• 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!

Learning how to celebrate when we get it right

Posted on September 9, 2015 by wtdavid

A number of us are complainers by nature. Part of the reason may stem from the fact that some of us have a perfectionist streak. Part of the reason may also stem from the fact that we don’t really like it when others achieve what we were hoping to achieve; in other words, we don’t really like it when others ‘do better’ than us.

As a result, we can have trouble celebrating with others when God brings fruit to their ministry. We can struggle to rejoice with others‘ when they get it right’ by accomplishing what we say we are all about: multiplying disciples and communities of believers.celebrate

Recently, I have read about how the community of believers launched by the efforts of Bryan & Jacinda (WT Philippines) and their team continues on in outreach and growth. That news should warm our hearts as we recognize God’s power in the lives of new believers to give them the faith and the capacity to carry out the ministry.

I also recently read about Dan, Lisa, Mike and Becky’s (WT Cameroon) efforts to translate the Bible into the Oroko language. They are within sight of completing that task, thanks in part to the partnership between their team and a number of national workers. Not only are they on the throes of putting the Word of God in the language of another people group, but they have ‘multiplied themselves’ through the number of others with whom they are working.

I’m sure there are a number of other examples I could cite.

I don’t know what ‘celebration’ should look like. Maybe it’s just a word of thanks sent or a prayer offered back to God or a big shout of praise. Whatever form it takes, it should start in our hearts as we learn together as a WT community to rejoice with others at what the Lord is doing among us.

Filed under: Community, Joy, Multiplication, Vision | Leave a comment »

Having impact

Posted on September 4, 2015 by wtdavid

While in Australia, I heard a speaker share the following thought: “People want to feel like they are contributing to something. It may not change big things, but they are having impact.”impact bis

My first thought was to think of the people that we work with or the active participants of various community of believers with which we are involved. People want to be part of something. They want to feel that their ‘small part’ is somehow contributing to a larger whole that brings ultimate change. Maybe this is why so many seek community in our days? However, as with a previous post, I wonder if we as workers don’t often stifle that involvement or hinder the impact that others long to have by the simple fact of our doing most of the ministry ourselves.

Then my thoughts turned to us as workers and I realized that we, like anyone else, long to have impact in our world. However, maybe we believe that impact will only come as we ‘do’ the bulk of ministry activity? Maybe we struggle to share, delegate or give away ministry to others because it feels like we will lose impact? Maybe we can’t see how our impact might actually be multiplied as we share it with others?

One step in multiplying impact by ‘sharing work’ with others might be by simply listening to the input and counsel of others. In 2 Kings 5, we read about the Syrian commander Naaman who sought healing for his leprosy. It’s a story that many of us know quite well. However, if you take away the involvement or intervention of the young servant girl working for Naaman’s wife and the servants who traveled with Naaman, the story would take a completely different turn. Their words had incredible impact in the life of Naaman. Despite their low status, he chose to listen to them and the outcome is Naaman’s redemption.

“People want to feel like they are contributing to something. It may not change big things, but they are having impact.”

Filed under: Delegation, Influence, Mission | 2 Comments »

What do we want to see?

Posted on August 31, 2015 by wtdavid

Imagine that you were starting once again in a new area among a new people group to ‘multiply disciples and communities of believers.’ What would you and your team want to see after three years of ministry together?Newton-cradle_0_80_600_320

One scenario might be (and one that I often hear) what we would call: the start up. In many of our minds, not much really happens in those initial years. It’s a building process. “Besides,” we say, “church plants take a long time to get off the ground.” True enough. However, might we be underestimating what God desires to do among this people group?

A second scenario might be what we would call: the leader dilemma. People are coming to Christ and disciples are being raised up. However, there is an apparent lack of leaders; an absence of people that we could call on to take the work further. Once again, this is often the case. However, might we be preventing local leaders from standing up to serve by our very presence and example? Perhaps they feel the task is too far above them as they watch us and don’t see the empowerment for the task coming from Christ alone?

A third scenario might be what we would call: empowerment. After three years, we as a team would be moving into the background; taking a more facilitative stance so as to allow the local believers to grow the community of believers further. This scenario is more difficult as it calls for much humility and the willingness to turn over ministry to others and ‘platform’ them into that work.

 

Three years is a very short time. However, our stance from the outset, the scenario we envision obviously will influence how we carry out that ministry. If one of our guiding principles is facilitation and empowering others, then we need to set our efforts toward that end. Not an easy task, but it’s another reason why we need a team alongside of us. So that we can keep that focus on moving others into ministry.

