Tackling the Enigma of Miracles

I grew up in the Christian Reformed Church.  We didn't talk a lot about miracles, although we appreciated the reported miracles during Jesus' time on earth.  While we prayed for healing and maybe some prayed for miracles in that regard, I don't remember a feeling of expectation that it would actually happen.  I also don't remember recognition of a miracle taking place if healing did happen.  People would thank God, but not say it was a miracle.  

At least, that was my recollection.  Miracles were not a big part of our theology.  But admittedly, I don't have the best memory in the world, so I could be recalling things incorrectly.

Living and working in Africa, I encountered more charismatic Christians who prayed for and expected miracles regularly.  They saw God being much more active in day-to-day life, and over time I grew to appreciate that.  One could say that the pendulum swung from one side to the other for me.

But now I believe I'm getting closer to the middle of those two extremes.  As I mentioned in last week's blog, I believe that "Christ IS come" means that He is with us today, and we are His hands and feet - we continue to bring the gift of Christ to the world through our time, talent, and treasure.  Being His hands and feet, and being made in His image, means that we need to problem solve most issues ourselves.  That would be the norm.  So if someone has cancer, the miracle is that there are people that are discovering new treatments, medicines, and providing care that can cure it!  If someone's car breaks down, there are people who know how to fix it!  If there is an emergency across the country, we can get on a plane and fly there - or we can send instant messages or have video calls!  People end up being the miracle that God intended and created them to be!

So what is the purpose of miracles?  I don't have any solid answers - I'm just wrestling with this and struggling through how to fit this into my current paradigm of God at work in us, to work with Him, in bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to earth.  But here are some thoughts.

I believe miracles are the exception, not the rule.

I believe that the purpose of miracles is for God to show His glory - to be a witness to those who do not know Him.  When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he said, "Father, thank you for hearing me.  You always hear me, but I said it out loud for the sake of all these people standing here, so that they will believe you sent me" (John 11:41b-42).  God desires to draw all people to Himself.  

A miracle is something that is done that people observing would say it could "only be God."  Miracles often break the laws of science.  The goal is that it would lead people to a belief in God.  Evidence of miracles would be in the presence of witnesses.

So then, are miracles a result of faith?  What is God's process in deciding a miracle?  Certainly He would choose to do miracles that would draw the biggest amount of people or have a big impact, as opposed to one sick person in a private hospital room, no?  

Maybe what I'm really struggling with is how we pray.  I am finding that my prayers are often met with God saying, "I concur.  Go do it!  I've equipped you!  I am with you! You are blessed to be a blessing!"  There is an affirmation, an encouragement, an accompaniment of God.  Yet I hear in many prayers, that there is an expectation that God alone will do it.  That the answer will come through miracles.

When I teach, I often tell the story of the man who died and went to heaven and lamented to God that he never saw a miracle, yet he had prayed for them his whole life.  God said to him, "Do you remember that tree outside your kitchen window?"  The man replied, "Yes."  God said, "That's a miracle."  The man said, "How is that a miracle?  That's just a tree!"  God said, "Let's see you make one out of nothing.  And also, you liked looking in the mirror every day."  The man said, "Well, yes, that is important for being respectable."  God said, "What you saw in the mirror as well is a miracle."  

The point is that we are surrounded by miracles.  Most of these miracles follow the laws of science and nature, which God put in place.  Those are the norms which are still incredible!  Thanks be to God!

Is Christmas the Appetizer?

I've been struggling with my Christmas spirit, or lack thereof, so far this season.  

But the truth is that this is not unusual for me- I often struggle with Christmas.  Don't get me wrong - the birth of Jesus is the greatest gift ever!  I love the family time as well!  But I often struggle with the incongruity between the "now" and the "not yet."  

In essence, this has been my struggle: In the Christmas season, we sing the classic hymn, "Joy to the world, the Lord is come."  But to be honest, it feels fake to sing this amidst so much turmoil in the world.  And there is so much turmoil.  So, so much.  

Much of the world does not know or feel joy, both Christians and non-Christians alike.

The song goes on to say, "No more let sin and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground, He comes to make his blessings flow, far as the curse is found."  Yet the curse continues to be found everywhere.  There does not seem to be a flowing of blessings.  There is war, death, famine, sickness, poverty, persecution, and so much more.  

So to help with this paradox, Christians spend time during Christmas talking Christ's return, when all things will be made right.  We celebrate His birth, but we focus on His coming again as the next best thing.  The problem is that there is a lot of time in between these two events which feels quite joyless and very painful.

But a closer look at the lyrics of the hymn states, "Joy to the world, the Lord IS come."  "IS" is present tense.  "IS" is now.  Many have changed the words of this song to "the Lord HAS come."  But that change puts the presence of Christ in the past and that creates a serious challenge for us today!  If we are celebrating something that happened 2,000 years ago, which gives me a ticket to go to heaven when I die, what does that mean for today?  Not much.  And that is just not the case.  The Lord IS come.  He IS here.  

We are not a people simply waiting.  We are to continue the work that Christ started.  Christ is with us today in the 2.3 billion people who call themselves Christians! We are in a time of waiting for Christ's return, but we are not only in waiting mode.  Waiting is a time of inactivity.  Waiting is a time of looking and longing.  Waiting is focused on the future and not on the present.  

We are not just to be waiting for Christ's return.  We are the hands and feet of Christ every day until He returns.  We are agents of reconciliation.  The gift that came so long ago continues to be with us.  As we lament war and conflict and death, we get to be part of the solution.  

