Missions

Flipping through "My Utmost ..." and came to October 27th's entry.

The Method Of Missions
"Go ye therefore, and teach (disciple) all nations." -- Matthew 28:18
Jesus Christ did not say--Go and save souls (the salvation of souls is the supernatural work of God), but--"Go and teach," i.e., disciple, "all nations," and you cannot make disciples unless you are a disciple yourself. When the disciples came back from their first mission they were filled with joy because the devils were subject to them, and Jesu said--Don't rejoice in successful service; the great secret of joy is that you are rightly related to Me. The great essential of the missionary is that he remains true to the call of God, and realizes that his one purpose is to disciple men and women to Jesus. There is a passion for souls that does not spring from God, but from the desire to make converts to our point of view.

The challenge to the missionary does not come on the line that people are difficult to get saved, that backsliders are difficult to reclaim, that there is a wadge of callous indifference; but along the line of his own personal relationship to Jesus Christ. "Believe ye that I am able to do this?" Our Lord puts that question steadily, it faces us in every individual case we meet. The one great challenge is--Do I know my Risen Lord? Do I know the power of His indwelling Spirit? Am I wise enough in God's sight, and foolish enough according to the world, to bank on what Jesus Christ has said, or am I abandoning the great supernatural position, which is the only call for a missionary, ,Viz., boundless confidence in Christ Jesus? If I take up any other method I depart altogether from the methods laid down by Our Lord--"All power is given unto Me ..., therefore go ye."

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.

-Ephesians 1:18-19

The Indomitable U2

Always a horrible idea to post lyrics, yet ....

"Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own"

Tough, you think you've got the stuff
You're telling me and anyone
You're hard enough

You don't have to put up a fight
You don't have to always be right
Let me take some of the punches
For you tonight

Listen to me nowI need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone
And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

We fight all the time
You and I...that's alright
We're the same soul
I don't need...I don't need to hear you say
That if we weren't so alike
You'd like me a whole lot more

Listen to me nowI need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone
And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

I know that we don't talk
I'm sick of it all
Can - you - hear - me - when - I -
Sing,
you're the reason I sing
You're the reason why the opera is in me...

Where are we now?
I've still got to let you know
A house still doesn't make a home
Don't leave me here alone...
And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you that makes it hard to let go
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
Sometimes you can't make it
The best you can do is to fake it
Sometimes you can't make it on your own

After We Leave

Below is an email from Mike Jorgensen, a leader at GMF, who was in Bolivia conducting a follow-up trip.

“What happens when you leave?”

Although we are asked this question from time to time, up to now we have not been able to give a good answer. For years we have heard “hallelujah” stories of newly planted churches that thrived and multiplied. But we did not have the resources to go back and find out what the big picture was.

Thanks for praying for our trip to Bolivia this past week. We were able to prototype a follow-up research method. We praise God for what He is doing in Bolivia, for what we found was exciting—

1. Our first campaign was June 2004. We had 2 campaigns last year and 3 this year. 27 new churches were planted on those 5 campaigns.

2. The most exciting statistic for me--the host churches have already planted another 10 new works since their campaign with us! And they have places picked out for 21 new works in 2006! A major prayer has been answered—that they will understand the simple church planting process we use and take it and run with it.

3. We were able to talk with pastors or leaders of 96% of the new works (26 of 27).

4. 81% of the new works are still alive (22 of 27). The reasons were similar—either because the leader flaked off or they lost their place to meet. Hopefully with more emphasis on meeting in homes we can reduce the attrition due to the second reason.

5. Of the 5 areas that have died, 2 of the groups were folded back into the mother church, so the fruit has been retained.

6. Average attendance at new works (does not include existing works) is 43. High is 140 and low is 6.

7. 81 new leaders were raised up from the campaigns, an average of 4 for each new work.

This is only the second year of work in Bolivia. God has given us a great start. Can’t wait to see what’s next. Please keep praying for the work in Bolivia.

Chinese Bible Crackdown

Cai Zhuohua, 34, a Beijing underground church leader, was sentenced yesterday to three years in prison for distributing Bibles and other Christian materials.

His wife, Xiao Yunfei, got two years, and her brother Xiao Gaowen was sentenced to 18 months by the Haidian Lower People's Court in Beijing.

"You bet when the president goes to Asia next week, he will continue to talk about the importance of promoting human rights and human dignity for all," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said yesterday.

In a round-table interview yesterday with Asian journalists, Mr. Bush said he "will continue to remind President Hu [Jintao] about, for example, my personal faith and the belief that people should be allowed to worship freely.

Read the whole thing

Green Beret Christians

Genius.

Excerpts:

For the average serious evangelical, a church is not really a church unless it is filled with Green Berets for Jesus. We hold to the notion that the true church is the home of the spirit-filled elite and the apostolic meat-eaters. And if not, look out. Ministers will be brought into such ordinary congregations to exhort the people to be like a missionary society or a para-church organization. How can they prove their commitment? They must give more than a tithe. They must daily get up at 5am and pray for an hour. They must evangelize every unbeliever at the office before the next service where they will be expected to give their testimonies of success. They must dress like Ozzie and Harriet, talk like Charlton Heston doing Moses and eat like St. Francis of Assisi.

Renewal movements are exciting, fresh and intense. But this is not the normal Christian life. So, when my particular church ceases being “on the cutting edge” of whatever it is God-is-doing-in-the-earth, I take off, looking for the next “wave” the next movement, the next spiritual rush. I want to ride the waves, not build the church.

I believe that a vast majority of serious evangelicals are addicted to the psychological highs that come with each new renewal movement: the new churches it produces, the new paradigm, the new practices, etc. There is absolutely no commitment to the church as the church because it is the church. No. We see our local church as a movement that has ceased moving us--so, it is time to move on.

Can we see the damage caused by our pride and ignorance? Meat-eaters shunning milk-drinkers; the spiritual elite leaving the “carnal” church to start their own “First Church of the Green Berets”--churches where one’s spirituality (to place the best possible light on it) is judged by the standard of one particular calling and gifting rather than his saltiness in day-to-day living.

Read the whole thing here.

PHaSR

Not missions related but cool. Big non-lethal laser gun.

Panama Todd

My accountability partner in my support-raising phase that I'm going through now is Todd S. He recently returned from Panama and put together this slideshow for his supporters. I thought it was pretty cool.

http://photoshow.comcast.net/watch/hg2xJ7YK