• 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!

Gospel Growth — Take 2

Posted on July 8, 2024 by wtdavid

The Gospel speaks deeply to our hearts because it daily reminds us of the free grace, forgiveness and honour that is bestowed upon us.  However, the Gospel can often feel “distant” from our day to day existence. We need to see and learn its relevance to our lives and ministry.

The WT Ministry Framework puts it this way: “The Gospel is how any and all spiritual change happens in the lives of individuals, groups, and institutions of people. Therefore, it informs every ministry and is our most fundamental point of reference and principle in every action, plan, and strategy. This principle, before all others, guides us in the decisions we make, the solutions we embrace, the way we conduct our ministries and our relationships with others.”

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to let several WT workers share how the Gospel is changing them, transforming their hearts in different ways and in different contexts.  Here’s a another story from a WT worker’s journey:

“One special moment happened when I finally put my new understanding of God’s grace into a quote that I now often use, “The proportion to which you understand your depravity is the proportion to which you understand grace.” I had never deeply understood how only Jesus’ sacrifice was able to take away my sins and I could do nothing to please Him or have Him love me more.  It was already done. 

Another way to put it is: “Little depravity demands little grace.”  That was one of my most powerful discoveries: that I was totally depraved and without hope!  But the grace of Christ covers all my depravity/lacking/sin, etc.  I think I came to understand very clearly that without the blood of Christ to cover me I am hopelessly lost and condemned.  I think I felt I was okay most of the time because I was doing pretty good.  But I had to scrape every bit of my self-effort as having any value for God to accept me.  That was freedom.” 

A question to consider: What quote might best summarize your current understanding of grace and the Gospel?

Join us on the journey by sharing your story about the Gospel: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=E4rd-dxEeUymdtc3N8hETz_lXY4QRJ5ClTCIuVdURgFUQzFHUDI5U0w4SUFOQjY3QzQ3NUtXQjI0WS4u

Filed under: Gospel, Grace, Love of God | 6 Comments »

Gospel growth

Posted on June 20, 2024 by wtdavid

The Gospel speaks deeply to our hearts because it daily reminds us of the free grace, forgiveness and honour that is bestowed upon us.  However, the Gospel can often feel “distant” from our day to day existence. We need to see and learn its relevance to our lives and ministry.

The WT Ministry Framework puts it this way: “The Gospel is how any and all spiritual change happens in the lives of individuals, groups, and institutions of people. Therefore, it informs every ministry and is our most fundamental point of reference and principle in every action, plan, and strategy. This principle, before all others, guides us in the decisions we make, the solutions we embrace, the way we conduct our ministries and our relationships with others.”

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to let several WT workers share how the Gospel is changing them, transforming their hearts in different ways and in different contexts.  Here’s the first story of one WT worker’s journey:

“One day K. invited us to his grandmother’s birthday party. We would be the only non-family members there but that didn’t matter because we would be treated as one of them. I drove to the local grocery store, grabbed a gift for his grandmother and drove back to our apartment to pick up my wife and child. Then crash! To my horror, in my rushing, I crashed into a column in the parking garage. I was guilty. I was negligent in my driving. I ran upstairs and began to cry. I was ashamed. How was I going to show my face at the party? How was I going to tell my friend that I had damaged his beautiful, new car?

By now the party had started. I got the courage and called my friend. “I am so ashamed”, I started with, “I crashed your car.”  Beautifully and gracefully my friend refused to shame or guilt me. He told me that it was his car, and he would take care of it. He refused to let me pay, knowing that I did not have the means, and forgave me the debt I now owed him. And then he began to plead, “Just come to the party. We want you here.” I deserved shame, and he gave me honor. In that moment I was reminded of the gospel.”  

A question on which to reflect: What hope do we have in the Gospel that frees us to admit our wrongs?

Join us on the journey by sharing your story about the Gospel: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=E4rd-dxEeUymdtc3N8hETz_lXY4QRJ5ClTCIuVdURgFUQzFHUDI5U0w4SUFOQjY3QzQ3NUtXQjI0WS4u

Filed under: Godly living, Gospel, Holiness | 2 Comments »

Running “into”

Posted on April 30, 2024 by wtdavid

I recently read this short meditation in a study of Proverbs by Tim & Kathy Keller.

It was based on the verses from Proverbs 18:10-11: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.”

Here is what the Kellers wrote: “But the wise person runs into the name of the Lord. In the Bible, God’s name is a way of speaking of his nature and attributes. To run into God’s name is to deliberately rehearse and tell yourself who he is. Jesus asked his fearful disciples in the storm, “Where is your faith?” He chastised them for failing to remember all that they had seen him do (Luke 8:25). If you panic, you are failing to remember (to “run into”) his power, his wisdom, his love for you. Self-control in any situation is the critical ability to both recognize and choose the important thing over the urgent thing. To honor, trust in, and please God is always the most important thing.  What are you facing right now that is difficult? What attribute of God might you be forgetting – and might help greatly if you remembered it?”

So, what are you facing right now that is difficult?  And what attribute of God might you be forgetting – and might help greatly if you remembered it?

