Who Are You Trying to Be?

As a worker in the harvest field, you will be confronted with the issues of success, ego, and status. You'll wonder if you're really producing anything, if anyone notices how much you're doing for God's Kingdom, and if your skills are noticed and valued. Once you have entered the harvest field, you will be drawn toward the culture's siren call of stardom. Are you the greatest life-changer ever? Can you pack a building? Will people know you and want to hear more from you?

It's a strange and dangerous trap. You enter into God's service for the purpose of helping people. The lost need to be found. The "least of these" need to be noticed and cared for. The hopeless need prayer and comfort. The straying are in need of the Word that is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. But then you want more. You want recognition. You want wealth. You want to be adored as the expert and authority--so wise and smart.

Paul summed it up well in Romans 7:24 when he said, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?"

We turn the Gospel into a tool we possess, into a message that makes us the star, into a means for popularity and personal gain. Sometimes this sinful twistedness is blatant. At other times it is in the form of hidden yearning beneath a humble veneer.

What is the answer? Romans 7:25 reveals it: "Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Jesus opens a way through the ego-driven, personal recognition seeking, sinful enclosure we build. Philippians 2:7 reveals Jesus' pathway through the celebrity sensationalizing culture and the prominence enticing church: "[He] made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant."

The answer to chasing the call of self-aggrandizement is to know who you are really trying to be.

Are you trying to be a star? Are you trying to be a guru? Are you trying to be popular? Are you trying to get rich? Are you trying to get attention? Or will you follow in the steps of the One who became nothing, taking the very nature of a servant to save you? Who are you really trying to be?

What if you tried to be nothing so that all the ego-rooted worries and inner battles could be stilled and Jesus could be completely seen and glorified in your life and ministry?

What if you gave your ministry your all--every ounce of your energy and dedication--but let ulterior motives and fears melt away into Jesus' great promise, "Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:35)?

What if you became determined to live a mustard seed and leaven life, allowing God to make much of the little you offer without trying to inflate it yourself?

What if you decided to be still before God as you serve Him and let Him make the noise needed in the church and in the world?

The Big Event

The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is in convention this week. We pray that God is glorified and that all the actions of the conventions lift up the name of Jesus and His love. This convention, however, will not be a significant Kingdom expanding occurrence. You read correctly. Sometimes we make the mistake in believing that the big events make big differences, when, in reality, it's the little events repeated over and over for an extended period of time that make the real difference in people's lives.

In 1998 we took our daughters to Disney World. It was a big deal. We saved our money. We read books about how to make the most of the trip. We sought advice. And we had a blast. But twelve years later, even though they were ten and eight-years-old when they took the trip, my daughters have just vague memories of their Disney experience. The big event was fun, but it didn't shape their lives.

What DO they remember? They remember our repeated trips to a humble little cottage in a small town in Michigan. These were not fancy vacations. They were free. There were no attractions. An exciting day meant taking a walk to the grocery store to get some milk and donut holes. But this simple vacation, this little event repeated for many years, transformed their lives.
Significant life memories are connected with their trips to the cottage. They still yearn to be there. They hope to take their families there one day.

Big events, for the most part, do not make a significant difference in people's lives. Little events, repeated over and over for an extended period of time, make the real difference.

So, what really expands the Kingdom of God? How is someone won for Christ? What develops a praying, worshipping, witnessing follower of Jesus? How does someone grow as a self-sacrificial and repentant servant of the King? What facilitates love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in a redeemed soul? How is a spirit of zealous mission developed?

Is it through one big event?

No. It's when you befriend someone, listen to her hopes and fears, and bring her regular doses of Jesus. It's when you pray with your kids and tell them over and over that Jesus cares and that Jesus loves them. It's when you serve steadily in the community as the hands and feet of the Savior, and, over the testing period of time, people take notice, wonder what you've got, and want to be just like you. It's when you read the Word of God day after day and do what it says over the long haul. It's when you join forces with a small band of believers and combine your resources to transform a community and to reach out to the ends of the earth.

It's the little things repeated over and over for an extended period of time that make the biggest Kingdom difference.

That's why you need to be a faithful worker in the harvest field. That's why you need to keep pressing on. That's why you need to remember your first love and not get discouraged by the world's antagonism. That's why you need to realize your value in the Kingdom of God and refuse to stop sharing the Good News of Jesus.

The little things you do over and over again in your small corner of God's Kingdom will change people's lives forever.

The Real Enemy

At a recent conference, I heard a speaker discredit two popular Christian pastors. The speaker was making a theological point and wanted to make sure we knew where those high profile pastors were going wrong.

During a planning meeting at an area church, a member spoke up and indicated that his church had to get moving if it was going to keep up with two other Christian churches in town that were gaining quite a following.

I couldn't respond to the conference speaker, but I was able to ask a question of the person at the planning meeting: Who is the real enemy?

Too often, we in the Christian Church get confused. We drift toward fighting an easy battle instead of being clothed with spiritual armor for the difficult warfare. In other words, we take potshots at fellow members of the body of Christ instead of unsheathing the sword of the Spirit against the Evil One.

