Missions should not come first

What is the purpose of this blog? Why do I spend my limited time writing words that only a handful of people will ever read? 

Does it stem from all that I read about the horrible things happening in this world? Does it stem from the thought, the belief, that I can make a difference...that I, through my writing, can somehow cause a reader to take action, to do something about the lost in this world? No. 

The reason I write...Obedience and a desire to see His Glory. 

I want to see God's glory; to see His Kingdom come to this earth; to be a part of what He is doing and to let everyone I can know about it!

I'm not going to change one heart, one mind about the Great Commission and what our involvement should be. Only God can do that. And what is it, ultimately, that will cause our mission focus to grow... 

- An increase in compassion and commitment for the lost in the Christian’s heart?

- An increase in information about the lost and encouragement to share Christ with them?

- Sharing statistics and stories about the plight of the lost without Jesus?

None of these. I believe it only comes through the Holy Spirit intensifying our passion and love for Christ so that His heart’s passion becomes ours as well. Jesus must be first in our hearts, not missions. When He is first, He will “break our hearts for what breaks His” and missions will become an intense passion. 

We must set out hearts towards hope in God. Like Peter, if we look at all the “storms,” the horrible things going on in our world, we will begin to sink in sadness, weariness and despair. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus, when we understand the promises of Scripture and look for His hand in history and our modern times, we will see that the Kingdom of God is advancing and God is calling us to be a part of it.

Compassion for people, for the lost, for the orphan, for the persecuted church, is not what will ultimately compel and motivate us for mission. Only our hope for God’s glory and His kingdom will cause us to endure. 

I have seen this transition of motivation for mission in my own life’s walk with the Lord. When one focuses on all the needs, hurts, and atrocities done to others in the world, the sadness, despair and depressiveness of the situation can be overwhelming. That’s what I did for quite awhile and there were times I was very discouraged by all that I was learning. Our human compassion can only take us so far before burnout sets in. 

But as I grew closer to the Lord, spending time daily with Him in prayer and Bible study, constantly asking Him to make my heart more like His, He began to refocus my thoughts toward Himself rather than on the world. 

I began to realize that the way to call people to mission concern is not to focus entirely on all the bad. They usually know the bad. But they often times have no idea about all the good that God is doing in the world. I began to see that the Bible doesn’t focus on the bad so much as it focuses on God!

For example, when Jesus was born, people in Judea already knew about the bad. The angels gave them “good news of great joy which will be for all the people” (Lk 2:10). Good news from God was the message and it should still be the message today.

 Jesus won the victory on the cross! Our salvation is sure and His Kingdom will not be shaken (Heb. 12:28). We are not fighting the battles on our own. God is fighting the battles and asking us to join Him. 

When we focus on God’s glory and His Kingdom rather than all the horrible problems in the world, we cease to look at missions as our arduous responsibility and instead see it as God’s responsibility and God is more than able! This type of focus, rather than depressing a person and overwhelming them with sorrow, instead strongly encourages them to seize the hope set before them...a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul (Heb. 6:18-19). 

It’s not up to us and our meager efforts. God is inviting us to join with Him in pursuing His purpose in the world. He is the One who sets the agenda, grants the wisdom to proceed and gives the strength to endure. This is God’s world, His battle, His victory. With this type of motivation, “participation in God’s mission is no longer a somber duty. It becomes a joyous privilege and an adventure of passion and hope” (Tim Dearborn). 

Is God colorblind or colorful?

Isabell Ides was 101 years old when she died in June, 2001 (see Ides article). A Makah Indian, a member of a whale-hunting people, she lived in the last house on the last road on the farthest northwest tip of the United States. 

Isabell was known far and wide because she loved and taught Makah culture and language. Hundreds of people learned to weave baskets under her hands. Several generations learned words in their language from her lips. 

Young mothers brought their alder-smoked salmon. After chewing a bit, she could tell whether their wood was too dry. Archaeologists brought her newly excavated 3,000-year-old baskets, and she could identify what the baskets were, how they were made, and how they had been used. "It's like losing a library," an anthropologist said at her funeral. 

Isabell also taught Sunday School at the Assembly of God church on the reservation. She attributed her long life to her Christian faith. 

Did Isabell's basketry matter to God, as well as her Sunday school teaching? How important was her ethnic heritage in the Kingdom's big picture?

These questions get at the heart of what culture is and whether or not it is an important part of the Kingdom of God. While on earth, we live in distinct cultures with different languages, foods, costumes, dances, songs and achievements. But what about when we get to Heaven? Will everyone be exactly alike? Will all of our cultural qualities, distinctions and achievements be lost or will they be celebrated and showcased?

