Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
It’s a bit of a cliché, but it’s true. Wounded people wound others. When someone lashes out at you in an extreme way, it is likely more their issue than yours. We need the wisdom to know how to love emotionally unhealthy people. I wish …
As we go to new nations and begin ministry there, the idea of fruitfulness is on our minds. We imagine the impact we can have and the lives that will be changed because of us being there. This is a noble thing. We should desire …
“Do more! Bigger is better! Climb the highest mountain! You can have it all!” Recognize anything about these statements? I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of a steady life pace. Does the pace of my life reflect the Way of Jesus? It’s an important question for visionary people to ask.
In a distance race, if you run too fast in the beginning, you don’t finish well. Easier said than done. The excitement of the race tends to make you go faster in the beginning. The music is playing, everyone is hyped up. Off you go, wanting to get a bit ahead of the crowd.
The pace of my life can get too fast as well. If I want to finish well, I need to regularly pause and slow down.
That’s not to say everyone is like me. I’m a visionary leader and admittedly a Type A personality. Some people’s pace may be too slow. When overwhelmed you slow to almost a standstill. Let’s look at this issue together, regardless of our personality.
I’ve recently been digging into a book by Peter Scazzero Emotionally Healthy Discipleship. I’ve read a lot of his books in the past and always learn important lessons. Peter and I are a lot alike, full of vision and passion for the lost. These are good things but they can lead to an unhealthy way of living, one that doesn’t reflect Jesus well.
How we live, including the pace of our lives, makes as great an impact on the world as what we do.
C. Anderson
Behind the scenes of my writing and training ministry, I have an amazing team. They serve the overall ministry of Disciple Makers Increase, DMMs Frontier Missions, and Missionary Life. A few weeks ago we had a staff retreat. Our speakers, a couple who served as missionaries in Bolivia for more than thirty years, made a statement that caught my attention.
“The way we grieved when we lost our son had a greater impact on those we ministered to than anything we did in our thirty years of ministry.” Their son was killed in a tragic accident. Heartbroken, they suffered this very painful grief and loss while on the field.
What made the greatest impact in their thirty years of cross-cultural ministry? Was it the schools they built? The churches they planted? No, it was how they lived their lives, particularly in times of crisis and loss. Who we are as disciples of Jesus impacts the world as much and more than what we do.
Many of us realize this in our heads, but how do we get it down into our hearts and lives? Into things like the pace at which we “run” in this Kingdom race?
How is your pace of life this month? Mine’s been too busy! I’m evaluating and looking for ways to slow down. Yesterday I had a conversation with a close friend. We brainstormed together. What can I stop doing? I’m talking with my husband about it too.
Who do you talk to when you notice your pace is too fast or too slow?
Do you feel lethargic (lazy) and like your motivation is slipping? Pause. Evaluate. Pray about it and talk with someone close to you about this.
We need community. Its part of the way God designed us. Running with a team keeps you on pace. For those who tend to slow down, they will speed you up. If you tend to overwork, they will force you to slow down as you make decisions together rather than alone.
Working in a team is extremely valuable. It’s not always easy, but it’s almost always better in the long run. Be open with your team about how you are doing as far as pace. Have a discussion about the progress you are making toward your vision. Is it moving forward in a stable, steady way? Or racing forward then slowing to a standstill?
Again, let me draw from my experience as a runner. Some people like to use a timing device to help them stay on pace. In every marathon, there are also pacesetters. They run at a particular pace and you can follow alongside or behind them to maintain your pace. Some runners follow a special pattern or rhythm. They run fast for a certain number of minutes, then do a slow jog for a bit, then speed up again.
My life seems to have its fast-paced seasons and its seasons where I intentionally slow down. They go in cycles. You may have noticed that in the summer months I slow down my blogging. After an intense season of ministry, I often work half days for a few days. I need to regroup. Another part of my rhythm is sabbath and retreats.
Its okay to run fast sometimes. But if you do so indefinitely, you won’t finish well.
What is your spiritual rhythm? Do you intentionally slow down or speed up at times? Have you gotten off your rhythm lately? I regularly have to check and make sure the habits that keep me healthy are still in place.
I like to meditate on scripture. I find it helpful not only to read the Bible but to take particular verses and really digest them. Rather than reading further, sometimes I “park” on a particular passage. I do this with quotes from books as well. Below is one I’m “parked on” at the moment. I want to let it sink in and begin to change and shape me.
