Old Men Are Grumpy Around The World

We finished up our work in the village.  There was nothing more to do that day but we had more time on our hands.  So, we took a trail that led us through the fields to another smaller village.

Four Men Watching

We happened upon a construction project on a certain family’s house.  The cement pouring was in progress.  The young men were busily at work.  A bunch of children were at play.  I didn’t see any women, but they were likely very busy, just out of sight.  And then there were the four old men watching it all.  

Our national partners tried to engage the older men in conversation.  However, they were not able to get a hearing for some reason.  It was decided that I should talk to the men since I was closer to their age.  This was not really true, as they were easily 20-30 years older than me, but I never argue with national partners.  They would pray for me and play with the children, while I evangelized this time.

So I started talking with them about the events of their day and their village.  We had a pleasant, even enjoyable conversation.  They were farmers, so we talked about the crops, the weather, the harvest and their plans and challenges this year.  I don’t know much about farming, but I can ask good questions and listen well.

The more we talked the more I felt like I fit in with them and their concerns for their community and the next generation.  And the fun part about hanging out with older men is hearing the sarcasm and grumpiness come out after a while.  It reminded me yet again that people are still people wherever you go in the world, even in this isolated Asian village.

How Do The Crops Grow?

When it seemed the right time, I decided to start into a deeper topic.  I asked them how the crops grew.  Of course, they thought it was a really dumb questions, so they gave me a really dumb answer--something about soil, rain and sun.  Then I clarified that I was speaking about the mystery of life and growth.

Now we were off and running.  They told me that the whole idea of God was ridiculous and that religion was a superstition for old women and young children.  We had such a rapport at this point that I bluntly (old man style) told them that my answer of God was much less ridiculous than their non-answer.  A little cheeky, I know, but sometimes it is interesting to push people and see what happens, or rather what God can bring about.

My gamble with being impudent worked this time.  We talked about God’s benevolence to all and all of them, providing what they have and need, even people’s happiness and families.  I even went so far as to tell them that God might not like their ingratitude and using His gifts without thanking Him, let alone acknowledging His existence.  

Obviously, they had never heard such things.  More thoughtful conversation followed.  We discussed various arguments for the existence of God, such as the order of creation, but moreso the universal moral code, and then my favorite--the existence of human personality.

The Gospel Can Fit Into Any Conversation

Eventually, I shared with them my own religious upbringing (which they also had) and my journey into atheism, and finally my experience with the grace and mercy of God and putting my faith in the true God of all and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.  This was a fascinating time of storytelling and even a little Q & A.

Presuming they actually do know God exists, because God places such knowledge within everyone (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Romans 1:18-23), I continued to talk further about Jesus Christ and His person and mission.  I told them Jesus’ parable on crops growing from Mark 4:26-28, which linked back into our earlier conversation.  And of course, I went on to talk about the true meaning of His words regarding spiritual growth and Kingdom growth.  

Well, that was enough transparency for that afternoon, for all of us.  We all had things to do.  It was time for us to leave, as our ride would be arriving back in the other village shortly.  They asked me if the real reason I came was to tell them about God.  The answer was simple, “yes.”  

We left information about having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, both in print and video format.  And I further explained that these friends of mine (national partners) who had been translating and playing with the children, are the ones they could talk to at a later time.  

It Pays To Talk To Everyone

The following week our partners would make a follow up visit and see if the Holy Spirit had done any further work in the village, or with these four men.  The information spread as you can imagine--sometimes unbelievers turn out to be great evangelists!  But, there was no fruit, at least not yet anyway.  

It is amazing to me how often God brings these men to my mind to be praying for them and their village.  And the main lesson I learned that day was that there is almost always a way to engage even the most difficult people.

You Too Can Interpret Dreams

A whack to the back of the knees and I am on my way!

The ski lift carries me and a newly made Asian friend on a long trip down the mountain after visiting a particular Buddhist shrine together.  Such trips often provide wonderful opportunities to talk about the nature of goodness, beauty and truth--and eventually about God and the ultimate meaning of life.  So, I take many of them.

On The Spot, On The Ski Lift

We find a lot to talk about during that almost hour long ride down hill.  Mainly we talk about a dream she had recently that had been bothering her.  I don’t recall the details now after a few years, but it seemed to me nothing that out of the ordinary.  But, then she asked me if I could tell her what it means.  She was looking for more than ideas, but really an interpretation that would make sense and provide meaning for her life.

I had never been asked about dreams so seriously, almost desperately, before.  Not knowing what to say, I prayed silently and very fast for wisdom.  I was honest with her and said that I couldn’t really interpret dreams, but if she told me more about it, I would do my best to help her find any meaning that I might surmise.

To my surprise, as she was telling me her dream, it reminded me of a biblical story in the Old Testament.  I really wish I could remember, but it was just one of the more ordinary ones.  So, I simply told her the Bible story it seemed to parallel and asked if she had heard the story before.  She said no, but then wanted to more about the Bible story.  So, I told it again in more detail.

She then asked the best question, “how does this relate to my life?”  This was a perfect opportunity to explain how this story fit into God’s larger story of redemption in Jesus Christ.  I talked further about how Jesus Christ has given my own life greater meaning, really its ultimate meaning.  

Then I asked her what she thought, and if she thought this might be a good explanation of her dream.  She thought so, definitely.  However, she wanted to do some more thinking about whether she could or should entrust her life to Jesus Christ.  At about that moment we landed at the bottom of the mountain.  And we and some other friends would talk more later.

First Training In Dream Interpretation

A few others from our mission team were asked similar questions on the ski lift.  This was the first day of a week of many dream interpretation questions.  Dreams meant a lot to these people we were meeting.  

It seemed that God was stirring their hearts about eternal concerns and bringing them to us.  Regardless, they were so eager to talk, that if we didn’t talk through their dreams with them, they would find others who would, and likely they would be led astray.  

So, we decided to train our team with a crash course in dream interpretation.  This sounds ludicrous, and it really did seem so to us, as well.  The joke was that my name was Daniel after all and it was time to live up to my name!  Of course, his situation was entirely different, much more serious, and of far greater importance.  What we were doing was nothing of the sort.

We simply taught our team to not be fearful but prayerful; and to ask good questions and listen well, and above all to be compassionate toward our new trusting friends.  We instructed our team to be honest and not claim to really know how to interpret dreams.  

