I wanted to write this to you before we know the outcome of the U.S. elections. It has been quite a ride, following this campaign. I have noted with interest (not joy or dismay) how strongly Americans – including some Christians, leader and average Joe alike – feel about particular candidates.
I think being a missionary for fifteen years in Asia pretty much ruined me for putting too much stock in the outcome of an election. Measured in terms of bringing real change, I don’t have a lot of expectations either way for this election. Christians in most Asian countries (expect for perhaps Korea) are such a small minority, they never – I mean never – give a thought to the evangelical vote. They live in ungodly, idol-worshipping or anti-Christian cultures, with all the trappings therein, and that is that. They pray and they vote (if they can), but usually the choices of candidates consist of a “lesser of evils” at best. Yet, God works in these nations. His work is not primarily through the political process.
I believe we SHOULD vote, and we SHOULD pray for our leaders, and we SHOULD be a vocal advocate and activist for Godliness in our government as much as we appropriately can, but we also should realize that true transformation of society does not come from the top down. It originates in the human heart, the very bottom of the power pyramid, and it works its way up through a person, to a family, to a community and then to a nation. It is then only maintained as human hearts stay centered in Jesus Christ. To try to fight for it any other way is to miss the point of the Gospel.
Billy Graham was always an advocate of personal transformation first. During his illustrious career that began in 1949 at a crusade in Los Angeles, he served as the ex-officio “Pastor in Chief” (TIME Magazine’s title for him) for and confidante of every American President since Harry Truman. While he was always a spokesman for godliness in government, he also frequently went on record as saying that politics will never change a nation back to God. Only prayer and the Gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to do that.
Unfortunately, there are some in America who are placing undue expectations on the Presidential candidates. I do hope the right man is elected and that he provides moral and sensible leadership to this nation. However, to expect that one man or one party can do the work our country needs is ludicrous. After the post-election party fireworks have dimmed, and real world problems start closing in on our neighborhoods, we will be disappointed if that is where we have placed our hope.
No leader but Jesus can change society, because no leader but Jesus can change the heart of a human being and help people live different lives and make better choices.
So, I voted and I’m praying. I hope you have done and are doing the same.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Iran News - Not what we hear in the Media
The world is a complicated place!
I just finished reading an article in the September-October issue of Missions Frontiers Magazine (http://www.missionfrontiers.org/) about what is happening in Iran right now.
Over one million Muslims have come to Christ in Iran in recent years, this despite – or perhaps caused by – the oppressive authority of the Shiite Cleric controlled government. Additionally, millions of Iranian young people, reacting against the same oppression, now view all things American as good! Ice cream, Barbie dolls, and KFC.
Sadly, ten million more are seeking refuge from their pain and frustration in illegal narcotics from their neighbor, Afghanistan.
Here in the U.S. the only news we get about Iran, from our government leaders and the news media, is talk about their nuclear arms program and the possibility of a military strike to stop it. The picture we get is that the entire Iranian nation is hell-bent on annihilating Israel and the United States.
Now I read that a million Persians have found Jesus, that 40% of the nation watches illegal Christian satellite television, and that ten million more young people – one in seven Iranians! – are so disillusioned by current realities they are shooting heroin!
I’m thinking – we Americans really have no clue about what is going on in the world. This should be national news! Why? Because it is important information! A military strike on Iran would mean we could kill many of our friends – new-to-the-faith brothers and sisters in Christ. At best, we would re-establish in the minds of millions of Iranians that “Christian” America truly is their enemy.
Unfortunately, the powerful Islamic elite, who have their hands on the nuclear trigger in Iran, are not Christians and are not friends to the west. So, what to do?
Like I said, the world is a complicated place. All the more reason to seek God and seriously intercede for people all over the world in these challenging times.
I just finished reading an article in the September-October issue of Missions Frontiers Magazine (http://www.missionfrontiers.org/) about what is happening in Iran right now.
Over one million Muslims have come to Christ in Iran in recent years, this despite – or perhaps caused by – the oppressive authority of the Shiite Cleric controlled government. Additionally, millions of Iranian young people, reacting against the same oppression, now view all things American as good! Ice cream, Barbie dolls, and KFC.
