RockHonduras » Why Go?

The Missionary Call

Stevi — Tue, 03 May 2011 04:57:52 +0000

The Missionary Call

by Oswald J. Smith via Heart of God Ministries

What constitutes a Call? Is there any way of knowing the will of God? How can one be sure?

I think there is. In fact, I am certain. God would not leave His servants in darkness.

But let me give you James Gilmour’s experience. It is well worth quoting. How was he called, and why did he go to the Mongols? This is how he puts it:

“Is the Kingdom a harvest field? Then I thought it reasonable that I should seek to work where the work was most abundant and the workers fewest. Laborers say they are overtaxed at home; what, then, must be the case abroad, where there are wide-stretching plains already white to harvest with scarcely here and there a solitary reaper?

“To me the soul of an Indian seemed as precious as the soul of an Englishman, and the Gospel as much for the Chinese as for the European; and the band of missionaries was few compared with the company of ministers at home, it seemed to me clearly to be my duty to go abroad.

“But I go out as a missionary, not that I may follow the dictates of common sense, but that I may obey that command of Christ, ‘Go into all the world and preach.’ This command seems to be strictly a missionary injunction; so that, apart altogether from choice and other lower reason, my going forth is a matter of obedience to a plain command: and in place of seeking to assign a reason for going abroad, I would prefer to say that I have failed to discover any reason why I should stay at home.”

Gilmour went in response to the Great Commission. His Captain ordered him to “go” and he went. He went because he could find no adequate reason for staying at home. He went to the foreign field because, as he says, there the workers were fewest. What a heroic decision!

What was Charles T. Studd’s reason for going? Studd, you remember, gave away a fortune—$145,000. He could have lived at home in great luxury, but he chose rather to give away all that he had and go to China as a missionary. Why? Strange as it may seem, it was the statement of an atheist that started him on his way. It so gripped him when he read it that he felt he must leave all and follow Jesus Christ. Here it is:

“Did I firmly believe, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, religion would mean to me everything. I would cast away earthly enjoyment as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought, and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I would labor in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of Eternity only. I would esteem one soul gained for Heaven worth a life of suffering. Earthly consequences should never stay my hand, nor seal my lips. Earth, its joys and griefs, would occupy no moment in my thoughts. I would strive to look upon Eternity alone, and on the immortal Souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season, and my text would be, ‘What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?’”

Is that the way you feel? Have you, too, felt the urge? Does the Word of God burn like a fire in your heart? Have you no rest day or night because you do not go?

“When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he does not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ez. 33:8-9).

The Need and the Urge

That means, of course, that the need is the Call. Men are dying. You have the Message of Life. Are you going to withhold it from them? The responsibility rests upon you… To me the Call is that divine urge, that compelling impulse, that passion within that makes it impossible for me to resist. There is something within that is calling, ever calling. I am restless. I am like a hunter’s dog on the leash, straining to get away. It is that irresistible “must.” The divine fire burns within my heart. I rise from my desk and rapidly pace the floor, praying, crying to God. My mind is not on what I am doing. I see the distant fields. I feel that, come what may, I have no choice but to go. I am not satisfied to settle down where I am. One time I expressed it like this:

Hark! ‘tis a Voice that calls to me Out of the depths of mystery.

It was that inner Voice that spoke to my soul and called me into the ministry and to the mission fields of the world. I can’t explain it, except to speak of it as an “urge” that was with me night and day. That urge I followed, and I have never been disappointed.

Stir me, Oh! stir me, Lord— I care not how, But stir my heart in passion for the world. Stir me to give, to go, but most to pray. Stir, till the Blood-red banner be unfurled O’er lands that still in heathen darkness lie, O’er deserts where no Cross is lifted high.

If you really want to hear God’s voice, and if you want to do His will, I can tell you how you may find out whether or not He has called you to the foreign field. Just do two things.

First, start praying about your life’s work, and pray every day. Set aside a time to wait on God about it. Pray “Lord, what would you have me to do?” Every day talk to God about it.

Second, as you pray, read missionary biographies. When I was a student I purchased a whole shelf of biographies and read two or three chapters each day. You young women should be perfectly familiar with the life stories of Ann Judson, Mary Slessor, and other missionary heroines. You young men should know the lives of Livingstone, Moffat, MacKay, Gilmour, Morrison, Taylor and other great missionary heroes.

Why do I tell you to study biographies? Because in this twentieth century you are living in an atmosphere in which God cannot speak to you. If you will read missionary biographies, you will be putting yourself into an atmosphere where God can talk to you.

Hence as you read biographies, and then pray about your life’s work day by day, you will hear the voice of God. Before long you will be burdened for some particular field, after you have finished your training, you will find yourself in the place of God’s choosing for you.

That is the way most missionaries have heard God’s Call. As I said before, it is the Divine urge. It is the voice of the Holy Spirit telling you to go, and if you disobey you will do so at your peril. You can never be happy except in the center of God’s will.

Satan’s Opposition

But no sooner will you decide to become a missionary than Satan will do everything in his power to discourage you. He may make it difficult for you to get the money you need to secure your training. He may turn the members of your own family against you. If he cannot succeed in any other way, he will do what he has done in hundreds of cases. He will get you young women interested in some young man who has no idea of ever becoming a missionary, and if you marry him, you will never be a missionary. He will get you young men interested in some young woman who is not planning upon going to the foreign field, and if you marry her that will be the end of your missionary work forever.

