Five Permissions Missionaries Need  by  Michele Phoenix

You may have read my most recent article, “Six Permissions Most MKs Need.” This is a companion piece, one that recognizes the different needs of adults in ministry.

Extending these permissions might reduce the pressure that becomes toxic to missionaries. Sometimes that pressure is self-inflicted – derived from the unachievable standards they levy on themselves. And sometimes it’s imposed by supporters and churches who mean well, but fail to measure the human toll of a life in ministry.

So the onus of responsibility is twofold: on the missionaries who self-blame and self-shame and on the networks that back them, sometimes piling unreasonable expectations on people who work in circumstances they can’t fully fathom.

Permission To Be Confused:

We’ve sent out five hundred letters and our support still isn’t there. We’ve been praying for a coworker for years and no one has come forward to join us. We’ve thrown everything we have at it and the ministry still isn’t growing.

The truth is seldom stated so bluntly. Missionaries will often couch it in more palatable statements like “We’re trusting God’s timing” and “His ways are higher than our ways.” We want missionaries to display unflagging faith and confidence in difficult situations, and they try to live up to that standard.

But here’s the truth: it’s okay (it’s healthy!) for missionaries to get frustrated. It’s okay for them to question. It’s okay for them to wonder if they got the “memo” wrong. It’s okay for them to feel let down by the One who called them and not understand what His purpose is in the challenges they’re facing.

It’s okay for missionaries to be confused. But it requires that their doubts be accepted and that their vulnerability be honored. Because they’re in ministry, there’s a tendency to expect hyper-spirituality from them – the ability to reframe let-downs and failures as positives in God’s Kingdom. That’s not always possible when they’ve invested everything – funds, families, futures – in an endeavor that seems doomed.

If you want to support your missionaries, be affirming. Pray for miracles and have faith when theirs wanes. But also acknowledge the emotional toll of disappointment and the spiritual confusion it can cause. Give missionaries permission to question and feel defeated, if only for a time. It isn’t weakness – it’s a natural response to unmet expectations and to what feels like broken promises.

And if it doesn’t work out? If their prayers go unanswered and they’ve done all they can? Read Permission #5: Permission to Quit.

Permission To Be Flawed


Here’s a newsflash: missionaries aren’t perfect. Some of us struggle to get organized. Some of us battle temptation, carry the burden of depression, have trouble setting boundaries or suffer from anxiety. Some of us lie, gossip, overeat, misrepresent or exaggerate.

The missionaries you see standing at that mic on Sunday mornings have chosen a life that may be different from yours, but they’re just as human, just as frail and just as fallible as anyone else.

Unfortunately, there have generally been only two options available to missionaries facing challenges: to be released from service by their sending agency or to keep their struggles private. No middle ground. This simplistic response has either caused shame (for those who leave) or hypocrisy (for those who remain silent).

In order for missionaries to feel safe revealing their flaws, we need to institute systems that will help them to work through their challenges without the all-or-nothing threat that has inhibited disclosure.

It’s a messy proposal, one that would require time and personnel many missions don’t have – following overseas workers personally and intimately, allowing for honest, bared-soul reporting in a safe context. It would also require intervention specific to the nature and severity of the struggle, not the “buck up and be quiet” or “buckle and leave” that has been the unspoken mandate for flawed missionaries until now.

The result has been ministries severed by premature departures or ministries stunted by the toll of non-disclosure. Imagine how Permission To Be Flawed (from friends, churches, mission boards and colleagues) and strategies/personnel in place to address the problems when they occur might change the experience and reporting of struggling missionaries.

Permission To Rest

For some missionaries, the 24/7 nature of ministry can take a personal and relational toll. In some cases, it becomes physical too – when the body can no longer sustain the strain of an all-encompassing, all-demanding work.

I need to add a caveat here: not all missionaries are engaged in such a strenuous lifestyle. Some have clearly delineated work hours in the day and periods of rest woven into their calendar year. It’s for the others that I make this point – those who are “on call” days, nights and weekends, trying to keep their heads above water in a whirlpool of things to do, goals to accomplish, needs to meet and people to save. The pace can be relentless.

The problem, when missionaries report periods of rest, is that it often comes without context. Because they try so hard to sound positive about the work they’re doing, you won’t hear the fatigue, discouragement or urgency in their communication. Yet for families like one I met in Kathmandu, traveling out of town for one weekend a month is the only way for the doctor-husband to get beyond the reach of constant medical emergencies, for the children to breathe unpolluted air and for the wife to have uninterrupted time to meaningfully connect with her husband.

