• 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!

the Trap

Posted on July 16, 2012 by wtdavid

Today’s post comes from Chris in France.

This chapter speaks to my own story.  I’m older than most of you and I spent a long time climbing the greasy pole towards career success.  I had some temporary wins but eventually someone added extra grease to the pole and I was out.  The euphemism is Voluntary Early Retirement, but I was no volunteer.  Despite my best efforts, or because of them, I was a failure.  Painful as all this was at the time, it has led to great blessing for me.  You see, I wasn’t very useful to God while I was busy succeeding.  While Keller focuses on money, I found success to be the greater trap.

It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t seem to have a problem with worldly success.  When Jesus met the rich young ruler, he didn’t say that he was a bad person because he was rich and powerful.  Jesus didn’t condemn the virtuous accumulation of wealth or power or influence.  When Jesus met the guy, he loved him – because he understood the terrible trap this young man had fallen into.  The young man wanted to be good and was having some success in this quest, but sensed in himself that he was missing something critical.  Jesus, in his tough love, immediately makes a terrible offer to the young man that goes to the heart of his problem.  Could he put aside success and his potential for much more of it, and trust his life to Jesus instead of to himself?  Jesus was asking for trust not just in the life to come, but in this life – right now.

It’s incredibly hard on self to lose in the struggle for worldly success.  I found my own fall desperately difficult.  I saw myself (for an agonising moment or century) as the rest of my world must have seen me – a middle aged loser.  How much harder it would be for a young man, with so much ahead of him, to choose such a fate voluntarily.  What would everyone think of him?  What would he think of himself for giving away so much?  And so, he went away sad, rich and powerful but still trapped.

Many of us also live our lives inside the success trap.  We live as if we and not God were the source of our jobs, talents, opportunities and eventual success.  So we find it hard to imagine that all we have earned – social position, educational qualifications, possessions, work achievements – are not only temporary but possibly undeserved gifts.  We are beggars spiritually who must ask for help to be saved.  But our self-respect has trouble handling beggar status when it comes to our worldly successes.  We find it hard to rely on the One who has already given us everything.

Tough times seem be coming again in Europe and North America (and perhaps even in Australia).  The jobs, investments, property and arrangements many of us trust for security might be threatened – even lost.  Suddenly, we might not be successful.  It will be humiliating but it could also be ultimately liberating.

My question; How would you cope if you lost all the success you’d worked for?  What would reliance upon Christ look like at that moment?

 

Next instalment of the King’s Cross blog post will be August 27th, looking at Ch 12 “the Ransom”

Filed under: King's Cross, Reflection, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Central Office Calling

Posted on July 11, 2012 by wtdavid

“Yet arguably of greater significance, though certainly less widely acknowledged, is the enormous change in the demographics of Christianity worldwide.  Whereas in 1900 the majority of Christians were in Europe and North America, and Christianity was identified as a Western religion, today most Christians reside in the non-Western world, and Christianity is in decline in much of Europe.”  These are the opening lines from the collection of essays on belief and practice in an era of world Christianity entitled: Globalizing Theology. 

There is much that we could “mine” from these few lines, but one thought comes immediately to mind in light of the global shift we are experiencing.   The center from which our ministry emanates is changing.

When we look for resources [workers, funds, prayer, talents and other], where do we often turn?  We go to our ‘central’ or ‘home’ office.  What we learn from the global shift we are experiencing is that our ‘central’ office is no longer one specific Support Center.

Calling our ‘central office’ will mean connecting with Australia, Canada, US, European & Latin American partners and others who will join the larger World Team Global Alliance network.  Resources will be flowing from everywhere to everywhere.

Obviously, this shift raises lots of questions.  For example, what would be our common training across our community?  What would the support of workers from various locations look like and how would those funds be moved towards their support?   Navigating this shift, however, begins with a change in our own heart attitude as to how we see and approach the tremendous growth of the Church in the majority world.