I cannot tell you how many have come to me in the middle age and have said, “Dr. Smith, God called me to be a missionary, but I married a man who was not going, and now we have a family. We are in middle life and it is too late. I have missed God’s best and now I must take His second best.” And I have had them break down and weep. Listen, young people, if God has called you and you have become an active volunteer, then you have no right to even keep company with anyone except someone who is traveling in your direction, and if you do that you will both reach the same destination.

Thus, you will be called, and thus you will be guided, and if you will faithfully follow these suggestions, God will lead you into the most glorious work ever committed to man. You will become a missionary, your life will be invested in a worthwhile work, and, conscious of the leading of the Lord, you will never be disappointed. You can do what millions of others have done if you want to. You can settle down to the monotony of American life, get married, raise children, work, retire, die and be forgotten, or—you can become a pioneer, a trail-blazer, invest your life in a great adventure for God, and be the first to give some unreached tribe the Gospel, and be re-membered forever. Which is it to be? It is for you to decide.

John G. Paton argued this way: “I clearly saw that all at home had free access to the Bible and the means of Grace, with Gospel light shining all around them, while the poor heathen were perishing without even the chance of knowing all God’s love and mercy to men.”

Will you then listen to His voice and answer, “Here am I, Lord, send me?”

We Are World Christians!

Stevi — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:48:08 +0000

We Are World Christians!
by Gordon Aescliman via Heart of God Ministries

We are world Christians.
We put God’s love for all people first. No race is superior to another; no government is more loved than another; no country dearer than another.
We don’t put our nation’s economy before God’s economy. He tells us to seek first His Kingdom. He will meet our needs.
We are driven to action daily with the knowledge that three billion people do not know our Savior.
Our passion in life, our unquenchable desire, is to take God’s love to them.
No task is too small for us. All that limits us is our unwillingness to believe that God can enable us to do it.
We are sold out to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Nothing less.
We understand following Him means absolute death to ourselves.
It costs everything to be His disciple.
Don’t give us blessings-give us grace to be unquestionably obedient to Your every last command and desire.

Don’t give us status-give us a place to serve.
Don’t give us things for our use-use us.
Don’t give us good jobs-put us to work.
Don’t give us comfort-command us.
Don’t give us pleasure-give us perspective.
Don’t give us satisfaction-teach us sacrifice.
Don’t give us entertainment-enable us.
Don’t give us good salaries-give us strength to do your will.
Our great joy in life is in pleasing our Lord-and there is no other joy comparable.
We are tired of playing religion, tired of seminaries and Bible schools that pump out thinkers who don’t act, tired of a church life that consists of a few regular functions and sermons that sound good-as if they were being rated as speeches-but have no consequence except complacency.
Life is not some 70-year stretch we endure until Christ returns or takes us home, nor is it a time to seek personal fulfillment.
We don’t seek self-actualization-rather, we pursue the actualization of God’s love in all hearts.
We don’t seek our personal rights-we seek to see all people set free.
We make no plans-we take orders.
We have no complaints-except our thankless hearts.
We have no excuses-they limit God.
We don’t ask for reasons-we ask for responsibilities.
We don’t give ten percent of our income to God-we give it all.
We don’t work for Him from 8 to 5-we are His 24 hours of each day.
We are not stoics-we hurt and cry when loved ones leave us. But we hurt all the more for people who pass into eternity without making Jesus Christ their Lord.
We are not drop outs because we don’t hold "respectable, secure" jobs-we’re "sold outs."
We are not cynics. Although there are unanswered questions, we know Christ has all the answers.
We are not bitter. Although we have been hurt, Christ is our healer.
We are not disillusioned. Although we sin constantly, Christ forgives us and makes us strong in our weakness.
We don’t spend endless hours squabbling over sideline issues such as pre-, mid- or post-tribulation or charismatic gifts. We don’t take pride in acquiring things-no, hoarding shames us.
We say it’s senseless to talk of availability or willingness. We would rather obey and do the job, not talk about it.

Gordon Aeschliman Reprinted from World Christian Magazine

The Baton is Passed to you… Run!

Stevi — Sun, 24 Apr 2011 16:42:26 +0000

The Baton is Passed to you… Run!

by Steve Shadrach via The Traveling Team

You have a race to run. Which one is it? (Heb. 12:1,2)

You might have more than one; but if you are a World Christian you need to have at least one. Here are four opportunities that you can look at, evaluate, and ask God to use you in. Be open to whatever He wants you to do. Be willing to do anything, anytime, anywhere for Him. That is the definition of the Lordship of Christ in our life. Now read and pray and take the baton. It is the race of a lifetime!

1. The GOERS are the front lines warriors

In a sense we are all goers all front line warriors, because Jesus gave us the command to “go and make disciples of all nations”. Somehow though, God’s distribution plan has not worked out so well! It is estimated that up to 95% of the world’s trained Christian workers live in …. good ole’ U.S.A. Most people would be willing to go … but are planning on staying. We need folks who are planning on going … but are willing to stay, if that is the most strategic thing to do for the Kingdom. Most are waiting for the “liver quiver”(i.e. the emotional “calling” from on high telling them to be a missionary). It’s amazing though, that is just about the only area of life that we apply this lightning bolt calling concept to! There are about 600 million active Christians in the world today. 150 million of them are between 22-50 years of age. The estimate is that we only need about 20,000 cross-cultural missionaries to finish reaching every unreached people group.

