• 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 Approach

Posted on June 25, 2012 by wtdavid

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”

 

Filed under: Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

No time to think

Posted on June 22, 2012 by wtdavid

Peter Bregman puts the problem this way in an article in the Harvard Business Review: “I have no time to think.  Possibly the six scariest words uttered by a leader. But they don’t scare us anymore because they are so commonplace.” [To read more of his article, go to: http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2011/06/what-to-do-when-you-have-no-ti.html.] Though he attributes these words to leaders, I’m guessing that most of us feel the same way.  There is just not enough time in a day to accomplish the work we have, let alone to consecrate time to “slow down long enough to learn.”

This slowing down, however, was the model that Jesus often demonstrated.  He disrupted the rush of life to slow down for a time: “And He (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place and rest a while.”  (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.)”  (Mark 6.31)  Mark’s description sounds like some days in ministry: pushed to the limit, we don’t even have time to catch a bit to eat.

We are called to be fruitful and good stewards of what God has entrusted to us, but our fruitfulness and stewardship will be enhanced when we take the time to step back and reflect.  Slowing down from time to time allows us to better evaluate the choices and decisions we are making.  It also gives opportunity to the Spirit to search our hearts, show us our hurtful ways and drive us back to Christ (Psalm 139:23-24)

This slowing down is not time defined.  It can take place in five minutes, half an hour, two hours or a day.  It is defined more by its heart direction than by the actual amount of time spent.

How do you disrupt the busyness of life and ministry in order to think and learn?

 

 

Filed under: Listening, Reflection, Thinking | 4 Comments »

Posted on June 20, 2012 by wtdavid

Lately, I have been reading the book, Crucial Conversations; a work that appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. It’s not a book written from a God centered focus, but there are certainly a number of insights that are worth “mining” for use in life and ministry.

In the early part of the book, the authors talk about how it is easier to receive constructive criticism from a friend than from just any person.  A large part of the reason for this openness is due to the fact you feel “safe” with a friend; there is a context of trust that allows you to hear difficult things from that friend.

Many of the conversations we have are derailed by this lack of feeling “safe”.  Crucial conversations can be disrupted by the fact that a safety net or context is missing.  “Safety” or trust is something difficult to gain, but easy to lose in our modern context.  So, creating this safe context or this atmosphere of trust is a vital task to engaging others in meaningful, life transforming conversation.

Here’s where I was struck by the authors’ approach.  Rather than talking about how you should earn trust or how others can regain our trust, they aimed right for the heart, our hearts.  The best way, they surmise, to create this safety net is to first work on us.  I couldn’t help but make the link to the Gospel.  Once we are certain, convinced in our hearts that God deeply loves us, despite our faults, this will impact the way we approach others.   Convinced that we are “safe” in approaching our Father, we will extend a safety net more easily to others.

I’m asking myself today: how strong is my safety net?

 

Filed under: Trust | Leave a comment »

the Stain

Posted on June 18, 2012 by wtdavid

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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Going global

Posted on June 15, 2012 by wtdavid

Later this month, the current World Team International board will decide whether to approve the launch of a new global structure to oversee World Team, which would be called the World Team Global Alliance (WTGA).  One question I have often heard is: “Why the word change from ‘international’ to ‘global’?”

One reason is that research on global structures showed that international does not mean global.  What people mean in organizations that use the term, “international”, is that they desire to be global in their efforts, but they are actually working from a one culture perspective.  Whereas, the term, “global”, conveys a sense of inclusion of a larger number of equal partners committed to the fulfillment of a common objective or vision.

A second reason would be our desire to make collaborative partnerships between our different Support Centers, partnering agencies and workers more relational.  Partnership, alliance, networks are all buzz words in our circles these days. They are excellent concepts.  However, all of these flow out of a relational community that exists between us as believers around the world.  Therefore, what we do together should flow out of and enhance our spiritual relationship and community with one another.  [My thanks to Detlef for this insight.]

The apostle Paul underscores this thought when he writes: “And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only.” (4.15)  Paul speaks of the partnership, the working relationship that existed between himself and the Philippian church in the context of his desire to send Timothy and Epaphroditus to them.   It was the relational community that existed between them that allowed each other to share tangible gifts (4.16), as well as people (2.19-30) for the purpose of mutual support and edification.

Going global is not a journey that happens because of a word change.  It involves a commitment to live out of and in community with one another.

 

Filed under: Global realities, Mission, Partnership | 1 Comment »

Spheres of influence

Posted on June 14, 2012 by wtdavid

One writer defines ‘spiritual authority’ as the right that your follower gives to you to influence him/here based on your spiritual character.  Influence, as opposed to a positional role, is a critical element in the encouragement and development of others whether a fellow believer, a disciple, a co-worker, one who reports to you as a leader, or even an entire team.

We normally confine ‘influence’ to the lines on an organizational chart.  This not only helps us know where we fit in the agency/ministry team, but also delineates who the person is that should be developing and influencing us.

What if we chose to talk about ‘spheres’, rather than ‘lines on an organizational chart’, as our base for influence?  In other words, what if we expanded the influence quotient by allowing multiple people to have influence and input into our lives, decisions and ministries?

Sounds messy, and it probably would be.  The post that I wrote the other day on collaboration raised a similar issue in challenging us to consider the benefits of collaborative effort despite the time and difficulties involved.

Let me give an example.  WT is considering opening a ministry to a new people group.  This people group is primarily located in an area that bridges the oversight of two different Area Directors. What should we do?  Assign the oversight to one AD as opposed to the other?  Wouldn’t it be better to ask the two ADs to work together and determine what oversight/influence would look like for them both?  What would each one bring to help develop, encourage and launch this new ministry?

Spheres of influence would be an outworking of our value of interdependence in light of the changing contexts in which we find ourselves.

Filed under: Influence, Priorities | Leave a comment »

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