 

Filed under: Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

Call it what you want

Posted on August 27, 2015 by wtdavid

Rebecca and I recently participated in the Gen12 conference in Australia. The conference was built around the theme of: “Building a culture of discipleship”. The plenary sessions and workshops sought to demonstrate that discipleship was the core task of the believer.discipleship

A quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer set the tone for the day: “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ.”

What I found interesting was, that in the midst of this whole day on discipleship, people always got around to talking about planting local communities of believers. A ‘lone ranger’ disciple is an oxymoron. In participants’ minds, it is impossible for discipleship not to bear fruit in the establishment of more and more local churches.

Within our agency and numerous other agencies, I have often heard that people have difficulty relating to the term: ‘church planting’; that this vocabulary is somewhat outdated. Yet, during a whole day with students, faculty and local pastors talking about discipleship, ‘church planting’ or the growth and establishment of more communities of believers, kept coming up in conversation.

Perhaps the precise words may not be best suited to communicating who we are and what we do. However, what we are about is sharing the narrative of Jesus with others, seeing them put their trust in Him as their only hope, being discipled to grow up in Him, and coming together with other believers to offer up praise to their Lord and Savior. This is who we are.

We may work through a variety of means to share that message, disciple people and bring them into community, but our ultimate desire is for disciples to be and to live in community.

However you want to say it, multiplying disciples and communities of believers is our purpose; it is our vision.

Filed under: Church planting, Discipleship, Mission | 2 Comments »

A missional DNA

Posted on August 6, 2015 by wtdavid

For an upcoming conference, I have been asked to talk about ‘how to make mission part of a disciple’s DNA’. I have been tossing around a number of practical ideas over the past week or so. However, to be honest, at a given moment, I got stuck. I got stuck on the ‘how to’ part.DNA

The answers to the ‘how to’ question certainly help another believer know what mission might be about. However, it doesn’t ultimately point us to who sends us forth in mission, or who is the source or drive of our going.

To be honest, it’s that assurance, deep in one’s heart, that one has been sent and that the God of the universe goes with him/her that will make mission part of any disciple’s life.

Looking back at Matthew 28:18-20, one saint from long ago wrote: “Never, certainly, would the Apostles have had sufficient confidence to undertake so arduous an office, if they had not known that the Protector sitteth in heaven, and that the highest authority is given to him; for without such a support it would have been impossible for them to make any progress.”

If the Gospel brings us into fellowship and relationship with Jesus, then the Gospel would also push us out to intentionally move towards others because as Jesus said: ‘just as the Father has sent Me, so I send you’ (John 20:21).

Your thoughts?

Filed under: Gospel, Mission | 8 Comments »

The power of words

Posted on June 24, 2015 by wtdavid

Words have a ‘power’ that we often underestimate.  They can bring joy to a heart (Proverbs 12:25) or distress to one’s soul (Proverbs 15:1).  They are capable of building a person up in the faith (Ephesians 4:29) or ‘devouring’ the good name of another (Galatians 5:15)words bis

Words have a ‘power’ that we often underestimate.

The Bible is replete with verses “about how to speak and listen, how to use words and not abuse people.”  Yet, in my day to day conversations I seemingly overlook and forget these truths.  I can create conflict and mistrust, rather than a safe context for others.  I can stifle, by my words, the growth of others.

Words have a ‘power’ that we often underestimate.

This is why gossip is so insidious. It appears harmless at first view: “Have you heard about what happened to John?  I don’t think he would mind me sharing with you as we should really be praying for him right now.”  Yet, information (sometimes false or distorted information) is shared which diminishes the other; that tears down instead of builds up; and that creates an opening for the evil one to further attack our consciences.

We all know it is wrong and hurtful. Why cannot we not stem its tide?  Why are Christian agencies and churches some of its more fertile soil?

One main reason is because we love ourselves more than Christ.  We love being the one with privileged information.  The act of letting others in on that information, we think, builds us up in their eyes.  It’s warped thinking.

One look back at Jesus would make us feel the pain of those words and would melt our hearts at the forgiveness Jesus extends to us over and over again (1 John 1:9).

One word from another might pull our eyes off of ourselves and put it back on the One who took our wrongs upon Himself.  The simple question of: are you sure that is true? might awaken our hearts to turn towards our Redeemer.

Filed under: Communication, Gospel, Power | 6 Comments »

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