Living faithful, fruitful and fulfilled on the mission field
“Jesus is not looking for converts to Christianity; he’s looking for apprentices in the Kingdom of God,” writes John Mark Comer in his book Practicing the Way. This book is a refreshing and insightful encouragement to 1) Be with Jesus, 2) Become like Him, and …
Looking to our own resources and abilities can be discouraging. The task seems so big. We seem small. When I was young, I thought I could take on the world. As I’ve grown older, life’s experiences have taught me how fallible I am. Apart from …
“Jesus can do anything,” we say. Except for when He can’t. “What? Are there things Jesus can’t do? Isn’t He the God of the impossible,” you might be thinking. Yes, there are some things He cannot do. And there are many things we cannot do. The Lord of the Universe said He could not do anything by Himself. He only does what He sees the Father doing. If the Father isn’t doing it, Jesus can’t or won’t either. As His followers, we can pursue an only what I see Him doing kind of life.
What does it mean for us to follow His example in this area?
I have been in pursuit of an only what I see Him doing life for many years. It isn’t easy. Challenges to this philosophy assail me daily. Sometimes I feel like a little girl, chasing pigeons and never catching one. Yet I can’t give up. I know this is the life I am supposed to live.
There are so many things I want to do. Mindlessly, I often forget to consult with the Father. Are those things I want to do, or what my Papa God is doing?
Passions and interests drive me to engage in activities that aren’t necessarily where He is working. Sometimes I simply hope God will join me in what I do. This is a crazy way to think, but that is often my reality! At other times, my sense of duty causes me to put my hand to things that aren’t what God has called me to.
A final challenge to living this kind of life is when I’m heavily invested in something. I’ve put a lot of time and energy into a project, system, or relationship that was God’s leading originally. I fail to check in with Him about it. Is this still where you are working, Father?
How incredibly foolish it is for me to think that if Jesus couldn’t do anything apart from the Father… I can! I’m pretty sure I am not alone in this struggle, however. Oh…you too?
We often need realignment. Tragedy, crisis, pandemics, and many other events knock us off course. Mission drift is also common for agencies, not only individuals. Let’s recommit ourselves to only do what we know the Father is doing. It is there we will find joy, fruitfulness, and walk in a beautiful partnership with Him.
Facing the Pressure to Participate
The pressure to do things you aren’t sure the Father is doing can come from your community. This can be a strong pull on us. Especially if you are a people pleaser or from a highly community-oriented culture. Let me be clear. Community is important in our lives. We need people. But, we must choose each day to please the One, not the many.
An example in my organization is the multitude of meetings and conferences. There are so many meetings that “good members” are expected to attend. They are not required but attendance is a strong expectation. If you want to rise in influence within the mission, you must be there and actively take part. The more you participate in these organizational meetings, the more status you gain.
One day, I stared at my computer screen. I read the email announcement for the conference. Pastors and leaders would be gathering in a city near me. The speaker looked interesting and it had been a while since I’d been to one of these meetings. I knew people were wondering why I hadn’t been showing up. “Should I go?” I wondered.
“Hmm. Maybe I can squeeze it in. It would be good to see those people again.”
Then, a gentle voice spoke to me through a thought that floated across my mind. “Is this God’s assignment for you next week?”
Immediately, I knew the answer. No. It was not. God’s assignment was clear. I needed to focus on what I knew He called me to do…reach the lost. If I got busy running here and there to organizational or church meetings, I’d not have time to do what God wanted me to do.
“Lord, I’m sure it will be a good meeting. And I’m sure there are those you are calling to be there. But I want to partner with You in what You are doing here, in my neighborhood. If I go there, I won’t have time to keep connecting with people at the local tea shop, or on my evening neighborhood walks.”
I made my decision. My index finger stretched forward and hit the delete button to remove the conference invitation email. I would not go. Staying focused on my God assignment was what I needed to do. My decision would disappoint some, maybe even make them think I was a rebel or didn’t care about my organization much. That was okay. I needed to please God, not men.
I would choose to focus on His assignment for me.
So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by Himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does.
John 5:19 NLT
Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, “Not My will but Yours be done.” This is a prayer of surrender we need to repeat often. Our interests, passions, and desires don’t always match God’s will for us. Laying down our rights and personal desires should be a daily practice for a disciple of Jesus.