Filed under: Collaboration, Partnership | 2 Comments »

the Mountain

Posted on July 9, 2012 by wtdavid

Today’s post comes from Kevin in the US.

The mountain—the transfiguration—provided an opportunity for true worship.  A sick (and dying) daughter provided an opportunity for true worship.  Both of these situations are written about in Mark 9.  In an exercise of pure focus on the only person worth complete attention and adoration, a person can seek to ascribe to God the worth that only He is due. 

But there’s more, according to Keller.  I was fascinated by Keller’s term ”repentant helplessness” as necessary in true worship.  I’m not fascinated in a “what-a-cool-phrase” kind of appreciation, but a gut-wrenching, face-slapping, wake-up call that helped me to see worship in yet another helpful light.

Repentant helplessness.  Yes, in my efforts to ascribe worth to our Savior, there is often a lot of me involved.  My comfort, my setting, my surroundings, my mood, and many other factors often play a role in my worship.  The type of music, the style of dress, the “spiritual temperature” of those around me often affect my focus—and appreciation—of Him.  But how selfish is that?

If my focus is on Him, and if (as I believe) “the things on Earth will grow strangely dim” in light of Who He is, I need to repent of my demand for proper circumstances to influence my worship.  I need to acknowledge my utter helplessness in absolutely everything—even in the fact that I can approach the God of all creation!—in order to really and truly worship.

We are already accepted by Him, but not because of anything we did—or do.  It’s what He has done in light of our selfish ways.  Pursuing Him also empowers us to live for Him in this broken and hurting world.  Like Peter, James, and John on the mountain, we can experience this.

Is there “repentant helplessness” in your worship?  What does that look like?

 

Next week: chapter 11 – “the Trap”

Filed under: King's Cross, Reflection | 2 Comments »

Why I Could Use An Intern (II)

Posted on July 6, 2012 by wtdavid

One solid reason why I could use an intern is that there is more work than I can accomplish, and delegating tasks can serve as a reminder of my daily need for God.

Another reason would be to ready (read: train) the next generation of workers and leaders.  Hands on experience with real time assessment and feedback are a gift that we can give to many as they journey towards God’s mission for their lives.  Many of us are where we are in ministry because of the opportunity that a mature worker or leader gave to us to try our hands at ministry through a variety of tasks, even those that seemed mundane.

Here again, two obstacles loom in front of us.  First, we simply assume that we do not have the time to give to such an effort.  Basically, it would take us longer to carry our every day work.  Real time assessment assumes time and depth of relationship.  Second, there is often no short term return on the investment made in the life of an intern.  Most interns do not walk in the door able to do all that we need done.  There are some strong gifts that they bring and can put into practice, but they are unfamiliar with how to fully work out these gifts in the contexts where we live and work.

That’s why I need an intern.  Working with an intern reminds me that life and ministry is a journey, and that just as others were patient and willing to work with me, so I must do the same for others.  And as those interns grow and develop, ultimately I will need to give way and allow them to begin to exercise more and more influence, and begin the same process (multiplication) with interns that come their way.

I may have shared this story before, but it is worth repeating.  One of my friends here in France shared about one of the leaders in his church that had a plumbing business.  This plumber was complaining about the fact that there was no one on the horizon to take over his business once he retired.  When asked the reason for this scarcity, the plumber replied that it all stemmed from a decision a number of years ago when he decided not to take on any interns.  “Too much work,” he said, “and everything would have taken much longer to finish.  It was just easier for me to do it myself.”  The obstacles of time and a lack of short term investment had led him to “get his work done,” but now there was no one to continue or further the work.

Let us have a developmental mindset that allows us to work with and hand over ministry to others who will further and multiply (again) the ministry.

Filed under: Delegation, Development, Mentoring | Leave a comment »

Why I Could Use An Intern

Posted on July 4, 2012 by wtdavid

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.

 

 

Filed under: Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

the Turn

Posted on July 2, 2012 by wtdavid

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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