Seasons of Life

Dear Colleagues,

It has been my joy to serve the Western Europe Region for almost nine years as the Western Europe Regional Member Care Consultant. Recently there was a retirement from the Board's Richmond Member Care Department and I have been invited to fill that vacancy and serve alongside Mark Whitworth, who continues as the Member Care Team Leader in Richmond. After months of prayer and tears we have decided to accept this role. My family and I will be moving to Richmond shortly after the first of the year to assume these new responsibilities. We are choosing to think of this, not as a resignation, but rather as a transfer and as such I will relate to several of the Board's regions in this new Member Care role. We are looking forward to this new challenge while we also grieve over leaving Ireland and Western Europe. This decision has been much more difficult than the original decision to leave the US to come to the field, but we do believe this is the Father's leading at this time and so we want to follow Him in obedience. You will always be in our thoughts and prayers and we know we will remain in yours as well.

To God Be the Glory,

Jeff

Are You in Your Right Mind?

1. Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. Romans 1:28

2. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Romans 7:22-25

3. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Romans 8:5-7

4. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Romans 8:27

5. ”Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” Romans 11:34

6. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

7. I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Romans 16:17-18

8. I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 1 Corinthians 1:10

9. ”For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:16

10. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. 1 Corinthians 14:15

11. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 2 Corinthians 3:14

12. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4

13. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 2 Corinthians 5:13

14. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:13

15. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24

16. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. Philippians 3:18-19

17. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

18. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. Colossians 1:21

19. Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions. Colossians 2:18

20. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

21. If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. 1 Timothy 6:3-5

22. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. 2 Timothy 3:8

23. To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted. Titus 1:15

24. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Hebrews 8:10

25. ”This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.” Hebrews 10:16

26. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does. James 1:5-8

27. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

28. Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:13

29. The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 1 Peter 4:7

Designed for Community

I know, I know. It has been way too long since I've posted anything on this blog. I hope to have a proper post up soon, but for both of you who still check this space, here is a link to an excellent article by one of my favorite authors, Paul David Tripp with the Christian Counseling Education Foundation. Incidentally, I will be participating in a two day course in early August with CCEF in Philadelphia, along with my Irish pastor Stephen. The course is called How People Change/Helping People Change. Because it is CCEF, I know it will be thoroughly biblical and practical. I would appreciate your prayers for this time.

What is Your Ambition?

Seven times the word "ambition" is used in the NIV New Testament:

1. Romans 15:20
It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation.

2. Galatians 5:19-21
19The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

3. Philippians 1:17
The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains.

4. Philippians 2:3
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

5. 1 Thessalonians 4:11
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you,

6 & 7. James 3:13-16
13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. 14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

Example of the Pharisees:

Matthew 23:1-12
1Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2”The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5”Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them ‘Rabbi.’
8”But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one Teacher, the Christ. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Example of Christ:

Philippians 2:5-8
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!

What say ye?

Third Priority: Loving the Lost

I know what you are thinking. "Loving the lost is the third priority?" Sure, loving God is a no-brainer. Everybody knows that, right? Right, but how often do you truly make unhurried time to be with the Lord in prayer and meditation on His word? What we do says more about our priorities than what we say. Again, without intimacy with God we also do not have the power of God in our lives, so we are trying to accomplish God’s purpose in our own strength. Newsflash: it can’t be done!

“Ok, but what about this ‘one another’ thing you keep banging on about? I didn’t come here to hold hands with American Christians.” Right, however loving God and one another should be as natural as breathing for the mature believer. Have you ever forgotten to breath? Sure, I have--in the midst of a trauma, crisis, conflict or grief situation; I’ve had to remind myself to breath! The intentional act of deep breathing is relaxing and healing. So is the intentional act of loving God and my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Now, when I say “loving” I don’t mean having a warm, fuzzy feeling for my brother or sister. That feeling isn’t always there. Let’s be honest—that feeling isn’t even always there for your spouse either. (Pursuing that warm, fuzzy feeling is the basis of every addiction. And we are all addicted to something in order to artificially change the way we feel. Another word for addiction is idol—God substitute.)

But I’m talking about behaving in a loving manner according to the 1 Corinthians 13 model. This is a description of outward actions that begin in the mind (agreeing with God), which translate to muscle–action obedience and then eventually change our heart (and maybe experience that warm, fuzzy feeling). Now you have a testimony!

Ok, so how about that third priority? Let’s look at Luke 4:17-19:

17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the
place where it is written: 18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed, 19to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

The world is in pain. People are suffering. We live in a fallen world populated by sinful people (including ourselves). People create pain for themselves and for others as well. They (we!) want relief from this pain. Remember those addictions? That’s just folks just looking for relief and only finding more pain.