“I must obey God, not man,” declared Peter facing possible imprisonment (Acts 5:29). We live to please only Him. Yet our need to keep everyone happy around us, our conflict avoidance can keep us from following His will for us. We want to be liked. That means doing what people want us to do. In our search for acceptance and love from others, we may let go of our destiny.
In our busyness, we can stop noticing what God is up to. We go about our work and ministries without pausing to listen, to notice that God might be doing something new. One of the greatest keys to effective ministry is finding out where He is working. By joining Him in that, we see fruit. This is so much better than doing our own thing, stuck in a rut or old mindset when God has moved on to new things!
What will it take to realign and pursue an only what He is doing lifestyle? I invite you to join me in this grand pursuit. If it was how Jesus lived, it’s how I want to live too.
Will you run after this?
I’d love to know what you struggle with or the keys you’ve discovered to living this way. Please comment below or on the Missionary Life Facebook page.
When I woke up this morning, I wondered what I should write. My first thought was, “Joy is a really big deal.” I didn’t understand this for a long time, actually, joy always seemed right out of my reach. It seemed others were in touch …
It’s been described in various ways. Sometimes it’s called a dark night of the soul. Sometimes it’s called burn-out or depression. Mid-life crisis is another name that is used. These are times when we seem caught in an unending period of transition. God is mostly …
Join me on an imagination exercise. Think of that day when you first see Jesus face to face. What an incredible moment that will be! Just gazing at His incredible beauty. My heart longs to see Him! I wonder, will He say to me – Well done, faithful one? I truly believe He will!
I imagine myself falling at His feet in worship, tears of joy streaming down my face. I picture him reaching out His hand. He lifts me to my feet, looks into my eyes, and says, “My beloved.” We embrace for a long time. He speaks gently to me again, looking into my eyes, and says, “Well done my good and faithful one.” My heart soars with unspeakable joy, and a huge smile lights up my face!
It is my imagination now, but one day…one sweet day…I will see His face. I hope to hear those precious words stream from His lips.
As Jesus’ followers, we all want Him to one day say, “Well done. You were faithful“!
How do we live faithfully in His service, so that dream will one day be a reality?
Living faithfully on mission with God is about stewarding what God gives. It is opening our ears to hear His guidance and becoming the kind of person the Father shares His heart with. He speaks His mind to those He trusts to faithfully respond.
A faithful missionary life includes:
I was praying in my hotel room one day. We were on a trip to a new city. I had oversight responsibility for our mission’s work in that area but only had a handful of staff and much to do.
Spending time with God, I felt connected. As I sat before the Lord, an unusually strong sense of conviction rose within. “There needs to be a large missions conference here. I want to mobilize thousands of young people from this place to reach the unreached.”
“Wow, God! That is awesome!” I responded in prayer. “I wonder who you will use to do that.”
The idea was brilliant (Obviously! All His ideas are right?) I was curious about what He’d spoken to my heart. There were many Christians in our part of India. They could be sent to the unreached nearby. As I continued to listen, God revealed more. I began to see pictures in my mind. They further described the things He wanted to do.
I somehow knew this was from Him. He had spoken so distinctly in my heart. God’s leading isn’t always this clear to me but this time it was! But what should I do with this rhema word?
For a few days, I continued to pray and listen. I then shared what I believed God had spoken with my husband and a few other team members. Each one confirmed it, agreeing that what I sensed was from the Lord. (This is an important thing to do when you sense God directing you. The confirmation of leaders and spiritual mentors is key to hearing God’s voice without going astray.) Taking the next step, I began talking with fellow leaders.
Some of them had led large conferences before. I asked, “Would you be willing to come and lead this kind of gathering in our area?”
Since I believed this was from God, I shared passionately. Strangely, none of them responded with a “yes” to take this on.
One leader I had known a long time, listened with interest. “It sounds like God is speaking to you,” he said. “Maybe, if God gave you the vision, you are the one who is supposed to lead this.”
“Awwwkkk! Not me!” I thought. I had never led a meeting for more than around a hundred people. The vision God was showing me was of thousands and thousands of young people released into missions. My friend’s words stuck with me like glue. I couldn’t shake them off. I knew being faithful to what God spoke meant I would need to step out in faith. I’d need to take risks to obey.
