Here’s what I mean.  When a message is preached is there something inside that opens your eyes to the truth from God’s Word? No? Hmmm….

So many times we are thinking of other things. Things like, “This really applies to so and so;” or “You know? That is interesting;” or “What’s cooking for lunch this afternoon;” or “The music was really bad today…I don’t like that new song.”  Maybe you are simply day dreaming and not thinking of anything.  Beware: You may be blind and don’t even realize it.

Another idea for blindness could be simply ignoring God.  It could be insensitivity to the work of the Holy Spirit. This is often seen by someone who when confronted by a pastor/shepherd about a sin that is displayed, instead of running to repentance and faith in Christ they quickly try to deflect it by pointing out the deficiencies of the church. It most often is not a doctrinal deficiency but a personal preference they fear is violated. Blindness is revealed.

It could be that a hardness has set into your own heart that is simply pride. You will only see what you want to see!  It may very well be years and years of hiding or running from God and the light of His transforming truth.  The tragedy is that blindness is very devastating over time.  Marriages are crushed because one spouse is blind.  Families crumble because of blindness from a child or parent.  Businesses collapse because of a CEO that refuses to see.  Empires have vanished because of blind leadership.

It’s funny though, or sad, maybe, that spiritually sight-challenged people insist that they actually can see. Amazingly they run into brick walls over and over again yet they can get very upset if someone suggests to them they have a “sight issue.”  Relationships all around them are bleeding and torn yet they insist that they see fine.  They see what they want to see and consequently fail to see what really is.

The good news is that Jesus is light!  John calls Him the light of men (John 1:4).  The psalmist writes in Psalm 119:18, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.”  How blind are you?  Really? How well do you see God? Be honest, where are your blind spots?

Run to Jesus!  Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”

Process for Approving New Missionaries

God has created us relational people and has given us two great commands: Love God and Love People. Getting to effectively know missionaries is vital to a ministry relationship. Our goal at CBC is not merely to give a monthly check to our missionaries but to partner with them in the ministry that God has called them to. This means that the people of CBC, starting with the elders, should have a personal relationship and ministry knowledge of the people with whom they are partnering.

The process of getting to know the missionary in the present state of missions is a difficult task. The deputation mandate that is necessary for a missionary to garner the necessary support makes the relational process even more problematic. However, to work through this, the Elders of CBC seek to place the emphasis on establishing a ministry relationship of transparency and accountability with each missionary we support. In order to make this happen, a process is necessary to help mold our relationships for better partnership in missions.

Step One:  The Introduction

Typically a missionary makes the first contact. This is usually accomplished by written documents, emails, or phone calls. At this point, the missionary is asked to send any written documents that they have concerning who they are, where they are coming from, what they believe, where they are going, who they are going with, and what mission agency they are going out under? While this doesn’t give all the needed information, it is the place to start if there is no previous relationship with them in the past. These documents often give substantial information that is helpful to discern their doctrinal and philosophical values but does not tell you all you need to know.

This process is rarely skipped, but can be if there is an existing relationship with an elder.  However, a file on this missionary family should be started in the office that will have all the necessary information on them and the church secretary should keep this file up to date.

Step Two: The Interview

After the written documents are read, a person-to-person meeting is then set up at a time when the missionary can stop by Columbus.  Usually this will be a lunch, coffee, or just a stop by the office. Elders are invited to come to this part of the process if they are able. Extra eyes and ears are important in this key area of the process. This is not a step that should ordinarily be skipped. The goal of the interview is get to know the missionary in four areas of importance:

1.    The Missionaries Love For God. Stemming from the first of two commands that God gives all believers it is vital to discern the missionaries’ love for God (Mark 12:30). We will ask questions regarding:

a.   His/Her Salvation

b.   His/Her personal walk with the Lord

c.   His/Her relationship with the church

It is an undeniable fact that people who love their God talk often about their God. This certainly ought to be true of a missionary. The conversation should include much about God, the person and work of Jesus, and the work of the Holy Spirit and less talk about their work, their life, or their ministry. God and His Kingdom work should not be merely “understood” or even a buzz-word but should be an intentional part of the conversation.

2.    The Missionaries Love For People. The second commandment is just as important – we are to love our neighbor (Mark 12:37). Love for people shows itself in two areas.

a.   A general love for people – Is there a general passion for people that the missionary shows?  How are their people skills? What is motivating them for ministry? Who are they discipling at this time?

b.   A specific love for people that they are called to – This will show itself in more than just a knowledge of statistics about culture and country but specifically with names and persons of whom they are working with or are praying for and discipling. It ought to be common for the missionary to speak of by name the people they are personally discipling.

