Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
I’ve always hated fish. Since I was a little girl, it was the one thing I really didn’t like to eat. My mom would serve it, but it remained on my plate. This wasn’t much of a problem until God called us to a people …
Missionary teams go through hard seasons. Disagreements, leadership crises, or a high turnover of staff can leave everyone feeling insecure. Or, you might experience a major traumatic event that shakes everyone’s foundations. Another difficulty can be when there is a lack of focus or momentum. …
And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matt. 18:3- NIV
Balance. This word is important but over-used. It’s not balance we need. We need wisdom to live in the tension of seemingly opposite values with equal importance. This is a skill effective leaders develop. How can you be both good at completing tasks and also …
In our day, we frequently hear the words inclusion, diversity, and equality. Should missionary teams also be like that? Were Jesus and Paul ahead of their times in developing diverse, multi-ethnic, teams made up of both genders? Much of what we see in the world …
A common missionary stereotype is a courageous single man hacking through the jungle with a machete, bringing the gospel to tiny hidden villages of indigenous people. That may have been a common expression a hundred years ago. Going solo as a missionary is not, however, the biblical example.
Let‘s look at two examples of missionaries from the Bible – Jesus and Paul. Both of them were outstanding in fruitful ministry, and fulfilling God’s call on their lives.
During his ministry years, Jesus gathered disciples He lived and worked with. That was how He trained and later commissioned them to go and do as He had done. Having a team was a priority to Jesus. Forming that team was His first action after being baptized (Jn 1).
Paul also worked in teams. If we read the end of Romans 16, we see a list of his many coworkers.
What type of teams did they have?
In a word: Diverse!
Often we are more comfortable with teams of people similar to ourselves. Jesus and Paul had very different people in their teams.
Despite cultural divisions between men and women, both Paul and Jesus had them on their teams. Between the sexes our relationships should be honoring, pure, and loving. Our world desperately needs to see healthy, non-sexualized, loving relationships between men and women.
“After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.”
Luke 8:1-3 NIV
“Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them. Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you…. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.”
Romans 16:3-6, 12 NIV
Sometimes we only want people who are mature on our teams. Young people can be seen as a liability. They may make a mess, quit, or do not know how to do things. However, both Paul and Jesus had many young ones on their teams.
We see in Mt. 17, Jesus and Peter needed to pay the temple tax. at that time, only men over twenty had to pay. It appears that the other disciples were exempt from payment, and so probably still in their teens.
Paul writes: “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too.” Romans 16:13 NIV. Timothy was also a young man- younger than the members of the church he was meant to be leading.
In His close team, Jesus had fishermen, a zealot, a tax collector, and Phillip – a Jew with a Greek name. They came from different social groups. Some were townspeople, others from the seaside, and Nathaniel liked sitting under fig trees. When we have a diverse group we need to work much harder at communication and finding common ground.
Our diversity reflects that character of God. We have the opportunity to live in unity that is founded on being one in Christ rather than one in culture.
Paul’s team was multi-ethnic and multi-lingual.
“Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus..Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia…. Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys…. Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord. Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord… Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord’s people who are with them. Gaius, whose hospitality I and the whole church here enjoy, sends you his greetings. Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.”
Romans 16:3, 5, 9, 11-12, 15, 23 NIV
These are the names of Jews, Greeks, Romans, and Asians. They also came from diverse backgrounds, and levels of society – prisoners, tent makers, and city officials.
Why does God want us to work indiverse teams?
It is a reflection of Himself. He is One God, and yet Three- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is love. God is team. The Triune God demonstrates unity in diversity.
How does your current team reflect that diversity?
Are there changes you could make to be more inclusive of those older or younger, of other genders, cultural backgrounds, or worldviews?
We would love to read your thoughts in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook Group.
*this blog post was written by R.M.
“I can’t believe it! That’s not what I understood from the website,” my husband exclaimed. We’d just gotten a response from the embassy saying we were not eligible for the type of visa we’d applied for. A few days before, a friend planned to go …
This is a busy time of the year. I won’t write a full blog post today as I am traveling to visit my parents and wish them a merry Christmas. I do want to take this moment to wish you a very Happy Christmas. A …
“Christmas in America is so strange!” I could hear the reverse culture shock in his voice. He hadn’t celebrated this major holiday in his home country in fifteen years. The materialism of an American Christmas distressed him. Later, a friend from Africa said, “I don’t do Christmas. Here in Africa, we traditionally go to church, eat a feast, and buy new clothes for our children, but I don’t celebrate this holiday.” The Christmas season stirs up questions for missionaries. How much do we adapt to the culture and when do we resist it? What do we do and not do at Christmas?