However, we also taught them to be bold in talking about the Scriptures and the God wrote wrote them for us, for our salvation and our lives.  So, they should listen for similar stories in the Bible they could tell, and then talk easily about their fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ.  They should wrap up the conversation by turning the dream back over to their friend to ponder in light of the biblical message they heard.

A lot happened that week.  God opened up many more opportunities for His Gospel that we could never have planned.  We were able to share with hundreds of people.  And all together we witnessed 25 professions of faith and the beginnings of two new churches.

Be Prepared, You Might Be Asked Next

You too can interpret dreams.  No, its clearly not the same type of work as the biblical Daniel.  But, that is not what these dear people were asking for anyway, or many others who might approach you.  So don’t freak out, just pray and then talk about the meaning of life from the Bible and from your experience with God.  

Most often people simply want to hear about the meaning of life from someone who to them seems to have greater insight.  Since you know God then you are the one who knows the meaning of life.  

Everyone Goes On Every Trip

This saying shaped the culture of our church.  One of our goals as a congregation was to grow together to become a group of people committed to the global mission of the Gospel.  The saying “everyone goes on every trip” set the expectation for each of our  mission trips.

The approach was simple:  some would go, and the rest of us would send and support in many different ways.  There was always something for everyone to do.  We would seek people out and create opportunities for them to be involved.  Here are a few of the ideas that worked well for us.

Before the Mission Trip

The team was selected about six months before each trip.  Then the team would meet for special prayer and training meetings every other week until they left.  This time of prayer was promoted to the whole congregation to join with the team to ask God for success with His Gospel.

One simple tool that was always useful in the work were “Gospel bracelets” consisting of colored beads which corresponded to the “wordless book” presentation.  These would be used as gifts and as conversation starters.  It was a large project to assemble these, and a great way to meaningfully involve the children and youth of our church.

Funding of trips can be done in a variety of ways.  For us it culminated in our fundraising dinner held one month before each trip.  We encouraged people not to give to the trip at all until this dinner.  The letters had gone out to friends and family, and most of all the donations had been given.  However, there would always be a significant gap.  So, people were instructed to bring their checkbooks to the dinner and pray in advance about what the Lord would have them give.

This event is where we would share the vision for the mission trip and the specific strategies to be used in doing evangelism and church planting.  Each of the team members would share from their hearts, as well, about why they were going and what they hoped to see God do.  We ended the dinner with a time of group check writing; then we listened to music while the figures were tallied, and finally we would praise God how He always brought in the amount we needed!  This happened with every trip.

During the Mission Trip

Part of the dinner included signing up for very important support roles that would be played out during the two-week mission trip.  One role was to “Adopt a Missionary,” which involved preparing personal cards of daily encouragement to send along with that missionary.  It also involved praying more intentionally for that one person on the team during the trip.  

A related role was to “Adopt a Missionary’s Family,” which meant being committed to take care of any needs that arose during the trip.  Often this would involve fixing things around the house that broke.  It might include mowing the lawn, running errands, taking care of children and even simply providing encouragement to the spouse.

We believe that prayer is the most important activity accompanying the proclamation of the Gospel.  We put together a 24-hour “Prayer Chain,” with one-hour slots, where a person committed to pray during that hour each day.  We filled the list up twice, sometimes three times over.  Related to prayer is fasting, and so we also put together a list for “Daily Fasting,” where people would sign up to fast one of the days during the trip.

One of the biggest blessings was getting communication back home from the team out working.  A team member was selected to write a daily progress email and send it to a point person in the congregation who would then disseminate it to the church.

After the Mission Trip

Unlike many churches, when our teams returned we kept the story-telling to a minimum for about five days.  And we purposefully did not share anything during the Sunday morning worship service.  This is because we wanted a whole evening to tell stories and celebrate together what God did.  

Since the whole church had been personally invested in the mission trip, the whole church would show up for the evening of story-telling.  The team was coached on how to tell their stories well, and in such a way that magnified God and His power.  What evenings of joy and blessings these were--three hours of sharing, crying, rejoicing, and simply being amazed at God together!  We would observe that so many prayers were answered so specifically, and that God worked in and through us as His church so gloriously that we were greatly honored and humbled.

Of course, this would just be the beginning of the stories.  Now the team was free to share completely in their small groups, over lunch with friends, and at other churches to encourage them, as well.  In just a few short months it would be time to plan the next mission trip.  It was these stories that moved most people to consider physically going on the next trip themselves.

Mission work is a whole lot of fun and very exciting when “everyone goes on every trip.”  We all knew the saying and loved it; and loved how it grew on us, built us as a community of believers, and enlarged our hearts for the glory of God.  

Our church mission verse came to be:
Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV “Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

I Am Not Usually Two Hours Late, Honestly

A few years ago, in a Buddhist country, in southeast Asia, a consortium of local churches from different denominations got together and planned an intense campaign to preach widely and plant as many churches as possible in one week.  

It was my very first exposure to such an approach, and I felt honored to be part of a team brought in to help.  Actually, it was their first attempt at such an approach, as well, but their faith and zeal were strong.  The result from that week of ministry was over 300 professions of faith and five new churches planted.

Two Hours Late Was Not Too Late, Thankfully

We learned a lot from one another while ministering the Gospel together that week.  One special memory sticks out above the rest for me.  It took place in an apartment where thirty young adults had gathered secretly to hear about the message of Christianity.  This was all arranged in advance and with the specific people chosen.  My partner and I were to arrive at a certain time and speak to the people.

A phone call came in asking what happened.  Where were we.  We were supposed to be there two hours ago.  We didn’t know what happened, but there was some miscommunication.  So, we frantically headed to the location, praying for the people--that they would stay, and that they would remain open to receiving us and the message.  

When we arrived we were welcomed warmly.  All the people had stayed.  After appropriate apologies and honoring our hosts and national leaders, we began.  They were eager to hear what we had to say and wanted to get right to the topic.

Could We Squeeze The Gospel Into Just An Hour?

Most of them were disenchanted with Buddhism but did not know what to do about it.  They especially wanted to hear answers from Christians outside of their own culture, which I found interesting.

We shared the basic outline of the Gospel from the very beginning, about who God is, to what He has done, starting from Creation, on to Christ and the Cross, and clear on out to His return and the final state of glory.  We spent most of this 30 minutes or so talking about the person of Jesus Christ, which was their main interest.

