Thoughts Along The Journey

If you are like me, it feels like there is always more work than I have time to do.  How many times have I thought or said, “I just don’t have time to do this or that with all there is on my plate right now.”  Granted, I may be exaggerating the situation somewhat as you always seem to ‘find time’ to do what becomes a priority in your life.  However, the reality that there is more work than I can accomplish is one solid reason why I could use an intern.

I could delegate to an intern those tasks that I want to do, but just don’t have the time to carry out.  Here’s where I (and perhaps you) can quickly fall into one of two traps.  First, there is my simple unwillingness to give up my control of a task to another person.  This is my “task” and I want my handprints to be on it.  Besides, what will I do if the intern chooses to carry out the task in another way than I had envisioned?  Second, there is the real possibility that the intern might mess up relationships that exist in my ministry web or network.

That’s why I need an intern.  Working with an intern can regularly (read: daily or hourly) remind me of how much my hands are in the ministry, rather than God’s; how much my ministry is founded on my efforts, rather than God’s intervention.  Did you see how many times ‘me’ and ‘my’ came up in these last statements?

I need an intern because an intern can help me to focus on what should be my priorities, by taking responsibility for a number of tasks that are important, but not primary.

There are several other good reasons why I need an intern, but more on that tomorrow.

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Today’s post comes from Tim in Spain.

I have to admit that I’m having a love/hate relationship with some of Keller’s writings.  I love how he’s constantly pointing out the Gospel at every turn.  I hate how he so easily shows me my weakness, my sin, my need!

In this week’s chapter I was challenged by Jesus’ words that really call us to a new identity.  Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.” (Mark 8:34)  You see, I don’t like the thought of losing my life very much.  I like protecting it, glorifying it, making it bigger—not losing it.  The “I” in Tim can be really big.  There’s a lot in my life that likes to form its identity in performing, achieving, and looking good in the eyes of those around me.  So, NO!!!, I don’t like losing myself and my life very much.

This week has been a good example.  It’s one of those weeks where you feel like you’re being a good worker.  I feel like I’m giving almost all I have, like I’m being poured out in service to God and others.  But then I look at what’s in my heart and have to ask, “Is this really being done for God or is there something in me that is really doing all these things to build me up, not His kingdom and His glory?”  I struggle with this.

Keller reminds us of C.S. Lewis’ words, “It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His personality, that I finally begin to have a real personality of my own…” (p. 106) He then writes, “If you go to Jesus to get a new personality…you still haven’t really gone to Jesus.  Your real self will not come out as long as you are looking for it; it will only emerge when you’re looking for him.”  (p. 106)  I easily turn to myself thinking that I’ll find myself—using things like determination, control, hard work,  and a personal agenda to get there.

I think we could really do ourselves a favor by turning to our King and returning to His cross to really find ourselves.  It would sure take a lot of pressure off of us!

Col. 3:3 says, “Your old life is dead.  Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God.  He is your life.” (The Message)  What types of things do you do to build up your identity?  What does “turning” to Christ look like for you in order to take on HIS identity?

Next week: chapter 10 – “the Mountain”

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In the local community of believers that we are part of here in Europe, we shared the Lord’s Supper together this past weekend.  It is both a solemn and joyful moment.  These two elements of the Lord’ Supper were only further reinforced in my heart and mind when I read these words from Thomas Cranmer, quoted by Tim Keller: “We do not presume to come to this your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own righteousness, but in your manifold and great mercies.  We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under your table, but you are the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.”  That unfathomable mercy and grace, as Keller reminds us, is clearly displayed in Jesus’ approach to two very different individuals, recorded in this section of the Gospel of Mark.

Jesus takes a seemingly hard approach towards the Syrophoenician woman who comes to plead for her daughter.  However, in her boldness, she wrestles “with Jesus in the most respectful way and she will not take no for an answer.”  Rather than pleading for and asserting her “rights”, she begs the Lord to give her what “she doesn’t deserve on the basis of His goodness.”  Recognizing her own unworthiness, she calls out for the infinite mercy of God to be shown to her.  What an example of the Gospel!

Jesus then takes an opposite approach towards the deaf and mute man.  Whereas Jesus appeared hard with the Syrophoenician woman, He takes a much softer approach in regards to this man.  Through a series of steps that lead to this man’s healing, Jesus enters his world, and demonstrates His compassion and connection with the struggles, the alienation and the isolation this man feels.

What is amazing is that Jesus Himself, as He goes to the cross, will experience both the rejection felt by the Syrophoenician woman and the silence of the deaf and mute man.  He will take upon Himself the weight of the ravages of sin in this world and in our lives, so as to deliver us, free us from the power that sin seeks to exercise over our lives.

How that deliverance works out in our each of our lives (sometimes called, sanctification) is part of the unique approach that Jesus takes towards each one of us.

How has Jesus’ unique approach to you called out a greater trust and faith in Him?    The very weakness of the deaf and mute man (his inability to speak) became the means by which he would serve Jesus and proclaim His name.  How has God used your weakness(es) to demonstrate His grace and mercy?  What does Jesus’ approach to these two people in Mark 7, tell us about how we should approach others with the Gospel?