3.    The Missionaries Family. It is preferable to have at least the husband and wife there together. If the children can come that is good but often they are with grandparents or friends in the area. How does the husband treat the wife? How does the wife respect her husband. Is the husband more intent on speaking of his ministry or is he taking care of his family?  Is the wife jumping into the conversations and correcting the husband at awkward moments? Are they at ease with each other?  Are the children controlled, obedient, and respectful?

4.    The Missionaries Mission. What is their view of their mission? Is there a plan? Is there a plan in place about deputation? Is there a plan for the first few years of ministry? What are the tools of ministry he/she will need to fulfill the plans? What is the philosophy of ministry that will carry them? This will apply whether or not the missionary is going as a pastor/church planter or he is going in some support capacity.

Step Three: The Visit

If there is good agreement from the elders then a meeting is scheduled for the missionary to attend CBC with the hopes that the missionary will get acquainted with what God is doing in the church and the church as a whole can get acquainted with the missionary.  It is important that solid relationships can be built so ministry can be accomplished with a team effort. Good relationships are forged through a unity of the Spirit in mind and understanding of God’s Word. This is a vital step in the process.  However, this process may be skipped if the elders sense there is already a good relationship being built and there is a good fit for ministry.  The missionary then could go directly to step four.

Step Four: Deputation Meeting

The missionary is asked to set up a meeting when they can come and present their ministry to the church as a whole. This is best done on a Sunday. We would ask they would come and possibly speak to a Sunday School class, attend and enjoy the morning worship service, eat a lunch with several families (if possible), and then take the speaking part of the evening service to speak to CBC.

The missionary will asked to do two specific things:

1. Preach a short challenge. This is to reveal his heart for God and for people. Ideally this is not a time of merely statistics, but more of a God-focused, Christ-centered view of missions and ministry and revealing his passion for what God is passionate about.
2. Show Presentation.  Here is where the missionary speaks to his burden that God has placed on him for the people and land to which he is called. The purpose is to demonstrate a God-focused, Christ centered view of people, their greatest need, and how their ministry will address the need.

A love offering will be taken for the missionary. This is a prime opportunity for the people of God to express their love for the missionary. A healthy church will be a generous church.  However, it is often the case that if the missionary has not been effective, it can show up in the offering as people will react to what they have seen.

Step Five: Elder Recommendation

The elders at some point will meet to make a recommendation regarding the missionary. This will include a review of the steps above, a review of the budget, and a recommendation either for support, postpone support, or no support, or a timed support.

Step Six: Congregation Vote

If there is elder agreement and recommendation it then goes to the congregation for vote. Like everything else that is done through the budget process, there must be sufficient proof that the budget can support the candidate. The congregation then votes on the candidate.  The candidate should receive 75% vote approval.

Step Seven: Mutual Accountability and Ministry

If a recommendation is given the following should be then understood:

1. The missionary and the elders both become accountable to each other for ministry. The missionary should regularly communicate to the elders/church of their work.
2. The elders/church should begin to schedule trips to visit with the missionary with the goal of seeing first hand the growth of the missionary and the growth of the people they are discipling.
3. After a period of time if a missionary is not working sufficiently from his prescribed philosophy then the church reserves the right of altering the financial agreement with the missionary.  This accountability should be looked at by the missionary not as a threat, but as a simple aid to his effectiveness at reaching the people God has given to him.
4. A meeting with the Elders of CBC should be arranged when home on furlough by the missionary and possibly with the church to give a report on what has happened in the ministry.
5. If after several conversations and visits there seems to be an obvious turn from the stated philosophy or if the missionary is no longer effective in his mission, the church elders will make a recommendation to the church for a change in the financial agreement. A simple majority vote will alter this agreement.

It is the goal of CBC to support a team of missionaries who seek to be biblical in every area as well as gifted to do the work God has called them to. CBC realizes other countries and cultures often dictate very different methods and the results will vary.  However, CBC relies heavily upon the Holy Spirit and discernment to make good decisions regarding the stewardship of the finances and ministry God has given to them.

One of the key elements in genuine discipleship is discerning people and their reflection of Christ (or lack thereof). Humans tend to like what they like. That’s not necessarily a bad thing except when it becomes their only thing.  Paul told the Corinthian church that “‘knowledge’ puffs up but love builds up” (1Cor 8:1). So, if you love knowledge and look into the word of God to gain mere knowledge and you absolutely love doing it to the exclusion or ignoring of everything else, you may be “puffed up” and indeed not “building up.”

