Master-less Plans of Global Evangelism

Image Courtesy of EMQ

In case you have missed it, my article from the July 2013 issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly is now available for free at the Billy Graham Center website.  It is always an honor to be published in EMQ, and a double blessing to see that the BGC felt it was important for a broader audience to read.

I think this brief article can be described as the inner wranglings of a 30-something missionary who is perhaps seeing the last vestiges of his naivety die away. I am not, however, losing my idealism and conviction that we can and should do better.

So, the article is called "Master-less Plans of Global Evangelism" and you can check it out at the link below.

Hot Off the Evangelism & Missional Presses | Wheaton:
EXCERPT: To what extent can mission leaders today say that if God doesn’t keep his promises, then our plans and ministries will utterly fail? Have we created strategic fail-safes that allow us to progress toward or even accomplish our organizational goals even if our prayers go unanswered and God does not do anything particularly interesting? Have we become functionally atheistic in our mission praxis today?

Without Thee, I Cannot Live: A Theology of Nominating Committees

Today I was praying for the Nominating Committee of our local association of Baptist churches and a thought or two came my way.  Do you know what a "nominating committee" is?  Basically they are the group in an organization responsible for getting other people to agree to fill voluntary positions and offices.  It's a rather thankless task to be sure.  On another level, however -- on a more spiritual level -- there is something else going on.  Something that I think we do well to ponder.

There is under-girding and thus birthing and sustaining the existence of such a thing as "nominating committees" in Christian circles a truth so central to our lives that it seems all other truths may just hang on it like ornaments on a tree.  It isn't the same thing which gives rise to "nominating committees" outside the Church (or at least it shouldn't be).  Outside it is this, "There are jobs which must be done and positions which must be filled; we need a group whose sole purpose is to berate, guilt, or sucker people into filling those posts."  No! In the Church it is another thing:

"Without Thee, I cannot live!"

Say again?

Consider:

"'Without Thee, I cannot live!' Whatever our small practice, belief, or experience may be, nothing can alter the plain fact that God, the Spirit of spirits, the Life-giving Life, has made or rather is making each person reading these words for Himself; and that our lives will not achieve stability until they are ruled by that truth." (E. Underhill)

Can the follower of Jesus doubt this? Without God, we are hopelessly lost are we not?  Is not our complete and utter dependence upon Him perhaps the uppermost reality governing our lives?

Sure, but what has that to do with "nominating committees"?

Well, only the truly loyal readers have made it this far in a post about "nominating committees" (which is really about God), so let me reward you with a parable:

A little girl goes to school.  Her lunchbox in hand having been lovingly prepared by her attentive and thoughtful mother.  At lunchtime, the girl devours the peanut butter and jelly sandwich, small bag of Cheetos, pickle spear, oatmeal cookie and juice box.  The banana, however, gets tossed into the garbage.  Same as always.  The girl isn't a fruit lover.

And this is a picture of us.  Saying we need God; saying in a voice of triumphant piety, "Without Thee, I cannot live!" Then proceeding to open the lunchbox of what God has prepared.  We pick through and consume what we desire and chuck the rest. We never stop to consider the far greater wisdom of a Parent who has prepared these things (all these things) for us.

So . . . "nominating committees"?

Ah, yes.  Here we are. Well, what exactly has God prepared for us?


1Co 12:7-19 ESV  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills . . . .  For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.  And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body.  If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?  But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.  If all were a single member, where would the body be?

And also . . . 

Eph 4:4-7 ESV  There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call--  one Lord, one faith, one baptism,  one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.  But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

God has provided a Body.  The Church. And my point is simple (though I've certainly taken the scenic route to get here).  When we presume that we do not need the Body, when we arrogantly cut ourselves off from noses or fingers or kidneys,  when we foolishly set out to conquer the world as solitary ears or hair follicles or even as a covenanted coalition of knuckles,  then we (to brazenly mix metaphors) are chucking items from the lunchbox carefully and lovingly prepared by our Parent, the Father.  We may say "'Tis but a speckled banana," or (switching back) "merely an ear lobe" but in the act of chucking we are not simply saying, "I don't need bannanas or ear lobes or church planters or Christians who care about the homeless or ESL teachers or "black" churches or "white" churches or Pentecostals or Calvinists or __________ -- No, we are saying something far different. Something much more serious.  We are saying, "Without Thee, I will be just fine!" For when we reject what He, in infinite wisdom and love, has prepared, we reject Him.  But really, we are dead without Him. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, "Without Him, we cannot move an inch!"

