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.