My Sojourn

We have the words of life . . . and take them for granted. The Kimyal got them and treasured them!

2011-03-02T10:27:00.002-05:00

The Kimyal People Receive the New Testament from UFM Worldwide on Vimeo.

2011-01-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

February 2008 India Video

2008-03-12T14:21:00.002-04:00

Click above to watch a great video summary of my latest trip to NW India. This one was crafted by the ever-talented Nathan Knight, who traveled with me on this journey. Also featured in the video are Otis Jones, Tom Jaski, Russ Bennett and Josh Reed.

*Make sure you give the video time to buffer or else it will snag. Enjoy!

Requested Resources

2008-02-04T16:42:00.000-05:00

Things have been busy for me lately and I haven't had a chance to update the site as frequently as I'd have hoped. In the last few weeks I've spoken in Birmingham, Huntsville, Atlanta, Wake Forest and Charlotte. Many in those locations have requested ministry resources from various trainings that I've done so I decided to make those available here.

First, my new book is now available for order through e3 Resources. "Striking the Match" describes how to utilize short-term mission teams to make long-term impact. Click the book cover for more details and to order:

I've taught several seminars on Communicating the Gospel to Hindus/Muslims. Click the link below to download my notes/presentations from those seminars. Please make sure that you don't distribute these without prior written permission from me. Also, because of the nature of the material please do not share my contact information with anyone (including this web address) from either of these worldviews. Doing so could jeopardize my work and more importantly, those nationals from these worldviews who world alongside me.

Communicating the Gospel with Muslims Guide
Communicating the Gospel with Muslims presentation

Communicating the Gospel with Hindus Guide
Communicating the Gospel with Hindus presentation

Final Report from Kerala, India

2007-12-06T16:16:00.000-05:00

Please click on the link below to watch a 10 minute video review that covers the events of our week in Kerala, India. You'll be blessed to see all the lives that were touched!

http://gallery.mac.com/ggrobinson#100000

Susan's Legacy . . .

2007-12-06T15:58:00.000-05:00

God continues to do exceedingly abundant above that which
we hoped or asked for. Yesterday I went with Dani and
Pastor Sabu to Pastor's mother-in-law's home. Pastor's
wife Bindu comes from a conservative Roman Catholic
background. They wanted me to share with his in-laws. On
the way they mentioned to me that his mother-in-law has
stage 3 breast cancer and had just returned home from
getting a chemo treatment. When I arrived I knew that
this was the visit for which the LORD brought me to India.
I was able to share with her about my own story and how
when Catherine and I married her mother and I had many
discussions about what it means to be Christian. I shared
that at first I tried to get Susan (Cat's mom) to convert
away from the Catholic Church, but later realized that the
LORD was asking me to teach her from the Scriptures what
biblical salvation is - not change her church. As Susan
and I spent time together she came to understand that
salvation is not by works, but by grace alone through
faith alone. I shared about how Susan used to call me her
Boaz (see the book of Ruth) and I called her my Naomi.
This really connected with Pastor Sabu's mother-in-law. I
was then able to share the gospel with her and she told me
she wanted to be sure that she'd be with God when she
died. Little did I know that Elena and Emma (another
team) were visiting Sabu's own parents who are also
Catholic. While there they learned about Sabu's
mother-in-law. So they had a time of prayer for her
there. Last night while we were sharing as a team Elena
and I realized that she was interceding for Sabu's
mother-in-law at 1:00 pm, not having any idea that I was
there sharing the gospel. Elena had compassion because
she lost her own mom to breast cancer last year.
Amazingly, it was exactly 1pm when I was leading Sabu's
mom in a prayer of repentance and faith! God's ways are
so much higher than our own. Who would've thought that in
His wisdom I would be able to share Susan's testimony over
a year after she went to be with the LORD with a lady that
she has so much in common with. And that Susan's
testimony of faith in Christ led this woman to faith in
Christ!!! Praise you Jesus for your manifold wisdom, for
we could never plan things like this.

She couldn't walk to church . . . so we took the church to her!

2007-12-06T15:47:00.000-05:00

On Thursday we visited a family and shared with the man of the home. After listening to the gospel he said that he'd read a book a while back that explained the same message and that he'd prayed to receive Christ, but didn't know what to do next. He did mention that he was caring for his paralyzed sister and that she would like to hear the message. So Dani and I went into the next room and found the young lady laying in her hospital bed looking with a smile at us through the bars. We learned that she was hit by a car 7 years ago and has been paralyzed from the waist down ever since. When I asked her if she wanted to hear some good news, she answered and said that she'd already heard . . . she'd been straining to hear all that we were saying in the other room. Dani went ahead and reviewed the gospel with her and within a few minutes she was praying to receive Jesus. Afterwards we discussed ways to help her grow in her faith and the man of the house asked if Pastor Sabu or another leader in the church could come by weekly and teach them. At e3 Partners our slogan is "If they can't walk to church they can't go to church. So we'll take the church to them." This slogan was written to describe our desire to plant a church within walking distance of everyone on earth since most people don't own a car and have no church anywhere near them. Amazingly I saw the LORD bring our slogan to life this week.

Wednesday from India

2007-12-06T15:17:00.000-05:00

Wow! I can't believe its already Wednesday and I can't
believe all the wonderful things that we've had the
privilege of experiencing in just the few days that we've
been here in Kerala. Below are just a few highlights to
encourage you to keep praying for the Holy Spirit is
moving mightily to exalt the Name of Jesus in this place:

Rudy and David went to a home yesterday and found a woman
weeping bitterly over her unconscious husband. She was
screaming for help when they arrived. They knelt over the
man and prayed that God would touch him and within moments
the man was standing on his feet and they were all
praising God! The team was then able to share the Gospel
and get a hearing in the area with great reception.

Tom and Martin were blessed to lead a 104 year old woman
to faith in Christ, after which she kissed them both in
joy. Of 5 homes they visited on Tuesday, everyone of them
had people come to faith in Christ. In keeping with our
vision for church planting, one of the homes was offered
up to host the home group launch service that will be on
Thursday evening.

Daniel S., Elena, and Emma had an 82 year old man that had
taught in a Catholic school for 55 years, repent and
receive Christ. He is a man of great influence in his
village so please pray that he will be a catalyst in
spreading the gospel. Elena met a Hindu woman on the
street and started to share with her. As she shared her
testimony the Hindu lady was very receptive and asked
Christ into her life even with her mother there taunting
her. Afterwards I had the joy of laying hands on this new
believer and blessing her. As I spoke a Psalm over her
she began weeping. I told her that though she had been
from a lower caste, she's now a beautiful child of the
King! She wrapped her face in her traditional sari and
wept bitterly as Elena comforted her. It was a beautiful
moment.

Scott and Daniel B were able to help their national worker
lead his best friend to faith in Christ.

Josh and Diane visited 5 homes yesterday and no one
received Christ. Just as they were about to head back to
the guest house a man was standing in the street waving at
them. The went up to talk with him and his friends as
they were building a home. All three men received Christ
and immediately the national pastor assigned to that area
made arrangements to begin their discipleship.

Jon and Leah were sharing the Gospel with a lady that was
holding a baby that started crying and disrupting the
conversation. They prayed and the baby fell asleep and
then Leah was able to lead the mother to faith in Jesus.

My dear brother Dani Abraham (our e3 India Director) have
spent the last 2 days visiting homes of Muslim families in
the area and I've been training him on how to share the
Gospel with them. The 2nd family we visited with
yesterday listened intently as I first used the Quran to
ask them questions about Jesus. Following that I showed
what Jesus says about himself in the Bible and took them
through a complete Gospel presentation. They were not
ready to receive Him, but both families took a New
Testament and agreed to read it together and discuss it.
When we left the 2nd home all the neighbors went running
down to the home to see why we were there. Hopefully they
gossiped the gospel as was done in the 1st century!

As you can see, this has been an amazing week already.
We've only had 1 person get sick (Daniel S.) and he's
resting today. In all we've had 73 people receive Christ
(Catholic, Hindu and Muslim background) in just 2 days of
evangelizing. Pray that God would continue to bless us
with the ability to make His name great! Pray for our new
church start bible studies that we'll hold on Thursday
evening. We love and appreciate you all!

Tuesday from India

2007-12-06T15:15:00.000-05:00

Thank you for your prayers yesterday. Our teams went out
and saw the LORD do many amazing things. We had people
from Hindu, Catholic and Muslim background that heard the
gospel. In all, 28 people repented and put their faith in
Jesus Christ yesterday! We are praising God because in
several cases whole households came to faith. One story
that sticks out in my mind is an elderly Catholic couple
who received one of our teams. They were celebrating
their 53rd anniversary yesterday and when they heard the
gospel, they both realized their need for a personal
relationship with Christ and made professions of faith
together. What a way to celebrate and add significance to
an anniversary!

Several of our teams encountered Muslim
families, which had some resistance to the message.
However, clear presentations of the gospel were made and
the families received copies of the New Testament. I got
to share with one of those families and when Josh, Leah
and I left the home the mother and her son were standing
on the porch reading God's word together! Please pray
that the LORD would continue to anoint and empower us to
proclaim His message with boldness. Everyone on the team
is still healthy although a few didn't sleep well last
night because of the 10.5 hour time difference. Pray for
strength and continued expansion of the Kingdom of Light.

Our national brothers that are working with us are doing
an amazing job here and we are blessed and encouraged to
serve alongside such godly faithful men. Thanks for your
continued prayers and look for another update tomorrow.

Monday from India

2007-12-06T15:11:00.000-05:00

We arrived in kerala yesterday to a wonderful welcome from
our national brothers. They placed flower garland
necklaces around everyone's neck and greeted us with
warmth. After a 2 hour drive we reached the guest house
from which we'll be working all week. Everyone was very
tired after 2 days travel, but God's grace is sufficient.
Last night we went and worshipped with the host church.
Worship Church is led by Pastor Sabu and has about 30-40
adults plus another 20 children. It was a very lively
service, the end of which I was able to preach and
encourage our combined team for our work which began
today.

This morning we met for worship before going out and the
Holy Spirit made His Presence known among us. We had a
wonderful time just exalting the Name of Jesus and praying
for the Harvest fields. I just sent the teams out and I
am leaving to go and work alongside them in a few minutes.
I will "float" from team to team and help where needed.
Our translators and national partners are doing a
wonderful job and everyone is encouraged.

The whole team is healthy thus far. Continue to pray for
health, strength, and most of all that Christ would make
Himself known in this region that is filled with many
Hindus, Muslims, and syncretistic Catholics who are
worshipping saints and idols rather than being justified
by grace alone through faith in Christ. We even saw a
vine that is enshrined outside a Catholic church yesterday
- people are worshipping the vine because each time it was
pulled up it grew back. WOW! Where there is a void,
Satan fills it with all kinds of deception. Ask the LORD
of the Harvest to break through those barriers and to
transform this region with the Gospel.

The Journey Begins at Home

2007-11-21T20:05:00.000-05:00

Today God granted me the opportunity to share with 2 Muslims and 1 former Buddhist.

First at our children’s school Thanksgiving program I was able to share with a friend’s Muslim co-teacher. She was delighted when I greeted to her in her language. Simple greetings open the door to wonderful conversations. I challenge you to learn the greetings of those from different cultures around you (Hola – Spanish; Namaste – traditional Indian; Asalaam Aleykum – universal Islamic greeting; Shalom – Jewish; Onyon Hasayo – Korean; Sawadee Kraap – Thai etc.). Anyway, after this woman responded with joy at my greeting, I challenged her to learn more about Jesus and promised that I’d send more information to her through our mutual friend (who happens to be a Christ-follower).

Second, a few weeks ago I went into a store with my wife. When there we met the store manager who we quickly learned is a Muslim from Asia. After talking with her and showing interest in her culture, she became more interested in us. We shared a brief testimony with her that we have been born again and are followers of Jesus. I asked her what she knew about Jesus and she said that she believed all roads lead to God – provided they are sincere. With that I told her that Jesus proclaimed himself to be the only road to God and asked if she’d ever read the Injil (New Testament). She told us that she hadn’t, but she’d like to. So we promised to bring her one as a gift when we returned to pick up my clothes. Today we walked into the store and when she saw us she smiled and asked, “Did you bring my gift????” We talked more with her and she she’s ready to read what Jesus said about himself . . . and share it with her whole family. Her dad just arrived from Iran today and she’s going to share the bible with him. I also gave her a tract and she said she’s so excited to learn more. Before we left we gave her Cat’s cell # and we agreed to talk regularly and that we’d have her over for dinner around Christmas. As we were walking out she said “You are so different from others I’ve met here. You actually care to know me and about my customs. You care enough to share with me about your beliefs as well. Please don’t forget about me.” Jesus told us that the fields are white unto harvest. But where are the laborers that will recognize it? Pray that WORD comes ALIVE in her heart!!!

Finally, we went to lunch with my mom at a little pizza joint that my mom met us at. Mom was telling us on the way in how the girl that works there always remembers her order and what great service she gives. We walked in and sure enough, the young lady that waited on us asked mom if she wants the “usual.” (Not sure if that says that the waitress is keen or if mom eats too much pizza???) Anyway, the young lady was obviously Asian so I asked where she’s from. “Cambodia.” I said, “I was there in 1998 training a group of churches. When did you move here?” She shared that she came here when she was 5 years old – Pol Pot’s regime was executing half the country’s population in the Killing Fields . . . including MANY of her family members. So I asked if she’s Buddhist (majority religion in Cambodia). She said, “I was when my family moved here when I was 5. We lived in Chamblee. But a church used to send groups into our neighborhood to do VBS and I learned about Jesus there. That’s where I became a Christian and I haven’t looked back.” That’s solid. Somebody recognized a Divine opportunity and seized it. Somebody took the time to show compassion to her and her family. Somebody took the time to share the Gospel and she was radically transformed. I could see it in her smile. I could hear it in her voice when she talked about the LORD.

And so that’s my prayer – for me and for you. That years down the road multitudes will look back and tell others the story of the time that you and I came into their neighborhood, or office, or school or village and brought the Good News. Maybe the children of a Muslim teacher or clothing store manager will one day be able to say, “Yea. My family used to be Muslim. But mom told me about a man that took time one day to . . . . Is that what you’re praying for? If not, look around you. The fields are WHITE! Will you be a laborer in them? Here, there and everywhere. All the time. The journey begins today, where you’re at. But it doesn’t stop there.

