RTBM - Returning To Biblical Missions

NEW HOME for RTBM BLOG

2006-08-26T22:55:00.000-05:00

Hey, listen up! RTBM has a new home. CLICK HERE!

This is the last post for RTBM at this location, so be sure you re-bookmark the new address once you visit the new site. A new location, a new look, and a new attitude!

Hope to see you soon in our new home!

Interesting Question

2006-08-23T21:15:00.000-05:00

Last week during our Strategy Coordinator Church Training, I was asked a question that was both new to me and caught me somewhat offguard. The question was basically, "Why do we believe that Prayer Walking is a valid missions activity or strategy since we have no biblical evidence to support such a practice?" Others privately mentioned to me that they had heard of conversations in the states that believe it is not appropriate for volunteers or missionaries to be part of this application of a prayer strategy. Before I chime in, I would be very curious to hear what you think and how you would have responded to the question.

On a completely different issue, I want to go ahead and begin to warn you that I am working on moving this blog to a different site. I hope to have the new site completed soon.

7 Questions

2006-08-16T21:52:00.000-05:00

Since I have been overwhelmed this week with our SC Church Training, posting a new blog has been pushed way down the "to do" list. But knowing that I need to keep new information flowing, I've decided to promote myself and direct you to another blog. I was requested to respond to 7 questions from a missionary perspective. You can read my responses by clicking "HERE".

Book Tag

2006-08-11T21:55:00.000-05:00

I've been "book" tagged by David Rogers and with my limited exposure to many bloggers, tagging others will be difficult. In the meantime, here are my responses.

1. One book that changed your life: The Normal Christian Life by Watchman Nee.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once: The Servant Leader by Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges.
3. One book I’d want on a desert island: Other than the Bible, The Ultimate Survival Guide by John Wiseman.
4. One book that made me laugh: Farside, by Gary Larson.
5. One book that made me cry: I honestly can't remember the last time I cried reading a book.
6. One book that you wish you had written: "Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.
7. One book you wish had never been written: Beyond Good and Evil by Fredrick Nietzsche (actually all of his writings but the request was for one book).
8. One book that you are currently reading: "Blink", Malcolm Gladwell.
9. One book that you’ve been meaning to read: Walking From East to West: God in the Shadows by Ravi Zacharias.

I tag Greta, Wayne @ ekklesia, Brent Davis, Brent Dix

It's Training Time!

2006-08-09T21:57:00.000-05:00

Beginning tomorrow, August 10th, our region is hosting one of our Frontliner's Conferences immediately followed by our Strategy Coordinator Church Training. This event is being held in Leon, Mexico. The Frontliners Conference that I have mentioned in earlier posts is our version of a Missions 101 or Strategic Directions 101 course for U.S. churches and volunteers sharing with them many of the basic principles that we have been discussing for the past several weeks on this blog. Our SC Church Training is a training event that begins the process of preparing a church or group of churches so that they will be able to engage a people segment and become the missionary to that people segment. We assign SC Churches to places where missionaries are not.

This is an exciting and challenging time as we help folks who truly have a heart for missions know how to more effectively take on the missionary task. The emotional and intellectual rollercoaster ride that these participants will take is unlike any other missions education process I have ever been part of before. We literally, in many cases, completely shatter their view and perspective of missions before rebuilding a new way of thinking and doing. From an educators perspective it is really more fun than someone should have.

We would really appreciate your prayers during the next 10 days as we work through these two training events. I am hoping to give some updates along the way as well as continue our discussion on RIN and missions education in general. We present the R.I.N. Strategy of Missions on Friday to this group.

I do wish all of you who read this blog regularly could be with us this week. All that we have been discussing really comes to life as we see everyone's personal experience and understanding of missions interacts with the information presented. Maybe some other time. Below I have attached a list of the session titles so you can at least get a glimpse into the progress of thought that takes place during this training.

Remember, It's not about us!!!

Every morning begins with a time of Praise, Prayer, and Worship

FRONTLINERS CONFERENCE
Day 1:
Why Frontliners?
Remember Those Without Hope & Without God in Their World
The Word of God
The Works of God
Missions and the Missionary Task
Small Group Debrief of Day

Day 2:
The Greatest Commandment & The Great Commission
The R.I.N. Strategy of Missions - 3 sessions 45 min per session
Worldview Issues & Orality
Small Group Debrief of Day

Day 3:
The MAC Region Strategy Coordinator Church Model
Questions and Answers from Frontliners Topics

STRATEGY COORDINATOR CHURCH TRAINING

Every morning begins with Prayer, Praise, and Worship

Day 1:
Field Trip to the Highlands of Jalisco, San Juan de Los Lagos
a view of world class lostness up close and personal
Debrief Field Trip

Day 2:
The SC Church: Thinking Like an SC Church Planter - 2 hours 15 min
Acts Workshop - Defining What is Church - 3 hours
Overview of Master Plan Development and Endvisioning

Day 3:
Know Before You Go: Logistical Contingency Security
Worldview and Cultural Adaptation
Effective Prayer Strategies I
Effective Prayer Strategies II
Effective Gospel Saturation Strategies
Volunteer Team Logistical Helps and Hints
Small Group Debrief

Day 4:
Biblical Evangelism: Evangelism That Leads to New Churches
Obedience Based Discipleship: T4LT Workshop
Mid-way Checkup: Questions That Just Can't Wait
Israel Rodriguez: A Mexican Pastor's Perspective of Church Planting

Day 5:
Man of Peace Church Planting Model - most of day
Understanding Latin American Catholicism
Small Group Debrief

Day 6:
Spiritual Warfare
Issues Unique to the SC Church
Accountability Relationships with the MAC Region
Review and Final Thoughts
Graduation and Commissioning Service

Shine More Light, Generate Less Heat

2006-08-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

Romans 14:4 "Who are you to judge the servant of another. To his own master he stands or falls and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand."

One of my favorite authors and speakers is Ravi Zacharias. I have heard him often say when entering a debate or presenting a lecture that it is his desire, "to shine more light on the topic and not to generate more heat." I wholeheartedly agree with this position when discussing difficult and emotional topics. Too many times "we" fall into the trap of making our disagreements personal and about personalities rather than focusing on the issues of the topic itself. When this happens we have begun to lose perspective and will find it difficult to truly listen and learn from others concerning issues of great importance. There still rings a lot of truth in the saying, you can disagree without being disagreeable.

I personally take to heart the words of Paul in Romans 14:4. The caution he gave then is still applicable for us today. We all need to take great care in judging other servants of God. As Paul goes on to say in verse 12, each of us will give an account to God for our actions. We often tread on dangerous ground when we begin to judge the motives of others without fully understanding all of the variables in their thoughts and actions. So how do we challenge one another in a way that is honoring to God but allows for honest disagreement?

First, there has to be a sincere desire to seek the truth. Truth is not subjective and truth is not based upon sincerity. Atheist are very sincere in their beliefs, but they are still sincerely wrong. And this also applies to Christians. Sincere belief in a position or practice does not make it true or right. All of our thoughts and actions are subject to scrunity based upon the Truth of Scripture. If someone sincerely says, God told me it was okay not to forgive my father for what he did to me.", we know that this cannot be true and must be challenged from a spirit of love and concern to help another believer.

Second, Paul gives us another admonition or exhortation later in verse 19 of Romans 14. He states, "So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another." Our goal when discussing opposing views with Christian brothers and sisters is not to win the debate, but to bring peace which comes when our desire is to build up one another. Our discussions should not be seen as a competition but rather as another opportunity for us to develop a greater level of unity within the body of Christ. For an excellent look at this go to David Roger's post entitled, End-Vision.

Third, we must be willing to allow for multiple expressions of truth. For example, when studying CPMs, one of the elements common in all CPMs is that of house or cell churches. Well, not exactly. We in our region have a CPM taking place among the K'ekchi' of Guatemala. And although it is true that their church planting practices begins in a house, they quickly move into a building as the local body grows. It's just that they have figured out how to do this rapidly and without outside resources. So when we teach CPM principles we do not say that your work has to be in a house. The truth is that we want the Gospel to spread through a people group as rapidly as possible. How this is done can vary from people group to people group.

Fourth, we need to stand on biblical principles when we attempt to challenge the positions and actions of others. Now, I'm not talking about challenging another brother or sister caught up in sin. But how do we determine what is the right thing to do or what is the wrong thing to do when discussing missions strategies? Our first point of reference must be Scripture. If Scripture seems to be silent on a topic then we must be sure that our answer or position still is not contrary to other Scriptural principles. This is why in this blog and in our training we do the best we know how to do to tie everything to Scripture. Not proof texting mind you, but genuinely applying Scriptural truth and principles to our efforts.

Lastly, we must all continue to learn what it means to show grace. When I read the Gospels, I have often wondered if Jesus ever paused and just shook His head when one of the disciples would say something contrary to what Jesus had just taught. Or when they asked what seems to be a really dumb question. Jesus exhibited a tremendous amount of grace and patience as He trained and disciple His group of 12. We need to learn how to do the same as we debate and discuss important issues of the day. I will admit this one is not easy for me but I hope that I am learning.

I am writing this post to give all of us, including myself, a reminder that no one of us is the guardian of all truth. We are all on a pilgrimage of learning and changing, as we seek to be more like Jesus every day. So it is truly my desire that as we continue our discussions on this blog and on other blogs that we will practice being thermostats and not thermometers. That we will show one another a great amount of grace when we say something off the wall. And that we will not be too quick to judge, but seek to understand.

Missions is a highly emotional subject. I can not tell you the number of times I've seen tears roll down a person's cheek as the expressed disagreement with something we have said. Many of us are passionate about what we do and we frustrate easily when others can't see the world exactly like we do. I truly believe in my heart that we will see changes that will impact the lostness of this world at even greater levels when we all learn how to shine more light on our discussions and generate less heat.

The Many Voices of Missions

2006-08-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

DISCLAIMER: If you are easily offended by straightforward and honest discussions of highly emotional topics dealing with missions and mission activities, please be aware that this post and the subsequent comments will more than likely challenge current thinking and practice. It is not the intent of our discussion to be offensive, but to hopefully shed light on an issue that literally holds the eternal destiny of millions in the balance.