So it is upon this foundational truth that all great Christian "nominating committees" through the ions of salvation history have been built.  Or, at least, should be.  Why? Because it is the noble task of the "nominating committee" to say to the Church (or to their little corner of it anyway),

"Everyone, this is Sam. He's a deacon down at XYZ Church. God has given him such and such gifts and experiences.  You need him and Sam needs you, and we'll all be richer, fuller, healthier and happier with him in the lunchbox."

Over and out.

Free Audio Book: The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul

In case you are not aware, Christian Audio offers a free audio book every month as a download from their website.  I want to make it a point to let you know when the monthly download catches my attention -- i.e. actually gets me to download it.  This month, they are featuring a book by R.C. Sproul called The Holiness of God.  I haven't read this one, but I've always enjoyed Sproul's teaching and frequently listen to his podcasts.  Sproul is a reformed theologian and Bible teacher who leads a ministry called Ligonier.  You may be familiar with him from his radio program/podcast "Renewing Your Mind".  Naturally, I have downloaded the free audio book and will endeavor to listen to it while biking or driving.  If you are so inclined, you can click on over to Christian Audio and download your own copy.  It is available both in MP3 and in M4B versions.  If you prefer reading the book, you can purchase a copy from Amazon using the link here: The Holiness of God

Noah in Cross-Cultural Context (Pt.5): Applying Biblical Narratives

Now for my 5^th and final installment of reflections on preaching Noah cross-culturally at TriEak Parmeshwar Mandali (TPM), the Nepali-speaking church that I pastor in the Chicago area. 

If you remember, I preached through Noah over the course of 2 Sundays.  Having used both improvisational drama and group reading to tell and retell the story, during the second Sunday I was ready to give a couple key applications and principles from the text.   Whenever I prepare to preach narratively, I usually seek to derive applications/principles by asking a number of key questions:

1. What does this narrative tell us about God?
2. What does this narrative tell us about life and how to live in a way that pleases God?
3. Does this narrative say anything that is especially relevant to the cultural context of my audience? (What will they readily see/hear/understand that I may not?)
4. Does the Bible anywhere provide an infallible application/interpretation for this narrative?

(If you have other helpful questions, please leave them in the comment section)

I took this approach to the narrative of Noah.  Below, I will share only the summary of what I came up with (note that I already shared some applications from this story during my first sermon):

1. God, by his nature, is committed to the eradication of evil and the salvation of the faithful.  I will not get into all this here, but I recommend looking to Isaiah 54:9-10 and Ezekiel 14.
2. The Noah story illustrates for us the impact of one faithful person on their entire household.  That is, Noah’s faith influenced his wife and children leading to their salvation as well.
3. Keeping in mind the fact that there are those in our Nepali church in “mixed faith” households (some Christ-followers and some not), I encouraged them to be encouraged by Noah’s example.  To have faith and patiently follow God’s will in the context of their families.  I encouraged them not to give up on their relatives who were not yet following Christ.  Since I have had a similar experience myself, I encouraged them by my own testimony.
4. Finally, the Bible does provide a kind of application of the Noah story (that is, it provides another one that we’ve yet to mention).  1 Peter 3:20-21 connects this narrative with the subject of baptism, providing a great opportunity to teach about this topic from Peter’s epistle.

You may also have noticed that over the course of my two messages, I made reference to many Biblical references to Noah occurring outside of Genesis.  I have found that this is always a helpful way to interpret a Biblical story.  How do the apostles and prophets interpret and apply the narratives of Scripture – always a great place to start.

I was at Lausanne 3.

