• 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!

Looking deeper

Posted on December 4, 2023 by wtdavid

Sometimes when we look at an issue or a problem, a lot of creative ideas come quickly to mind. And certainly, a number of those are good solutions to that issue that we should consider implementing. 

However, that “quick response” reflex can sometimes keep us from looking deeper; from searching out other sources of that issue or problem.

In recent times, we have heard quite a bit about the decline of candidates from North America (and other places in the Western world); a decline in those who are considering serving in cross cultural church planting.  A number of reasons are put forth: an antipathy toward raising funds; the unknown of what is church planting; the feeling that one can do ministry right here in North America where the world is coming to us; or the desire to find a job overseas (rather than raise funds) and simply help a church plant get started somewhere in the world.

In light o those concerns, we create viable solutions to address them: creative funding solutions; marketplace ministry; diaspora outreach; or front loading more and more CP training.

Please hear me well: all of these are worthwhile endeavors that we should pursue.

However, I would encourage us to look more deeply at these issues in missions today in light of a few thoughts I have recently read:

  • In Mobilizing Gen Z, Jolene Erlacher and Katy White quote the Future of Missions study from Barna: “Only 35 percent of engaged Christian parents of young adults say they would definitely encourage their child to serve in missions, while 25 percent are not open to the idea at all.”
  • “In the West, we have multiple churches in any given community, yet more than half of the world’s population has little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
  • A friend wrote recently: “The sacrifice of missions is real, it’s deep, it’s enduring.”

Maybe we should give time and energy to better understanding the hesitations of Christian parents, and how we might challenge them to pray for the future of their children from God’s perspective.  Perhaps, we might re-build the vision of the incredible ride and journey cross cultural church planting is.  And maybe, we just need to rehearse again and again Jesus’ call to disciple the nations – some of whom may not land on our shores.

Michael Griffiths wrote a short book many years ago called: Give Up Your Small Ambitions.  Maybe that’s a word for us today: how do we share the wonder, joy, and sacrifice that is cross cultural church planting with those around us?   What are your thoughts?

Filed under: Church planting, Coaching, Crossing cultures, Reflection | Leave a comment »

He loves us

Posted on December 14, 2021 by wtdavid

Dane Ortlund in his book: Gentle & Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners & Sufferers, wrote the following:

“What was the purpose of this heavenly rescue mission?  “God shows his love for us …” (Romans 5:8). The Greek word for “shows” here means to commend demonstrably, to hold forth, to bring into clear view, to put beyond questioning. In Christ’s death, God is confronting our dark thoughts of him and our chronic insistence that divine love must have an endpoint, a limit, a point at which it finally runs dry. Christ died to confound our intuitive assumptions that divine love has an expiration date. He died to prove that God’s love is, as Jonathan Edward’s put it, “an ocean without shores or bottom.”  God’s love is as boundless as God himself.” (192)

It is that last statement that struck me and on which I encourage you to reflect: “God’s love is as boundless as God himself.”

What does that truth stir up in your heart?  How does it challenge you to respond?

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section of this blog post, and bless other members of the World Team community with the insights and thoughts God lays on your heart.

Filed under: Gospel, Love of God, Reflection | 2 Comments »

All We Need

Posted on January 4, 2021 by wtdavid

In the last two days, I have both listened to a sermon and then later read an article in the McKinsey online magazine on the topic of: “surviving or thriving”.  I found it a creative way to describe the dilemma, difficulty or struggle in which we find ourselves as we move from 2020 to 2021.

I tried to envision where I would place myself on that spectrum of “surviving or thriving” over the past few months.  Where have I lived more out of a surviving attitude than from a thriving stance?

Now, our fight is not just with pandemics, but with the ongoing struggle of sin – within our hearts and in this world.  And I had to ask myself the same question, just in other words: where have I lived my life and ministry out of a surviving attitude the past few months, rather than out a thriving relationship with my Lord?  It’s the kind of question I know I should ask myself as I reflect on the past year and look to the year ahead.  

This is where John Newton (yes, the John Newton who wrote Amazing Grace), in one of his pastoral letters, was a great help in seeking an answer. 

“As to the remedy, neither our state nor his honour are affected by the workings of indwelling sin, in the hearts of those whom he has taught to wrestle, strive, and mourn, on account of what we feel.  Though sin wars, it shall not reign; and though it breaks our peace, it cannot separate from his love. Nor is it inconsistent with his holiness and perfection, to manifest his favour to such poor defiled creatures, or to admit them to communion with himself; for they are not considered in themselves, but as one with Jesus, with whom they have fled for refuge, and by whom they live a life of faith.

They are accepted in the Beloved, and have an Advocate with the Father, who once made an atonement for their sins, and ever lives to make intercession for their persons.  Though they cannot fulfil the law, he has fulfilled it for them; though the obedience of the members is defiled and imperfect, the obedience of the Head is spotless and complete; and though there is much evil in them, there is something good, the fruit of his own gracious Spirit. They act from a principle of love, they aim at no less than his glory, and their habitual desires are supremely fixed upon himself.”

If I were to summarize Newton’s words, I would simply write: all we need to thrive is Jesus!