To Western eyes, that family heading off to a resort every few weeks seems a bit extravagant – though I assure you that Nepali resorts are not Club Med! But the days away are life-giving, allowing the family to stay several years in a place others leave after just months.

Taking a Sunday afternoon nap, doing coffee with a friend or snuggling in with the family for a movie night shouldn’t be guilt-inducing, yet too often it is.

Missionaries may be doing God’s work, but they’re doing it in human bodies. If Jesus needed to get away during his time on earth (and He was God), surely we can grant permission to those who work in His name today to find appropriate respite from the rigors of their ministry.

Rest isn’t a luxury. It’s a God-mandated necessity.

Permission To Spend

In an article titled Guiltitude, I made the following statement: “We like our missionaries to look deprived and to live without. It adds a certain nobility to the minister’s status and to the giver’s sacrifice.”

We honor self-sacrifice and deem it a cornerstone of missionary endeavors. And indeed it is. Leaving loved ones. Choosing a non-traditional life in another culture. Abandoning dreams of financial prosperity for the rewards of evangelization.

Missionaries sacrifice willingly. And sometimes, out of a misplaced effort to be good stewards of donations, they sacrifice too much. The single girl whose furniture is stacked apple crates – because she doesn’t think churches are giving so she can buy a dresser. The family that spends two hours just getting to and from the grocery store on public transportation – because supporters are contributing to ministry, not to the purchase of a car. The couple that refuses the outrageously low offer of a home they can buy (cutting expenses by hundreds of dollars per month) because they fear the reaction of donors who can’t afford to do the same.

I call it “misallocation of emotional energy.” Living precariously, making life more complicated than it needs to be, forces missionaries to invest their finite supply of emotional energy in coping with unnecessary duress.

Attrition numbers on the mission field are rising. In many of the interactions I’ve had with singles and families who have left their work, there’s been a common thread of just not being “able to handle it anymore” – people who have given it all up, even small material comforts, in an effort to prove full devotion through extreme deprivation. And they can’t sustain the effort long-term.

I’m not advocating for reckless spending or luxurious living. I’m advocating for supporters who understand that they’re funding the whole person, and that his/her quality of life will be a crucial factor in the longevity of the ministry.

For some, quality of life is hampered by intolerable heat and will be enhanced by an air-conditioner (horrors!). Others will be fine with the heat, but need to have WiFi at home to communicate with family and help their kids with schooling. Others will benefit hugely from investing in a generator so life doesn’t stop when the brown-out rolls through.

If there is a way to remedy a debilitating “lack,” however trivial it may seem, so the missionary can focus on more important things, isn’t it healthy for him/her to do so?

Even when given permission to spend, missionaries will need to grant themselves the license to identify what is causing a misallocation of emotional energy and find ways to reduce the stress it’s causing.

Permission To Quit

Guess what? “The Call” can be seasonal. When the strong impulse to enter full-time ministry propels singles and couples through the tedious steps of vision-sharing, fundraising, pre-field training, packing, goodbyeing and transitioning, we’d like to think that it’s a lifelong commissioning. Surely they didn’t go through all that for just a short time overseas!

In some cases it is indeed a lifelong thing. In others, it’s a temporary Call. For those who head overseas with a short-term perspective, returning permanently to their passport culture is a predictable and acceptable end. But for those who set out for what they think will be a long-term investment in Kingdom Work, an unexpected end feels like defeat. It’s all the more egregious if the end comes because of conflict or personal issues. Or loss of funding, which can feel like donor abandonment.

There is an acute feeling of shame that accompanies such departures – and often a lack of full reporting in order to protect one’s dignity or self-respect. Missionaries who leave because of painful circumstances feel they’ll be judged as uncommitted or too weak to sustain the demands of ministry. So they seldom describe the grievous details, making it difficult for those who care to truly support them.

There are departures from the field that happen for more “honorable” reasons: elderly parents who require assistance, educational needs of children, health challenges. All valid. All noble. But for the missionary who entered ministry feeling a life-long vocation and for the partners who sent him/her off with decades of service in mind, it can feel like an aborted Call.

Missionaries need to be given “permission to quit” when their goal has been reached, when their relatives need help, when interpersonal rifts inhibit ministry and when the health of the missionary family would be better served elsewhere. Or just when they sense the time has come to leave. The same God who directed them into ministry might not have intended for them to stay with it forever.

If you’ve known missionaries who have overstayed their appointment, you know that a timely departure is often better (for all involved) than a protracted lingering.