Revelation 21:24-26 speaks of the Heavenly city saying:

the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it...

The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.

Isaiah 60:11, speaking of the Heavenly city, says: 

Your gates will always stand open, they will never be shut, day or night, 

so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations-- their kings led in triumphal procession.

From these passages it is clear that there will still be some sort of distinction between nations/people groups. Their "splendor," "glory," "honor," and "wealth" is believed to be referring to each nations' cultural achievements that bring glory to God.

Imagine what we will see: people from African tribes, Scottish clans, Chinese dynasties, American towns, South American pueblos, bringing their distinctive songs of praise to the Lord, works of art that glorify Him, dances that give Him praise...all to honor and worship the Lord who made them. Each culture with its unique and beautiful characteristics that shed light on God’s own, multi-dimensional character, will cause Him great delight as He watches the various ways that people express their love and worship of Him!

Our God, the God of creation, has an incredible capacity for variety, beauty and wonder. "Our Creator delights in colors. He generates smells, from onion to rose. He shapes every fresh snowflake. He births billions of unique personalities," (Miriam Adeney). 

But what about the human world? Are we endowed with as much creative variety as the animal world? Yes! While it may not be as apparent in our appearances (we all look pretty similar compared to the variations seen in the animal world) God’s amazing creativity comes through in the culture of each people group. From different languages and dress to different forms of music, dance, writing, inventions, etc., the capacity for variety in culture is truly amazing.

This variety in culture was created by God. It delights Him to see all that man has made; to see the creative capacity of each people group which comes from being created in His image. When this creativity is used to worship God, through music, art, dance, science, inventions, etc., God is glorified and honored.

God put a bit of His incredible character qualities into each people group. Different cultures are known for their different characteristics: Filipinos are family oriented, Koreans industrious, Japanese technically savvy, Mexicans hardworking, African cultures colorful in dance and music...the list goes on and on. Each culture that God created has unique characteristics all its own, characteristics which showcase a creative and loving God. As these cultures use these unique qualities in the worship of God, they are  bringing the “glory and honor” of every people into the heavenly city (Rev 21:26). 

This pleases God immensely. He does not desire that we all worship Him in the same way, just as He did not make an animal world of only giraffes. He loves variety and is truly glorified when that variety is used in the worship of Him.

This appreciation of each culture must be understood and embraced by the Church of today. Sadly, in the past, many Christians have tried to enforce their culture’s way of worshipping God on the people they were sharing the Gospel with. This lack of appreciation for cultural differences resulted in many viewing Christianity as a “Western” religion or a religion of the “white man.” Nothing could be further from the truth! 

I believe that modern technology is helping to change this. With the advent of television, the computer, movies, and widespread access to books, people of today can learn all about the cultures of other people. As they learn about them, God places an appreciation for and love of each culture into His followers’ hearts. 

Thus, when Christians, especially missionaries, encounter new cultures today, they are much more likely to find the good aspects of that culture which can be used to bring worship and honor to God, rather than try to recreate the culture to resemble the personal culture of that missionary. “Mission work can be seen as helping people begin to bring God a measure of the ‘glory and the honor of the nations,” (Miriam Adeney). God is truly a colorful God!

Great online Bible study for kids

As Christians, we desire that our children would begin the practice of spending time with God daily, praying and reading His Word. Last year, our two oldest daughters read portions of the Bible every day. They used the NIV Adventure Bible and the NIV Kids Study Bible.

This year I have found a great, online Bible study program for children. It is called Explorers Bible Study and you can find it here. Once you sign up for it, you will receive a weekly email with download instructions for the Bible studies. There is one for preschool, young elementary, older elementary, teen and adult. There are five days of work per week and each day has Scripture to read, verse to memorize and questions to answer. I highly recommend it!

Why the Jews?

As a Christian, I've often wondered "why the Jews?" What made them so special that they were called God's chosen people? Are not all people chosen by and loved by God? What did they do to deserve this distinction?

It has only been recently that I have begun to recognize that they really didn't do anything to be called God's chosen people. God did the choosing...not them. God spoke to Abraham first. And God chose them for a very specific purpose. To illustrate this, I would like to share the words of Ralph Winter:

"We were created to glorify God and to worship and love Him forever. The first man and woman did this for an unspecified length of time. But, given the gift of a perfectly free will, they chose to know evil and thus caused a curse to fall on all creation.

From that point on, tremendous evil flooded humanity (murder, worship of stars and created things, etc.) to the point that God, looking at all He had made, was grieved and filled with pain (Gen 6:6). Noah, alone, was fulfilling his purpose and found favor with God. He became the forefather of the human race.  