I think Christmas is a dark and lonely time for many because there is such a disconnect between the joy of the birth of Jesus and the present suffering that we are in.  And when our answer to this is that "one day He will come again," we miss out on the hugely important presence of Christ with us today.  

Christ's birth was not the appetizer with the full meal coming at His return.  The work for the restoration of this world is not for God alone to do.  We are not simply waiting for Him to act...and wondering why He tarries...and questioning His goodness while the world languishes in darkness, and death, and despair.  We join Him.  He calls...equips...and blesses us to be a blessing.

Christ in us...Christ IS come...we continue to live out and with the gift that came long ago.  

But what about all the pain and suffering in the world? It's true that I can't end the conflicts in the Ukraine, Middle East, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Nigeria, or elsewhere.  But I can be an agent of reconciliation in my own sphere of influence.  I can love my neighbor as myself.  I can speak the truth in love.  I can do all my work as an act of worship for the King.  I can care for creation so that it will flourish.  I can be a steward of my time, talent, and treasure to make this world a better place.  I can be salt, light, and leaven.  I can be prophet, priest, ambassador, saint, king.  

And I can pray.  I can encourage others to have compassion, capacity, competence and courage in their spheres of influence.  I can support agents of reconciliation in those places that I can't personally reach.  And together, we can make the world a better place.  We bring the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, a little bit of time, being faithful UNTIL He comes again.

I can because of Christ in me.  What a gift that would be if I do it well!  A gift that keeps on giving to the glory of God, in gratefulness to the Son, and only because of the Holy Spirit!

That is a message that gives me hope.  That is a message that can make me feel good about celebrating Christmas.  I'm thankful that the Lord IS come!

Transformation and Job Creation: Meet Joseph!

There's a difference between activities and impacts.  Activities are the things we do in the hopes that it will bring about impact.  Some of our activities are workshops for pastors, church leaders, and businesspersons.  Some of our activities are mentoring, training, and advocacy.  Our partners regularly report on their activities.  But we are very aware that activities do not lead to transformation.  Education without application is just information.  But information plus application leads to transformation.  So, every October, each of our partners hires an enumerator to do a randomized survey of 50 businesspersons and ten pastors who have gone through DML to assess impacts.  

Our impact survey results from 2023 closely align with the results from 2022, which makes us happy!  For every business trained, two new jobs are created (of course, we know this is an average - some create zero, some create ten, but two new jobs for each business is the average).  More than 1000 jobs were created just by our sample of 550 businesses in this past year - yet we have trained almost 18,000 businesspeople so far in 2023! [I'll let you do the math!] Business profit has increased by 20% and household income has also increased by 20% (this is down from 25% in 2022, mostly due to inflation and instability in some partner countries).  94% of churches reported increased attendance, giving, and spiritual growth in their members.  We thank God for these reports of impacts!

The story below shows the impact of one man in Ghana who attended the DML training in 2020:

Mr. Joseph Osman, owner of Joseph Farms in Sanga-Tamale metropolis, Ghana, is a young and talented entrepreneur who worships at a Baptist church in his small community. Joseph Farms, specializing in pepper and maize farming, is just two years old.

In his quest to become a successful businessman and acquire essential knowledge, Joseph eagerly attended the DML business training in 2020, despite having to travel a significant distance. The training had a profound impact on him, shifting his perception of business from a secular endeavor to a platform for spreading the message of Christ. He learned valuable skills, such as customer satisfaction, business boundary setting, and pricing.

After the training, Joseph faced the challenge of choosing a specific business venture. With guidance from DML partner Hopeline Institute, he decided to venture into farming and secured one-acre plots for maize (corn) and pepper cultivation.

Joseph also has aspirations to become a journalist and is actively saving around 60% of his crop farming proceeds to fund his education. In addition, he plans to diversify his income by raising goats and sheep, recognizing the importance of a solid business foundation and clear boundaries.

In closing, Joseph expressed his gratitude to DML Hopeline Institute for the insightful training and the loan that kickstarted his business. His ultimate goal is to use his business as a means to spread the Good News of Christ to others.

These impacts could not happen without the work of partners, prayers, and supporters around the world.  Thank you for partnering and praying for DML!  

We still have a matching challenge grant for new recurring givers until we reach $25,000.  If you would like to give a monthly gift, for $5/month and up, our donor will match your giving for the first year.  Please prayerfully consider helping us reach our goal for 2023 by going here.

Translation as Mission: Impact Spreading!

We talk a lot about "business as mission" and even more so lately about "work as worship" which can be done in any workplace.

I received an email a week ago from our DML leader with the Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) in West Africa, Pastor Theo Pare, who has been asked to bring the "work as worship" message to the CMA in several West African nations.  This email showed me the potential of "translation as mission" - another workplace where unique opportunities (coupled with obedience) opened doors to the work as worship message.  Pastor Theo gave me permission to share his email with you:

Dear Renita,

I hope this message finds you well in God's grace. This month, I unexpectedly attended an international Christian Missionary Alliance (CMA) conference in Monrovia, representing DML at President Job's request. Surprisingly, I was chosen as the translator for the event, translating between English and French for eight days. This unplanned role turned out to be a blessing for DML, significantly increasing its visibility.

During the conference, missionaries shared impactful stories of integrating business and mission. When I presented DML, it resonated strongly with the audience. The Congo Church and Guinea Church expressed eagerness to adopt DML, with the Congo Church, known for its extensive medical centers and schools, enthusiastic about implementation. Guinea is considering sending a representative to Mali for DML training.

