Toward the Prize.

Tasting sweetness

2012-01-19T22:27:00.000-05:00

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. - 2 Corinthians 3:18

The rational mind may know that honey is sweet; that can be obtained from reading books or second hand knowledge from a friend or even deduction from discoverable properties of honey. The head knows and may even acknowledge that honey is sweet. Still this only something that is learned and perhaps even acknowledged as true but this truth has not really convinced us of the sweetness of honey. Such perception is both necessary and good although insufficient if the honey is to do what is supposed to do. We need something more.

The problem is that the heart does not know the sweetness. It cannot because it has yet to taste the honey. It is only in tasting that the heart learns this. Having tasted that honey the heart will know not only that honey is sweet but it will, even more importantly, know the sweetness of honey. It will become a pleasurable memory for the heart, a memory that will draw the heart to seek more of the honey.

Or imagine a beautiful painting or piece of music. We may hear all day long just how beautiful it is but until we see it or hear it will not know its beauty. It is not until we see it or hear it that we will exclaim, "Wow, I never dreamed it was so good."

In 2 Chronicles 9 we have the story of the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon. After seeing his splendor and hearing of his wisdom she says, "The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, half the greatness of your wisdom was not told me; you surpass the report that I heard." (v. 5-6). It was only when she saw Solomon that she truly understood.

Psalm 34:8 tells us to taste and see that the Lord is good. When we do so will then know his goodness as a certainty in our hearts. His goodness will be like the sweetness of honey or the beauty of a painting, something that we have experienced and been profoundly changed by. Tasting and seeing we will have the memory of the goodness of the Lord that will draw us back to taste his sweetness again and again.

Gifts to richly enjoy

2011-12-24T13:54:00.001-05:00

The sea, dry land, winter cold, summer heat, morning light, evening shade are full of thee, and thou givest me them richly to enjoy. - from a Puritan prayer.

This is part of a Puritan prayer that I was reading today. I was reminded of the grace of God in creation. In it we see a general revelation of his excellencies, his power, his glory. All that we see is indeed full of God. Indeed, they are saturated with his presence. The scriptures tell us that the heavens declare his glory (Psalm 19:1).

For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. - I Timothy 4:4-5.

I can't recall the many times I have simply not seen God when he was right there, revealing himself in subtle but tangible ways. His presence in these things is like a whisper, just barely catching my attention, yet calling me into deeper worship of the One who made all of these things. He gives me these things that I might richly enjoy all of the works of his hands. Each is a gift. And when these gifts are received by his children in reverent faith then the Lord is glad.

Compared to the True Gift that came into the world, these are small. That Gift is far more precious and is essential before we can begin to truly receive these gifts from him as well. But receiving that Gift, we are free, indeed encouraged, to receive these gifts as well and to worship the One who has given them all.

House Church Pastors

2011-12-11T20:28:00.001-05:00

This past summer I embarked on a journey I have been longing to do for some time. I was invited to consider becoming a House Church pastor. Our church had already launched several house churches and we were beginning to see the fruit of it. But we did not want to wait until there was mature fruit; we wanted to start preparing the next set of leaders. Although this was something I very much wanted I needed to seek God's will. I did not want to run ahead of him. And I wanted (and want) to make sure that I did not impact my increasing responsibilities on the GO Missions team (one of my other great passions). So I prayed and asked several other important people (especially my wife) to pray. We concluded that God was calling me to this and the time was right for me to step into this new role.

I joined six other men as the Beta group of house church pastors. I've known most of them for at least several years and served with a few of them on our GO Missions team. Now we were entering a time of going deeper into ministry than most of us have done. I've seen the Lord work in great ways in the lives of all of us as we wrestle with what it will mean for each of us to be house church pastors. It is a high and holy calling. Paul says in 1 Timothy 3:1 that the one who desires the office of elder desires a noble task. We've walked, studied, prayed all for the purpose of faithfully answering the call that God has given to each of us. Our friendships have developed as we've prayed for one another and encouraged one another. In many ways the encouragement and support we've received from the Senior pastor and the House Church pastor has been like the very encouragement of the Lord Himself.

This weekend we took some time away from our family and our church to spend time in retreat so that we could focus more on the specifics of planning our house churches. These exercises proved to be very demanding. I often felt like I wasn't quite getting what I needed to get. It was daunting. Even the hardest questions and closest scrutiny was gracious. We are being set up to succeed for this is what the Lord wants. We simply cannot cast vision and lead a church if we don't know what our vision is, how to articulate it, or how to implement it. I can't say if we will use what we planned but at least we've been through the plan and know what we need to do.

Although we had times of worship throughout the weekend, the worship on Sunday morning was deeply profound. We went into it knowing that our time was flexible. Our structure was to be fluid. We were to be intentional in our worship of God, giving ourselves to God in song, prayers, scripture reading, kneeling and whatever else we felt necessary and good. At one point, two different men began praying for some of their personal needs, first one and then the other. We surrounded them, knelt beside them, laid hands on them. And God spoke to both of them.

After this time the pastors who were there surrounded us as we knelt. They laid hands on us as Paul did (and instructed Timothy to do) and commissioned us as pastors. This is something I have earnestly desired for many years. I can see how God has been working to prepare me for this task, nothing has been spared and nothing has been wasted to get me into the place where I could answer this call. I am inadequate for this task and know it. But I also know that God's grace is rich toward those who humbly submit to him. May God use me to advance his kingdom!

Waiting on the Lord

2011-11-04T10:48:00.001-04:00

Like many, over the years I have asked that the Lord would do things for me. Some of these were fairly trivial and others not. It seemed to me that the non-trivial things almost always did not get answered in the timeframe that I had hoped for. And that always led to asking why? After all, these were good desires. I could discern nothing wrong with what I desired. And in at least some cases the scriptures supported asking for these things. Still, the Lord chose to not grant them. I needed to learn to wait.