Please pray the following Scripture for our team as we head to India this week:
Colossians 4:2-6
"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful & thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, . . . Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

Thoughts on Reading and Writing

2007-10-24T10:09:00.000-04:00

By John Piper February 20, 2002

I've been thinking again about the importance of reading and writing. There are several reasons I write. One of the most personally compelling is that I read. I mean, my main spiritual sustenance comes by the Holy Spirit from reading. Therefore reading is more important to me than eating. If I went blind, I would pay to have someone read to me. I would try to learn Braille. I would buy "books on tape." I would rather go without food than go without books. Therefore, writing feels very lifegiving to me, since I get so much of my own life from reading.

Combine this with what Paul says in Ephesians 3:3-4, "By revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ." The early church was established by apostolic writing as well as apostolic preaching. God chose to send his living Word into the world for 30 years, and his written Word into the world for 2000+ years. Think of the assumption behind this divine decision. People in each generation would be dependent on those who read. Some people, if not all, would have to learn to read—and read well, in order to be faithful to God.

So it has been for thousands of years. Generation after generation has read the insights of its writers. This is why fresh statements of old truth are always needed. Without them people will read error. Daniel Webster once said,

If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will.1

Millions of people are going to read. If they don't read contemporary Christian books, they are going to read contemporary secular books. They will read. It is amazing to watch people in the airports. At any given moment there must be hundreds of thousands of people reading just in airports. One of the things we Christians need to be committed to, besides reading, is giving away solid books to those who might read them, but would never buy them.

The ripple effect is incalculable. Consider this illustration:

A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his Call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others.2

It seems to me that in a literate culture like ours, where most of us know how to read and where books are available, the Biblical mandate is: keep on reading what will open the Holy Scriptures to you more and more. And keep praying for Bible-saturated writers. There are many great old books to read. But each new generation needs its own writers to make the message fresh. Read and pray. And then obey.

Pastor John

Notes

[1] Ernest Reisinger, "Every Christian a Publisher," Free Grace Broadcaster, Issue 51, Winter, 1995, p. 17.
[2] "Every Christian a Publisher," p. 18.
This reading is found in A Godward Life, Book One (Multnomah, 1997), pp. 58-59.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

© Desiring God

I Saw What I Saw by Sara Groves

2007-10-10T16:19:00.000-04:00

A Song for All Parents

2007-10-03T12:05:00.000-04:00

A World-Class Discipler, An Islamic Scholar and a Rabbi

2007-08-27T15:01:00.000-04:00

I recently realized that I forgot to post this info from earlier in the summer when I traveled to Budapest as a part of the Strategy Working Group of the 2010 Lausanne Conference.

Thanks for your prayers when I was at Lausanne back in June. I continue to be amazed at the connections that I have been able to make at this historic meeting.

One day I was blessed to spend time with Robert
Coleman, author of one of my "top 5 most influential
books" list. He wrote "Master Plan of Evangelism" which
gave me a heart for making disciples at home and abroad.
Those of you whom I have invested in . . . it was largely due to
the influence of Dr. Coleman's book. The book looks at the model of Jesus and how his plan for evangelizing the world was primarily to make reproducing disciples. If you've never read it, drop what you're reading now and take a day to take this in.

One evening I had dinner with an amazing brother from North Africa who has a ministry reaching out to Muslim scholars. He himself is a Muslim background follower of Jesus and has
won many converts to Christ. Now he has trained a small army of men to engage Muslim scholars with the gospel so that their influence can be used to spread a movement quickly. He has seen 54 Islamic scholars come to faith in Jesus this year alone! We shared stories and encouraged and prayed together. I was able to share with him some of the simple equipping resources that I have produced and he is excited about implementing them on his return home. I learned much from him on how to be more effective in engaging Muslims, but he was very encouraging with regards to what I've already been doing.

Then on the way home I had the privilege of meeting the Mitch Glaser, the founder and head of Chosen PeopleMinistries. He is a Messianic Jew and is an amazing man. We started talking about the book of John and how Jesus engaged Jews at the heart level. At the end of the night
he prayed for me a beautiful prayer and agreed to be a "rabbi" (teacher) to me in the days ahead. I look forward to future conversations getting his amazing insight into
the Scriptures.

I am blessed and humbled to have been a part of this time. My life has been enriched by the network that I've met. Thanks to each of you for praying for me this week.

India Video Promo

2007-07-20T10:57:00.000-04:00

Sign up online to go on this journey with me. Click below: http://www.e3portal.org/cms/ApplyForMissions.asp?cid=IN07M

DEADLINE FOR SIGNING UP IS AUGUST. PLEASE DO NOT DELAY.

Download this video to your computer by clicking below:
http://www.mediafire.com/?8zwmljf2snu

The Camel, Everest & Budapest

2007-06-14T10:29:00.000-04:00

What does a camel, Mount Everest and Budapest have to do with one another? Not much unless you live a crazy life like mine. Here's how the three intersected on my journey.

Several weeks ago I was contacted by Dr. Gerald Harris of the Christian Index regarding my thoughts on church planting movements (CPM). Dr. Harris was wrote an article for the GA Baptist newspaper on that subject (see below - Friday, May 25, 2007), but the topic of one particular CPM among Asian Muslims came up and the somewhat controversial approach to enter into evangelistic conversations that is being used there. As you might imagine, sharing with Muslims is an intimidating task. One author named Kevin Greeson has worked with Muslims for years and several years ago wrote a book called "The Camel Training Manual" which trains people to enter into evangelistic conversations with Muslims by using a "bridge" composed of a few verses from the Qur'an, the Islamic religious text. Because of my experience in sharing the Gospel with Muslims over the last 8 years, Dr. Harris decided to quote me again in the current issue featuring the way that I use an adaptation of the Camel Method as a pre-evangelistic bridge that then allows me to go on and explain the Gospel using the only authoritative Scriptures - the Bible. You can read that article by clicking here:
Is Camel Method leading thirsty world to oasis of truth?

So what's the deal with Mt. Everest? Yes I am the "South Asia Strategy Coordinator" for e3 Partners Ministries. And yes, Mt. Everest is in Nepal, which is a part of South Asia. And yes, I have been to Nepal. In fact, last week my family and I traveled all the way to Everest on an expedition and got stranded about half way up. It was quite scary being up there so high not knowing how we'd get down. Now I know you're thinking that I must be crazy taking my kids up on Everest, but I actually learned that families ascend the mountain every single day . . . in Orlando, FL at Disney's Animal Kingdom! After waiting over an hour in the sweltering heat at the base of "Everest", Cat and I started the ascent with our three kids in tow only to get stranded on the highest part of the roller coaster. Caleb was quite disappointed as we sat there waiting to be rescued. Overall, however we had a blast spending a week at the beach and a few days at Disney. It was a much-needed vacation where I unplugged and unwound so that I could truly enjoy the wonderful family that God has blessed me with.

So what about Budapest? Well, that's where I'm headed this Sunday for a week to participate in the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization planning meetings. Lausanne is the world's largest inter-denominational gathering of missionaries and Christian leaders meeting to coordinate efforts that focus on the completion of the Great Commission. I have been honored with the privilege of serving on the "Young Leaders" planning team (though I appreciate the designation, at 38 years old I wonder when I'll ever have to drop the qualification 'Young'???). Please pray for me on this journey that I would be able to focus, learn, and contribute and that the outcome would be Christ-exalting.

So that's how camels, Everest and Budapest converge through Robinson family adventures. So I'll close for now with a great family photo from our vacation. Thanks for blessing us with your prayers and friendship. (click to enlarge)

Quoted in Article on Church Planting Movements

2007-05-25T09:13:00.000-04:00

I was recently contacted by the Editor of the Georgia Baptist newspaper, the Christian Index, regarding my views on what has recently come to be known as "church planting movements." The term CPM was made popular in missions circles by author and IMB missionary David Garrison in his book by the same name. I have had the privilege to work in a couple of these movements by training pastors and lay leaders. You can check out the article in full at http://www.christianindex.org/3270.article
My comments are under the section on "Quantity versus Quality." Hope you enjoy!

The Beginning of a Movement?

2007-05-22T15:41:00.000-04:00

The following is the story of how a "house church" that I worked with in South Asia came to be and where it's possibly headed in the future:

Several years ago a young man born into a Muslim family came to faith in Christ through a series of life-changing encounters. As a child he was admired by all in his village because of his kindness. One day he was playing ball with other kids and the ball was hit into a cemetery. None of the other kids would venture into that scary place to get the ball, but this young man did. While there a strange man came up to him and put his hand on his shoulder and said, “One day you will be a great man of God.” The confused young man left with more questions than answers. Several years later he had moved into the city and was excelling at his studies. While at the university he got involved with a radical fundamentalist Islamic group and quickly rose to the top as a student leader. After studying the Qur’an in depth, he again felt like there were more questions than answers. One night he took a walk to think through all of this. As he crossed a bridge in the city a strange man approached him and put his hand on his shoulder and said to him, “Soon you will be a great man of God.” It was the same man that had approached him in the cemetery! It was not long after that encounter that the young man came to faith in Jesus Christ. As you can imagine, his classmates and the fundamentalist group did not respond positively to this change. He was beaten severely and spent 10 days in a hospital. This might discourage some, but this young man became more convinced that he was now finding the answers that he’d always been searching for. Over the last few years he has worked with several missionaries to help them learn the local language and even got involved in distributing Bibles through the project that many of you have been praying for and giving sacrificially toward.

The young man is now doing his medical internship and is living at a hostel where he met other fairly new believers and started to gather them together in his room forming a house church. This is the group that I and another team mate got to invest in for the entire week training them in church multiplication using our First Steps curriculum and discipleship using the 7 Basic Commands of Jesus. The amazing thing about this embryonic group is that there are 3 Muslim background believers and 4 Hindu background believers among them and they are winning more from both faiths regularly. In fact, on the first day of the training we met in this young man’s small hostel room and sat on the floor studying the Scripture. During a break a new man came into the room. We learned that this man had received a Bible during a distribution recently and had been meeting with several members of the house church to learn more about Jesus. In the middle of our training, one of the young men started sharing with the visitor again and before we knew it he was rejecting Islam and praying to receive Christ!

Another young member of the church was studying English Literature at his university and got a scholarship to Cambridge for a semester. During his time there, the Muslim met a Christian who gave him a pocket Gideon’s Bible. During testimony time of our training he pulled that NT out and shared how just 3 months earlier he returned to the country and heard a radio broadcast that we helped to start. Then he was hanging out with friends at another university one day and my missionary friend gave him a NT that was in his language and English. Through that encounter he started meeting with the leader of the small church and 2 months ago he rejected Islam, received Christ and was soon after baptized. In keeping with our training philosophy, we went out to apply what we’d studied together in the morning. Amazingly, this 2 month old believer suggested we go to his campus to evangelize! So we loaded up and went. What a blessing to see him rush onto the campus and begin to gather a group together telling them that his friends were there to “explain the light of Jesus” that had changed his life. On the first day there we shared with a few small groups of students and started handing out NTs to an enthusiastic throng of young Muslims and Hindus. The following day we returned there again and the new believer had arranged for us to speak in the lecture hall to a group of about 50-60 inquiring students. So the missionary, the house church leader, and I shared with them for about an hour fully proclaiming the Gospel, and answering their questions regarding it. In particular I shared with the group my testimony of coming to faith as a university student and how Christ had since changed my life. I really connected with them by telling them that God created them with their ethnicity, but their ancestors had chosen their religion. So I beckoned them not to confuse the two. I shared with them how each man and woman must one day stand before a Holy God and no amount of religious devotion would achieve the merit necessary to escape judgment. So I asked them to consider Christ, who alone lived a perfect life and died as a sacrifice of atonement for their sins. Many followed us out of the auditorium asking questions and before we knew it we were distributing Bibles to virtually the whole campus. My teammate was a bit intimidated when a police officer cleared the crowd around him and then boldly said, “I am a police officer. I need two please!” People are hungering the world over for the TRUTH! Jesus Christ is the TRUTH. And that is the message we proclaimed. The rest of the week we continued the training and as the island team came back to the city, they took over the mass distribution of Bibles.

The highlight of the week for me was when teaching the 7 Basic Commands of Jesus in the small storage room (the hostel banned our meeting after the 2^nd day out of fear that Muslims living nearby would destroy their facility since these young men were hitting the streets and sharing the Gospel everyday after our time together!) where the missionary keeps the cases of Bibles for distributions. After one session we shared Communion together – the first time for several of the new believers. Then after teaching a session on what it means to love God and love one another, I washed the leader’s feet and then the whole group started to follow suit until everyone had both washed and been washed.

On Friday our whole team had the joy of worshiping with the “house” church in their normal location – under a grove of trees just outside the city. We sat in the shade and took part in one of the most amazingly simple times of worship that we all were forced to think how near this must’ve been to what the 1^st Century believers experienced. All the while a group of cattle herders had gathered with their herds. We gave them a solar powered audio NT and they sat and listened in amazement to the whole book of Luke. The primitive and the modern collided under that grove of trees and the Presence of the eternal One was with us. So as I sit here in my office today gathering these thoughts I am grateful that not only were we able to distribute over 16,000 copies of God’s Word, but we were able to invest in a group of relatively new believers and train them with a vision and means for making disciples and multiplying what they now have. The results are in God’s Sovereign hands, but as we left my brothers in Christ there had already begun to put into practice what I was blessed to teach them from God’s Word. Please pray for the men of Isahee Tablique Baptist Church (translated “The Followers of Jesus Apostolic Missionary Baptist Church”) as they follow up on all the leads from those who received Bibles through our massive distribution efforts.

Call in the Reinforcements

2007-05-10T09:02:00.000-04:00

I'm headed for South Asia today with a team of 5 other men to do frontline evangelism in an area filled with Muslims. Please pray that the LORD would be glorified in our obedience to go and that He would accomplish His purposes both in us and through us. Take this call to prayer seriously . . .

"Until you know that life is war, you cannot know what prayer is for. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief . . . (But) we tried to rig it up as an intercom in our houses and cabins and boats and cars - not to call in fire power for conflict with a mortal enemy, but to ask for more comforts in the den"
- John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad.