This was all done through translation by a couple nationals who were also Christian workers.  We took a few questions with their help, and certainly they filled in our answers with what really needed to be said.  A few knew some English.  We finished up our presentation time with sharing our personal stories about how Jesus Christ had transformed us and our families.

After that hour, about half group decided to start following Christ.  Amazing!  God had been at work preparing them for this day, at work through others who had shared the Gospel with some of them before, at work in their lives, in their minds and their hearts.  This group of people spent another hour or so with my partner talking in more detail about being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

What would we do with the others?  They obviously still had many questions, so I decided to sit with them and hear their concerns, even their objections and try my best to answer their questions.  I had no idea this would be so valuable to them.

The Two Best Questions I Have Ever Been Asked

It began, “you said that Jesus Christ was God and that he was man, so which is it?”  What a great question!  We looked at a some Scriptures and then spent time slowly talking and thinking through the two natures in the one person of Jesus Christ, and its reasonableness, yet its glorious mystery, and precisely how this is related to our salvation.  Most of them understood how this could be true; and then we had to talk some about God being Triune, which was made a little easier by starting with the person of Christ.

The big practical question on their minds was on the difference between Buddhist and Christian meditation.  This was out of my league, so I had them explain Buddhist meditation to me and tell me about their personal practices with it.  Many of them said they didn’t find it meaningful.  Picking up on their emptying concept, I said that in contrast Christian meditation is about filling our minds.

We looked at Psalm 1 together.  I had them read it aloud.  They loved it and started talking excitedly about it for a number of minutes before I could get any translation about the conversation from my national Christian friend.  I waited patiently and prayerfully as the work was being done by my national partner, and really the Word of God itself.  They understood very well, and wanted me to tell about my experience of following Psalm 1 and its results in my life.  What an amazing blessing to talk with these dear people who want to know God about knowing God!  A few more became disciples.

After two hours of this spiritual intensity, we ate a simple lunch together.  It was a joyful time being crammed together in that small apartment for half a day talking about matters of eternal significance.  We prayed with this group of new believers.  And best of all, our national partners were praising God for the results--possibly a new church!

Lessons On Partnership And Questions

While we were saying our good-byes, we were thanked for coming and sharing, of course.  But, then a number of them shared more deeply about how they felt like they had never been allowed to ask their religious questions before, or get any kind of real answers from their religious leaders.  I don’t know how accurate this was, but we affirmed that in Christianity questions are always welcome, even the most difficult questions, and that the answers are always found in the Bible.  

Then, motioning to our national partners, we affirmed that they deeply cared for them, understood their questions far better than anyone else, and wanted to continue teaching them about our Lord Jesus Christ.

That was a great day!  God showed me the joy to be had in welcoming those who have honest questions, answering them from His Scripture, and watching Him at work.  God also showed me the value of working in partnership and in teams.  There is simply no other better way.

1 Corinthians 3:5–8 ESV “What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.”

Don't Simply Save Individuals

A few years ago I had the privilege of working with a church in north Africa to plant cell churches in a number of apartment buildings throughout their neighborhood.  Each building would be occupied by an extended family network and their friends.  So going after the whole unit as the foundation for a church made for a good strategy.

Two westerners along with two local church members would make up a team.  As a team we would find easy entrance into an apartment.  Conversation flowed easily in this hospitable culture.  Religion was a popular topic and one of great personal interest.  We would end up using the Bible and talking through the issues of salvation in Jesus Christ.

More Tea Equals More People

A typical meeting started with a family grouping of four to eight people.  We would drink tea and talk for about an hour and get through the whole message.  About when we think it is time to leave an older man would arrive and maybe a couple others.  

“Would you like some more tea?” we were asked.  Sure.  Then we were told to start all over again and the beginning so this new group could hear it.  We were shocked at the level of interest and happily spent another hour explaining the Gospel.  We finish up.  Then, yet someone older would arrive.

“Would you like some more tea?” we were asked again.  Okay.  Then we were told to start all over again with these new people and everyone else listening again.  I had never experienced anything like this.  So, we did.

Guess what happened next?  Yes, even more people arrive.  More tea.  More Gospel conversation.  I was wondering if this was really necessary.  Couldn’t they just repeat the story themselves and let us go?  Were they just playing with us?  Weren’t they tired or bored?  No, it was all serious.  

Clearly, God was working, and yet this was not an isolated incident.  It would happen in most of the homes and with most of the teams that week, not always to the fourth round, but very often twice if not three times.  

The Value Of Existing Community Networks

I was pleased that we would end up with a larger and larger group--that the group was family, relatives and close friends.  It was wonderful that they all lived in the same building, already respected and trusted one another, in other words already lived in community.  What a wonderful way to hopefully start a church!

By spending so much time together, about half a day, we were able to talk about many things that were important to all of us.  We talked about our families and our lives.  We shared photos, told stories, laughed and even sympathized with one another.  We discussed troubles, goals and dreams all at the same time.  People are people world round.  We could pray together.

That experience in that society was my first exposure to the value of group evangelism over individual evangelism, or even over mass evangelism with a lot of disconnected individuals.  It fit their culture.  In so many places in the world, when isolated individuals become Christians, it is often really hard to form them into groups that work.  This is because, unlike America, they are more communally oriented and less individualistic.

But more than that, we were able to have quality discussion without being in a hurry.  We could take the time to answer questions and seek out clear understanding.  There is so much value in repeating the story.  New questions would arise and new paths of discussion would be followed.  

The community influencers were giving serious thought to the message of grace, peace and hope.  We were also helping our partners build new relationships that could easily be followed up.  We didn’t use any tricky tools or cute costumes, just one or two Bible passages that explained Jesus Christ, His work and new life in Him.

A Group Over An Individual Methodology

This is a method I have adopted:  to gather groups first, groups that have a sense of community, so that if the Lord saves with His Gospel, they would easily become churches.  I would much rather plant churches than simply save individuals.  

This makes church planting a whole lot easier.  The community of trust and relationship is naturally present.  The leaders are already known and accepted.  And the foundation has been laid for ongoing vibrant and honest discussion of the Scripture. 

I wonder if such an approach might even work in America.  Perhaps there are places where pockets of true community already exist but where the Gospel has not yet been proclaimed.  If you attempt it, going for groups not individuals, let me know what happens.

Can We Move The Chicken To The Side?

It wasn’t too long ago I found myself in a remote village in tropical Asia.  I was traveling with three national partners when all of a sudden they decide to take a detour and check out a certain village.  

