setting—a Baptist preacher surrounded by streetwalkers in a diner at 3:30 a.m. in a prayer meeting. He prayed for Agnes’ salvation and the blessings of God upon her life.
When he had concluded his prayer, Harry leaned over the counter a bit confrontationally and said gruffly, “Hey, you never told me you were a preacher! What kind of church do you belong to?”
In a moment of inspiration, Campolo replied, “The kind of church that throws birthday parties for streetwalkers at 3:30 a.m.”
After a brief pause, Harry responded, “No you don’t. There’s no church like that. If there was, I’d join it. I’d join a church like that!”
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