Sadly, ten million more are seeking refuge from their pain and frustration in illegal narcotics from their neighbor, Afghanistan.
Here in the U.S. the only news we get about Iran, from our government leaders and the news media, is talk about their nuclear arms program and the possibility of a military strike to stop it. The picture we get is that the entire Iranian nation is hell-bent on annihilating Israel and the United States.
Now I read that a million Persians have found Jesus, that 40% of the nation watches illegal Christian satellite television, and that ten million more young people – one in seven Iranians! – are so disillusioned by current realities they are shooting heroin!
I’m thinking – we Americans really have no clue about what is going on in the world. This should be national news! Why? Because it is important information! A military strike on Iran would mean we could kill many of our friends – new-to-the-faith brothers and sisters in Christ. At best, we would re-establish in the minds of millions of Iranians that “Christian” America truly is their enemy.
Unfortunately, the powerful Islamic elite, who have their hands on the nuclear trigger in Iran, are not Christians and are not friends to the west. So, what to do?
Like I said, the world is a complicated place. All the more reason to seek God and seriously intercede for people all over the world in these challenging times.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
My Vote in November
The current economic crisis is slowly bleeding what is left of our national wealth and morale. Unfortunately, no one wants to make the necessary changes that will bring real solutions; we only want a bailout, a quick fix to jump-start the economy and get the money flowing again.
The political campaign is doing little to bolster public confidence. Some are calling for Sarah Palin to withdraw because of inexperience. Others complain that John McCain is too old and too outdated. Barak Obama is vague and unpatriotic. Joe Biden can’t keep his foot out of his mouth. President Bush is a lame duck.
I disagree with much of the rhetoric in the media these days, but one thing troubles me deeply: After all the bailouts, speeches and promises, I am not sure that anyone in national leadership can really lead this country!
And I will tell you why.
As a nation, “we the people” have become ungovernable! We can’t govern our own private lives, so how do we expect a leader – be it a President, a Representative, or a Corporate CEO – to govern or guide us? We have become a nation of spoiled children expecting sugar daddy politicians and credit-ready bankers to take care of us and make our lives easy.
Well, life isn't easy anymore and we still don't get it.
Every time I read the newspaper I cringe. Wall Street is to blame, big banks are to blame, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae executives are to blame, the President is to blame, Congress is to blame. Some say we have too many regulations; others that we don’t have enough. We are united by only one thing: Everyone wants someone to fix the problem quickly, so we can all go back to the way things were. Then, there will be an investigation, and we will fix the blame. And you can be sure all the fingers will point at someone else.
Is anyone prepared to really make changes - at the grass roots, personal level - where change MUST happen?
Twenty years ago Jack Kemp said that “democracy without morality is impossible.” We can argue until the cows come home about the specific definition of morality – and I am sure, in our great American tradition, we will. The truth, however, is that moral prudence isn’t hard to know. Ninety percent of it is common sense and common decency. Sadly, too many people seem to have lost contact with both of those qualities.
We can also argue about who really is to blame for America's economic problems, and, again, I am sure the arguments and discussions will go on forever. In every case of financial insolvency, however, from high finance on Wall Street to home mortgages on Main Street, an individual made a decision about how to manage his or her responsibilities. No one put a gun to anyone’s head and forced them to invest in high risk portfolios, offer risky loans, or borrow money they could not afford to pay back.
Every mortgage holder can read and do simple math. It is not rocket science to calculate a monthly budget. It does not require a college degree to understand the importance of saving for the future. This is common sense. At least it is common in most prosperous nations.
Unfortunately, in our culture’s amazing ability to live irresponsibly and shift the blame, we have failed to manage our money and now find ourselves in debt over our heads, waiting breathlessly for another bailout.
Our current crisis is the result of decades of self-serving living. We have wanted our piece of the American pie so badly that we did whatever it took, however irresponsible or short-sighted, to get it. The American Dream, that wonderful, tranquil hope of a better life – that was originally born of hard work, responsible living, and delayed gratification – has steadily eroded into a nightmare of selfish, narcissistic, me-first, give-it-to-me-now hedonism.