To make a long story short, two years later, we hosted a missions conference with 1,500 day-time participants and around 10,000 in the open-air evening meetings! When the main speaker canceled, I gave the final night’s message to the huge crowd. Hundreds of youth streamed to the front, responding to the call to reach the unreached. It was utterly amazing! What a blessing to obey and watch what God does!
In the Matthew 25 story of the Minas, faithfulness meant taking what was given and multiplying it. The servant who was faithful put his mina (coin) to work. He didn’t leave it sitting, or bury it. He invested it.
Being faithful is not only about the physical things we are given. It is also about the dreams, vision, guidance, and desires God has shared with us. It’s about walking them forward, step by step.
First, we position ourselves to hear God speak. How do we do that? We need to be the kind of person He would share His dreams with! That means developing a life of intimacy with Jesus. On the mission field, it is easy to get busy with ministry, projects, and even the constant pressures of doing what it takes to live life in difficult locations. Times with God can become rushed, routine, or even mundane. We do our missionary duty and have our devotions, but sometimes there is no life. The sense of closeness fades. God wants to draw us into that place where we can pour out every concern to Him. He also wants to share His longings with us, His dearest friends.
Are you actively seeking to hear His voice? Have you positioned yourself as a friend God can confide in?
Given a chance, God will speak. He wants to talk to His followers. There is much on His heart! He has plans to solve the world’s worst problems through His people. Creative solutions wait to be released. There are mountains He wants to move. During the recent pandemic, I often wondered…what would happen if Christian scientists started listening to God’s solutions for this global issue rather than looking only to scientific wisdom and knowledge.
Once He speaks, how do we respond? Faithfulness is demonstrated by action.
We don’t have to be perfect. God does love it, however, when we take immediate steps of faith. Most likely, the things God has spoken, are much bigger than your capacity, skills, and experience. Is Jesus calling you, like Peter, to get out of the boat? To walk on water? Trust Him and step out in faith.
A good steward not only takes initial steps of faith. They continue to walk by faith until they see the dream of God fulfilled. This requires perseverance. We face obstacles, difficulties, and spiritual warfare as we move forward. What do we do at that point? A faithful steward pushes through the problems. They ask God for further guidance. Faithful stewards refuse to give up until the vision is accomplished. They know God’s words will come to pass, and He will accomplish His purpose (Prov. 19:21). This journey of risk-taking and obedience develops the character of Christ in us (Rom. 5:3,4).
Are you living faithfully on the mission field? What dream has God shared with you? What word has He spoken that you knew was for you? Are you still listening? Keep going forward! He is going to accomplish what He promised through you!
Maybe you’ve been paralyzed by fear. Perhaps you pushed aside and conveniently forgot what He spoke to you years ago.
Repent for not stewarding His words, direction, or vision. Receive his forgiveness – it’s yours (1 John 1:9)! Reach out for His help to take new risks of faith.
He is with you! He loves you. You are His beloved! By His grace, you will one day be called His faithful one.
What do you sense God is highlighting for you in the article above? We’d love to hear about it in the comments or on the Missionary Life Facebook page.
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Paul Akin, of the Gospel Coalition, writes this. “The most common reason missionaries go home isn’t due to lack of money, illness, terrorism, homesickness, or even a lack of fruit or response to the gospel. Regretfully, the number one reason is a conflict with other missionaries.” If you are a missionary, you may doubt whether this is the #1 reason. But you would never doubt that it is in the top three or four! Am I right? It doesn’t need to be this way. As missionaries, we can learn how to have effective “crucial conversations” with others in our teams. We must make the effort to equip ourselves to do this and do it well.
When our teams are dysfunctional it affects every aspect of our missionary life. We are not as fruitful and we don’t feel fulfilled. We struggle to stay faithful to our calling when greatly frustrated. Motivation goes down and discouragement sets in.
I wish I could say I am an expert and have fully mastered the art of having crucial conversations. I may be a few steps ahead of some, but these are skills we have to keep working on throughout our missionary career.