Burkina Faso and Mali, celebrating their 100 years CMA anniversary until year-end, propose holding the DML training after the celebration, around the beginning of the new year. This unexpected turn of events showcases God's divine planning.

I appreciate your prayers and support, and I wanted to share the incredible impact of this trip. It was a testament to divine circumstances leading the way.

God bless you abundantly!

Pastor Theo

Isn't that amazing?  Pastor Theo is working fulltime with the Christian Missionary Alliance in Burkina Faso to equip every local church with this message.  This position was created in part because there was increasing demand for this message from other West African nations and the President of CMA in Burkina Faso wanted to respond to that.  Please pray for him, these open doors, and the opportunity for the flourishing of many as we begin to do our work as an act of worship, for the flourishing of all creation!

We can't do this without the partners who help to support this work through denominations and churches across Africa and Asia!  Tuesday is Giving Tuesday, and we hope to meet our year end goal of raising $80,000 in order to meet our 2023 budget and move into our 2024 goals with strength.  Please prayerfully consider joining us - go to Donate - Discipling Marketplace Leaders for more information!

The Five Trillion Dollar Drain: Unmasking the Global Cost of Corruption

[Don't miss the important announcement at the end of this post!]

This past week we were able to enjoy a visit from one of our partners from South Asia and learned about more than 2000 churches that have been planted in the marketplace in the past two years!  There are small churches gathering in factories, laboratories, hospitals, schools, transportation centers, farms, and more!  The priesthood of believers are disciples making disciples who are making disciples (2 Timothy 2:2).  

While we celebrate this, we understand that this is happening in a context where it is very difficult to be a Christian, where there is persecution and corruption which can be so discouraging.

We often think that poverty causes corruption, and sometimes that can be true.  Proverbs 30 says that God should give neither poverty nor riches...or I might have too much and disown God or have too little and steal.  But Vishal Mangalwadi, an Indian Christian philosopher, tells us that the opposite is more true - corruption causes poverty.

This excellent video gives perspective on corruption by using examples of the consequences of honesty and corruption in both the Netherlands and India.  Vishal Mangalwadi shares that corruption costs five trillion dollars every year and adds no value to the cost of goods that are being sold.  

He says that transforming a nation requires cultivating character.  He says that nations need more than investment, aid, or protests.  They need hearts and minds that are transformed.

Please take a few minutes to watch this three-minute video.  This is what Discipling Marketplace Leaders is seeking to do.  When we do our work as an act of worship, instead of for our own personal gain, it changes everything.  

In this week of Thanksgiving, we are thankful for the mission of God, which invites us to participate in bringing reconciliation to all spheres of creation - including hearts and minds transformed in the marketplace!  We are also thankful for each of you who has partnered with us, in prayer, encouragement, and financial support.  The demand for this message continues to grow and we could not respond without you!

PS - In light of Giving Tuesday, just a few days after Thanksgiving, we will be announcing that a generous donor has agreed to match any new recurring donations for 2024 (up to $25,000 USD).  This means if you give a monthly gift of $50 to DML, the donor will match that for twelve months! Additionally, on Giving Tuesday only, they have agreed to match any gift over $250.  Please prayerfully consider if you can partner with us in this way to reach more people in 2024!  Go to Donate - Discipling Marketplace Leaders - giving is easy with ACH, PayPal, and credit cards!

Global Planning and Preparations Through Zoom!

This week DML had its annual summit - virtually this time.  [On the even years, we gather in person; on the odd years, we gather online.] We had more than 90 people in attendance, from fourteen countries, across thirteen time zones.  It was a wonderful time of fellowship, fun, worship, sharing, planning, and processing.  

Each of our implementing partners went to a retreat center to have some fun, fellowship, prayer time, rest time, and planning time for 2024.  A big thank you to all of our partners who help to make this possible!  This is such an important time, as we look at what we have done thus far in 2023, what our impact surveys have told us, what we can celebrate, and where we need to make course corrections.  We then plan on how to use our time, treasure, and talent better in 2024 to increase the return on our investment for the building of the Kingdom of God on earth!

Here are a couple of quotes that we heard this week from pastors and marketplace ministers:

As a pastor, I had no idea how to equip myself economically and I was living a low-level lifestyle. After the DML training God opened my eyes as he did with Moses. I sold my house and bought land for farming. Then I planted banana trees. After a few months, I covered all the cost that I spent on the land. This has become a good example for other church ministers. 

I am a taxi driver. I used to charge unreasonable amounts to my customers. I attended the training of DML and understood that I need to honor God through my business. I started being honest to my customers. 

I have a weighing machine's business. I provide sales and service. Customers used to bring their weighing machines for repairs, and I used to give them a time frame. I never used to stay true to my word. I learned that I must do work as worship. I brought change into my behavior. My customers are happy with me now.

Some of the team pictures from this past week are below.

This week, one of our partners from South Asia, Praveen and Chrysolite Karagani, will be with us to share about the incredible work being done in planting marketplace churches.  We are so excited to hear from them as they share what God is doing to build His church in places where churches are no longer welcome - the marketplace is such a place where real growth can be seen!