After the flood, men again chose to worship themselves and created things which culminated in the building of the Tower of Babel. God intervened, once again, and scattered them, forming the different nations at this time. One man, Abraham, was singled out and called by God. 

Abraham obeyed and he was blessed by God in the covenant promises of Genesis 12:2-3. 

        "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 peoples on earth will be blessed through you."

This intervention by God highlights His desire to draw men back to Himself. It is “the grace of God intervening in a ‘world which lies in the power of the Evil One’ (1 Jn 5:19), contesting an enemy who temporarily is ‘the god of this world’ (2 Cor 4:4) so that the nations will praise God’s name.” 

It is at this point that God has been showing me something...this covenant promise to Abraham was not just for him and his children but for every nation “and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:3). God was intervening and calling Abraham out from the rest of the nations, not just to bless Abraham and his descendants alone, but to extend His blessing, through Abraham and the Jewish nation, to all nations. 

God was never strictly for the Jews. Instead, following Genesis 12, God gradually and indirectly draws people from other nations to Himself through His miraculous interventions on Israel’s behalf and through His show of power to bring them the promises of the covenant (land, children, His presence). In the process, some people of other nations (Rahab, Ninevah, Egyptians, Ruth, ...) are drawn to Him as well.                                                                                                          

Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, God is seen countering Satan’s evil reign with His presence, blessings and intervention on behalf of Israel, for the nations. Israel is given the primary blessing but they are then expected to give that blessing to the nations around them. 

When Israel stopped sharing God with the nations around them but instead worshipped the gods of the nations around them, God caused them to be scattered in the diaspora. This scattering of the Hebrews resulted in their living in various nations, thus bringing to these nations the message of one, sovereign God, a message foreign to the polytheistic cultures around them.                    

This counter-attack to Satan’s kingdom on earth culminated in the birth of Jesus Christ. The arrival of God, in human flesh, his life among people, his atoning death and triumphant resurrection resulted in victory for God and for the human race. Jesus was the ultimate blessing to the nations. It is through belief in Him that all nations can be grafted into Abraham’s family tree and thus receive the free gift of salvation.                                                                        

As believers in Christ witnessed His return to Heaven, Jesus assured them of the blessing of His continued presence with them through the Holy Spirit, but He also charged them with a responsibility that went along with the blessing. Like the Hebrews, they were blessed to be a blessing to all nations. 

In the “Great Commission” they, and all Christians since them, are directed to go into all the world, past Jerusalem, Judea, Syria and even the Roman Empire and preach the good news of Jesus to everyone. And for each person that receives Christ as Savior, Satan loses a bit of ground.                                                                                                                    

Thus, God's singling out of the Jewish nation as His chosen people was not only for Abraham and his blood descendants, but for all of us and for the nations. The same holds true today for those nations, like America, Korea, England and others, who have been greatly blessed by God both in prosperity but more importantly, in Christian growth. 

We are blessed, not so that we can keep it to ourselves, enjoying our prosperity and blessings from God, but failing to bring those blessings to the nations of the earth.  No, we are blessed to be a blessing. We are to take the Gospel to the far corners of the world..to spread the fragrance of the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 2:14). We have been grafted into God's chosen people, not because of anything we have done to earn this but because He has chosen us to be a blessing to others. May we not keep Jesus to ourselves but share Him with the world. 

In the words of famous Olympian and Christian missionary to China, Eric Liddel: "Christ for the world; for the world needs Christ."

The least of these

"Imagine, for a moment, the plight of an orphan somewhere out there (there are more than 

143 million in the world today...143,000,000!). With every passing year, she will become less "cute," thus less adoptable. In a few years, on her eighteenth birthday (or thirteenth if she lives in China), she will be expelled from the system. She might join the military or find job training. Maybe she'll stare at a tile on the ceiling above her as her body is violated—alone or before a camera crew of strangers—by a man who's willing to pay enough for her to eat for one day. Maybe she'll place a revolver in her mouth or tie a rope around her neck, knowing no one will notice except the ones who have to clean up afterward. This story could just as well describe a boy who is orphaned. Can you feel the desperation of what it means to be an orphan? Jesus can. Orphans are his little sisters and brothers. He hears them.

In saying that orphan care is missional, I do not mean that every Christian is called to adopt or foster a child. But every Christian is called to care for orphans. As with every aspect of Christ's mission, a diversity of gifts abounds. Some have room at their table and in their hearts for another stocking on the mantle by this coming Christmas. Others are gifted financially to help families who would like to adopt but cannot figure out how to make ends meet. Others can babysit while families with children make their court dates and complete home-study papers.