According to our standard procedure we find someone who smiles and engages us in conversation.  This day, we ask them for a tour of their village.  This takes a while.  We ask about history, stories and issues of pride.  We exchange gifts.  We eventually find ourselves ushered into a very large local ancestor worship site, especially considering the size of this village.

Idol Worship Begins

Worship begins while we are standing there.  Twelve young men unload and light up bundles of incense, unpack the chicken and other assorted offerings, and set it all up in front of the larger-than-life statues.  It is all done perfunctorily, for good luck if it might come their way.  Within a matter of ten minutes it is summed up with the lighting of a few rounds of firecrackers.  The oddest thing is that they don't seem to mind that strangers, including a foreigner, are in the shrine with them.

When the noise subsides the people just hang out for a while.  My partners and I start praying and conferring about our next move and how we might preach the Gospel in this place of idols.  The Holy Spirit starts flooding our minds with options.  It is decided that I will be the fall guy and so one of them introduces me, the foreigner, to talk about world religions and get to the uniqueness of Jesus Christ as fast as possible.   This way the translator can’t be blamed for “repeating” my words, although my partners are much better at this work than I am.

True Worship Explained

Well, by God’s grace, they are all fascinated by my summary of world history in five minutes, and my claim that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the true and only hope for us all.  I ask if they would like to watch a 15-20 minute video that would explain it all more fully.  They agree.  We forgot the video player.  No problem, they send someone off and within a few minutes procure one.  

So, then I ask, “Could we move the chicken to the side?”  I see the opportunity for irony, to replace the idol sacrifice with the true message of life.  It works, as they have no problem with the idea.  There sits the Gospel video playing right at the feet of the replica of the great ancestor couple--cool!

Four leave during the transition from my speaking to the video.  The remaining bystanders are all fascinated by the opening scenes of the video, which explain who God is and His great work of Creation.  As the story becomes more detailed about the Fall and how sin thoroughly corrupted and enslaved humanity a couple more guys peel off.  Not much longer and yet a couple more leave.  

However, the final four make it through the whole Gospel presentation and hang out for some Q & A.  In a matter of minutes though we are left talking with one young man.  But, he seems genuinely interested, has some questions and says he will give the message further thought.  This is their first hearing of the God’s Good News in Jesus Christ.

About six of the men return with massive amounts of firecrackers to resume their ancestor worship.  That effectively breaks up our conversation and forces us to end our visit, being deafeningly loud in that tiny concrete shrine.

Lessons On Prayer And Boldness

This whole experience taught me many things.  The Scripture that captured that day in the the village is 2 Corinthians 4:1-6, especially verse 4, “In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

My good friends and national partners taught me to pray as often as I breathe for opportunities for the Gospel of Christ and the impressions of the Holy Spirit leading me where to share it.  They also taught me to sow the seed of the Gospel broadly regardless of how people respond, and without over-thinking the presentation.  

The third and most important lesson I learned that day was to preach more boldly than I have ever done before, and to do so fearlessly, giving less heed to personal safety, caution or human prudence, than I have in the past.

The Self-Proclaimed Half-Christian

A few years ago in Asia, I met a man named Lance, a self-proclaimed “half-Christian.”  To my surprise it was obvious that he saw this as a very good thing, being proud of his commitment, and he wanted to let me know that he was like me, a “full-Christian,” I suppose.

Was This An Invitation?

At least Lance was honest.  In America, people cover this up and say they are fully Christian when they are really only half-Christian.  So, I engaged him in a few significant conversations over the next few days.  I had never met a person espousing such a position.  I was wondering:  What does he mean?  Is there such a thing?  How would this work?  What would it look like?

At first, it seemed his comment was an open invitation to dialogue about Jesus Christ, His teachings and ultimately His Cross and glory.  And we did get to talk seriously about these things and from the Biblical text itself.  However, in time his original comment would be used again as a polite way of saying he didn’t want any more of Jesus or Christianity.

I found this out during one particular dialogue we had about Jesus’ demands for morality.  His countenance quickly changed as we got into specifics.  I found out which “half” of Christianity he didn’t embrace.  He loved his carousing, womanizing, and various other illicit pursuits.  I am still puzzled over which “half” he actually did embrace--I am thinking just the sound of the name “Christian” and any benefits he could get out of using it.

Merely A Relationship Of Self-Interest

His motivation for befriending our group was purely opportunistic as a businessman seeking to advance his standing by having American friends.  However, he was useful to us, as well, as an odd sort of “person of peace” (Matthew 10), who opened doors for us and the Gospel.  He even went to bat for us with local authorities when there was concern about our activities. 

At least for that week our relationship worked, and worked for mutual benefit.  It reminds me of Jesus’ words in Mark 9:40 ESV, “For the one who is not against us is for us.”  During our team’s short visit, the Gospel was delivered not only to him, but throughout the community and over 40 people professed to become “full-Christians” and four small house churches were formed.

An Evangelism Lesson Learned

God surprises us by using the most interesting people and the most fascinating circumstances sometimes to get His Mission accomplished.  Lance actually helped us to be more forthright in our evangelism about Jesus’ moral teachings and speak clearly about both aspects of conversion--repentance and faith.  

Perhaps, if we were more upfront about this in our evangelism here at home we would make more “full-Christians” and fewer “half-Christians.”

The Hot Tub Pontificator

After a long day of work, my colleague and I were relaxing in the hot tub at our Chicago hotel.  We were talking about our progress in meetings that day, catching up on our family news, since we hadn’t seen one another in a few months, when Pete plopped himself in our midst and interrupted quite rudely.

Pete had been drinking, eyes glazed over.  He also had had some relationship troubles with his girl friend back in the room.  Pete just started talking, and talking, and talking, really being annoying.  It was getting unpleasant, and my friend and I were about to leave.  Then, Pete told us that he had just found out the day before that his mother had died.  Actually, she had died a number of months ago, but his family kept the news from him until yesterday (this was a long story).  He was in town to find resolution.

Well now we couldn’t just leave this twenty-something messed up kid alone in the hot tub.  His troubles went from pathetic to really pathetic, and amazingly complicated and dysfunctional to the point that he couldn’t be making this stuff up.  My friend and I were pastors, after all, and being such we have heard it all.  We let him dump, we felt sorry for the guy, even if he did ruin our night.