Burkina Faso Christian Missionary Alliance team

Uganda DML team

Ethiopia Kale Heywet Church Team

Nigeria DML Team

Burkina Faso AEAD and Assemblies of God team

Tanzania team, with new team member from Zambia

Cameroon DML team

Transform Our World

I just returned from several days in California at the Transform Our World conference, with Ed Silvoso.  I've been quoting this man for about ten years, as he has written a number of very good books.  His book, Anointed for Business, was required reading for our Church-based Business as Mission class.  My favorite quote from Dr. Silvoso (which I had the privilege of quoting back to him!) is this:  Christianity is like a football (soccer) game:  20,000 spectators in desperate need of exercise watching 22 players in desperate need of rest."  

I found this man to be a sincere, earnest man, leading a global movement of people doing church every day in every space.  He is 78 years old, full of energy, and committed to work to build the church for as many years as God gives Him the ability.  He is from Argentina originally and has amazing stories of how God has shaped his life through trials and blessings.  

The conference was four days of testimony after testimony from Mexico, Thailand, the Philippines, Egypt, Argentine, Hawaii, Canada, and so many more.  As they said, "If people don't go to church, that's okay.  We are like Pizza Hut.  We deliver."  And that is what they do - they are bringing the church to the Marketplace - government, education, and business.

My goal in this visit was to see whether there is potential for us to partner together and complement or add value to each other in our ministries.  I believe there is potential - and they believe that as well - so we will continue to learn from each other and see how we can continue to build the body of Christ.  Shout out to Jean, a supporter of DML in a number of ways, and new friend to me, who loves connecting people and helped me to connect with Transform Our World!

Dr. Ed Silvoso and his wife Ruth.  A privilege to meet these saints!

How God strengthens the Bars of our Gates

In a world marked by ongoing conflicts, including those in Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, Burkina Faso, and Cameroon, there is a collective yearning for peace and a longing to understand how to contribute to it. Psalm 147:12-14 offers insight. 

12 Extol the Lord, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion.13 He strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. 14 He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.

Martin Luther's interpretation of this text emphasizes that the term "bars" encompasses not only physical barriers but also the elements that safeguard a society, including good governance, sound city ordinances, and wise leadership. These, he asserts, are divine gifts. (From Every Good Endeavor, by Tim Keller)

Luther delves into how God secures a city's safety. He concludes that while God's sovereign hand plays an unperceivable role in this, He also works through human agents, such as lawmakers, police officers, and government officials, who become extensions of His protection. Hence, every diligent police officer, in donning their uniform to safeguard the city, is, in essence, doing God's work.

This perspective yields two vital conclusions. 

Firstly, all ethical and purposeful work that promotes human flourishing and the responsible stewardship of the environment is an extension of God's role in sustaining and caring for His creation. 

Secondly, when we excel in our vocations, we serve the people who benefit from our efforts. 

By performing our work with a commitment to honor God, it becomes a tangible expression of love for our neighbors.

This understanding aligns with Jesus' instruction to love our neighbors, emphasizing that our daily endeavors are opportunities for community care and service.

Ultimately, these insights resonate with the Lord's Prayer, which calls for daily sustenance and prays for the realization of God's kingdom and His will on Earth. They remind us that our work, when carried out with diligence and integrity, can be a part of bringing God's peace and provision to our communities and our world.

May God continue to use us to join Him in strengthening the bars of our gates, reminding us that we are blessed to be a blessing.

Home Sweet Home

For six of the past seven weeks, I have been on the road.  On this trip there were seventeen beds in fourteen cities, in five countries.  There were ten speaking engagements with 160 hours in workshops, of which I taught for over 100 of those hours.  There were many meetings in-between as well, along with many hours of preparation in-between.  Wow.  Makes me a bit tired to write that out!  The map shows the places I visited in September.  I am so thankful for all the people I was able to meet, the DML teams who joined me in the work, and the amazing supporters who help to make all of this possible!

I'm now back in Michigan for about ten days, before heading to California for a short conference.  It's good to be home!  

Last week, I spent time recording our Integrity and Finance class, as well as our Financial Freedom Class for Families at a studio in Harlingen, Texas.  I taught 21 thirty-minute videoed sessions with a professional camera crew, who will then edit and release the videos so that our partners can do voice-overs as needed.  This is a very important opportunity as it allows us to move away from trainers and toward facilitators.  Facilitators are easier to equip, as they are able to play the video, pause and have discussions.  It allows us to standardize the material more. 

We have partnered with an organization called Nation to Nation Christian University, who has bartered with us to be able to put our courses into their own curriculum, in exchange for allowing us free use of their studio.  This is a win-win!  Nation to Nation works in more than 50 countries, offering four-year degrees to more than 30,000 students around the world, in theology, community development, leadership and more.  

Last year, we recorded our Foundational Workshop, Basic Business 1 and Basic Business II, as well as our Entrepreneurship Course.  We thank God for these courses that are being used and translated in many parts of the world!

So thankful to get back to Michigan which is full into fall with beautiful colors on the trees everywhere!

Church in the Global North and the Global South

Greetings from Harlingen, Texas, just a few miles from the border of Mexico!  This past week I was in Dallas with the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication (GACX) Forum, an annual gathering of church planting organizations from around the world.  [GACX is part of Campus Crusade for Christ or CRU.]  This year there were 400 people from 50 countries, and as always, it was an inspiring event with very sincere, earnest, passionate believers seeking to reach all people with the love of Christ.

There was a lot of data shared this week, which I found to be very interesting.  