We are calling in the reinforcements with coordinates on where the Enemy has been holding people captive. Pray that the LORD would move in a mighty way and that Christ the King would be exalted in that dark land as the Enemy is pushed back. The Spirit of the Sovreign LORD is upon me because He has annointed me to preach good news to the poor . . . to proclaim freedom for the captives!

And remember . . .

"The Enemy will do anything to divorce prayer and proclamation—to stop the evangelist from praying and the intercessor from evangelizing. Why? Because the two combined are explosive!”
- From Red Moon Rising by Peter Grieg and Dave Roberts, a book about a youth 24-7 prayer
movement that now spans the globe.

While you're praying for us, make sure you're evangelizing those around you. And while we're out there evangelizing, we'll be sure to pray that the LORD is moving in your midst as well. What a glorious plan.

Another Milestone in the Journey

2007-05-01T15:43:00.000-04:00

This past weekend marked another milestone in this crazy but wonderful journey the LORD has the Robinson family on. It was 20 years ago (gulp) that I graduated from Central Gwinnett High School without a clue as to what I wanted to be when I grew up. Four and a half years (the half year was lost when I actually dropped out for a while) later I graduated from the University of Georgia with a BA in Political Science, having become a new creation in Christ only one semester before commencement. Still unsure about what I wanted to be, I started working on a Masters in Education thinking that I'd work my way back to the good ole days of high school to get a little revenge on my teachers by becoming their peer. After 5 years of teaching (and tormenting my former teachers as their peer) God called Catherine and I back to school again - this time to prepare to go on the mission field by getting an M.Div. in International Church Planting from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. When I graduated from there in 2001, I actually knew what I wanted to be when I grew up. The only problem was . . . I knew that God was telling us that we were not through with school yet. UGH! So in 2005 I started working on a D.Miss. (Doctor of Missiology) at Western Seminary completing the program in a record 2 years. I was highly motivated to say the least. So this past weekend - April 28, 2007 to be exact - I walked across the stage one final time. This time I know what I want to be when I grow up . . . a child of God, husband to a beautiful wife, father to three amazing kids, friend to sinners and saints alike, and a catalyst for communities of faith where the Gospel transforms lives . . . just like mine.

(photo) - I'm smiling because that package contains my completed dissertation . . . the most expensive package I've ever mailed (if you've ever paid tuition for an advanced degree you'll know what I mean!). The dissertation is 220 pages and is entitled, "The Ministry of E3 Partners as a Case Study of Strategic Cross-cultural Short-term Missions." If you're suffering from insomnia, I got your cure. :) Really, if you're interested in how to do short-term missions strategically then let me know and I'll e-mail you a copy.

(photo) - In this one I'm smiling because my committee put their signatures on what was in the box . . . and because that meant me and my sweetie jumped on a plane and went to Portland, OR for my graduation. On the day before rehearsal we took a Pacific Northwest road-trip. Cat and I are at breathtaking Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge.

(photo) - We had to get our money's worth out of our $17/day rental car so with gas at the bargain price of only $3.20 a gallon we turned around and drove to the Oregon coast . . . worth every penny! Here's Catherine taking a walk on one of the most stunning coastlines I've ever seen near Seaside, OR.

(photo) - Here is Dr. Enoch Wan, Division Chair for the Department of Intercultural Studies, donning me with the Doctoral hood. It was quite an honor to be surrounded by such great men of God. It was also quite humorous that we were all playing "dress up." Many people ask me why I went on to pursue a doctorate. My response, "The hats."

Really, it's humbling to know that my LORD showed grace, favor and gave me the perseverance to get to this milestone in the journey. And if you're still reading this, I ask you to take a moment and pray that God would use me and the training that I have received to expand His glory and increase my joy. Thanks for joining me on the journey.

I love it when a plan comes together!

2007-03-20T02:30:00.000-04:00

When our training ended last weekend I was really ready to get home to my family. I started wondering, "What am I doing sticking around for more meetings?" Anytime I am away from my bride for long, those kind of thoughts begin to enter my head. It's easy to get depressed out here even when things are going great. The reason is that nothing is familiar. When I'm at home I have pretty regular schedule for my days. Things I touch, smell, see, and taste are familiar. Out here, that's not the case. At any rate, yesterday I got the answer to my question.

What happened you might ask? Did someone come to faith in Jesus? Was a church planted? Nope. I had a day literally filled with meetings. Doesn't sound too glorious does it?

Well, the reason that I was so excited when I went to bed last night is that a truly strategic plan seems to be coming together. It is almost scary how big and how amazing it is. I'm talking God-sized!

The population of India alone is equal to that of North America, South America, and Africa combined! And yet as we sat in a tiny cheap hotel in Hyderabad yesterday, for the first time ever I could envision the completion of the Great Commission. Are there formiddable barriers? YES! What is India? Hindu majority. 2nd largest Muslim country in the world. Soon to be the most populous country in the world surpassing China. 54% of the population here is under 25 years old. Caste system still exists unofficially. Wide-spread poverty. Wide-spread Illiteracy.

But then I've been teaching all week that Jesus said, "I WILL build my Church and the Gates of Hades (I've seen them this week) will NOT prevail against it." So how will those barriers be overcome? Through the power of the Gospel . . . the same way that the formiddable barriers that created your and my lostness was overcome. The Gospel message travels quickly through networks. And what we've been discussing in these meetings is exactly that - the networks that God is using to push back the darkness and let the Light shine in. So I'm going to get up from this internet cafe computer now and step outside. I'll immediately be assaulted by the smog and filth. I'll be approached by the impoverished and asked for a blessing . . . and I'll give them one I'll dodge trucks, cars, motorcylces, rickshaws, ox-carts and the like and cross the street headed back to that modest hotel. And all the while I will be encountering a vast sea of depraved humanity in need of the Gospel that took hold of me and changed me. And given the chance I'll share that message with passion. But my confidence does not rest in the flesh, but in the Holy Spirit who gives life.

Why am I excited? Because God Almighty has been working his GLOBAL PLAN OF REDEMPTION since the beginning of time and we're getting close to the end of it. Things are accelerating at an alarming speed. Networks are spreading throughout this country and beyond that can conceivably present an understandable Gospel message to every single person in our lifetime. And I get to be a part of it. And so do you! I love it when a plan comes together! Look for more details about how you can be involved in this amazing plan in the coming days. For now . . . I'm off to pack and on to Kolkatta (Calcutta) where I'm going to look beyond the barriers and see the Promise.

Church Multiplication Works!

2007-03-19T02:25:00.000-04:00

I'm back in Hyderabad now and involved in daily strategy meetings with our national director, Dani. He is an amazing man with a great vision for the expansion of the Kingdom here in South Asia and is already working out that vision through practical steps that I'll share more about later.

We finished up the "Train the Trainer" conference in Kazipet on Saturday. We were overwhelmed with the way the LORD used the time. On Friday we went back to the villages that we had prayed in on Wednesday and evangelized on Thursday. This time however we were going to ground the believers through introductory discipleship and train them in how to operate house churches. As usual, the new beleivers brought others and we saw 6 more come to faith in Jesus at the 4 new house church gatherings. Virtually all of these Banjara gypsies that we were working among are illiterate. So we used the "7 Basic Commands of Jesus" to begin discipleship and they memorized those commands and understood them as the natural fruit of obedience through faith in Jesus. In the are where I was working there was 1 believer at the beginning of the week - Jothi. By the end of the week there were 5 other adults gathering at her house for worship of the One True God, along with about 30 children who learned several bible verses by memory. Some of the national leaders that we trained this week have been appointed as temporary area leaders to oversee these new churches until the locals are trained to lead them alone. We will be sending in solar-powered Audio New Testament Proclaimers so that they can study the scriptures on their own as well.

On Friday night we held a graduation celebration where 24 national leaders covenanted with e3 Partners to become trainers in their respective states. These men will each be provided with Evangecubes and First Steps training manuals to equip national believers, evangelize the lost, and establish new churches in their State. I'll be sharing more later about how you can be a part of this amazing movement. We only selected the top quality leaders to become trainers and we are thrilled to think of how God is going to use them to reproduce this model throughout the region.

As Dani, myself, and 2 other e3 leaders from the US worked together yesterday and today, we have formulated a 2007 plan and 2008 goals for expanding this network of church multiplication trainers. Tomorrow I'm headed off to Calcutta for more strategy meetings and then on home to my SWEET family on Thursday. I miss them dearly! Not long now.

The King of Kings Lives in Straw Huts

2007-03-19T02:22:00.000-04:00

After several days of training 35 of our Indian brothers from 10 states across this vast country, we went out today and found that ours and your prayers had made the harvest field in 2 Banjara villages fertile. This simple people who are living in thatch huts became hosts to the King of Kings today as our team left the classroom setting and put into practice what they have learned. We had 34 people from 2 villages come to faith in Jesus alone in just 2 hours of evangelism practicum. Friday we have 4 house church meetings planned where these new believers will be discipled and invite their families to hear the gospel.

One of our teams saw the King of Kings heal a paralytic! PTL our God visits those who open their homes and hearts to him ... Be it a castle or a straw hut in rural India.

Blogging on a Blackberry? In India?

2007-03-14T11:02:00.000-04:00

Yep ... You read it right. I'm in Kazipet India blogging with my friends bberry. Crazy! Just wanted to let you know the training is going great. Today we added lab to the lecture and went out to Banjara gypsy villages praying for the sick to prepare the soil for evangelistic outreach on Thursday. Pray that these Hindus will encounter Jesus thru our witnessing. Gotta run do a Muslim evangelism training ... Not to mention my thumbs are tired.

Praying for Encounters in India

2007-03-12T01:38:00.000-04:00

The flights from ATL to Hyderabad, India were long and grueling. But not without a divine opportunity. On one of the legs I sat next to Terrence - retired from the Army having served on the ground in Mogadishu during the "Black Hawk Down" days. He was shot once there. He served again for 3 years in the latest war for the liberation of Iraq. He was shot again there. Terrence recently retired from the Army and joined the Dept. of Defense and was on his way back to Bagdad as a translator. As I talked with him I learned that he was raised by a father who converted to Islam during his own military service stationed in Egypt. His mother is the daughter of a Baptist minister in Miami, FL. Interesting life, no doubt. Terrence considered himself a Muslim, although he affirmed that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died to save the world. Where Terrence stopped short however was that he said that although Jesus is the atoning sacrifice of God, that it is not necessary to become his "follower", but to believe is enough. So I sat for 9 hours next to a Muslim that believes in Jesus but sees no need to follow him. Where do you go with that? Needless to say I spent much of the time listening to him and responding to questions. I'd love to say that Terrence surrendered to Jesus before leaving the plane, but that's not what happened. Instead, today he's walking the streets of one of the most dangerous cities on the planet having heard the Truth of the necessity of surrender to Jesus, and yet choosing not to. Please pray for Terrence, that something I shared with him would stick and that the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance our conversations and that he would repent and put his faith in Jesus alone.

After meeting more e3 folks in Frankfurt we headed on for Hyderabad. We arrived around midnight Saturday to a welcoming committee who placed flower garlands around our necks. These dear saints are members of the Banjara Baptist Fellowship and part of our team will be working with them in gypsy villages this week. We got up yesterday and headed to the airport supposedly to catch a flight to Nagpur to meet with our national director. That flight was cancelled and so we've been hold up in our hotel up to now waiting on Dani to come here instead. Pray that we find our purpose in this change of plans that God ordained. Pray for our training as it begins later tomorrow. May the name of Jesus be lifted up and glorified among the peoples of this city.

The Journey Continues . . . India-bound

2007-03-05T18:01:00.000-05:00

I'm headed for India this week to help forge a national church planting strategy. I'm looking forward to the opportunity to equip 50 Indian nationals in biblical church planting principles and then coach them through the process in the weeks and months ahead.

God is REALLY moving in the Sub-continent and I feel humbled to be a part of that in some way. See the map to the left - find India and you'll notice that its almost all red. Red represents < 2% evangelical. 1/6 of the world's population lives on the Indian sub-continent and it is less than 2% evangelical. But I am not without hope! I believe that the Holy Spirit of God is raising up people there and preparing them for an amazing outpouring of grace through the rapid advance of the Gospel.

Pray that I be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and that I serve the nationals in a way that exemplifies the love of Christ. Pray that the churches there will do what all churches were created by God to do - reproduce after their own kind - to the glory of Jesus!

My Heroes

2007-02-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

Recently I had the privilege of gathering together with some of my heroes in the faith. While highly publicized preachers and oft cited missionaries are known by many, these heroes of mine may never be published or heard of. Nevertheless, they each hold a special place in my heart for various reasons that I will describe below.

A Devoted Family: The Vegas of Panama
Moises and Talsidia Vega were instruments of God in realizing my calling to missions. Back in 1996 I went on my first short-term journey to their home in Panama and worked alongside them to help establish a church. This couple, along with their beautiful family that includes 5 children, have been serving the LORD faithfully in helping to spread a passion for Jesus throughout their land and beyond. In particular, the Vegas have been instrumental in reaching out to the indigenous "Indian" tribes that trace back to the ancient Mayans. We've made some long treks together through the jungles of Panama ministering to those forgotten people. I have never encountered a family that is so dedicated to the cause of Christ from oldest to youngest as the Vegas. For this reason, they are my heroes and I pray that my own family can be used in such wonderful ways to reach to "the least of these". Visit the Vegas website to see more of what I'm talking about: http://www.mgpanama.com

A Modern Apostle: The Bejars of Peru
I first got the privilege of working with Juvenal and Katty Bejar in Peru several years ago. I have been amazed at their truly apostolic ministry in mobilizing churches to start literally hundreds of new churches in their own country and beyond. I often call Juvenal my "modern day Paul" because he is so influential and catalytic in establishing churches. Juvenal is the pastor of a house church in Lima that has planted 14 other churches all pastored by men whom Juvenal has discipled. He was not content with this admirable accomplishment, but went "national" starting several years back to mobilize Peruvian churches to send apostolic teams to other cities to start new churches. I once had the privilege of leading a missions conference for Juvenal's house church network and was amazed when they applied the principles I had taught and put together their resources to send 4 long-term missionaries to Asia! They have others that are in training currently to follow suit. One of the most admirable qualities of the Bejars is their humility. Although extremely influential across Peru, I have watched and learned from Juvenal that influence is not something to assert, but rather it is a stewardship to humbly use for the glory of Jesus. It is my prayer that I can have vision and humility driven influence like the Bejars.
Go to http://robinsonadventures.blogspot.com to read several of my earlier accounts from working with Juvenal in Peru.