No one – including the Democrats, the Republicans, the big banks, and the players on Wall Street – is to blame any more than the “man on the street.” We are all culpable! Whoever does not manage his own life, pay his bills, work his job, and stay out of unmanageable debt has contributed to this mess. If we are spending more than we are earning and indulging our baser instincts (for more power, more money, more stuff!) rather than acting like responsible adults, we are to blame too. When we fail to manage our own lives, and then in crisis turn that responsibility over to legislators, attorneys and bailout experts, we have forfeited our future.
It is time to stop shifting the blame, and expecting somebody in Washington or New York to fix our lives! John McCain cannot do it. Neither can Barak Obama. Let’s not kid ourselves. Our political leaders, conservative or liberal, cannot undo the collective mistakes of 300 million people, no matter how much money they pump into the system or what new laws they pass.
However the bailout unfolds and whoever you vote for on November 4, you would do well to cast a vote for common sense at home, and make a personal decision to do better these next four years!
The political campaign is doing little to bolster public confidence. Some are calling for Sarah Palin to withdraw because of inexperience. Others complain that John McCain is too old and too outdated. Barak Obama is vague and unpatriotic. Joe Biden can’t keep his foot out of his mouth. President Bush is a lame duck.
I disagree with much of the rhetoric in the media these days, but one thing troubles me deeply: After all the bailouts, speeches and promises, I am not sure that anyone in national leadership can really lead this country!
And I will tell you why.
As a nation, “we the people” have become ungovernable! We can’t govern our own private lives, so how do we expect a leader – be it a President, a Representative, or a Corporate CEO – to govern or guide us? We have become a nation of spoiled children expecting sugar daddy politicians and credit-ready bankers to take care of us and make our lives easy.
Well, life isn't easy anymore and we still don't get it.
Every time I read the newspaper I cringe. Wall Street is to blame, big banks are to blame, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae executives are to blame, the President is to blame, Congress is to blame. Some say we have too many regulations; others that we don’t have enough. We are united by only one thing: Everyone wants someone to fix the problem quickly, so we can all go back to the way things were. Then, there will be an investigation, and we will fix the blame. And you can be sure all the fingers will point at someone else.
Is anyone prepared to really make changes - at the grass roots, personal level - where change MUST happen?
Twenty years ago Jack Kemp said that “democracy without morality is impossible.” We can argue until the cows come home about the specific definition of morality – and I am sure, in our great American tradition, we will. The truth, however, is that moral prudence isn’t hard to know. Ninety percent of it is common sense and common decency. Sadly, too many people seem to have lost contact with both of those qualities.
We can also argue about who really is to blame for America's economic problems, and, again, I am sure the arguments and discussions will go on forever. In every case of financial insolvency, however, from high finance on Wall Street to home mortgages on Main Street, an individual made a decision about how to manage his or her responsibilities. No one put a gun to anyone’s head and forced them to invest in high risk portfolios, offer risky loans, or borrow money they could not afford to pay back.
Every mortgage holder can read and do simple math. It is not rocket science to calculate a monthly budget. It does not require a college degree to understand the importance of saving for the future. This is common sense. At least it is common in most prosperous nations.
Unfortunately, in our culture’s amazing ability to live irresponsibly and shift the blame, we have failed to manage our money and now find ourselves in debt over our heads, waiting breathlessly for another bailout.
Our current crisis is the result of decades of self-serving living. We have wanted our piece of the American pie so badly that we did whatever it took, however irresponsible or short-sighted, to get it. The American Dream, that wonderful, tranquil hope of a better life – that was originally born of hard work, responsible living, and delayed gratification – has steadily eroded into a nightmare of selfish, narcissistic, me-first, give-it-to-me-now hedonism.