We were praying for Pete’s openness to the Gospel when all of sudden Pete started talking about his religious background.  It was a combination of traditional Roman Catholicism mixed with his own self-righteous rationalism.  My friend and I kept our identities hidden, because announcing that one is a pastor usually changes relational dynamics too quickly.  We just probed his thinking with questions, and he kept on talking and revealing things.

He was happy to find some fellow Christians he could instruct. We talked about the Gospel and the inability of man to be good enough before God, and then took it personal by telling our own stories and asking about his life. Things got heated pretty quickly as we had touched a nerve about his view of himself.  He started lecturing us on philosophy, religion, the Bible, politics and whatever else came to mind, even physically getting in our faces (probably due to the alcohol).  He dogmatically camped out on the Golden Rule as many people do, while refusing to see the irony of how he had just treated his girlfriend back in the room.

Okay, we had to reveal who we really were at this point.  He was stunned, of course, since we held this back for so long.  It turned out to be a good tactical move on our part though, the timing.  He asked us to explain the Gospel and answer various questions he has had for a while.  We cleared up some of his thinking, but his veneer of respect for us quickly wore off, and he was back to being pompous and antagonistic.  He even started lecturing us about Greek, Hebrew and Latin and all sorts of wild smokescreens to prove himself and hide from what we were telling him about Jesus Christ.

After about an hour of this, it was clearly time to close the conversation.  He was exhausted.  And we encouraged him on how to practically repair his relationship with his girlfriend.  He said he wanted answers, so we left him with a challenge to read the book of Romans.  He said he had read it before.  We challenged him to read it differently this time.  We told him to look for the answers to the questions we had been talking about regarding how a person gets right with God, and to pray and ask God to answer his questions, if he was serious.  We challenged him on his true resolution, as well.  And we told him that we would pray for him in this and all his troubles that night.

My friend and I were so glad that we stayed and listened to the pontifications of a drunken fool.  We enjoyed ministering the Gospel together.  And we talked about how often we each end up in such strange confrontational conversations with people.  We don’t like these types of Gospel talks, nor are we particularly gifted and handling them, but we sensed that night that God was truly using and guiding us throughout the event.

The next morning we saw Pete at the front desk as we were all checking out.  He apologized and was very thankful for our advice on so many subjects the previous night.  He promised to work on Romans and we told him that we prayed for him as we said we would, and so we expected him to keep his word and read Romans the way we suggested.

I have prayed for Pete this year on occasion, and his messed up family, messed up life and messed up theology.  May God be gracious and open his eyes to the glory of Jesus Christ and the salvation and life transformation there is in Him.

Faith With An Attitude

Our Lord Christ places many expectations upon His followers. In the larger section of Luke 17:1-10, He talks about certain attitudes He expects from us; and in verses 5-6 He talks about our attitude about our faith.

Luke 17:5–6 ESV “The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

Stop Asking For More Faith

The Apostles begin with a very good request of the Lord Jesus Christ.  They ask for more faith realizing that it is really He who can and does give more faith.  Jesus’ answer is not what they, or we, would have expected.  

Basically, Jesus tells them that the presence of true faith is more important than its quantity.  The image of the mustard seed faith is a proverbial way of referring to something very small.  Such a small amount of faith can indeed accomplish amazing things, so “Go use your faith and do something extraordinary for the Kingdom!”

For example black mulberry trees grow to be 35 feet tall, can live up to 600 years, and develop very deep root systems.  Hey, why don’t you go uproot such a tree--that would be quite a feat!  Jesus makes it sound like such trees are just sitting around waiting to obey someone with the faith to tell them to get up and go jump in the sea to their own destruction.  

Why would we want to do such a strange thing with our Christian faith?!  That is exactly the point--to go do something startling and difficult with our faith, exceeding the ordinary expectations of the world and the Church!

Start Doing More With Your Faith

You surely have experienced this at some time in your Christian walk--when you stepped out in faith to attempt something great for God.  Maybe it was just confronting someone in sin, or forgiving them, as mentioned by Luke right before this in verses 1-4.

For many of us, it might have been on a mission trip or during a community outreach, when we were stretched beyond our comfort zone.  Use your own life example for yourself.  Surely you have one story by which to be encouraged.

The application is glaringly obvious:  to do amazing things, not normal things, with the faith you have been given.  God doesn’t give us His faith just so that we can live a happy comfortable life in glorious normality!

Don’t Just Pray, Really Pray . . . Do Something!

So, how do we pray for the ministries of our churches, and for one another?  What are we asking for--just normal things or truly amazing things?  And how do we pray for our missionaries?  What are we asking for--just normal things or truly amazing things?

A little faith can be highly potent, if it is developed through a lifestyle of prayer and use.  If you want more faith, you must exercise the faith you have.  This is how faith grows, not just by sitting around, thinking about it and asking for more of it.  Ask for the glory of God, and then act accordingly with faith, for His glory in all things.

Life and ministry are meant to be experienced as a faith adventure with God.  Would you be a missional church that takes great risks, without fear of failure, for the advancement of the fame of Jesus Christ?  Would you commit to being a missional Christian who thrives upon the vision of the glory of God among all peoples and their full enjoyment of Him?

We must use the faith we have for doing amazing things.  We develop the faith expected of us by using the faith we have.  Have you been asking for more faith, but not really using what you have?  Where might the Spirit be pushing you to trust Christ and be more bold . . . and rip out some mulberry trees?

Exercise your faith, with an attitude!

Top Ten Reasons Not To Go

We have all heard them before.  There are numerous reasons people give to not go on short-term mission trips overseas.  

At first, they appear to be legitimate objections or concerns.  Consider then, however, the same objections, when placed in the context of a stateside trip.  They will be recognized almost immediately as absurd.  Why is this?  

Below are some of the most popular reasons, placed in the context of a trip to New Orleans, where we also sent a team.

10.  I don’t know if my stomach can take the food and I might get sick.
9.    Isn’t it dangerous with all the snakes there?
8.    How will we find Cajon interpreters, or whatever, for whatever they speak there?
7.    Isn’t it better stewardship to send money?
6.    Aren’t there churches in Louisiana to help? We have many needs right where we are.
5.    We can’t really accomplish much in just one week.
4.    My children are my primary mission field.
3.    I can’t afford to go.
2.    I don’t have a heart for those people.
1.    I don’t feel called to go.