2. The SENDERS are the vicarious rope holders

There are people who would like to be overseas, but feel called to stay and hold the ropes for those who do go. Out of the 100,000 students who volunteered for missions from 1890-1930 about 20,000 went and 80,000 stayed at home to help fund them. Think if we could get four laymen to team up and each take 1/4th of missionaries support, we would make a ton of progress! Christians’ after-tax income in American is between 800-900 billion dollars. We give 2 billion to missions. That’s 1/4th of 1 percent. We spend 10 billion on weight reduction programs and more on cosmetics and dog food! To be a financial sender you may have to take a radical look at your lifestyle in order to scale it back and give more to Christ’s Global Cause. Senders not only give, but also pray. They can daily shoot prayer arrows around the world asking God to raise up laborers, to empower those that are laboring, and bring about fruit in the unreached areas of the world. You can impact the world right from your living room! Lastly, senders are involved in personal ministry. They can disciple others with a world vision and seek to send them into the harvest field. A World Christian begets World Christians!

3. The WELCOMERS are the ministers of hospitality

There are close to 600,000 international students in the U.S. It’s like the Lord told us to go to the world and gave us all these resources, but we instead chose to stay and enjoy the comforts of America. “Well”, God says, “If you won’t go to them, I’ll just bring them to you. Is this close enough?” Our country has become an international melting pot and yet we rudely neglect to reach out to these foreigners. Stats show most international students will come here to study for 4-6 years and NEVER enter (or certainly not eat a meal) in an American’s home. They want to, but aren’t invited. How would you feel if that happened to you in another country? The temptation to get bitter and cynical is great towards this so-called “Christian nation”. We can impact the world right here in our backyard because the world sends their best and brightest (the future leaders they are grooming) right to our doorstep. You can adopt one or more while they are here. Pray for them, love on them, share your life and faith with them. Let them see what your life, family, and faith is all about. See what God will do. Send them back with a vision to reach their own country for Christ.

4. The MOBILIZERS are the strategic motivators

These are the ones who are sounding the alarm. Wouldn’t it be more effective to go and wake 100 sleeping fireman to come and put out the blazing building than to just stand there alone throwing your buckets of water on it? These are the ones that yearn to be on the field, but have stayed behind to rally the troops. They form mission committees at their churches. They get people praying and giving and going. They organize short and long-term mission teams. They get books and materials into the Christian’s hands. They are sometimes called “pests” or “fanatics” behind their backs! Ralph Winter, founder of the U.S. Center for World Missions, says the highest priority within the Body of Christ right now is for more mobilizers. More men and women in every church, every town, every campus who will help open people eyes to what God is doing around the world and helping people plug into their role. A good definition for mobilization is: “Deploying an army of laborers to the front lines where they are ordering their lives around the Great Commission”. These are the ones helping believers find their niche as either goers, senders, welcomers, or mobilizers.

Pastor John’s Principles For Dealing with Poverty

Stevi — Sun, 17 Apr 2011 16:49:14 +0000

Pastor John’s Guiding Principles
For Dealing with and thinking about Poverty and Suffering and Needs in the 3^rd world and here too

The ‘poor’ we will always have with us.- Matthew 26:11
With much wealth comes much responsibility. – Matt 25 Talents stuff
We must help the widows and orphans in distress- the helpless. – James 1:27
We must try to create positive, reproducing solutions to the problem. Try to give a hand up not just a handout. Avoid creating a dependent welfare class as much as possible. Give a man a fish, feed him for a day- Teach a man to fish, feed him for a life.
Compassion is a must. – 1 Cor. 13
We must be generous! - 1Timothy 6:6-20
We should try to love and try to help those who want to change and be helped. – 2 Thes. 3:10
Justice will be done in the end by God. – Matt. 6
I do not think this means we do nothing now. I just know justice will happen someday.
The gospel and the church must be major components of our solutions.
God is good even though there is great suffering all over. – 1Peter stuff
When we serve the needy, we give to God. – Matt. 25 sheep and the goats story
Strongly involve the people you are serving with what to do and how to do it. When serving in foreign places, do the ministry the way the locals do it and be learners not American Egotists who think they know everything.

Wisdom to consider when being generous and compassionate.

You can only give what is yours. ie – Not your parents money, not the Y’s food, not …….
Be very careful not to “should” on your brother. This seemingly zealous generosity can be legalistic and hurtful to others. High and mighty self- righteousness stinks on anyone.
We should be careful not to blindly violate certain principles in our doing “good”. Every so often it is appropriate to break rules. But be careful. God usually works within the principles of wisdom.
I am personally OK with us failing forward in these things- We have a good chance at arriving at good healthy God honoring balance this way. But be humble!
Be careful of other people’s healthy boundaries. Honor all people. The poor and your partner.
Think hard about what is best and helpful for the individual you are serving. Strategy is important! Ie- What does the drug addict really need? Does the proposed solution help them make steps to cooperate with God? Do not enable the poor to greater struggle. Maybe taking them to a ministry designed for them is the best solution. If they complain about that ministry- just wait- they will most likely complain about you.
Be careful not to just try to feel good about yourself in the good you are doing. But do not let your sucky motive prevent you from doing good. Do Good and address your motive!!! See #7
When addressing a problem, be careful not to jump to a certain solution too fast. Stop and think.
Use wise counsel whenever you are in doubt. Use wise counsel even when you think you know what God is saying. Experienced godly men and women may have the greatest ideas.
Do not play the God- Card in communicating to others. Eg- “God told me ……” Playing the God Card is the best way to kill a discussion and the wisdom thinking process. People who play the God card are often independent and prideful. They know it is the trump to shut somebody up and do what they want.
We know God’s Will through 1. The Scriptures, 2. Through Prayer, 3. Through the community we are in’s counsel, 4. Through a mystical understanding last. Be careful that pride does not get you.
Get out your wallet and your time and give more than you ever thought you had to- this will honor the Lord.

