Threefold Pattern For Spiritual Renewal

When God sends reformers, He sends them in the likeness of Ezra.  

Ezra 7:6, 10 ESV “this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses that the LORD, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, for the hand of the LORD his God was on him. . . . For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.”

It was 458 BC and the remnant who recently returned from exile in Babylon was already in need of a reformer.  The temple was completed 58 years earlier.  And it was only 80 years earlier that about 50,000 Israelites returned to their homeland.  Nevertheless, the people had started to compromise purity in their worship and their lives. 

The Pattern of Renewal

Ezra is a model reformer because of his personal pattern of renewal which he also sought to impress upon the people.  The pattern is this:  first study, then do, and then teach the Scripture and its applications.  And this is why Ezra had such a positive and enduring influence.

Having “set his heart” means he was firm and settled in these convictions.  These three resolutions are in order and have great meaning:  study, live, and teach the Word of God.  Following this pattern creates continual renewal in one’s life and prepares us to meet the spiritual needs of others around us.

The Recurring Need 

Of course this three-fold commitment applies directly to church leaders and teachers of all kinds.   All would-be reformers are only as good as their dedication to faithfully follow Ezra’s pattern.

When is such major reform required within churches?  It is when they are no longer characterized by commitment to the core doctrines and godliness as defined by the Scriptures.  It is when they lose the love for these things and compromises build up to the breaking point.  But, if churches stay in the mode of constant renewal this point of reform should never have to be reached.

True transformation and long-lasting reformation will need to be thoroughly Biblical, not primarily theological.  This kind of reformation is at its heart exegetical (studious), ethical (livable) and expository (teachable).  In addition, God’s hand of grace must be upon His reformers and His People. 

By following a pattern for continual reformation, the People of God will make progress in spiritual stability and also enjoy strength from the Lord’s love and favor upon them.

The Personal Need 

We ought to be people who are eager to answer the question:  “What has God been teaching you through His Word lately?”  This demonstrates that we are experiencing spiritual renewal.

When you know you need to grow more spiritually, follow Ezra’s pattern.  Set your heart on three things.  Study the Bible with prayerfulness, deep reflection and love for God.  Live out what you learn, again with prayerfulness, faith in Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Look for opportunities to teach what you have just learned in the Bible and by personal experience, to further encourage yourself and those around you.

May we be reformers in our time, after the pattern of Ezra.  And may the “hand of the Lord our God” be upon us for strength, joy, maturity, and success.

Churches Know Best How To Do Church

In the past few months, I have worked with two churches on two different paths toward developing their global mission focus. 

One church started right off with an exploratory trip to a specific region of the world to find a national ministry partner with whom they might work together for training other pastors and leaders.  Now they are figuring out what their partnership will look like over the next three years as they plan and execute trainings twice a year together. 

The other church started with a careful year-long in-depth examination of their opportunities, putting in a lot of thought in defining their future three to five year partnership.  Now they are excited to get over there with a team and get engaged with the official partnership.

The first church found a reliable guide and went overseas to see what would happen, and now is working hard on defining the partnership.  The second church found a trustworthy consultant to lead them through the discovery process, and now is going overseas with clear expectations to maximize their ministry.

There are many other ways for churches to begin and to develop global partnerships that contribute to the growth of the church around the world.  There are multitudes of variables to consider, but church partners are more desired and more valuable than they often realize.

More Desired than Expected

Church partnerships are crucial and highly effective for church planting and leadership development around the world.  For many churches this is news to them.  They are simply used to supporting individuals or projects.  

But, those they send often dream about a church who would partner with them in the work itself.  Mission agencies and other parachurch organizations are looking for churches to become significant players in cross-cultural contexts.  And national partners long for relationships with healthy churches that can help them accomplish even more with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and for His Kingdom.

This is because the heart of the matter is relationships.  Individual missionaries can only do so much, even if they are part of a great team, and have deep relationships with those with whom and to whom they minister.  Agencies will relate at a different level and in more organizational ways, and they will be instrumental in a variety of unique contributions.  More is needed and it is something only churches can provide.

More Beneficial than Expected

National ministry partners might be planting new churches or strengthening existing ones, and on the side they are probably initiating a whole lot of other very good ministries.  What they so often need and want is a church, or two or three working together, to help them figure out their next ministry steps.

The most obvious reason is that a reasonably healthy and successful church must know how to do church well.  Resources and seminars are wonderful gifts, yet even more wonderful are relationships with other churches attempting the same things in their own context, who might be able to provide next level mentoring.

Church partnerships come with a lot of relationships:  pastors to pastors, leaders to leaders, members to members, men, women and young people.  Along with these ever growing number of relationships come more prayer, support, and encouragement from regular church people living regular lives.