I have been encouraged by several who know me and others who only know of me through this blog to continue the discussion of the differences between missions and ministry as well as the R.I.N. Strategy of Missions. For some background, please refer to my earlier posts entitled: The Morphing of Missions & Ministry and "Missions and The Missionary Task.".

The February / March 2005 issue of SBC Life featured a two page spread entitled, "Fulfilling God's Mission for Your Family". Overall the article is an excellent treatment of how to involve the entire family in mission focused activities. The issue that concerned me when I first read this piece was the definition of missions given by the author. In his fuller explanation of missions he comes back around hits some key points that we all would agree as being part of the missions task. However, it is the thinking behind and the application of the following quote from the article that I would like to address in this post.

Page 12 - "Simply put, missions is living out your faith in obedience to what God has gifted and called you to do. It's fulfilling the God-given passions of your heart. Missions is Christianity -- in action -- where you live, work, and play."

To be fair to our SBC constituency, they are bombarded with a multitude of voices and messages that many times are contradictory. This is especially true when it comes to missions and understanding the missionary task. Today, modern missions education is primarily based in two areas of church life. The occasional appearance by an RLM - real live missionary and the volunteer missions trip. The challenge for us this that of these situations offer more of an emotional perspective of missions rather than dealing with the reality of missions.

Add to this the conflicting voices about what missions is and how one can participate in missions activities. If you go to the Baptist Press article entitled, Families on Mission, you will read one perspective of missions. If you take that perspective to an IMB missionary in most places in the world, they will probably look at you as if you are from Mars. The focus and practice of "missions" in the U.S. context stands in stark contrast to principles and strategies being employed around the world. Here are some other examples of what I am hoping to communicate.

1. How does someone who has spent years working on "mission" construction projects in the U.S. adjust what they know and do to an international setting focused on church planting movement strategies where buildings are either not allowed or desired?

2. How do we convince people who are accustom to taking pictures of what they did at the end of the week that Prayerwalking is a needed and strategic missions endeavor?

3. Does it not confuse people when one model of missions is presented and practiced in the states and a completely different model is practiced overseas? On another blog recently a discussion was held concerning the merging of the SBC's two missions agencies into one. Putting aside the politics of such an endeavor, the challenge of which missions philosophy and practice would prevail would indeed raise many voices.

Even when you get past both mission sending agencies of the SBC, state conventions have their perspective of missions, local associations have their perspective of missions, and even some churches determine what and how they will be involved in missions. The challenge again is that each one of these can be completely different from the other. And you don't think this is a issue? And I have not even put on the table para-church mission organizations that are increasing their presence and influence in churches.

Several years ago my regional leader and I drafted a letter to our missionaries stating that we wanted to begin moving away from using temple construction as our primary church planting strategy. That we needed to look for strategies that would accelerate the spread of the Gospel. One or our dear colleagues felt it was important to share this with some volunteers who then sent it through a larger volunteer communication network. Whoa! The response both my RL and I received was emotionally charged and filled with anger. Once you got past the emotion, the issued really boiled down to the fact that these good-hearted men and women of God knew only one way to do missions and to suggest another was on the verge of heresy.

The reality is that when IMB missionaries who are committed to CPM strategies begin to advocate for this view of missions, we are swimming upstream in waters of differing and contradictory positions. Go to the internet and look up mission projects or volunteer mission opportunities and read what is being published. Missions has shifted from what does our efforts do to impact the lostness of others to how am I going to feel if I get involved with this project. The "it's all about me" virus has definitely taken control of much of the missions promotion and education. And this is the pool from which we draw volunteers and missionaries. This is why the above definition of missions scares me. The focus is on me, not a lost world.

It is also true that in the late 90's we made a major shift in how we implement mission strategy at the IMB. Unfortunately, most of our SBC churches still have no clue as to what that shift was and its implications on how we do missions. So let me close this post by saying, it is not my intention to point fingers or throw stones, but to simply say that it seems imperative that we find more venues for mission strategy discussions and find a way to increase the level of missions education in our local churches. If we don't, the level of discontent and discord over how to do missions will only grow and work to separate us as the body of Christ rather than being a rallying point.

If missions continues to be defined as "anything I want to do in the name of Jesus", the impact of this position is that less people hear about the good news message of salvation rather than more and missions continues down the road of being more about me and less about those who still have not heard. Missions has to be focused on taking the Gospel where there are no Christians and where there is no vibrant church. Read Mark 1:32-39, Romans 10, The book of Jonah, Romans 15:18-21, and finally, 1 Corinthians 10:33

"just as I also please all men in all things not seeking my own profit but the profit of the many, so that they may be saved."

Missions Is Not About Me!

The R. I. N. Strategy of Missions III

2006-07-31T22:55:00.000-05:00

This is part 3 of the series, The R.I.N. Strategy of Missions. This post will deal with the issues surrounding "Non-dependency. It is highly probable that this post will generate discussion topics for the next several posts.

Of all the challenges which missionaries and volunteers face while fulfilling their call and task, it is the issue of avoiding the creation of unhealthy dependencies that has done more to slow the spread of the gospel than any other single challenge. Whether or not we want to admit it, we have all found ourselves at one time or another providing “help that hurts”.

This one issue may be the most difficult to fully explain to those who do not live in a cross-cultural setting. The issue of dependency creating activities is highly volatile and packed with a significant amount of emotion. It is important to note that there is a difference in “interdependence”, where help offered and received meets temporal needs while advancing spiritual growth. However, when help hinders the spread of the Gospel by local believers, we must stop and evaluate the long-term impact of that help.

For example, several years ago Baptist pastors in one of our countries were surveyed. One of the questions asked was, “What will it take for your church to reproduce itself by starting a new church in another location?” Without exception, every pastor responded that they first needed a U.S. volunteer team to come down and build a building.

When a local congregation's level of dependency upon outside resources reaches a level where that local body of Christ cannot be obedient to the commands found in Scripture, then something has gone terribly wrong. Prior to every project we must ask, “Is this creating an unhealthy dependency that will ultimately hinder the spread of the Gospel to those who have yet to hear?”

This topic is much larger than one post can cover or should even attempt to address. Nonetheless, the fact remains that a lot of effort, energy, and resources are being invested in strategies and plans that although might bring what appears to be quick results, the long term impact has kept untold thousands from hearing the Gospel messge. Maybe the best way to illustrate this point is to unpack a common and popular strategy of building church buildings as a primary church planting strategy.

Let's for the sake of argument say that we want to employ a church planting strategy that begins with building a church building or providing a building for every group of local believers who desire to have a "templo" to worship in. If this is happening in Mexico then here are the hard cold facts that much be addressed.

Mexico has a lost population of around 85,000,00 people
If we wanted to elevate the evangelical level of the country from 6% to 12%, this would be one church for every 500 people in the population, then . . .

1. We would need 169,200 new church buildings constructed today! This number grows as the population increases.
2. If these new church buildings could be constructed at $25,000 per church, which by the way does not include land, then the cost of construction of all the church buildings needed would be somewhere in the ballpark of $4,230,000,00. That's more than 4 Trillion dollars.
3. Assuming we could build as many as 100 of these church buildings every year, then it would take 2.5 million dollars per year for a total of 1,692 years.

All of this begs the question, how many people die without ever hearing the good news message of Jesus Christ while they wait for their "church" to be constructed? Even if you could double the number of constructions a year and cut the cost per unit in half, we are still looking at over 800 years. Again, this is assuming no increase in population. To make matters worse, we are only speaking of Mexico. What about China, India, the Middle East, Africa, and the list goes on.

Please do not hear me say that church buildings and construction are somehow evil and bad in and of themselves. If a local congregation chooses to construct a place of worship, then that is fine. It should be done based upon their decision and their ability to follow through with that decision. But as we look at the missionary task as expressed in Matthew 28:19-20, then we as missionaries must look for strategies that accelerate not hinder the spread of the Gospel.

There are many, many more examples that could be expounded upon, but I would like to close with what I bellieve to be the root issue of the dependency. Too many strategies, projects, and trips are designed and carried out with a greater emphasis on what the team or missionary will receive than the impact on lostness or Kingdom growth. Now I know that I am openning myself up for a tremendous amount of criticism at this point, but I would only ask that you understand that my comments are not intended to be critical but to bring to the surface a discussion we must have if we are serious about reaching all peoples with the Gospel.

At a recent volunteer training workshop as dear sister asked, "What do you tell the men in your church when they say, we can't evangelize, but we can swing a hammer? Do you just tell them God can't use them?" My response was as follows. "Ma'm, please hear what I'm about to say is from a heart of love. When I read the New Testament, I don't see where we are given the option of chosing between swinging a hammer and sharing the Gospel with others. What we need to do is train these men how to share their faith while they are swinging their hammers."

The sad truth in many cases is, if you can't take a picture of it or count it, most people do not believe that they were involved in anything significant. We have to come to the point of asking different questions. We need to move from "what can we do?" to "what needs to be done?" We need to stop asking what do we get out of it and begin asking what will be the impact of our efforts. If we do not find workable solutions for the challenges of unhealthy dependency, we have doomed thousands, maybe millions to hell.

In reality, reproducibility, indigeneity, and non-dependency are all woven together into one fabric. If we seriously evaluate our activities through this filter we will better position ourselves to be involved in those activities that will indeed change the face of eternity. It is my hope that these last 3 posts will begin to raise the awareness of these issues and generate more discussion that will ultimately impact what we do.

For a more indept and better treatment of these topics I would highly recommend Steve Saint's book, "The Great Omission". To order online go to:

Amazon.com

I-TEC Indigenous People's Technology and Education Center

The R. I. N. Strategy of Missions II

2006-07-29T21:06:00.000-05:00

This is the second post of a three post series dealing with the R. I. N. Strategy of Missions. This post will address the importance of "Indigeneity".

Indigeneity --
Indigeneity is simply asking the question, what would it look like without any outside influence? Every culture and every person in the world has indigenous qualities. Some examples of these indigenous qualities can be described as follows:

The type of housing one lives in.
The foods people eat.
The language they speak and how they speak it, i.e., accents
The type of clothing that is worn.
What and how a people celebrates significant events.
The process for making decisions.