How Do I Know God’s Direction For My Life?

Stevi — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 04:40:26 +0000

How Do I Know God’s Direction For My Life?

by Claude Hickman via The Traveling Team

Some students won’t ever find their way to the right path God has for them, not because of disinterest or disobedience, but because of debilitation: the paralysis caused by too many options. Paul Borthwick calls this the problem of "overchoice." With the whole world before you and a passion to reach it, where do you dive in? Choosing one path seems like leaving behind several other great options. To a generation where keeping your options open is a high priority, fitting yourself somewhere into God’s global plans seems like an overwhelming task. I’ve began to give students this advice, which is more of a principle based approach to finding direction from God on the journey He has for you. The process must follow these decision-steps in the succession they are laid out to ensure meaningful Great Commission decisions and to protect us from selfish distortions. I just call it the telescope.

In this "telescope," the first lens we look through is leading. This is the hardest to describe, but the most confirming in our spirit – because it comes from God. When I say leading I do not mean that you feel "called" to missions and some are not called. Us missions mobilizers get on edge when you start using this kind of language, because we maintain that everyone is called to be on mission with God in reaching the nations. We are all commanded to go – leading just tells us where to stop. Two main "leading" demographics to begin with would be 1) a religion group or 2) an area of the world. Do you see yourself working among Muslims, Tribals, or in an area such as China or Africa? Many times this decision lens of leading must be learned by experience. That is why every believer should determine to take at least one meaningful short-term mission trip in their life. Leading comes from experience because God clarifies in the midst of obedience, not beforehand. The apostle Paul tried to get into six cities before God clarified his Macedonian "leading" to him in a vision (Acts 16:6-10). As Keith Green said, "God can’t steer a parked car." The idea is that we need to move forward, the rest of the details will come along the way. "Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left" (Isaiah 30:21)

When you are obeying and delighting yourself in the Lord’s will, there is a sense in which you can trust the inner leading of your desires – because the Lord will give you those desires. In the Psalms David writes, "Delight yourself also in the Lord; and he will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalms 37:4). The reason God can give David the desires of David’s heart is he had delighted in the Lord enough that he had become a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22, 1 Sam 13:14). They were really God’s desires within David. God is not out to crush your joy in life. If you find yourself desiring to reach a particular area or religious group with the gospel, the chances are that it is God’s heart being evidenced through yours. Some people get worried about bad motivations for missions, but Jesus used at least eight motivations for His disciples to get engaged in reaching the world: Love (John 14:21), Guilt (Acts 20:26, Ezek. 33:6), Hell (Luke 12:5, Matt 13:41-42), Obedience (Matt 28:18-20), Compassion (Matt 9:36, Mark 1:41), Rewards (Luke 18:29-30), Purpose (Matt 16:26-27, 1 Peter 1:24), and His Glory (John 15:8, John 17:4). When we love God, we begin to love the things that He loves. You may find that God is leading you by the joy you feel in considering a certain path, and joy is not a bad motivation. "…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross" (Heb 12:2). This leading is only the first lens and we get clearer direction from the next lens. Being strategic?

The strategic lens is what ensures that we are not "building on another man’s foundation" and that we are "finishing the race and completing the task" of reaching the unreached peoples of the world. The strategic lens asks the question, "Where in the area or religion group (first lens) is the most strategic place I can be used." Where is the greatest need for the gospel or greatest opportunity for its spreading? You might feel the Lord "leading" you to Fiji – "Yep, I can see myself there." But that might not be the most strategic in reaching the unreached. I may want to work among Muslims but just because there are Muslims in Kansas doesn’t mean that is the most strategic place to reach them or that it will impact the unreached peoples of the Muslim world. Leading is gained mainly by experience, where "strategic" may be gained by education. This is the lens that filters out a wasted life. There are strategic ways to be anywhere in the world. Instead of just defaulting to America, we must move forward in obedience and in that process many may end here for a purpose bigger than Americans, because of strategy.

The next lens I call "gifting." This is the question of, "Can God use my talents, career, degree, or skills to serve in this strategic area where I feel Him leading me?" Right here is where most Christians and students will err, because they want to flip the telescope. They want to look through the lenses backward. I remember Steve Hawthorne, a mission mobilizer, relating a long conversation he had with a young lady about how she could use her Spanish among unreached peoples. After Steve had exhausted all of his knowledge of possible unreached people groups in South America, etc., he finally responded to her saying, "Why don’t you stop telling God what you want to do for Him – and begin by asking God what He wants you to do." You can’t look through the telescope backwards or you get a very small, narrow, limited view of how God may want to use you. He may want to use your talents, He may not. It is not a bad question to ask – we just need to ask it third and not first.