In Love with the Church: The Mennas of Ethiopia
Finally there is my brother Yosef Menna from Ethiopia. Though I just met Yosef a little over a year ago, I have watched and learned from this faithful Ethiopian disciple of Jesus. I had the privilege to partner through prayer and finances for a season with he and his family and watched as they mobilized an entire denomination in their country to become missions-minded. Yosef wrote a training guide to help Ethiopian churches send out indigenous missionaries using their own finances. What started small has now spread to over 800,000 Ethiopian believers contributing to support 1000 Ethiopian church planting missionaries that are turning their country upside down. Yosef is truly a man that knows how to maximize the potential of the Church. It is my prayer that I can love and serve the Church with the same passion and dedication as the Mennas.

So there they are . . . three heroes of mine. You may never read of them anywhere else but here, but I can guarantee that they have left their mark on my life. And anything the God should choose to accomplish through me and my own family, these saints of God will have played a big part in preparing for. Take a moment now and pray for these families and for mine, that we can become more like them. Click on their hyperlinked names to see how you can become more involved in their ministries.

A Cold Land and a Warm Home

2006-11-15T15:16:00.000-05:00

I’ve just about recovered from our journey to Moldova that spanned 10 extremely cold Eastern European days. This was my first time to run a church planting campaign in Europe. Its funny – most people talk to me about how hard it must be to work on establishing churches in predominately Muslim areas, but after this journey I think that the spiritual numbness and apathy of secularism poses greater barriers than does any major world religion. The bottom line however, is that God is working all over the world to redeem the lost to Himself, be it in the midst of fundamentalist Muslims, former Soviet secularists, and even Western democratic capitalists! There is no culture that is impenetrable when the Holy Spirit works through obedient disciples of Jesus Christ. So with these thoughts in mind I wanted to share just a few stories from a field where the weather seemed to be an acting metaphor for the people’s spiritual vicissitude.

I knew that I had messed up the moment I got off of the plane in the former Soviet city of Chisinau. It was well below freezing with blustery winds and I had failed to pack my winter coat. I did bring a few sweaters that helped a bit, but my simple raincoat did little to break the cutting chill of the wind. So I knew that my goal was to find warm places of refuge in an otherwise hostile climate. I began praying that the LORD would open homes of people who would share the warmth of hospitality so that I could share with them the warmth of His eternal gospel.

On one occasion in the village of Malcochi I had just encountered the poster child for the former Soviet Empire. This man was solemn and proud and had no need of a personal God. He described himself as a hard worker and regardless of what Scripture I quoted or what I said to him, he simply had no interest in the gospel. Needless to say I was a bit discouraged following that conversation but then my ministry partner prayed and asked God to “put someone in our path”. Less than minute later we saw little Ana coming our way. When we started to talk with her about why we were in her village, she quickly said “It’s too cold out here for such a deep conversation. Please come into my warm home.” As we went inside we knew that God was at work in Ana’s life. As we shared the simple gospel she humbled herself and repented, placing her faith in Christ alone. It seems like I’ve heard it so many times since I started in missions over 10 years ago – “I’ve been waiting for someone to come and tell me how I could know God.” Ana confessed that during Soviet times she struggled with the atheist ideology, but on the heels thereof, she really hadn’t a clue what kind of God, God is . . . or even if He could be known. It’s amazing how the physical chill subsided in the warmth of Ana’s home. But even more amazing was to watch the spell of a spiritual chill defrosting before our eyes. Ana came in “out of the cold” and experienced the warmth of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

On a different day I went with brother Stas, who is a Russian-speaking pastor, to visit the home of one of his church members. I was particularly interested in this visit because Stas told me how he had become a pastor following a Global Missions Fellowship (now e3 Partners) short-term campaign six years ago. Vera, whose home we were going to visit, had been one of the first people to receive Christ on that earlier campaign. When we arrived at Vera’s simple one room home, she began to share with me her story. Six years ago two North American’s named Ben and Carmen had knocked on her door and because she was extremely depressed and lonely, Vera had invited them in. Vera went on to explain to us that she had been addicted to drugs back then and really had no hope for a better life. When that couple started to share God’s love with Vera, her heart melted and she put her faith in Christ. What is even more amazing is that over the next two years that fledgling church plant followed up with Vera and helped her to get off of drugs and onto a new path that has brought life and peace to her even through difficult times. You see, in Vera’s one room home also lives her mother who had a stroke and is now incapacitated and fairly incoherent. Vera’s 20 or so year old son also lives there. As we sat on one sofa I looked around the approximately 10x10 room that is there home and wondered what life must be like for this family. One might think that Vera would be sad about her poverty, but the opposite is true. She told of countless times when she had no money to buy groceries and on faith went to the market only to find a small amount of money laying on the ground on the way – enough to buy a few meals. And as I prayed with them they shared how God had provided Vera’s son with a new job that meant a steady income for them. I saw in pastor Stas that day something beautiful. He has invested in this family – and dozens more like them – planting several more churches over the last six years.

I needed to see that . . . fruit that remains and has multiplied over a period of time. So often I wonder what becomes of the people whose homes I have visited throughout my ministry. I hope that most of them have experienced such a life transformation as Vera and her family. I hope that Ana out in Malcochi will testify years down the road of how Christ has changed her life. All I can say is that no matter how cold it gets in the world around us, the answer stays the same. Jesus Christ penetrates cold hearts and warms homes with His hope and peace. He did it for Vera. He is doing it for Ana. And He did it for me.

Pray for our Journey to Moldova

2006-10-25T10:18:00.000-04:00

I will be traveling with a team of 9 people from Hebron Baptist Church to the Eastern European country of Moldova from November 1-10. While there we will be engaging in a number of activities, all of which fall under our purpose statement at e3 Partners where I work.

We will be equipping nationals through both teaching and modeling. In addition, I will be teaching a course on Muslim Evangelism at the College of Theology and Education to several dozen Muslim background believers from Central Asia.

We will be evangelizing the lost through appointments with the unbelieving family, friends and neighbors of our host church's members. In addition we will be going house to house in some areas and hosting and "English Seminar" in one village where we will evangelize those attending and their families.

Our goal is to glorify God through the establishment of several new churches in areas that have no evangelical presence.

Please pray for these endeavors daily. There is one village in particular where the Orthodox priest has warned that he will "run us off with pitchforks" if we attempt to evangelize there. Pray for me as I try to meet with him early on in the journey and spiritually disarm his opposition. In particular pray Acts 6:7 - that "the word of God spread and the number of disciples multiply. And a great number of priests come to the faith."

Thanks for joining us on the journey!

George featured on Southeastern Seminary's new promo video

2006-10-19T16:32:00.000-04:00

Back in 1997 Catherine and I moved to Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, NC to prepare for a life of joining God on His mission to redeem the world. SEBTS has played a huge role in our lives even after our graduation in 2001. If God has called you to minister, we feel that there's no better preparation than an education from SEBTS. They now have a 4 year college, Masters, and Doctoral opportunities. Check out the short video and then visit them online at www.sebts.edu.

DVD photo slide show at onetruemedia.com

In Memory of Susan D. Jourdan

2006-10-08T21:04:00.000-04:00

Edit video online at onetruemedia.com

Pastor for a Month - Defending the Faith!

2006-08-17T14:59:00.000-04:00

In my previous post I mentioned J who is the provisional pastor for the house church that was planted in the wake of our visit to South Asia. In a matter of weeks, J had gone from being alone in his quest to follow Jesus to leading a small congregation of about 10 new believers. Part of that came through our sharing with his family. The rest happened as J boldly began proclaiming the good news to his neighbors and friends.

Just this past week J was confronted by a Muslim cleric who asked about the books that J has been distributing through the shanty. J was a little intimidated at first, but after some wise counsel and training from our missionary friend, he has since boldly shared with the cleric. Here's the latest:

Yesterday morning I taught J some things about using the Qur'an, because an imam from the area had heard that he had been baptized. He learned how there is no way to know for sure from the Qur'an, or Islam, that we could go to heaven. Even (Muhammad) does not know. How can common people (who follow him)? J went after that imam (following this training), and its sound like he cleaned his clock. I am pretty sure this is the case because today the guy is coming back with a couple more "big" imams (leading Muslim "pastors"). They are also bringing the Hadith (interpretations of the Qur'an). That is what an imam does after a good (theological) spanking. Well, when the imam said to J, "you have to go to the Mosque to pray," then J answered, "Why, does God live only there? Can He not hear us unless we are there? I have been given new life inside. I can pray anywhere and God hears me." We had been learning (through our studies together) from John 4 about true prayer and worship. Today I taught him from John 3. God has given us new life on the inside. Everything in Islam is outside, but the God of the Bible works on the inside as well. He makes us want to do right, and gives us the ability. In Islam, we have no way of knowing that God has love for us. But John 3 says, "in this way we know that God loved the world; because he gave His only begotten Son, that anyone who believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life." If you dont believe on the Son you are condemned already. Pray that these things would continue to reprogram (renew) J's mind.

And pray that as J boldly shares these things with the Muslim leaders that they too would repent and turn to follow Jesus. Ask the LORD of the Harvest to continue to work among this tiny house church and strengthen those in it to obey the commands of Jesus joyfully, no matter what the cost.

Consider the Mustard Seed . . .

2006-08-12T10:39:00.000-04:00

Jesus taught about how the tiny little mustard seed grew to become one of the largest of plants. Often God uses small beginnings to bring about huge things, which magnifies His glory all the more. The mustard seed illustration has "faith" as its subject. The Scripture also says, "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ." Three weeks ago I traveled with a small team to one of the most densely populated places on earth. Our whole team could fit into one van. We simply took the word of God and offered it to the Muslims there in a way they could understand it. God is now taking His word and creating faith in the hearts of many there. It started with a few and is spiraling outward. The mustard seed is bursting through the surface of a once fallow ground. May the fruit of that tree be to the glory of Jesus. Here's the latest update from our missionary friend:

J - The guy that Glen, Holly, and I saw beside the road with the
goats. He told U he is ready to follow Jesus, but the his family
all told U that they would reject their father. J is supposed
to be calling U back tonight. I told him to tell J that often
the family will convert, but after a time of testing. J must
love, respect, and provide for them. He must show them that Jesus
changed his life. J claims that he knows several others who would
likely follow Jesus when he converts.

R - R is the long haired guy that George's team visited.
(see the video below called "Rasid's Story")
Last week U and I went to his house, but he was not at home.
U returned again this week, but he wasnt in. Then yesterday he called
U. He wanted us to know that he is still eager to be baptized, learn about having a house church, and he is following Jesus.

SK - This is one of the school master guys that George's
team visited. U says that he is ready to follow Jesus and be baptized.
He has expressed a desire to reach youth in his area!

1. Pray that J count the cost, and believe deeply in Jesus. One
good thing is that the guy who lives close to me in Khulna has this
as his testimony. For 7-8 months he hung in there, and trusted in
God. Then in one day God brought his wife and several others to
faith. U will share this testimony with him. Pray that the others
J mentioned would come to Jesus soon.

2. On Tuesday or so I will start formally training U on how to do
basic discipleship (7 commands of Jesus). He is trying to confirm times to
meet with these three men next weekend. Then he will go back and
confirm their faith. May they soon be baptized and follow hard
after the Lord Jesus!

3. Pray for the man in Khulna who has lead several to faith. He is
not educated much. He reads a little but doesnt write. I am going to
try to get U to help him some with his reading. As God to help
him to learn the things we are teaching him. He is not an
unintelligent man, but everything is just so new for him.

Please commit these things to prayer and take time to praise the One who is making the mustard seed grow!

The Stories Keep Coming . . .

2006-08-10T08:16:00.000-04:00

This is the latest from my friend in South Asia where we worked just a few weeks ago:

"Tomorrow J is going to baptize another Muslim man. He has plans to baptize several women, but that has been postponed for a little longer. His wife has an infection in her arm. After it heals enough, then she and the other women will be baptized.
You can pray for the hindu men that J has reached. One of them had a job as a van driver for a school that he lost because of his conversion. Also, his family has physically assulted him, including mild clubbing. He is looking to move. Last week I met with them and think that we can pretty much call them a church now. They have tons of learning to do, but even took up an offering for the guy who lost his job. Now they want to buy the guy a ricksaw van. It costs about a months salary for one of them ($55). They are just going to pass the hat around. I told them I would give, but that it would be as one of them. May the Lord blow there minds at what He can do among them. Ask Him to show them that they are His people, and as such they can accomplish all of His purposes! The DNA for this church is great. Interestingly, the day before we gathered as a church J was at my house. He asked me for a Bible because he didnt have one. I asked him why he didn't bring one to our study, and he said that he had given them all away!"

Praise God with me right now for this small house church meeting in a Muslim dominated land that they would be like the Bereans of old and "search the Scriptures" thoroughly. Pray that God would sustain them as they face persecution and that they would draw closer to one another and to the Christ they now worship. And finally, pray for our missionary friend who is there with his family nurturing this church and following up on many other contacts. May the stories keep coming . . . to the glory of Jesus!

South Asia Review

2006-08-07T14:50:00.000-04:00

Here's a 14 minute photo/video montage summarizing the amazing journey our team shared in South Asia a few weeks back. Simply click on the link below and "watch and be amazed" as Habbakuk says.

I'd love your feedback on my use of this type of media so please leave a comment.

2006 South Asia Review

Stories from South Asia - The End of the Story? NOT!

2006-08-04T14:01:00.000-04:00

Day 6-9

Our journey had far exceeded our expectations up to this point. As we made our way back to the regional city that our IMB friend calls home, we talked and praised God for giving us such inroads into an area where few if any believers had ever taken the good news. God had blessed us and given us beautiful feet and had exalted the name of Jesus in the minds of thousands and in the hearts of a few. When we arrived at our friend’s home I must admit that I thought our work was pretty much finished. Our plans were to go out and visit some contacts of one of our national brothers the next day, but we were not sure where that would take us.

