It has been months in the making. Our dear Brother Emmanuel in Burkina Faso has been pouring time and energy into translating God’s Plan for His Disciples in a local tribal language called Gourmantchema. Since Randy and Pat will be there at the end of the month, it was critical that this training tool be completed as quickly as possible to be introduced while they are there. After all the investment that Emmanuel has put into translation, it was my turn to format the book and prepare it for printing. This also takes many hours. I received the final file on August 10th and I immediately started working on the format. I also worked closely with our graphic designer to make sure all the graphics are correctly translated and prepared to insert into the book. As of tonight, the book is finished!! The book is ready to print, but we are NOT finished! Much prayer is needed as Randy and Pat go to present this manual to the local leaders. We need to pray for the Holy Spirit to open their hearts to receive the Word of God with the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:4-6). Thank you for meeting us at the Father’s throne!
0 Comments
One of the events that I am earnestly praying for is Urbana 22 held in December. Young people gather from many parts of the world to learn about God’s heart for missions and listen to His voice, whether He is calling them to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
We may not realize that there is a certain segment of the younger generation who “do not get fired up about denominations and agencies. They get fired up about the greatness of a global God and about the unstoppable purpose of a sovereign King. The first great missionary said, “through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations” (Romans 1:5). Missions is for the sake of the name of God. It flows from a love for God’s glory and for the honor of His reputation.” (John Piper, The Supremacy of God in Preaching, Baker Books, 2004, pages 14-15). The more I spend time in God’s Word and learn His heart, the more I am convinced we have missed the primary purpose for reaching the lost. Yes, God wants them saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). But the first purpose of men, women, and children coming to know Jesus as Savior is the glory of God. The sons of Korah were right. “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Psalm 46:10). One of the reasons authority is often misused is because the person with the authority either does not know why they have it or they do not know its purpose. Relationships and those we are responsible for can be quickly destroyed if this is the case.
Paul was given authority by the Lord Jesus when he was called to be an apostle and with that authority the Lord gave him a clear purpose for using that authority. These verses make this clear. “For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed” (2 Corinthians 10:8). “For this reason, I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come, I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down” (2 Corinthians 13:10). Do you have some degree of authority in your work or ministry? What is the purpose of that authority and how are you using it? Is God represented in the way you use it? What an exciting moment! I was sitting at my desk working on a new language for our training book, God’s Plan for His Disciples (GPHD), when my phone rang. It was someone who had sent out an invitation to their neighborhood asking if anyone was interested in a Bible study in their home. The response was surprising. They are having their first meeting tomorrow evening. They plan to use GPHD as a tool to discover what the Scripture says about itself and the glorious gospel.
This reminds me of a very special event in the Early Church. A court official was returning from Jerusalem to Ethiopia. As he was riding in a chariot, he was reading a portion of the Prophet Isaiah (53:7-8). God arranged that one of the Lord’s disciples was traveling the same road and heard this man reading. “The Spirit said to Philip, Go over and join this chariot”” (Acts 8:29). Can you imagine the spontaneous joy of both these people, the person who called me and Philip, as they see God bringing the right conditions and circumstances together so persons with open hearts are willing to discover fresh understanding through someone the Spirit has prepared for that moment. Are you one of those persons? There are times that I stop working and just ask the Lord some hard questions. One of these questions is: why are there so few with a deep passion for reaching the “ends of the earth,” those who have never heard the gospel of God’s amazing grace?
Do you ever pause and consider the eternal wealth we have in Christ, both in glory and now? Compare that with someone spending eternity with nothing, no hope of repentance or being able to appeal for forgiveness – eternal loss? I remember my first trip to S. E. Asia in October 2007. I watched people who devoted time and resources to the worship of idols with fruit and flowers that will rot and be worthless. They prayed to gods that cannot hear or see, nor can they answer the longing of the heart. In his last message to Israel, Moses warned about going the way of the nations, “there you will serve gods of wood and stone, the work of human hands, that neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell” (Deuteronomy 4:28). This leaves the soul empty. What deepens my passion to “GO therefore and make disciples” is not just the emptiness of the lost, but the riches I have free in Christ. This drives my passion and longing to see multitudes share what has no limit and satisfies the soul for an endless eternity. “A famous artist was asked to paint a picture of a dying church. It was expected that he would paint a small and humble congregation in a dilapidated building. Instead, he painted a stately edifice with a rich pulpit and magnificent windows, and near the door, an offering box marked “Missions” with the contribution slot blocked by cobwebs”
Anonymous Why would Paul go into so much detail regarding the qualifications for “elders”? What was he trying to accomplish with these clear guidelines? It was not to prevent persons from serving as an elder if they desired, but for the health of the church there had to be leaders who were a good example to the flock and demonstrated by their life how they would shepherd those in their care.
“If anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination. For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined. He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (Titus 1:6–9). This was not the first time Paul addressed elder qualifications. He went into the same detail in 1 Timothy 3:1-7. He even required the elders in Ephesus to examine themselves and be very watchful about their own lives as well as those they led (Acts 20:28). God intends that churches thrive under the care of elders who meet these qualifications. (See also 1 Peter 5:1-11). We looked yesterday at the churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia where elders were chosen from the believers who were saved and discipled in these places. That was not exactly how leaders were established in other places. Crete is an island in the Mediterranean with towns scattered across its length. Small churches were birthed in these places without biblical leaders. Paul was so concerned about this condition that he sent Titus there for this specific objective. “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you--” (Titus 1:5). Paul follows this with a list of qualifications that Titus would follow in making his selection. We will look at this tomorrow. It surprises me that many churches fail to follow this instruction and model. Plurality in leadership protects both the leaders and the flock from one person assuming a position of sole authority. Accountability is essential for the spiritual health and protection all in the body of Christ. One of Luke’s accounts of how the Early Church developed is Paul’s first missionary journey. Having been sent out from Antioch, Paul and Barnabas headed to the area of Galatia in Asia Minor. After preaching the gospel in four cities, disciples were made in each place.
Since they were in this area for only about four months, how would they leave these new believers? Did they pull qualified elders from Antioch or Jerusalem? No. “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed” (Acts 14:23). These elders were selected from those believers in the church in each city. Isn’t this risky? I am convinced there are two elements caused Barnabas and Paul to be confident in their selection and should also be ours. 1) They discipled the new convert based on Scripture and personal training. 2) They trusted the Holy Spirit who gave them new birth to continue His work in them. There is no risk when He is doing the work whether we are there or not. In the same way that the Spirit selected Barnabas and Paul in 13:2, so He would indicate who the elders would be. Indigenous leaders are the ones who will take ownership of caring for the local flock of God. In this blog I want to give a window into events that are taking place in the next few months. Some of these are scheduled as new introductions to our training material, or as in the case of Zambia, the training is part of an ongoing discipling and leadership development which will spill over into The Congo. Since these events require that we provide books for the students, we must plan ahead and have local printers provide quotes in various quantities. We then assess the short-term and long-term need.
God has always provided the funds when printing needs arise. We are now on our knees about the printing list below. As you read this list, will you pray with us about equipping indigenous disciples and leaders in God’s Word so they can be more effective in broadcasting the gospel to the lost. GPHD = God’s Plan for His Disciples GPHC = God’s Plan for His Church
If you want more information or desire to be part of meeting these needs, please go to our "Support" page. |
Archives
December 2023
Link To Our Old Blog:
|