Finally, would be the agency lens. What mission agency or sending entity can train and send me to this area, whether using my degree or not. Again we can be tempted to look through the telescope backward if we only know of one mission sending agency, which many only do. It is a good idea to get familiar with several other agencies that work there just so you can allow God to lead you based on choice and not default.

These principles for allowing God to lead you should help you in making a good decision about what to do with your life. Don’t give your life to the things that others can and will do, but to the things that others can’t and won’t do. The best thing you can do as you begin to work through each of these is pray for God’s guidance as you plan. Surround yourself with Godly counsel who share a vision for the world and will be honest with you if you are trying to serve your own agenda. Allow God to make the North Star of reaching people from every tribe and tongue the guiding force for all your decisions. With the end firmly rooted in your heart, and saturated with God’s word you can live life by the compass – making His agenda to reach the nations the decisive factor in choosing your steps along the journey.

Sojourner or Settler?

Stevi — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 04:37:27 +0000

Sojourner or Settler?

via The Traveling Team

Sojourning – Learning to live in the epic of God’s Story.

From the beginning of time, starting with Adam & Eve, mankind has desired to be a settler. In Genesis 1:28, God’s first command to mankind, He says "be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth. In Genesis 9:1, as Noah and his family get off the Ark, God tells them "be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth." It is clear that our Creator’s desire is to fill the earth with worshippers of Him. As you continue in God’s Story, you find the descendents of Noah, all living together in one city with one common language, saying in Genesis 11:4 "Let us build for ourselves a city with a tower, that reaches to the heavens, so that we can make a name for ourselves, and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." It was also clear to the descendents of Noah, what God’s plans and purposes were. They were to be sojourners and not settlers, yet they chose to directly disobey God’s desire. In Genesis 11:8 we see that God gets what He desires, whether men obey or not. For in an instant God scattered these people over all the earth, confused their language, and they stopped building the city. We see that it is God himself not man that created the world’s nations, the diversity of cultures, languages, and peoples.

The more we get know God and His Story, we learn that God’s Story is an epic. An epic is a story big enough to live in. Sojourning and being a sojourner is all about learning to live in the context of God’s Story, not trying to make our own little story. Mankind’s search and strive for independence of its Creator God is evident through the stories of the Bible and even today in America. The search and pursuit of the American Dream is what life in the United States is all about, and we are modeling it for the entire world to see. In the Tower of Babel the people wanted prestige, power, and to settle in one place. The exact opposite of their Creator God’s plan. The American Dream offers the building of one’s own wealth, so that they do not depend on anyone or anything for the rest of their life. The ability to own land and our own home is the dream of all people. It is the mentality of the American Dream that keep us from seeing God work around us.

A Sojourner is a stranger and alien to this world. In Hebrews 11, the faith chapter shares the stories of the great sojourners of faith who followed God in their life and in their death. Hebrews 11:13 "In faith died all these, not having received the promises, but from afar having seen them, and having been persuaded, and having saluted them, and having confessed that strangers and sojourners they are upon the earth." All these men of faith modeled a lifestyle that showed that they understood that they were just temporary dwellers on this earth. They understood that they were not to setup home on this earth. These men of faith knew that they were just passing through as followers of Christ, who is preparing them a permanent residence in Heaven. These men made decisions that cost them their lives, but used that cost to invest in their Creator’s eternal Kingdom. Jesus prays for his disciples as aliens and sojourners on the earth "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one, they are not of this world, even as I am not of it."(John 17:15-16) Jesus was not praying for his disciples to be taken out of danger, but to protect them in the presence of danger. Jesus did not pray that they would all live together in a safe place, but to stay in the dangerous places to build relationships with the unreached. A sojourner is a resident that chooses to live as an alien, because he knows that his real home is in heaven with his creator. Their lifestyle reflects that they are one who abides, a stranger in a foreign land, one who stays for a while, always moving forward, always growing. A Sojourner is constantly changing, pioneering, initiating, and trail blazing as a part of Christ’s revolution. A Sojourner is one who sojourns, which means to abide, to live, to dwell, and live as an alien. Sojourning means to be on pilgrimage, one who views life not as a destination but as a process, a continuous journey.

In the story of Abram, the power of the story is not about the great things that Abram did. Abram, was a descendent of one of the seventy nations God created at the Tower of Babel. When you compare what the people wanted at the Tower of Babel, to what God promised Abram they are the same. In Genesis 12:1-3 "The Lord said to Abram leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through you." The power behind the story of Abraham is that through Abraham’s faith to obey God kept His promise to make Abraham’s name great, Abraham’s family into a great nation, and to bless all the peoples of the earth for all generations through him. The story of Abraham is not about him getting to the promise land, it is about Abraham being dependent on his Creator God. It was God that changed his name to Abraham, which means father of many nations. The story is about Abraham leaving all that he knew to follow a God he did not know, to a place that God had not even told him. Do you feel the extreme dependence that Abraham must have felt? Abraham was a sojourner, a Gentile, a man from the nations, who was wealthy, and a prominent member of his community. God asked Abraham to leave all this stability behind to follow Him. God is asking us to follow this great example of pilgrimage ourselves, today in this modern age. The American Dream says we are to settle, stay close to family, make lots of money, take care of our family, and have a nice home, with as much security and stability as possible.