I realize that some of you  are waiting for me to post something. I didn't post yesterday and cannot really do so today either.  The reason in both cases has everything to do with the weightiness of God, the continued reverberation of His voice, the enduring heat of His presence.

In short, I'm just not ready yet.

Please be patient. Thanks be to the Lord, that in his kindness, He's given me now two full days of resting before Him before I leave Cape Town and head back home. A friend told me that margins are important in life. Be sure to make them wide.

I'll get to do a bit of site-seeing tomorrow with a dear professor from my Wheaton days. I believe it will provide a tremendous opportunity to process.  Thank you for your continued prayers for my sake and for this great Congress in which God gathered, spoken to, and blessed His Church. Please don't stop now.

Grace and Peace.

Alvaro Unpacks My Day and Puts it in Historic Context

I don't really know where to begin.  Perhaps from the end?

Alvaro was sitting near me on the bus to the hotel.  I felt that I was just about finished talking for one day -- there was so much already on my heart and mind.  But the choice to not strike up a conversation is, I am beginning to think, nearly always a mistake at Lausanne. We were talking about how God was speaking here in the Congress.  He was reflecting on the message by Ruth Padilla, the theme of reconciliation, and his own context of ministry among the indigenous people of Mexico.  Then he sort of tossed the ball back to me.

I said that I wasn't really sure how I could take several more days of this.  It's not that I feel that too much information is being given to me.  It's just so much substance, weightiness.  I told Alvaro how I'll often find myself at big Christian meetings of various kinds and in passing through the crowd I'll overhear snippets of conversations -- the latest trend, the insider denominational gossip, the political stuff, the mind-numbing small talk.  But something different is in the air here.  Today, I walked down a crowded hall and overheard phrases like -- "Evangelism!"; "It's about discipleship!"; and similar things. I looked around and saw that it would often be people from different continents locked in the most intense conversation, praying, hugging, laughing.

As I walked that hall (and now, as I spoke with Alvaro), I had in my mind a captivating conversation that I had earlier with Mahima*. Mahima is from a nation in east Africa.  She spent two years as a missionary in Nepal. And now, she was planning to go to a completely different part of the world to find Nepalis there and work among them - sharing the hope of Christ.  We talked intensely for two hours (during which time, I actually broke a chair), prayed, and parted.

So, I told Alvaro (remember, we're still on the bus), "I've just been thinking for the past hour about how weighty and significant and Spirit-filled my encounters with other people have been this week.  And that as I walked the hall, I realized that what I've been experiencing -- which is nothing less than the most significant encounter with God that I've ever had -- is multiplied by about 4,000!" I told him, "The Holy Spirit is here."

Alvaro sat back in his seat and effortlessly began a discourse that not only took us all the way back to our hotel, but through a significant amount of the history of mission.  He told stories. He quizzed me. But here's what stood out most:  "I was almost at the first Lausanne in 1974," he said with a hint of longing in his voice. "I had the papers in my hands.  I knew Dr. Ralph Winter." Alvaro proceeded to talk about Winter's historic "people groups" speech at Lausanne '74. "That speech has shaped my life for the last 36 years of ministry!  And that's Lausanne! That's what this is!"

So, coming back to my room.  I'm beginning to think that perhaps I'm not so naive as I thought.  Alvaro has been around the block a few times, and he just likened this Congress to the Jerusalem Council. Is this what it feels like to consciously participate in something of truly historic significance?  Will I look back in 36 years, when so many of the implications of this Congress have been realized and say, "I just knew it!"

Questions that arise . . .


Can TIBM (our local ministry here, in case you're wondering) do something of significance in response to HIV/AIDS? Global sex trafficking? Modern day slavery? The Hindu caste system?

What is God really saying to me about reconciliation?

Who do I really need to buy souvenirs for?

And now for something completely different . . . 

I talked with a friend today who is neat and cool for a lot of reasons.  One of those being that she is actually, really and truly a friend of Don and Lori Chaffer (whose music is my all-time, no-contest favorite and woven into the very DNA of my marriage). And Christy told me that Don and Lori are working on producing a musical that Christy, who's in the biz, says is "Really good!" and she honestly thinks it could make it to Broadway! The musical is based on the Khrusty Brothers.  So I'm smiling about that.  Also, Christy thinks that Don would like me . . . Did you hear that, Don?