Remember the story of Marilyn Monroe dying alone in the hotel from a drug overdose after reaching out to a friend, only to be rejected? If a person like Marilyn Monroe—rich, beautiful, famous—sought relief in the midst such pain and misery, how much more the average Jose’ or Siobhan on the street?

Jesus, at the beginning of His earthly ministry, proclaimed Himself to be the fulfillment of the prophesy of Isaiah. Look what He did—cured lepers, restored sight to the blind, made the lame walk again, even raised the dead. Oh, yeah; He forgave sins, too. It is this forgiveness--bought with His blood--that heals the broken heart and restores broken relationships—most importantly the broken relationship with God Himself.

Sadly, to a very large extent the Church has abandoned ministering to people who are hurting. We often want to convince people of our "propositional truth" without connecting with them at a practical, heart level. When I was still working at a state counseling agency in the States, I was amazed how often my counselees had been referred to my agency by their pastor! I'm not talking about folks with serious mental illness, but just normal, everyday life-struggles. Those pastors had no way of knowing their church members were going to get Christ-centered help from this agency (and they didn’t always—not all the counselors were believers). The shepherds were outsourcing the tending of the flock! This ought to be the priority of the Church!

Let’s be honest--Western Europeans don’t often seem needy. They don’t need for us to dig wells, teach them how to grow crops, or cure their diseases. We are probably the only region in the world where IMB personnel are not the richest people in our host countries. People here seem to walk around with an air (or mask) of stony self-sufficiency. But look a little closer. Drug addiction and alcoholism are rampant. So are divorce and broken families. Crime. People strive to be self-sufficient and individualistic as a way to avoid the pain of rejection but instead they find excruciating loneliness.

At one point in Jesus ministry when His words became hard for the crowds to cope with and they began to turn away, Jesus turned to His disciples and asked, "You do not want to leave too, do you?" Do you remember Peter’s response? "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (see John 6).

The words of eternal life! You and I are carrying on the Jesus Ministry. Jesus told His disciples they would do even greater things than what they had seen Him doing (John 14:11-13). This is your call as well. Be God’s heart and hands and share with them the Words of Life. May God bless you richly as you serve him faithfully.

When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36
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Second Priority: Love for the Saints

And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:39

The concept of love and relationship is absolutely foundational to Jesus’ teaching on what it means to be His followers. Often we try to make the Gospel into a handful of theological precepts that one must “buy into” if one is to be a true Christian (and we spend a great deal of our time arguing about these precepts as well!). However, Jesus made it much simpler than that: love God and love others because He first loved us.

Many people use the verse above to teach that God wants us to love ourselves and they proceed to build an entire “theology” of self-esteem based on that verse. However Jesus is actually implying that we already love ourselves (and in fact an inordinate love of self is our chief problem). Secular psychology, such as the teaching of Abraham Maslow and his “hierarchy of needs”, teaches that “self-actualization” is the ultimate fulfillment of man. That sounds like the American Army slogan, “Be all that you can be!” doesn’t it? However Jesus teaches us that we are to find our identity, our worth, our security in Him alone rather than in recognition or achievements. Only then are we able to “deny yourself and take up your cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23). The ultimate fulfillment, then, is self-denial in Christ rather than self-actualization. It is very few indeed who actually achieve this level of maturity. (See also Philippians 2:3)

In Concentric Circles of Concern, W. Oscar Thompson teaches that the way we often do evangelism is to target Person X while neglecting much closer relationships along our concentric circles of relationships. In fact, that is a much easier mistake to make when we have left all that is (and who are) familiar to serve cross-culturally. Dr Thompson quite naturally placed God at the center of these concentric circles; followed by self, immediate family, relatives, close friends, and acquaintances. He goes on to say,

“If there are ruptured relationships between you and those in your Concentric Circles, there is going to be a rupture in the flow of the Holy Spirit through your life.”

Several years ago, I was working with an English pastor, who called himself Baptist/Assembly of God, to help him resolve a conflict in his congregation. After it was over, the pastor said to me, “Jeff, there is something you have to understand about charismatic types: We all think we have a direct word from the Lord.” I had to tell him it is not just charismatic types who have this problem! Ever since I was a child I’ve heard people say, that whenever you get two Southern Baptists together, you get three opinions. The sad thing is, when we Southern Baptist break fellowship over tertiary issues I think we’ve missed the whole point of the Faith we think we need to defend. The devil laughs and Heaven weeps because many reject the Faith based on that testimony.