Filed under: Attributes of God, Character, Grace | 2 Comments »

Three things

Posted on March 27, 2024 by wtdavid

A shout out to Craig for his reminder a week ago at the WT Spain retreat that the Gospel calls us to remember three theological truths: justification, redemption, and propitiation.

Justification. God chooses, based on the work of Jesus Christ, to declare us not guilty; to credit the righteousness of Christ to our account in exchange for Christ taking on our sins upon Himself.  To put it another way, He restores honour to the creature who had shamed the Creator.  And for the purpose of God being glorified for His work on behalf of His people.

Redemption.  As one writer put it: “The language of redemption is the language of purchase and more specifically of ransomed.”  Sin had enslaved us in spiritual bondage. Jesus went down into the marketplace of sin (see Hosea 3) and bought us back, securing for us liberty and freedom from the power of sin in our lives.

Propitiation.  “Propitiation presupposes the wrath and displeasure of God, and the purpose of propitiation is the removal of this displeasure.”  Jesus Christ became the perfect sacrifice needed, so that when God turns His face from all His creative work in the world and sets His gaze upon us, He sees Christ.

What Craig did in several short teaching sessions was to focus our hearts and minds on the depth of the Gospel.  He pushed us to consider the amazing grace of the Gospel. And to take time to plunge ourselves further into understanding the Gospel and considering the application of the Gospel to what happens in our lives and ministries.

Feeling more the weight of our sin in light of God’s holiness; the damage of the shame we bring to Him by our actions, heightens our appreciation of the wonder of His love toward us (Romans 1-8).

Thanks Craig!  But more importantly, thank you God for your steadfast love and mercy shown to thousands; and for that love and mercy which continues to reach across time from generation to generation to generation!

Filed under: Gospel, Grace, Theology | 2 Comments »

You are not alone

Posted on March 19, 2024 by wtdavid

One of the daily phrases that we heard at the Global 3C conference was: “You are not alone”!

That statement Alissa shared at the conference can be pulled from numerous texts in the Bible:

Deuteronomy 31:8 – “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”

Joshua 1:5 – “Just as with Moses, so I will be with you.  I will not leave you or forsake you.”

Matthew 28:20 – “Teaching them observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 14:18 – “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Hebrews 13:5 – “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

This truth certainly “warms” our hearts and comforts us in times of difficulties and struggles.

However, the more important question we need to ask ourselves is: How does this truth work itself more deeply into our hearts?  How does it help us in some small way sense that “peace that passes all understanding” and that guards our hearts and minds in Christ?

Possible answers to that question are not so simple. It would be much easier if one knew that by repeating this truth to oneself or by memorizing Deuteronomy 31:8, things would go much better and one wouldn’t be so anxious at times.

One place to begin is by asking trusted colleagues what it might look like to remember that “I am not alone”; that God goes with me into whatever day or situation I might find myself.

Or you might choose to read one chapter out of Gentle & Lowly by Dane Ortlund and share what you learn with another brother or sister.

Or you might challenge yourself to memorize with a small group the 1st question of the Heidelberg Catechism.  And then share with each other once a week what you learned from just thinking about the first phrase or the second phrase of the answer to question #1.

Or you might seek to develop the reflex that when a struggle or difficulty arises, and you feel alone that you call another believer and share with them that you are “feeling alone” and need the reminder of His presence.

None of these answers is a “cure all” but they might bring other ideas to mind that would help you to drive this truth more deeply into your heart that: “You are not alone!”

Filed under: God's presence, Gospel | 2 Comments »

What are you learning?

Posted on March 11, 2024 by wtdavid

We have often said to participants in the Leader cohort or Leader intensive trainings that most cross-cultural workers stop learning at age 40.  J. Robert Clinton insisted in his work on leadership that most leaders, from age 40 on, rely on what they have learned up to that point in their life and ministry.

In the global WT community, we talk a good deal about lifelong learning. However, I would guess that most of us are “sporadic” lifelong learners at best. We lack consistency and direction.

To get us started again towards consistent and regular growth, might I suggest the following ideas?

  1. List 1-3 books, articles, podcasts, or training videos you would like to read, listen to or do in the coming month. Ask some trusted friends for their advice. Then prioritize your list.
  2. Make a plan. Many of us resist this part, yet we do this most days of our lives. We make a plan for how to visit our supporters and supporting churches. We make a plan for our outreach events this coming year. We make a plan for going away on vacation. We should be able to the same with our lifelong learning.
  3. Share with another an insight you gain from any of the materials you read or listen to.  Tell the person what you learned and how you see it applying to your life or ministry. This is an under-rated part of the learning process.  Capturing in your own words what you have learned from a book or a podcast will reinforce the principle or insight you gained.
  4. If the book, article, podcast or training video caused you to grow, share it with another person and tell them why you think it would be helpful to them and their lifelong learning and growth.

If you are looking for an example of how this might look, drop me a note and I’ll share a recent personal example from my read of the book, Insight, by Tasha Eurich.

If you have other thoughts or ideas, feel free to share them by commenting on this post.

Filed under: Community, Lifelong learning, Planning | 3 Comments »

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