It's not a surprise to most of us that there has been a shift in the population of the church from the Global North to the Global South.  Only 18% of Christians lived in the Global South in the year 1900, but today it is 67%.  There are 838 million Christians in the Global North but 1.1 billion Christians in the Global South.  

But the highest number of Christians can be found on the continent of Africa, with the number at 667 million, compared to 268 million in North America.  Europe is the least reached continent - there are more Christians in Saudi Arabia than in Greece!  

There are also more females who are Christian than males, so one speaker said that the face of Christianity today is an African woman!  We need to begin changing our perception of global Christian leaders to this picture!

Another interesting fact is that while the percentage of Christians worldwide has remained the same (for the past 100 years (around 32%), new data is showing that the global population growth is outpacing the growth of Christianity, which will result in a decline over time. 

But here are some other interesting facts:

More than half of all Christians live in countries where mor than 70% of the population are Christian. 

More than half of all non-Christians live in a country where less than 8% are Christian.

As one speaker said, "we are good at winning the winnable and ignoring the rest."

However, the place where Christianity is growing the fastest is in the areas where the Human Development Index is the lowest.  This is where I see the capacity of Discipling Marketplace Leaders having a positive impact on the Global Church.  We need to teach a healthy theology of work, as well as wealth creation God's way, and wealth management as God's stewards.  There is no wealth to be shared until there is wealth created.  Business has the ability to create wealth, alleviate poverty, create meaningful work, and reach people who would typically never step foot in a church.

This week I'm doing recordings of DML materials for YouTube with a partner organization, Nation to Nation, who allows us to use their studio, and then also sends DML courses to their schools around the world.  Have a blessed week!

Global Impact: Swiftly Moving Times for DML!

Greetings, dear friends!  I made it back safely from India last Sunday, was home for a week, and am now in Texas for the next two weeks.  During these two weeks, DML will be presenting at the Global Alliance for Church Multiplication conference, meeting with some local church leaders in the Dallas area for DML partnership, and then spending a full week at a studio in Harlingen, TX, recording more DML materials with an organization called Nation to Nation (N2N).  

Things are moving swiftly for DML, and it's an exciting time!

Our recent visit to India with the BAM South Asia group has garnered interest from individuals and organizations in Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and many parts of India.  We are grateful to God for connecting us with those who share our mission to do work as worship.  It's truly inspiring to meet like-minded individuals who are also passionate about this message!

While I was in India, some of our partners in Africa were busy spreading the message in new places, such as Sierra Leone and Zambia.  The impact of God's work is spreading across borders, and we are thankful for the opportunities to connect with God's people worldwide.

Here are some quotes from those who attended the workshops in Zambia:

From a businessman:  "The church does not care what we go through in business.  The church believes we always have money, but at times we go through hard times of loss, and we don't find a place to share our challenges at church, which makes it very hard to identify ourselves in the Kingdom mission."

 From a pastor:  "We have a dilemma of how best to accommodate businesspeople.  We were taught to believe that having a lot of money is a sin, thus we don't have a proper way to accommodate businesspeople in church.  It's like we need them because we need their money, which is very bad."

Stay tuned as we continue to join God in what He is doing to build His church and reclaim the redeemed marketplace!

An honor to speak with a number of other great speakers at the Beyond Business conference.

Vaibhav and Sujata with Udhhar on the left, and Praveen and Chrys from GCI on the right.

Ephesians 4:11 - Training Teachers

Greetings again from Uganda!  I leave today for Hyderabad, India for a conference with BAM (Business as Mission) South Asia.  This past week was a very busy week with conferences in three different parts of Uganda: Kampala, Soroti, and Bukwo.  Uganda is a beautiful country and it was a very enjoyable week.  I look forward to this coming week in India and learning how BAM is being implemented in different parts of Asia, while sharing about the potential for BAM to integrate more with the local church.

This past week I spoke a lot about Ephesians 4 and the call for all Christians to recognize that they are in fulltime ministry - either in foreign missions (the minority) or home missions (the majority).  Their fulltime job description is to glorify God and their specific locations of where they do this are very different.  We pleaded with pastors to recognize their positions as coaches to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, so that they grow in ministry to be apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers in every place and space.  We encouraged pastors (coaches) to understand their "players," what their strengths and weaknesses are, what their individual parishes are and the opportunities and challenges in those places.  We saw our message resonate as pastors recognized that there has been too much focus on the building, and not enough on equipping the members for when they are scattered.

And so this week, we see the last of the five-fold ministry listed in Ephesians 4: teachers.  We are to be teachers of the gospel of Christ, discerning true from false doctrine.  The church and culture are changing quickly in many places.  There are many false teachings that abound.  This week I heard that poverty is equated to holiness, therefore wealth is considered sin; that only pastors are called to full-time ministry; that pastors are to be given free things at every business where their members work as a sign of respect; that pastors should never do business, even if the church is hardly able to support them.  Every culture has their false teachings and so we need to continue to teach, learn, and be shaped by the Biblical worldview.  All Christians need to be prepared and ready to teach when given the opportunity.  

We do this more naturally with our children, but there is great potential in the workplace where we will have the opportunity to exercise the gift of teaching.  The best teaching comes in the context of a good and trusted relationship. Think of a favorite teacher you had growing up and the qualities that he/she showed. Some of the best teaching comes by asking questions rather than providing answers. Especially in the workplace with other adults, remember that the majority of teaching that is done is non-verbal! That is why it is said, "Preach constantly. When necessary, use words." (Quote credited to St. Francis of Assisi but many do not think it came from him.)