Waiting is not one of my strong suits. Waiting with trust in the goodness of God is something that takes a graciousness from God because my tendency has been to question his reasons for withholding things. Holding on to desires while waiting has been a challenge as well. Are my desires good? Am I missing something? What don't I understand that I need to understand? Questions like these plague the heart.

Psalm 37:7 tells us to be still before the Lord and wait patiently before him. The kind of waiting that he wants from us is not the fretful, anxious waiting that says, "OK, God, I'm waiting on you." as I check my clock or my calendar to see how long he is going to take. And though he does call us to persistent prayer for many things he does not call us to impatience. What he calls us to is a stillness before him that is content in his presence, preferring him to anything that we might desire from him. He calls us to to delight in him before he will give us the desires of our heart, knowing that our delighting in him will always put these other things into proper perspective. He calls us to trust.

Lately, the Lord has been answering some of my long-standing requests. He did not upbraid me for having them. And now I am beginning to see why he waited so long to answer them. It was so that I would be able to receive them with the humility and trust that would help me to enjoy them in proper perspective. It was so that I would use them truly for his glory and not for my own. I can see some of the character work that he did in my life to prepare me for the things that he is now giving to me.

I am truly looking forward to what the Lord is going to do in and through me now that he is opening up these things for me. I know that my struggles with waiting on the Lord are not over but I have learned a valuable lesson in this time: wait patiently on the Lord and trust in him.

O Man of God

2011-10-06T20:32:00.001-04:00

In I Timothy 6:11 Paul calls Timothy, "o man of God". I have often looked at that phrase as just something nice, perhaps even strengthening that Paul said to Timothy to encourage him. After all, Timothy was a young man leading a difficult church. Tremendous responsibilities weighed heavily on his shoulders. While this is true it is not the whole picture.

The phrase "man of God" appears some 70 times in the Old Testament and three times in the New Testament. In the OT it refers to Moses, Samuel, David, Elijah, and Elisha. All of these men were prophets of the Lord. Each one of these men had the distinction of proclaiming the word of God. Each one of these men was instrumental in the building of the nation of Israel.

The term is used in the NT three times. Peter uses it to refer to the OT prophets (2 Peter 1:21). Paul uses it to refer to men like Timothy who proclaim the word of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and in I Timothy 6:11 where it refers to Timothy himself.

Paul was doing much more than assuring his son in the faith. By calling him a man of God, Paul was linking Timothy back to a long line of powerful prophets and leaders who were spokesmen for God, often during difficult or transitional times. Timothy was in good company, well equipped for the task that he had been given because God, who had so powerfully through these other men, was now at work in him.

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Well Done

2011-09-04T11:43:00.001-04:00

We who are disciples and servants of Jesus earnestly desire the day when we will see him face to face. The words we most want to hear are, "Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord". We will know then that our service was acceptable and pleasing to him.

What will lead to us hearing those words? It is really quite simple. We will hear those words on that day if we learn to offer our service to him now in obedience to his will and desires for us. We will hear those words as we do all things as unto him and not as unto man, seeking the glory that comes from God and not the glory that comes from man. In other words, we will hear those words on that day if we are living before him now in such a way that he can and will say them to us everyday.

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You Won't Relent

2011-09-03T22:11:00.001-04:00

Tonight we sang this song as worship unto the Lord. It confesses that Jesus Christ will not relent in his pursuit of us until he has all of us. The chorus says, "Come be a flame inside of me. Come by a fire in my heart. Come be a flame inside of me, until you and I are one."

This is one of my favorite songs because of the passionate call to Christ to have everything. It is a song I gladly sing. However, tonight I realized just how much he "won't relent."

We've been going through I Corinthians 13 over the past couple of weeks. Last week we talked about love being patient and kind. This week we learned about the things that love is not and why Paul wrote these things.. He wrote them because these qualities were the character traits and actions of the Corinthian believers. What they were doing was definitely not loving.

And a couple of them hit home as reflecting my own attitudes and behavior. My son, sitting next to me, nudged me on a couple of points. Not that he needed to because the Spirit was already nudging my heart. But the Spirit does not let go. A little bit later I was reading and came back to exactly this same passage!

It is easy to just blow past these things and think that I am doing fairly good (and I honestly think I am). But good is not what the Lord wants. He is working to make each of us perfect in Christ so that we reflect his glory more completely. There is always room to grow. Having got my attention I hope I will listen.

He won't relent until he has it all and that "all" is a heart that is truly his and that beats with the love that his heart beats with.

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Reproducible Pastoral Training

2011-09-01T14:48:00.000-04:00

"Our task, as the end of the ages approaches, is to multiply obedient, Christ-centered churches in spontaneous movements of new flocks led by local shepherds, trained quickly and inexpensively and released for service. We must devote our prayers and energies to empower novice, home grown leaders who will continually birth new congregations of new disciples. May the Spirit of Jesus Christ enable you to build up the [sic] His body among the nations, quickly and joyfully turning the work over to those whom the Lord raises up to lead his people in joyful, loving obedience to Him!" -- Patrick O'Connor, Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterson.

The Lord Jesus Christ is fulfilling his promise to build his kingdom in the world today. Across the globe the gospel is spreading rapidly. House churches, often very small, are cropping all over the place. One of the great needs of the hour is for pastors and elders to lead those churches into all that the Lord commands of local expressions of the Body of Christ. Despite the rapid growth of the church and the clear progress of the gospel in reaching into as yet unreached or little reached groups, there still remains a large number of people groups who have no viable church and few, if any, workers committed to reaching them. What is needed is people who are equipped to minister amongst these people.