Partnership takes on a much richer meaning because of these types and levels of relationships that crisscross throughout each of the churches and ministries involved.  This in turn makes all the training, coaching and mentoring all the more beneficial.  In addition, churches that make good partners are often well networked for access to further assistance.

When it comes to doing church, whether starting them, growing them or maturing them, churches know best how to do church.

How might your church develop a global mission focus, a partnership that will advance the mission in a less-reached area of the world?  Would such an approach capture the hearts and minds of your congregation?  In doing so, they will be launched into a previously unknown world of human need and the powerful working of the Holy Spirit.

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.”

Control Your Hope

Did you know that you can control your hope?

The Apostle Peter tells us this in 1 Peter 1:13 ESV “. . . set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Many of us struggle with keeping up this hope.  We know it is our ultimate hope, as well as the source of hope for practical living day to day.  But, part of our struggle has to do with how we think about how we are going to get hope and keep it, let alone increase it.

The society in which we live talks about hope in very general terms, disconnected from anything certain or specific.  It is portrayed as an emotional state of being hopeful, or filled with longings that may or may not come true.

The Christian holds on to a highly specific hope, and it is neither a wish, nor uncontrollable emotion.  Our hope is built on truth, set upon a reality, and guaranteed as a future.  Our hope is not an emotional state that just comes over us at times, disappears at times, and we chase after through general prayers and having ever new experiences.

A Top Priority

Our top priority is to set our hope fully on the grace to come to us at the Return of Christ.  This grace is the grace of salvation in its fullness discussed earlier and secure because God the Father has birthed us to a living hope through resurrection of Jesus Christ.  This is something we look forward to, hold on to with confidence, and expect to be very good.

This is how the letter just began.

1 Peter 1:3-5,10 ESV “. . . According to his [God the Father] great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. . . . Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,”

Now, verse 13 states the main point of letter, “therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Using Our Minds Spiritually

How do we do this, practically?  How do we “set our hope fully on the grace?”

The preceding two phrases give us direction:  “Preparing your minds for action” and “being sober-minded.”

The first phrase is more literally translated as “girding up the loins of your mind.”  The image is that of fastening up ones garments so as to prepare for strenuous activity, whether military or athletic.  So, we need to be prepared mentally for the actions we will need to take in order to set our hope.  It will take strenuous mental efforts to be able to hope fully.  We will have to fight the inner doubts and the lies of the devil and unbelievers.  And we will have to persevere through troubles and trials in our lives by using our minds so we don’t lose hope.

The second phrase of “being sober-minded” is not simply talking about keeping our heads clear from alcohol’s effects.  It is more broadly saying that we need to control our thinking and concentrate steadily.  There are many “intoxicants” in our lives that will direct our hope away from future grace.  Though it is good to concern ourselves about them in moderation, if we are not careful they will occupy our minds almost completely.  Things such as our careers, families, recreations, friends, money, and the list goes on without end.  We will have to keep our heads clear from all sorts of inordinate worldly affections, passions and reasonings.

The Apostle Peter is talking about a spiritual use of mind, or seeing the use of the mind as a spiritual activity.  We must realize that hope does not just happen, nor is it simply an emotional state.  What a sad struggle as a Christian if only to hope only like the world around us.

Hope comes from believing God, believing in His promise of grace at the Return of Christ.  It comes from controlling our thoughts and thinking clearly, and acting upon the truth of our new life in Christ, regardless of life’s pressures.  This is how a full Christian hope is produced, experienced and increased.

Raiding Temples

Instead of raiding temples for their artifacts or valuables, our teams would raid them of their worshippers.

Temples in certain parts of Asia are a great place to find those people who are interested in spiritual discussion.  At the same time, this is where we have met some of the most materialistic people we have ever met.  We were surprised to learn that great prosperity seemed to be a standard motivation behind idolatry.

Greetings on the Pathway

Our teams have found that the most fascinating temples are the ones hidden far from the main city in Asia.  With a team of a few foreigners and a few national partners, finding them can be as easy as asking a few questions of friendly locals.

In the morning there are many people arriving to make offerings of food or money, to pray, some to take in the beautiful surroundings.  One young couple we met thought it was a good place to go on their first date.

Our team would all be praying as we walked the path and talked with people.  Religion would be the obvious topic at a religious site.  And this can go in so many directions when learning from people about their lives and their aspirations, and how it connects to being at a temple.

After making a few visits to different temples and talking with the pilgrims we soon discovered that many of them did not believe in the religion they were practicing.  Some would tell us they performed the worship because it was what their family did, but then quickly jump to the more common explanation that it might work in brining them more luck for a better future.

This desire for job promotion, being famous, deathbed healing, or coming into a financial windfall was extremely strong.  When asked if they really believed that worshipping the images helped bring greater prosperity into their lives, or health for their loved ones, they would usually pause and state honestly that they just didn’t know about such things.