Indigeneity is also seen in how people of faith worship and live out their daily walk with the Lord. Do they meet in a building as church, or do they gather in a house, or even under a tree? Do they sing translated English hymns or sing their own original songs? Does their service last an hour or 3 hours? Do they meet on Sunday or another day or night of the week?

It is in the area of indegeneity that we tend to impose our own cultural preferences upon those with whom we work. For example:

In many cultures around the world missionaries modeled wearing dress suits or a white shirt and tie as proper attaire when one preaches. Today, many pastors of differing cultures insist on wearing clothing that is not idigenous to their own culture.

One can normally track the influence of missionaries by simply observing an order of service in another culture. Many times it will follow almost exactly a U.S. church model.

It is important to note that if a particular cultural expression of a people groups faith is not contrary to Scripture, then chances are good that we probably do not need to suggest that they alter or change their practice, even if it seems strange to us. Indigeneity means allowing people to express from their unique cultural context their understand of God.

Here are some examples of local indigenous Christian practices that are not contrary to Scripture but seem strange to a U.S. context.

* Worship begins at 10:30am and Sunday School begins at noon.
* A speaker is placed on the roof of the church so that the community can hear what is happening inside the church.
* The men sit on one side of the church and the women sit on the other side.
* Periodically, the pastor will stand and read the names of church members who do not appear to be tithing or giving to special offerings.
* Anyone who wishes to sing, share a testimony, or even preach a sermon may do so prior to the pastor preaching.

To understand indigeneity means that someone has take the time and the effort to do research into the worldview of the people with whom they wish to share the Gospel message. A worldview study will reveal bridges and barriers to hearing and understanding the Gospel. It will also reveal gaps in their knowledge that also need to be addressed. Worldview reveals other indigenous characteristics such as heart language, literacy levels, how does a person make any significant life decision.

While we were working among the K'ekchi' we learned that it was culturally appropriate to speak about a person to another individual while that person was present, even though you acted as if they were no where around. What an incredible evangelistic process to witness to someone while speaking to someone else. This is indigenous to them and does not work in all cultures.

Paul recognized indigeneity and worldview issues when in Acts 17:22ff he begins is presentation of the Gospel acknowledging that they were a religious people and pointed out that they had an alter to an unknown god. He also understood this principle when in I Corinthians 9:19-23 he speaks of the need to adapt to others in order to share the Gospel with them.

The Great Commission of our Lord was to make disciples, not North America Christians of the world. If we do not take note of indigenous issues, many will reject not the Gospel but the Gospel that is packaged in another cultures expression.

The R. I. N. Strategy of Missions

2006-07-24T00:59:00.000-05:00

This is the first of a three part series dealing with issues that directly impact the effectiveness of missions strategy by career missionaries, volunteers, and national partners. It is call the R. I. N. Strategy of Missions. R. I. N. stands for Reproducibility - Indigeneity - Non-Dependency. I hope what is expressed here will enable others to avoid many of the heartbreaking mistakes we on the field have made over the years. If you can pass an idea or strategy through this 3 phase filtering system without making any changes, then you have a greater chance of success. However, if an idea stops anywhere along the way, it would be better to stop and re-evaluate what you are going to do prior to implementation.

Several years ago at a Stateside Debriefing Conference I heard former IMB VP Dr. Don Kammerdiener state, "The sharper your vision, the more you will say no to." One of the greatest challenges for those involved in the missionary task is learning when and how to say no to good things and say yes to those strategies that will truly make an eternal difference. If we do not have a clear vision of what we are attempting to achieve, then saying yes or no really makes no difference. However, if our vision includes giving every person in our perople group, the opportunity to hear, understand, and respond to the Gospel, then our decisions become a matter of spiritual life and death for those who still have yet to believe.

Is it reproducible by others without outside assistance? This is a crucial question, especially the closer you get to evangelism, church planting, and discipleship. Actually, there are some strategies that it may not matter if it is reproducible or not. For example, we have used medical teams to open villages for church planting follow-up but we never intended these teams to be reproducible by our national partners. Also, many Gospel Saturaton projects may or may not need to be reproducible. So, how do you know if an idea or strategy needs to be reproducible. The really simple asnwer is, do you want others to do on their own what you have just modeled. If the answer is yes, then you need to be sure the entire process is reproducible. Here are two principles to help you ensure reproducibility.

Principle One: Do not do for others what they can and should do for themselves.

Principle Two: Train or teach others to do what they currently cannot do but should be able to do for themselves.

What most people do not realize is that sometimes even really good ideas can actually hinder the advancement of the Gospel to the frontiers of lostness simply because national believers are unable to reproduce the process that they saw modeled or the modeled is dependent on outside assistance. I am reminded of a request that Paul the missionary made in 2 Thessalonians 3:1; "Finally brethern, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you." We can pray for the rapid spread of the Gospel but this prayer must also be followed by actions that will accelerate the spread of the Gospel and not hinder its advancement.

There is a dark and ugly side of not following the principles of reproducibility. This is the underlying message we send when we do not model, train, and empower others in a way that they can then reproduce the same process and results. No one, of course, says these things outloud, but the message is still the same.

"You can't do what we can do."
"Even if you could do it, we can do it better."
"We are not sure that you are smart enough to learn how to do this."

Again, I have never heard anyone say this outloud and most folks would deny having thoughts anywhere close to these statements. However, as someone once wisely stated, "actions speak louder than words". And it is in our actions where we are found guilty.

So how do we avoid strategies that would lead us to implementing non-reproducible methodologies? Here are several ways to ensure reproducibility in your efforts. First, use the M.A.W.L. model as a framework for anything you want others to be able to do without you.

M.A.W.L -- Model Assist Watch & Leave

Model
by showing others how to do what you want them to do
Assist
by allowing them to do what you have modeled giving advice when needed
Watch
by observing them from a distance doing what you have modeled
Leave
them to do what they now can and should be doing without you

Another way to ensure reproducibility is to be ruthlessly critical of every aspect of your process. By this I mean constantly ask the question, can my people group do this, purchase this, make this, reproduce this without me or my resources? If your answer is ever no, they can't, then you have taken a step away from reproducibility. The problem for us is that even the smallest detail may not be a big deal for us but can mean everything to our people group in terms of their ability to reproduce what we have modeled.

I once had a missionary request addtional funds for training materials for his people group. I asked him what the materials were for. He responded that they were documents to assist them in church planting. Then I asked, if he, the missionary, was requesting funds, from where would the second generation church planters get their materials. There was a long silence. It became painfully clear that this process could not be reproduced by his people.

Then there was the missionary who arrived at training events a day early so that materials needed for the training could be purchased at local stores in the same location where the training would be held. Then when these materials were utilized in the workshop the missionary could tell participants where the item was purchased and the cost. Very reproducible.

Another principle to remember when thinking about reproducibility is, "Less is More and Simple is Better". What does someone need to know and have in hand to witness? How much does it cost to plant a church? How many study guides are needed to disciple someone? How we answer these and many other questions determines the level of reproducibility.

Americans like motivational quotes and stories that inspire us. I have heard many a strategy defended by quotes and stories such as these few examples:

1. Practice makes perfect.

WRONG!!! The "right" practice makes perfect. If you do something wrong over and over again you will become perfect at doing it wrong.

2. The seashore was covered with start fish. I came up on a man throwing them back in the water one at a time. I told the man that he would never get them all back in the water so why bother. What does it matter? Holding a starfish in his hand he looked at me and said, "it matters to this one".

Touching and heartwarming isn't it? But if our goal is to allow everyone an opportunity to hear, understand, and respond to the Gospel then non-reproducible models such as descibed in the story should not satisfy our desire to see more come into the Kingdom

3. If only one person comes to the Lord, then it was worth all the money and all the time invested.

This one makes my skin crawl. What we are doing is a matter of stewardship. If I could take that same amount of money and time and adjust the strategy so that it becomes reproducible and see 100 people saved, which is better? We have learn how to spiritualize our inability to do the right thing at the right time the right way.

It is not the missionary task to complete the task of total evangelization of a people group. The missionary task is to begin a process whereby local believers are taught how to be obedient to the commands of Christ and Scripture so that they continue to win their own people and then move out toward their Samaria, Judea, and the uttermost parts of the earth. As Steve Saint so aptly put it in his book, "The Great Omission", "The specific purpose of missions is to plant the church of Christ within every distinct people group on earth. It is then the responsibility of those churches to evangelize the rest of their group." For this to happen, our strategies for evangelization, church planting, and discipling new believers must be reproducible by those believers even after we are gone.

Is it reproducible by others without outside assistance? Remember, it's not about us!!

No More Parts

2006-07-23T22:24:00.000-05:00

I do not know what I was thinking when I decided to give a Part number to my posts. Big mistake. It does not allow me to digress and chase rabbits quite as easily as I would like to so I am going to dispense with the Part ? stuff. I'm still learning how to blog effectively.

Why is Missions Education So Challenging?

2006-07-20T12:40:00.000-05:00

I want to digress for a moment and ask the question, why is missions education so challenging? Now that was my nice way of asking the question. The real question is why is it so difficult for local SBC churches to incorporate appropriate and effective missions education as a normal part of who they are as church?

Before I start to bend over to gather my stones to throw at others, let me begin by confessing my own shortcomings in years past. As a minister of education in a medium to large growing metro Atlanta church, except for Christmas and Easter, missions did not appear as a large blip on my radar screen very often. I was more concerned about our own church's growth and reputation as a growing church than I was about a lost world. I knew all the resources and I could "push" missions with the best of them from a purely head knowledge perspective. However, missions was not part of who I was as a disciple of Jesus Christ. In fact, I was once so bold as to state that if the missionaries would just listen to us church growth guys, we would have this everybody is in church challenge licked in a few years. I'm not sure I know how to ask for forgiveness for that one.

