A Heart for Missions

For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10

Several years ago, I was talking to an aquaintance whose husband is in the ministry.  In the course of our conversation, I mentioned a recent overseas mission trip that I had taken. With a look of distaste, the woman responded.

"My husband and I have never had any desire to go on a mission trip.  It's just not something that we are interested in."

I was shocked that she would actually voice such a view, but since that time I have come across hundreds of church members who share that same sentiment.  They view missions as an "elective" of the Christian walk; one that they can take or leave at will.  However, they fail to recognize that, to have a heart after God's own heart, we must have a heart for missions.

In Luke, Jesus states that He, the Son of Man, came to seek and save the lost.  In today's language, we could say that Luke 19:10 is Jesus' purpose statement.   It is the reason that He was born in that stable in Bethlehem and it is the reason that He laid down His life at Calvary. Missions was at the very heart of Jesus's ministry and, as followers of Jesus Christ, we should have a heart for missions, as well.

The focus of the Christian walk should be to become more like Christ daily.  Henry Martyn, a 19th-century missionary to India and Persia, who died on the field at the age of 31, said, "The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become." A missionary heart is the natural result of a growing walk with Christ.

Now, I am not saying that if you haven't been on a mission trip then you have a shallow Christian walk.  There are many reasons why we may not be able to go, ranging from financial to health issues to family responsibilities.  However, if you have a heart for missions, even if you cannot go yourself, you will be committed to regularly praying for those who do go and helping in any way that you can to send them. 

The fact is, if you truly have a heart for missions, you will already be actively evangelizing the lost in your own community.  Many Christians believe that modeling the Christian life at work or in their neighborhood is sufficient to evangelize the lost, but they are mistaken.  Living the Christian life is just a prerequisite to evangelism. The word itself is derived from the "good news" that we call the Gospel.  Good news must be shared verbally with others.

Is your heart in sync with God's heart when it comes to the lost?  When was the last time that you grieved over the lostness of a co-worker or family member? Take time today to evaluate where your heart is in relation to the heart of Christ.

Before You Go on a Mission Trip

Be watchful in all things, endure hardships,

do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

II Timothy 4:5

Part Two: The Most Important Thing to Take

Everyone packs differently for a trip.  I've traveled with those who've brought dozens of outfits and packed enough cosmetics and hair care paraphernalia to makeover a small country.  There have also been those who head off for a two-week trip with only a backpack and strong deodorant.  Both groups made it there and back and ministered to those that they met.

So what is it that we can bring that will make a difference in the success of our mission trip?  On any given trip, it soon becomes apparent, when the stresses of overseas travel kick in, who is truly prepared and who is not.  The reality is that, on a mission trip, what they carry in their luggage is not nearly important as what they carry in their hearts. You see, the most important thing to take on a mission trip is the right attitude.

Now you would think that anyone who takes time off from work and invests in the cost of a mission trip would automatically have the right attitude for going, but sometimes, somewhere along the way, we lose our proper perspective.  I know this is true because, even as a veteran missionary, I've allowed it to happen to me.

So how can you make sure that you bring the right attitude with you on your mission trip?  Here are four steps that can help make sure you have a great experience:

Step One: Remember Who Sent You

The biggest mistake you can make when going on a mission trip is to forget your main reason for going: to serve God. Even though you may be taking vacation time to go, you should never confuse a mission trip with a vacation.  If you think of it as a vacation, you will make yourself miserable!  Instead, confirm in your heart that you have given this week to the Lord.  Commit this time to Him and remind yourself that you are willing to sleep less (or not at all), eat foods that you don't like (or even recognize), experience extreme heat or cold, and do things that you never thought you would have the courage to do. As Americans, we normally never really get the opportunity to suffer for Christ.  This is your chance.

Step Two: Remember Why You Were Sent

I'm going on the assumption that the primary reason you are going on a mission trip is to minister.  Having a chance to experience exotic locations and quaint cultures can be a side benefit, but should not be a major consideration.  In all likelihood, the most exotic location you'll visit will be a foreign bathroom and the quaint culture may include loudspeakers blaring prayers at dawn or dusty roads that have potholes the size of a Volkswagen and kamikaze drivers.  Many of the people that you have come to minister to will reject you and even revile you.  However, you can be sure that there will be at least one person that God will bring to you whose heart is fertile ground for the Gospel and you can plant the seed of hope in them.

