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.