From the beginning of time, mankind has been fighting this battle to settle and not be scattered over the face of the earth.

Are you going to sojourn or settle?

Your Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria

Stevi — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:34:56 +0000

Your Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria

By Jack Rose via The Traveling Team

"…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Acts 1:8

The above passage is one that is familiar to many Christians as a verse about missions. We see that Christians will take the Gospel to the ends of the earth, to every unreached people group. However, Christians often use this passage as a reason to not do mission work. This should concern or confuse us. How can a command by Jesus to take the Gospel to the entire world be used to excuse us from missions? The answer to this question is found in the way that Christians interpret the verse. Let’s look at the two different ways that this verse can be interpreted and look closer at these views to measure the truth and validity of each:

View One

This view takes a literal look at the verse. When Jesus says "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth," He means the literal city of Jerusalem, the actual regions of Judea and Samaria, and the literal ends of the earth. In this view, we do not know from this verse if it is meant to be fulfilled in any particular order.

View One Deconstructed

If we are two believe that Jesus was speaking of literal places in Acts 1:8, then the consequences are that the early church would have a very specific plan to follow in beginning to take the Gospel to others. Obviously, we know from the rest of the New Testament that Jerusalem was reached with the Gospel as well as Judea and Samaria. That would mean, then, that we are currently in the "ends of the earth" section of the command, not because any specific order is given here but because the first three parts of the command are already fulfilled.

View Two

The view takes a personal look at the verse. Instead of Jesus meaning actual places, this view interprets Him as meaning "spheres of application." This view says that Jesus meant to say, "You will be my witnesses, in your Jerusalem (your family or city,) your Judea and Samaria (your state and country,) and the ends of the earth. Once again, it is unclear in this interpretation if there is a specific order to the command.

View Two Deconstructed

If this view of Acts 1:8 is the correct interpretation, that means that every believer that will ever live should in fact bless their own local and regional areas and the ends of the earth as well. If Jesus in fact meant, "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, AND the ends of the earth," then all Christians must impact each of those areas personally. No one is exempt from any of these personalized regions. You must, in this view, be witnesses in your Jerusalem, your Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth. A cross cultural missionary must find a way to not only bless the unreached people group that he/she works among, they must at the same time be a witness to their local and regional areas back home. Here’s where View Two becomes difficult. Obviously, one can’t be in Algeria and Alabama at the same time, so to apply this verse to our lives as View Two would demand of us, we must find a way of putting an extra-Biblical (not found in scripture, but made up) order to the areas of outreach…one must happen first and then another, then another. This approach often is used by Christians to avoid moving out of their comfort zones to spread the Gospel of Christ. They will say, "I have to reach my family (my Jerusalem) before I can reach anyone else," as if to say that every one of our relatives must first accept Jesus before we can minister to others. Often, this statement is really an excuse. If you were to ask those who say this if they are indeed preaching Christ to their family, most would not be able to say, "yes."

AND not THEN

AND not THEN is a common mistake in reading this verse. Many believers will substitute the word "Then" for the actually word "And" in Acts 1:8. The Greek word KAI is fairly specific in its meaning: And. Therefore, we cannot view this verse as saying, "You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, THEN Judea, THEN Samaria, and THEN the ends of the earth." Instead the verse reads, "in Jerusalem, and Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth." The followers of Jesus are supposed to be witnesses to each of these with no order given here.

Elsewhere, Jesus does clarify that the disciples are to start in Jerusalem. (Luke 24:47) So, the question still remains-"Does this mean that we reach out locally, then regionally, then in global mission, or does it mean that Jesus’ followers would be witnesses in the city of Jerusalem, the regions of Judea and Samaria, and the literal ends of the earth?"

The Interpretation of the Early Church

Well, we know that the disciples did not take a View Two approach to this command. They started with Jerusalem instead of their own home region of Galilee. We see in their actions that they weren’t starting in THEIR Jerusalem, but in the literal Jerusalem. As we follow the early Church, we see that after a great persecution breaks out, most of the believers in Jerusalem were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, (Acts 8:1) and are witnesses to these areas. If we watch long enough, we see the Lord finally convincing Peter that He loves all people, not just Israel (Acts 10) and the Apostle Paul is raised up as a missionary to the Gentiles. Gentiles are non-Jews. Basically, if you are anywhere besides Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria (Samaritans were half-jewish), everyone you see will most likely be a Gentile. The ends of the earth are Gentile nations. The focus of the early Church after Acts 8 is the Gentile world…the ends of the earth. The early Church, by practice, endorsed View One.

What That Means for Us

This means that we can not put an order to our outreach. We can’t just focus on reaching those who are still unbelievers in our family, city, or country and forget about the nations. Jesus, in Matthew 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come." The Disciples started in Jerusalem, spread the Gospel to Judea and Samaria, and then began to move out to the ends of the earth. Jesus says that the end of history will not come until all ethnic groups are reached with the Gospel. We have a task that Jesus expects for us to finish before the end of all things. It entails taking the Gospel to the ethnicities at the ends of the earth. We have a task! Let’s get to it!

Isn’t Every Christian a Missionary?

