Abraham Left, Abraham Obeyed
by JM · 20 February 2008

"As you reflect back on Genesis chapter 12, you see an example of a great missionary in verse 4: 'Abraham left... as the Lord had told him'."

— William Taylor, Introduction to World Christian Missions
(Lecture 3)

I want to reflect upon the pause that Dr Taylor places between "Abraham left" and "as the Lord had told him". That slight vocal pause interests me. When we consider opportunities to 'go' somewhere or to 'leave' where we are, how do we know whether or not to undertake the journey?

This has come across most powerfully to me in recent opportunities which have been presented to embark on new missions for Christ. If we stopped listening at Dr Taylor's pause (and if we were not familiar already with the Scripture passage), we might conclude that anytime we have an opportunity to GO, we should do so. It is what God wants. If this is the case there are deeper implications for the Christian life in that all Christians should be traveling to new lands. Furthermore, we would not need to seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit on matters of leaving our country and going to another. We would perhaps need His guidance in the new country, but the decision of whether or not to go would be a non-question.

The second part of the Scripture is really the more important piece, I think. "As the Lord had told him", Abraham obeyed. God very clearly tells Abraham to leave his country and to go to another (which incidentally, God will show him), and Abraham is faced with a choice of whether or not to obey God. Whether or not to go is a subset of the question about obedience. If God had told Abraham to stay, he would have faced the same test of obedience. The aspect of Abraham's story I want to underscore here is his obedience. It is easy, particularly in missionary circles, to focus on the fact of his going—but this is incidental—important for the life of Abraham, but incidental to the primary question of his obedience to God.

What is the Lord telling you today? Are you obedient to Him? Am I? How many of us are willing to GO if God asks us to go? How many of us are willing to STAY if that is God's desire for us?

I recall a quotation shared by Sunder Krishnan, pastor of Rexdale Alliance Church in Toronto, when he spoke on missions at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School years ago. "I want to live in North America in such a way that Satan would rather have me overseas as a missionary." (I think this was a quote from Don Richardson, but if anyone can verify this, please post a comment...) Are we living this way where we are? Or are we waiting for a call to GO somewhere else? Engage with God in the lives of the people around you and see what He will do... But keep listening and obeying. Keep open to His guidance in your life.

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Courage to be a Christian
by JM · 15 February 2008

It takes courage to follow Christ—whether it is for the first time or another day in the journey. Sometimes there are enormous obstacles to our coming to Christ. It requires a level of honesty and vulnerability beyond imagination to recognize our sin for what it is and to openly confess our need for Christ. Following Christ day by day, and entrusting our past, present and future to his care also requires enormous courage—often more than we have on our own. Stepping into the day with our eyes open to God's leading is our desire and goal, but how do we achieve such a thing in a continuous sense?

In Who You Are When No One's Looking, Bill Hybels writes about a game he played as a child at camp. A child was blindfolded and told to walk through a forest with the help of other children calling out to him to jump over a log or watch out for a tree. Then he writes this:

As Christians, we sometimes feel like those blindfolded children. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:7, "We walk by faith, not by sight." We are not alone in the woods, though—God "shall direct thy paths" (Prov 3:6 KJV). But following Jesus Christ demands an enormous amount of courage. Quite often his leadings sound illogical, irrational, countercultural. Sometimes he is so challenging that I say, "No, I think I'll just crawl back into my shell and play it safe." Then a voice inside me says, "Where's your courage, Hybels? Get up and walk. You can trust God."

Cowards do not last long on their spiritual pilgrimages. They shrivel up and disappear. It takes enormous courage to repent and become a Christian. It takes enormous courage to follow God's leadings in the Christian life. Some of his callings demand the best that you can summon. Some of his tests stretch you to the limit. Some of his adventures evoke great fears and doubts. Truly, spiritual courage is on the endangered character-quality list.

Are you open to God's calling, his leading in your life? Are you open to the adventure, even if it will require you to face your doubts and fears? What choices will you make today to intentionally open yourself to Christ?

Personally, I have experienced a lack of courage regarding following God's leading in my life. It is far easier to advise others than it is to put into practice for one's self the disciplines that fuel the Christian life. Right now my battle seems to be with time and energy. My responsibilities (some of which cause me to genuinely praise God) attack me the moment I awake and cling to me all the way to sleep. Pushing out some of these in order to introduce 'margins' into my daily life has proved a harrowing battle. Yet, in God's grace I continue to endure the battleground with the hope that with his help I will discover 'margin' again.