Churches need to see God as big enough to use even a shortened, altered or unachieved Call. And they need to respect the fact that the One who called missionaries out is just as capable of calling them back. Missionaries whose abbreviated terms feel like failures or broken promises will benefit from a theology of calling that acknowledges roadblocks, trials and changes as a means for God to redirect them into something equally as valid, even if it has nothing to do with traditional ministry.

If churches and supporters want to encourage missionaries to live in these permissions, they’ll need to exhibit a culture of personal interest, non-judgmental inquisitiveness and generous understanding. Ask questions that show sincere concern and caring, acknowledging the flaws of humanness and the stresses of ministry. Validate the person, exercise compassionate discernment and help him/her to find a way forward.

For missionaries to give themselves permission to be confused and flawed, to rest, to spend and to quit, a shift in priorities will have to occur, one in which their health – physical, spiritual, emotional and relational – is just as valued as the work they do, regardless of the pressure to put themselves (and their families) last.

See companion articles on Michéle’s website here

One of our AN couples based in India is asking for 50,000 people to pray for the Padhar of India near where they live.  This is the group they are going to visit and reach.  There are a few believers but not yet a people movement to Christ.  Please pray.

To read more please click here

There is great brokenness in Africa, but there is also great beauty. I see beauty in the hospitality of African peoples.

There’s beauty in the smile of African people. And there is great beauty in the music  –  no one can sing like Africans!!

There’s beauty in the spirituality of Africa… Even though that spirituality has often been hijacked and misguided by the enemy into ancestor worship and spiritism.

There’s beauty in the courage of Africans. All throughout the continent of Africa you will find bold African evangelists proclaiming the Gospel. The church is growing faster in sub-Saharan Africa than any other continent in the world!

Though there is beauty in Africa, there is also brokenness in, and it breaks the heart of God:  we see the brokenness in the wars, preventable diseases, AIDS, famine, corruption and suffering children.

When I pray for Africa, hope fills my heart for the continent. But when I read the reports of problems I start to lose hope. So I know the answer for me… I need to be more impressed with God than I am with circumstances and newspaper reports. And I need to keep praying for Africa.

Isn’t that true for all of us? Don’t we all need to continually be more impressed with God’s greatness than with human problems?

The church in Africa is the hope of Africa. And spiritual leaders are the hope of the church.

Sally and I feel called to give the rest of our lives to invest in the leaders and the church in Africa. Why? Because the church is the hope of Africa.

Every African leader needs friends who believe in them  –  and who will invest in their lives through friendship and discipleship.

August 2015 – Selah

I became friends with Larry Bresnan my senior year in high school. Larry went to a Fellowship for Christian Athletes camp after graduation and gave his life to Jesus. Larry found peace with God, started reading the Bible, and continually told me “Jesus is alive.” Even though Larry seemed to be on a radical Christian trip, his peace and persistence impressed me. If Jesus was alive, I wanted to get to know Him as well. In January of 1970, I followed Larry’s advice and asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Larry moved to Oregon, where he got married and had four children.
Twelve years later, I heard Larry had colon cancer. My friends Billy Stockton and Mike Griffiths joined me in fasting for three days asking God to heal Larry. We drove to Oregon to pray for him. I was heartbroken when he died several months later. I have always been thankful for his influence in my life, which continues to this day. I had a dream about Larry last month.
In my dream, I saw Larry with his curly brown hair, a bushy beard, and a big smile on his face. As I moved nearer to him, his face grew dark. I heard a voice say, “You cannot see his face.”
“It doesn’t matter, I know what he looks like,” I replied. I kept moving closer to Larry because I was so glad to see my friend once again.
Then a voice said, “I have a message for you.” At that moment, I realized it was the Lord speaking to me. He gave me a one-word message, “Selah.”
I woke up after the dream just after midnight. I thought about the Lord’s message for a while, and then got up and opened my Bible to read Psalm 24. Selah is a Hebrew word used many times in the Psalms. It is used after particularly meaty phrases. Its primary meaning is pause. Pause, think about what this means, wait a moment, and let this truth sink in before going further.
The editors of the new NIV Bible have removed Selah from their translation. That is unfortunate, because we need Selah now more than ever. It is a simple concept which can help us grasp truth.
A nap is a Selah in your day.
A Sabbath day is a Selah in your week.
A vacation is a Selah in your year.
A Sabbatical is a Selah in your career.
Selah helps seeds of truth take root in our hearts when we read the scriptures. Selah can help restore our soul when we are on vacation. Selah can help us understand our spouse in a discussion. Selah can prevent us from saying something we regret in an argument. Selah can help restrain us when we are angry, and restore us when we are tired. Selah is what a golf pro told me to do at the top of my backswing. Selah is what Jesus said to me through Larry in my dream.
I lay awake on my bed thinking about Larry alive with Jesus. I felt like I had seen him for the first time since he died. Then I thought about our son Matthew, and others I love who are alive with Jesus. I asked the Lord to forgive me for ever doubting the reality of heaven. My heart has been broken, and my heart has been healed, because Jesus is alive. Jesus said, “Because you have seen me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Jn. 20:29).
Christ is going to raise us all from the dead, so there is no reason to worry, or hurry. We all have battles, and we all have pain in life; Selah can help us appreciate our blessings as well. Psalm 24:7 says, Lift up your heads you gates; be lifted up you ancient doors, that the King of Glory may come in. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Selah.