Thankfully, we don’t hear such ludicrous statements being made for not going to New Orleans and helping minister physically and spiritually to those suffering from disasters like hurricane Katrina.  But, why then do we hear these statements so often from people in regard to doing foreign mission work?  Worse yet, we often consider that these excuses might really be valid and so we grant them legitimacy far too quickly.  

In regard to helping victims of Katrina, the sheer magnitude of the catastrophe, suffering, and needs render these excuses unacceptable by comparison.  But, when we consider the spiritual and physical needs of those overseas, especially in the 10/40 window, such magnitude dwarfs that of Katrina, especially when we talk about the scale of spiritual needs.

Certainly, there are valid reasons for people not to go on short-term mission campaigns, whether a passport is needed or not.  But, none of the above ten reasons should be included in this category.  Even then, they can support those who do go with sincere encouragement, faithful prayer, and sacrificial financial support. 

These ten reasons don’t need, nor do they deserve, a detailed biblical answer.  Perhaps, it would be more helpful if we were more forthright in telling people the truth--about themselves and about the mission.  In fact it might be more thought provoking to give a simple reflection on basic familiar Bible passages combined with pithy candid responses (as below).  Sometimes, this is all it will take to lead to a more thorough reflection by those convinced that they have the perfect spiritual excuse.  So much more could be said in response to each of these ten items than what is contained in this short article; but, hopefully, this will be enough to stimulate and embolden.

10.  I don’t know if my stomach can take the food and I might get sick.

This is why your mother told you to eat all your food when you were young, including the smelly scary green broccoli.  Pepto Bismol tablets work and are easy to pack.  Bring some of your own food, then.  Just listen to what you are saying here!  Yes, you might get sick, too.  So, bring medicine.  But, then again, you might get sick staying home, going to school, or work . . . oh my, what dangers!

9.  Isn’t it dangerous with all the snakes there?

It is not likely something traumatic will happen to you.  Snake-bite kits can be had for a nominal cost.  And the natives will be able and glad to help you too, by the way.  They deal with such dangers all the time.  And don’t forget, you live with such dangers all the time in your own context--dangers that are unique to your own geography.

8.  How will we find Cajon interpreters, or whatever, for whatever they speak there?

It is easy to work through interpreters and they are eager to help you because you have come to help them.  It is beginning to look like this list is more from fear than anything else.

7.  Isn’t it better stewardship to send money?

This is sometimes true.  But, most often this is the typical American excuse to get out of the hard work and the personal commitment.  People are needed far more than money.  It is amazing how playing this old “stewardship” card can so easily appear so spiritual when much of the time it only reveals lack of spirituality and even hypocrisy.  Just ask people how much they are currently giving.

6.  Aren’t there churches in Louisiana to help?  We have many needs right where we are.

I often wonder whether or not such an excuse comes from people that are actually engaged in such local work--surely some are, I know.  We need to remember that we are a universal and interdependent Church.  God has designed it this way.  Broadly speaking, we have way more resources than we need at home.  Help needs to be strategically funneled to the areas of greatest need.  I wonder if perhaps this is not just selfishness in disguise.  How would we feel about this excuse if the roles were reversed?

5.  We can’t really accomplish much in just one week.

Well, you won’t know if you don’t try.  Actually, the evidence is in, and a whole lot has been accomplished with one-week trips.  Just think about how much you could get done even around your own house if you had a full week 24/7 with no demands or responsibilities!  Might this excuse in many cases be boiled down to laziness?

4.  My children are my primary mission field.

Who came up with such a non-biblical family-idolizing statement?!  Jesus said we are to love Him more than our own families, even.  The mission field is those who have never heard.  This excuse in practice really means my “only” ministry.  Of course, we will teach our own children; going on a short-term trip is not an abrogation of this duty.  Be real, we certainly have more time and resources than for just our own families?!  Besides, when you think about it what better way to model biblical priorities in the discipling of our children.

3.  I can’t afford to go.

Sure you can, if you are resourceful, creative, and put your trust in God.  Generally, in America this excuse is not believable.  Typically, we find the money for the things we want and the things we want to do.  The real question is “what do you want to do?”  Fundraising is a wonderful way to involve more people in the mission, encourage their spiritual health and growth, and spread the vision to more of God’s people.

2.  I don’t have a heart for those people.

So, get one!  I thought Christians were to love all people.  How would you like someone to say such things about you?!  Besides, mission trips are not about you; don’t be so selfish!  On the positive side, you will get a heart once you go.  Try it, and see what God will do in you.

1.  I don’t feel called to go.

So what!  Haven’t we already been commanded to go?  Isn’t this enough?  And what level of “calling” is really necessary for a 7-10 day short-term mission trip?!  If you are talking full-time career mission, then calling becomes a real issue.  Just take the vacation time and get on the plane.  You will be blessed.  And you will discover your calling in the going--it is SO thrilling!

If we hear these excuses coming out of our own hearts, minds, and mouths, or from others in our churches, I hope we will not let them pass without an evaluation.  I would suggest that only in rare exceptional cases should any of these reasons be considered valid.  And there certainly will be other reasons and even related reasons that are legitimate.  But, most of the time people just don’t want to go or be involved.  And this is precisely what they need to say, being honest, facing themselves.  We must pray for courage and then act in faith as we lead people to re-think their involvement in the mission of the church.

World Christian Prayer Meetings

When our church sent out our first mission team we prayed a lot.  This was because we were sending our leaders into a dangerous country in southeast Asia for two weeks.  Anything could happen, and since we were new at this, we feared the worst.  

We organized special prayer meetings twice a week for four months in advance.  Attendance was high and prayers were detailed and fervent.  We were in this together, life or death.

Then, after hearing the reports from our team that arrived safely home, we were encouraged to try it again, and to pray even more, because we saw that prayer works.  That was the genesis of our World Christian Prayer Meetings (WCPMs).

They Took On a Variety of Forms

Our global vision was to create a “World Christian” climate in our church.  This was developed largely through these prayer meetings.  Initially, they were focused around the mission trips, for a a few months beforehand.  But then, the form of these WCPMs changed a little each year.  

Later on, they became standard mid-week prayer meetings, but not to be confused with the infamous slow-paced long-listed vision-lacking somber-like-somebody-died prayer meetings, rather these were entirely focused upon His Mission and His Glory and pressing forward.  