In one team I served on, it seemed like we could never make progress. The accepted culture of the team had deteriorated to a silent cynicism. People didn’t show up for meetings on time. When we raised a question for discussion, everyone was quiet. No one seemed to have an opinion they were willing to express. There was one team member who everyone seemed fearful of upsetting. It wasn’t good. We certainly weren’t demonstrating God’s kingdom well! How would we ever accomplish our goal of starting churches among the unreached? Something needed to change.
It was time for a “crucial conversation.” Thankfully, a friend of mine, a police officer in the States, recommended a book (see below). As I applied the lessons learned in it, things began to turn around on the team.
There are many times when we need to have important, crucial conversations. Unless we are willing to step into the uncomfortable zone, our team vision will falter. You can learn how to have these conversations with skill and positive outcomes. Or you can avoid them, and throw away your effectiveness as a team.
The book my friend recommended is called “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler.
While I encourage you to buy and carefully read the entire book, here are some of my personal gleanings from it.
In the book, the authors describe a crucial conversation as having three characteristics.
Sound like your team right now? Teams I have both led and served on have often had those three characteristics!
On page 11, it says, “In the best companies, everyone holds everyone else accountable – regardless of level or position. The path to high productivity passes not through a static system, but through face-to-face conversations at all levels.”
Everyone holds everyone else accountable. In my organization, Disciple Makers Increase, we use the phrase “Friendly Accountability.” In great organizations and teams, you can confront each other. If this is true in the business world, how much more true should it be on missionary teams! Amen? You can use grace, honesty, and love to confront, without it becoming a huge ordeal. There is trust, respect, and kindness used when you call each other out. You need to have a conversation like this when something has been done that isn’t in line with the vision and values of your team.
How do you get there? How do you move from dysfunction to a place where that kind of healthy accountability is functioning? Crucial conversations must take place.
The first step they describe in the book is the importance of free-flowing dialogue. Skilled team members learn how to get the important information out in the open.
“At the core of every successful conversation lies the free flow of relevant information. People openly and honestly express their opinions, share their feelings, and articulate their theories. They willingly and capably share their views, even when their ideas are controversial or unpopular.” (p 20)
Whether you are the team leader or a member, you can help create a safe place for everyone’s opinions. All thoughts and feelings are free to be shared. You don’t want people in the group to withdraw into silence (the authors call it Salute and Mute). Nor do you want people to be violent (verbal or manipulative attacks). Neither of these leads to good solutions.
We need to take action to create environments in our teams where these behaviors are not the norm. Instead, encourage the free flow of dialogue. Make sure all the important information gets shared and is “on the table.”
The third chapter of the book is called “Stay with Heart: How to Stay Focused on What You Really Want.”
Before the “crucial conversation” takes place, examine your own motives and heart. Prepare for the conversation ahead of time with these three questions.
By writing out the answers to these questions, you can understand your own desires.
For example, you might answer them this way.
Knowing what you want for yourself, others and the relationship helps you stay on track. This helps when the conversation starts to heat up. At that point, remind yourself of what you really want. This helps you not to focus on “winning” the argument or somehow punishing the other person for bad behavior. That isn’t the goal.
In the book, they describe many tools, but one I found very helpful was the use of contrasting statements.
My purpose is NOT to…
My purpose IS to…
This statement brings clarity to your heart. Your motivations are clear from the beginning of the conversation.
You might say something like, “My purpose is not to hurt you or make you feel bad. My purpose is to see our team function well so we can do what God called us to do here.”
James wrote about team conflicts and interpersonal relationships quite a lot. In closing, I want to remind us of this verse.
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.”- James 13:17 NIV
Let’s determine not to go silent (Salute and Mute). Neither can we become violent (whether that shows up in aggressive or passive-aggressive ways). Instead, let’s learn the skills we need to be considerate, honest, impartial, and sincere. This will lead to much greater fruitfulness in God’s kingdom. It will lead to much greater fulfillment and joy in our lives as well.
Do you need to have a “crucial conversation” this week?
Share about this in the comments below or on the Missionary Life Facebook group. We’re happy to stand with you in prayer as you take this step to address team issues.
I was reading through an old journal as I worked on a book I hope to publish one day. I came across this poem. It was written when we were trying to purchase land in India for a widow’s home. Things had been tough. The …