As we start a “new year” together, with all the complexities and difficulties of life and ministry in the midst of a pandemic, could we build one another up each day by the reminder that “we are accepted in the Beloved, and have an Advocate with the Father”?  Could we live and minister by faith, believing He will do great things in our hearts and through our lives? May we “aim at no less than his glory” as we serve Him together as a global community of co-laborers in the Gospel.

Filed under: Jesus Christ, Reflection, Repentance & faith | 5 Comments »

Why you should watch (read) this …

Posted on September 4, 2020 by wtdavid

People regularly send me a large number of articles, books, videos or podcasts that they feel I should read or watch.  Usually, the short sentence in the email goes something like this: “Read this article and thought it might be of interest to you.” 

Now, I do appreciate the effort that people take to share important or helpful material with me, and perhaps you do as well when you receive notes like this.  The only difficulty though is that if I read or watched everything that was sent, it would probably fill my entire week. 

However, what I have come to appreciate even more are those people who share an article, book or video and do one or all of the following: 

  • They provide a brief summary of what was said or written in the article or video;
  • They explain why they believe it would be helpful for me to give the time to read or listen to what they sent;
  • They explain what possible application(s) there might be to my life and/or the ministry of World Team.

That’s what I would like to do with you in sharing the attached video that I believe would be worth taking the 15 minutes to watch it:

  • In this video, J.I. Packer (author of Knowing God) shares his ministry timeline and the critical influences in his life and ministry.
  • I believe it would be helpful to take the time to watch this video because J.I. Packer provides solid reasons for lifelong learning, and calls us to the ongoing work of reading and reflection in order to grow as a believer.
  • Possible application: Our training team will soon be proposing an app that will allow each WT member to identity growth areas and personal growth steps.  J.I. Packer gives solid motivation for engaging in that learning and growth process.

Filed under: Legacy, Lifelong learning, Reflection | 4 Comments »

Grate-ful

Posted on January 10, 2019 by wtdavid

Just finished reading an article by TJ Addington on gratitude.  He cited an article from Forbes magazine about the 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude that will Motivate You to Give Thanks Year-Round. Then he finished off his article with that most difficult of questions: “Are you living a thankful life today?”

It kind of ‘grate-d’ against my soul to read that question, rather than cause a gusher of grate-fulness to pour out of my heart. 

Now the problem is not with TJ, nor the article. It’s actually with my heart, with our hearts.  We are just not satisfied.  Not satisfied with life, with work … we might even admit we are not satisfied with God at times.  As Tim Chester put the question: “Do you want more of God? Do you want to enjoy him?  Or let’s put the question like this: do you like God?”

So as I start, as we start 2019, a check of our hearts would be in order.  Here is a short text and one question to reflect on and get us started:

“A soul that is capable of God can be filled with nothing else but God; nothing but God can fill a soul that is capable of God. Though a gracious heart knows that it is capable of God, and was made for God, carnal hearts think without reference to God. But a gracious heart, being enlarged to be capable of God, and enjoying somewhat of him, can be filling by nothing in the world; it must only be God himself. Therefore you will observe that whatever God may give to a gracious heart, a heart that is godly, unless he give himself it will not do.  A godly heart will not only have the mercy, but the God of that mercy as well; and then a little matter is enough in the world, so be it he has the God of the mercy which he enjoys.”

What ‘distracting, heart-consuming care’ keeps us from prizing again today our union with Christ and the work God is carrying out in our lives?

If you are interested in reading further: The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment, Jeremiah Burroughs.  It’s not an easy read, but well worth the effort as Burroughs speaks to the heart to motivate, not our pride.

Filed under: Grace, Reflection, Thankfulness | Leave a comment »

Six characteristics of a team

Posted on December 15, 2017 by wtdavid

Within the World Team Global community, we talk about the six (6) characteristics of an effective or fruitful team.  Stated simply, these characteristics are: common purpose, appropriate division of labor, accepted leadership, agreement on the plan, solid relationships, and good communication.

HumilitySomething struck me as I was reading through that list again recently.  All six are linked by one essential heart attitude or motivation.  Humility.

To agree to a common purpose and to share the workload means that we as team members will need to ‘give up’ something for the benefit of the group.  To stand behind accepted leadership, we must take our hands off the proverbial ‘steering wheel’ and allow ourselves to be led by another.  To agree to a joint plan means that we choose to stand behind the direction we as a group have taken.  And obviously, solid relationships and good communication can only occur on a team when each of us is willing to be transparent with others, acknowledging our mistakes, seeking forgiveness, and offering forgiveness to others.

Each characteristic seems to call for humility.

Humility though is often somewhat elusive to us.  No one has ever ‘explained’ how to go about growing in humility by certain action steps.  Maybe that is why it might be better to talk about ‘gospel humility’. It’s the humility that is the fruit of God’s work of driving the Gospel deeper and deeper into our hearts.  It’s not something we do, but something that is cultivated.  It’s about a heart that allows God’s Spirit to search us, pull us up short, and enflame our hearts with the overwhelming good news of the Gospel again and again!

So monocultural and multicultural teams can be fertile contexts wherein God works that gospel humility into our lives; where we learn the richness and depth of His love as we rub shoulders in team ministry with brothers and sisters who may not be like us but are committed to the same vision and calling.

A question on which to reflect: how has God used team members to further your understanding of and growth in grace?

Filed under: Humility, Reflection, Teams | 9 Comments »

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