If you would like to read more of Mark’s reflections, click here

The goal of processing grief is not to understand the reasons for loss, but to receive God’s comfort in the midst of loss. Four responses to loss that will circumvent the comfort God wants to provide:

1. Blame it on the devil – over spiritualize the loss
2. Look for sin in the camp – try to find whose fault it is.
3. Rationalize it – a head-level response.
4. Ignore it and pretend it didn’t happen – a form of denial.

As leaders, we have the privilege of guiding people to grieve their losses well. A wise leader creates space for their followers to ‘pay attention’.

Four steps for healthy grieving:

1. Pay attention to your heart, acknowledging the pain, loss, anger, and sadness.
2. Don’t rush the time between sorrow and healing.
3. Use the Psalms to give a biblical language to your grieving.
4. Allow (when ready) the old to give birth to the new.

As I have grown older, I have learned to pay attention to my heart and to process my grief with God honestly. I have learned not to hide from my losses.

I have learned the hard way that past losses can negatively impact present relationships if not dealt with before God and with others.”

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In my book Leading Like Jesus, I go through a Biblical approach to dealing with conflict. Here is a short portion of that chapter…

“It is hard to accept a conflict as unresolvable, but once we prayerfully come to that realization, it allows us to work through our part of it without unnecessary guilt or pressure. Paul and Barnabas never fully resolved their conflict over John Mark. The Bible does not justify the conflict; neither does it condemn either Paul or Barnabas.

How should we respond to a seemingly unresolvable conflict?

1. Be secure in yourself. Jesus maintained a peaceful demeanor. When you are in turmoil, go back to God.
2. Don’t react emotionally. Stay prayerful and practice the fruit of the Spirit. If you go on the warpath to attack others or defend yourself, no good will come of it.
3. When you do respond, be concise and straightforward. Don’t offer explanations – you don’t owe them to people accusing you in the wrong spirit.
4. Don’t draw attention to yourself. You are not the issue, even though others may target you or attack you. It may be an issue of incompatible vision or incongruent values, but don’t make yourself the issue.
5. If given the opportunity, and you feel a release to do so, describe the issue clearly as you understand it. But only do this because you are led to speak about the topic calmly and in a respectful manner.
6. Ask for a decision or response. It is not wrong to set a time frame for dealing with the issue. To drag it out may lead to an ongoing, unhealthy debate. Ask God to bring it to a head so everyone can move on with their lives.
7. Ask people outside the situation to provide objective feedback. When faced with a conflict, I sought out unbiased, respected leaders to help me objectively assess myself and my responses. They offered affirmation, as well as feedback on my attitudes and actions. I also asked a trusted advisor to fly in and spend the day doing an “emotional and spiritual audit” on my heart. He asked very probing questions that I spent months reflecting on.
8. Trust God to defend you. God may test you and allow you to be falsely accused, but someday the truth will come out. Keep your eyes on the Lord and be more concerned with what God thinks of you than what people think or say.
9. Make up your mind to speak well of others. It is true – what we sow, we reap. This is not only true of sinful actions and words, but it is also true if we speak well of others we disagree with.
10. Take time for your heart to be healed before you move into the next season. If you don’t, you might carry with you unresolved pain and bitterness towards others. This doesn’t have to mean waiting years for God to heal your heart. It could be as simple as winning the battle of forgiveness and laying down your rights – no matter how painful it my be – then moving on.”

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“The source of Jesus’ authority can be the source of your authority as well. He spoke with authority because:

• He knew the Scriptures
• He listened to the Father and obeyed Him
• He did not use power over people
• He embodied His message
• He took years to prepare for His mission
• He resisted the temptations of the enemy
• His ministry to people was a lifestyle – whether in his work as a carpenter or in the season of discipling leaders for a new spiritual movement.

Let’s look at three types of authority exemplified in Jesus’ life.