Still others can lead mission trips to rock and hug and sing to orphans who may never be adopted. Pastors can simply ask whether anyone in their congregation might be called to adopt or foster parent, or to empower someone who is. And all of us can pray—specifically and urgently—for orphans the world over." Christianity Today

You see, the girl described above could have been my daughter Grace. We adopted Grace when she was 10 1/2 months old from one of the thousands of orphanages in China. God led us to adopt her just as surely as He allowed our other children to be conceived in my womb. He chose Grace for our family from the beginning of time, but what if we hadn't listened to His call? What if we had longed and desired for a baby born to us instead or thought it was too expensive or figured someone else would adopt them? 

Our precious daughter Grace would not be a part of our family. I would not have gotten to spend the last eight years of my life with one of my best friends. I would not have experienced the moment at our breakfast table, when she was four, when she invited Jesus to live in her heart or have read her many heartfelt letters to Jesus, since then, or witnessed the love she showers on her siblings and her parents. You see, Grace has just as much potential in her little life to do great things for God, to touch the lives of countless people with the love of Christ, as our other children have. 

And no...we did not save her...no, she should never feel that she needs to be somehow grateful (above and beyond the normal gratitude any child should feel for their parents' care of them). It is Jeff and I who are grateful. Grateful to God that we listened when He called us to adoption. Grateful to God that we have been given the privilege of sharing our lives with this precious little girl. Grateful to God that through Grace, God began breaking our hearts for the "least of these." 

Adoption is God's heart for us. We are all adopted into His family...see Romans 8:23, 9:4. Numerous times in His Word God tells us to take care of the orphans (Deut. 10:18, 14:29, 16:11, 24:17, 24:19, 27:19; Job 29:12; Ps. 10:14, 68:5, 146:9; Isa. 1:17; Jer. 22:3; Zech. 7:10).

So, do we pray for, support and perhaps take in the orphan out of guilt or condemnation? No. We care about them because in "What you do for the least of these, you do for Me," Matt. 25:45. Jesus asks us, time and again, to care for the orphans. As we step out in obedience, we not only care for them, we are caring for our precious Jesus. And I promise you, from very personal experience, there is great reward! I only have to look into the eyes of my precious daughter Grace to see that truth! 

I saw the face of Jesus in a little orphan girl

She was standing in the corner on the other side of the world

And I heard the voice of Jesus gently whisper to my heart

Didn't you say you wanted to find me?

Well, here I am, here you are

So, What now?

What will you do now that you found Me?

What now?

What will you do with this treasure you've found?

I know I may not look like what you expected

But if you'll remember this is right where I said I would be

You've found me

What now?

Lyrics from Steven Curtis Chapman's song "What Now?"

A Pastor's Life

This email came to me yesterday from my Voice of the Martyrs contact (I am a trained speaker for VoM). I wanted to share it, not to shock you but to 1) encourage you as you read about those who are suffering for their faith yet standing strong to the end and 2) move you to remember them in your prayers...PRAYER is the number one request of the persecuted church.

In chapel today (at VoM headquarters), the director of Pastor Support Program (PSP) spoke.  Here are some of the facts he gave us that you may want to share with your team:

We have PSP in 21 countries.  As of today, VOM sponsors 4,325 pastors.  The people only receive what their donors send them.  So if a donor misses giving for a month, the pastor will not get that month’s support.  They are given $33/month.  The goal is not to support them fully, but to help free time for them to minister.  Many of these are farmers, or the poorest in their country. 

Our PSP director visits to see if they’re getting all their donation.  The people we support are either:  pastors, teachers, evangelists, or indigenous missionaries.  When asking them what their greatest need is, they respond “Prayer.”  

Some of the countries involved and the number supported are presently:

1.       Vietnam (country with largest number of pastors supported) – 890

2.       China (2nd largest amount) – 727

3.       Algeria – new country

4.       Bangladesh – 18

5.       Burma (new) - 18

6.       Colombia – 168

7.       Cuba – 306

8.       Egypt - 77

9.       Ethiopia (new) – 20

10.   Hmong

11.   India (new) – 35

12.   Indonesia – 359

13.   Laos – 234

14.   Nepal – 264

15.   Nigeria – 524

16.   Pakistan – 287.  Country run by Islam.  Christians bottom of the “food chain.”

17.   Philippines – 20

18.   Sudan – 250.  Pray for difficulties for the work.

19.   Uzbekistan - 19

Here are some stories shared:

Fang of China reaches out to 1,000 house churches.  He does this by means of a motorcycle.