Traditional training methods often take existing workers away from the people they are trying to serve and often are cost-prohibitive to those that could benefit from them. When people either cannot receive training or must spend significant time away from the work, then the work suffers.

In Reproducible Pastoral Training: Church Guidelines from the Teachings of George Patterson, Patrick O'Connor distills and compiles the experiences and writings of George Patterson, long-time missionary to Honduras, into a book that will be profoundly useful in the kind of training that is needed for all those men and women who earnestly desire to advance the kingdom of God and yearn to see the completion of the Great Commission.

The book is broken down into five chapters that discuss the full gamut of church planting from starting new churches and helping them multiply to training new leaders and releasing the ministry into their hands. one of the basic premises of both George Patterson and Patrick O'Connor is to provide training in shorter, manageable lessons that can easily be put into practice and then passed on to the next generation of leaders. In keeping with this the book is arranged around 68 guidelines that discuss very specific topics in a succinct manner. The list of guidelines is listed at the front of the book to provide an easy reference point.

Jesus and the Apostles taught with the intent of giving people instructions that they could then put into practice with the expectation that the churches would actually do the things they had been taught. Each of the guidelines discussed in this book follows that same pattern. Truths are presented in ways that will lead to action for those who earnestly desire to do them. Obedience to the clear instructions given in Scriptures is foremost.

There are many excellent books describing Church Planting Movements (CPM's). This book emphasizes some of the same issues raised in other books while adding practical, workable knowledge of what kinds of things young leaders need to effectively and successfully lead their flocks.

Love is Patient

2011-08-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul states that the fruit of the Spirit is: love, ..., patience... Some believe that the fruit is actually singular and that fruit is love. All of the other things listed are the expression or manifestation of that fruit in the lives of believers. I Corinthians 13:4-7 seems to bear that out. There Paul says that "love is patient, love is kind...".

As I was reflecting on these two verses the morning I was praying for the Holy Spirit to show me how to apply this. Often I ask for patience but when I get an opportunity to practice it I usually fail (sometimes miserably). So I was asking what will make the difference in my life that I will be patient (and kind and gentle...).

For me at least I lose patience with people when they do not match up to my expectations of how they should be or how they should do something. At times my expectations of them are quite valid. They are capable of what is expected of them. However, at other times this is not so. In all circumstances where I lose patience with someone our perceptions of what should be true do not match up. No doubt there are many reasons for this and it is not my intent to look at them. For that matter, I believe I can go along way with patience without needing to know the reasons.

So what is the answer to my dilemma concerning patience? Love. I must pray for and cultivate an on-going love for that person. With love as the foundation I will find myself able and desiring to be patient. Love will respect the person regardless of where he is at in life. Love will also hope and believe all things for that person. Love will guard both of us while we work through whatever situation we are dealing with. Love will earnestly desire the best for that person and may place me in the situation of realizing that my expectations are not appropriate for that person at that time (if at all).

God is love. In this we see the kindness and patience of God towards us who continues to work with us when we don't measure up to his expectations. We are called to love him and we are called to love others as we love ourselves.

Many times I have asked God for patience. He always responds with situations for me to practice patience. But I think I am going to change my prayer, or at least try to recall the deeper work that makes patience possible. Now my goal will be to ask for the love that is patient.

Examine me!

2011-08-21T08:57:00.001-04:00

Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and my mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in your faithfulness. Psalm 26:2-3

The psalmist cries out for God to examine him, to test is heart and mind. He wants to be tested and proven. When God tests us it is to prove us, that is, to show us exactly what we are made of. Silver and gold are proven through fire so that that which is impure will be removed but this is only so that which is truly worthy will be more clearly seen!

He can cry out for this proving because the steadfast love of God is ever before his eyes. He knows that God is faithful and will do what Is right. He walks in God's faithfulness. He is surrounded by the faithfulness and lovingkindness of the very one he is asking to test him. The testing will prove faithful and true because the one who is doing the testing is faithful and true.

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You are my lamp, O Lord.

2011-08-19T16:29:00.001-04:00

For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.
This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. 2 Samuel 22:29-31

David uttered the words to this Psalm after God had given him the victory against Saul. Naturally he was rejoicing after many years of being a hunted man, treated as a criminal when he had steadfastly supported the kingship of Saul.

David's confidence us not in himself but in God. He knew that he was a skilled fighting man and that he had walked in integrity before God in all matters concerning the throne and God's promises to him. But he does not boast in these things. Instead he boasts in the Lord. It is the Lord who is his lamp. One translation says that God turns his darkness into light.

What does David recognize about his situation? That his path is sometimes dark, that he has enemies that oppose him, and that their are obstacles to him accomplishing what God has ordained.

What does David recognize about God? That his way is perfect and the word of the Lord proves true. God is trustworthy. God's ways are perfect. God makes no mistakes. When there is delay it is for a reason so that he can prepare us for the role he has called us to.

Did David question God during this time? Probably! Did he doubt? Perhaps. One thing is certain: this 'man after God's own heart' kept his heart fixed on the one who would do what he said he would do. David saw the victory because God enabled him to see it and sustained him until the victory came, even in darkness and facing troops and high walls!

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To Study the Law of the Lord

2011-08-17T22:11:00.001-04:00

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel. Ezra 7:10.

Ezra lived in Israel after the Israelites returned from captivity. He worked with Nehemiah to re-establish the nation and re-build the city of Jerusalem.

His great desire was to study the Law of the Lord. Why? Because he wanted to do what was written in it. He realized that Israel had gone into captivity because they had forsaken doing precisely those things. They had forsaken the Law of the Lord. Ezra knew that obedience was what God called for and that obedience was good. As I read through Ezra and Nehemiah I see men of God who are committed to doing what is right, first in their own lives and then in the lives of the people of God.