1. Derived Authority – Jesus’ authority came from His being. Spiritual authority was the sum total of Who Jesus was as a person: His character, wisdom, and the wise and timely exercise of His spiritual gifts.
2. Delegated authority – Jesus was sent on a mission by the Father. Hebrews 3:1 says He was the apostle and high priest of our faith. As an apostle, He was a messenger. He was under authority. No leader can exercise authority if he or she is not under authority.
3. Distributed Authority – Jesus did not keep His authority to Himself. He shared it with those He discipled. Jesus said, “As the Father sent me, so I send you,” (John 20:21), and He “gave to His disciples authority…” (Luke 9:1 and Matt.10:1). If we give away authority, we gain authority. If we try to keep it all to ourselves, we lose our authority.

Jesus said, “There are rulers who lord over people…they try to exercise authority over people…” (Matt.20:25 paraphrase) Those who think in terms of being “over” people, miss the truth of what Jesus taught in these verses. Leaders should not aim to be over those they lead, but for them. If you serve people, you influence them, and if you influence them, you have authority in their lives. Authority is not taken from people, it is offered to people.”

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“God does not initiate every human situation that tests us, but he uses them all.

A leadership test is a crisis, big or small, that God uses to teach us to depend more deeply on Him. Testing is one of the least understood aspects of God’s ways. We often ignore God’s testing in our lives, to our great detriment.

God-orchestrated tests in leaders’ lives usually produce one or two results: drawing them closer to God, or pushing them further from God. That is a choice we must make for ourselves – God will not force us to trust Him.

Below are the components of unique tests we go through as individuals and the common tests most leaders go through at some point.

Components of God-appointed Tests:

• Difficult Circumstances (or a crisis) – If it wasn’t difficult, it wouldn’t be a test.
• Desired Response – God wants us to seek Him
• Delight – God delights in our growth as we develop deeper dependence on Him. This is the reward He gives us for passing the test.

Common Tests for Leaders:

• Rejection – Dismissal by friends, family, or trusted co-workers
• Isolation – A wilderness time of loneliness or confusion
• God’s Silence – When God does not speak
• Integrity – To be true to our convictions no matter how hard
• Hearing God’s Voice – Knowing it is God speaking
• Obedience – Doing what God says, no matter the cost.
• Laying Down our Rights – Not insisting on having our way
• Word Test – Obeying God’s direction to us
• Faith Test – Believing God in spite of overwhelming odds

All leaders are tested and we will do well to recognize the test and its importance for our development as wise and faithful leaders.”

“Living in a small Holland village, I remember walking down a long hallway in the training center I led. It was very early in the morning so I had the building all to myself for prayer and meditation. As I paced up and down the hallway, I noticed a candy wrapper thrown carelessly on the floor. I thought to myself, “I must say something to the students about being so thoughtless.” Back and forth I walked, repeatedly passing the wrapper. Praying. Seeking God. Annoyed with the students. Then I heard a still small voice: “You pick up the candy wrapper.” I protested, “But if I start using my quiet times in the mornings to pick up candy wrappers, where will it end?”

Through the hallway window, I could see a few other randomly scattered bits and pieces of paper around the campus. I pictured myself marching from one end of the campus to the other, using my precious time to pick up scraps of paper all day. But the voice persisted, “You pick it up and don’t lecture the students about it. Just do it and carry on.”

And so I learned ‘The Lesson Of The Candy Wrapper’. Just do it. Don’t call attention to yourself. Don’t consider any task too lowly for you to do. Don’t fancy yourself too busy to pick up candy wrappers.”

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“Don’t let desperation for help drive your team building! Jesus chose team members prudently.

Effective leaders have a clearly defined set of qualifications for team members.

Team Selection Guidelines:

1. Courtesy – Do they know how to respect other team members? Are they collaborative in their approach to decision making?
2. Chemistry – Do they have good chemistry with you as the team leader and with others on the team? Are they likeable? Can they have a good time with those they work with?
3. Competence – Do they have the skills necessary to add strength to the team?
4. Character – Do they display servant leadership qualities? Do they show integrity? Are they reliable and do they keep promises?
5. Core Values – Are their core values aligned with those of the rest of the team?
6. Courage – are they willing to take risks? Do they exercise faith and take on new challenges when called upon?
7. Capacity – Do they have the emotional capacity for leadership responsibility? Can they handle stress and pressure?
8. Culture   – do they work well with people of other cultures? Are they sensitive and adaptive to different cultural contexts?
9. Calling/Commitment – What are their spiritual gifts? Do their gifts complement the team? Do they have a clear call from God to serve with you?
10. Clear Expectations – Have you discussed your expectations and theirs?