It's important to remember who the real enemy is.

What are some key strategies for workers in the harvest field?

First, your job as a believer is not to cut down fellow believers, but to build them up. We may not see eye to eye on everything, but there is no place for slamming fellow servants of Jesus. Kind and gentle one-on-one conversations may be needed to clear up issues, but speaking the truth in love must prevail. Jesus wanted it that way.

Second, your goal is not to outdo other churches or be in competition with fellow workers in the harvest field. There's simply no need. There is no shortage of people who don't know Jesus or who don't have an active relationship with Him. No one has to worry about running out of people to reach. Give praise to God for successful ministries and try to work faithfully in the corner of the Kingdom God has given you.

Third, your goal is not to exalt your church or ministry. Your goal is to glorify God and build His Church. Your effort is about the big picture, God's Kingdom. Your church or ministry is a tool God has chosen to use for His gracious outreach.

Fourth, you must stay vigilant to use your time, energy, creativity, and resources to fight the real fight of faith and not to become preoccupied by faith in-fighting. The devil is prowling around, seeking someone to devour. May it never be said that you were so busy battling fellow believers that you missed an opportunity to snatch someone from the fires of hell.

Please know that it is very important to work with fellow believers so that our proclamation is faithful and true. There is internal work that must be done. But our time, our conversation, our attention, our study, our practice, and our focused efforts can never be diverted from the real enemy. If they are, he wins.

First Impressions

Bad news from Summer Camp came my way the other day. The first lunch served to hundreds of young people ages 5-10 was "beanie weenies." Yes, it's a soupy mix of hot dog slices and beans. Your mouth may be watering at this point because you love this gustatory delight. But I'm pretty confident that a survey of grade-schoolers' food favorites wouldn't show "beanie weenies" even in the top 25.

Proof of my gut feeling is that several kids wept openly when they found out about the lunch menu. In tears, one growing boy who could probably polish off a whole pizza, decided he would rather subsist on a couple of crackers than torment his taste buds with the dish of the day.

I felt badly for the summer camp crew. The lunch selection wasn't a winner. What really bothered me, however, was that this was the FIRST lunch. Can you imagine the terror in virtually every camper's psyche: "I've got FIFTY more lunches to go!"?

First impressions make a difference.

As workers in God's harvest field, you will make many first impressions. Every day, you have opportunities to give small previews of Jesus and the life He gives. In relationships with others, you show people what the menu of life in Jesus looks like. What impressions will you make?

Peter, the brash and bold apostle who failed many a first impression test, reflected on his life in the book of 1 Peter in the Bible. He spoke about some first impressions harvest workers need to give to people walking in darkness:

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

"Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." 1 Peter 2:1-2

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." 1 Peter 2:12

"Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." 1 Peter 3:8-9

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect." 1 Peter 3:15

Will the people God puts in your life be repulsed by the menu you display? Or will they crave the delightful and delicious fare you bring as you represent Jesus? Will they line up for more as they feel hunger pangs for the Bread of Life?

Read Peter's words again and let your first impressions do wonders in the name of Jesus.

Durability

I had to replace the string in my weed-eater the other day. It struck me that I bought a package of replacement string six years ago and I still haven’t used it all! I’ve faithfully cut and trimmed the grass for six years. I haven’t skimped on using the weed-eater. I haven’t held back in my trimming activity. I’ve pushed the trimmer to its limits and replaced the string faithfully, yet, here we are six years later, and I’m just now thinking about purchasing a new supply.

That’s durability. That’s long-haul resource faithfulness. My weed-eater string has outlasted several of my neighbors, a hamster, and half-a dozen goldfish. I’ve been able to count on my weed-eater string.

In John 15:16 Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last.”

The word for “last” means “to remain,” “to endure,” “to abide,” and “to continue.” Jesus used the word ten times in John 15:4-10. He remains in us. By His grace, we remain in Him. We remain in His love and show we’re His disciples.

Jesus was making a major point. A foundational component of being in relationship with Him is durability. Jesus is a long-haul Savior. He remains in us. He abides with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us. His love and grace have staying power.

He transforms us into long-haul people. We bear each other’s burdens. We show kindness and compassion to one another. We press on in mission.

But there are obstacles to our durability as Christ’s servants. A few are:

Distraction – Being busy with many things can pull us away from what is most important.

Fatigue – Life is draining. We are finite. We get very tired.

Spiritual defeat – Everything does not always go our way. Sometimes battles are lost and we get discouraged.

Incorrect vision – We plan on short term fixes when God calls us to endure over the long-haul.

Frustration – We try to fix the problem instead of trusting God with it.

Mission Forgetfulness – The temptation to BE God overtakes our calling to serve God.

Running out of Fuel – Neglecting our personal faith dries up the spiritual overflow in our lives that leads to balanced and faithful service.

Selling Out – It is tempting to place personal comfort, recognition, and perks over faithful Kingdom sacrifice.

Are you growing in durability as Christ’s servant? Are you becoming a stronger, long-haul, worker for the Kingdom? Are you increasing in endurance as a disciple? What obstacles do you face in bearing fruit that will last? How will you abide in Christ, continue in His mission, and finish strong?