Next week: chapter 9 – “the Turn”

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Today’s post comes from Richard in Moldova.

We all know the feeling of being picked last for the school yard game or not being invited to a social gathering when we are younger, but we grow out of this, right? Or does this same fear of feeling inconsequential among co-workers still linger, just manifesting itself in different ways. Missionaries are not immune from this human hunger to be accepted and feel valued. Keller, in King’s Cross, illustrates how even in ministry this desire can disguise itself as a legitimate spiritual operating system which actually becomes our Savior. Keller points out that If your church grows and people like you, you feel good. On the other hand, if your church does not grow and people don’t like you, then we don’t feel good. What about in a cross cultural worker’s life; if our support level is good and we are able to obtain our living permits, then we are affirmed. On the contrary, if we struggle with language or just can’t seem to influence anyone to follow Christ, then we wonder if we are worthy.  Spurgeon said it this way, “Don’t preach the gospel in order to save your soul“. Maybe William Carey or ____________ the missionary would have said it this way, “Don’t win the world in order to save your soul!” There are many other ways we try to cover this longing.  How would you say it?

What do we do with this desire or are we bound to the “longing-life”? In Mark 7, the Pharisees are all talking about outside-in cleaning and in Mark 7:14-15 Jesus shockingly begins talking about inside-out cleaning. Why was it shocking? Keller tells about a sermon he heard by Ray Dillard. Dillard drew on his scholarship and pointed out that the cleanliness laws, representing outside-in cleansing, were the only way the people knew how to be in the presence of God. For years they had watched or heard about the ritual of the one priest that could enter into the holy of holies. They knew the rituals it took in order for him to be spiritually ready to enter into God’s presence and they also knew that his entrance and acceptance into the holy of holies would be the deciding factor if their sins were pardoned as well. In Mark 7:19-20, Jesus declares that all food is clean and that man can only be defiled from that which comes from the inside of man, or his heart. It is our heart that is the master motivator and slave driver for this false operating system that depends on CD’s, floppy disks and other outside sources to keep us running. When we try to depend on outside sources, we fall short and end up feeling disappointed, frustrated, depressed, unsatisfied and discontent. It is only a shadow and we will have to keep coming back again and again to feel a sense of true acceptance. Jesus say in Heb 10:10, “For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time.” (NIV)

What are we depending on besides the sacrifice of the body of Jesus to fulfill our longing for value and acceptance? How do we try to escape our feeling of inconsequentiality? Who knows us well enough to pray for us in the areas we strive outside of Christ to earn our value or to be worthy of the financial support of others? Who are we intentionally investing in to point them to Jesus for total acceptance?

Next week: chapter 8 – “the Approach”

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Many of you were praying for us as global leaders as we met two weeks ago.  The main theme of our time together was to review and evaluate our Area project plans for the coming years.  Through small group interaction, we asked the hard questions of each plan as to how it aligned with the larger WT global vision and how it interacted with the guiding principles we drew from the studies on global trends.  Each leader gave critical recommendations to other leaders as to how to improve their plan.  Outside evaluators (from outside of WT) were also given opportunity to give input and recommendations for changes and improvement.

All this was good and your prayers were greatly appreciated.  However, the speed of change in our world is making each of us realize that we as an agency need to be more and more “fluid” in our planning, quicker to respond to new ministry opportunities that present themselves.  One contributor put it this way:

“In a rapid-response world you cannot make a strategic decision and expect it to meet WT’s needs for years (sometimes even for months). Today you need faster – indeed continuous – processes for being proactively responsive in your strategic decision-making in the constantly changing contexts.  That is the flaw in the current state of the art: traditional strategic plans, once complete, are not fluid and organic but static –and they quickly grow stale.  I believe that we need a new paradigm of strategy formation.  The rapid response world in which we live requires organizations like WT to identify, understand, and act upon new information and dynamically changing situations in real time, which means now, not five or six months from now.  Making this shift in thinking will not be easy; it is not easy to break out of the three years planning cycle pattern.   Long-term plans often get in the way of being truly strategic in real time.”

The reason this quote stood out for me was because it was written by a member of our WT community, and one of the senior members of our WT community.  This writer puts it so well in calling us to a more “fluid” approach to planning, while at the same time reminding us that our fluidity needs to result in concrete, specific steps that move us to a proactive response to ministry opportunity.

Much fruit has been borne through the work and ministry of the World Team community over the years, but if we want to remain ‘strategic’ in the future, we are going to need a lot of grace and a willingness to act now.

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It’s always an encouragement when people engage right away with an idea that has been launched. 

One World Team member wrote this after receiving the invitation to read King’s Cross: “I want to personally thank you for recommending Keller’s book to the World Team family. I just downloaded it into my Kindle and look forward to digging into it and the discussion.  I have been using Keller’s materials with our Skype guys in our Area for several years – A rich feast for all of us and now this.”

I’ve heard from several others that they have already downloaded the book to their Kindle!

Look forward to having you join us as a World Team community in reading this year, King’s Cross, by Dr. Timothy Keller [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kings-Cross-Story-World-Jesus/dp/1444702130/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1329136272&sr=1-1]

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