People who are filled with pride and self-adulation are the most difficult people to disciple. They love themselves and what they think and will be the first to correct everyone around them and set them straight.  Over time, this person actually won’t be discipled because they have all the answers. Listen to them, they’ll tell you so. They are puffed up. Consequently, they in fact don’t love God and they don’t love others and are not then building up people. Tragically, their family is the first to be affected by the puffiness. Oddly, the puffy person is ultimately more concerned about who’s right (themselves) then they are concerned about what’s right. Because they have knowledge, and of course, no one else has it like they do, they will sacrifice everyone around them to be able to prove their rightness. So, thinking they are helping by delivering their “knowledge” and are right in doing so, they are in fact tearing down and thus, are wrong to do so.

Puffiness rips and tears. Puffiness pushes people away. Puffiness divides. Perhaps even more critical is the fact that puffiness portrays a small gospel and devastatingly distorts God’s glory.

To the puffy I say, “Stop studying your Bible.” Go on a quest for Jesus.  He is the Word! Study Him, not it.

God, by your great grace, keep us from puffiness.

“The Perception That Christianity Consists of Clichés. Walk into just about any Christian bookstore and you’ll quickly see that popular American evangelicalism loves clichés: pithy little slogans of feel-good spirituality. They are printed on t-shirts, bumper stickers, and motivational posters. They litter the pages of bestselling Christian books and are permanently etched into trinkets like key-chains and money clips. The roadside marquis of the average evangelical church contains new editions of these short little sayings every week — from messages like “Need a Faith Lift?” to “C H _ _ C H. What’s Missing? U R.”
I fear Tebow-Mania highlights this sappy side of mainstream evangelicalism more than it showcases the arresting truth of the biblical gospel. When discussing the Tebow phenomenon, media outlets often talk about faith in a cheesy “just-believe-in-yourself-and-make-your-dreams-come-true” kind of way. Numerous pundits have suggested that the Broncos’ sudden success should be made into a movie. One article joked that, if it were a screen play, the Tebow story would be too sentimental even for Disney.”

I get what he is saying. If we talk at all about “Christianity,” Jesus Himself–all that He is and all that He has done–is often missing.  Sad. So, today, speak to someone of Jesus. Go ahead…He’s God!

]]> http://graceisflowing.com/2012/01/12/how-much-do-you-actually-talk-about-christ/feed/ 1 graceisflowing http://graceisflowing.com/2012/01/09/bearing-one-anothers-burdens/ http://graceisflowing.com/2012/01/09/bearing-one-anothers-burdens/#comments Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:43:18 +0000 graceisflowing http://graceisflowing.wordpress.com/?p=357 ]]> “Surely, God doesn’t expect us to bear others’ burdens…does He? I mean, aren’t my own burdens enough?”
Maybe this crossed you mind–or at least it trickled across the bottom of the screen of your mind like the sports ticker on your TV. Being a member of God’s family, the church, is not for spectators. Nowhere in Scripture do you find genuine believers on the sidelines as it were. There’s too much at stake. The name and glory of our risen Christ is constantly being displayed accurately when we actually be a church rather than do church.
Paul’s words in Galatians 6:1-5 are gripping. Paul gives two scenarios where people are burdened and then he challenges each of us with how we look our own burdens.
1. Bear the burdens of the broken. People are broken and it’s always because of sin and yes, they are caught–trapped! Every time people squirm under the bondage of sin they do further damage to their lives and those around them. Spiritual people rescue. Spiritual people bring relief. Relief comes through loving and grace-filled confrontation coupled with perceptive strategy to live out their freedom in Christ.

2. Bear the burdens of the burdened. Sin weighs on every life it touches. The writer of Hebrews talks about “sin and weight” (Heb 12:1). People carry needless weights. Look around you. Do you see any one who is not carrying one of these two burdens?

Paul’s exhortation to all of us today is examine yourself in two critical areas:

Think correctly of yourself. Wow, that’s bold, Paul. “Do you imply we often don’t think correctly of ourselves?” I think he does think that. I think he thought that about himself. He claimed to be chiefest of sinners, after all! Most of the time we live unaware of others’ sin and weights it is because we think more highly of ourselves than we ought. We are too involved in our world. We are busy hiding, ducking, repairing the walls we have erected, or we are recoiling from our own hurts. This is paralyzing and blinds us severely to the needs of others.

Read your environment. The “load” in V5 speaks of a small backpack type of load. Here, Paul is urging discernment in just how we handle peoples’ burdens. A soldier needs his backpack and it is given by his commander. We don’t want to remove that. God is at work in peoples’ lives and if we are marked with the “Messiah Complex” where we are the solution to everyone’s burden, then we are not really doing God’s work.

