• Our hope-filled future is bound up in sharing the story of Jesus, in discipling others, in bringing those disciples together into communities of believers, and in developing and releasing those believers to create other communities... till Jesus the King comes again!

We’re on a mission

Posted on January 6, 2015 by wtdavid

mission unstoppableKenneth Berding wrote the following in his short article, “At the Intersection of Mission and Spiritual Formation in the Letters of Paul”: The process of spiritual formation supports mission because the person on a mission is upheld in his work as he experiences ongoing transformation … This may be the area most emphasized in Paul’s writings regarding how important spiritual formation is for mission.  Paul writes: “… we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”  (2 Cor. 4:2).  There is a transformation that takes place through the ministry of the Spirit while one is on the mission – a transformation “from glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:17-18).”

At the start of this new year, knowing that there are several ‘bends in the road’ ahead of us, it is important to remind ourselves that all our work is an overflow of our deepening relationship with Christ and the ongoing transformation being worked by His Spirit as He searches our hearts (Psalm 139) and drives us back to our only Hope: Jesus.

We’re on a mission.

However, that mission is not just the task of taking the Gospel to others.  It is the work of daily putting self to death and learning to live more and more to righteousness.

We’re on a mission.

Part of that ‘putting self to death’ may involve opening ourselves up more and more to others, so that God might use those people to build us up more and more into the image of Christ.  The mission of transformation goes through community.

We’re on a mission.

This means that there will be attitudes and reactions we will lay down as individuals and as a community this year, so that we might affirm more loudly with our voice and with all our heart: We’re on a mission … giving thanks to Jesus for working in us and through us.

Filed under: Community, Gospel, Transformation | 5 Comments »

The art of sacrifice in a region

Posted on November 12, 2014 by wtdavid

At the Mission¹⁴: Vision Forward Area conferences this past year, I shared a number of challenges with each region or Area.  The purpose was to affirm and celebrate what God has done through us over the past few years as well as to challenge Area members to “excel still more” in their work and ministry for Jesus.

We can each settle in to a ‘comfortable’ way of doing ministry and lose that edge of daily learning what it means to “die to our fleshly love of impressing people in this way for glory for ourselves.”  I will often fend off challenges that may be given to me by ‘defending’ the good stuff that I’m already doing, and concluding by saying something like, “besides you don’t really understand what I am dealing with here in my ministry.”

We all need others to help us gain better perspective and grow in our character, gifts and abilities.  Naaman (2 Kings 5) was fortunate enough to have a number of servants who were willing to “bring him up short” in a crisis situation.  Otherwise, he probably would have walked away from the redemption and healing he sought.

Over the next few posts, I would like to share what I shared with each Area: both as a reminder of the challenge, but also as a motivation to pray for one another as we seek to learn the further change and growth to which God is calling us.

Filed under: Challenge, Gospel, Vision Forward 2014 | Leave a comment »

The lost art of sacrifice

Posted on November 4, 2014 by wtdavid

“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.””  (Matthew 16.24)living-sacrifice1

A fellow pastor named Jack used to say that Jesus’ message here was not one that would resonate with many. Basically, He was declaring, “If you want to follow Me, come and die.”  The message of the Gospel is the message of the cross, the message of sacrifice.

Oftentimes when this subject comes up, the lost art of sacrifice, two thoughts are most on people’s minds. First, it’s a generational issue.  Second, sacrifice is mostly about material possessions.

I’m afraid the first thought misses wide the mark of what Jesus was talking about in this text. Sacrifice is an inter-generational issue.  It’s something with which everyone struggles.  True, the younger generation may be more connected to technology than the older crowd.  However, the older crowd may have settled in comfortably to their cross cultural worker lifestyle and believe there is no more ‘sacrifice’ to be made.

The second thought clearly demonstrates our superficial understanding of the deeper work of the Spirit in our lives. Material possessions are part of the sacrifice Jesus may call us to make, but so is our time, our relationships, our thought life or our work.

Take a minute to consider this thought below and its application of sacrifice to our work today. Replace the word, ‘pastor’ with ‘cross cultural worker’:

“To have power in your life as a pastor, it is supremely important that you make it a first order of business for the rest of your life not to do things to impress people or gain a reputation or protect your reputation. It is very clear from the Gospels that Jesus is calling us to deny some basic things in our personality–things that need to die. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24 to deny yourself; take up your cross and follow me. And I think that means dying to our fleshly love of impressing people in this way for glory for ourselves.”