Step Three: Remember That Christ Will Strengthen You

Before going on the mission field, I had never left the country.  I liked being comfortable and I never, EVER, went camping.  My idea of roughing it was spending the night in a hotel room with just one bathroom!  When God called me to be a missionary in a third world country, I was worried that I wouldn't make it.  It wasn't easy, but I quickly came to learn that I could "do all things through Christ who strengthened me."  Before long, I found myself choosing "squatty potties" (tiled holes in the floor that you squat over) over the Western-style toilets because they were "cleaner" and I hardly gave it a thought when I had to pick bugs out of my food.  Christ gave me the strength to handle any challenge that came my way and, in the process, I became stronger in my faith.

In many ways, I am giving a "worse case scenario" for a mission trip, but that is just to prepare you for whatever "bumps" you may experience on your trip.  Going back to my roller coaster analogy, I want to remind you that it is the hair-raising drops and the g-force turns that makes the ride worthwhile. Which brings me to my fourth step...

Step Four: Remember That This Will Change Your Life

Nothing worthwhile comes without some measure of sacrifice.  I haven't met a woman yet who enjoyed being in labor, but every one will tell you that the pain was worth it. The things that you experience on a mission trip will make memories that you'll never forget and that you will recount over and over to your friends.  There will be glorious memories like helping a woman to learn that the Bible teaches that she can know for certain that she has everlasting life or teaching a child his very first Bible verse.  Even the seemingly bad experiences can serve to help you bond with the others on your team or grow you as a Christian.  It is strange how a situation that nearly brings you to tears while overseas, eventually becomes the story that you laugh over for years to come.

There is no denying the fact that a mission trip is expensive, uncomfortable, frightening, and hard work.  But I feel sorry for Christians who let this stop them from going because they miss out on so much!  The time, money, and effort you put into a mission trip is nominal in comparison to what you get from it: a greater faith in Christ, a deeper commitment to evangelism, and the blessing of knowing that you have ministered in the lives of others.

A Veteran Missionary's Guide to Missions

And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
 and preach my Gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:15

Part One: Why We Must Do Missions

Evangelism is a focal part of the Christian faith.  Sharing our faith with the lost is something that Christ expects from each of his followers. It is not a suggestion or a request; it is a mandate from God. Evangelism is the natural by-product of a mature and growing faith.  For the majority of Christians, evangelism takes place on the local level.  We witness to our family members, neighbors, co-workers, and (sometimes) even complete strangers. 

A part of evangelism is missions.  The word "missions" was coined by Jesuit monks to describe those who were "sent" to minister in foreign lands. They rightly believed that this special calling, with its greater dangers and sacrifices, was set apart from regular evangelism and deserved (at the least) a new classification.  Unlike many Christians today, who believe that "we are all missionaries," the early Church understood that leaving your family, your culture, and your heart language behind so that you could pour out your life in a strange land was not the same as spending twenty minutes telling your neighbor what Christ has done in your life.

During the early era of international missions, the crate that carried your possessions to the field often doubled as your coffin.  The average life expectancy for those early missionaries was less than five years. Fortunately, medical breakthroughs and advances in transportation has significantly improved the survival rate of missionaries.   However, the sacrifices they make are still very real.  Ask anyone who has spent more than a month overseas; it is not easy to live in a different country.

Obviously, Christians do not do missions because it is easy.  They do it because it is right.  The Great Commission was not limited to local evangelism.  Jesus commanded them to go "unto the uttermost part of the earth."  To me, that phrase always conjured up images of those places that I would LEAST like to visit- and that may very well be what He was saying.  Missions requires us to reach a greater level of commitment in our service to Christ because we often end up going to places that we never wanted to go to and doing things that are completely outside our comfort zone.

So, you may be asking yourself, "What is she trying to do, scare me from ever doing a mission trip?" No, that isn't my intent at all.  Instead, what I'm trying to say is that the missions experience will take your faith to a higher level because it is HARD.  Have you ever talked to someone who has just returned from a mission trip?   They go on and on and on about how incredible it was and how it changed their life.  The number one response that I've heard from first-time mission trippers is something like this: "I went, thinking that I might be a blessing to others, but I ended up being the one who was blessed."