No one – including the Democrats, the Republicans, the big banks, and the players on Wall Street – is to blame any more than the “man on the street.” We are all culpable! Whoever does not manage his own life, pay his bills, work his job, and stay out of unmanageable debt has contributed to this mess. If we are spending more than we are earning and indulging our baser instincts (for more power, more money, more stuff!) rather than acting like responsible adults, we are to blame too. When we fail to manage our own lives, and then in crisis turn that responsibility over to legislators, attorneys and bailout experts, we have forfeited our future.
It is time to stop shifting the blame, and expecting somebody in Washington or New York to fix our lives! John McCain cannot do it. Neither can Barak Obama. Let’s not kid ourselves. Our political leaders, conservative or liberal, cannot undo the collective mistakes of 300 million people, no matter how much money they pump into the system or what new laws they pass.
However the bailout unfolds and whoever you vote for on November 4, you would do well to cast a vote for common sense at home, and make a personal decision to do better these next four years!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Invest in Timothy!
For the first time in nearly 31 years Beth and I are living alone in our house. Cori is married and living with her husband and daughter in Mobile. Jeremy is married and living with his wife and two children in Colorado Springs. Trevor is living in Bangkok, and Kelly is married and living with her husband and son in Pensacola. Since Trevor left in June, we have officially become “empty nesters,” a title we have embraced with mixed emotions. Certainly, we now enjoy more time to ourselves, but we also miss the daily interactions, intrusions and intimacies that are a part of family life.
Now we are also enjoying the fruit of our investments – our children and their families. We value every time they come over to hang out, bringing our grandchildren with them. Trevor calls regularly from Thailand just to talk. The love they extend to us fills our souls. Their lives elicit in us almost unspeakable joy.
This joy, in essence, is the fruit of what Paul is talking about in 2 Timothy 2:2: Investing our lives in other people and replicating in them who we are and what we have learned. The rewards – of parenting, of mentoring, of nurturing and relationship building – are guaranteed when we do this work. Our faithfulness to invest in “Timothy” (whether actual or spiritual sons or daughters) is genuine discipleship and is the very soul of Christian work. It also pays the greatest rewards of all human experience.
Paul’s charge to Timothy – “What you have heard from me… commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2) – is perhaps one of the most profound sentences in scripture. In a single, simple statement, Paul defined how the church works – one person modeling knowledge and character to another, with profound consequences.
When we are good parents, our children admire us. As they grow, their admiration deepens and then they begin to inquire of us. As we continue to invest our time and attention into their lives, they embrace what we “teach” them and begin to aspire to be like us – to do what we have done, and even more! Then, as we release them to their adult lives, they marry, have children, and develop personal passion to inspire others.
Changing the world isn’t as difficult as we sometimes think. Parents and Christian leaders have incredible power – for good or for evil – to influence the people in their circle of care. The difficulty is that many of us are not consistently living this simple process. Too many people are not willing to invest in Timothy, or they do so with the wrong motives. Broken homes, broken promises, and disillusioned lives are a sad testimony to this fact.
But we can make a difference! No matter what spiritual gift mix you have, and no matter what failures may be a part of your testimony, you can start influencing people – by the way you follow Jesus and the time you spend with them. People today, young people especially, long for meaningful connection with others. They want a mentor who will guide them into growth and purpose. People aren’t just looking for the next exciting revival meeting or church program. Certainly, everyone needs these encounters with God too. But, people are looking for a person – a person to be Paul – to mentor them, to guide them, to show them – by personal example – the way to live.
You can be that person to someone right now! My charge to you is this: Invest in Timothy! There is a Timothy in your life right now. You know who this person is, or who these people are. Don’t fail them! Don’t let them down. Spend time with them and guide them into God’s future.
Invest time and genuine attentiveness in their lives – they will ADMIRE you.
Invest in them until they come to you for advice – they will INQUIRE of you.
Invest in them as a model of the way to live – they will ASPIRE to be like you.
Invest in them until they discover their own values – they will then INSPIRE others.
Raising our children to adulthood has taken Beth and me 31 years. It was time well spent and I have no regrets. I’m glad we made our marriage and family life work, even when it was tough. The kids alone were worth it.