How can you intentionally examine your pace this week?
Let us know in the comments below, or talk about this on the Missionary Life Facebook group. Let’s help each other in this area!
“A vacation? I don’t need that! It’s expensive,” we say. “The needs of the ministry are too pressing.” The same goes for food, exercise, rest…even fun. Missionaries take care of everyone else, but self-care is usually last on our long list of needs. This philosophy …
Mission work often attracts mavericks. The challenge, the adventure of going to a far off and difficult place, it inspires pioneer types. Not every missionary has a maverick personality, but many do. These character qualities are a great help in the boldness and tenacity needed …
Pass the baton. You know this principle. 2 Timothy 2:2 says it so clearly. Paul discipled Timothy, Timothy entrusted the teaching to faithful men. They passed it on to others also. Leaders who hold on to authority may grow powerful. The scope of their ministry will be limited though. It can not grow beyond them. If you want to see your ministry become fruitful, learn to identify and empower others.
Its not easy. These leaders usually don’t seem ready. We see their many flaws. It’s easy to wonder if they can handle the weight of responsibility. Do they have the necessary skills and commitment to lead?
Moses faced these same questions I’m sure. God told him to commission his aide Joshua. Moses would not lead the people to inherit the Promised Land. Joshua would.
What if Moses had held on to authority? What if he had second-guessed the situation? Joshua had served and been with Moses for a long time. I’m sure he knew his faults.
Obeying God, Moses chose to commission Joshua. He encouraged and strengthened the younger leader. Moses’ willingness to let go of power paved the way for Israel to receive God’s Promised Land.
He was young and unproven. His background was colorful. Though well educated, he’d struggled with drugs and alcohol in his teen years. When I first met Mark, I wasn’t sure about him. He was passionate about mobilizing his people group into missions and came with some great new ideas though.
Pulling him in, I invited him to join my team in hosting a big event. As we worked together, I saw his growing commitment to the Lord’s work. We sat and drank tea after a long day and he shared his dreams with me. I listened and encouraged, also observing his actions.
He had worked under other leaders. They appreciated his talents but had used him to develop their own ministries. Mark had never had a leader who encouraged him in his own dreams and ideas.
After the event finished, I invited him to join me as my personal assistant. We worked together more closely. I mentored him and spoke more deeply into his life. Inner healing issues surfaced. My husband and I prayed with him for freedom. He soon became a vital part of what we were endeavoring to do in the ministry.
The day came when Mark began to share with me about his vision for another nation. It was burning in his heart. I faced a choice. Would I release and encourage him? That meant I would lose his help for my own vision. It was not an easy choice!
I knew that if I gave away and released rather than holding on to power and people, I’d ultimately see greater fruit. If God was putting this in his heart, my role was to help him develop and step into his vision. As an elder and leader, I was to train and release, not control.
Encouraging him to pursue this passion in his heart, we spoke about an exploratory trip to the nation he was dreaming about going to one day. Pulling money from my own ministry funds, I gave him seed money to begin to pursue this.
Today he serves in that nation. God is using Mark to train and raise up many others who have come to Christ there. I’m so glad I didn’t hold on to him but helped him pursue the dreams of God in his heart!
“But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”
Deuteronomy 3:28 NIV.
Sometimes as leaders we have the opportunity to formally commission someone. We lay hands on them and pray as we see the elders did to Barnabas and Paul in Acts chapter thirteen. This has great value and is biblical to do.
There are many other ways we can “commission” younger leaders as well. Giving a title or role is a way of commissioning. Do you have a young person with a heart for social media evangelism? Give them the title “Social Media Evangelism Coordinator.” Lay hands on them, pray, and tell them to go for it!
The blessing of an elder to pursue something new makes a huge difference in a young person’s life.
Or maybe someone has a passion for prayer. Call them the “Prayer Team Development Leader.” Find creative ways to commission and release younger people into their God-given ideas.
After you’ve commissioned by laying on of hands or giving some kind of a title, your work is not done. They still need you to walk with them. Meet with them often. Ask how things are going. Sit with them and coach them into developing plans and action steps. Affirm their efforts with generous praise. Be there when they fail to troubleshoot problems and encourage them to try again.