Stevi — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 04:21:14 +0000

Isn’t Every Christian a Missionary?

by Gordon Olson via The Traveling Team

Frequently one hears it said that every Christian is a missionary – that is, that every Christian ought to be a missionary. The little chorus puts it, "Be a missionary every day!" It sounds good, but this kind of fuzzy thinking only clouds the issue. Every Christian cannot be a missionary, nor should be. But what is wrong is saying that every Christian is to be a missionary? First of all, it is just like saying that every Christian ought to be an evangelist. These statements are so obviously wrong that few Christians would make that mistake; but as pastors and evangelists are specially called by God for a ministry of the word of God, just so with the missionary! A missionary is specially called of God for a distinct ministry. But let us see what the Biblical data indicates before we go any farther. The root of the words ‘mission’ and ‘missionary’ is the Latin verb mitto (I send). But since the Bible wasn’t written in Latin, but in Greek and Hebrew, we need to find the same concept in the Greek New Testament. The verb apestello has the idea of being sent, and from it comes the word for ‘apostle’ (apostolos), which means ‘sent one’.

The apostles: the first missionaries

The Lord Jesus set apart twelve of His disciples as ‘apostles’ and sent them out to their own people Israel (Mk. 4:12; Matt. 19:1-6). They were sent to announce that Jews should repent since the Messiah-King had come and his kingdom was impending. Later God set apart others like Paul and Barnabas as apostles to the Gentiles as well (Acts 9:19; 13:3; 22:21; Gal. 2:7-9). The idea of ‘being sent’ is central in both cases. So the apostles were the first ‘missionaries’ – home and foreign. But what were they sent to do that ordinary Christians were not commissioned to do? First, we find that the twelve apostles had left their secular occupations and devoted themselves full time as disciples of Christ. Some had left their fishnets and boats long after they became believers in Christ. Matthew left his tax-collecting occupation. Now they devoted themselves full time to Christian ministry, as Peter said, "but we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4). We find that Paul and Barnabas and the other apostles normally did the same when they had financial support from churches. Although Paul worked at tentmaking in Corinth when his money ran out, when Silas and Timothy brought gifts from the Macedonian churches, he devoted himself again completely to the ministry of the word (Acts 18:1-5 NAS) What else distinguished these missionaries to the Gentiles? The witness of Jews to the Gentiles involved crossing a cultural barrier. Not only did the Christians in Antioch begin to cross that barrier (Acts 11:19-20), but Barnabas and Paul seemed especially gifted in cross-cultural witnessing and were sent out as the first missionaries (Acts 13:3). So they were being sent to cross both geographical and cultural boundaries to win Gentiles to Christ (Acts 22:21). Paul traveled extensively in four Roman provinces during his three missionary journeys. Apparently he crossed other geographical and cultural boundaries in his ministry after Acts was written (as we infer from his letters). Although the oft-repeated saying is true that "crossing the ocean never made a missionary," crossing boundaries is an important part of what makes a missionary distinct. There is another aspect which especially distinguished Paul’s missionary career, which is worth noting. Paul’s ambition was to preach Christ where He was unknown so that he might not build upon another man’s foundation. "And thus I aspired to preach the gospel, not where Christ was already named, that I might not build upon another mans foundation; but as it is written, "They who had no news of Him shall see, and they who have not heard shall understand’" (Rom. 15:20-21).

A definition

Herbert Kane has suggested that although it is not possible to give a flawless, scientific definition of a missionary, the following one should suffice: In the traditional sense the term missionary has been reserved for those who have been called by God to a full-time ministry of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4), and who have crossed geographical and/or cultural boundaries (Acts 22:21) to preach the gospel in those areas of the world where Jesus Christ is largely, if not entirely unknown (Rom. 15:20). Charles Ryrie has pointed out that we must distinguish between a general practice in the church and a special gift which God gives to some in that area. For example, all Christians are to give financially; only some have the gift of giving. All are to be witnesses; only some have the gift of evangelism and/or apostleship. Many other examples could be given. The point then is that all Christians are to witness for Christ, but not all Christians are called for a full-time, specially gifted ministry of evangelism. All Christians are to be missionary-minded in obedience to the Great Commission, but not all Christians can be missionaries in the proper biblical sense of the word. We cannot all pack up and go! Some must stay behind and stand behind those who do go. Since a missionary is sent by God, it follows that a missionary must go somewhere. This is well illustrated from the events of World War II. All Americans were mobilized for the war effort. Housewives collected frying-pan oil, metals were collected from cellars and garages, everybody grew ‘victory gardens,’ housewives went to work in factories for the first time. Everybody was mobilized to win the war against the Axis powers. But not everybody could go into the Armed Services, and not even all of them could go to the front and personally be in the fight. The same kind of distinction should be made in the spiritual warfare in which we are engaged. The total resources of the Christian church should be thrown into the battle for the souls of men on a global scale, and every member of that church should regard himself as being involved in the total mobilization required by such an operation. But not every church member is a missionary.