The next morning we loaded up and spread out around the city for these “appointments” that had been arranged. One of our teams went to a local newspaper where they were greeted and interviewed about their faith in Jesus. Another group went to a home where there was a believing wife, but her husband was still committed to Islam. When one of our team members started sharing with that man, he came right out and said, “It is evident that Jesus is the Son of God!” Shocked, Glen R. was about to ask him to commit alone when the man said, “Please, explain the way to follow Jesus fully so that my brother here can join me in this understanding.” Glen went on and shared the gospel and before leaving BOTH men had given their lives to following Jesus!

My visit that day was a bit different from what I had been experiencing. Katie and I went to a home of a middle-class secular Muslim family. We were greeted by a young man who was in his early 20’s. He spoke English fluently and had studied Western philosophy, being thoroughly indoctrinated in secularism. He was also a musician and asked if he could play his favorite song for me . . . John Lennon’s “Imagine.” If you know the lyrics of that song is proposes that religion and government are the cause of all the ills in the world and that by imagining a world without them we’d all be better off. Needless to say, I didn’t begin with the Koran on this one. Ironically I found myself giving a philosophical response to all of the lyrics to that song calling into question what the end of such a “dream” would be. The young man was provoked to thought regarding the holes in secularism and we went on to discuss C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” and the claims of Jesus. The young man had hailed Jesus as “a good man”, but I wouldn’t let him have it that way. Lewis said that Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. Based upon his own claims, Jesus must either be God Himself or be the most deceptive or demented man who ever lived. Faced with this, I asked the young man to reevaluate his thoughts of Jesus based upon history and upon Jesus’ teachings as found in the New Testament. We left there that day with a glimpse of what secularism will do to any person . . . it hollows them out and leaves them with nothing but questions.

Later that afternoon we made our way back to our host’s home and got ready for dinner. Our host’s wife then came to me and asked if I would be willing to bring one other teammate along and go to visit the home of their electrician, who had converted from Islam back in January and needed encouragement because he was the only one in his family or community that is following Jesus. Bryan and I joined her and we made our way to a little shanty village alongside the railroad track. As we went in to this tiny home made mostly out of scrap wood and metal, the man’s wife and two sisters greeted us. Within a few minutes they were preparing hospitality for us and several neighbors had come in to see the white faces. With the man’s permission, I started to share the story of Abraham and how God had provided a substitute for his son on the altar. From that I used the Evangecube and explained that everyone needs a substitute and that God Himself had provided the perfect One in Jesus Christ. When I got to the end of my talk, all four women indicated that they wanted to repent and put their faith in Jesus! Not sure they fully understood, I asked our translator to explain it to them again. He did and they were more adamant than before that they indeed wanted to follow Jesus. As we sat in that humble home praying we saw another four people birthed into the Kingdom of God. The man, who had for 6 months been alone in his journey, now had the makings of a house church! He was so excited and so I went ahead and spent some time explaining discipleship and how to have a house church gathering. They each indicated their sincere commitment to continue to study the New Testament and to follow Jesus in baptism.

As we went back to our host’s home that evening I was amazed at how I underestimated the LORD once again. Now would you believe that even after all that the LORD showed off one more time? Yep. When we were on the flight from South Asia back to London I was seated next to a man who looked near 80 years old. He had on the strict Islamic garb and at one point he leaned over and asked what I was reading. I told him it was the Holy Bible. He pulled me closer and said, “I have a secret for you. Jesus appeared to me many years ago when I was sick. I was about to die and he came to me and said that he would heal me. And he did!” At that I told him that Jesus could do more than heal his body, that he desired to heal his soul. I shared with him for a while and then I pulled out a New Testament in his heart language and presented it to him. He pulled the book up close and peered through his glasses at it – and then kissed it repeatedly – holding it to his lips at least 30 seconds. The rest of the flight every time I looked over at him he was either reading the New Testament or smiling at me. At one point I was standing up in the back of the plane with one of our team members and the man shuffled up and held up his fingers in the sign of the Cross and he leaned in close to David and me and said, “Jesus is now my heart. Jesus is my blood!”

After I got the team back to the States we received a follow-up e-mail from our hosts in South Asia telling us that the electrician had already won 3 more men to Jesus, baptizing 2 Muslims and a Hindu. Their little house church grew from 1 to 8 in a week’s time! Our national friends are heading back into the area where we worked this week to follow up on all of our contacts, including Rashid. They hope to remain there for several days teaching and baptizing those who came to faith in Jesus. And one final note – our host was contacted by a Parliament member of the country who is a radical fundamentalist Muslim, who invited him to come and share with him what our team had shared with his family. That meeting took place on Tuesday of this week. No telling what God is going to do there! All I know is I’m beginning to understand that He is able to do immeasurably more than all I could hope or ask for!

Stories from South Asia - Encounter with the Police - Day 5

2006-07-31T17:57:00.000-04:00

Day 5

On the evening following our fourth day of outreach in this area some of the men on our team decided to go down the street from our hotel and get an old-fashioned straight razor shave. So we made our way to the little open-front barber shop and as you can imagine, a crowd quickly gathered to watch us. As we got our shaves, several of the team members took the opportunity to stand at the front of the shop and talk with the locals who were curiously looking in.

At one point a man walked up and grabbed one of our translators and walked him across the street. Concerned, we quickly made our way out of the shop to find out what the problem was. The man said that he was with the local police and that he had been sent to get information about “the group of outsiders who are giving out Christian literature in the surrounding areas.” Not knowing the legitimacy of this plain-clothes man, we told him if he wanted information on us that he could get it from our hotel. We thought that would be the end of it, but it was not.

The man indeed showed up at our hotel a few minutes later demanding a copy of all of our passports and copies of the books that we had been distributing. We told him we would gladly give him copies, that we had nothing to hide regarding what we had been doing there. My concern was not for our short-term team, but rather for our IMB friends that were hosting us and especially for the national leaders who had been translating for us all week. Typically when there are problems with short-term teams, the team is simply told not to come back. But matters get more complicated for those who live in the country. I sent the rest of our team up to the rooms and asked them to begin praying as I stayed down and tried to take care of the situation.

Within just a few minutes another man arrived introducing himself as the director of the secret police for this district of the country. It was evident that he was telling the truth and that we had roused a little more attention that we had at first imagined. He asked if we could sit down and have a conversation and we agreed. He mentioned all of the areas that we had worked in for the last three days and said that his intention was not to harass us, but rather he was concerned that we had not come to the authorities and asked permission prior to our arrival. To that I was able to reply that we had indeed gone first to each local authority and shared with them in submission to their leadership and then asked them for permission to distribute in their area. This seemed to please the man and he reiterated again that he had no intention of harassing us, but instead wanted to insure our safety. At that he made a proposal that surprised me – he offered to give us free police escort into a new area. At first I thought that he just wanted to keep tabs on us, but then after I talked with him a bit longer it became evident that he was genuine.

So the next morning when we headed out, we went to the area that this officer had directed us and sure enough, as soon as we got off of the ferry crossing two armed policemen greeted us and hopped into our vehicles. When we got to the villages the policemen hopped out with us and escorted us to various local authorities where we toned back our presentation a bit, but continued our distribution nonetheless. The policeman that went out with Katie and me took us to a college. This was quite a different setting than we’d had in the days prior. This was obviously a religious stronghold and it didn’t seem that we were too welcome there, but what could they do? One of their armed local policemen was telling them to listen to me! After receiving hospitality from the president of the college, he introduced me to about 25 of his teaching staff. I shared with them that I am working on my doctorate and that I am a follower of Jesus that is interested in studying and dialoguing with people of other world religions. After I shared briefly with them what the Koran says regarding Jesus and offered them New Testaments, I opened the floor for questions. Several of the teachers asked directly, “Are you coming to our country to preach Christianity?” To which I responded, “I believe that any person that is committed to their beliefs has an obligation to share those beliefs with others. I indeed preach, but not only with words, most importantly through my attitude and lifestyle.” At that I told them if their own beliefs in Islam were grounded that they need not fear a Western man and woman who came to their country to talk about Jesus. Things started to get a bit more heated and one teacher asked even more directly, “Who do you say that Muhammad is?” Now I felt like Jesus before the Pharisees! Those outwardly religious whitewashed tombs were constantly trying to trap Jesus by getting him to say something that would legally open him up to prosecution. Although this country is democratic in nature, it is illegal to “blaspheme” Muhammad and if I walked into that trap then I could have some real trouble – not only with the policeman sitting next to me, but it could very well have resulted in a mob-like mentality there at the college. Thankfully the Holy Spirit gave me the precise words to respond with – “I say that Muhammad is exactly who he said he is in the Koran.” Some of you may be disappointed with my answer, but you need to understand that Muhammad says at one point in the Koran, “I am nothing new among the prophets. As for me and my followers, I do not know our eternal destiny. I am only here to warn the people to return to God.” The shrewdness of my response brought the police officer that was with us to visible and audible laughter. I think he knew what I had done through my reply . . . I forced those teachers to evaluate what Muhammad said about himself and then what they believed about him – two totally different conclusions. At that we made our way out of the college leaving bibles and a copy of the Jesus film for them.

As we made our way back to the van, the officer kept directing me to people that I had inadvertently passed by. Eventually he took stacks of the gospels and started handing them out himself! I think he had become a bit more than security . . . he was now participating in evangelistic outreach! The officers then took us to the district police station where we took tea with them and presented the entire force with their own copies of the New Testament and the chiefs and those who had accompanied us with whole bibles and Jesus Films. They were very gracious, as were we. At the end of the day when we arrived back at our hotel our whole team rejoiced how God had taken a situation that could have meant real problems and turned it for our good. We lived Romans 8:28 that day.

Stories from South Asia - Day 4

2006-07-31T17:06:00.000-04:00

Day 4

We decided to go to a different area on the fourth day so that we would not be backtracking too much. Katie, Jamal and I made our way into a small village only to find out that the local leader was away at a political rally that day. So we then asked if there were any other people of influence and someone directed us to a doctor’s office. Now what you have in mind as a doctor’s office is nothing like what we entered. This was a wooden shack on the side of the road where a well-dressed man sat reading the Koran. As we entered and sat down a small crowd gathered in the doorway peering in at us, curious to see what we’d come for. In our previous visits we had the luxury of privacy in individual’s homes, but it seemed that on this day, the LORD wanted us to have more of a public hearing.

So I started to share just as the days prior why we had come and what we wanted to discuss. By this time 3 other men had come into the tiny office and sat down: one a local Islamic school teacher (the type of school that teaches only the Koran and pumps out radicals), another older man that was wearing a political badge showing his allegiance to the fundamentalist opposition party, and a third gentleman that was a bit less assuming. When it came time for them to read the passages in the Koran that mention Jesus, the young teacher took the “honors” and began to sing in a melodious tonal voice the Arabic just as he taught it to his students. It really was a bit eerie to listen to the Koran being sung with such passion and intensity. Ironically, when he finished and we started asking questions, he asked if he could look at our Koran that is in their local language to be clear on the meaning. That’s what is so crazy – the vast majority of Muslims in the world have no idea what the Koran actually says because they are not fluent in Arabic! Yet they listen to their preachers spout off a bunch of political propaganda that has little to do with Islam and they take it as truth.

Just a side-note: If you are a Christian and all you do is listen to what other people say about the Bible, you’re no better off than these men. The Reformation led to an era when the gospel was translated into the common language (it had traditionally been only in Latin) of the reader/audience and I praise God for that privilege. We are believer-priests and must study to show ourselves approved.

Back to the story . . . . We stayed in that office for several hours. It was amazing to see our national translator Jamal really engage these men. After a while I just looked at Jamal and said, “Brother, you say what the LORD puts on your heart . . . you’re not bound to translating for me.” At that he smiled and went on sharing intensely with them for some time. At one point the local Imam (Islamic pastor) came in and sat down, which it was evident that all the people started deferring their answers to him. They all listened intently as Jamal shared about Jesus – how he is more than a prophet – and about the Bible – how it is reliable and has not been corrupted as the Imams often teach. He even used the Koran to validate his point that the bible is reliable by turning to several passages where Muhammad told his followers to go to the Bible if they have questions regarding the truth!

We didn’t see anyone come to faith that day, but we did see a major shift in attitudes about Jesus and the Bible. Before we left, practically the whole town came out and asked for copies of Luke, to which we gladly obliged. These men that we engaged were shocked that followers of Jesus were so devout. They mentioned that all they had ever heard was how godless and immoral Christians are, but here we sat with a woman dressed modestly (Katie in her shari), reading and discussing from what they consider to be holy books, and even praying for them in Jesus’ name. I couldn’t help but leaving there feeling an intense satisfaction that God is indeed working in ways that we can’t even comprehend!

Stories from South Asia (3) - Rashid

2006-07-28T14:38:00.000-04:00

Day 3

Yesterday you received the link to a video interview with “Rashid”, the gentleman that we spent our third day with. Here is a brief summary of the events of that day.

We arrived back in the same area that we had worked in the two previous days. It was extremely rainy – quite miserable to hop out of a perfectly dry van and begin walking through the deluge without a clue as to where we were actually going. As we walked further away from the main road we didn’t see any people out to ask for directions to a leader’s house. After about 15 minutes a small boy of about 6 years walked up beside us and asked where we were going. When “Jamal” told him we were looking for a village leader he pointed back in the direction from which we had just come. So we turned around and started backtracking. After a while we came up on some teenage boys that were swimming in the river alongside the road. They asked us the same question that the little boy had, and after our reply – “Take us to your leader.” one of the boys hopped out of the river and turned us around once again. We had passed this little trail twice, but now we had an escort. As we walked through the mud and into the jungle we passed by a few modest homes and finally came up to one with a man standing outside.

I must admit that when I first saw “Rashid” that I was a bit disappointed. He appeared to be a less educated man and did not look as “refined” as the leaders whom I had spoken with the two previous days. He led us into his home which was in stark contrast to our prior experience as well. Katie and I sat on a small wooden bench attached to the front wall of the house. Jamal and Rashid sat on a straw mat down on the dirt floor. Beside us was a bed and the walls were made of planks allowing the daylight to shine through all around. As I sat down, I was selfishly hoping that this visit didn’t last too long. I wanted to move on to someone more influential. So after we ate the bananas Rashid offered, I started right in with telling him why we had come.