One of the greatest ways we strengthen younger leaders is by praying for them. Share prophetic words or scriptures God gives you for them. Show up at their events or meetings to lend your support. Often your presence alone is enough to give them hope and courage. Endorse what they are doing and speak blessing over them publicly. (Always correct privately.)
Hundreds of ministries have fallen apart because older leaders refused to let go. They pioneered God-given vision. Great sacrifices were made as they were led by God to establish ministries. The greater the investment you have made to birth something, the harder it is to trust a younger leader to carry it forward. Yet failure to release and trust younger people working under you will ultimately destroy your ministry.
Start early. Get in the habit of trusting and empowering young leaders who have potential. If this becomes a normal practice in the way you function as a leader, it will be much easier when the time is right to relinquish control. That time will likely be sooner than you think it is. This practice will cause your ministry to grow beyond your own capacity…to multiply.
Don’t be a leader who struggles to let go. Be a releaser, someone who commissions, encourages, and strengthens others.
Who could you commission, encourage, and strengthen this week? Whether this is a formal laying on of hands in a public way, or simply a few words of blessing saying “Go for it!”, find someone you can release and give away some of your authority and influence to.
I’d love to hear about how you do this. Comment below or share on the Missionary Life Facebook group.
*name changed for his protection.
When you see a Muslim woman, dressed in her hijab, many Christians feel afraid. They avoid talking to people of other cultures. One of my relatives recently befriended a woman from another faith background. It’s been interesting to watch her reach out. As far as …
“I’m not finding anyone who is open to the gospel,” he told me in a call. I asked further questions. “Who are you wanting to reach?” He described his vision to reach high caste Hindus in his area. As we talked further, I asked him …
Two billion people on our planet are born, live and die without even once hearing the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! That’s an injustice that doesn’t end with death. Many Christ-followers want to help right this wrong. Why not personally share the good news of Jesus Christ with Muslim neighbors?
We are now in a time in history when the work of cross-cultural evangelism is no longer only the work of highly trained, full-time missionaries. We must equip and train every Jesus follower, to effectively share their faith with the unreached around them.
Not long ago most people grew up surrounded by people of their own ethnic and religious background. Today, in many places, God has brought the mission field to us!
Unreached Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus now live, work and play in our home towns and cities. This article is a guest blog written by a missionary who now lives and works with Muslims in his home country.
My attitudes towards Muslims and the Great Commission have undergone quite a transformation. Shifting to new perspectives has taken time.
Let’s begin by assuming we are passionate about sharing Jesus with our Muslim friends. The goal is not sharing our denominations, churches or theologies. Nor is it about our own interpretation of history.
Second, let’s also agree that God loves all people (and peoples). He desires them to be saved.
God is the only one in His creation without prejudice. If God loved them so much that He sent His Son to die for them, then shouldn’t I love them too?
Third, Christ-followers must also agree that Jesus wanted people in every ethnic group (ethne) to hear the gospel and be discipled. This includes all the 3734 unreached Muslim ethnic peoples.
Most of the world’s Muslims come from cultures where friendship trumps truth. That’s significant because the truth is important to most Muslims.
Relationship and friendship are more highly valued than truth in many Eastern cultures.
The first implication of this is that Christ-followers need to build a relational bridge to share the gospel. This is done by proving to be a trustworthy friend.
Second, most Muslims would describe trust as the most important quality in a friend. Friendship is built upon trust. Demonstrating such friendship may take time.
Third, most Muslims find the idea of instant friendships strange. Express sincere interest in your Muslim friend – his family, in particular — and let it continue whether he or she accepts or rejects the gospel. Be an authentic friend.
Most Muslims are impressed by genuine hospitality, kindness, and compassion. Is someone ill in their family? Consider a visit, or offer to pray for their healing. Do they have a practical need that is within your power to meet? Consider helping. Start to see these practical life struggles and needs, as God’s opportunity to show genuine love.
Many Muslims are sensitive to the needs of the poor. Most believe that true religion is caring for ‘widows and orphans’. Is caring practically for the less fortunate in your town or city a lifestyle for you?
Strive to be clean! Muslims admire godly people. A true follower of Jesus knows that their heart is already made clean by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
What counts in sharing the gospel is how the Muslim understands godliness from within their culture. For example, Muslims generally abhor eating pork and do not want to eat off of plates that have had pork on them. We can be the world’s most sincere and loving Christ-follower, but if our Muslim friend sees us eating pork his heart will close to us. Will we surrender eating pork if it enables a friendship with a Muslim?