Eventually, we settled in and held them on Sunday evenings monthly.  The meetings were always filled with energetic believing prayers directed at Gospel progress around the world.  Regardless of how tired you might be going in, it was always worth it because you would be roused by the Spirit over the advance of the Kingdom.

The Outline Remained the Same

We would break into groups of four or five adults and youth.  Children were always welcome, of course.  There were five movements of prayer each meeting.  The leader would be well prepared with current information.  It was one hour of serious and joyful praying together--truly one of the highlights of each month of ministry!

1. Sharing of Scripture about God’s Mission in the world.
2. Praying for our own church’s vision for Gospel impact among the unreached people group we adopted and the surrounding region.  We would pray for our partners, upcoming trips, church planting, and many other things on our hearts.
   
3. Praying for an unusual place in the world using Operation World.  We skimmed through the description in our groups, and then we prayed.  Sometimes we would have a brief motivational media presentation.
   
4. Praying for one of our supported missionaries.  We contacted them that week to get up to date prayer requests.  After praying that night, many would contact our missionaries, and keep us all current with their needs, successes, worries and much more.
   
5. Praying for our own church’s vision for Gospel impact in our own community.  We would pray through our vision, goals, and for our staff and leaders dedicated to making it happen.  We would pray along with all the developments.

Praying for Laborers in the Kingdom Harvest

Every prayer meeting was grounded in these words of Jesus Christ our Lord, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38)

The Kingdom is here with the Messiah and it is time to bring people into the Kingdom.  The problem is that the harvest is ready but there are so few laborers who are ready.  There are always so many people ready to come into the Kingdom. Do you see this problem?  Are you concerned about this problem?  

The solution to the problem is, first of all, prayer.  We are told to ask, beg, plead with the “Lord of the Harvest,” who is overseeing and directing His Harvest, bringing many into His Kingdom.  This is urgent.  We are to Pray now! Pray often! Pray continually!  “Please, please, please, Lord send out more workers into the Kingdom Harvest!”  Be prepared that those who pray such prayers are going to end up being those involved in the going, and it will be thrilling . . . becoming a World Christian!

Luke Suggests Hanging Out With Sinners More Often

There are many lost sinners in this world, but some will be given ears to hear and will repent and believe, becoming “found sinners.”  Luke would have the Church imitate Jesus in pursuing sinners for joy--their, ours, and heaven’s.  Many sinners will be attracted to Jesus and the Gospel. 

A World Wide Movement of Sinners

Luke 15:1 ESV “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.”

The sinners of the world are uniting in flocking to Jesus.  With great irony Luke says that “all” the despised dishonest unpatriotic Jewish tax-collectors and “all” the ignored flagrant sexually immoral sinners were streaming to Jesus--even at the moment, even after the demanding call of 14:25-35!  Maybe some were from that crowd, heard the speech, and were inspired by His demand that He must occupy first place in the lives of His disciples with everything else in distant second.

Luke desires to impress upon us that this is what sinners often do, even in our day--they flock to Jesus.  Why?  Because many want to repent before God and receive His forgiveness and new life.  He is further implying that such sinners who are hated by religious hypocrites are quite often attracted to Jesus; although Jesus should be more frightening because of His holiness.  So, when this actually happens, we know that God is at work in them--to cause them to come in spite of fear.

Pushback by the Self-Righteous

Luke 15:2 ESV “And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.””

But the self-righteous religious (who are the not-so-righteous-after-all) despise such a movement of sinners.  The Pharisees and Scribes grumbled among themselves yet again.  To them, it is disgusting that a rabbi would have such a following of these types of people.  To them, it is repulsive that a rabbi would have such fellowship with them--sharing meals, even.  We don’t know for certain but if Jesus was involved in hosting such meals, then all the worse!

Most religious leaders of the day didn’t understand what the Bible teaches us about separation from sinners.  They missed the fact that Jesus is not participating in their sinful activities, nor is He even accepting their lifestyles, not even tacitly.  He would speak against such things to their faces, even while socializing with them.  However, this association with sinners is just too close of an association for those religious leaders to accept.

Jesus was looking for the responsive among the sinners.  Surely, there were many more who loved their sin, hated Him, and avoided or left Him.  But, these are not the focus here, rather the other kind of sinners--those humbled by their sin.  Such sinners were the ones Jesus was seeking out--those who would repent and put their faith in Him, and so bring God and heaven great joy.

Three Parables of Joy

The Pharisees and Scribes didn’t know who Jesus was, nor why He came, because they were not listening.  Jesus proceeded to tell them two parables of joy:  finding the lost sheep (vv.4-7) and the lost coin (vv.8-10), explaining again exactly who He is and why He came.  In fact “joy” is mentioned five times in these brief stories.  Then, He described this joy in the lengthy and famous parable of the lost son (vv.11-32).

These parables teach us that we share in God’s joy by using His Gospel to search for and find sinners who repent.  There is great joy when sinners return to God their Creator as God their Redeemer.  Luke assumes this is a great joy that we live for too! 

Build a Reputation like Jesus

Matthew 11:19 ESV “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.””

Many sinners will be attracted to Jesus and the Gospel.  So, befriend sinners.  You know who they are and where to find them.  They live in your neighborhood.  Their kids play with your kids.  You work with many of them.  They are all around the world.  Many have never ever been befriended by a Christian before.  Would you be their friend?  Don’t run or hide from them.  Don’t keep them at arm’s length because of what others may think. 

Truly righteous spirituality searches out the lost, looking to find sinners who repent when hearing  the Gospel of forgiveness, freedom, cleansing and restoration.  Keep getting to know more and more of them and spend quality time with them.  Let your holiness of life and integrity of teaching attract them.  Make the Gospel clear for them.  And may the day of clarity be the day of the great joy spoken all throughout Luke 15!

So, Why Did You Come Here?

A few years ago I interviewed one of our church’s key national partners from East Asia.  At one point, I asked her to explain what types of foreign missionaries are most helpful to the house church movements in her area.  This led to a very lively and informative conversation that was educational to us all in moving forward together with greater understanding.

Her basic question for missionaries, particularly Americans, was, “why did you come here?”  Then, her explanation was broken down into residential missionaries and temporary missionaries.  The basic positives and negatives had to do with purpose, resolve and effectiveness.  Her concerns and advice were not hers alone but shared by many others in her location.  Here is a sampling of the commentary.