Team building presents many opportunities to learn humility and grow in wisdom. The principle of multiplication goes hand in hand with the principle of selection.  Jesus came to launch a movement. To do that, He needed trustworthy men and women to lead and reproduce the movement.”

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1. God wants it – one should not take lightly an invitation from the Creator of the universe to be with Him
2. We need it – we need the wisdom, forgiveness, power and spiritual food for our soul that only God can give.
3. Others wait for it – they need our prayer.  God has chosen to use the prayers of spiritual leaders as a way of partnering with Him to accomplish His purposes in other people’s lives.  Without prayer, God has chosen to limit what He does.

Prayer is not about a thing to do, but a person to talk to.  It is not about a duty to perform, but being with our closest friend.”

This is an excerpt from my new book ‘Leading Like Jesus’
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To strengthen my own resolve in prayer, I made the following list in my journal of biblical reasons for prayer:

FOR HEALING OF OUR LAND & REVIVAL OF GOD’s PEOPLE  ~  2 Chronicles 7:14  “…if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.”

FOR WISDOM & DIRECTION  ~  James 1:5-8  “If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get His help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who “worry their prayers” are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.”

FOR OUR SOUL TO PROSPER IN GOOD HEALTH  ~  3 John 1:2  “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

FOR HEALING & FORGIVENESS  ~  James 5:13-17  “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

FOR A CLEAR CONSCIENCE  ~  Hebrews 13: 18  “Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably.”

FOR HOLINESS FREE FROM ANGER  ~  1 Timothy 2:8  “I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting”.

FOR THE WORD OF THE GOSPEL TO GO OUT SWIFTLY  ~  2 Thessalonians 3:1-3  “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”

FOR KINGS & ALL IN AUTHORITY  ~  1 Timothy 2:1-2  “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

FOR REJOICING IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES  ~  1 Thessalonians 5:16-22  “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.”

FOR OUR PEOPLE TO BE FILLED WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD  ~  Colossians 1:9-14 “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

FOR ABOUNDING LOVE  ~  Philippians 1:9-11  “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

FOR THE FEAR OF GOD  ~  Proverbs 1:28-30  “Then they will call on Me, but I will not answer;  They will seek Me diligently, but they will not find Me.  Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, they would have none of My counsel and despised My every rebuke.”

FOR PARDON FROM INIQUITY  ~  Numbers 14:19-20  “Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now.” Then the Lord said:“I have pardoned, according to your word;”

FOR STRENGTH FOR THE TASKS GOD GIVES US  ~  Judges 16:28-29  “Then Samson called to the Lord, saying, “O Lord God, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one blow take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!”

FOR DELIVERANCE FROM OUR ENEMIES  ~  1 Samuel 7:5-10  “Samuel said, “Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.” So they gathered together at Mizpah, drew water, and poured it out before the Lord. And they fasted that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the Lord.” And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. Now when the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered together at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. So the children of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines….Then Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the Lord thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel.”

FOR LEADERS TO TEACH THE GOOD AND RIGHT WAY  ~  1 Samuel 12:23-25  “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. Only fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”

FOR GOD’s PROMISES & CALLNG TO BE CLEAR & TO COME TO PASS  ~  1 Kings 8:26-30  “And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O Lord my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, ‘My name shall be there,’ that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.”

TO NOURISH THE LIFE OF CHRIST IN US PERSONALLY  ~  John 15:5  “ I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

FOR GOD TO BRING ABOUT JUSTICE FOR HIS PEOPLE  ~  Luke 18:7-8  “And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF JESUS  ~  Psalms 27:4-6  “One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek:  That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.”

FOR FULLY DEVOTED DISCIPLES OF JESUS’ CHURCH TO GO, TEACH, BAPTIZE AND MAKE DISCIPLES  ~  Matthew 28:18-20  “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “ All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

When communion with God stops, our faith level drops and we start listening to the lies of the enemy. Discouragement takes hold of our hearts, and passion for Jesus dwindles.

With the stress and pressure that goes on in our lives, we need consistency in our times with the Lord. There are certain aspects of our relationship with God that never change, though change takes place around us.

The Lord’s Prayer is one simple model that can help us have that consistency. This prayer model is easy to follow at any time of the day – while you are driving to work or going for a walk – yet it is rich in substance, taking you ever deeper into God’s heart.

The Tabernacle model teaches us how the people of Israel were to relate to God. God gave Moses the design for the tabernacle in Exodus 25 – 31. I encourage you to get a diagram of the Tabernacle from your Bible or borrow one from a friend who has a study Bible so you can visualize it.