Ezra also studied the Law so that he could teach it to others. We cannot obey God if we do not know what he requires. Ezra would have been negligent if he had only sought the knowledge of the Law of the Lord for his own personal piety. He had a responsibility to God and to the people to teach the Law so that they could obey it as well. And this responsibility was one that he carried out with the same passion that he had for ensuring that his own life was right with God.

I also get the sense from these men that their love for God was so great that they could not imagine not studying, not obeying, not teaching.

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Thin-Skinned

2011-07-19T21:21:00.001-04:00

But the fruit of the Spirit is love joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4–7)

Both of these verses were in my devotions for today. I really wish I had read them before starting the day instead of at the end of the day. I am quite certain it would have helped.

I have found myself highly irritated and with a very short fuse. Now, I am very much aware of this and frequently make it a matter of prayer. I want to change. I don't like the short-fused person. I know that I am often trying to walk in these fruit on my own strength. As I have said, I do pray and ask for the Holy Spirit to lead me into this. But days like today come and the pressure mounts and I blow it (and blow up).

I really think that my skin is too thin. It is, after all flesh and very weak. Why should I expect anything else from it? It is just that, by now, I should know better and do better. So my reasoning goes. So I go along for a while and keep my thin skin from getting hurt. That is, until it hurts my pride a little too much and I react in an un-Christlike manner.

This must be a work of God through the Spirit. These things are foreign to me. As much as I want them they do not come natural. However, notice that the answer is not thick skin: that leads to a hard heart and a tolerance for pain that leaves no room for hearing and responding to Jesus Christ. No, the answer is not a thick-skin but a love saturated skin. It must be Christ in me if I am to see real, lasting change.

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My Redeemer Lives

2011-07-17T11:27:00.002-04:00

I know that my Redeemer lives
And that in the end He will stand upon the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
Yet in my flesh I will see God;
Whom I myself will see
And behold with my own eyes and not another.
How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25–27)

Job's confidence was in his God. He knew that his redeemer lives. One day the Lord Jesus Christ will stand on the earth bringing salvation and redemption to all who have placed their hope in him. Even death and decay will not prevent us from seeing "in the flesh" this great and mighty God.

The heart of one who loves Christ should yearn for that day and that time when we will see Christ face to face, when we will see him in all of his glory and splendor. I see the majesty of Jesus here as I participate in his work, as I read his word and as I worship him privately and corporately. But that day when he appears as lightening in the sky! What a great day that will be when our Redeemer returns to earth and our salvation is complete!

Our Redeemer has come and stood upon this earth as the perfect man appointed by God to bring redemption. In that time he paid for and then opened the way into the fullness of the redemptive work of God. All of the promises to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel was being fulfilled. He came in humility and veiled glory. The next time he comes the veil will be removed and the full glory of our Redeemer will be manifest.

Oh how my soul yearns for that!

Invited into His presence.

2011-07-08T09:02:00.002-04:00

Not only does God command us to pray, he permits us to pray. Prayer is both a must and a may, an obligation and a gift. Why would any of us ignore the God of the universe, bending low to offer us the pleasure of his company? - Ben Patterson, Deepening Your Conversation With God: The Life-Changing Power of Prayer

I have been doing a lot of reading these days about missions and evangelism. I thought it was a good time to take a break and go back to focusing on God himself. John Piper has said that missions exists because worship of the true God does not. Authentic, passionate prayer is one of the facets of that worship.

I am amazed in my own life how easy it is to be distracted from what matters most. How easily I drink from wells that cannot satisfy instead of from the one well that can satisfy (see John 4). I ask myself why I do not more frequently run to the one most satisfying. Could it be that I find him boring? Of course he is far from boring. Even the thought that he could be boring is incomprehensible. The problem does not lie with him but with me.

When we look through the scriptures we see God as infinitely delightful and eager to share that with those who will give themselves to receiving and wallowing in that delightfulness. So many times and in so many ways he shows himself to be excellent above all other things. And he is not stingy with his glory or delight. No, he pours it out lavishly. He grieves when he sees us allowing ourselves to be satisfied with something less. C. S. Lewis has said that God is not disappointed with the strength of our desire but with the weakness of it.

Certainly my heart's desire is to be more consumed by this God who, though high and exalted, bends himself earthward so that we can know him and delight in him. He humbles himself to listen to us and to fellowship with us in our weakness. I want to humble myself to respond to the wooing of his Spirit to an insatiable love that completely fills me and yet leaves me wanting more of him.

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Simple, obedient faith

2011-06-22T13:25:00.000-04:00

John 4:46-54 describes the second miracle that Jesus performed after he had come from Judea to Cana in Galilee. An official from Capernaum whose son was dying sought Jesus out. He had apparently exhausted all of his resources in Capernaum and was desperate. The ESV says that he asked Jesus to come down and heal his son. However, the NET bible uses the word 'begged' while the NASB says that he was 'imploring' Jesus. Personally, I like these words better because they show the care he had for his son and his own desperation to keep him alive and receive from Jesus the thing he most anxiously sought.

This man begins with very simple faith: Jesus has been known to perform miracles. If he comes to Capernaum he can heal my son. And so he begs Jesus. Jesus' response must have been devastating, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe." But the man is desperate and so he continues to press Jesus to follow him. What happens next is striking and clearly shows the man's faith. Jesus tells him, "Go, your son will live." The official hears this and obeys! John writes that the man believed Jesus word and then went on his way. He stopped pressing Jesus because he knew he had an answer.

In a similar circumstance a centurion explains his faith in Jesus. The centurion understood how authority worked and knew that Jesus operated under authority. Just as the centurion gave orders to his servants and they obeyed Jesus could give orders and they would be obeyed. Did this official also understand this? One thing is clear from this text: he now longer needed to see Jesus do a work to know that it would be done. He moved out of the sight-based faith of the Jews into true faith.