Going on a mission trip is a lot like riding a roller coaster for the first time.  There is a lot of anxiety and trepidation before you head out, then you are overwhelmed with new sensations and experiences, and finally you are dropped back at the start feeling exhilarated and you can hardly wait to do it again. Face it, missions gives you a rush like nothing else, but (like the roller coaster) it can be a bumpy ride; whether it is your first mission trip or your fiftieth, you just never know what might happen.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be writing on what you can do to make your next mission trip a little easier.  If you've never gone on a mission trip, I hope that these blogs will spark a desire in you to stretch your faith enough to be willing to reach the lost overseas.  At the very least, I hope that it will give you the knowledge of how you can better pray for those in your church who will soon be taking mission trips and for the career missionaries who have committed their whole lives to reaching the uttermost ends of the earth.

What Will Tomorrow Bring?

Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Proverbs 27:1

Have you ever noticed how a day seldom turns out the way that we think it will?  We wake up, expecting the day to go a certain way, but unforeseen circumstances and events propel us on a course that we could not have seen.  A day that we think will be the most important of our lives turn out to be a let down; while another seemingly unimportant day turns out to be the best (or the worst) day of our lives.

This holds true for the course of our lives, as well.  As Christians, we often start on a path toward a goal, only to find the road blocked so that we are forced to take another way.  Paul experienced this when he decided to take the Gospel into Asia (Acts 15). Paul's motives and desires were pure, but God prevented him from going. It must have been both puzzling and frustrating for Paul to see his dream of reaching Asia Minor die. Unfortunately for Paul, he didn't have our benefit of seeing the situation from the future.  When God blocked Paul from going into Asia, he moved him toward Philippi, the gateway to the Roman Empire.  In effect, God was taking the Gospel into Europe, where it had the greatest potential of spreading throughout the world.

No human could have anticipated that Europe would one day be the center of civilization- and that its influence would eventually spread across the Atlantic Ocean to a New World; but God knew. While Paul had his own personal ambitions and dreams, he had the faith to set aside his desires in obedience to God's direction.  Because of Paul's obedience (and the faith and obedience of others like him), I live in a nation that was founded on Biblical principles.

Lately, I've felt a little like Paul.  Alan and I moved to Clermont (a small town in northeast Georgia) thirteen years ago, thinking that this would be the place where we would set down roots and live until we retired.  We built our dream house and invested our lives in this wonderful community. But God had other plans.  Slowly, He has clipped away at the roots that we set down; gently, but firmly, uprooting us and leading us into a new work in a new area.

This month, the last of those roots were severed.  Our dream house is sold and our belongings are being packed away into cardboard boxes.  It is a painful process, as I'm sure it must have been for Paul, but the sorrow is balanced with a hopeful anticipation of how God will be using us as we begin down this new path in our life.  After forty years of serving the Lord, we have learned (like Paul) that despite the occasional shipwrecks and stonings that we endure in our lives, God never fails us.  He has a purpose for our lives and, though we cannot see what is at the end of this path, God can- and it is sure to be awesome.

Loving Your Neighbor

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:27

 

 

Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance of these two principles: love God and love your neighbor. In the Gospel of Luke, a lawyer raises the question of who our neighbor is; to which Jesus responded with the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan.  Through that parable, Christ effectively tore down the racial barriers that threatened to keep the Christian faith limited to the Jews and empowered the spread of the Gospel to all people.

 

What I've noticed, however, is that while we eagerly accept the worldwide definition of "neighbor," we tend to overlook the literal aspect of loving our neighbor. Are we loving the very people that live next door to us?  Think of your neighborhood as your own personal mission field.  You are the missionary that God has sent to the families that live in your subdivision.

 

As former international missionaries, we quickly learned the "golden rule" of evangelism: "People won't accept what you say until they believe that you love them."  This concept holds true all over the world- and especially in your neighborhood.  Your witness need to begin by building genuine relationships with your neighbors.

 

In order to love our neighbor, we need to begin with being a good neighbor. Did you know that the number one cause of conflict between neighbors are pets?  Dogs that are prone to barking or that are allowed outside unsupervised are a major source of annoyance to neighbors and can destroy any chance of a Christian witness.

Deuteronomy 19:14 commands us not to encroach on our neighbor's land.  A good neighbor respects the property of his fellow neighbors.  You can avoid border wars by keeping your pets and children off of your neighbors' land and being careful not to place trees or structures too close to property lines.

Noisy neighbors are a problem to everyone living nearby; whether it is loud music, parties, or just running the leaf blower early on a Saturday morning.  If you are planning a party or barbecue, be polite and let the neighbors know ahead of time.  Keep kids and pets indoors (or at least quiet) until 10 AM on weekends and after 10 PM on weekdays.