In the verses following 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul writes about a soldier’s difficulties, an athlete’s commitment to rules, a farmer’s work ethic, and his own struggles and sufferings. In our hedonistic, self-serving contemporary culture, duty and obligation are grossly under-valued commodities. But they are essential for making disciples of Jesus, and Paul lived his life this way as an example to others.
Living life as an example to others is worth the investment – yes, even the personal pain – for the reward we receive in the end. That reward is measured, not by what we receive, but by the enrichment that comes to others. Soldiers die for this stuff. Farmers work for this stuff. Parents suffer for this stuff. Jesus gave His life for this stuff. And ministers and missionaries are called to do the same thing. Our rewards are lived vicariously through the people we have influenced for good.
Here’s to the Timothy’s in your life! Go and help them be men and women of God!
Doug
Now we are also enjoying the fruit of our investments – our children and their families. We value every time they come over to hang out, bringing our grandchildren with them. Trevor calls regularly from Thailand just to talk. The love they extend to us fills our souls. Their lives elicit in us almost unspeakable joy.
This joy, in essence, is the fruit of what Paul is talking about in 2 Timothy 2:2: Investing our lives in other people and replicating in them who we are and what we have learned. The rewards – of parenting, of mentoring, of nurturing and relationship building – are guaranteed when we do this work. Our faithfulness to invest in “Timothy” (whether actual or spiritual sons or daughters) is genuine discipleship and is the very soul of Christian work. It also pays the greatest rewards of all human experience.
Paul’s charge to Timothy – “What you have heard from me… commit to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Tim. 2:2) – is perhaps one of the most profound sentences in scripture. In a single, simple statement, Paul defined how the church works – one person modeling knowledge and character to another, with profound consequences.
When we are good parents, our children admire us. As they grow, their admiration deepens and then they begin to inquire of us. As we continue to invest our time and attention into their lives, they embrace what we “teach” them and begin to aspire to be like us – to do what we have done, and even more! Then, as we release them to their adult lives, they marry, have children, and develop personal passion to inspire others.
Changing the world isn’t as difficult as we sometimes think. Parents and Christian leaders have incredible power – for good or for evil – to influence the people in their circle of care. The difficulty is that many of us are not consistently living this simple process. Too many people are not willing to invest in Timothy, or they do so with the wrong motives. Broken homes, broken promises, and disillusioned lives are a sad testimony to this fact.
But we can make a difference! No matter what spiritual gift mix you have, and no matter what failures may be a part of your testimony, you can start influencing people – by the way you follow Jesus and the time you spend with them. People today, young people especially, long for meaningful connection with others. They want a mentor who will guide them into growth and purpose. People aren’t just looking for the next exciting revival meeting or church program. Certainly, everyone needs these encounters with God too. But, people are looking for a person – a person to be Paul – to mentor them, to guide them, to show them – by personal example – the way to live.
You can be that person to someone right now! My charge to you is this: Invest in Timothy! There is a Timothy in your life right now. You know who this person is, or who these people are. Don’t fail them! Don’t let them down. Spend time with them and guide them into God’s future.
Invest time and genuine attentiveness in their lives – they will ADMIRE you.
Invest in them until they come to you for advice – they will INQUIRE of you.
Invest in them as a model of the way to live – they will ASPIRE to be like you.
Invest in them until they discover their own values – they will then INSPIRE others.
Raising our children to adulthood has taken Beth and me 31 years. It was time well spent and I have no regrets. I’m glad we made our marriage and family life work, even when it was tough. The kids alone were worth it.
In the verses following 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul writes about a soldier’s difficulties, an athlete’s commitment to rules, a farmer’s work ethic, and his own struggles and sufferings. In our hedonistic, self-serving contemporary culture, duty and obligation are grossly under-valued commodities. But they are essential for making disciples of Jesus, and Paul lived his life this way as an example to others.
Living life as an example to others is worth the investment – yes, even the personal pain – for the reward we receive in the end. That reward is measured, not by what we receive, but by the enrichment that comes to others. Soldiers die for this stuff. Farmers work for this stuff. Parents suffer for this stuff. Jesus gave His life for this stuff. And ministers and missionaries are called to do the same thing. Our rewards are lived vicariously through the people we have influenced for good.