Having lived cross-culturaly serving as a missionary for 14 years now, I am ruined. The way that I see the world and the way that I view church has forever been challenged and changed. If my wife and I had to leave the field and return to the states, I'm not sure that there would be very many churches who would want us either on staff or as members. We just do not think and act the way we did prior to our missionary service. Please do not hear me say that we are now better or more spiritual than others, believe me, far from it. It's just that there are some things that just do not matter to me as much as they once did. Like who is going to be sure that there are flowers on the Lord's Supper table every Sunday or what color do we paint the fellowship hall.

All this is to say, why is it that the discussion of missions and missions education still seems to be such a foreign (no pun intended) aspect in normal church life? Having served as our regional trainer for the past several years it has been fascinating to see what I would describe as a complete disconnect between what new missionaries have experienced in their church life prior to missions and what we are asking them to do on the mission field. Here are but a few examples of what I am talking about.

1. In our region, somewhere between 80 - 85% of new missionaries state that they have never been part of a new church start. And yet, we are asking them to implement strategies that will lead to CPMs, or multiplying churches.

2. Many of our new missionaries come from an evangelistic culture that encourages Christians to simply invite their lost friends to church and it is at church that they will hear the Gospel presented. And yet, we are asking new missionaries to go where the church has not yet been started.

3. Almost all of our new missionaries have successfully completed numerous discipleship courses and programs both from within our SBC world and from other evangelical sources. And yet, when we survey them, most still say that their greatest challenge is in the area of personal spiritual growth.

4. Over 75% of new missionaries coming to our region have already been to our region on one or more mission trips. Some working with our field missionaries and other trips taken on their own initiative and leadership. And yet, when they come to us and we begin training them in CPM principles and strategies it does not match up with their previous volunteer experience.

My intent is not NOT to point a finger of blame or to cast stones, but simply to ask, how can such a disconnect exist between those who serve on the international fields and those who provide such an incredible amount of support be so great? Why is it that we have not found a effective way of incorporating an Acts 1:8 mindset into the life of the church? My heart really does break when I think that so many with such a wide diversity of giftedness is going underutilized simply because they do not know!

For another example of this disconnect in a home missions setting, go to Kiki Cherry's post.

I lost many years that could have been productive in terms of global missions participation and vision casting as well as what impact this knowledge could have had at home. I just did not have anyone to challenge my thinking and my practice. If you have found some ways that begin to bridge this gap, please let me know. I fear that if this gap continues to widen we will eventually see a razing of the progress we have seen around the world in recent years.

We have one practice that we call our Frontliners Conference. You can read more about this by clicking on the MAC Region Webpage link to the right and then click on the Frontliners button. This training event has proven successful and effective, however, in the last three years we have not been in front of more than 1,000 people, if that many. We need a more effective way of communicating.

Part V continued - What Did Paul Leave Behind?

2006-07-17T20:35:00.000-05:00

When one reads the New Testament it does not seem difficult to me for most to see that there were several differences between what the apostle Paul was doing as a missionary and what he instructed the church to do as church. We have recorded in most English translations of Scripture what is described as Paul's missionary journeys. I just have one question in terms of being missionary and being part of the missionary task. What did Paul leave behind after each MISSIONARY journey?

After his first missionary journey, Paul left behind a trail of new believers, new churches, and developing leaders.

After his second missionary journey, Paul left behind a trail of new believers, new churches, and developing leaders.

After his third missionary journey, Paul left behind a trail of new believers, new churches, and developing leaders.

So, how many orphanages did Paul leave behind? How many Christian schools did he start? How many hospitals did he setup? I believe it is significant that this apostle, missionary, established the foundation for all of these other critical ministries, however, he did not become distracted or veer off course from his call and his vision, "to preach the Gospel not where Christ was already named." Romans 15:18-21

When the church crosses cultures it is either participating in the missionary task or a ministry task. Both are legitimate and needed, but they are not the same and unless we honestly deal with this issue, meeting temporal needs will impair our hearing to the voices of those crying in the darkness.

Part V - Good Intentions . . . . . . . . . . . . Gospel Hindrances

2006-07-08T21:35:00.000-05:00

I guess it is time to dive into the deep end of the pool, rock the boat, muddy the waters, use whatever metaphor you wish. There are issues related to missions and church planting that just cannot be avoided if we truly desire that everyone has the opportunity to hear, understand, and respond to the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. Let me warn you in advance that the following posts will be uncomfortable. When entering discussions of strategy, it is easy to quickly move from constructive debate to emotional responses. Therefore, in the words of Ravi Zacharias, “It is my desire to shed more light on these topics rather than generate heat.”

It was the socialist philosopher Karl Marx who coined the phrase, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” The same might be said of some mission and church planting strategies. Good intentions and sincerity of heart alone are not enough to accelerate the spread of the Gospel message. And unfortunately, we have experienced too many examples good intentioned sincere hearted strategies that have had the opposite affect from those intended.

To begin our discussion, I would like to list just a few of these strategies that sound good on the surface but soon falls short when a more in-depth review takes place.

1. “If we build it, they will come.”
A church planting strategy that is based upon building severely limits the movement of the Gospel and in fact redirects the focus of the body of believers inward rather than outward. If lost people around the world have to wait until someone builds a building before they hear the Gospel, how many die without knowing Christ while they wait?

2. “Asking the wrong questions.”
When we ask the wrong questions we will more times than not end up with the wrong answers. Here are just a few examples:
a. Stop asking, “what can I do?”, and begin asking, “what needs to be done?”.

b. Stop asking, “where do we want to go to serve?” and begin asking, “where
would God have us go to serve?”.

c. Stop asking, “how does doing this make me feel?” and begin asking, “what
impact will our efforts have on impacting lostness?”.

3. “Scrapbook Missions”
To take the whole Gospel to the whole world means that we must implement strategies and do things that cannot be photographed or put on film. These strategies do not rend the hearts of readers when described in a prayer letter, but nevertheless, they are necessary in order that the reproductive and multiplication force of the Gospel actually takes place. A photograph may be worth a thousand words, but a photograph cannot capture the true essence of disciple making, church planting, or developing leaders.

The road to hell may not be paved with good intentions, but as difficult as it is to say, many are waking directly into hell because good intentioned strategies do not allow for them to hear, understand, and respond. Missions and church planting is hard work and very messy at best. Our task cannot be programmed and placed in a nice neat package that neatly fits a 9 to 5 job or a week long trip.

Do you have other strategies that could be added to this list? If so, I would like to hear them. Our next post will deal with what does work.

Note: I will be out of Internet access for the next week while attending yet another M AGM in Guatemala. See you next weekend.

Part IV - The Priority, The Power, & The Practice of Prayer in Missions

2006-06-25T10:20:00.000-05:00

“Since I can’t do anything else, the least I can do is pray.”

Why is it that we believe that intercessory praying is the “least that we can do” rather than holding to the position that intercessory prayer is the “most we can do”?

The foundation and primary task of all mission endeavors begins and ends with prayer. Oswald Chambers aptly stated, “Prayer does not just fit us for a greater work. Prayer is the greater work.” It is through the power of prayer that strongholds are broken, closed doors are opened, and more importantly, lives are changed forever.

A close look at the New Testament reveals that of all the requests the disciples made of Jesus Christ during the three years that He walked and talked with them, it was how to pray that was asked about over and over again. They understood the priority, the power, and the practice of prayer as they moved deeper into the missions and ministry tasks they were commanded to fulfill.

The Priority of Prayer in Missions

The very first recorded prayer in Scripture is found in Genesis 4:26. “Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.” From the beginning of time there has been a desire of man to cry out to his Creator acknowledging his need for help. Prayer has in fact altered the course of history and has brought salvation to countless millions since the beginning of time.

Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of the One True Living God not only taught us to pray, He modeled for us the habit and practice of prayer. Mark 1:35, 6:41, 46 -- Herbert Lockyer, in his classic work, All The Prayers of the Bible, best describes Jesus’ position on prayer when he states, “Jesus believed prayer to be a working force, a dynamic, rather than a doctrine, in the life of the believer. To Him, prayer was not a sentiment or theory or presumption to the soul owning its reality. To Christ, prayer persists because of the proof of its efficiency.”

In Luke chapter 10, Jesus is preparing to send out 70, volunteers perhaps, to go ahead of Him and prepare the hearts and souls of men, women, boys, and girls for the coming Messiah, for the message of salvation. It is interesting to note that the first words uttered by our Lord to this group was to pray. What were they to pray for, for more workers. Warren Wiersebe notes, “. . . that it is laborers, not spectators, who pray for more laborers.” Prayer was a priority in the life of our Lord and should be a priority in our lives as well.

The Power of Prayer in Missions

This blog cannot begin to hold the untold tens of thousands of stories of how prayer has made a difference. James, an apostle of Jesus Christ writes, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” James 5:16 The power is not found in our doing, but in our praying. Unfortunately, this is a biblical concept that seems foreign to the Western mindset. How many times have you heard it said, “I can’t do anything else so I guess the least I can do is pray”. How sad it is when we place the most powerful weapon known to heaven and earth in the category of the “least” we can do.

Faithful Praying has resulted in:

Delayed God’s judgment
Brought fire down from heaven
Stopped the rain and then restarted the rain
Prepared hearts for the coming of the Holy Spirit
Healed the sick
Raised the dead
Gave boldness to the timid and strength to the weak
Brought comfort, peace, joy, longsuffering
And the list could go on and on. But the greatest result of prayer is the impact it can have on bringing those who have yet to believe into a saving faith with Jesus Christ.

The Practice of Prayer

Missionaries around the world know that there are very specific and strategic ways in which Christians can pray that will indeed impact their work. Here are but a few examples.

1. Pray for the lost peoples of the world by people group name
2. Pray for lost individuals named by missionaries
3. Pray using the apostle Paul’s Prayer Strategy:
Colossians 4:3; Ephesians 6:19; 2 Thessalonians 1-2
4. Pray for missionaries by name
5. Pray for national Christian partners by name
6. Pray “onsite with insight” by Prayer Walking
7. Pray for new believers
8. Pray for new believers to be baptized
9. Pray that new believers will be gathered into new churches
10. Pray for the spiritual growth and training of new believers as leaders.

Our problem is that we spend more time talking about praying than actually praying.