A number of people would tell us about their hope to learn more about a true god they sensed must be out there.

Eating Lunch Together

Not everyone on the path was so friendly and open.  Some would dismiss us or just glare, others would curse and threaten with a half-hearted chase.  And then there were a few who were under the palpable influence of evil spirits.

In spite of these, from our experience about half of those we encountered were eager to talk, and continue the spiritual nature of the conversation.  So we would often go to lunch together with a small group of temple worshippers and our team, about 10-12 of us all together, after they finished their religious activities.

During a relaxing meal together we could get to know one another a little better.  And since we had already started the spiritual conversation, we could get right into more meaningful conversation.

We would continue to talk about personal relationships, success and happiness, about life and death, sickness and healing, spirits and the power to bless and curse, and such things.  Whatever seemed to be the most pressing concern is the topic we would use to introduce the Word of God and its wisdom from the only true God.

We would continue to share stories from our own lives, and each of us about our personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  The Gospel was new to all of them, having never heard about the Bible or its message of salvation, and a full and eternal life in Christ.

Some would shut down at Gospel answers, but still listen.  There would almost always be two or three people with great interest and many questions.  These individuals would want to introduce us to more people with similar spiritual interests and move further in our conversation.  And so, dinner plans for that evening were now underway.

Sharing before Believing

It was these next set of meals, questions and conversations that were the most lively, enjoyable and resulted in the most progress.  Everyone at these dinners was eager to learn and grow in spiritual ways.

We would have our new friends retell the story of Jesus Christ to their friends and relatives the best they could.  With our promise to help fill in the gaps they had confidence to share the Good News.  It was always fun to hear which part of the Gospel they chose to emphasize—most often it was the Resurrection of Jesus.

The free flowing conversational style allowed us to revisit all the topics from the earlier lunch, and even those discussed way back on the path to the temple.  Certainly, no one at that dinner, or anyone we met earlier that day, would ever see worship at the temple the same.

They would now have to consider the message they heard from the Bible about sin, salvation and hope in Jesus Christ the Lord.  Their enthusiasm for material blessings was challenged, and redirected to something much more valuable than previously thought about.

Our real hope and the plan behind all of this was to start a church with this final group of people, if the Lord chose to save among them.  Typically one of two would profess faith in Christ, a handful of others who were still considering Christ would commit to meet regularly to study the Bible.  All agreed to ask others to join the group that one of our national partners would lead.

That was all in a day’s work.  This scenario was being played out by two of three of our teams every day for a week at different temple locations.

That is why raiding temples is one of our favorite pastimes.

Mobilizing Near Culture Mission Efforts

It is not about who can do it best, or the quickest and easiest.  And it is certainly not about who can do it for the least amount of money!

It is about results.  It is always about results.  And the best part is that it is also about relationships.

So, Who is the Best?

Suppose there is an unreached people group somewhere in the world your church wants to reach.  Actually there are over 6600 of them as of today.  How might you reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Consider the fact that there are most likely Christians and churches in nearby societies who could reach them better than you.  This is because they look more similar, speak more similarly, and understand so much more than you.

Consider also, that it is probable that they might need and want some training in strategy and skills, or other foundational matters.  It is highly likely that you would be able to provide what is needed, or find it for them.

And be aware that there might be an enormous amount of history of which you are unaware.  This history is reality, and it comes with fears and misunderstandings.  It will take patience and perseverance to bring transformation with the Gospel.

What will you do to build relationships, and share a common vision?  What will you do to truly share the mission, not take it for yourself nor push it all on them?

It is Not Us or Them, but All of Us Together

Doing it alone, especially if you are well resourced, can accomplish a lot sometimes, but not most times.  What appear to be astounding results very often prove to be very short-lived, if you take the time to honestly examine the long-term results.

In the long run developing partnerships will have the greatest impact.  It is not about who is better equipped.  It is about equipping, and even more important, it is about empowering others!

There is one People of God spread out over the globe.  The key is working together in spreading the Gospel, planting churches, developing leaders and fulfilling the larger vision of the Kingdom of God.

The concept of working together is not usually worked on enough.  If it hasn’t become hard to do, then you probably haven’t yet attained real togetherness, real partnership or deep relationship.

Think Resourcefully

When considering reaching the unreached, let us consider how near-culture cross-cultural mobilization might be more effective in both the short-term and in the long-term.  And let us allow this to inform our strategy, correct our assumptions and channel our desires for the Gospel mission.

Let us not be quick to assume a solution.  Let not our first assumption be that we alone need to place our own residential missionaries to get the job done, or simply pay national workers to do it, or get them the best materials, or send the best short-term teams, or whatever sounds quick, easy and inexpensive.

Very often, most of the resources necessary are close by!