Here’s to the Timothy’s in your life! Go and help them be men and women of God!
Doug
Friday, January 11, 2008
The Power and Importance of Church Planting
Are you Planting Churches?
The longer I serve in missions the more I am convinced that the single activity toward which all missionary work should lead is – CHURCH PLANTING! One mission leader said it this way: “Missions is church planting. Everything else is ministry.” In other words, missionaries plant churches. The people in those churches do the ongoing ministry in their communities.
Before we go on, let me clarify a few ideas.
Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” This is the one ministry activity Jesus guarantees will be successful!
Jesus commanded us to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” Discipling and teaching happens most effectively in community groups - churches.
Paul planted churches wherever he went, and then through the years wrote letters to those churches with words of instruction and encouragement. From his writing we got much of the New Testament. The New Testament is a record of Jesus’ Great Commission being carried out – and we should follow the example.
The “local church” is a group of believers in Jesus Christ who are in a committed relationship with each other, who gather together regularly to worship, grow and serve each other, and who exist within their local community as a light to the world around them. We all need a group like this for our own needs – the same is true for every person on earth. Everyone needs a “family of God” place to belong and be loved, nurtured, to worship Jesus, and to be challenged to serve others.
The goal of mission, God’s mission, is to get His sent ones to start such assemblies of believers all over the world. Every activity we engage in – whether evangelism, teaching, prophecy, bible schools, radio programs, or humanitarian service – should intentionally and deliberately be engaged in accomplishing this goal.
I don’t think any of us disagree with the goal on principle. The problem we have is with getting our daily activities too truly contribute to this goal. It is easy, in the pressure of ministry demands, to lose sight of the goal and just be busy doing good (but not great) stuff.
So, how to stay on track? Ask yourself:
How do I measure “success” in ministry? Is it by the activity I love or is it by how my work contributes to God’s goal?
How can I improve faithfulness and obedience to God’s command to make disciples?
What could I change to start doing more fruitful work?
We all tend to fall in love with our favorite projects and activities. When that happens, we become vulnerable to reduced effectiveness and, frankly, disobedience to the Great Commission. WE SHOULD NOT BE IN LOVE WITH PROJECTS OR ACTIVITIES! We should be in love with the GOAL – which is helping people become followers of Jesus and planting them into churches where they can grow and take the Gospel to their nation! The projects, activities, methods, programs, and daily schedules we start and maintain should all serve THAT goal and should be regularly evaluated by their effectiveness.
Perhaps one of the most difficult kinds of ministry to apply indigenous church planting principles is in working with the desperately poor. The Bible has much to say about God’s love for the poor and helpless, and much more to say about showing mercy and providing safety and assistance. Sometimes we simply must love through humanitarian aid. However, church history demonstrates that such aid over time quickly erodes into co-dependent, disempowering forms that rob the recipients of their dignity. Therefore, aid program must simultaneously develop ways to empower the poor to take care of themselves and become followers of Jesus within their own communities.
My challenge to you in 2008 is this: Start planting churches!
If you are already planting a church, ask God how you can turn this one over to national leadership and plant another one. Ask God how you could plant 10 more!
If you are not a church planter or pastor, ask God how your spiritual gifts and ministry strengths can join hands with missionary or national church planters so you are contributing directly to this goal. Don’t just “do good in Jesus’ name.” Don’t just win souls to Jesus. Help establish them into permanent churches where believers – new ones and mature ones – can grow and serve!
Think big! If money were no object, how many churches do you think you could help plant in your ministry lifetime? I guarantee you, money is NOT the problem. God has plenty of money to give. The problem is that we must first get focused on the goal, and then think, pray, and work strategically towards it – before we can tap into God’s provision.
When we were in Sri Lanka, after we had planted the first 6-8 churches, we set as our goal to plant 50 churches in the next ten years. We had very little money, but we had a vision. We left before we had reached the goal – we only planted 33. But today over 70 churches, with more than 25,000 congregants, are meeting every Sunday in the hill country. The work continues to grow indigenously!