According to the A.C. Neison Co. the average American spends 4 hours a day watching TV
The average US protestant pastor prays on average 39 minutes per day
The average missionary prays on average . . . .

Le't pray about this!

D-elayed Blogging 4 DR M Meeting

2006-06-24T17:20:00.000-05:00

Early Sunday morning, June 25th, Patti and I will begin to make our way to the Dominican Republic for our Caribbean side M AGM. If it is like last year, I will not have Internet access which means I will not be able to post until some time during the first 3 days of July. I am going to attempt to offer one more post before Monday morning. We have to overnight in Newark, NJ Sunday night. Still one last chance to post. If not sooner, we'll get back with you next weekend.

Supplemental Blog Worth Reading

2006-06-22T17:33:00.000-05:00

I want to encourage you to go to David Roger's blog, "Love Each Stone" and read his thoughts entitled, "Ripe for Harvest". It is an excellent, thought provoking view on why we are not seeing the level of harvest in parts of the world that we would like to see.

Part III - It's Not About Us!

2006-06-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

“It’s not about US”
“It’s all about HIM”
“Then, it’s about THEM”

The task of taking the Gospel to every tongue, every tribe, and every nation may indeed rest on our ability to shift our thinking from what I will get out of missions to what impact will my efforts have on those who still need to hear, understand, and respond. There is not doubt that each of us who participate in the missionary task of sharing the Gospel, planting new multiplying churches, and developing leaders do benefit greatly from the experience. However, this cannot and should not be our defining purpose for our participation. It’s not about us!

It’s all about Him! We find our selves going to the nations simply because as an act of worship we do it for Him, our Father, our Lord, our Savior. It is from a grateful heart of what He has already done for us that we eagerly obey His call. The focus of our worship is Him. The focus of our service is to please Him. In the words of John Piper, "Missions exists becasue worship doesn't." It's all about Him!

Because it’s all about Him, then, it’s then about Them, those who have yet to hear the good news message of salvation found only through Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself stated, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save the lost.” Luke 19:10 If this was the focus of our Lord, does it not seem reasonable that it would be our focus as well? When we make it all about Him, His heart becomes our heart and points us to them, those who are lost, like sheep without a Shepard.

Lostness

There are 6.3 billion people living in the world today.

More than one half of all of the people who have ever been born in the history of the world are alive today.

More of these people have access to a bottle of Coca-Cola than they do the salvation message of Jesus Christ.

9 out of 10 people walking the face of this earth today are lost and are destined for hell.

So, what does it mean to be lost? Many studies have shown that the longer a person is a Christian the less likely they are to associate with lost people at a level where they are able to share their testimony and the Gospel. Recent SBC studies show that the majority of Southern Baptists 92 – 98 out of 100 will never share their faith with a lost person before they die. One reason for this startling statistic is that maybe we have forgotten what it means or what it feels like to be lost.

Ephesians 2:12 states:

“remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

“remember, that you were at that time separate from Christ”

Those who are separated from Christ are those who do not know Christ has Savior and Lord destined for an eternity in hell. Over 1.65 billion people in the world today have never heard the name of Jesus for the first time. Lost people live all around the world and they also live all around us. Unfortunately, most Christians today have either chosen to ignore have forgotten this fact. We have forgotten what it feels like to be lost.

Millions upon millions of people are waking up today without any hope of hearing the good news message of Jesus Christ. They just do not have any access to the Gospel. This means that they have a better chance of drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola than they do to hearing about Jesus. They are truly separated from Christ.

“excluded from the commonwealth of Israel,”

Not only do they not have access to the Gospel, they do not know anyone who knows about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even if they happen to hear the name Jesus, they would not know anyone who could answer the question, Who is Jesus?. In fact, the response could very well be, what is a Jesus?

Research and experience has shown that the longer a person is a Christian, the less likely they are to regularly interact with lost people around them in hope of witnessing to them. Taking the Gospel to those who have never heard or understood is an intentional act. Whether we cross oceans to witness in another culture or cross the street to witness to a neighbor, it is the task of Christ’s disciples to be witnesses.

“and strangers to the covenants of the promise,”

Not only do they not know who Christ is, or know someone who does know who Christ is, they do not have access to Scripture. Either the Bible has not been translated into their heart language or for 2/3’s of the world they would be unable to read it even if there was a translation. The Bible says in Romans 10:17 that, “faith comes from hearing”. But how will these people hear, understand, and respond without access to God’s Word?

Scripture is a powerful tool in the heart of one of Christ’s disciples. However, so many in the world today still do not have access. According to the Joshua Project, “There are about 6,800 living languages in the world, . . . 4,019 are without Scripture portions available, with some 450,000,000 speakers. They are strangers to God’s Word and His promises.

“having no hope and without God in the world.”

So how does Paul describe people who characterize one or all of these descriptions? He states that they are hopeless and do not have God in their world. Can you remember what it was like to live your life without hope, or without having God in your world? Remember, 9 out of every 10 people walking the face of this earth today are living hopelessly, without God being any part of their world.

Paul was reminding the church in Ephesus of the life that they once lived. His words should serve as a reminder for us as well today. We must regularly remind ourselves what it is like to be lost. This is the fuel that keeps the evangelistic fire burning in our soul.

Part II - Personal Holiness Matters Most

2006-06-19T00:15:00.000-05:00

Several years ago during an annual meeting of missionaries, Dr. John Marshall, pastor of the incredibly missions focused, Second Baptist Church, Springfield, MO, spoke 4 words that have forever changed my view of life and as I strive to approach missionary task! He simply stated, "above all else, personal holiness matters most."

When the average career missionary or volunteer begins to think about their participation in the missionary task, thoughts typically race to what am I going to do and how am I going to do it. However, if our strategy and plans are not an overflow of how God is working in our life, we will only be going through the motions, feeling empty and unfulfilled as we work harder and harder in our own power desperately seeking to see more only to come face to face with less. Take it from one who has been there way too many times, personal holiness does matter most.

To be perfectly honest with you, I seriously doubt any of you will read here anything that you do not already know. And to continue with the honesty, if you are like me, I still need to be reminded of the basics from time to time. What I am about to share comes from a fellow traveler and not from one who has arrived. Just ask those who know me.

"I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. The the nations will know that I am the Lord", declares the Lord God, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight." Ezekiel 36:23

Are you living your life in such a way that God can indeed reveal His holiness through you? If God is going to use you or us in His work to bring a lost world into fellowship with Him, our lives will need to reflect His Holiness and His Character. In 1 Peter 1:16 Paul reminds us of Gods words to Israel found in the book of Leviticus, that we are, to be holy because God is holy. Unfortunately, we are living in a world today where the distinction between those chosen by God and those yet in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is harder and harder to distinguish. Consider the following results from surveys done by George Barna of Barna Research Group:

1. When youth were asked to comment on their church experience, the least common outcome among churched young people was that they had not understood enough of the Bible so that every decision you make is based on biblical principles.

2. Many Christians today are more concerned about looking silly or stupid more than they are about acting sinfully. More and more Christian lives are lived using God language but void of Biblical content. Research done by George Barna indicathat that less than 6% of evangelical Christiansinthe U.S. live with a biblical worldview. This means that they are making their decisions based upon something other than the principles of Gods Word.

In recent years, even our own agency has faced a significant increase in the number of forced terminations of missionaries for moral failures. Add to this the known increase of those who claim some addiction addction to Internet pornography and we soon realize that we only see the tip of the iceberg.

So what does it mean to live a life that reveals the holiness of God to the nations? Have we profaned the name of God before our people group, just as Israel did in days of old? What makes the Christian life different from those who have yet to believe? Does personal holiness matter? Believing that personal holiness does matter, lets look at five habits that lead us to being more holy in our daily life.

Five Habits of People Who Strive to Live Holy Lives:
There are no secret formulas or magical phrases you can say that make your life a holy life. However, the life of Christ as read in the pages of the New Testament reveals and models habits that we can incorporate into our lives that will lead us to holy living. Lets look at 5 habits of Christ that can begin to change your life immediately if you incorporate them and practice them. The basic outline and thoughts were taken from Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges' book, The Servant Leader, highlighted in blue. My personal thoughts are intermingled.

1Solitude
Spending time alone with God in a quiet place. Jesus, on a regular basis withdrew from the crowds and sometimes even from his disciples to be alone with God, His Father. This habit is essential if we desire to experience spiritual renewal and refreshment.

When did Christ do this?

Before he faced the temptations of Satan, Jesus spend 40 days and nights alone in the dessert. (Matthew 4:1-11)

Before he chose the 12 men who would follow Him for the next 3 years, he spent the entire night alone in the dessert hills. (Luke 6:12)

When he felt the need to move to another town to preach the Gospel instead of staying and healing more of the sick, he left early in the morning to a place of solitude. (Matthew 1:35)

When he heard the news concerning the death of John the Baptist, he took a boat to
a lonely place. (Matthew 14:13)

After feeding 5,000 on a hillside he retreated to another mountain alone, to be by Himself. (Matthew 14:23)

Solitude is being alone, outside the sphere of human contact and communication. We are constantly bombarded with noise of some kind. With modern technology we have lost the grandeur and the intimacy of silence in our lives. The Christian philosopher Pascal has been quoted as saying, I have discovered that all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they are unable to stay quiet in their room.

One of the greatest spiritual accomplishments one can achieve is the ability to do nothing. The Psalmist stated it this way, Be still and know that I am God., but dont stop there. The rest of Psalms 46:10 says, Be still and know that I am God; I wil l be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted on the earth. All this arises from being still and quiet before a Holy God? Wow!

Ken Blanchard, the author of the best selling book, The One-Minute Manager, now a born again Christian says, The cure for too much to do is solitude and silence, for there you find that you are safely more than what you do. And a cure for loneliness is solitude and silence, for there you discover in how many ways you are never alone."

We need to take time every day to be alone with God, in silence. Solitude is the first step to a life of holiness.

2-- Prayer
Philippians 4:6-7 says, Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Simply put, prayer is listening and talking with God. I want to be sure you do not miss the listening aspect of prayer. Many times we see prayer as just us talking and God listening, however, it is more important that we listen to what He has to say to us.