Unintended Consequences

I was reading my latest issue of “Road and Track” magazine and stumbled upon some unique perspectives about innovation:

1. LED traffic lights are very popular these days. They use 90% less energy than the old incandescent bulb traffic lights. Unfortunately, there’s a downside. LED lights produce very little heat. When ice and snow hit in cold climates, the precipitation builds up on the light housings and cause the lights to fail. This has resulted in traffic accidents due to malfunctioning LED traffic lights. It was an unintended consequence of a new innovation. Solutions to the problem have ranged from installing heating elements in the new lights to hiring work crews to clean the lights regularly. The expense of these solutions may be eliminated if communities go back to incandescent bulb traffic lights!

2. The increase in biofuel production in Europe has resulted in a population explosion of the European wild boar. With more corn and crops being grown for biofuel needs, wild boars have been on a feeding frenzy, attacking innocent villagers, smashing into living rooms, and terrorizing village streets. It’s an unintended consequence.

Clearly, good things can lead to unintended consequences.

It’s true of the church, too.

1. God instituted the Old Testament priesthood and the New Testament office of the pastoral ministry. As the church grew, professional clergy proliferated. As the church became more and more institutionalized, professional clergy began to gravitate away from being missionaries in their communities. Instead they became comfortable, started to settle for the status quo, began to exclude the people of the church from the work of the mission, and used extra time to create an argumentative and internally focused environment. It was an unintended consequence.

2. As “church” began to be defined in terms of membership at a place where there was community, discipleship, and fellowship, a “club” mentality that overlooks the central mission of the church began to form. Reliance upon the “professionals” to do what was supposed to be normal for every believer (prayer, witness, creating relationships with unbelievers, discipling others, growing in the Word, caring actively for each other), caused church members to become consumers of ministry that met their needs. It was an unintended consequence.

What can you do about these unintended consequences? Like the traffic light issue, you may have to look back to the original and recapture the warmth of the purpose of ministry. Like the wild boar issue, you may have to set up some clear boundaries that protect the church from lapsing into selfish indulgence.

Overall, we are called to be accountable to God and to become realigned with His true mission, his purpose, and His intent for His Church. According to Him, His church is described with words like: Ambassadors, Salt, and Light. God expects us and calls us to share the resurrection life of His Son with people. If you’re mired in unintended consequences, it’s time to repent, step away from cold boarishness, and embark upon the most exciting and worthy mission ever.

Need some help? Check out www.missionalworker.org.

Unleashing Missional Imagination

A precious friend of ours died a few days ago. He was a crusty New Jersey thoracic surgeon. My wife worked in his office twenty-five years ago. Whey she met him, he was a disillusioned, de-churched, Roman Catholic who dismissed Jesus as an institutional tool for power, control and fund raising. But change was on the horizon.

We lived in New Jersey for only one year. During that time, the doctor took a shine to my wife’s kind heart and cheerful attitude. She was like a granddaughter to him. My wife appreciated his intelligence, compassion for patients, and humor. They became friends. I was able to meet him and develop a friendship, too. Though he hadn’t darkened the doorway of a church in decades, we invited him to our farewell Sunday when we left. He surprised us by coming.

When we left, the friendship continued and the outreach began. My wife kept in touch with the doctor. She sent him cards on his birthday, for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and Valentine’s Day. She wrote notes that expressed the heartfelt desire that Jesus would bless his special celebrations and his family. The cards always had special Bible verses in them. My wife cared about this person and told me that she wanted to see him in heaven one day.

Years went by, and my wife never stopped her faithful notes to him. One Christmas, something completely unusual and surprising happened. The doctor, who sent us regular Christmas cards—always secular and generic, sent us a card with a manger scene on the cover. Inside was a short note that recognized God’s blessings in his life.

I would have never created a strategy for outreach that involved sending greeting cards and notes. But the love of one person, her deep care for one who was lost, and the relentless effort to connect with him, prepared fertile soil for the Holy Spirit. And a life was changed forever.

Several years ago a woman approached me with a ministry idea. It was to form a network of people who cared for each other with the love of Jesus. They would step up to cook meals for those in need, do chores, drive to doctor’s appointments, and send cards—all in the name of Jesus. I told her to go for it. And she did.

Years later, many care teams exist in this ministry. The largest team is called “team cheer.” The team’s job? To send cards to people. Hundreds of people belong to team cheer. They reach thousands of people on a consistent basis every year. Many people have come to Christ through this ministry. Many people have experienced Jesus’ love. Who would have thought of such a ministry? But the missional imagination of one follower of Christ can change lives forever.

A doctor, a friend, is in heaven today because of God’s Word and the love of Jesus communicated through cards and notes over a twenty-five year span of time. In what ways is the Holy Spirit leading you to reach out? To whom is your missional imagination leading you? Jesus didn’t tell everyone to start an organization. He told us to make disciples as we go about our lives. His desire is that all people know Him and are saved. Where will you start today?

Get training and ministry ideas at Missional Worker Training on May 15 in San Antonio, Texas. Go to www.missionalworker.org for details.