Each station of the tabernacle was important to the people of God in those days, and though the symbol has changed, the meaning is still the same for us.

The Tabernacle Model of Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer are linked in that they both describe essential ingredients of our walk with the Lord:

Adoration – Our Father in heaven – Altar of Incense 

Consecration – Holy be Your name – Altar of Sacrifice/Burnt Offerings 

Intercession – Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven – Mercy Seat/Ark of the Covenant 

Infilling & personal supplication – Give us this day our daily bread – Table of Showbread & Golden Lampstand 

Cleansing & forgiveness – Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us – Bronze Laver 

Spiritual warfare – Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one – Outer Court 

Worship & declaration – For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever! – Altar of Incense 

The seven elements of the Tabernacle are as follows:

Altar of Sacrifice – The Altar of Sacrifice was where burnt offerings and sacrifices were offered to God for the sins of the people. Jesus is our sacrifice. It is vital that we “die daily” to sin, i.e., confess our sins each day and receive God’s forgiveness. Paul says in Romans 6:11 that we should consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God because of Jesus’ death for us. It is a powerful thing to daily confess our sins and sorrows, and then receive His forgiveness and grace. See Galatians 5:24, Philippians 1:21, Galatians 2:20, Romans 6:6, 2 Corinthians 1:9

Bronze Laver – The bronze laver in the tabernacle was the place of cleansing. It was a bowl that contained water for cleansing. The bronze laver symbolized the need of the priests to be clean from sin as they came into the presence of God. We have an invitation from God: we can receive washing of our minds and hearts each day if we simply ask and receive by faith. John 13:6ff, Titus 3:5, Ephesians 5:26

Golden Lampstand – On the Golden Lampstand stood a candlestick, or menorah. The Lampstand provided light for the priests as they entered the “holy place.” It symbolizes the presence of the Holy Spirit to guide us as we live our lives each day in the “holy place” of our work and family life. It also represents Jesus, the light of the world. This part of the tabernacle reminds us to be filled with the Spirit. We need to consciously ask for and receive the fullness of the Spirit every day: God invites us to ask for the fruit and the power of the Spirit of God each day, and to ask Him to give us wisdom for the decisions we must make. Ephesians 5:18, Acts 4:8, 31, 9:17, Acts 5:32

Table of Showbread – The Showbread symbolized that God sustained the people of Israel. Each week twelve fresh loaves of bread were placed on a table in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. In the same way, we are sustained by the word of God. It is bread to our souls. We need the word of God, both written and spoken, to feed our hearts and keep us alive spiritually. “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that precedes from the mouth of God.” Deuteronomy 8:3, Psalm 119:9-11, Romans 12:2. Acts 4:31, 13:5, Romans 10:17, 2 Corinthians 2:17, 4:2, Ephesians 6:17, 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Hebrews 4:12

Altar of Incense – The Altar of Incense was symbolical of worship. Jesus longs to receive our worship by the choices we make, the thoughts we think, and the words of praise we offer Him in adoration. Our lives are to be incense to the Lord (2 Corinthians 2:14). He never grows tired of our worship. Worship allows intimacy to grow between the Lord and us. It is the love language of the heart. Genesis 22:5, Deuteronomy 11:16, Psalm 67:1-4, Psalm 86:9, John 4:21-24, Romans 12:1, Revelation 5:9-10,

Mercy Seat – Ark of the Covenant – The mercy seat was the lid that went over the ark, where the stone tablets of the law were contained. The priests sprinkled the blood of sacrificed animals on the mercy seat. The mercy seat symbolizes the mercy of God that covers our lives – and it represents God’s invitation to us to offer prayers and intercessions for others. An intercessor stands before God and asks for His mercy to be given on behalf of other people. Such an invitation should not be ignored or turned down! Acts 6:4, 12:5, Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, James 5:15, Mark 11:24, 13:33, 14:38, 1 Thessalonians 5:25,

Outer Court – After the priest ministered to the Lord on behalf of the people, he went to the outer court of the tabernacle and ministered to the people on behalf of the Lord. When we marry our passions for life with our calling to tell others about Jesus, our worlds come together. We don’t have to live fragmented lives. As followers of Jesus, we are commissioned to go into the world on His behalf. We each have a sphere of influence that God gives us to tell people about Jesus. When this happens, we find deep fulfillment and the satisfaction of living whole-heartedly for God. Genesis 1:28, 12:1-3, Psalm 67:1-4, Acts 1:8, Matthew 28:19-20

Are the earthquakes in Nepal judgment from God, like one Christian blogger suggests? No way. Some believe the predominantly Hindu country is being judged by God. Obviously, God has a right to judge any nation any time He pleases, but I don’t like such “hind-sight” prophetic utterances. They are without compassion.