Effective and meaningful praying will also incorporate other spiritual disciplines such as Scripture reading, meditation, worship, and yes, fasting, a long forgotten discipline that is essential for intimacy with our Lord.

Matthew 26:41 has Jesus saying, Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. There is no holiness revealed in our life but that, which is an outflow of a deep and intimate relationship with our creator. If we would spend more time seeking Gods wisdom rather than depending on the opinions of family, friends, and co-workers, we would better know His heart and His desires for our lives. This is not to suggest that seeking the counsel of others is not needed, only a reminder that the only opinion that really counts is Gods opinion. It is His holiness we wish to capture and nothing else.

One caution: You cannot listen to God and know His leading for your life outside of Scripture. God will never tell you to do anything that is contrary to Scripture. Plus, you do not have to pray about what God has already commanded us in Scripture to do.

Knowing about prayer and talking about prayer is never a substitute for praying. Prayer will lead us to live more holy lives.

3-- Storing Up God's Word
The third habit that will lead us to a more holy life is that of storing up Gods Word, that is, Scripture memory. It is impossible to fully describe the benefits both present and future that will be yours from the habit and disciple of memorizing Scripture. In times of crisis or stress, is your first response reliance on Gods Word, or something else? When others challenge your faith, can you reply from Scripture or do you share your opinion?

Now many of you, like me, probably use the excuse, well you know I just dont have the memory that I once had when I was younger and this is really difficult for me to do. Let me use a Greek word in response to this excuse. The word is baloney. We remember what we want to remember and where we put our time and energy to remember. What night does your favorite TV show come on and which channel? What are the lyrics to you favorite song? Can you reproduce your favorite recipe from memory? Or better yet, can you tell us your favorite joke? We remember what we want to remember, but it will take effort and work and a lot of repetition.

Storing up Gods Word in your heart and your mind, prepares you like nothing else when life squeezes you like that tube of toothpaste. What you have put in will be what comes out. Psalm 119:11 reminds us, Thy word have hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.

If you wish to know the heart of God, read what He says in His word. If you want to know the heart of man, listen as well as to what comes forth out of his mouth. Is holiness revealed in your life and in your words?

4-- Faith in Unconditional Love
Of all of the habits that we see in the life of Jesus Christ, this one may be the toughest one of all for us to emulate. Unconditional love is like a coin that has two sides, which cannot be separated.
a. Accepting that God unconditionally loves you.
b. Unconditionally loving others as God has revealed His love to you.

How many of you who are parents love your children? Most all parents will say yes to this. Now, how many of you love your children only if they are successful? Very few parents would say yes to this question. The love for a child is unconditional and rarely depends upon what that child does or does not do in life. When we begin to place requirements for our love onto others, we have then moved away from the unconditional love God requires from us.

John 3:16, how precious these words, For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have eternal life. Think of the people you come in contact with every day. Everyone around you needs to be heard, encouraged, forgiven, accepted, guided, loved, and the list goes on. Who in Scripture does God tell us that we have a right to ignore, despise, not forgive, avoid, or not love? Jesus taught its easy to love those who love you, but what about our enemies? In Luke 6:32 we read, And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

One way our people group and our world can see the holiness of God in our lives will be if we unconditionally love our neighbor. Jesus did not spend his time with the loved, but with those who were unloved, outcast, and rejected. They will know we are Christians by our love. We will exhibit the holiness of God when we love unconditionally.

5-- Accountability Relationships
"The unexamined life is not worth living." Ralph Neighbor We each have an intrinsic need to share our vulnerabilities, receive support and encouragement, and to be held accountable. I really like Proverbs 27:6 which says, Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.

We need to find people in our lives that will become truth-tellers for us. This one habit will have tremendous impact on your spiritual growth. It has wisely been said, Who you will be five years from now will be directly impacted by the books you read and the people you meet. We can take this principle even further and say how you will live and express your Christian faith five years from now will be determined by how much time you spend in Scripture and by those whom you allow to tell you the truth about your life.

We need people in our lives that help reveal to us blind spots. Too often when confronted by these people our first reaction is to kill the messenger rather than listen to the message. Probably the most dramatic Biblical example of this is found in 2 Samuel 12. In this story Nathan reveals to King David his sin with Bathsheba. How different David's life would be had Nathan tried to rationalize and smooth over what David had done.

Now obviously Jesus did not need someone to reveal to Him faults or other failings in His life. However, Jesus did model this habit by bringing close to him several of the disciples who walked with him during tough times.

So, it is really easy to see that personal holiness is the most important aspect of your life as a Christian and as a missionary. Your relationship with Christ needs constant monitoring as you face lifes challenges on daily basis. There are no short cuts, no time savers, and there is no a neutral position where you can avoid dealing with holiness issues. If we indeed want to impact a lost world, it will begin from within. Personal holiness matters most!

Next Post: Part III - "It's Not About Me!"

Part I - The "Knowing" Component

2006-06-14T14:10:00.000-05:00

Before We Can Effectively Pray, Give, & Go
We Must Know!

For years now, the Southern Baptist missions mantra has been "Pray", "Give", & "Go". These three words have served us well and still provide a challenging reminder for our churches. However, with the advent of an ever increasing number of Christians participating in missions by going to the national and international mission fields, I am advocating that a new component needs to be added to this worthy challenge. The new component is "Knowing". Therefore, our new mantra and challenge should be Know, Pray, Give, & Go.

1. How can we pray with insight and intercession if we do not "know" specifically what to pray for? "GBM," or, "God bless the missionaries," may sound good, but either no one knows what this means or everyone has their own meaning. The truth of the matter is that effective prayer warriors pray from a mind that knows and a heart that is sensitive to God's will and purpose.

2. How will we ever learn to give sacrificially if we do not "know" how our giving impacts missions and the missionary task? An increasing number of Baptists have little to no knowledge of CP and LMCO. Fewer are aware of other additional avenues for giving. When paying for my own mission trip is now considered "missions giving", something has gone terribly wrong in our thinking.

3. How can we go strategically unless we "know" where the greatest spiritual needs exist? Close, cheap, and safe should not be our determining factor for where to send missionaries or volunteers.

Now, more than ever before this change in thinking is imperative for those who wish to engage in the task of biblical missions and take seriously both the short-term and long-term implications of their actions. The truth of the matter is that what you do not know CAN hurt you, or worse someone else.

Missions education in the Southern Baptist Convention has in recent years inverted the missions learning process from "Learn - Feel - Do" to "Do - Feel - Learn". This is a significant shift in both thinking and practice and the effect of this change is being felt literally around the world. This new practice has also shifted missions education from the classroom to the mission trip venue. Although this is not a bad thing in and of itself, it does open the door for several unintentional outcomes. However, before I go any further, let me be clear that I am not in opposition to volunteer missions and volunteer mission projects. Nor do I wish to paint every church, every mission team, or even every missionary with one broad stroke. My desire is to not only see everyone participate in the missionary task but to participate with a level of knowledge and understanding that allows for their time and efforts to truly impact lostness. It seems to me to be of greater value to have these faithful servants of God to return to their home with more than just a good feeling or great memories.

So what does the Bible have to say on this theme? I find it interesting that I am unable to find a single instance in the New Testament where the command to "go" was not immediately followed with what to do when you go. Christ never left strategy decisions in the hands of His followers, but instead, instructed them and directed them in order to achieve our Father's purposes. It seems obvious to me that instead of debating what our next project or strategy is going to be, that through serious Bible study and prayer, our Lord will do the same for us as He did in the 1st century, instruct and direct.

To this same end we train our missionaries and volunteers to first look to the Word of God for the "how to's" of their task. We use Joshua 1:8 as our starting point for this position.

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

Jesus further develops this thought when at the end of His Great Commission He commands us "to teach them to observe everything that I have commanded you." So, to be successful we must do or, I like to use the word "obey", what we already know to do before any attempt to become creative. Even a cursory glance at the commands, the examples, and the models we find in the New Testament and, in fact, all of Scripture is enough to keep any missionary busy for many years.

Obviously, I do not have the time nor the space to say everthing that could be stated on this topic. However, to bring further clarity to what I hope I am communciating by advocating that we add a "Knowing" component into the missions learning and practice process, let me share several illustrations and, yes, the names have been changed to protect the guilty.

I am encouraged by the recent increase in training and participation by Southern Baptists in the area of evangelism. We want people sharing their faith testimony and the Gospel on a daily basis. However, being effective in evangelism in the U.S. does not automatically make someone an effective evangelist in another culture. For example, phrases we commonly use in a testimony or Gospel presentation such as, "would you like to receive Christ", does not mean the same thing to a person who grew up in a Latin Catholic culture as it might to the speaker. Do you believe that "knowing" this might affect how you plan to share the Gospel with those who live within this religious and cultural context? More on this when we discuss Gospel clarity and Biblical evangelism.

Would it make a difference in your decision making process as to how to help those in need who live in another cultural context if you "knew" in advance that your act of kindness would actually inhibit the spread of the Gospel to neighboring areas?

Would you be as excited about the number of people who raised their hands indicating that they had prayed to ask Jesus to come into their heart if you found out that prior to your arrival, this group pre-determined who would raise their hands and who would not? Or that most raised their hands as an act of kindness, not wanting the foreigners to lose face by not having many people raise their hands?

Would it make a difference in your thinking and practice if you found out that the pastor whom you wanted to financially support neglected to tell you about his other wives and kids? Or that by financially supporting he and his family the church members no longer see a need to tithe?

Would it make a difference to you to "know" in advance if the people who were going to receive the Bibles you planned to distribute throughout their community could read or if they were oral communicators?

We recently sent a missionary couple into an indigenous area to begin planting new churches. One of the first things they did was to approach the group's leadership council and ask for permission to live among them and to begin their work. What if they had just moved in and started working without "knowing" that this was a critical step in taking the Gospel to this people group?

As great of a blessing as it is to be involved in missions, we must remember that "missions is messy". It is not black or white, cut and dry, or even an easy task. As one of my dear colleagues, Gary Stone is quoted as saying on a regular basis, "If it were easy, it would have been done by now."