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Who are we mobilizing and to what end?
by JM · 14 February 2008

Author's Note: This post is not intended to be a critique of the cited article. I have attempted to clarify my intentions after a challenging comment (see below).

The January-February 2008 issue of Mission Frontiers (US Center for World Mission) includes an article by Steve Shadrach, director of mobilization for USCWM. In the article he uses two "examples" in an effort to motivate Christians to find a role in missions mobilization.

He points to the fact that some Muslims understand that college campuses are a great place to gain new converts—and particlarly ones who are willing to be sent throughout the world. Shadrach sees this as a serious threat to the growth of Christianity, and encourages Christians to see the university context as an opportunity for Christian missions to ride the same wave.

Next, Shadrach reports that Coca-Cola has a business plan to "get a cold Coke within one mile of every person on earth by the year 2020". He writes that some of his colleagues are using this vision as a catalyst for world missions, but their website (www.BeatTheCokeTruck.com) is not currently operational.

Both of these examples are intriguing and may inspire some Christians to help in missions, but after reading Shadrach's article I want to consider some foundational questions in mobilization. It is obviously not Shadrach's intention in this article to take up these questions, and I imagine he might agree that these are crucial questions: What is our motivation for mission? Whom are we mobilizing and to what end? Far from being pedantic, these questions aim at the heart of Christian life and community. If we do not attend to the biblical teachings of mission, we run the risk of chasing after Coca-Cola, or lambasting Muslims when they are reflecting God's image by employing intelligence and creativity. I am not analyzing truth in the above comment; I am simply looking at methodology.

The muted text of the final sentences above are ones I wish I had reread and rewritten before posting. Here's why: I intended them to be provocative in the sense that they might make us think more deeply about our approaches to mobilization. Yet, it now strikes me that these comments could be read as a critique (or worse, an attack) on Shadrach or his recent article. I realize now that I was reacting to a growing sense that our efforts at mobilization—whether ecclesiastical or para-ecclesiastical—are increasingly straying from biblically-based motivations. Shadrach was simply offering some potentially inspiring examples, as he himself states in his article. I hope these statements clarify my intent.

Mobilization is a topic I intend to revisit with considerable frequency in this blog.

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Good sources for missions research and resourcing
by JM · 13 February 2008

The following resources have been recommended by Richard Cotton in his introductory lectures to World Christian Missions, produced by the Institute of Theological Studies. Some of the website addresses have changed since his lecture, as they are prone to do in this age. The links below should be current, however.

The US Center for World Mission publishes Mission Frontiers, a free monthly publication including challenging articles and editorials by Ralph Winter. Their catalog from William Carey Library is one of the most comprehensive and decently priced sources for missions-related books and literature. USCWM also publishes a monthly Global Prayer Digest and produces courses and resources for churches and individuals who are interested in learning more about World Christian Missions.

BRIGADA has links to mission agencies, mission researchers and more.

Caleb Project provides access to information about unreached people groups, mission mobilisation and more. They send teams to local churches to help inspire them to think and act more missionally.

MARC - Missions Advanced Research and Communications Center, a division of World Vision, publishes the many helpful missions books in several categories.

ACMC - Advancing Churches in Missions Commitment publishes many helpful tools for churches to get involved. Look for Cultivating A Mission-Active Church and their annual conferences. They have consultants available by regions.

International Journal of Frontier Missions provides scholarly articles on world mission and related topics.

EMQ - Evangelical Missions Quarterly is a professional journal that publishes articles on missions-related topics.

IBMR - Published by the Overseas Ministries Study Center, International Bulletin of Missionary Research is an excellent source for current research and study on mission.

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Looking for the horizon
by JM · 01 February 2008

Here I sit, bursting with the need to write, but longing to be with those I love. The curse of the writer is the necessity of creative solitude. Alone with my thoughts they are free to come forth from the shadows, free for these few moments to be heard, and I am attentive. thought: Too often I neglect to attend to my Lord. If a servant, I am poor at hearing; if a friend, I am too busy for the One who loves me. From morning until evening I reel as a sailor caught upon a storm; moving from one distraction to another, unable to secure my footing. And "only one thing is needful": to fix my eyes on Jesus.

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