When he got back home he told his family all that had happened. They, of course, had seen the son instantly healed. But they did not know what had transpired between the man and Jesus. I imagine that he sat them all down and explained the whole thing to them. Their joy at having the son alive and well was soon mixed with wonder at how the healing had taken place. The timing of the healing with when Jesus spoke the words surely must have solidified the growing faith in these hearts. John writes that the whole household believed in Jesus.

In the gospels the miracles of Jesus are given to show that he is Israel's long awaited Messiah. Even more, as the Samaritans learned in chapter 3, he is the Savior of the world. Jesus purpose is not that we always have miracles so that we will believe. They demonstrate to us exactly who he is and attest to him. They can and often do lead to faith in him. The faith of this man and his household, the faith of the Samaritans, show us that we must move beyond the need for miracles to a simple, obedient faith in Jesus Christ so that we take him at his word. And then tell others.

Church Planting Movements

2011-05-23T16:14:00.001-04:00

From the beginning God has been working to redeem mankind. At first this was promises to individuals like Adam and Noah. With Abraham, God revealed more of his purposes to show his grace to the nations. At each stage of that revelation he has called ordinary people to come alongside of him and work to bring about those purposes. Of course, the greatest revelation of that work is Jesus Christ and the subsequent Holy Spirit empowered explosion of the gospel across the Roman world. At one point Paul could state that all of Asia had heard the gospel. Within 300 years the gospel had spread throughout the Roman empire.

Contemporary missions has changed quite a lot since William Carey, Hudson Taylor and their peers. These men accomplished great things and helped open up previously dark cultures to the light of the gospel of Christ. Christians followed the expansion of colonial power throughout the world also trying to proclaim the gospel. Unfortunately, there were problems with this kind of approach.

In the 1950's Donald McGavran studied and wrote about church growth and large scale people movements to Christ. In 1974 Ralph Winter described people groups and called the church to reconsider how we viewed the remaining task. These men and others have been instrumental in helping us to understand what needs to be done and how we can do things better.

In the book Church Planting Movements. How God Is Redeeming a Lost World David Garrison studies what may seem to be the latest fad in church growth techniques but actually has deep roots in the New Testament and the practices of at least some of the Apostles and early evangelists, including Paul. The idea is very simple: the missionary plants a church, trains the local believers how to evangelize their own people and plant churches and then moves on, repeating the process in another place. In the meantime these believers carry on the work amongst their circles of influence, repeating what they have been taught and passing that on to still others.

One of the things that characterizes Church Planting Movements is the rapid reproduction of churches. The tend to stay small, avoid paid staff and meet in homes. Smaller church sizes allows for more in depth and personal discipleship. New believers are brought in, baptized and then shown how to serve. Obviously there are a number of other things going on here.

Church Planting Movements opens with case studies from around the world. Some of the fastest growing movements are in Asia and Africa but David Garrison shows that they can and are happening across the globe. We see these movements even in the United States. Then he goes on to describe the ten elements that appear in every movement, the ten things that appear in most movements and the seven deadly sins of Church Planting Movements that will stop it in its track. He ends with practical launching points for the person or group who want to see a movement in their area.

David Garrison goes beyond by describing briefly Training 4 Trainers (T4T) which has been an important training tool in some of these movements. He also gives guidelines for how to approach Muslims with the gospel using the Qur'an.

What is exciting about this movement and David's book is that ordinary Christians can be used by God to bring about extraordinary things. God has shown us a path to walk down that has great potential for rapidly reaching millions of people including those people groups that we in the West do not have ready access to. This book joins the handful of books I consider as resources for my own ministry. I look forward to going back to it again and again.

Giving All

2011-05-22T07:36:00.000-04:00

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4 ESV)

We often see the requirements of the tithe as uncompromisingly stringent. However, Jesus commends this woman because the gives everything to God. In contrast the others were giving a tithe only and that from their excess.

As with the young ruler, I do not think that Jesus is telling most of us to give away everything. That would then make the act one of law and not out of grace. The others in this event were giving the tithe. What is commended is really the trust in God that allows someone to so freely give all.

Hardness in my forgiving.

2011-05-05T13:38:00.000-04:00

"Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent', you must forgive him." Luke 17:3–4 (ESV)

In Matthew 18:21-22 Peter asks if he should forgive his brother seven times. There, Jesus responds not seven but seventy times seven (some translations have seventy-seven).

In both cases Jesus is calling upon us to be forgiving. We must not place a limit on that. Even in the passage in Luke Jesus uses the conditional "if" to suggest that a brother would not likely sin against us so many times but we should be forgiving should that happen. Our motivation for forgiveness is that God has forgiven us in Christ and so we should forgive others.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:32).

I have lately been challenged by this. Not because I don't want to forgive or that I want to hold grudges. No, my struggle runs deeper. I want to know that the behavior in the other person (often my son) that I have had to correct will change. I want to dig deep into his soul to make sure that he is truly sorry for his actions and will make every effort to change his behavior. This has gone on long enough that he doubts my forgiveness and I doubt his sincere desire and efforts to change.

That is conditional forgiveness and that is very nearly oxymoronic.

It is certainly not how The Lord treats us.

We are to rebuke a brother's sin. That is very clear from the text. Jesus even tells us how to go about it properly. He often rebukes us because we need it. But his purpose in that rebuke is so that we can and will be restored to right relationship to him. Our sin offends God and hurts us. We should be rebuked. We should, in the proper way, rebuke someone who has done wrong. But it is important to see several things.

The first is that the disciples are to rebuke "brothers". We can only properly deal with sin in those we have relationship to. Without that relationship we have no right to rebuke. Within that relationship we should have the proper framework to rebuke for the right reason: the restoration of the individual.

