Category: missions

My youngest brother Brian lived in Africa for seventeen years as a missionary: three years in Benin, seven in South Africa, and then seven in Zambia. Soon after my first stem cell transplant in 2001, Brian and his family invited all of my family to visit them over the Christmas holidays in Cape Town, South Africa.

If it had just been an invitation to me, I would have probably declined.  But Susan and the kids had confidence that I would be strong enough to travel, and the kids agreed that money should be no obstacle.

When we arrived in Cape Town, I was greeted by a group of Christians who had been fervently praying for my healing. I was welcomed as a family member and I still remember their hugs and hospitality.

For years, Brian worked diligently with young gang members in the inner city of Cape Town, always rated as one of the highest murder capitols of the world. We met several of his guys and saw the challenges they faced living for Christ in such a violent environment.

Brian and his family now live in Texas, but he frequently gets to travel back to Africa to visit the places where he has labored. Last month Brian visited four countries and got to spend some time in Cape Town. He wrote me a note that included this story:

All the saints send their greetings to you from Cape Town. They all thank God for your health.

It was good to be with the old gangsters. One called me up at the last minute and said I had to meet him in the old neighborhood. He told me which corner to meet him on.

I met him and he introduced his wife and two little girls to me. He had remained faithful along with his mother; had converted his wife, and is now raising his daughters in the Lord.

He just wanted to let me see what taking the time with him as a youth resulted in with his young family. That was really a special time for me.

We know God gives the increase… but without his servants planting the seed, watering the plants, and faithfully praying… what happens to the fruit? May we accept the invitation to be ‘God’s fellow workers.’

“What after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe – as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” I Corinthians 3:5-9

We had a great trip to Ecuador; thanks for your prayers! We worked with Pastor Manuel in three mountain villages. Our students served well and we enjoyed meeting many brothers and sisters in Christ who live in a unique section of the world.

While there, I was reminded of what God examines most carefully. We often look at beauty or size or monetary value… but God looks at the heart. Remember Samuel’s words before anointing David as the second king of Israel: “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (II Samuel 16:7)

From the ancient days to the time Christ walked the earth to now, God examines hearts and is never fooled. Jesus quoted a prophet when he witnessed the religion of those who claimed to know God. “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9)

During our trip, we tried to teach ourselves and our students this simple desire of God… that we completely give Him our hearts. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5) “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Luke 10:27) “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:10)

Let’s ask God for the grace to remember what is important to Him. With the Holy Spirit as our Helper, we can present ourselves to the One who has given Himself to us.

“Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for Your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in Your truth.” (Psalm 26:2-3)

Our last ‘word for the day’ in Nicaragua was ‘serve.’ As John Bland, the founder of ‘Amigos for Christ,’ welcomed us on our first day, he started his talk in an unusual way: “I first want to introduce you all to a special group.” He pointed to five Nicaraguan women who varied in age from mid-twenties to mid-fifties.  “Ladies, will you please stand.”

As they rose, John continued: “These ladies get up at four o’clock each morning and begin preparing the breakfast you will enjoy. Then, after we leave for the villages, they clean the kitchen, then clean our dorms, then clean the toilets. This takes a lot of time and it is a thankless job. It is then time for them to prepare the dinner we will enjoy after our day of hard work. After they finish cleaning the kitchen, they leave the base around eight PM. These ladies don’t ask for any praise or attention. They are servants… and model the attitude of Jesus that I want to possess. Will you guys please give them a round of applause?”

As I heard John’s words and watched the small group take their seats, I smiled at the ‘upside-down values’ of the Kingdom of God. ‘The last shall be first.’ ‘The greatest shall be your servant.’ Perhaps without intending, the leader of ‘Amigos for Christ’ proclaimed what their organization was all about by honoring those whom most would call ‘the least of these.’

For any of us Americans who thought we deserved credit for going to serve a few days in a foreign land, we witnessed the power of ‘lifestyle service’ through humble women. It is easy to go work hard for a week, knowing we would soon return to our modern luxuries. It is more challenging to intentionally decide to be a servant… always. If I knew that becoming a servant of Jesus Christ meant that I would basically become nothing, would I sign up?

But that’s what Jesus did: “[Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant…” (Philippians 2:6-7) And He teaches us the path to true greatness: “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:42-45)

Let’s walk in His steps!

“You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” John 13:13-15

‘Work’ and ‘rest’ were our next two theme words in Nicaragua. We worked hard in the village of La Chuscada constructing a school building to bless the local children. It is a good feeling to be worn out at the end of a day’s work.

Our ‘rest’ day involved a two-hour bus ride to join a celebration. The people of San Marcos de Las Pilas decorated the town, killed a cow for a feast, and rolled out the red carpet for about a hundred visitors.

Amigos for Christ, various mission teams, and the citizens of the village had worked a year to dig a well and extend water lines to each home. We got to witness tears of joy and hear praises to God as ‘running water’ was turned on for the first time.

God worked six days in creation then rested on the seventh, setting a pattern for us to follow. Later, He included a day of rest in the Ten Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

But Man made the Sabbath more about rules than rest. Jesus often got into trouble for refusing to follow religion’s traditions. When challenged, He plainly shared God’s intent: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27)

Jesus presents Himself as the Answer to questions about ‘work’ and ‘rest.’ “Then they asked Him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.’” (John 6:28-29) What a great truth!

In His teaching about the Sabbath, Jesus also pointed to Himself. Timothy Keller wrote: “When Jesus says, ‘I am the Lord of the Sabbath,’ Jesus means He is the Sabbath. He is the source of the deep rest we need. The one-day-a-week rest we take is just a taste of the deep divine rest we need, and Jesus is its source. Jesus says, in effect, ‘As the Lord of the Sabbath, I can give you rest.’”

God wants us to find our total existence in His Son. In Christ, we find the good works God has created us to do and in Christ, we find the rest we so desperately need. No wonder Jesus says, “Come to Me.”

“Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Quote from ‘Jesus the King’ by Timothy Keller, ©2011 by Redeemer City to City and Timothy Keller, p. 44

The second word we studied with Amigos for Christ over Thanksgiving break was ‘learn.’

“How long has he been like this?” Jesus asked a father whose son was tormented by a demon. Often the Holy Spirit gave Jesus supernatural insight into situations, but Jesus did not mind asking questions. We learn by asking, by listening, by studying, and by observing.

Early in our week we learned about the village of La Chuscada from a man who lived there. Sebastian grew up in La Chuscada and had to drop out of school after completing the second grade. This was typical in poor villages because parents needed children to haul water and help with chores.

In November of 2013, La Chuscada completed a year’s work to bring running water to each home in the village. Our challenge this year was to build a school. Sebastian shared, “We want our children to have opportunities we never had. We want our children to get a good education. Now they just have a few desks that are set up under the trees. We want them to have a building! Thank you for coming to help us.”

Sebastian and the other members of his village were not asking for handouts. They were simply partnering with followers of Christ who were making Jesus visible in practical ways. I didn’t see anyone work harder than Sebastian.

Learning is important in every area. If you have a Muslim friend or have a desire for Muslims to know Jesus, learn about Islam. If you have a friend with cancer and want to encourage and pray with understanding, learn about the type of cancer. If you have a heart for the homeless and want to find ways to help people get off the street, develop a friendship with someone who can help you learn the various challenges of homelessness.

And if you want to know God, Jesus says, “Come and learn from Me.”

“All things have been committed to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him. Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:27-30