• 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!

The Father loves me

Posted on May 22, 2023 by wtdavid

One of our natural reflexes regarding ministry is to try and address a significant problem by creating a process.  It might be a new process, or it might be one that has worked well for us in the past. I’m certainly not against processes that might allow us to work a problem, difficulty or obstacle that we are facing. 

However, there are times when our hearts tell us there is something “deeper” in need of work because of a difficulty or problem we are facing.

In the past five years, World Team has lost over 100 workers.  Now there are understandable reasons for some of that attrition, but the reality is that the number of new workers coming into World Team have not offset that loss.  As a result, we have less resources with which to sustain and launch ministry initiatives that our God has placed in front of us.

There are many creative and innovative ideas being shared by WT colleagues to raise new resources (people, prayer and finances).  And many of those ideas are good and worthy of our consideration.

But my heart tells me there is a deeper need.  I was recently reading the prayer letter of a close friend when I came across these words: “This year, they (a group of believers) asked for teaching on how inner renewal is reflected in relationships of love and service.”  Inner renewal means telling ourselves again and again about the power of the Gospel to change lives, and in particular our lives.  Or as Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City (USA) puts it: “Taking the Gospel downtown to our hearts to effect deep change.”

Maybe that’s the missing part.  Work new processes but give as much attention and more to inner renewal.

Give time to inner renewal; asking God, our Father, to remind us again of His love for us. The result of that time spent would be a Gospel culture built among us that would draw others to want to be part of what God is first doing among us, and then through us.

I want to coach 2-3 new workers into cross cultural ministry this coming year.  However, I want to definitely coach them first and foremost to see their daily deep need of Jesus.

#gospelgoingdowntown

Filed under: Coaching, Gospel, Mobilization | 2 Comments »

Dependency is where it all starts

Posted on November 4, 2020 by wtdavid

The Pray Big Initiative is meant to challenge each of us in the WT Global community to increased prayer for new workers.  We know, and we believe that it is ultimately God who raises up new workers.  He may use us in that process, but we are a dependent people.

I love the very first chapter title: Prayer is dependent, and Begg’s very first statement: “To pray is an admission and an expression of dependence.”  Dependency is where it all starts.

However, that’s where our struggle also starts.  In our devotional reading this morning, Rebecca and I came across this comment: “The thought that any fallen human being would be able to perform his or her way into acceptance with God has to be the most insane of all delusions. Yet we all tend to think that we are more righteous than we are, and when we think this, we have taken the first step to embracing the delusion that maybe we’re not so bad in God’s eyes after all.” 

Dependency strikes deep to our sense of self-sufficiency, our ‘competency’ to do the work to which the Lord has called us.  It’s not through mustering more prayer that more workers will join us.  Though, yes, we do need to pray more to the God of the harvest.  Our hope is in Him, and all our prayers are a humble expression of our worship and thanks, pleading with Him to be faithful to His promises.

Let’s pray together the prayer that Alistair Begg wrote at the end of that first chapter of Pray Big:

“Father, thank you for the privilege of addressing you in this way.  Help me to remember that the Lord Jesus obtained this access for me through his death on the cross.  Please help me to remember that I am entirely dependent on the work of the Holy Spirit as I pray, and entirely dependent on you in my life in every way. Help me to learn to pray as I pray for Jesus’ sake. Amen.”

Filed under: Dependency, Mobilization, Prayer | 2 Comments »

Resources Refresh

Posted on March 12, 2020 by wtdavid

Sitting in discussions with our Asia leaders last week, I learned of the obstacles and challenges they each face in ministry to the unreached in that part of the world.  I was also amazed by the number of opportunities they have in front of them to launch new works to new unreached people groups.

Yet, there is a consistent problem these leaders run up against – the lack of resources, primarily people resources. 

If they just had the people, they could extend the reach of their team to a new people group, but they just can’t seem to find or mobilise the people that they need.

Sometimes, in discouragement, we might say that our lack of resources simply indicates that it is not God’s will for us to enter this new people group.  And that could be true.  Sometimes, we might say that the people resources we currently have are all the resources God has given us for the moment and we just have to work with what we have.  And that could be true. 

Sometimes though we might just need to look at the situation with ‘new eyes’.

For one, we might look at our prayer life with ‘new eyes’ and determine that it may need a “refresh”.  Jesus said in an oft quoted text: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  (Matthew 9:3). Two things catch our attention in this passage: that we are called to ‘earnest prayer’; and that the ministry we are seeking to resource is His ministry.  Rather than focusing on what we do not have (workers), we should put our focus back on the God of the harvest whose resources are unlimited.