Koinonia, or intimate fellowship, is the ultimate expression of the Christian life. We were not created to be isolated, individualistic, self-actualizing Christians-on-mission. This is why we are a church-planting organization--and even why we work in teams--rather than merely an evangelistic organization. It is the Family in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament that are God’s established institutions for the expression of koinonia. John Piper, in Let the Nations Be Glad, says “missions exists because worship doesn’t.” This relates to Jesus’ Greatest Commandment. In a similar vein (and to borrow from Piper), my own corollary to the Second Greatest Commandment is “counseling exists because koinonia doesn’t.” While I do not expect to ever work myself out of job as a counselor, I do believe it is the One Anothers of the Christian life that direct us to God’s intended path to wholeness and healing for His people. What’s more, I believe our love for one another—denying self and washing one another’s feet—is our ultimate testimony of our love for God and His love for us to a world desperate for genuine intimacy.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:10

First Priority: God

It sounds pretty obvious, doesn't it? But how often do we give lip service to our relationship with God and yet not actually give Him the "first fruits" of both our time and affections? Check out Genesis 3:8: "Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden." It sounds to me like God walking in the garden was a regular occurrence. It was the sin of Adam and Eve that caused them to hide from God out of shame and break this special fellowship. The biggest loss for Adam and Eve was not the garden paradise, but walking with the Lord in that garden paradise.

By contrast, look at the example of Jesus. In the Gospels, especially in the Gospel written by Dr. Luke the physician, Jesus often withdraws to pray. Even when the crowds are pressing in He is healing the sick, raising the dead, feeding the multitudes...having a successful ministry; Jesus withdraws to be on his own or with his disciples to pray. Why? A little down time, rest time, personal healing--there is a reason we call it Quiet Time! But the main reason was so that He may one with the Father. Jesus goes on to teach his disciples that they (we) also must abide in relationship with Him or they (we) will accomplish nothing (John 15:5).

The IMB sends out incredibly talented, well-educated, well-trained cross-cultural workers all around the world. But if we operate merely out of our own strength, without regularly seeking God's will AND His empowering, we will not accomplish anything of any eternal value.

On top of that, when our relationship with God isn't our number one priority, we lose our perspective--or rather, His perspective. We instead begin to seek the approval of others by needing to be right/liked/respected (which leads to conflict) and/or we begin to measure "success" in the world's ways (big numbers, promotions, titles, salaries, perks, etc) rather than obedience and when this approval and/or success doesn't come, we start asking ourselves why we are even here "because I could have all that if I stayed in the States". Perhaps even more dangerous is when this type of approval or success does come!

Whether you still think in terms of the forty-hour work week or you are one who is always on duty (or even one who can't seem to get started), make your time with the Lord your first priority in both your heart and in time invested.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:33

Centrality of Relationships

I've just returned from our 13th WE Learn Conference (new missy orientation). It was exhausting but rewarding getting to know around 50 new M's in their first year on the field. The Regional team uses the conference to teach on four broad ethos themes through the week: Cross-Cultural Witness, Developing Personal Relationships, Daily Living, and Church Planting Movements. It has been my privilege for the last two WE Learn conferences to share a morning devotion on the personal relationships day entitled Jesus on Relationships. I want to share the essence of that talk here over the next few posts.

When I was a seminary student in the late 80's/early 90's, I took a personal evangelism class with Dr Roy Fish. He always told stories about people he had shared the gospel with and his teaching was so enthralling that I often found that at the end of the lecture I had become so engrossed in listening to him that I often forgot to take notes! Dr Fish used as one of the text books for the course a book written by another SWBTS evangelism professor and close friend of his, the late Dr Oscar Thompson, entitled Concentric Circles of Concern. Dr Thompson’s first words in the book are, “The most important word in the English language, apart from proper nouns, is relationship.”

The story is told of Marilyn Monroe that on the fateful night that she took the deadly overdose, she phoned a male friend to tell him what she was contemplating. His response was the famous Clark Gable quote from Gone With the Wind: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a d***.” These were apparently the final words she ever heard on earth. The dangling phone on her bedside the next morning seemed to sum up her life—an unanswered, desperate cry to be loved.

Every human being—created in the image of God—desires intimacy. We were created for relationship. We long for it and often look for it, to quote the old Country&Western song, in all the wrong places. When Jesus was tested by the mean-spirited, legalistic, religious leaders of his day as to what was the greatest commandment, he gave them a surprising two-for-one answer.

37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment.
39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40All the Law and
the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matt 22:37-40

I’m going to divide this into three parts: 1) love for God; 2) love for other believers; 3) love for the lost. We'll look at this over the next three posts. Hopefully, I'll keep pace better than I did over the holiday season! Watch this space.