The moment was almost magical. As soon as I mentioned the name of Jesus, Rashid’s face lit up. As he read the verses in the Koran that speak of Jesus, he smiled and paused several times. After he finished reading the passage I had directed him to, Rashid’s story began to unfold. It was back in the 1970’s that he lived in the capital city working for a railway company. He had met a man there that was a follower of Jesus and the man and his mother had befriended Rashid, often talking with him about their faith. But after several years of friendship Rashid was forced to move back home to his village and his relationship with that man came to an end because of the distance. Rashid had often wondered about the Jesus that his friend had spoken of. After moving back to his village, Rashid said that Jesus appeared to him in a vision. This is not uncommon in the Muslim world. Some estimate that at least half of Muslim Background Believers (MBBs) had a dream or vision where Jesus appeared to them preparing the way for their subsequent conversion. In Rashid’s vision Jesus had told him, “Come follow me.” Rashid had responded to the LORD by asking, “How can I follow you if I don’t know the way?” Jesus told him that he would send someone to him to show him the way. By Rashid’s estimation that vision had come some 20 years ago – and with stunning confidence he looked me in the eyes and said, “God has sent you here to show me how to follow Jesus!”

At that I realized that this was a rare case of ripe fruit hanging from the tree. There was no need in going further in the Koran. I went straight to the gospel, giving Rashid a copy of the New Testament explaining that this holy book contained the way of Jesus. He kissed the book and held it to his heart. Next I pulled out my Evangecube and shared with him the gospel, stopping and asking questions along the way to make sure he was understanding. When I finally asked, “Rashid, who is Jesus to you?” He responded, “He is my God! He is my Savior!” I immediately thought of the story of Cornelius in the book of Acts – how God had prepared him and then sent Peter to fill in the blanks and give him the gospel so that he could worship in spirit and in truth.

I looked at Rashid differently now, and I said to him, “My brother, today salvation has come to your home!” He smiled and lifted his hands toward heaven. After praying with Rashid I asked if it was okay for Katie to go behind the curtain in the back room and share with his wife, who had been peeking in on our conversation intermittently. He seemed delighted and so Katie and Jamal went back and within minutes they emerged with even bigger smiles. Katie whispered to me, “She heard all we were talking about out here and said she believes it all. I shared the Evangecube with her and she asked Jesus to forgive her of her sins and save her. She is now a follower of Jesus!”

It is amazing how we had underestimated this visit. We had walked past the trail twice and redirected. We had wanted to get this one over quickly, and it had turned out to be our best visit yet! We spent the next hour or so talking with Rashid about the 7 Commands of Jesus which explain what it means to be a follower. As I talked with him about baptism, he said he was ready. But after consulting with Jamal we both felt that it would be better for a national to return in about a week and do that. When I spoke with Rashid about making disciples he responded and told me that he would make 12 disciples just like his LORD! So I gave him another 12 copies of the book of Luke and explained to him how he needed to study and then invite other men to his home for prayer, reading the word, he could then teach what he learned, and then they could worship together. He told me that he would do it – he would devote 2 hours a day to studying God’s word and making disciples. That’s amazing considering the fact that this man is a subsistence farmer spending most of his waking hours in the rice fields or fishing to provide food for his family.

When we finally left, Rashid walked us out to the main road. We were overwhelmed with a sense of the grace of God. It was evident that this was not about us! We passed his house and God directed us right to it. We wanted to get it over with, and God had prepared the
way. Now we walked beside a man that we were confident would become a house church leader in this area. The rain had stopped and there were dozens of men out at the main road now. When we arrived Rashid asked if we could go ahead and begin giving the word to these men. We pulled out a stack of Luke’s and started handing them out, giving most of them to Rashid. We encouraged our brother and told him that someone would be coming back to teach him soon and baptize him. As we drove away on the rickshaw we smiled because Rashid was running from man to man with excitement giving them the word! I do believe that this simple man will make quite a disciple.

Rashid's Story

2006-07-26T18:14:00.000-04:00

Take about 5 minutes to watch the story of how Rashid, a former Muslim, received a vision from Jesus over 20 years ago saying, "Come follow me." Today he learned just what that means and now he's a follower of Jesus already making disciples!

Take Us To Your Leader - Stories from South Asia (2)

2006-07-26T09:55:00.000-04:00

Day Two:

On the second day we went right back into the same area as the day before, but this time concentrated on a different set of villages with the same strategy. When our teams split up, we each found someone and asked them to take us to their leader. Sometimes they would lead us to the home of a civic leader, sometimes a respected teacher, and at other times they would take us to their Imam (the Muslim equivalent of a pastor).

On this day Katie, Jamal and I were greeted within minutes by a well-respected teacher who led us to his home nearby. For about the first 30 minutes we went through the formalities of receiving hospitality again – some of the best mango, jack fruit, and guava that I’ve ever had! Before long we were beginning a conversation similar to how we had done so the day before. There were two men in particular that sat and listened as we shared – I’ll call them Shah and Shem. Shah was obviously a very educated man. He explained to us that he had once lived and worked in Syria and that now he was the head educator for this village. When we entered into the discussion of the Koran, he immediately went through the rituals of bringing out his Arabic copy and read from it the passages that we asked about with enthusiasm. However, when we asked Shah about the meaning of these passages he shyly admitted that his Arabic was rusty and he did not understand much of what he read. So we offered him our copy of the Koran which had Arabic on one side and their local language on the other. As he read the passages in his own language a nervous smile came over his face. I asked Shah if the Koran taught that any other men were ever born of a virgin. He replied with a definitive “No.” Then I asked him if the Koran attributed the power to raise the dead to any other man besides Jesus. Again, the answer was “No.” I asked him where Jesus is now, to which he replied “At the right hand of God.” Then came the clincher. I asked him who a person should follow if they want to go to heaven. What Shah did next simply astounded me. Without responding verbally he pulled out his pen and began writing notes in his Arabic Koran! This might not seem like a big thing to Christians because we take notes and mark in our Bibles all the time. But for a Muslim, this action was equivalent to desecration. He was marking in the Koran questions that he had – his worldview was beginning to collapse!

I could see how nervous Shah was in that moment so I told him a few parables to get him to go deeper. The first parable was regarding our arrival in his village that day. I told him that we had no idea where his home was, but that we arrived and asked someone where their leader was. The response was that someone went to Shah’s home and brought him out to us. I explained that had he not come out to lead us to his home, we would not have been able to find it. It was his home and he knew better than anyone how to lead someone there. Then I compared humanity’s sinfulness to our inability to find our way to heaven. At that point, I asked the question again – “Shah, if you want to find your way to God, who should you follow? Who does heaven belong to?” At that Shah looked up and confessed, “Jesus is obviously the one whom I should follow if I want to go to heaven. Based upon what we have read, it seems that there is something totally different about him than any other prophet. I must confess – it seems that Jesus is indeed God.” I was humbled and amazed to see how the Holy Spirit was working in this man’s life to bring him to this point. After that I began to remind him of the story of Abraham and how God asked him to sacrifice his son – a story that is shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. I asked him what happened when Abraham obeyed God and placed his son on the altar. Shah responded by saying that God provided a substitute sacrifice in the ram. Then I took out my Evangecube and started sharing with him about the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man and how our sin separated us from God. Then I asked Shah, “Where is your substitute? If Abraham was sinful, surely we are.” As I opened the Cube up to the second picture with Jesus hanging on the Cross, Shah looked on intensely nodding his head. “Yes.” he said. “Jesus must be the substitute for us all.” As I progressed through the gospel presentation Shah affirmed that Jesus is the only way to know God and that he died to take on our punishment and rose to conquer death. But when I asked him to respond by placing his faith in Jesus and following him fully – trusting his word alone – Shah hesitated. Katie and I felt that at that moment Shah’s heart lay bare before us. Everything he had ever believed came crashing in upon him.

The next thing he said still amazes me. “God sent a Hindu to my people to translate the Koran from Arabic to our language so that we could read it. And now he has sent a Christian to explain that even it points back to Jesus and the New Testament. What good are the Muslims anyway?” We asked if we could pray for him that as he sought after Jesus that he would have the courage to follow the Truth. He and the other men in the room gladly obliged. We knew that had we pushed him to make a commitment that day before he processed everything fully he would have had a very difficult time. So we asked for permission to send someone back to him to teach him more. As our time in Shah’s home came to an end, he joyfully received a copy of the Bible and Jesus film along with the other men. He agreed to study it intensely and to continue to seek God’s guidance so that he could know God personally. As he walked us back to the road, once again we rejoiced that God had accomplished more than we could have hoped or asked for. We are confident that as the word of God spreads, the number of disciples will indeed multiply (Acts 6:7). Would you join us in prayer for Shah, Shem and their village as the IMB field representative goes back to this home in the days to come to explain more fully the words of Life?

Stay tuned for another amazing story tomorrow!

"Take Us To Your Leader" - Stories from South Asia

2006-07-26T09:13:00.000-04:00

Day One

When we entered the village of this Muslim dominated community we were overwhelmed by a sense of oppression and darkness. It was evident by the stares that we received that outsiders did not come around here too often. As we walked through the narrow street I started to sing out songs of worship, partially to ease my own anxiety, and partially to minister to the team that I was leading. I also prayed that the LORD would reveal to us a sign of receptivity. Just a few minutes later we sat in a dingy little restaurant eating our rice and one of the young ladies on our team noticed that she was being stared at by the women in the kitchen. Wearing the traditional dress of the women in that culture to show modesty and religious devotion, Cammi responded to the stares with a gentle smile. As a result she was invited back to the kitchen and greeted with smiles and laughter . . . a crack emerged in the darkness.

We had come to this Muslim stronghold with Luke 10 being our primary strategy:

¹After this the Lord appointed seventy-two^[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. ²He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. ³Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. ⁴Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

⁵"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' ⁶If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. ⁷Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

⁸"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. ⁹Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' ¹⁰But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.'

So as we split up and went out two by two, each team was accompanied by a believing national leader that would serve as translator. As Katie and I made our way down the street toward the village area to which the IMB field missionary had assigned us, a shopkeeper called out to us and invited us in for tea. At first I wanted to go in, but then I remembered the words of Jesus – “do not greet anyone on the road”. So I politely declined, but mentioned that I may stop back by on my return. It just so happened that in that moment a modified rickshaw driver approached and said he lives in the village we were going to and that he would be our guide. So we jumped on that “village Mercedes” (this is what our national friend “Jamal” calls the bicycle with a flat bed) and off we went. Jamal requested that the driver take us to the ruling elder in that village.

A short time later we arrived in the village and the driver walked us up to a rather large house set back in the lush green jungle of this rain soaked land. As we entered we were greeted by “Amos”, the ruling elder. We used the traditional greeting “A salam aley kum”, which means “May peace be upon you.” Amos responded, “Waley kum salam”, which means “May peace be with you also.” So we sat down and received the traditional hospitality of food and drink. As we started to talk with Amos and a few other men in the home we noticed that the women of the house were behind a drawn curtain and so I requested permission for Katie to greet and visit with them there. As she tried to communicate with the women in the back of the house, I started explaining to Amos why we were visiting his village. I told him that we were followers of Jesus and that we had recently learned that the Koran contains some information about him so we wanted to gain a better understanding of what Muslims believe. They seemed very open to such a discussion so I continued by asking them to read a portion of the Koran that affirms the virgin birth, holiness, power over death, and even the presence of Jesus at the right hand of God. Granted, even with all of this information about Jesus, the Koranic witness to Christ is NOT sufficient for salvation, nor are we affirming it as a holy book. Instead, we use what the Koran teaches about Jesus as a bridge to a deeper conversation about the identity of Jesus’ claims of his own deity in the New Testament. Most Muslims are unaware that the Koran contains these verses and when they see it in their own book, they are open to further conversation. I was amazed as we discussed these verses and as I asked them their meaning, how the Holy Spirit began to elevate their view of Jesus from that of a prophet to being something much greater. This conversation allowed me to share my own personal testimony as well as some of what the Gospels teach about Jesus.

After about 2 or 3 hours we asked for permission to pray for their family and their village in the name of Jesus, to which they readily agreed. Katie prayed over the matriarch of the family that Jesus would bring healing to her body as she was suffering some kind of sickness. I prayed that God would reveal himself to this family through Jesus and that their home would become a lighthouse of truth for the entire village. After our prayers we presented each of the men present with a copy of the Bible in their own language, at which they were obviously moved. As we left Amos escorted us back to the road and motioned for us to follow him into the village center. As we approached with this prominent civic leader hundreds of men, women and children began to surround us asking Amos who we were and what we were doing there. In order to show the residents his approval of our presence there, he sat us in the seats where the elders met to discuss important matters and had tea served to us. As we talked more I asked Amos if he would mind if we gave New Testaments to each of the town elders and he agreed. When I pulled the stack out of my bag, the Holy Spirit impressed upon me that Amos should be the one to distribute them because he would know who the men of authority were – and also his authority would be behind the distribution communicating to the residents that it would be okay to read and discuss the things in these books. With pride Amos stood and spoke to the crowd explaining our visit and then he gave each elder a New Testament. Everyone seemed so excited that I grabbed a stack of the book of Luke out of Katie’s bag and told him that he could also present those to heads of household. In a matter of minutes the Word of God was the center of a buzz rippling out from this town center. People were reading and discussing it all around us. Just before we departed we donated our remaining copies to be given to all the high school teachers because the head teacher had arrived and joined us there. We asked if they had a video player and they responded that the village had one player and they have “movie night” once a week where virtually everyone comes out to watch whatever movie is being played. We gave them a copy of the Jesus Film, which incidentally follows the book of Luke, and they assured us that they would have a big party and show the film that very week so that everyone in the village could understand why we had come.

As we hopped back onto our village Mercedes and rode away, Katie, Jamal and I could not help but praise our God for being faithful to His word and opening the way so that this entire village would have access to the Gospel. We had made arrangements to send a national leader back there to discuss and further teach them and we are confident that many who will be studying the word there in the days to come will indeed become worshippers of the Living Word – Jesus – in due time.

When we arrived back at the van to regroup with the others teams the whole area was buzzing with excitement. Dozens were standing around listening to various team members share about Jesus. Many came to ask for copies of Luke. Even the local police Commander and several of his officers were there, each with a bible in hand, discussing the way of Jesus. Just before we left, our rickshaw driver came up and reminded me that we had told the shopkeeper that we would stop back by to talk about why we had come. This driver had been there for the entire visit in the village and had gotten a copy of the Scriptures himself. Ironically, he said to us that he understood that we had to leave but that he would personally deliver a copy of the New Testament to that shopkeeper and explain to him everything that he had heard us discuss that day! What an amazing day it was. God had opened the way and literally thousands had received the word of God in their hands. Now it is up to the Holy Spirit of God to convince them in their hearts. For faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

This was just the first day! Stay tuned for more stories from the field tomorrow . . .