The devastating consequence

What difference does it make after all? Are we merely nitpicking in our definition of a missionary? Look at it this way, if every Christian is already considered a missionary, then all can stay put where they are, and nobody needs to get up and go anywhere to preach the gospel. But if our only concern is to witness where we are, how will people in unevangelized areas ever hear the gospel? The present uneven distribution of Christians and opportunities to hear the gospel of Christ will continue unchanged. It has been said that ninety percent of the Christian workers are ministering to ten percent of the world’s population and ten percent are working among ninety percent of the people of the world. Many Christian leaders have picked up Ralph Winter’s analysis of world need which states that beyond the one-fourth of the world’s population which is nominally Christian, only one-fourth of the world’s people are being somewhat effectively evangelized by cross cultural contact with Christians. The other half of the world’s people are not being reached effectively because they are isolated from any real contact with Christians. This is hardly fair to those who have never heard! So in reality the idea that every Christian is a missionary is a ‘cop out’. It avoids responsibility for the about three billion people who are not being effectively evangelized today. It means direct disobedience to the ‘Go’ of the Great Commission!

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY ‘MISSIONS’?

Missions is the whole task, endeavor, and program of the Church of Jesus Christ to reach out across geographical and/ or cultural boundaries by sending missionaries to evangelize people who have never heard or who have little opportunity to hear the saving gospel.

The Supremacy of God in Missions through Worship

Stevi — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:17:49 +0000

The Supremacy of God in Missions through Worship

by John Piper via The Traveling Team

Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions. It’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the white-hot enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. "The Lord reigns; let the people rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!" (Psalms 67:3-4).

But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. Missionaries will never call out, "Let the nations be glad!", who cannot say from the heart, "I rejoice in the Lord, I will be glad and exult in thee, I will sing praises to thy name, O Most High" (Psalm 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.

If the pursuit of God’s glory is not ordered above the pursuit of man’s good in the affections of the heart and the priorities of the church, man will not be well served and God will not be duly honored. I am not pleading for a diminishing of missions but for a magnifying of God. When the flame of worship burns with the heat of God’s true worth, the light of missions will shine to the most remote peoples on earth. And I long for that day to come!

Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to "declare his glory among the nations" (Psalm 96:3). Even outsiders feel the disparity between the boldness of our claim upon the nations and the blandness of our engagement with God.

How Do You Know God Wants You in Missions?

Stevi — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:14:24 +0000

How Do You Know God Wants You in Missions: An Email to a Student

By Sankie Lynch via The Traveling Team

Not to long ago we received an email from a student named Chris. This email was picture perfect because it captured the heart of almost any typical college student’s hang-ups – namely, how do I know God’s path for me in missions? This is a response to Chris:

Hey Chris,

Great to hear back from you! I’m so glad to hear that you are taking some initiative to pursue God’s heart for the nations through different agencies’ resources. You are asking the right questions and I’m sure that you will find that there are opportunities to use your specific skills overseas. You are right – you can become a World Christian no matter where you are located. That’s a great point and I’m encouraged that you realize that.

But I do want you to remember that the further out of sight the 10/40 Window gets, or welcoming internationals, or starting prayer groups for the 10/40 and people groups, or Bible Studies on God’s heart for all nations, or mobilizing others with information, or reading books about the T.H.U.M.B. (Tribal, Hindu, U=Chinese, Muslim, Buddhist), or educating yourself about God’s Word, World, and Work…the further one gets from these, the more prone they are to never get involved. We tell ourselves we have "conviction" about certain things, but I’ve learned that a "conviction" is something I put action to…not just thought to.

You asked me a very interesting question, "How could I know if God wants me involved in Missions?" That is a great question and we are asked that quite often as we travel. I would like to try my best at answering it for you.

Most Christians in college will spend time studying, playing Play Station with his closest friends, eating every meal with the same bunch of guys, going to Christian meetings and small group Bible Studies with only believers around, figuring out his next step…based upon his long-term desires and plans of accomplishment, spending his summers investing in his degree or in acquiring extra money for next semester.

That guy would have no way of knowing whether God would want him to do missions stuff because he would never expose himself to anything out of his Christian bubble. So, I wonder what it would look like for God to "get someone’s attention." We never actually list that out. We just think he will somehow let us know. How would God, in a very practical way, let someone know of His desire for them to be involved?

Now, I’m not talking about a near death experience, a miraculous event, or Gabriel floating into your bedroom at 3:30 AM with a message. These are the things that we typically expect in order to be interrupted, though it is an unconscious expectation. Instead, I wonder if God would write a book to all that follow Him (Bible) and within this book there would be verse after verse talking about His desire to see "every tribe, tongue and nation" come to know Him.

Then, after seeing this desire His followers could see that beginning with Abraham, God uses people to reach people – even continuing to our generation today. Then, what if God sent people to these followers to educate and equip them with books, magazines, articles, people group profiles, statistics, countries, and most importantly…access to go to 170 different places in the world that do not have the gospel within their language?

Can you think of another more practical way that God could use? Could He be more specific than sending people to you to get you more involved? What would that look like? What’s interesting is that this would take very strategic and organized plans, actions, and follow-up. And then, after all this, some would still say they don’t "feel" God showing them what to do. We do so much in life without having to "feel" God leading us.

Sometimes we don’t think of how God could lead us in practical ways…we just think, "it will happen," or "I’ll know." I think that much of our American culture has come to the conclusion that something is "good" or "God’s will" if the outcome looks appealing, envious, or prosperous. I don’t know if that’s the picture I see from Genesis to Revelation. I hope you’ll look to see how God may be leading you in practical ways!

-Sankie