Thank you for your continued prayers for the seeds being sown!

The beauty, the flourishing of farms, the jubilant fields.  Such beauty to behold!

My dear sister in Uganda, Grace Koelewijn.  Love this lady!

The leader of the Lema Institute, Rev. Joshua Amaezechi, a Nigerian-American who lives in Michigan, and coordinates this work in Uganda and Nigeria.

The training team in Soroti, with speakers from Dordt and Calvin University, as well as the CRC in Nigeria, and others!

The Nile River in Uganda

The bridge over the Nile.

Ephesians 4:11 - Preparing Pastors

Greetings from Uganda!  This trip continues to be a blessing as we see doors opening in many places!  In Uganda, we have trainings with several groups in Kampala, Soroti, and Bukwo (near Mbale on the east side of Uganda).   In each place I am greeted by the DML team from that country, and they join me in teaching and handle all the follow-up. I will be here for about eleven days before going to India for the last leg of this trip.

While I am in Uganda, another DML team has arrived in Sierra Leone (Dr. Gaga from Nigeria and Rev. Lisa Travis from Liberia) to begin the work of DML with the Wesleyan Church.  We pray for these new seeds being planted!

Our time last week in Nigeria with Nigerian Baptist Convention in Ibadan was very fruitful!  This is a very large denomination with more than 10,000 churches and strategic ministries in so many places.  We were blessed to have the President of the Convention join us, along with several of the Vice-Presidents.  It is unusual to have leaders at this level sit for several hours because of so much activity.  And this week was especially a challenging one for them - they launched their new day-care program for the elderly AND they held a youth convention for 20,000 youth, the largest convention they have had for some time.  We stopped in at the youth convention on our way back to Lagos and it was AMAZING!  [I was pulled onstage by the President's wife to join in the worship and dancing!]  I can't imagine the logistical challenges of 21,000 people (that was the count when I was there - I don't know how high it actually got.)  Pictures are below.

As we continue in our discussion of preparing all Christians to be mature, this week we look at being pastoral.  This is yet another gift that is offered to foster growth in the body of Christ, to strengthen the church (the people of God).  Pastors can be seen as shepherds, who nurture and care for the flock.  Typically, this work is seen in the church when gathered, but as all Christians are part of the priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:9), we see our spheres of influence as our parishes.  For most of us, that is our homes and workplaces.  What does it mean for us to be pastoral in those settings?  Shepherds are to lovingly watch over the sheep.  They must be listeners and followers of the Good Shepherd to do this well.  There must be integrity of heart as well as skilled hands.  Shepherds care not only for the physical health of the sheep, but also spiritual, emotional, and mental health.  

I believe that there is a good understanding of this in our homes, as we seek to parent our children and love our family members.  

But there is less of an understanding of this in our workplaces, whether we function as employers or employees.  In both cases, we have an ability to be pastoral, to be caring for those around us, looking at the whole person.  This means we need to be prepared to listen and learn about their life and their challenges.  It means we are prepared to offer a kind word, a prayer, or a word of encouragement.  This is not a responsibility that is only for those in organizational authority, but it can go in all directions - you may need to be pastoral toward your boss.  There are many lonely people in this world who do not feel that they have someone who will listen in love.  

So we need to prepare ourselves for this.  And the best way to do this is to learn from the Good Shepherd, who laid down His life for the sheep.  May God help us!

A teaching moment with the Nigerian Baptist convention.

The leaders of the Nigeria team, Solomon Aliyu on the left, and Dr. Abraham Gaga on the right.

In the center is Rev. Dr. Israel Akanji, the President of the Nigeria Baptist Convention, with his wife in the burgundy on the left.  On the right is Dr. Elizabeth Aderounmu, the Director of the Social Development Ministries, who was our host for this conference.

This is just a portion of the sea of youth that make up a crowd of 20,000.  It was truly amazing, and we pray that the Holy Spirit met many people there, reminding them of His love and delight in each one!

Ephesians 4:11 - Equipping Evangelists

Greetings from Nigeria, where we are so privileged to present to the Nigeria Baptist Convention over the next couple of days.  One thousand pastors and church leaders are gathering together to learn about workplace discipleship and reclaiming the Marketplace for Christ.  We have been talking to leaders from this denomination for some time and have been praying for this opportunity, and we are now here!  We ask for your prayers that the Holy Spirit will use us to present a compelling message for the affirmation of the priesthood of all believers in every workplace!

Our visit in Ghana with the Assemblies of God, as well as the Methodist and Presbyterian pastors, went well and we are excited for the seeds sown.  Below are a couple of pictures from our time together.

But this week, we want to continue to looking at Ephesians 4 where we find the purpose of the church is to equip the saints for the work of the ministry.  There are some who are given special gifts of being apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  These giftings are not meant to only be offices but to be used to equip all members for growing in maturity in these areas, that the members may not be easily shifted by the winds.

Last week we looked at prophets, and the week before at apostles.  Today, we look at evangelists.  One of the things we often say in our teaching is that "evangelism programs can be one of the greatest barriers to evangelism."  This is often surprising for people to hear, but we explain that when something is a program, it gets compartmentalized.  Our brain likes to put things in different boxes:  this is home, this is work, this is community, this is church.  Within the church box, we often put more boxes:  this is worship, this is Sunday School, this is evangelism, this is giving, etc.  When we do evangelism as a program, it means that when the event is completed, our brain will often say, "Check!  Evangelism is done until the next planned program."  