Culture plays a huge role in the celebration of festivals.
The Christmas festival, in particular, has taken on many cultural elements. Many of them are not at all Christian and need to be resisted. Others have value and can be used as a bridge to share Jesus with others.
How do you know what to resist and what to adapt when it comes to cultural issues?
This is an important question for any missionary. It is not only related to Christmas. Let’s use this holiday to instruct us in cultural adaptation principles.
Culture is like water to a fish. We don’t notice it, but it plays a huge role in our lives. The more adapted you are to a cultural environment, the less you pay attention to it. This can be bad or good. Jesus’ followers must learn to be thoughtful about what we adapt to or resist in the culture around us (This is true in our own culture and our new culture as well.)
Cultural issues often came up when we returned to our home country. It was also a big issue when we moved to Nepal, India, and Thailand. How much do we adapt to the culture around us? Do we wear their clothes and eat their food? Is it okay to only learn the trade language, or do we need to also learn the heart language of the particular group we want to reach?
Coming back to the USA, there were things we found we didn’t like about our own culture. Things we hadn’t noticed before we went to another country to live. For America, a prime example is materialism. Our nation is obsessed with money and things. Obtaining them drives much of what we do. I don’t want that in my life as a disciple of Christ.
In India, our kids asked questions like, “My friends put a tikka on their forehead to match their khurta-suruwal (Indian dress). Can I wear those too?”
Back in the USA, they asked, “Will we celebrate Halloween and go trick or treating?”
These are cultural issues.
During the Christmas season, let’s look at issues that arise around this holiday.
We must make wise and prayerful choices. Our decisions have an impact, especially as we work among the unreached.
You may be the first person to share Jesus with your people group. The believers will look to you for guidance. The customs you adopt will impact the church in this people group for generations to come.
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.
Eph. 5:15 NIV.
They were created by God for good.
God designed human beings to live in a cultural and communal environment. Everything He does is good. Jesus was born into a particular culture. He transcended culture but also participated in Jewish culture. He went to cultural events and celebrated them in the Jewish way (the wedding at Cana for example).
Jesus participated in rituals, like going to Jerusalem with his family to celebrate Passover every year (Luke 2:41). Participation in cultural events builds community with others. This is something God designed us to need. We were made to celebrate. It is good for the soul.
As we examine cultural festivals, we must be aware of both the common meaning and the historical one. The Christmas tree is a good example of a Christian tradition that has a pagan root. These are good to be aware of but don’t necessarily determine what we do as far as resistance or adoption.
More important is the common meaning in most people’s minds. There are many examples of this, but let’s continue with the Christmas tree. Do people look at it and immediately think of druids dancing around it and worshipping a pagan god? Or do they think of the joy of giving gifts to loved ones now? Or the beauty of lights and family togetherness? What does it mean now?
This can be done with any cultural tradition. In India, the sticker tikkas (put on the forehead by women) has a historic meaning and a common one. For most women today it is much like wearing makeup and is something you wear to match your outfit. Very few even know the historic meaning. The red-colored rice put on the forehead is different. That is clearly a symbol of having done “puja” to a god or goddess. Which do you wear? Which do you avoid? Prayerful decisions must be made.
Not everything in culture is redeemable, but many things are. We can ascribe new meaning to cultural symbols or rituals. This has been done throughout mission history.
By maintaining cultural symbols but giving them new meaning, the gospel feels local (indigenous). Its much easier for people to adopt it as their own, rather than as a foreign religion.
For example, in Africa, singing and dancing is a huge part of many cultures. Why not redeem the cultural songs and dances for good and use them to worship God? In Mizoram, there is a particular drum that was used in spirit worship. It is now used to praise Jesus. It has been redeemed.
We don’t need to adapt to everything to reach people.
Some cross-cultural workers feel they must adapt to every aspect of their new culture without discretion. This is a mistake. Many things in culture are far from godly.
What are some examples of cultural things you do not want to adapt to? Think beyond surface-level issues. Here in America, I actively resist consumerism. It’s a huge cultural value, but not a Biblical one. In India, fatalism is a pervasive part of the cultural mindset. I resist it. God is directing my path, not karma.
This Christmas season, what will you adapt, redeem, introduce, or resist?
Share in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook Group.
Have you ever seen an angel? We don’t talk about these things in the church very often. I wonder why? Looking through the gospels and Acts, angelic activity and interaction seemed part of Jesus’ and the disciple’s experience. In the book of Revelation, there is …