Free at Last!

2006-05-26T11:03:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 2:16
16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants [1] of God.

The ignorance of foolish men holds most of humanity in bondage. Foolish men seek earthly treasure over the heavenly. They seek immediate gratification through enjoying the pleasures of sin for a season. Delayed gratification offers lasting pleasure that honors God. Foolish men lord themselves over others and lead them by force, rather than humbling themselves and leading as a servant.

I do not want to be a foolish man, but at times I clothe myself with those chains of bondage. Father, you beckon me to “live as free”, so why do I so often seek freedom by going back to those things that once held me captive? Jesus, you are the great Liberator! You have set me free, now help me to remain free. Don’t allow my shallow heart to use the freedom that you purchased with your blood as an excuse for my reckless behavior.

What prisoner of war long held captive and tortured physically, emotionally and spiritually, would then turn on his liberator and walk back into that dungeon of despair knowing his freedom was bought with the blood of an innocent?

Christ my King – my Liberator – you have led me out of captivity and I am free, not to do as I please, but free to serve you, my gentle and merciful ruler. Let me honor you with the life that I choose. I choose to serve you and to be loved by you. I choose to cast aside my foolishness. My servitude in your great Kingdom has brought me freedom. May I roam the landscape of your Kingdom freely always!

The Glove on God's Hand

2006-05-24T13:38:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 2:13-15
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.

Submission is a difficult thing for me. I have trouble submitting to the LORD who created me, sustains me, and holds my destiny in his hands. And that same LORD is telling me to submit to those in authority with whom I could argue that I have as much right to “rule” as they.

I think that what you’re saying here LORD is that those earthly rulers are like a glove on your mighty hand – an extension of your authority in over my life.

I think of those animal kingdom shows where there is a dominant leader in the pack and the other members know their place. Like one of those animals vying for authority, sometimes I think more highly of myself than I ought and thus I challenge your authority over me. But burned on the canvas of my mind is a picture of the fierce and rightful ruler, hovering over the cowering challenger who knows he’s met his match. Tail tucked in, he’s learned submission through fear. So I too must submit out of reverence for you.

I think of my relationship to my government, to my employer, and to my church. I challenge authority on every level all the time. I may know as much about the issues as a politician; I may have what I consider better insight and education than my employer; and I may even have a more biblical worldview and gifting as a teacher than some pastors. Even so, they are the glove on your hand.

Help me to submit out of reverence for you and for your name’s sake.

Sidetracked Sojourners and Truckstop Pilgrims

2006-05-23T10:48:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 2:11-12

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. ¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

If I am a pilgrim and sojourner simply passing through this world then why is it that I have become so settled and contented making myself at home? It is as if on my way to Disneyworld I stopped at a Motel 6 and became so fascinated with the kiddie pool that I forget the sheer wonder of my final destination!

“Sojourner” describes the relationship with where I am now along the road of sanctification. It implies constant movement and never settling in.

“Pilgrim” describes the relationship between where I am now and my final destination. A pilgrim has a destination in mind and stops at nothing to get there.

Along the journey from salvation to sanctification and onward to glorification in heaven, I must recognize that the desires of my flesh that once reigned unjustly over my body like Jadis over Narnia – those desires are in relentless pursuit of me, beckoning me to forget the destination and the One who awaits me there. Those desires beg me to return to the familiar land of complacency. As I travel I am fighting this war for my own soul and it is a fight for nobility which has been bestowed upon me by the King himself.

Many along my path will have no concept of my sojourn or the destination and they will be threatened by the passion with which I move through this decaying world. But I must maintain the King’s nobility and represent him well so that when he greets them with an invitation to join him, they will be encouraged by the memory of a pilgrim they once met along the way, and as a result join the only trustworthy pursuit in life- that of the Kingdom of God.

The Temple Today

2006-05-15T09:45:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 2:4-10
4As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[a] 7Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,[b]"[c] 8and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall."[d] They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for. 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Though the religious elite controlled the Temple, which was the symbol of God’s presence, that building was already crumbling before its destruction in AD 70. The moment that Emmanuel cam to Israel the Temple began to lose its significance. After all, the building symbolically housed God’s Shekinah glory, but his glory could not be found there. Instead it was found in human flesh wandering around the Galilean countryside. Like a stone rejected, the religious found no place for Jesus in their religious system. But he who was rejected became the chief cornerstone for the new and living temple of God.

This temple would be mobile, like the Tabernacle. The other was stationary. This temple would be for all nations and made from “stones” found and chosen at the four corners of the earth. The Temple in Jerusalem gave preference for Jews and was proudly quarried close to home. The new temple brought with it a new and representative priesthood. The old was by birthright and privilege.

As the religious leaders walked ceremonially through the old Temple, they literally stumbled over the Rock – the LORD Jesus Christ. His appearance was rough and he did not fit their meticulous plans. So they rejected him and sent him outside the city walls to be crushed for gravel and used to walk upon. He was crush, but with every blow of their hammer a piece of Messiah grew into another spiritual stone. They could not diminish his influence. They only expanded it as the new temple came to life through his resurrection.

And now I have become one of his elect – a chosen generation – a priest in his service. As a small, insignificant stone in the glory of his new temple called the Body of Christ, my presence beckons me to proclaim what the religious of his day could not see. Though I once was a useless piece of gravel, he has chosen me and incorporated me into his master plan. I stand only because the Chief Cornerstone is my foundation. I have obtained his disturbing mercy and have been made to understand what so many have missed – that the eternal Word of God is none other than Jesus the Messiah. And because I now believe, I will never be put to shame. I am a chosen part of his glorious new Temple – the Body of Christ.

The Tree in Me

2006-05-11T09:44:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:25-2:3
25but the word of the Lord stands forever."[a] And this is the word that was preached to you. 1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The word of the Lord which endures forever is the gospel that was preached to me. The gospel then endures forever. And if I am born again by that word being planted in my heart and mind as an incorruptible seed, then the Tree of Life has sprouted forth in the garden of my life.

Like Adam, I am to tend to the garden and may eat the fruit therein. But there was another tree in Adam’s Garden as there once was in mine. The moment Christ broke through with his precious blood, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil began to be uprooted and started itself dying, even as the Tree of Life started to grow. As the keeper of my garden I must clip the roots of the evil tree which are malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and evil speech. The Devil who planted that tree has spent years nurturing its roots. He acted with malice against Yahweh to destroy His good creation. The Devil’s hypocrisy was evident in that he disguises himself as an angel of light. It was his envy of God’s glory that set things in motion. And through evil speech he spread his filth depositing the seed of sinful nature into all mankind.

Now, Christ Jesus has reestablished the Tree of Life through his eternal word planted in me. The growth is new and young and must be nurtured as a babe growing by its mother’s milk. So too, I must desire the pure milk of the word that the Tree of Life would grow in me and bear eternal fruit. If indeed life is in me, then I will desire what brings life and shun that which brings death. I have tasted O Lord that you are gracious . . . bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in me as I drink in your eternal and incorruptible word.

Deadly Rationalism in Preaching

2006-05-10T11:19:00.000-04:00

I'll make a departure from the norm again today and post a quote from one of my favorite author/preachers, A.W. Tozer:

And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human
wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your
faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
--1 Corinthians 2:4-5

There is today an evangelical rationalism not unlike the rationalism
taught by the scribes and Pharisees. They said the truth is in the
word, and if you want to know the truth, go to the rabbi and learn
the word. If you get the word, you have the truth....
But revelation is not enough! There must be illumination before
revelation can get to a person's soul. It is not enough that I hold
an inspired book in my hands. I must have an inspired heart. There is
the difference, in spite of the evangelical rationalist who insists
that revelation is enough....

In His days Christ's conflict was with the theological rationalist.
It revealed itself in the Sermon on the Mount and in the whole book
of John. Just as Colossians argues against Manichaeism and Galatians
argues against Jewish legalism, so the book of John is a long,
inspired, passionately outpoured book trying to save us from
evangelical rationalism--the doctrine that says the text is enough.
Textualism is as deadly as liberalism. Faith Beyond Reason, 23-24.

"Lord, I believe strongly in the inspiration and authority of the
Scriptures; I am committed to expository preaching. So I see the
danger and pray that You might keep me from this error of
textualism. Amen."

The Seed of Love

2006-05-09T09:28:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:22-25
22Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.[b] 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25but the word of the Lord stands forever."[c] And this is the word that was preached to you.

Spirit of God you have purified my soul with the truth of your word by enabling me to obey and become as you – filled with sacrificial love. Where your kind of love is lacking in me, I pray that you would bring conviction through your word and fill those voids so that I may love fervently and without regard for what I may get in return. The love of this world is turned upside down. We love as long as we are getting something in return. But that is not the way that you love Father.

You love because of who you are, first and foremost. You loved me before I returned the affection. While I was rebellious and filled with sinful pride you modeled your love and confirmed it through the death of your Son, my Savior and King.

Now I am enabled to love purely and fervently because your sacrificial love has brought a harvest of righteousness into my heart enabling me to do so unconditionally and mercifully. And when I do love as you, you get the glory, not me. The seed of that love has been your living and abiding word which bears the fruit of your love within me. It is through that word that I have been born again into a life of obedience. And your word is what makes me eternally alive. My body and its desires live but a season, but your word planted within my heart endures forever and bears a harvest of righteousness to your glory.

May my heart and mind be transformed by your eternal word today. Make me to have your kind of sacrificial love.

God's Disturbing Mercy

2006-05-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:17-21
17Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Father I call on you this morning knowing that you are the impartial judge of my life. I know that I am in Christ and that it is his virtue that brought me into your disturbing mercy to begin with. Though I’m a child, yea because I am a child you have warned me to live with a healthy and reverent fear of what you think of my life. Your grace and mercy do not cancel out your justice. Rather, your grace and mercy are complimentary of your justice. In light of what a short life I will have here on earth compared with the vastness of eternity awaiting me, I should live with a constant thought toward pleasing you.

I can be confident that the blood of Christ, more precious than any substance, has redeemed me like a prisoner of war bought back from captivity. What prisoner of war would come back to his own camp having been freed by the sacrificial death of his future king and then turn and work for the one who held him captive? Blatant sin in the life of a believer is tantamount to treason and treachery. And I am guilty.

Father I confess that I have failed to honor your Son’s redemption of my soul by living with little regard for what you think of me. Your word says that your plan of redemption was put into effect before my rebellious fathers turned away from you. Just as you raised Christ Jesus from the dead, I pray that you would infuse me with resurrection power that I might die to sin and live to Christ. And when that happens, I know that I will fare well at your Judgment. Pour out your mercy and grace upon me and make me holy as you are holy. My hope rests not in myself, but is in you alone.

Godly Desire: the Fuel for a Life of Purpose

2006-05-05T17:03:00.000-04:00

“May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your purpose.” – Psalm 20:4

What is your heart’s desire? What is your purpose in life? Our glorious Creator had in mind for us a purpose when He thought us into existence. So our purpose in life is God-ordained and will be found by us only when we pursue God Himself. If we seek our purpose apart from God, we will come up empty-handed. “Seek first His Kingdom” (Matthew 6:33) gives us insight into this universal quest: our general purpose in life is to establish the rule of God in our hearts. But what about our specific purpose as individuals? What is your heart’s desire? If you are seeking God first, then you can trust your heart’s desire for there is a divine intersection where God’s purpose for us and our own desire meet. Like a delicate balancing act the two should merge and become a single path leading in the same direction. Be careful however because desires can become dangerous when they are disconnected from our eternal purpose. However, when desire flows from purpose, they act as a mighty current carrying us toward our God-ordained destiny! So God has given us all the general purpose of living a life of passionate worship. But every individual has a specific purpose that is discovered by the desire that God births into that worshipful heart. When your desire is from God, you can trust your desire. And when you are living God’s purpose, you can rest in the assurance that it will be both fulfilling and fulfilled. Godly desire will become the very fuel that energizes you to life a life of purpose.

Application:
What are you doing to grow in God’s general purpose of living a life of worship? Would you say that you are seeking God’s kingdom first, or your own? Are the desires of your heart God-centered or self-centered? Write out what the desires of your heart are in the areas of personal growth, family, ministry, and career. Whose kingdom will be expanded if your heart’s desires are fulfilled?

Getting Beyond Your Past and Into Your Purpose

2006-05-03T01:27:00.000-04:00

“By my God I can leap over a wall” – Psalm 18:29

Many are the walls that stand between me and who God has purposed me to become. My past rises up made by each sinful decision, which like blocks, are stacked one on top of the other. Strongholds from the past often seem insurmountable because I failed to deal with them one at a time. I have unwillingly constructed a wall of failures pieced together by the mortar of neglect and apathy. Left to myself I would never get beyond the wall to my destination. But “by my God” the wall of my past can at once be conquered.

The wall of Jericho was a product of Israel’s failure to tackle a problem head-on in God’s timing. So after 40 years of wandering through the wilderness, they were forced to deal with a problem that had been compounded by a lack of faith, apathy, and neglect.

Be thankful my heart, that I need not deconstruct this intimidating structure for there are bricks in my own wall that left me with massive scars. Like Joshua of old saw God bring the wall down in a moment, that same God will strengthen my feeble legs and enable me to leap over my strongholds of past failure. And leap I must, not in my strength, but by the power of my God. And as He swiftly and gently conquers that which I could not, I must hold tightly to Him for He alone knows what awaits me on the other side of the wall. This thing I do know, that as I move toward the heights of His purpose for my life, He will enlarge the path beneath my feet and deliver me into a spacious land because He delights in being my God (v. 19).

Application:
What walls have you constructed through neglect and apathy that are keeping you out of the “promised land” of God's purpose for your life?

Are you prepared to face those walls and take a leap of faith headlong into God’s purpose regardless of how intimidated you are by the fear of failure?