In Colombia, the rebels control the movement in and out of a country.  The rebels often only allow 10 in a church.  In one situation where a woman was pregnant, when she had her baby, the rebels came and shot one of the adults.  The rebel’s comment – “I said 10.”  Rebels take children 10 years old and indoctrinate them.  When a rebel went to slit a man’s throat, he put the boy’s hand on the knife while he did it. The Colombian Christians love Jesus with all their heart.  Farid, a pastor, got a threatening letter.  He said, “ If they kill me, it’s OK.  As long as I can, I will lead people to Christ.”  

When Gaber of Egypt was asked what he’d like us to pray for, he said, “That I could know my family.”  He had often gone away over the past 25 years, to minister, doing what Jesus called him to do - sharing the gospel, and missed that he hadn’t spent more time with his family.  Wahyeb of Egypt led and discipled 42 Muslims to Christ, then provided a safe house for them.  Police took him and hung him by one leg by a rope for 6 hours.  When asked his prayer need, he said, “Pray I can find the love to forgive my captors.”

Amkha of Laos only has one arm and his wife takes him around on a bicycle to minister.  When asked what he’d like us to pray for, he said, “Paper, pencil, and books, so I can teach.”  Khamphey of Laos, when asked what his greatest need was, said, “I’d like transportation (to get out to the churches).  But if not, I’d like a pair of shoes.”

I was touched by their stories. They are living Christianity on the frontline! The battle with the enemy is incredibly intense. We must pray for them and remember them! 

Tell me the stories of Jesus

"Tell me the stories of Jesus, I want to hear

Things I would ask Him to tell me, if He were near..."

This is the plea of hearts, all over the world, longing to know the One who loves them, who died for them and who desires to live with them forever in Heaven.

But what if these people live

• where there is resistance to the gospel,
• where there is no written language, no alphabet, no books or Bible, no Jesus Film,
• where there is, at the most, a small church, few if any believers, and fewer missionaries?

This describes many parts of the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.  But there is hope! That hope is something called "storying."

The following true account is taken from Background Mission Partners

I have a believer friend who lives in a country closed to Christianity.  His village is in a remote area.  The nearest well with somewhat drinkable water is 3 km away.  Goats wander around his village freely.  On the roofs of the mud houses are drying piles of dung to be used for cooking fuel.  In the evenings, people gather in doorways and by mud walls in clusters.  The connection they have with each others’ families comes from centuries of being in a survival community.

Khalim is the only Christian known among his people.  As Khalim has tea with people in his village, he says “Let me share a story with you…” and tells a three minute story from the Bible in their own language.  When he’s done, the men sit around talking about it, eating some bread and nuts and drinking tea, shooing the goats away from the small gardens.  Friends come and go in the discussion which might last for ten minutes or an hour. 

The next evening, he shares another story.  A few days later, another…

What is happening? 

• People are getting into God’s word and God’s word is getting into people in a place that has never had the Bible talked about before.
• They are talking about it freely, exploring it in community.
• This is happening very naturally in environments that are safe and comfortable.
• People aren’t extracted from their communities and labeled “infidels” as they are on their spiritual journey.
• Because it’s natural in style and not threatening, people are taking these stories home where they are sharing with their families and friends in other villages.
• While this is happening, credibility for God’s Word is being built.  Stories from God’s Holy Book aren’t seen as a tool of the “western corrupted church”.
• Khalim and his neighbors aren’t in trouble with the local religious authorities.  They don’t have a print copy of the Bible in their possession and they aren’t doing anything illegal.  They are simply talking over tea. 

It’s a way of getting people into God’s Word and God’s Word into people with the fewest obstacles possible.

Several months after Khalim began sharing stories, he was on a ridge at night watching the sheep of a friend.  As they sat on top of the ridge, his friend sat quietly looking up at the stars.  “Khalim. . . I think I believe in this Jesus that you keep telling stories about.  Tell me more . . . ”

Throughout history, the most enduring form of communication has been stories. Think about it. What do you do when you get with friends or family? Tell stories. What part of a talk or sermon does an audience wake up for? Stories. What do kids want before going to bed? A story.

Today, the majority of the world’s unreached people groups are made up of oral preference learners.  Many of these groups don’t have an alphabet in their native language.  And even if they do, they prefer to learn by oral or narrative means.  They communicate their history, civics, laws, and religion through stories, parables, songs, and drama.

These people need to be approached in a non-Western way. They need to hear the story of Jesus in a style that they are familiar with. Thus, telling stories is one way that missionaries are bringing the Good News of Jesus to those who have never heard the Gospel.

There are many agencies that are involved in this method of sharing Christ. Some of them include:

Background Mission Partners

One Story Partnership

Scriptures in Use

Story Runners

Campus Crusade for Christ

Faith Comes by Hearing

International Mission Board