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!
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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.
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“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 …
You love Jesus and want to tell other people about Him. Maybe you have even shared your faith with many people in your own country or from your own culture. That’s great! How do you begin to reach your Hindu neighbors?
Would it be better to study the language first? Do you need to be close friends with the people you are trying to reach before sharing your faith?
I’d like to try to answer these questions in this article.
Learning the language is highly beneficial in becoming a more effective cross-cultural worker. If you don’t make a habit of sharing your faith now though, you probably won’t do it, even when you are fluent in their language.
A few basic foundational understandings are helpful. You can get started sharing Jesus with Hindus right away.
In response to the question of friendship evangelism, I want to present two principles.
I have seen some of our staff invest deeply in friendships with Hindus for many years. When they finally present the gospel, their friends have rejected it outright.
We don’t know how a Hindu will respond to the gospel until we talk about Jesus with them. It’s best to share your relationship with Christ early on.
When we meet someone for the first time, we talk about the things that are most important to us within the first thirty minutes. Think about it – you talk about your family, your ideas and your dreams. Some people say it’s not normal or it’s awkward to share our faith right away.
If we say Jesus is central to our lives, yet we don’t mention Him when we begin a conversation with someone we recently met, that’s not normal.
Now that you know that you CAN share your faith with Hindus right away, let’s talk about HOW you can go about doing that.
Though this idea may be difficult for us to understand, the reality is that Hindus respect Jesus as a spiritual teacher. Christians and Christianity are a different matter.
This has much to do with history. The imperialistic nature of the British rule of India, during the colonial period, had a great impact. This caused Christianity to seen by Hindus as a religion for a different culture and community than their own.
In their view, it was not a culture of high morals.
Gandhi was impacted by the teachings of Jesus. But he grew up thinking that a Christian was someone, “born with beef in one hand and brandy in the other.” For a Hindu, drinking alcohol and eating beef is immoral.
This feeling was increased by the negative connotations associated with the word “conversion”.
Hindus believe that conversion means being removed from their family, community, and culture. It may even mean losing their identity. Added to this is the belief that conversion is something that is forced. It is something that is done to someone, not a positive decision they make themselves.
There is an irony in asking the question, “Do you want to be forgiven of your sins and follow Jesus?” To a Hindu, their underlying assumption of what they would be doing, if they took that step, is that they would be committing a great sin. They would be abandoning their dharma – their social obligations and responsibilities.
You must combat this great unspoken assumption of Hindus. Following Jesus is not the “conversion” they have heard about. Speak directly against that misconception. Affirm that this is not what Jesus taught – along with a clear presentation of the Gospel.
In Matthew 23:15, Jesus condemned the Pharisees who traveled far and wide to make converts. This verse uses the Greek word proselytes. It is where we get the modern word ‘proselytize’. Jesus taught about a heart transformation, not an outer conversion. You can share this as you present the gospel to Hindus.
One of our staff invited me to come and speak to a friend of his. He was still learning the local language, so he hadn’t been able to give a full presentation of the gospel to his friend. As I shared with this young man, I told him about who Jesus was, what He taught, and how He died for our sins but was then raised to life again! I didn’t stop there.
I also told him the story of the demoniac from Mark chapter five. After the man was dramatically healed, he wanted to follow Jesus. I shared how Jesus’ disciples were from a different community than the man. Coming with Jesus would have cut him off from his community and family.
Jesus’ response to him was this, “No, go home to your family and tell them everything the Lord has done for you.” I shared with this young man that Jesus doesn’t ask him to leave his family or community. Jesus wanted him to be the vessel through which his family comes to faith!
I said, “Jesus didn’t talk about conversion, he talked about transformation. Not an outward change, an inward change of the heart. That’s what following Jesus is about.“
As I shared this story, I saw this young man’s eyes open. He understood what following Jesus truly meant. The stumbling blocks of foreign religion and imperialistic Christianity were removed. This left only Jesus Himself as the door through which to pass.
Sin and atonement are central to the Gospel story. For many Hindus (especially high caste groups), killing and sacrificing animals is a sin. That’s a hard place to start. There is another option.
One of the most powerful illustrations of the sacrifice of Jesus is the use of the coconut as an analogy for His death. Hindus use coconuts as offerings. They are broken open as an offering to their gods.
Hindus offer countless prayers and make offerings of flowers and coconuts. We can refer to this, then share that Jesus was the only true offering to God which made it possible for our sins to be forgiven forever.
Using this analogy, we can say that in the same way that the coconut is broken, the body of Jesus was broken for us. As the milk spills out of the coconut, Jesus’ blood spilled from His side. Through this perfect and holy offering, we are made clean and white, just like the inside of the coconut.
A video demonstration of how to use this analogy and other great resources are available in Create International’s Tool Kit for Hindu Peoples. Grab a copy today!
There are many other bridges that you will come across in your journey of sharing the Gospel with Hindus. These may be a story from their culture, a word or concept, or even a poem or song.
You will notice other barriers as well, false underlying assumptions they have about what Christianity is. By keeping an eye out for these things, you can discern what is going on under the surface.
If they say “no” when you invite them to follow Christ, you can ask, “What are they saying no to? Is it no to following Jesus or to something else that is unspoken but understood?”
Finally, remember this. Until we get out there and start sharing with Hindus, we won’t discover what the unique bridges and barriers are for our Hindu friends. Be mindful of these cultural things, but share the story of Jesus and the testimony of what He has done in your life with love and boldness. God be with you as you go!
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 …