Filed under: Gospel, Sacrifice | 8 Comments »

Can’t stop being intentional bis

Posted on October 29, 2014 by wtdavid

A fellow WT colleague pointed me to the following short article by Ed Stetzer which I thought was a great follow up to our recent discussions on intentionality.

Read the article at: http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/october/learning-to-lead-differently-as-you-age.html?utm_source=edstetzer&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_term=14203663&utm_content=309428335&utm_campaign=2013

I would particularly draw your attention to his questions at the end of the article. They are worth reflection and discussion:

  • What have you learned about leadership transition that comes with age?
  • How can a leader overcome the challenges that come with age in a culture that is constantly seeking the newest idea, approach or technique?
  • What can we learn from Scripture in regards to leading into the later years?learncomm-hands

Filed under: Gospel, Intentionality, Legacy | 4 Comments »

Can’t stop being intentional

Posted on October 28, 2014 by wtdavid

The Gospel frees us to intentionally move towards others.

Another thought came to mind as I read a blog post by Aaron (http://www.bloggingtheologically.com/2010/08/03/book-review-rescuing-ambition-by-dave-harvey/):

“As God rescues and redirects our ambitions, we have to understand that there’s a cost. We might fail. We might never see our ambitions fulfilled. But our ambitions are to have one goal in mind: serving our Savior. This is where we’re to find our contentment: not in the accomplishment, but in Him who has redeemed us and created us for these works.

In other words, godly ambitions are humble ambitions. To pursue godly ambitions means that we can forsake our comfort and well-being because Christ is sufficient. So it doesn’t matter if we fail. It doesn’t matter if we don’t’ see our plans play out. Jesus is enough.intentional-300x228

“Finishing well” actually means preparing the next generation to finish the work we begin. “True success means we will turn things over to the younger generation in such a way that enables them to run stronger and faster, with us cheering them all the way.””

Intentionality includes a multiplicational dynamic. If I choose to be intentional and invest in the lives of others, it will mean that at a given moment I will turn things over to them.  I will be intentionally investing in them for their development, intentionally preparing them to take the ministry and intentionally coming alongside them to platform and support them.

Such a multiplicational dynamic should impact the way I intentionally invest in others. A number of questions might come to mind that could help as one assesses his or her work with others:

  • How am I preparing another (or others) to take the current ministry even further?
  • How am I am impediment to that intentional desired growth of another? How am I a ‘multiplier’ of that intentional desired growth of another?
  • What needs to be part of my intentional investment that will ‘multiply’ its fruitfulness?

The Gospel frees us to intentionally move towards others. The Gospel frees us to honestly assess and grow in our intentional investment and ministry to others.

 

Filed under: Gospel, Intentionality, Multiplication | Leave a comment »

What’s it take to be intentional?

Posted on October 21, 2014 by wtdavid

In our TC4u group last Thursday, we were talking about how the Gospel practically works itself out in specific acts of obedience in our lives. We are no longer slaves to an ‘ought to’ or ‘should do’ mentality.  The Gospel frees us to a life of thankfulness that issues in acts of kindness and service.be intentional[4]

How does that work out in actual practice? Let’s take the issue of intentionality. How do I be intentional without turning it into a ‘law’ I must live out?

Several thoughts came quickly to mind:

First, drinking deeply from the example of Jesus would fill my heart with that heart desire to move towards others. Francis, a member of the WTGA, drew this out in a recent devotional that he shared with the members of the WTGA.  In talking about John 4, he showed how Jesus turned away from a vibrant ministry to encounter others needing the message of the kingdom, and in particular a lost and needy woman in Samaria.  Jesus was regularly ‘going out of His way’ to connect with an individual who was open or seeking.  I don’t like interruptions in my planned schedule, but Jesus ‘saw’ interruptions as a means to intentionally connect with others.

Second, as I allow others to intentionally enter my world and learn to receive from them, it will move my heart to want to do the same with others. Intentionality is a ‘two way street’ and learning to be intentional can come from watching others be intentional or being on the receiving end of that intentionality.

Finally, the command is clear, but my heart is stubborn. Praying for God to move my heart by driving me deeper into the Gospel would issue in thankfulness for His love and push me towards others.  The Gospel reminds us that we truly need Jesus ‘every hour’. Without His work in our lives, we are lost in a sea of selfishness, lacking the desire to move towards others and invest in them.  Praying the Gospel into our lives and asking others to pray with us to this end should melt our hearts and begin to move us out towards others.

Being intentional, in the Gospel, without allowing it to become a law for us, pushes us to God and to others for help.

 

Filed under: Gospel, Intentionality | 2 Comments »

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