A Departure from the Norm

2006-05-01T00:05:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting in a coffee shop in Portland, OR right now preparing for the last of my doctoral seminars at Western Seminary. Well, I guess it's obvious that I'm not "preparing" at this moment. In fact, I've spent the last few hours since my flight arrived here just observing the people up close. I took the Max train and the public bus to get to the Worldview Center, the place that's been my home away from home for the last year. When I hopped on the train at the airport most of the people around me looked "normal" enough. The further I got into town however there was a distinct change in appearance of the average person I found myself around. Out here, the norm is to have tattoos and piercings. I was at a bus stop a while ago musing to myself about how all these young independent types would regret their extreme body art when they got old and grey - and then I turned and sure enough, there was an elderly woman standing there with a tribal tatt on her arm!

Back in Atlanta I am sometimes viewed as being the edgy one. I have a small tattoo, albeit tame in nature - an IXTHUS (the Greek lettering within the Christian fish sign). Ironically, out here I feel like a J.Crew model walking around in a skate park - totally out of place.

Just a few minutes ago an older man with wiry hair and a bushy beard rose from his chair beside me and glanced over asking, "What disseration are you working on?" Incredibly perceptive I thought. And then I thought, "How am I gonna explain 'missiology' to this guy?" Just a minute after I stumbled into the conversation I was listening to his thoughts on Bush - the evangelical Pope in his mind, and how organized religion is a conspiracy of governments and big business to suppress the common "average" guy like him. Well, this guy was anything but common or average in my book. If anything, he was thought-provoking. As he walked out I muttered, "Hope you find what you're looking for." trying to salvage the otherwise awkward conversation. He just turned and smiled responding, "I'm not looking for anything, man." My first thought was, "Then you've found it because you're living out of a bag in dirty clothes and trying to talk philosophy with strangers in coffee shops." But then I really started thinking about my call as a missionary church planter.

I mean, I've been all over the world and shared the gospel with people of different cultures, but I'm sitting here on the left coast of my own country and am thinking "How in the world could I ever engage this culture, much less plant a church here?" This place is definitely a departure from the norm for me. The homeless flock here because the city supports it with shelters and food kitchens all over. I'm not saying that's a bad thing - I believe that social ministry is a necessity.

My experiences this evening leave me with more questions than answers. I know and believe that the gospel is trans-cultural (applies equally anywhere). But the question is whether or not the Christianity that I have based my life upon is a Southern variation of the original where belief in God and the bible are a given and hypocrisy is winked at even in the church. Out here, evangelical is a curse word. But is that word worth fighting for. I live and breathe the inerrancy and infallibility of the Scripture, but there's so much baggage added to the term beyond that. And if I were to try to plant a church out here what would it look like? I mean unless I reached some of these folks - tattoos, piercings and apolitical opinions and all - then would it really be a success? I have no plans to plant a church out here if anyone is wondering. But it's a valid thought. A relevant one for my brothers ministering back in the Atlanta area too.

The look of Atlanta is changing. Recent newspaper clippings sit in my office documenting the increasingly diversity of my own home county. Twenty years ago the county was over 90% white. Now that number is down around 60% with African-Americans and Hispanics each hovering around 17% and Asians making up the rest. And yet you look at most churches in Atlanta and it doesn't reflect that diversity at all.

Will the church remain relevant as the culture changes? A better question is "Will I remain relevant in my own hometown?" If so, I'm going to have to spend a lot more time thinking about how to engage in conversations with those who have taken a departure from what I call "the norm".

Just Like My Daddy

2006-04-29T10:26:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:13-16
13Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."[a]

In light of the trials I have endured and the faith which has resulted; in light of the way the Spirit of Christ preached the gospel message through the ages that I might be an object of his disturbing grace; in light of the fact that I have been elected as an inheritor of Christ’s incorruptible Kingdom; in light of all this you LORD have asked me, nay commanded me, to prepare for battle. Like a soldier I have much hanging off of me externally – unnecessary garb that will only serve to slow me down. You have exhorted me to pull in and tuck away all that would trip me up – all that would slow me down.

There are so many things that need to be put away: pride, being a people pleaser, desires that are unbefitting for a disciple, worries of this world, and even sometimes what I call “ministry”. Help me Father to pull in those loose ends in my thinking and regain control, or rather give you control of my mind so that I might be sober with Christ-centered priorities. Not looking back at my failures but forward to your promises, which are the fulfillment of all grace coming to me at the revelation of my King, Jesus Christ. I have no need to think other than that my Lord upon his return will continue to extend the grace he offered me on the day he brought me into the presence of his Father, our Father.

Father I know you desire obedience from me just as I do from my own children – for your respect and for my good. Often times in the past I have allowed my mind to drift back to the days of my ignorance when I could tell no difference between rocks and diamonds, fools gold and the real thing. But now I do know and my mind has been trained by your Spirit to recognize a counterfeit. Don’t allow me to be a poor steward of the brilliant and costly grace you’ve displayed and given to me. Help me – cause me to be holy as you build your character into me. You are holy my Father and I want to be like you so that you are glorified in me. Every father would be honored by the thought that his son wants to grow up and be just like his daddy. Abba, Daddy, I know that you alone are God. I want to give you glory and experience the pure pleasure of being holy – like you – because that is my destiny in Christ Jesus.

Searching for Treasure

2006-04-28T14:25:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:10-12
10Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, 11trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Since the dawn of time prophets have labored looking forward in hope toward what I have the privilege of looking back upon in faith. Those prophets “inquired” and “searched carefully” for the treasures hidden in the field. They left no stone unturned and allowed no opportunity to pass. They weren’t sure when or where the Christ would come, but they understood why. The prophets knew of their sin and shortcomings and that drove them to a life of meticulous searching. They were confident that God’s merciful grace was coming and that his lavish character would be generous with the benefits. They worked and I benefited from their labor.

It is much easier for me to buy a car than for me to build one. For 100 years engineers have worked to design and perfect something that I now use daily. I’m indebted to them for their life’s work has become a necessity to me.

How much more am I indebted to the faithful who came before me, praying and acting in faith, even at their peril, writing of their findings and passing the treasure of the knowledge of Christ down as an inheritance to me. The Spirit of Christ compelled them with the idea of a Suffering Servant and motivated them with the thought of a glorious Messiah that would reign. They understood that their toil would not produce much fruit in their lifetime, but they labored on in search of the treasure that their incomplete map might be passed to another generation. And their hope was that one day a long way off, a generation would find the Treasure and steward it well.

In effect, my forebears were actually preaching the gospel through the portals of time and their voices are still ringing out to this day saying, “This is the way . . . the Treasure is here in this field. The Cross marks the spot! Now go sell all you have and purchase that field and be a good steward of that Treasure – our Christ – whose glory we labored and gave our lives for.” And as they preached this simple message the angels in heaven perched on their posts looking down in amazement, even a bit puzzled, recognizing the likeness of their King on the face of a baby – in the touch of a healer – and in the blood of a condemned criminal. And then early one morning they too grasped the glory of our priceless Treasure.

Lord Jesus, may I seek you and enjoy you with the same intensity that the prophets and angels did. And may I be a good steward pointing others to you, our blessed Treasure.

The Eyes of Faith

2006-04-27T08:27:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:7-9
7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

So the trials that I endure are not intended to destroy my faith, but rather to prove it genuine. Like an unused muscle that has atrophied, faith that has no trials will weaken. But the faith that you LORD have so mercifully gifted me with, you intend to train and teach me how to benefit from. And it is this training which lets me know that my faith is genuine.

You desire genuine faith because it always results in your praise, honor and glory. And though I do not see you with human eyes, the eyes of faith have allowed me to focus on your beauty and I can’t help but love you my Lord Jesus. I will one day see you clearly when you exchange my faith for sight, but until that day I will be content with the sight of you that has been burned into my heart and etched into my mind. And by virtue of your training me to see you, I am filled with joy which my words fall short of conveying.

Like a surgeon who has a trained eye to recognize what is unseen to ordinary man, make me skilled to see you through the eyes of faith until my faith of no longer of need and I am at last saved from the cancer of unbelief. Let Christ be revealed in my heart each day from now until he is revealed on a cloud in the heavens. I once was blind but now I see – what an inexpressible and glorious joy!

Dark Night of the Soul

2006-04-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:6-7
6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

In the midst of what Tozer refers to as “the dark night of the soul”, I have learned to rejoice in trials. It is a time where the LORD has been silently with me. The greatest suffering that I’ve endured has been how the LORD has stripped away the guise of emotion so that my spirit lay bare before him.

Often I’ve wanted to hear something, anything from you LORD. I would’ve rather been chastised than to endure your silence. I have grieved the loss of your company and yet you never left me. I remember just prior to learning of Susan’s (my mother-in-love) cancer and the need for us to return from living in South Asia, how you spoke more clearly to me than I’ve ever heard. That one word you spoke – “Emmanuel” – pierced my heart so that even now in your silence I can hear the echo, like ripples on a pond moving outward to cover my soul with the impact of your embrace.

At times I have taken liberty and sought affection elsewhere. Almost as if to punish you for your silence I allowed my heart to drift toward idolatry. But now you have brushed against me once more. You have taken my hand, and though still silent, my heart has been broken at how quickly I forsook you. I am learning that this trial has not been punishment, but rather purifying. You have proved my faith genuine by taking me through the refiner’s fire. So now I sit quietly with you in praise and thanksgiving in my heart that you never left me. Now all glory and honor is yours as Jesus Christ has been revealed in me through taking away all my props and crutches. Again I’m amazed at your gentle but strong presence. You don’t have to say a word – I know you’re with me!

The Prince and the Pauper

2006-04-25T08:44:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:3-5
3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Jesus changed the rules of the religious landscape when he confidently and consistently referred to God as his Father. As a disciple of Jesus, Peter had a special relationship with his Lord. He was convinced that his relationship with Jesus brought him into favor with the Father of his Lord.

And today, Father, I come to you based upon the same hope. You are Father to my dear friend, Jesus. Jesus found me lost and hurting and he took me in and cared for me. And now he has brought me to you – his blessed Father – and you show the same mercy as he.

My relationship with you is not according to my own merit or worthiness. Like a criminal beggar I stood outside your gate with nothing to offer and a mind only to take. And because of your abundant mercy you have called me inside, wiped away my past and you are making me fit for servitude by training me in your mercies.

But my renewal and my hope cost you dearly. Your beloved Son, my friend who brought me to you – He paid my outstanding debts. Not with silver or gold, but with his precious blood. And because that debt has been paid in full I am now a free man. Let not my freedom carry me away from your presence. Rather, let the affection of my resurrected friend satisfy my deepest longings. Help me to see that his blood not only paid my debt, but it also was the cost of my adoption into your family where you have for me an inheritance to share as a further display of your extravagant mercies. Keep me near to you by faith and reveal the fullness of your great salvation in me.

An Unworthy Candidate for Election

2006-04-24T14:32:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 1:2
1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

When I think of election I automatically go to the idea of choosing the best and most reputable candidate – one who will represent my thoughts and attitudes most accurately.

Father, I cannot comprehend then why I am among your elect and yet your Spirit confirms that I am. The thought that you chose me – you cast your vote for me – is gloriously unthinkable if that choice were based upon my merit or reputation. But your election of me is quite different in that it is not based upon my merit, but yours. You chose me so that you could form me into a representative – an ambassador of your Kingdom.

Because of humanity’s fallen nature, there are no good candidates for that role. There are men of higher morals, deeper devotion and greater ability. And yet, even their strengths betray them and they are marred by sin, confirming their inability to adequately represent you.

In me you found nothing but sin and weakness and yet you cast your vote on me, knowing that you could mould me into Your image through the inner working of your Spirit. That is the essence of sanctification – you have set me apart to become holy and obedient.

Like Moses ratified the Covenant with Israel through the sprinkling of blood (Exodus 24:8), you have confirmed your choice of me as representative by sprinkling the blood of Jesus on me. So here I am LORD with nothing to offer except what you work into me. Exercise in me your work of obedience and help me to be a good representative of your thoughts and feelings this day. I rejoice in your election of me!

Quote of the day: “The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.” Henry David Thoreau
Let this not be said of me. Rather, may I be both purposeful and live loud enough to be heard.

A Cloudy Paradox

2005-08-05T15:28:00.000-04:00

The thunder is rolling low in the sky just outside my window and I have found my mind drifting from one thing to another. It is amazing how the rain can put me in a trance and render me useless. Every journey has its pondering places along the way. I guess that just like the rain washes everything clean, my cloudy mind needs to experience a rainy daze occasionally if for no other reason than that clarity follows soonafter.

We normally think of a cloud as something that obscures our vision. But could it be that some clouds actually clarify? Could some clouds come into our lives not to confuse us but rather to guide us?

God's children found that to be the case in the desert as they came out of Egypt.

"And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way . . ." Exodus 13:21

The cloud clarified - it guided them.

Sometimes clouds are scary though. I remember how as a child I would hear the thunder rumbling from the clouds outside and fear would strike me to the core. A cloud can't hurt anyone. It's just vapor - water molecules. And yet their black presence has the ability to change our mood and send us running.

I overcame those childish fears after time simply because experience has taught me that even when clouds roll in I generally have nothing to fear. Often we must "go into" our fears in order to render the fear powerless over our lives.

If the cloud in the desert represented the Presence of Almighty God, then the children of God faced a paradox. What they in fact feared was in reality their Protector. They followed at a distance, but the brave pressed in close. They enjoyed the cloud from afar, but Moses was not content with that. He desired to get personal.

"Moses entered the cloud . . ." Exodus 24:18

What did he find there? He found reason both to fear and to be comforted. In the Presence of Holiness embodied, Moses feared the LORD for he knew himself better than he ever had. And yet he was comforted, because all that had formerly been hidden and unknown had become plain and personal to him.

I want to be like Moses . . . pressing into the God who I both fear and am comforted by. I want to draw near to the cloud so that all will be clarified. I want to breathe in the vapors and allow the Holy Spirit to engulf me in His Presence.

And yet I'm sitting here looking out the window at the clouds from a distance. I hear their rumbling and I see their movement. Will I dare to draw near? Will I find clarity in the cloud?

Mid-Stream

2005-08-03T17:19:00.000-04:00

welcome to my sojourn. you're joining me mid-stream in this endeavor but at least we can share the adventure. we'll face many challenges in our search for authenticity and purpose, but we'll not allow those to diminish our joy in the journey as we seek to follow the Way. if you have questions, let us engage them together. if you have doubts, put them into words so that we can find clarity in the context of community. above all, let's set our gaze toward True North and move in that direction. one step at a time. come what may, we will move toward the Truth.