• 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!

One of those days

Posted on July 26, 2013 by wtdavid

I’m sure you have had a day like the one I’ve had today. one_of_those_days-8089

You don’t feel any strength or desire to engage in ministry.  You feel weak rather than strong, and you struggle to pick up the Word or call out to God.  All the effort (we might say, the self effort) up to this point has worn you out.

Something is missing. That something, we know, is the Gospel.  Yet, how do I, how do we get our hands and heads again around Jesus’ message of total forgiveness and righteousness?  J. D. Greear, in his book: Gospel: Recovering the Power that Made Christianity Revolutionary, writes:

“The gospel is not just the ABCs of Christianity, it is the A-Z; it is not the first step in a stairway of truths it is more like the hub of God’s wheel of truth.  All other Christian virtues flow out of it.  That’s why growth in Christ is never going beyond the gospel, but going deeper into the gospel.  The purest waters from the spring of life are found by digging deeper, not wider, into the gospel well.”

Going deeper is not something that we can teach one another.  It is something we can pray for one another in community.

Let’s go deeper!

Filed under: Community, Gospel | 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 »

Who am I?

Posted on July 19, 2013 by wtdavid

Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking to the participants at the US Assessment Centre.  It is an opportunity to once again rehearse our identity (who we are) and our vision (what we do) with those expressing an interest in working with World Team.who-am-i

Our identity is summed up in this statement: We exist to glorify God by working together to establish reproducing churches focusing on the unreached peoples of the world.

Our vision is summed up in this statement: Innovative teams multiplying disciples and communities of believers, bringing the Gospel within reach of lost people everywhere we go.

At the end of my presentation, I usually come back to highlight both our identity and our vision.  This time though, I have decided to add another piece.  In part, it stems from our recent discussions of core values.  I’m going to underscore that both our identity and vision flow out of one source, that is, the Gospel.

Who we are and what we do is first and foremost a result of what God in Jesus Christ has done for us.  Even more than that, our work can only be carried out effectively, or fruitfully, as we serve Him out of a heart of Gospel humility.

That insight hit hard as I realized that my contribution or my participation in God’s mission is often characterized more by self centred pride than by Gospel humility.  Part of community is learning how to yield to others and being made aware of just how little I am other centred.

I am praying for more workers.  I am praying for more workers who resonate with our vision.  I am praying for more workers who have hearts mastered by Jesus and characterized by a Gospel humility.

Maybe I should have titled this post: Who are we?

 

Filed under: Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

Raising and releasing for me

Posted on July 17, 2013 by wtdavid

Recently, I asked a number of WT workers if they could share in less than three minutes how our core values are being worked out in their personal, team and ministry lives.  Last time you heard from Dan about Interdependence.

This week, Bryan, one of our workers in Asia, shares how he sees the core value of raising and releasing leaders worked out in his context.

 

Filed under: Core Values, Development, Leadership | Leave a comment »

Raising and releasing

Posted on July 15, 2013 by wtdavid

In a post last week, I described “developing” as providing opportunities and situations for others to grow and develop in their gifts and abilities; and that through those opportunities people would learn to grow themselves and help others do the same.leadership_kids_460x314

A working group I created to look at core values put it this way: “Christ was the first to develop and release leaders into the work of proclaiming His salvation to the ends of the earth, and the exhortation of Christ was that we would imitate His work in walking alongside people, developing them to release them to do the same, for the sake of His name and salvation to all people. WT seeks to honor God by doing this both through church planting among the nations as well as among our own community (Matthew 28:19-20).”

Two insights caught my attention. First, we are called to imitate His work, but it is ultimately Jesus who carries out the development process in the life of a disciple and of a leader. Our role is more of “raising” a disciple or leader by consistently pointing them back to Jesus, to learn from Him.

Second, in everything we do, in our ministry and in our life in the community, God desires that we create a context whereby others can grow in their commitment to Christ as a disciple or as a leader. We honor God by turning over, by releasing His ministry into the hands of others who we pray will do the same.

Filed under: Core Values, Development, Leadership | 4 Comments »

Coming back around with God’s response

Posted on July 12, 2013 by wtdavid

Blog-ChallengeThe 1+1 challenge has generated a lot of buzz around the WT community. I have been encouraged by the comments posted to yesterday’s post. I think you would be encouraged as well, so please take the time to read those comments and add yours as well!

The 1+1 challenge is one piece in the larger global mobilization project that we have launched. More importantly, the 1+1 challenge is another way for us to fulfill our purpose of glorifying God through establishing communities of believers that multiply themselves exponentially.

God is at work in allowing us, with godly courage, to reach out to others around us. May we hear more stories about how God is moving us towards seeing this challenge fulfilled:

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.

Filed under: 1plus1 | Leave a comment »

« Previous Page — Next Page »

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 202 other subscribers

  • Categories

  • Recent Comments

  • Archives

  • Goodreads