Here’s to many new churches, planted by Globe missionaries, in 2008!!!
The longer I serve in missions the more I am convinced that the single activity toward which all missionary work should lead is – CHURCH PLANTING! One mission leader said it this way: “Missions is church planting. Everything else is ministry.” In other words, missionaries plant churches. The people in those churches do the ongoing ministry in their communities.
Before we go on, let me clarify a few ideas.
Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.” This is the one ministry activity Jesus guarantees will be successful!
Jesus commanded us to, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” Discipling and teaching happens most effectively in community groups - churches.
Paul planted churches wherever he went, and then through the years wrote letters to those churches with words of instruction and encouragement. From his writing we got much of the New Testament. The New Testament is a record of Jesus’ Great Commission being carried out – and we should follow the example.
The “local church” is a group of believers in Jesus Christ who are in a committed relationship with each other, who gather together regularly to worship, grow and serve each other, and who exist within their local community as a light to the world around them. We all need a group like this for our own needs – the same is true for every person on earth. Everyone needs a “family of God” place to belong and be loved, nurtured, to worship Jesus, and to be challenged to serve others.
The goal of mission, God’s mission, is to get His sent ones to start such assemblies of believers all over the world. Every activity we engage in – whether evangelism, teaching, prophecy, bible schools, radio programs, or humanitarian service – should intentionally and deliberately be engaged in accomplishing this goal.
I don’t think any of us disagree with the goal on principle. The problem we have is with getting our daily activities too truly contribute to this goal. It is easy, in the pressure of ministry demands, to lose sight of the goal and just be busy doing good (but not great) stuff.
So, how to stay on track? Ask yourself:
How do I measure “success” in ministry? Is it by the activity I love or is it by how my work contributes to God’s goal?
How can I improve faithfulness and obedience to God’s command to make disciples?
What could I change to start doing more fruitful work?
We all tend to fall in love with our favorite projects and activities. When that happens, we become vulnerable to reduced effectiveness and, frankly, disobedience to the Great Commission. WE SHOULD NOT BE IN LOVE WITH PROJECTS OR ACTIVITIES! We should be in love with the GOAL – which is helping people become followers of Jesus and planting them into churches where they can grow and take the Gospel to their nation! The projects, activities, methods, programs, and daily schedules we start and maintain should all serve THAT goal and should be regularly evaluated by their effectiveness.
Perhaps one of the most difficult kinds of ministry to apply indigenous church planting principles is in working with the desperately poor. The Bible has much to say about God’s love for the poor and helpless, and much more to say about showing mercy and providing safety and assistance. Sometimes we simply must love through humanitarian aid. However, church history demonstrates that such aid over time quickly erodes into co-dependent, disempowering forms that rob the recipients of their dignity. Therefore, aid program must simultaneously develop ways to empower the poor to take care of themselves and become followers of Jesus within their own communities.
My challenge to you in 2008 is this: Start planting churches!
If you are already planting a church, ask God how you can turn this one over to national leadership and plant another one. Ask God how you could plant 10 more!
If you are not a church planter or pastor, ask God how your spiritual gifts and ministry strengths can join hands with missionary or national church planters so you are contributing directly to this goal. Don’t just “do good in Jesus’ name.” Don’t just win souls to Jesus. Help establish them into permanent churches where believers – new ones and mature ones – can grow and serve!
Think big! If money were no object, how many churches do you think you could help plant in your ministry lifetime? I guarantee you, money is NOT the problem. God has plenty of money to give. The problem is that we must first get focused on the goal, and then think, pray, and work strategically towards it – before we can tap into God’s provision.
When we were in Sri Lanka, after we had planted the first 6-8 churches, we set as our goal to plant 50 churches in the next ten years. We had very little money, but we had a vision. We left before we had reached the goal – we only planted 33. But today over 70 churches, with more than 25,000 congregants, are meeting every Sunday in the hill country. The work continues to grow indigenously!
Here’s to many new churches, planted by Globe missionaries, in 2008!!!
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