These are just a few of the hundreds of examples that could be listed where "knowing" is a critical component. If more and more Southern Baptists are going to accept the challenge to go, then they too need to know these and many other issues that impact their effectiveness to impact lostness.

Christians, especially Southern Baptists are big hearted, generous people. Just look at how we respond in a crisis. However, at times, good intentioned help can actually hurt. "Knowing" what kind of help accelerates the movement of the Gospel and what types of help hinder the spread of the Gospel is critical if we really believe that everyone deserves the right to hear, understand, and respond. We will look at this issue in greater detail in a future post.

This past year, 47% of Southern Baptist volunteers who were processed through the IMB went to minister to 9% of the world's population. What message are we sending to the other 91% of the world? Would "knowing" this possibly change where you took your next mission trip? Effective missions is not intuitive and does not happen without a cost attached. One of these costs is knowing what to do and what not to do.

Over the next several weeks we will look at a number of issues facing missionaries and what we are learning from each other's mistakes and successes. It is my hope that by now after meditating on what you have read in this post, you are already moving to the position that "knowing" is a key component to effective praying, giving, and going. I like to state it this way:

"Lostness should impact everything we do so that everything we do impacts lostness."

Let me encourage you, if you have not already done so, to go back and read two earlier posts that will help serve as a backdrop to many of the issues we will discuss:

1. The Morphing of Missions & Ministry

2. Missions & The Missionary Task

If you would like to know more about these and other issues you will face and will need to think through prior to your next mission trip, we would invite you to attend one of our Middle America & Caribbean Region's Frontliners Conferences which are held several times a year in the U.S. For more information go to www.macregion.org and click on the Frontliners link.

What All Missionaries Need to Know Introductory Post

2006-06-12T23:27:00.000-05:00

Before we begin with this post, I want to let folks who visit this site know that I am now moving toward posting multiple times a week based upon interest and developing information. My original intent was to post once a week but I have learned from blogging experts that frequent posts are needed to retain a reading audience. So, check often and please feel free to comment pro or con.

Now, let's begin. I want to maybe surprise some people who know me and begin with an assumption I challenged in an earlier post. I want to take Steve McCoy's missional position that all born again Christians are missionaries and should be actively invovled in the missionary task as a normal expression of the Christian life. To begin with this assumption, I believe that it is imperative to address the thinking and practices all of us missionaries and to attempt to some agreement as to what it is that we all should know, be, and do, if indeed we are truly serious about fulfilling the Great Commission and Acts 1:8. It is one thing to go and do, it is quite another to go and do strategically.

Beginning with my next post I want to work through a series of posts that will serve as a Missions 101 course geared toward those who have limited or no real access to missions education or missions strategy development training and resources. This information is based upon what we train in our region as it relates to best practices of the missionary task. It may be that many of you will refer your friends and colleagues to this site as our discussion progresses if you need another voice to affirm what you already believe to be true. Or, you may think we are off our rocker and feel the need to communicate this as well. It is my desire that both volunteer missionaries as well as seasoned missiologists will respond and interact with the issues raised over the coming weeks. It is the interchange of ideas and thinking that will make us all better and more effective servants of our Lord in this task.

So, either Wednesday or Thursday, look for Part I - The "Knowing" Component, post. I'm not sure when it will be posted since I do have a day job that tends to take a good amount of my time and attention. However, if we can increase the readership and dialogue of this blog, then this too becomes part of what I am being asked to do as the Regional Training Associate for the Middle America & Caribbean Region. See you again soon and thanks for your support and encouragement of this effort.

No Whining Allowed

2006-06-09T13:36:00.000-05:00

I want to take somewhat of a break and allow us to catch our breath from the topics of my previous posts to give all of us a moment of pause. Way back in the dark ages, which are now known as the early 70's I remember hearing a poem written by an NFL quarterback that had a significant impact on my outlook on life. I keep it handy for times when I feel myself moving into a time of self-pity. I pray that this ministers to you as it as to me for many years.

1972 Bill Wade - Quarterback for the Chicago Bears

Today upon a bus I saw a lovely maiden with golden hair.
I envied here because she was so "happy" and wished I was as fair.
But suddenly as she arose to leave,
I watched her hobble down the aisle.
She had one leg and wore a brace,
but as she passed, she smiled.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I've got two legs, the world is mine.

Then I stopped to buy some sweets.
The lad who sold them was so kind.
I talked to him and he said to me,
"you know it's good to talk with folks like you,
you see", said he, "I'm blind".

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I've got two eyes, the world is mine.

And then while walking down the street,
I saw a lad with eys of blue.
He stood and watched the others play,
and it seemed he did not know what to do.
So I said, "why don't you join the others dear?"
He looked ahead and then I knew, he could hear.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I've got two ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I would go.
With eyes to see the sunset glow.
With ears to hear what I want to know.

Oh God, forgive me when I whine,
I'm blessed indeed, the world is mine.

Missions & The Missionary Task

2006-06-02T19:09:00.000-05:00

My last post dealing with who is a missionary has generated some spirited discussion on several blogs in the blog-o-sphere world. I feel it is important to follow-up the previous post with a discussion of what is the missionary task. What is it that missionaries are actually suppose to do.

First, you need to know my biblical assumptions from which I base my position:

The word "apostle" in the Greek NT means someone who is sent out or sent on a mission. It is from this term we derive our modern day word, "missionary". A missionary is one who is called, set-apart, and sent out, Acts 13:1-1-3. This designation is used once with Jesus, our Lord, Hebrews 3:1; twice with Peter, 1 Peter 1:1 & 2 Peter 1:1; and then 15 times with Paul. I'll let you look up all 15 references if you so desire. If apostle means for us today, missionary, and if the NT uses this term with Paul 15 times, more than with anyone else, could it be that God intended that we look at the life and service of the apostle Paul for our model of missions and what it means to be a missionary. I recognize that some care needs to be considered that we do not over apply this position, however, if we are going to choose someone to model our mission practices after, Paul seems the logical and biblical choice.

As Paul and others traveled on their "missionary journeys" as we have designated them, it is interesting to note that Paul, in almost every situation left behind, new believers, new churches, and developing leaders. This was his focus and his passion, Romans 15:20-22. Yes, he did return from time to time to visit the new churches started, but his drive was to keep pushing against lostness and going where Christ had yet to be preached. Why is this important? This point is critical to our perspective on missions today because in no case do we see Paul leaving behind an orphanage, or a school, hospitals, or anything else other than new believers, new churches, and developing leaders. He taught these new churches that they were responsible to care for the widows, the orphans, and those in need in their communities, not outsiders.

The Great Commission has been and continues to be the premier passage for missions and the missionary task. I would wholeheartedly agree with this interpretation and practice. However, if it is, then let's be honest in our fulfillment of what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ commanded us to do. He stated, "Go and make disciples, baptize them, and then teach them to do all I have commanded". If this is a missions verse, then a lot of "missionaries" and volunteer mission teams are falling short of this goal. Let me refer you back to my first blog on missions and ministry. Too many, I'm afraid to say, are calling what they are doing missions, when in fact it is good Christian ministry or stops with evangelism, but has little to nothing to do with fulfilling the whole missions task as described in Scripturre. This is not saying that what they are doing is bad or even a second class effort, but it does increase the level of confusion when we say that anything done outside the boundaries of our local church is called missions.

I believe that it is impossible to completely fulfill the Great Commission without including church planting and leadership development. True, these terms are not found in the passage itself, but if we look at Paul's example and what he did and what he did not do, it does not seem to be much of a leap in interpretation to make this claim. If this is not true, then we are encouraging evangelism without connecting new believers with the body of Christ, the church? If this is not true then we are going to baptize new believers outside of the support and fellowship of the church? If this is not true then how, when, and where do we teach new believers how to observe all that Christ has commanded for them to know and do? Many church growth experts throughout the past 30 to 40 years have also stated that church planting is a natural outgrowth of evangelism and fulfilling the Great Commission, but somewhere along the line we either forgot or ignored this critical point and the impact has massive.

For example, Dr. Elmer Towns in the early 80's wrote:

“The Great Commission implies that church planting is the primary method to evangelize the world. To reach lost people in every culture of the world, a church must be established in every culture to communicate the gospel and nurture those who are saved. In a simplistic observation, one of the reasons why so much foreign missions work is fruitless is because great effort is spent on winning people to Christ apart from identifying them with a New Testament church.”

He goes on to say:

“Since the purpose of the Great Commission is finalized when a New Testament church is planted, those church planters who establish a church are not doing something that is spectacular or overwhelmingly unique. They are simply carrying out the command of Jesus Christ.”

Dr. Ralph Winter in years past has aptly stated:

“Planting new churches is the most effective evangelistic methodology known under heaven.”

When I study the NT and look at both the Word of God and the Works of God, I see missions as those efforts focused on evangelism - discipling new believers, church planting, and leadership development so that all of these multiply pushing the gospel message to the next arena of lostness. There is a vital place for Christian ministry, however, minsitry alone cannot and should not replace Christian missions. If we allow this to happen, temporal needs are met while spiritual needs go untouched.

We Are All Missionaries! Really?

2006-05-27T11:35:00.000-05:00

First, let me explain for the delay in posting my "weekly" blog from this past Sunday evening until today. For some unknown reason, a PC gremlin invaded my precious G4 and rewired one of the DRAM memory chips. Fortunately, a new one is being UPSed to me as we speak. However, working through the diagnostic process of determining why my faithful and loyal Apple was going haywire took a couple of days. I have since removed the faulty memory and replaced it with a new memory chip sent by OWC and all is well again in the MAC World. I apologize for the delay and giving the impression that I was working on a PC.

I have been in several settings recently where a phrase has been used that has caused me a moment of pause and reflection. I am attempting to determine if this is an issue worth raising at all or if this is a hill worth dying on. The phrase is simply, "we are all missionaries".

I do understand the intent and desire of those making this claim and I agree wholeheartedly that we all are commanded to be witnesses to all the nations, all the world. But is it accurate and in fact desired that we make such claims for all Christians. Let me explain my struggle with doing this.