I visited Nepal the first time in 1974. The Nepali church was small back then, about 1500 people. Today it is more than 600,000 people – and growing! A contagious, nation-transforming church!

I don’t relate to the so-called prophets who jump on bad news after a calamity or disaster and state emphatically, after-the-fact, that these events are God’s judgment.

Why would God judge a nation where the church is exploding in growth and having such a huge impact on people’s lives? Nepali people are open to the gospel, not resisting it.

These so-called prophets of doom have a limited perspective, and often judgmental attitude.

When Sally and I lived in Afghanistan in the early 70’s, we trained and sent a team to pioneer a ministry to back packers in Nepal. Many young people came to Christ through that ministry. Including many Nepalis.

We continue to be involved in Nepal through our All Nations workers, including sending more than $24,000 for food and shelter from South Africa and the United States in the last few days.

I have included an excerpt from a report by one of our All Nations workers below… it is incredibly moving.

NEPAL NEWS

This is the old man who has lost his house and 11 family members. He just easily said, “Madam, I don’t need a house. Use that money to send food to my village.” It’s been 12 days and his village has not received one grain of rice. We have arranged with a different organization to take them food Sunday but he really wants to take them some today. This picture is him preparing to take food and water to his village. Please keep giving if you can. The need is so great!

We have done some immediate relief work with food and stuff, but what we are mainly concerned about is how to get people back on their feet so they can work and feed themselves again.  Lots and lots of organizations have come in with food and tarps and things, and we’re really thankful for that!  But what about a few months from now?  That’s what we are worried about.

Our focus has been on helping our own people and our own neighborhood, because nobody is helping them.  So basically we are building or helping build homes for at least seven families.  I just had a meeting with one group of five families who are relatives that all lived in mud houses.  We discussed what we can do, what we can salvage from the wreckage (mud houses), and that soon we will be digging them a well (maybe even today) and then when we can start the demolishing process, it will be mostly in their hands.

The other person we’re helping is Babita’s family, our first believer.  Their mud house looks okay from the outside but the inside and supports have completely crumbled.  For the time being, their family of five is living with us.  Another family of three, a mother and her two children, are permanently living with us because their mud house was also destroyed but it’s not their own land.

These are some of the kids that Heather and Maika, our All Nations workers, are helping.

“What can we do when we discern weakness or things that need attention in the lives of others, including our spouses, close friends, co-workers, or spiritual leaders?

1. See the good.  Look for their potential and their calling from God.  Ony when we appreciate their strengths can we properly evaluate their weaknesses.
2. Pray for them.  Pray for God’s love to fill your heart for them.
3. Make sure there is no unhealthy dependence on that person in you.
4. Forgive them if they have offended you.
5. If you are unsure about something that seems wrong or troubles you, don’t ignore it.  Ask kind, but probing questions.
6. Don’t hesitate to ask help from godly counselors.  They are there to help guide your responses
7. If you feel uncomfortable or uneasy about someone, pay attention to those feelings until you understand why they are there.  This could be God’s way of catching your attention.  By paying heed to inner promptings, we grow in discernment and confidence in hearing the voice of God.
8. There are many wonderful ministries and movements in the Body of Christ, but not all share the same vision and values.  Discernment allows you to distinguish the difference between those you are called to appreciate, and those you are called to closely associate with.
9. Don’t gossip to others about your discernment of sin or character weakness in a person’s life.  If it is causing disunity, division, deception, or damage to others around them, first pray for God’s love for the person, pray for their heart to be prepared, then go directly to the person and speak lovingly, but truthfully, about what you discern.  Follow the steps of Matthew 18:15 – 20, “Go alone to the person, if they don’t repent go with someone, and if there is no change, then go to their church leaders about the situation.” “

My new book ‘Leading Like Jesus’ is available for purchase in the Kindle store today…

Go to Amazon to buy your copy!

This is a quote from my new book ‘Leading Like Jesus’. My heart for this book has been to bring everything we do as leaders back to simply following Jesus’ lead. I believe if we do so, the body of Christ will be mobilized into action, to passionately serve the Kingdom, no matter what the cost, and the nations will be reached for His Glory.

My hope is that all who read this book would be encouraged to go deeper. That as they look at the life and teachings of Jesus they would move from being His acquaintance to experiencing a life-changing encounter with Him as ultimate leader and friend.