Finally, go the extra mile in being a good neighbor.  Be friendly.  Take the time to speak to your neighbor if you see them out in the yard. If they seem open, begin building a relationship slowly, but follow the advice of Proverbs 15:17 and don't overdo it..  If conflicts have already arisen between you and a neighbor, try to resolve the problem and "mend fences."

Neighbors can be a wonderful resource in times of need. Proverbs 27:10 tells us that, in a calamity, a neighbor nearby is better than family that live farther away. Whether you need to borrow a cup of sugar to finish that recipe or someone to pick your daughter up at the bus stop while you run your sick baby to the doctor, a neighbor can be a life saver.  Neighbors who know you and are somewhat familiar with your schedule can be the best security system around.

After commanding us to love God with all our hearts, Jesus says that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. He tells us that there is no greater commandments than these.  If loving our neighbor is that important to Jesus, it ought to be important to us, too.






The Hardships of Sowing

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126: 5-6

 

Peter and Paul are undoubtedly the greatest of evangelists of all time.  They were among the first to sow the "precious seed" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The concept of sowing and reaping is a basic doctrine of the Christian faith.  We all know that we reap what we sow and we are all familiar with the parable of the sower and the seed. We may even acknowledge (much to our discomfort) that as a Christian it is our duty to be out there in the world sowing seeds.

However, we often overlook the passage from Psalm 126.  Notice that it doesn't say that we are sowing tears, but that tears are shed as we sow.  David is telling us that sowing is a painful process. That is evident in the lives of Peter and Paul.  Throughout their lifetimes, they faithfully sowed the Gospel among the lost.  In return for their efforts, they were beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and martyred.

Think of our missionaries, who leave family and friends to go and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.   At the very least, they spend their lives in an alien culture, surrounded by people who look, talk, and think differently from them. Often they suffer physical abuse, persecution, and even death at the hands of the very same people that they came to help.

The rest of us go on with our lives, hardly thinking about the spiritual condition of those around us.  We shy away from sharing the Gospel with a co-worker or neighbor because they might think less of us. Or, even worse, we make the excuse that we don't feel comfortable sharing the Gospel with others. 

I seriously doubt that Paul felt "comfortable" being stoned, scourged, and imprisoned for sharing his faith, but it did not stop him.  It is our natural tendency to want to stay in our "comfort zone," but we need to realize this: No Christian has ever accomplished anything of significance for the Kingdom of Heaven while remaining in their comfort zone.

Yes, witnessing may stretch you beyond what you thought you could ever do and cause you to suffer more than you would have wanted; but don't forget the second part of the passage.  God promises that our tears will turn to joy and one day we will have the pleasure of entering into eternal life in heaven along with the "sheaves" that we helped to bring to Christ.

Living by Faith

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ lives within me:

 and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

 

 

Ever notice how circumstances and other things tend to push our genuine celebration of Easter aside?  As Christians, this holiday should be the focal point of our year.  Yet so often, plans for spring break, Easter egg hunts, or shopping for new outfits takes our time, thoughts, and energy away from this important day.  Even our church services seem to take the emphasis away from the believer; seeing the opportunity to give a rousing salvation sermon for the small group of attenders that only come for this annual service instead of providing a celebration for true believers.

 

Okay, I'll get off my soap box now and get to the point.  We all know that, if it wasn't for the crucifixion there would be no Gospel. And with no Gospel, there would be no Christian faith.  However, it never hurts to be reminded that the crucifixion was not just something that happened to Jesus: it happened to every believer as well.  At the time of our salvation, our old self was nailed to that cross.  Like Christ's death, the death of our old self was bloody, painful, and costly.  Unlike Christ's death, the death of our old self was final.  It didn't come back to life on the third day. It is dead, dead, dead.

 

In Galatians, Paul tells us that, because of our being crucified with Christ, we are able to live by faith. Unfortunately, many of us have still not quite let go of our old self. There are many reasons why we do this; we may may still be just a little bit in love with the world and don't want to give up on some of those old ties to it.  Or we may still harbor that secret little sin that has such a hold on us that we can't let it go.

 

Whatever the reason, it is hindering us from truly living by faith.  In essence, we are trying to live a victorious Christian life while carting a corpse around on our back.  How is that ever going to work?

 

So maybe, now that Easter has reminded us of the great sacrifice that Christ has made for us, it is time to put the last nail in the coffin on our old self.  If it helps, make a ceremony of it.  Write out the main thing that is keeping you from living by faith.  Then, put it in a shoe box and bury it out in the back yard.  It is dead, it has been dead, and all that is left is for you to bury the body.