Bear one anothers’ burdens this week. Give yourself away. Christ did!

1.    The sin itself.  Sin has effects that are devastating. Sin divides, contaminates further, tears and rips and the hurt is deep. Sin deceives and blinds and sometimes is barely detectable. Sin simmers and then boils over scalding all those it comes in contact with.  Messy.

2.    The people in sin. Because sin is so deeply rooted in the heart of people it effects every area of living for people. So people in sin often leave a trail of it in the story of their lives. It can be passed down to generations so much it can be a way of life, habitual, and difficult to overcome. Messy.

3.   The pastor in sin. The pastor/shepherd has sin as well. He deals with the effects of sin in his life, his family and now in the lives of other people.  He has particular “weights and sins” that easily beset him and when confronted with sin and its frustrations in the lives of the sheep the mess can be hard to bear. Messy.

In all three situations, there is hope! The hope is found in the Great Shepherd. He alone is without mess. We run to Him to be cleansed.  We run to Him for help.  Even under shepherds need Christ. Sin is never too messy for Christ to clean. So, sin is defeated.  People must not run from being shepherded, but must run to the Great Shepherd and He has chosen to use imperfect under shepherds. Pastor/shepherds must not lose heart but must rest in the perfection of Great Shepherd. He alone is good!

1.    The sin itself.  Sin has effects that are devastating. Sin divides, contaminates further, tears and rips and the hurt is deep. Sin deceives and blinds and sometimes is barely detectable. Sin simmers and then boils over scalding all those it comes in contact with.  Messy.

2.    The people in sin. Because sin is so deeply rooted in the heart of people it effects every area of living for people. So people in sin often leave a trail of it in the story of their lives. It can be passed down to generations so much it can be a way of life, habitual, and difficult to overcome. Messy.

3.   The pastor in sin. The pastor/shepherd has sin as well. He deals with the effects of sin in his life, his family and now in the lives of other people.  He has particular “weights and sins” that easily beset him and when confronted with sin and its frustrations in the lives of the sheep the mess can be hard to bear. Messy.

In all three situations, there is hope! The hope is found in the Great Shepherd. He alone is without mess. We run to Him to be cleansed.  We run to Him for help.  Even under shepherds need Christ. Sin is never too messy for Christ to clean. So, sin is defeated.  People must not run from being shepherded, but must run to the Great Shepherd and He has chosen to use imperfect under shepherds. Pastor/shepherds must not lose heart but must rest in the perfection of Great Shepherd. He alone is good!

2.   Is there healthy view of Scripture? Are the elders spending sufficient time in prayer and the Word? Is there exegetical accuracy? Is there homelitical clarity? Is there passion and energy in the delivery? Is there sufficient illustration? Is there discussion after the message by the leadership that includes careful critique of both exegesis and delivery?  What are the common mistakes that are made and is there a plan in place to fix them?  Often, a high view of Scripture means you can’t ever question the pastor.  A humble pastor will desire feedback and constantly look for ways to communicate Scripture because he has a high view of Scripture and a low view of himself.

3.   Is there a healthy view of membership? Membership is vital for many reasons but none more vital than simple good health.  Membership is often looked at as an option and only for those who are pious. Scripture gives a different story. When the early church began people who were born again were “added” to the church daily (Acts 2:47). This opened the door to careful accountability and shepherding (see Acts 5).  A membership class that effectively teaches the philosophy and direction of the church plays a vital role in this process.

4.   Is healthy discipleship taught and modeled? Discipleship is the task of every believer. It is also one of the most difficult tasks of every believer. It takes time and is often very messy. Caring for someone spiritually is demanding and very often inconvenient.  Discipleship needs to be taught and modeled.  It must come from the top down in a church. If a pastor is not visibly passionate about making disciples, the people will follow.  Discipling is multifaceted and can take on many forms but the result has to be that a person becomes more like Christ and less like themselves in areas of living.  A healthy church reproduces.

5.    Is there a healthy prayer emphasis? Prayer is another very difficult discipline. Prayer speaks to our dependence upon Christ and ultimately displays our genuine faith in Him. Healthy praying is not horizontal but vertical. We don’t merely pray for manward things but pray heavenward.  Read the apostle Paul’s prayers for patterns (Col 1 and Eph 1) as well as Christ prayer he taught His disciples and then compare those prayers to our normal prayers (Matt 6).

Health is vital. There are certainly more points than this and we will look at more later.