For another, we might look at our ‘resource poor’ situation with ‘new eyes’ and recognize that we are not alone; we are part of a larger community.  Rather than feeling that we need to find these resources all on our own, we might begin to network with other like-minded WT workers who could come alongside of us in seeking the resources we need to minister to new unreached people groups that God lays on our hearts.

Finally, we might look at our current team situation with ‘new eyes’ and realize that we are actually ‘resource rich’ with current workers and colleagues within WT.  A survey done several years ago demonstrated that the average number of years of ministry on field among all our workers was: 18 years.  That’s a wealth of experience!  And maybe, we might begin to pray and challenge some of our colleagues to consider serving on other teams that are just starting, and bring that experience to this new team

May we earnestly pray the God of the harvest to supply the resources that we need!

Filed under: Collaboration, Community, Mobilization | 4 Comments »

Mission Forward

Posted on June 13, 2017 by wtdavid

Mission Forward.  The term suggests movement or traction.  Perhaps, we ought to write forwardit: Mission (moving) Forward? More importantly, the term oozes enthusiasm and delight. Perhaps, we should edit it again to read: Mission (moving) Forward (with shouts of joy)?

You might be thinking that sounds kind of silly, but you and I know there is a difference between ‘moving forward’ in a long slow lane of traffic and ‘moving forward’ with a project where many team members are involved and contributing.  In both cases, you are ‘moving forward’.  However, the one brings you no real joy while the other creates a wellspring of joy that pushes you out to share the work with more people.

Our ‘mission’ is to work together in teams to see communities of believers birthed who will in turn give birth to other communities who will in turn give birth to other communities.  Our ‘vision’ is characterized by innovation, multiplication and expansion.  We want to approach the same task, but via different approaches or avenues.  Our goal is always a chain reaction of multiplication.  Our focus is on those who have the least opportunity to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If Mission Forward is currently synonymous with drudgery for us, then we may need some ‘outside-in’ perspective.  We may need someone to help lift our eyes above the grind and see how our God is at work in this world.  If Mission Forward isn’t currently causing that gospel joy to well up in our hearts, then we may need to ask the Spirit to drive 1 John 4.19 deeper into our hearts.  If Mission Forward is one’s current driving motivation, then we should spread that joy to others and draw them into the work.

Mission Forward.

Filed under: Gospel, Joy, Mission, Mobilization | 2 Comments »

we have a dream

Posted on March 21, 2014 by wtdavid

Thanks to many of you who are ‘dreaming’ with me in the way I described in my last post.  Maybe it might be more appropriate to say:

we_have_a_dreamWe have a dream for World Team.

We have a dream that one day all World Team workers, all staff serving with World Team will be looking for ways to participate in teaming up potential workers with existing or new initiatives.

We have a dream that World Team workers will more quickly say: “We need to mobilize more workers into cross cultural church planting, so how can we work together on this,” rather than “WT Australia needs to do a better job of getting us workers”.

We have a dream for World Team.

We have a dream that World Team workers, the World Team community will invest deeply in potential workers: reaching out to them relationally, training them on the job, and developing them through delegation.

We have a dream that all of us as a World Team community will always be growing in our character in the Gospel, always learning new ideas and more helpful skills, and always reaching out to draw others into His mission.

We have a dream for World Team.  We hope and pray that many more will join us in sharing this dream.

Filed under: Collaboration, Mobilization, Vision | 2 Comments »

It’s starting to happen

Posted on July 25, 2013 by wtdavid

In an earlier post this month, I asked: how has God been at work to answer our prayer for this 1+1 challenge?

That each worker in the World Team community would intentionally

disciple one person into a relationship with Christ and that each worker

would intentionally disciple one person into cross cultural ministry

This is a note I received this morning: “Kudos to Bryan (WT Philippines) for recruiting one (a couple) to World Team!  Daniel and Janice are here at the US Assessment Centre (RACE) right now because Bryan, while on home assignment, encouraged them to pursue full-time missionary service.  They felt honored that a respected missionary from their home church would think that they could accomplish such a task, and they took the necessary steps to move forward. Obviously God had been working on their hearts for years.  Kudos to Bryan for issuing a challenge to them!”

I was also told today that of the current participants at the US Assessment Centre, three previously served as WT interns and one currently works with us. Another comes from a church that supports two WT families. At least one is a Finisher’s contact who chose WT over other agencies because of the quality follow-uptraction

It’s starting to happen.  The challenge is gaining some traction. God is bringing fruit to the efforts of many.  I’m praying the challenge will gain more traction in the days and months ahead.

 

.

 

 

Filed under: 1plus1, Challenge, Mobilization | Leave a comment »

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