 

 

 

 





Exercising My Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight...

II Corinthians 5:7

A couple of years ago, my husband and I made a New Year's resolution to exercise regularly together. We wanted to make sure that we stayed healthy so we could enjoy watching our grandchildren grow up. I still remember that first day of exercise (using an exercise DVD that our daughter had loaned us), we put everything we had into it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I went to bed that night feeling really good about myself.

I woke up the next day and could hardly get out of bed. I was sore in places where I didn't even know there were muscles. Every step, every breath, every movement was agony.  I wondered what I was thinking, to put myself through so much pain. I seriously considered just quitting. Surely nothing could be worth this much hardship.

But I didn't quit. For weeks I dreaded our exercise time.  I wondered if it would ever come easy to me. Two years later, we still exercise regularly.  Our health improved and we have greater stamina than I ever thought possible.  I can't say that I necessarily look forward to exercising, but it has become second nature to me- a part of who I am.

Faith is a lot like this. In many ways it is like one of the muscles in our body. The more that we exercise it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, a muscle that is seldom used becomes flabby and, eventually, will atrophy.

Exercising our faith is usually difficult, and sometimes downright painful. It is only when it becomes a regular part of our life that we can expect to reap the benefits.  While physical exercise profits little in comparison, exercising our faith has eternal benefits.  It gives us the spiritual stamina to survive every crisis that comes our way.

When you start any exercise program, it is best to start with small steps and work up to bigger things.  This week, start with the simple things that God is prompting you to do.  Go and share your faith with that lost neighbor or co-worker. Or maybe you need to agree to teach that Bible class at church that no one else wants.

It may be easier to be a spiritual couch potato, but you'll never truly exercise your faith until you get out of your comfort zone.  Only by living by faith will you see the full power of the risen savior, Jesus Christ.

The Power of Prayer

If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

John 14:14

My birthday was this week and I can never celebrate a birthday without remembering the birthday that God used to remind me of the power of prayer.  My husband and I had been serving as missionaries in Indonesia for a couple of years.  Our teenage daughters were involved in a youth group called International Christian Youth, which was made up of high school students from a dozen different countries.

After one of the weekly Bible studies, my husband came home and told me that he had been asked to be the speaker for their annual retreat and wanted me to be one of the counselors.  That was no problem for me, until I found out that the retreat fell on my birthday.  As much as I enjoyed working with youth, I have to admit that I wasn't overjoyed at the idea of spending my birthday with a hundred noisy teens. I finally agreed, grudgingly, to go.

Arriving at the retreat site, we quickly discovered that the facilities were more rustic than we had expected- and that's saying a lot when you have been living in a third world country for a few years!  Our room consisted of a set of rickety bunk beds and was crawling (quite literally) with insects and lizards.  The bathroom contained a squatty potty (basically a hole in the floor over which you squatted) and a sink equipped with cold water only.  Since the temperatures hit close to 100 degrees and there was no air conditioning, it seemed that the cold water would come in handy. I'd like to say that I didn't grumble about the living conditions, but that wouldn't be the truth.  I had a terrible attitude about the whole thing.  Fortunately, God can use us; even despite ourselves.  Just look at Jonah!

Many of the youth had brought along lost friends from the international school or their neighborhoods.  Despite my bad attitude, it was hard to resist the atmosphere of love among those youth and the earnest desire to see their friends come to Christ.  The final night of the retreat, my husband led an appeal for the lost to come forth and receive Jesus as their Savior.  We were overjoyed to see twelve teens come down and accept Christ.

I had to admit that the ride home was not terribly pleasant for me.  The Lord was really dealing with me about my attitude about the retreat and I had to get my own heart right with God.  I couldn't help but wonder at the fact that He had so blessed the retreat, despite me and my hard heart. My daughter helped me to put it into perspective.  She was looking through our recent copy of the International Missionary Board's prayer calendar.

"Look, Mom," she said, pointing out my name in the booklet. "The churches back home were praying for you on your birthday."

That was a real light bulb moment for me.  It wasn't my husband's deep Bible studies (though he is certainly a gifted speaker) nor me and my bad attitude that had brought those twelve souls to salvation.  It was the power of prayer. And though God had taught me the lesson of prayer's power before that day, I can never celebrate a birthday without being reminded of how our Wonderful, Loving God allows us to partner with Him in His ministry through the power of prayer.