The same is true for drinking alcohol. A Christ-follower may not struggle with occasional drinking. Most Muslims will struggle to listen to the testimony of a Christ-follower who consumes alcohol.
Muslims generally admire modesty and find most ‘normal’ Western clothing revealing legs, arms, and a woman’s bust or figure – shameful. Also, a Muslim man would never embrace or touch a woman who is not his wife.
Am I willing to consider a few minor adjustments to my diet, dress, and behavior to bring down walls of cultural resistance? Then I can befriend my Muslim brother and the gospel I share will be heard.
There are several other cultural issues like these in Islam. Christ-followers can conform to a Muslim’s cultural values without surrendering his or her allegiance to Jesus. I’m already clean because of what Jesus did for me on the cross. Can I adjust my behavior, language, and clothing so that I am ‘clean’ in their eyes? This will help my Muslim friend hear the gospel when I share it with him/her.
Never hide your faith in Jesus Christ from your Muslim friend. Live before him or her exactly the way you would around any other Christ-follower. For example, do you pray before you eat your meals? Don’t stop because you are with your Muslim friend.
Another example, is it normal for you to talk about God as a normal part of your daily conversation? Don’t stop that because you are with your Muslim friend!
Muslims generally disapprove of those with weak religious convictions. They admire people who have a strong belief. Real love enables us to be consistent and be true to ourself, to God, and our Muslim friend!
After trust has been established in your relationship with your Muslim friend, be sure to affirm common points of truth. There are many between Islam and Christ’s gospel. For example, belief in one God, angels, Judgment Day, predestination, and the Second Coming of Christ, to name a few. Ask, ‘How can I build a bridge to my Muslim friend using one of these common beliefs?
Starting discussions with controversy or arguments over Muhammad or the Koran is unhelpful. Avoid this.
Once there is rapport with a Muslim friend, it can be helpful to compliment their religion at the appropriate time. You could say something like, “One thing I have always admired about Islam is its insistence that there is only one God. I believe this is true too.”
Share from within their culture. Jesus always communicated with people from within their culture and worldview. He understood that people can understand things best from within their own context.
A good example of this principle is Jesus’ interaction with the Samaritan Woman in John 4. He got her attention by talking about the things that were hot issues in her culture.
If we start by sharing with our Muslim friends from the Bible, this may not be received well. Why? Muslims believe that our Bible has been corrupted.
If, however, we start with a concept from the Koran that agrees with our Scriptures, our ideas will gain an immediate hearing.
An example would be the Koran’s assertion that Jesus was virgin-born. A Christ-follower can say things like, “I appreciate what the Koran says about Isa Al Masih (Peace be upon him!). It says in Surah Maryam that Isa was born of a virgin.
“Isn’t it fascinating that the only other human without an earthly father was Adam. Surely, Isa was a special prophet. Can I share with you….” Such an approach neither dishonors the Bible, nor exalts the Koran.
Once we build a bridge to God’s truth we can point Muslims to other truths about Jesus in the gospels.
Most Jesus followers from Western cultures care a lot about truth. We might be tempted to challenge our Muslim friends when they make certain claims about the Bible, the Koran, Muhammad or the way to heaven.
‘Will a dispute or argument on this particular point help my Muslim friend get closer to the truth about Jesus? Will it help them understand His atonement for mankind on the cross?’
Many times it will be wise to let these controversies pass. Is it worth it to win an argument, if we lose our Muslim friend?
For example, my Muslim friend might assert that Mohammed was the last prophet. I don’t have to verbally disagree.
I do have the option to let their statement pass without comment. Doing so might allow me to continue talking about Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross for all people.
Hopefully, our conversation with our Muslim friends are filled with good will. It’s important to give our friends a way to contact us if they have further questions.
The Bible highlights the importance of planting spiritual seeds. They may take time to sprout. It is wonderful if your Muslim friend can contact you when they do!
As you befriend and share with your Muslim acquaintance, remember that God, the Holy Spirit, is with you. He wants your Muslim friend to discover the treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:45) more that you do.
He will help you to say the right things. Even more importantly, He will help you show the unconditional love of Jesus Christ to your Muslim neighbor.
What is one thing from the article above, you can apply this week as you share Christ with Muslim friends in your life? What questions do you still have? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook Page.
The above blog was written by R. Francis.
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