1. Scripture does not support this claim. The word from which we derive the term missionary comes from the same word we read as "apostle" in the New Testament. We clearly read that "some" are called as apostles, not all. All are commanded to witness and minister, but not all are called to be apostles or missionaries just as not all are called to be pastors, deacons, teachers, etc.

2. If we believe that the model for recognizing and sending forth missionaries is modeled in Acts 13, then missionaries are those who are "called", "set-apart", and "sent out".

CALLED: There is a unique and clear call of God to be, live, and work as a missionary.

SET-APART: Others, the church, recognizes this called and gives affirmation.

SENT OUT: The missionary does not stay home, He/she goes the place or places where the Holy Spirit leads. You cannot be sent out and stay at the same time.

3. Missionaries participate in the missionary task as a normal part of their daily efforts. Again, using Paul as a model this is, harvesting new believers, starting new churches, and developing leaders. If everyone is a missionary then why is it most do not participate in these tasks? I wonder if it is wise to limit the missionary's task as just evangelism.

Questions I ask concerning this issue:
1. If we are all missionaries, then why is there a need for a call to be missionary?
2. If we are all missionaries, then is the only difference between us are those who get paid for being missionary?
3. If we are all missionaries, then why are we all not pastors and deacons as well?

It is not my desire or intent to set up a Christian class system, but when it comes to missions there seems to be a tendency to be loose with our definitions in an attempt to raise awareness and increase interest. Paul was a missionary, Peter was not, but this did not change the incredible influence and impact each man had on the church and the world.

Coke & Missions: What Missionaries Can Learn From a Softdrink Company

2006-05-12T23:43:00.000-05:00

Several years ago while on "furlough" in Atlanta, Georgia, I was looking for some type of memory hook to include in my presentations to churches that would serve as a way to help U.S. Christians weave missions more into their daily routine. I found what I was looking for while reading the newspaper. Specifically, an article covering a recent stockholders meeting of the Atlanta based Coca-Cola Company. In this article, then CEO and Chairman of the Board, Roberto Goizueta was quoted as saying to the stockholders present:

"Not long ago, we came upon an interesting set of facts: A billion hours ago, human life appeared on earth. A billion minutes ago Christianity emerged. A billion seconds ago the Beatles changed music forever. And a billion Coca-Colas ago was, yesterday morning. What we are trying to figure out at the Coca-Cola Company is how can we make a billion Coca-Colas ago this morning."

This grabbed my attention and my heart. Soon after this I heard someone state, "More people in the world today have access to a bottle of Coca-Cola than they do the gospel message of Jesus Christ". I had found my hook and began to do more investigating and found that there were many similarities between the vision and goals of Coca-Cola and missions. I wrote Mr. Goizueta and asked for permission to use his billion hours quote in my mission presentations. He graciously gave permission and wrote in a letter to me the following.

"I believe that our Company's history truly is illustrative of what can happen when thousands of dedicated people work toward a common goal. If that dedication can serve as model for others in their endeavors, that is indeed, gratifying. Your letter reminds me that, from time to time, observers have been kind enough to suggest that Coca-Cola people work with "missionary zeal". It's one of the highest compliments we could ever received."

Quickly, a sobbering thought overwhelmed my senses, that a company that makes and distributes sugar water has found a way to put it's product in front of most of the people in the world while the Christian church is still stuggles to come close to matching Coke's distribution efforts.

The following represents lessons I believe we can learn from the Coca-Cola Company and apply to our missionary efforts.

Coke lists the following reasons for their unprecedented success:

1. Research the culture for the most affective advertising.
Missionaries should do worldview research to find the bridges and barriers to presenting the gospel message of Christ.

2. Committed and dedicated workers.
Missionaries must be focused on the vision and task of taking the gospel to every person.

3. Meeting a need before anyone else.
People do not care what you know until they know you care. Many times we have to touch lives before we can change hearts.

4. Adapting their products to local tastes.
In missiological terms we call this “contextualization”.

5. Giving local people a stake in the success of their ventures.
Don’t do for others what they can do for themselves. Teach them to do what they cannot do for themselves and then let them do it.

6. The Company takes pride in being a worldwide business that is always local.
a. Bottling plants are locally owned and operated by people native to the area.
b. Bottlers provide the capital.
c. Most supplies are purchased from local sources.
It is our responsibility as missionaries to help initiate work that is both indigenous and non-dependent as possible.

When you go to the Coke museum in Atlanta, and I highly recommend that you do so, you will see a video that shows almost all of the ways that Coke is distributed around the world. The video show product distributions from typical locations like stores and restaurants to the unusual such as from pushcarts and the backs of camels. They have mastered what we called in New Directions, “WigTake”. Are we will to do whatever it takes to get the gospel to everyone of these same locations?

Several years ago Coke introduced a new contoured can shaped with an indentation like the traditional Coke bottle. See photo. When asked why Coke was doing this, Roberto Goizueta replied, “When you hold one of these new Coke cans you will know for sure it is a Coke, even in the dark.” I have often wondered that in this world of darkness, does a lost world know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ simply by our touch?

The Coca-Cola Company’s biggest mistake ever. April 23, 1985 will go down in Coke history and folklore as the day the sun stood still. This was the day that Coke introduced a new and “improved” Coca-Cola. It was the first formula change in the history of the Company. The response was swift and overwhelming. People did not want a change in a product that they had come to know and love.

In our efforts to make the gospel more palpable to a lost world we must be careful that we do not change the “original formula”. Contextualization should change only how the gospel is presented not the gospel message itself. I believe most lost people do not reject the gospel but the reformulated gospel as presented by those who truly do not know how to live and express the “normal” Christian life.

“In the midst of massive changes sweeping the world, people everywhere take comfort in knowing that there are some things that never change, things that they can count on.” Quote from the Atlanta Coke Museum

People will not find “the real thing” in a soft drink, but only in the person of Jesus Christ. We can only hope and pray that one day, Christ’s church will be as dedicated and committed to her task as Coke is to its task.

“some of the text for this blog was taken from a PowerPoint developed by Curtis Sergeant”

Returning To Biblical Missions

2006-05-07T01:27:00.000-05:00

What does it mean to "return to biblical missions"?

Several years ago myself and a good friend and colleague of mine, Elbert Smith, were discussing how we could make our training for missionaries, national partners, and volunteers more strategic and more practical. One of the outcomes of this discussion came the idea that everything we presented would come from one or both of two sources; The Word of God and The Works of God. This caused us to ask two questions.

1) Do we see this concept or practice in Scripture?
2) How do we see God moving in the world today to bring lost souls into His Kingdom?

Joshua 1:8 states: "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

When you look at all of the plans and strategies being implemented around the world today, a close examination of these strategies reveal that those which are inline with biblical teachings are producing the greatest eternal fruit. The good news is that we do not have to keep coming up with something new, but instead, just keep remembering what Scripture both teaches and promises.

Then in Psalm 111:2, we read, "Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them."

Especially in IMB circles the buzz words for several years now has been Church Planting Movements. It is undeniable that a significant amount of observation and evidence exists to support the claim that this is a work of God, a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit. With the emergence of CPMs we see characteristics and practices that has helped return our focus on the early days of Pentecost and the rapid spread of the gospel in the years that followed.

However, at the risk of sounding heretical, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of believing that CPMs are the last word on missions and mission strategy. Even a cursory review of modern missions history will show that we are currently riding the latest wave of mission thought and practice and even if we can't see it yet, another new wave is forming just over the horizon. But until this new wave begins to build, we need to be sure that we do not miss the opportunities that lay before us today.

So, I will ask the question again, what does it mean to return to biblical missions? Here are just a few of my responses.

1. My first and primary source for mission strategy is found in Scripture. The Bible is replete with examples and commands that allows us to go from lostness to saved, saved to church, and from church to multiplying churches.

2. We call it best practices, but I believe the Bible calls it the work of the Holy Spirit. We need to be spiritually sensitive observers, showing both discernment and wisdom as we seek to determine where and how God is working to redeem lost men, women, boys and girls to Himself.

3. Lostness should impact everything we do so that everything we do impacts lostness.

4. I do not know who originated this phrase, but I heard it first from Bruce Carlton. "Church is not where we meet, but church is who we are."

5. Jesus said that a tree is judged by it's fruit. Are we bearing eternal fruit or are we taking up space that could be used by someone else who would bear fruit?

6. If we consider the apostle Paul a missionary model for us to follow, then it's important to remember that almost everywhere he went he left behind, new believers, new churches, and developing leaders. More on this in a future blog.

Returning to biblical missions is rediscovering the value and impact of 1st century principles and practices in a 21st century world.

The Morphing of Missions & Ministry

2006-04-30T20:49:00.000-05:00

Over the past quarter century there has been a dilution or morphing of the word “missions”. For most of the Christian community it has become a term to describe anything and everything done in the name of Christ outside the walls of the church. Every ministry project and activity is now referred to as a “missions trip”.

One extreme example of this shift in thinking can be seen when a church's choir tours for the summer and ends up in Disneyworld. It is publicized as their summer "mission" trip. More common examples are found in the multitude of trips taken by churches and other organizations which perform a myriad of ministries to those less fortunate or in need.

This change has taken place gradually without notice by the vast majority of Christians and missionaries. When you look at the number of churches and mission sending agencies around the world today and examine their purpose and focus, few are intentionally following the biblical mandate of Matthew 28:19 - 20. They are doing good for those in need and most with pure intentions. However, if missions is reduced to just helping people in need, most of those in need will never have the opportunity to hear, understand, respond to the gospel message of Jesus Christ, and mature in their faith.

To state this another way, we have substituted the intent of the second part of the Greatest Commandment for the focus of the Great Commission. If we do not readjust our thinking and practice, we will feed the hungry, cloth the naked, heal the sick, visit those in captivity, house the homeless, parent the orphans, educate the uneducated, and they will still spend eternity in hell when they die.

The answer of course is not to stop meeting needs but to recognize that you can successfully do ministry and never cross the line into biblical missions. However, it seems impossible to be involved in missions and not include some type of ministry in the process. If we continue to ignore the differences between these two terms, thousands, maybe millions of lost souls will be touched by Christians but never changed by Christ.