The second thing is that we are to watch ourselves. I believe that this means that we are to do an attitude check on our own hearts first. Remember the splinter and the log! This does not mean that we cannot move forward with necessary correction but that we remember that we are frail ourselves and subject to temptation. The time will come when someone will need to rebuke us. This leads to a gentle and merciful rebuke.

Next, we are to forgive as many times as needed. The seven times expresses unlimited forgiveness. Why? Because God forgives many more sins from each of us than we will ever forgive in each other.

Finally, we are not to hold our forgiveness until we see evidence of a changed life. Jesus says to simply forgive. What about the brother who does the same thing to me seven (or seventy-seven) times in one day? Continue trying to correct with the purpose of bringing restoration and transformation but then simply forgive. There can be no "I forgive you but" or "I don't know. You keep on doing this."

And that is precisely where I am stuck. Too often I want to see changed behavior from those who ask forgiveness. Or I try to evaluate the sincerity of repentance through the tone of voice. I am usually met with a defiant, distressed plea against my impossible to achieve requirements. That should be the warning flag for me. I can't look into anyone's heart. I'm not always certain about my own until I take time to reflect deeply. Only God can see deeply enough to know sincerity. For my part a simple, "I repent" (usually expressed as I'm sorry) should be enough. That's the way I want to be treated.

Real-Life Discipleship

2011-03-28T09:08:00.001-04:00

I have spent a number of years in some very good churches. I can say without doubt that the intent of the pastors and staff of those churches has been to make sure that people come to faith in Christ and then grow into maturity in that faith. I would even say that much of the time this has been done with intentionality. We have long understood that true spiritual growth does not happen as effectively in large group settings. Of course, this is not to say that large group settings and the preaching that goes on there are not valuable. They are extremely valuable. True growth in Christ happens best in smaller groups. I've been involved in small groups as a participant and as a leader. What has been lacking for me in my own personal experience has been neither intent nor zeal. What has been lacking is measurable goals and reproducible methods.

Enter Jim Putman and Real-Life Ministries. Real Life Ministries began as a small group of people who wanted to learn to disciple people in the way that Jesus did. They wanted to make sure that they were a church that intentionally and purposefully took people from little or no knowledge of Jesus Christ to mature disciples capable of discipling others. Has it worked? I would say so. In just a few years Real Life has grown from that one small group to over 700. They've also planted six new churches. Their leadership has been raised up from within.

In his book real-life discipleship, Jim describes what they have learned over the years. In calling his disciples Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Putnam then describers a disciple as one who is following Christ, being changed by him, and committed to Jesus' mission to save people people from their sin.

Jim describes five states that someone may be in: Dead, Infant, Child, Young Adult, Parent. In each case he shows the kinds of things that characterize a person in each of these stages as well as typical attitudes they might express. These categories are useful for a general understanding for assessing where people are at. One thing we do need to remember is that even mature adults will sometimes act like small children. Determining spiritual stages is only an approximation at best. We need to allow for the possibility that any one of us will behave above or below our true level at times in our lives. It is as we live in relationship with people over time that we can truly assess where they are at.

As useful as it is, knowing where a person is at is only part of the task. Putnam and Real Life Ministries utilize a simple plan they call SCMD: Share, Connect, Ministry, Disciple. As is expected, each of these steps map onto the spiritual stages we saw earlier. We will need to share with those who are dead or infants. They know nothing of the things of Christ and need plenty of information. We connect children to God, small groups and life purpose to will help them grow. We train for ministry by equipping them, giving them opportunities and then releasing them. Finally, we explain in more depth the processes we took them through and release them to go and do the same.

I think that Putnam and Real Life Ministries have provided some very good material to help Christians and churches to become disciple makers who have learned how to reproduce themselves. Of course, this is not to say that they have come up with anything new. Jim's observations come from scripture. He and the staff of Real Life are committed to the authority of scripture and to adjusting their methods in keeping with scripture. I value their insight greatly, not as a replacement for anything that my own church is doing but as a tool to be used wisely as the Spirit of God leads.

The one downside to this book is that it is a high level overview. As a road map it is excellent. As far as what specifically to do at each stage there is little. Certainly some of that is owing to the fact that each of our churches will find themselves in different cultural mixes with different issues that we face. He does list a number of useful resources in one of the appendices at the back of the book that should be useful to flesh out the details. There is also a small group study guide.

Overall this is an excellent resource that I will go back to as I myself learn to be more effective in making disciples.

Just say the word.

2011-03-23T13:02:00.000-04:00

In Luke 7:1-10 Luke relates the incident of the Centurion seeking healing for his servant. This is a remarkable story in many ways. Luke includes it because he is writing to a Gentile audience and wanted to show that entrance into the kingdom of God was based upon faith responses to Jesus and not nationality. He was also showing how the Gentiles and other outcasts according to Jewish thought were "getting it" while the Jews were not.

The Centurion is a God-fearing Gentile. We see this because he had built the synagogue in Capernaum. This was obviously important enough for him to invest some effort and, no doubt, personal fortune to make it happen. We also see that he is highly regarded by the local Jewish leadership. They say that he is "worthy" that Jesus do this miracle. The fact that they would go to Jesus on behalf of an occupying Roman soldier shows how much regard they had for him. It also shows how much regard he had for the Jews and the God of the Jews. He sent off his request to an itinerant Jewish rabbi who could work miracles.

As remarkable as these things are what is more remarkable is the man's assessment of himself and his understanding of Jesus. As Jesus drew near to the house, the centurion sent friends to prevent Jesus from coming into his home. No doubt he knew well the attitude of most Jews to Gentiles even if the locals were positively disposed towards him. He must have sensed that though he was God-fearing he was still not part of the people of God. I speculate that he also knew enough about Jesus to see that Jesus was someone special and way above himself. At any rate, he says that he is not worthy for Jesus to come to him. What is interesting to see art this point is that Jesus does not seem to hold that opinion. He goes when the Jews ask him to do so. He is stopped only by the friends and only because he sees the great faith of the centurion.