Okay, that's all. Sorry it's not more of a blow-by-blow. Such is not what I need to be writing right now.  Thank you for reading.  Thank you to everyone who has taken time to talk with me and bless me in so many ways -- even some people who have sought me out.  I appreciate that. To the guys from ITeams who invited me to hang out tonight - please invite me again.  I will take you up on it next time.  To the Nepali delegation, thanks for the invitation to eat lunch with you all tomorrow.  May the Lord richly bless our time together.  To my new connections on the Lausanne Global Conversation, thanks for adding me.  To the great people of Cape Town, thanks for being so friendly and helping me to learn a bit of Xhosa.

Good night!




(* pseudonym) 


(Note:  I'm sorry that so many people are having to wait a bit longer for the Lausanne videos, etc to be available online. I know they're working hard and around the clock trying to get it going. Pray. I know you remember that it isn't just you that wants to see them -- it's thousands of people around the world.  Until then, there are a bunch of us bloggers that are doing our best to help you know what's happening here.)

God at Cape Town: What I saw and heard today

The first full day of the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa has come to a close. I am exhausted. My fatigue today was so extreme that I know it would be unwise for me to go on for very long.  Still, let me just give a few moments to reflection.

What did I see God doing today?

More than anything else, I see God gathering His Church from every corner of the earth and knitting our hearts together as one. Again, I know that I'm extremely naive.  I'm sure there is all sort of carnality going on here and there.  But I don't really care much about that right now. I'm captivated.  I saw a tweet a few moments ago from Ines Franklin that said it perfectly, "When we get to heaven we are going to want to meet every single person there. Getting a feel for it at Cape Town 2010."  Yes, that's it exactly.  I see God in His people today. In my table (which is now complete with the addition of a pastor from Germany), His Spirit is stimulating very fruitful conversation.  My ear is straining to hear His voice there -- I know He is speaking. I'll be posting insights from our table discussion on the Lausanne Global Conversation.  Not there yet.

I'm seeing God in lots of conversations here and there.  I met so many great people today.  From the famous like John Piper, Doug Birdsall and Ajith Fernando, to the awesome like Ruth. Ruth was a great blessing to me tonight.  I sat down at an empty space where several Nigerians and Ruth (a Rwandan) were eating.  Ruth had already finished, but she settled back in and started to talk with me.  She runs a ministry called Pan African Christian Women Alliance in Rwanda where she minsters to women who have been victimized in various ways by the massacre that happened in that country in the 1990s.  Widows, orphans and others are taken care of there.  She teaches them skills that empower them to earn a living.  She teaches them about forgiveness and reconciliation.  She teaches them about Christ.  In other words, she incarnates our Savior in a remarkable way.

Ruth took her time with me.  She lived right on through the unspeakable tragedies of her country.  She told me about the losses and the pain.  "But you cannot grieve for 15 years. You cannot stay in the past.  You have to hope for the future."  So mostly she told me about forgiveness and reconciliation.  "So, it's like that . . . it's like that."

This is a solemn moment in the history of God's Church.  I believe it with all my heart.  Ebenezer from Nigeria said as much to me over dinner when he spoke of God unifying His people right here, right now, before our very eyes. Praise the Lord!

What did I hear God saying?

Allow me to be simple.

I have heard God saying to me through a number of voices, "Press on in the pursuit of contextualization." This word has come now through God's people from Norway, India, the Middle East, and elsewhere.

God is also bringing a question to my mind about partnership.  He seems to be impressing on me that He has some kinds of partnerships for me here at Cape Town 2010.  So the question swelling in my heart is, "What does the partnership look like?"

I heard God say, "Truth is not a what, it is a who -- Jesus Christ."  And, that "truth must be shared relationally, contextually, and dialogically." Finally, that "discipleship must involve the utter transformation of an individuals concept of God."

And, randomly . . . 

Did you know that there are now more cell phones than toilets in India?

Okay, time for bed. Thank you for reading and praying!