Rather than a program, evangelism is to be a lifestyle.  We are told to bring the fragrance of Christ to all places, which is an attraction to those around us (2 Cor. 2:14).  Most communication is non-verbal and even the way you live your life and do your work brings the fragrance of Christ.  The Great Commission is for all of us - we are all to be making disciples.  We are either in home missions or we are in foreign missions, but all of us, as mature Christians, are to be in missions.  For some, this comes easily.  For others, it takes great effort.  But all of us are expected to participate in this important call because Christ's love compels us.  We have been loved so much that we now want to share it with others.  

Who might God be urging you to speak to?  Are you asking God for specific opportunities or ways in which to engage?  If you aren't sure where to start, there are lots of places where you can get some great ideas and basic training in finding those opportunities.  

Church, let's equip all members to be evangelists!

A cross-section of the Assemblies of God conference.  Next to me is the General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Ghana.

Some of the great DML team leaders as well as the Assemblies of God Ghana General Superintendent and the Missions Director.  

With Hopeline Institute, a workshop with Presbyterian, Methodist, and other denominations in Kumasi, Ghana.

Ephesians 4:11 - Prompting Prophets

Greetings from Ghana!  I have the privilege this week to bring the message of "Work as Worship" and workplace discipleship for the local church to the Assemblies of God Ghana denominational leadership, who have 6000 churches across the country.  We anticipate approximately 500 pastors from all over the country to gather in Kumasi from August 29-31.  Please pray with us that this message may be received, and that information will move to application which then then turn into transformation!

I want to continue to look at Ephesians 4, as we seek to learn to become mature Christians, able to safeguard against false teachings.  Last week, we looked at activating apostles, and this week, we turn our attention to prompting prophets.  

I often hear this phrase from different speakers in Africa (taken loosely from Amos 7:14):  "I am not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet, but I will prophesy."  The actual verse says this: Amos answered Amaziah, "I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees."

I love this verse because it reinforces the ability for those in business to also prophesy.  Throughout Scripture, we find most people were engaged in business in some way - from patriarchs, to prophets, to disciples, apostles, and our Savior.  Even the Levite priests had farms that they took care of when it was not their turn in the temple (Nehemiah 13:10).  

But what does it mean to be prophetic?  Being prophetic is to offer a new truth.  In contrast, teachers expand and reveal more about a revealed truth.  The book, The Church of Christ, by Everett Furguson, reminds us that individual prophets often only receive a part of a new truth and their message needs to be tested by the community because there are many false prophets.  Lynn Cohick, in her commentary on the Letter to the Ephesians, says that prophets encourage, comfort, edify, and strengthen the church, and the gift of prophecy should be one that Paul encouraged the Corinthians to long for.  Both men and women were prophets in the Bible.  But delivering the message is just one part - the testing and judgment of the message by the people who hear it is critical.  

Some people believe that God is speaking less to people today than in times past.  But I believe that God has not changed.  We, however, have become poorer at listening.  At the same time, seeking power and prestige is a sin that is common to many, and for those who claim to hear the voice of the Lord, we also need to listen so that we can judge whether the word is from God or from the flesh.

I've never considered myself a prophet (not sure that Amos did either!) but there have been times when I have felt prompted to say something, which in hindsight seemed prophetic.  I need to be open to hearing God's word and will (which means listening prayer!) and then have the courage to speak it when He needs me to open my mouth!  I believe that is true for all of us.

It's true that some have a special anointing for prophecy.  But that gift is not for them alone but for the equipping of the church.  Those with that gift not only share what they hear from the Lord, but also teach us to know how to listen as well and develop that gift.  All of us, like Amos, while we take care of the sheep or the tree farm, can listen and can speak truth into situations that are unique to us based on our spheres of influence. 

This world needs truth as well as faithful, obedient, God-fearing truth tellers.

Are you open and willing to be prophetic in your spheres of influence?  Are you listening to what God is already doing in your home, community, workplace?  And when you hear prophetic voices, are you able to discern what lines up with who God is and what does not?

May we all continue to strive to grow in maturity and wisdom, so that we may "speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of the body, the Church." (Ephesians 4:15)

Ephesians 4:11 - Activating Apostles

As a continuation from last week's blog, this week I want to dig a bit deeper into what it means to be an apostle. 

In case you didn't read last week's blog, we looked at Ephesians 4:11-13 in light of every Christian growing in capacity of the gifts that God has given (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers).  In light of some of your comments (which I love getting - keep sending me your thoughts!), God has indeed given these as gifts and for some, those gifts are very apparent and strong!  Some of us are very gifted in one of the five, but I believe all of us have the capacity to grow in all of the five. 

This is the goal!  As a theologian reminded me this week, the purpose of these gifts is found in the very next verses, 14-16: 14 Then we will no longer be immature like children.  We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly.  As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and glowing and full of love.

An equipped Christian understands that there are times when we need to be pastoral, when we need to be an evangelist, when we need to teach, and so on.  There are actually five different lists in the New Testament of different giftings, each of which is different.  As Christians, we are to be building capacity in ourselves in this UNTIL we reach unity in our faith (v.13).  It's a long process and we are all at different points in the journey, but that is the first destination.  The second destination is maturity (v.14), as we seek to become a complete person, becoming more like Christ.