What this man expresses next is staggering, "Just say the word and my servant will be healed." He goes on to explain that he understands how authority works: he is under it and he has people under him. He is used to following and giving commands and expecting that things will get done. For them to not get done would be a major anomaly in how things work. His point: Jesus only needs to speak for things to happen. He does not have to be physically present for the healing to take place. I believe this is the first instance of healing at a distance.

What faith this man has. Jesus commends him, pointing out that he had not seen such faith amongst the Jews who should have had that faith! I want to be the kind of person that only needs to have the word of God spoken. Note that the centurion did not even need to hear Jesus speak the word; he only requested that it be spoken. That is the kind of faith that gets things done in the kingdom of God!

Thursday in Cambodia - Week Two

2011-03-17T11:29:00.000-04:00

This is the day that I knew was coming and have not looked forward to. I am actually ready to leave. The time is right. But I very much leave with sadness and joy. This has been a fantastic experience that we have described over the past two weeks. I leave adults and children who have become very close to me and, in some ways, are now family. Now I return to those who are and have been family for some time. When I get there I will have many good pictures and stories to tell. Stories that I hope will inspire each of them to come to Cambodia with me on another trip. I have truly been enriched here and my heart goes home fuller for the love that I have given and received.

Last night we had an unscheduled Skype session with BB3. Savy, Sem and all of the children gathered around the computer in Battambang while the team gathered around mine. Though the internet connection was not always great, the emotional and spiritual connection was solid. The smiling faces of children and adults now familiar to all of us glowed with great love. There were plenty of hellos and waving hands and hearts formed in hands to communicate when the audio didn't come through well.

In the background I heard many calls of, "Hello Panha" which was directed towards me. Panha is Savy's youngest child. On Monday or Tuesday of last week I started calling him Scott and saying that my name was Panha. This quickly caught on and everyone joined in the game. Every day when I stepped out of the van the kids greeted me this way. I believe I will be Panha to them for some time.

Our devotions this afternoon focused on God's heart for the orphans. We saw from scripture that God cares deeply for orphans and the oppressed. We recognize that there are evil people in the world who choose to hurt and exploit young people and the powerless. All of us could answer that we had taken steps to do what God calls the righteous to do: rescue the poor. We were challenged to look at what more we could do. We ended our time with He Reigns by the Newsboys. A fitting song. God reigns. Nothing changes that. People all over the world gladly acknowledge that. And because God reigns justice will prevail.

The Lord has been changing my own heart regarding these children. In one sense all of the Asia's Hope children are orphans. They do not have biological parents who can care for them. But in another sense they are adopted children. Certainly the house parents have "adopted" them. The sponsors have too. Lori Biddle has written about her "adopted" daughter (who has a brother and sister). One family in the church sent over a booklet of pictures and always referred to the family relationship that they feel for their "adopted" daughter. I am beginning to see the boy I help to sponsor in the same way. Many of us have received letters and emails where our child calls us Mommy or Daddy.

More profoundly God has adopted them. I don't want to call them orphans again.

Wednesday in Cambodia - Week Two

2011-03-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

Tragedies will continue to occur throughout the world. Friends in Haiti have lamented that many are already forgetting the devastation that that nation experienced and is still experiencing this day. The point will not be to merely keep our focus on the latest terrible events and locations. The point will be to remember that the Lord has called us to pray for, to intercede on behalf of, to ask for (Ps. 2:8), and to go to the nations. -- Dr. Michael Oh.

This quote is in the context of what is going on in Japan. I think it is also very appropriate for Cambodia. This nation needs many things. The tragedy here is not from an earthquake but from on-going and systemic problems that was compounded by the Khmer Rouge. Our focus as Christians must always be the call to intercede for the nations and then go.

Today we returned to the Prek Eng school. We intended to have devotions first and then split up into smaller groups. Flexibility is standard operating procedure here. You have to adapt. When we arrived the teachers had already split the children into groups. They were ready for us. Some of us went with the smaller children to make stick together crosses. The older children made duct tape flowers. The rest of the children made tissue paper flowers. Kym led the group making the tissue flowers. We quickly realized that we had more children than supplies. A couple more quick adjustments. We added a quick craft to draw flowers before making the paper flowers. To help out, Kym jumped in with songs to keep the kids engaged and waiting while Dar and I helped small groups of kids make their flowers.

Once the formal crafts were done I was drawn back into a game I started yesterday. I had a row of kids on swings that all wanted me to count to three and then push them up in the air on swings and hold them there. Some time (often) there were two or three children per swing. I wore myself out doing that yesterday. We said goodbye to the kids at the school and then went over to Prek Eng 1 to see what the houses are like. All of these houses are rented. A couple of the sponsors for Prek Eng 1 were there enjoying a traditional harvest dance. They graciously offered to perform it again. In a way I felt bad that we barged in on other's time but no one seemed to mind.

For lunch a few of us walked to a restaurant near the Russian market called Jars of Clay. This restaurant is run by Christians. Their purpose is to provide work for women at risk of trafficking. They provide jobs and training. It is amazing to see how God is moving in this nation. It is a privilege to be a small part of it.

Tuesday in Cambodia - Week Two

2011-03-15T11:14:00.000-04:00

Today we talked about God's heart for the poor. Our final devotion will be about the heart of God for orphans. Two soul-searching subjects considering where we are at and what we are doing. We have seen this in very profound ways over the past week and a half. Some of what we've seen is kids who are being rescued from poverty as a lifestyle. Others are living in it with their families. Still others are living in exploitation. All of these things describe what it means to be poor.