The Straight-Talk

As an evangelist and church planter at heart, her frustration with residential missionaries was that many she knew didn’t seem to really do a whole lot to advance the overall mission.  Some were so fearful of losing visa status that they rarely did the work of a missionary, at best providing quality of life services from a Christian perspective, which was okay but not highly strategic.  Others seemed to be just living out the American dream in another culture and inadvertently drawing young national believers into the largely timid and pragmatic American Christianity and out from the rigorous work of the mission.  

When it came to temporary teams, she was most unimpressed with those who would come and do anything and everything but share the Gospel and plant churches.  “Why else come over here?!”  It is a lot of effort to expend just to get a cross-cultural experience, or share a skill or a seminar already possessed by the host country.  And even when doing evangelism, often places would be selected where the national church was already making significant inroads and foreigners simply slowed down the work.  

What she saw as most helpful were those missionaries, residential and non-residential, who sought to understand the context and were willing to do whatever it would take to move the mission forward.  Sometimes this might involve ministering together, or sharing resources; at other times it might involve training or coaching.  The real list could be quite lengthy and costly.  But it would always involve a genuine relationship and partnering together in prayer and long-term strategic thinking together about what could best be done together.

The Even Better Future

That was an eye-opening evening hearing straight talk from someone we loved and whom we knew loved us.  And it was also helpful for her to hear our perspective, Gospel hopes and commitment to grow and learn together as we moved forward in ministry together.  

Making such conversations part of planning with our partners will lead to greater effectiveness and the development of longer-lasting partnerships with purpose.

It is all about gaining a better understanding of what would be most helpful in a specific ministry environment at any given time.  We need teams that move the ball down the field.  We need to fit into the vision.  We need to move with purpose.  We need to live with intention.  We need to measure effectiveness.  We need to get honest input from national partners for improvements.  My friend was right, it really does all boil down to the question, “why did you come here?”  

May we continue to think, plan and work strategically in terms of more powerful helpfulness to the mission and service to our friends and partners.

Optimistic And Opportunistic

The most compelling and powerful message on the planet is Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom!  


The Progress in Numbers

According to recent missions research from the World Christian Encyclopedia, here are a few Christian growth statistics through the year AD 2000.  Consider it an update on Jesus’ parable of the mustard seed.  

The world population was 6.1 billion, with 650 million evangelicals.  The percent of believers in the world from the time of Jesus Christ grew to 2.5% by the year 1900.  Then, it doubled to 5% by the year 1970; and by the year 2000 it reached 11%, although unevenly distributed.

The annual population growth rate was 1.5% and the annual conversation growth rate for evangelicals was 0.4%.  This conversion growth rate was the highest among all religions, five times the conversion rate of Islam, while all other religions posted insignificant or even negative conversion growth rates.

Today, roughly 14,000 of 24,000 people groups have been reached with the Gospel.  It is conceivable to finish the 10,000 more groups in the not too distant future.  It is doable.  It is being done.  Today 99% of the world’s population currently lives in areas specifically targeted for church planting.

Jesus Predicts with a Parable

Luke 13:18–19 ESV ““What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.””

The mustard seed was a proverbial way of referencing something extremely small.  And the unique feature of this seed is that as a garden plant it becomes a “giant” 8-12 foot tall bush.
  One might even call it a “tree,” since birds can nest in it, and it grows far beyond all seeming expectations.  The power of the tiny seed is seen eventually in the growth of the tree.  It becomes large enough for birds to nest in its strong branches.

We learn a few things about the Kingdom of God from this image.  It will grow powerfully after Jesus’ death and resurrection (John 12:23-24).  The Kingdom will include many from among the Gentiles, as the birds possibly suggest.  And it will be a place of protection, rest, and shade for its members, both now and forever.

This is a somewhat surprising image, being that the strong and stately cedar tree is more often used for the Kingdom.  Perhaps this is to further teach that it will not come all at once, but will grow over time.  This parable is given for the purpose of explaining the small beginning of Kingdom yet its great ending.  

The common expectation was for a glorious cataclysmic appearance of the Kingdom, not the more subdued inauguration that Jesus the Messiah actually brought.  The point of the parable then is that the Kingdom of God may look small and insignificant and ineffective at the time of Jesus.  But, it will eventually become universal under the Davidic Messiah, Jesus, just as predicted, and now alluded to, in Ezekiel 17:22-24.

The Tree Keeps on Growing

We should be optimistic about these words of Jesus, because they have come true, and are coming true as we live and serve the Gospel.  Jesus is motivating us with this parable that the Kingdom has come, is growing, and soon will overtake the world at His Return!

When we proclaim the Gospel the mustard tree sprouts new buds, shoots out new branches, and strengthens its trunk.  When God saves sinners it is more birds coming to rest in the branches of Kingdom blessings.  

The Kingdom of God is not small any longer.  Now it is huge, reaching to the farthest people groups of the earth!  The Kingdom of God is not weak either.  It is taking over the world!  Our role as the Church and as each church is to be optimistic and opportunistic with Jesus’ Gospel of the Kingdom. 

You Weren't Supposed To Learn That In Seminary

Every so often you will catch a pastor saying, “they didn’t teach me that in seminary.”  And church members will likewise remark, “I bet you didn’t learn that in seminary!”  Such statements, whether serious or poking fun at learning as impractical, can be foolish and dangerous.  This is because these are the complaints of anti-intellectual pragmatism.  

It is becoming increasingly popular in our society to belittle formal education and learning, especially among Christians.  It is dumb to think that we will be smarter and more successful by holding only to the lowest levels of education.  Growing in knowledge and reflection is most practical.  As one of my colleagues is known for saying, “nothing is more practical than good theory.” 

Most basically, seminaries should teach pastors how to study and teach well the Holy Scriptures, which is the basis of all Christian life and ministry, and guide them as they begin to think through matters of pastoral ministry and leadership.

But, it is ludicrous to expect to learn everything in seminary, especially the innumerable things that only can be learned by doing, and should be learned by doing.  Insight and success are gained by experience along with an understanding of how to be lifelong learners at a deeper level.

Often stated another way, “I don’t use half of what I learned,” implies that seminary wasn’t really that important for ministry preparation, either.  However, the reality is that we use everything that we have ever learned all the time, because it becomes part of who we are and forms how we think.  

Whenever I hear pastoral colleagues or even parishioners make light of seminary, I am quick to respond, “you weren’t supposed to learn that in seminary.”  This begins an enjoyable and usually profitable conversation on the value of learning, and when, where and how it best takes place.