Paul is not concerned with church order in this text, as nothing is said about overseers or deacons. He is interested in the dissemination of wisdom and correct knowledge of the gospel to each believer, in addition to the gift of grace and the gift of Christ. In a commentary by Dr. Lynn Cohick, The Letter to the Ephesians, the gifts described are not an individual's spiritual gifts but rather gifts to the church.  She says, "The focus is not on how the Spirit gifts individuals for ministry but on the duty of such roles in helping the church mature" (pg. 267).

So what does it mean to be an apostle?  Often we think of the twelve disciples whose term changed to apostles after Jesus' death.  But Paul refers to himself as an apostle throughout the New Testament in a different way than the Twelve, more generally as someone who was called after Christ's earthly ministry, especially as a leader for doctrinal and moral guidance.  Other men and women who were called apostles are James, Barnabas, Apollos, Andronicus and Junia.  From this same commentary by Cohick, a third use of the term is for a person who is commissioned by a congregation for a specific duty. 

In DML, we recommend that marketplace ministers are commissioned by the church to be ambassadors for Christ in the marketplace.  Does this in fact make them all apostles?  

I'm not advocating for titles here but challenging us to live into the idea that we have an apostolic calling as followers of Christ.  

What does this mean to you?  

What does it mean to me?  

If I understand that I am an apostle, does it change the way I do my work at my workplace?  In my home? In my community?  What does maturity look like in this particular gift?

My goal in this series of writings is not to provide answers but rather to ask questions; questions that hopefully lead us to thinking thorough our own answers in our own context.  

Next week, prophets!

Ephesians 4:11-13 - Equipping the Saints

What is the church? And what is the purpose of the church?

These are questions that we ask time and again, when speaking to pastors and church leaders.  While we often receive a variety of answers, there is general consensus that the church is the people of God, the "called out ones" (ecclesia), and that the purpose of the church is to "equip the saints for the work of the ministry."

This "purpose" comes from Ephesians 4:11-13 (NLT):  11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  12 Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

Understanding of purpose of the church is critical for how we do church.  If we get the purpose wrong, we are not able to fulfill the purpose.

If we believe the purpose of the church is to worship together (a commonly given answer), then we run the risk of reducing worship to only one morning per week and no transformational power of the people of God outside the building.  

If we believe the purpose of the church is to fellowship together and learn about God, we run the risk of being a social club that knows the Bible very well, but without transformational power.  There is this saying: "Satan doesn't care if you read your Bible and go to church, as long as you don't apply it to your life."

Ephesians 4:12 and 13 tells us that the people of God are to be equipped to do his work and build up the church (the people).  Where do we do His work?  Not in the building (although a few are called to do it there) but outside the building.  As we are built up, we come to unity of faith and knowledge of God's Son SO THAT WE WILL BE MATURE, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. 

Each Christ-follower is to be mature, measuring up to the standard of Christ, able to stand confident in all places of darkness to be salt, light and leaven. Each Christ-follower is to be a saint, ambassador, and priest in the parish God has granted them.

That's the goal.  That's the purpose of why we gather on Sundays.  The purpose of Sunday is Monday.  That transformation must be seen, especially in nations that are majority Christian. Sunday is the only day that the church is closed as we gather for our team meeting - a team huddle - where we lament what happened during the week - where we celebrate the good that we've seen - where we are reminded of our purpose, and we are taught how to fulfill it when we leave the building.

In "team" terms, pastors are coaches and every member is a player.

But I have been thinking about verse 11 for the past number of months, which is often referred to as the "five-fold ministry."  In this text, we read that God gave gifts to the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.  

For much of my life, I read those words as offices.  In fact, I know many people who are affectionately called "Pastor ___" and that title shows up in their email and other places.  It is who they are.  In Kenya, teachers are called Mwalimu and I was often called "Mwalimu Renita."  I know people who are called Apostle ____ and Prophet ____.

But that has been changing for me, and I'm beginning to read these gifts not as titles or offices, but rather as skill-sets designed for ALL Christians.  

I used to hang my hat on being a teacher, which then allowed me to disqualify myself from the others.  I could say, "I'm not an evangelist.  I'm not a prophet.  I'm not a pastor."  But I realized that that is a bit too easy.

This rethinking of these terms started for me with my dear Aunt Jannie.  She is incredibly hospitable and one day at her house, I made a comment (which I have made many, many times in my life, especially as a strong introvert) and she immediately challenged me on it.  I said, "I don't have the gift of hospitality."  In her wise and gentle way, she said, "Well, it's not really something we can opt out of though, is it?"  Ouch.  Right to the heart.  Since then, whenever I've thought that, I had to tell myself that it isn't an option to not be hospitable.  I must learn to grow in hospitality.  And my aunt has taught me, as have many others.  

And so I'm going to spend a few blogs looking at each of these recommended skill sets and try to unpack what it means for each of us to learn to grow in the capacity of each of these gifts.  

I hope you will journey with me.

And thanks for reading.  It may make you uncomfortable, and for that, I share the following (sent to me by another mentor, Lou Haveman):

St. Francis Prayer… Reversed

Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.  Where there is apathy, let me provoke, where there is compliance, let me bring questioning, where there is silence, may I be a voice.

Where there is too much comfort and too little action, grant disruption.  Where there are doors closed and hearts locked, grant the willingness to listen.

When laws dictate and pain is overlooked, when tradition speaks louder than need; grant that I may seek and do justice rather than to talk about it.

Disturb me, O Lord. To be with, as well as for, the alienated, to love the unlovable as well as the lovely.  Lord, make me a channel of disturbance.  

Author Unknown