We visited the kids of the Prek Eng orphanages. All of the homes in Prek Eng are leased because land is so expensive in Phnom Penh. The Christian school is run by Asia's Hope and serves as a common point for all of the houses. As we pulled up smiling children waited on us. Do you get the idea that this is a common thing? As excited as they were they waited until we were invited into the school. Then we were greeted with hugs and "choom reap suor" (hello).

The kids had all prepared special music and dance for us. A couple of the homes performed more traditional dances while others danced to Christian songs. Whatever they do it is very evident that their hearts are to serve the Lord. I know that many of the younger ones have not reached that decision point yet but they are in godly hands who will do their best to raise these kids well.

After the dances the team gathered supplies and started painting the outside of the schoolhouse. We actually had so many people working that some of us stepped back to hang out with the kids. Kym brought out some of the supplies that she had, Eileen just talked to kids, I pushed them on swings and invented games to play on the swings that brought intense giggles and repeated requests for more. I think that many times all six swings were filled with children that wanted pushed. Often each swing held two or three eager children. Later the game turned to lifting kids up to hang from the limb of a tree. It's amazing how much can be communicated without speaking a word.

The crafts were a phenomenal hit. Children were spread out coloring from pages ripped for coloring books. Some of the children brought out books of nursery rhymes. Eileen, Tim and myself were all reading. Many of the kids have picked up some good English skills. I know that not all of the kids understood what we were reading. Still, they enjoyed it.

This evening we had dinner along the Mekong River in a small pizza shop. This particular shop donates its' profits to rescuing and supporting orphans. While in Battambang we saw plenty of very poor families. On either side of BB3 there are families living in deplorable conditions. This is one side of poverty. Tonight we saw another. Children kept coming into the restaurant with their trinkets literally begging us to buy something from them. The staff would politely usher them out but they come back. Remember that this restaurant is helping the poor. As are we. These children are simply hoping to survive. The best way to not do something is to not look. That sounds hard and it is. Outside I saw a mother holding a baby with a couple of children around her, baskets of trinkets hanging from their necks. I wish I could say that they were helping to support the family but we can't be certain. There may be someone behind them forcing them into this work and receiving the profits. This is a very dark side of poverty. How do we respond to the plea's of a child?

I am a firm believer in the work of Asia's Hope. It is doing a great work. The country director, Savorn, wants to see a 1000 orphans rescued and in homes. I believe with all of my heart that this is the right way to make a difference. But I say that knowing that the children I saw tonight will not likely benefit from this.

May God always grant us tender hearts that break as his does for such children.

Monday in Cambodia - Week Two

2011-03-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

Today was the day that I have least looked forward to: leaving then kids. Since last Thursday when two of our team members left I've been preparing myself for this day. Even last night the time was weighing heavily on me. Knowing what was coming did not prepare me well enough.

Today was a smorgasbord of emotions. They day began as usual with breakfast and time interacting with the waitresses we've had all week. These young girls are very charming and seem to out of their way to make our stay special. They've joined in freely with our play. They greet us warmly. They even refer to Greg and Darlene as papa and mama. This was a joyous parting.

We then packed up and headed out to the house. A few of the children were already home from school for the morning. They ran up and greeted us. We sat and talked and hugged. Slowly children came in, some on foot, some on bicycle, about five on the moto. Each new group of children brought fresh smiles and hugs. Of course, they all knew that this was our last day.

Many of them brought out pictures they had of themselves and passed them out to us. Rattanak brought out his collection of letters that we and others have sent him. These letters are obviously prized possessions. I am sure that they are kept in a safe and special place. I am biased but I think that Rattanak is an amazing young man. But then I should say that he is an amazing young man amongst a group of amazing people.

At one point some of the children brought out their books and sat next to us so that we would read to them. Menghor brought out his English children's bible. I started in the beginning and read a few stories. Then the took the bible and found stories about Jesus. We read several stories and then he wanted to read from Revelation. It's been quite a while since I've read children's books but what an honor it was to be asked.

We were informed that the orphanage had been preparing lunch for us. We had not intended to eat there. As we waited and watched the kids spread out mats on the floor, placed plates and silverware and then bowls of rice, meats, vegetables, and mildly spicy sauces. Although I had spent a lot of time hugging Rattanak and Sychu, it was TongChay who wanted me to sit with her.

Very soon TongChay took a meatball and a piece of cucumber then dipped it in sauce and offered it to me. I've learned to allow the children to feed me when they want to. (They also like getting towelettes and getting them wet and then wiping us down.) It wasn't long before other children joined in with feeding adults. I decided to turn the tables on TongChay and feed her. At first she was unwilling but quickly decided to accept the morsel.

After the meal was finished and the floor cleared we gathered in a circle with children and staff firmly locked in our arms for prayer. Sychu came up and stood between Kim and I and grabbed our arms. Already the tears were starting to fall. We prayed, committing the children and ourselves to the Lord's work. By then almost everyone was crying, including many of the boys. We were all very sorrowful. Leaving is hard, even knowing that we can write to them and we will Skype with them several times over the next year. Some of us will see them again. But there was joy deeply hidden in those tears. They are learning that we will not abandon them even though we are going away for a time. They are learning of the steadfast love of God in Christ.

One the one hand there is an emptiness in my heart. This family, these children have become so very dear to me during the time that we have been sponsoring Rattanak and especially during this week. I will miss them very much. But I will also be able to talk with so many of them during the next Skype event and we will all experience the joy of a relationship re-kindled. But I do not leave a part of my heart in Cambodia. No, I have been greatly enriched by Savy and his family, by these children. I believe that we have also enriched theirs and so all of our hearts are fuller because of this.