The Picture I Promised I'd Never Show

It was a stereotypical African missions scene...

Riding in a white SUV through a dusty impoverished village in sub-Saharan Africa...

Two white Americans, a black Xhosa, and a Coloured.

As soon as the SUV stopped, little kids came running towards from every direction, yelling, "Photo! Photo!"

So what did the white American pastor say? "Hey, let's get a picture!"

I caught the look on the face of the national pastor who was hosting us, whose truck we'd been riding in, and whose church plant leadership team we were about to meet.

Typical American missionaries.

Typical abuse.

Typical misuse.

Typical stereotypical [sic] approach to missions.

Find poverty, drama, need... Take pictures with the poor children... then go home and use them to raise money - for OUR projects, for OUR programs.

Go home and back to work... eat your food... sleep in your nice bed - never mind that you just embarrassed the heck out of an entire village, a new church plant in that village, and the very pastor who is hosting you.

So I promised our friend, the national pastor, that I would not use that photo.

We had no relationship with these kids.

No ministry took place with them.

We didn't know their names, their parents, their language, their needs - it was a total hit and run.

To use that photo would have been hypocrisy at it's finest.

I'm breaking my promise...

Here's the photo... with the proper caption:


Exploitation is not just for colonialists anymore.

American short term missions teams have perfected the art, to the detriment of the Name of Christ.

Not cool, dude.

Where do YOU draw the line?

Which is more important... Local or Global?

A few weeks ago, someone wrote in response to one of our missions newsletters: "I feel frustrated because it seems the entire focus of this mission newsletter is on missions to other places. Yet, we have such a HUGE need right here in our back yard."

To be honest, we hear this frustration a lot in missions – and it’s often the kickoff for some great discussions about what missions really is, and unveils the beauty of His Church as a transformational force in any community.

Most Western/American missions activities are focused on crossing cultural boundaries in order to EXPAND the global Church. This is indeed part of Christ's mission to the world ("Go into all the world and preach the gospel…").

But we also believe that every local church exists to be a positive TRANSFORMATIONAL force within it's own community. It is difficult for an "outsider" (a short term missions team) to address the deepest core problems in a community. We don't have the history or depth of understanding to treat both the cause and the effect, so we focus more on relief than development - on giving people fish instead of teaching them to fish.

In this tension we begin to see the beauty of God's design for the local church, and His Mission to the world. On one hand, He sends us to carry the Gospel across borders and cultural boundaries ("Go into all the world and preach the gospel…"), and on the other hand He calls His Church to address the unique needs and developmental problems within their own communities ("the essence of true religion is to minister to widows and orphans").

Christ has one Mission to the world - and we are coming to understand that modern, Western Christianity needs to embrace the fullness of that Mission. The bottom line is to make disciples of Jesus Christ, everywhere.

We believe that a single person who has deeply and passionately connected to what Christ wants them to do is much more fruitful in the long term than funneling people into our projects and our programs. We in the local church must be committed to investing in people through discipleship, and releasing them to do the ministry that God has called them to do.

Church 2.42

Church 2.42
The birth of the Church begins in the Book of Acts chapter 2 verses 42-47

"They (the Early Church) devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Verese 42 outlines four areas that the early church was devoted to that culminated with a mighty move of God of those being saved. I call these four areas the Core Values of Church 2.42.

A passionate hearted disciple holds these four values:
1. Fellowship (Hanging together)
2. Breaking of Bread (Eating together)
3. Apostles Teaching (Learning together in God's Word)
4. Prayer (Praying together)This can remembered with acronym

H.E.L.P.Hang...Eat...Learn...PrayThe early church committed to H.E.L.P.And the Lord added to their number daily those who were saved!

Israel...Why Go?

Dan Russell said...
Mission leadership: Why is Israel significant to reaching a lost World? My wife and I will be leaving for Israel on Thursday July 19, 2007. While in Israel we will be meeting with several thousand Foursquare leaders.

The State Department has issued a warning about traveling to Israel this week."The U.S. State Department is warning Americans traveling to Israel to use extreme caution..." "The U.S. government has received information indicating that American interests could be the focus of terrorist attacks." In addition, the warning states that "large crowds and public gatherings should be avoided..."

The question has been brought up, "Why would you go?" "Why Israel at this time?" "Why meet in a public gathering with several thousand of you?" Paul wrote to a growing Gentile church (Romans 11)"Again I ask: Did they (the Jews) stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious, but if their transgression means riches for the Gentiles, HOW MUCH GREATER RICHES WILL THEIR FULLNESS BRING?

Paul later adds..."For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their accepance be BUT LIFE FROM THE DEAD?"

In 1716, Thomas Boston preached a sermon called "Encouragent to Pray for the Conversion of the Jews." He said in this message "Are you longing for a revival to the churches, now lying like dry bones, would you fain have the Spirit of Life enter in to them? Then pray for the Jews. For if the casting away be the reconciliation of the world; what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?

Jonathan Edwards saw that the coming of Israel to faith "will be BEFORE the glory of the Gentile part of the church shall be fully accomplished, because it is said that their coming in shall be life from the dead to the Gentiles."

Charles Spurgeon said, "Matchless benefits to the world are bound up with the restoration of Israel; their gathering shall be as life from the dead."

As a Church, we are standing with Israel. We are standing on the promises of God for the Jewish people. We are contending for the resurrection of the Jewish believing community as promised by God. Israel was chosen for God's blessing.

Israel is to be light to the rest of the world. Isaiah 42:6"I the Lord have called you into righteousness. I will take ahold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be covenant for the people and A LIGHT TO THE GENTILES."

We live in a great time. Jesus reminds us that we will be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)Jesus said He would return when the Gospel of the Kingdom has reached every people group of the world. (Matthew 24:14)The light being shown to all the world is deeply connected to Israel and their return to the Lord. Again...The fullness of the Church and the return of our Lord is intertwined with Israel.

And the great news: Jewish people are opening up to the Gospel in ways we have not seen since the beginning of the Church. We are seeing nations in the world that were once dark and far from God rapidly receiving God's grace through Jesus. And the Gentile church, with an anti-semitic past, is now joining with our Jewish brothers and sisters.

We live in a great time in the history of the Church. Yes, we see a terrorized world. There is no nation confronted with terrorism more than Israel. Nations like Iran spout a venom of removing Israel from the face of the earth. These attacks are nothing more that a distraction from a mighty move of God taking place.

The Church is called to stand and contend for Israel in this time. Don Finto in "God's Promise and the Future of Israel" asks three pertinent questions.
1. How are we to respond to God's work in the context of a terrorized world?
2. How can Jewish people receive our love and blessing when many of our forefathers in the Church have been the very cause of their suffering?
3. How can we genuinely bless the Jewish people who disagree with our faith in Jesus, while we joyously fellowship with those who have embraced it?

This gathering in Israel, in this time of terrorist radicals, is a small but important statement of our Church blessing Israel. It is a declaration of God's Mighty Hand moving in our time. My wife and I are expectant and we are anticipating the Lord to show up in significant ways while our Church meets in Jerusalem.

This day and age is no surprise to God. Jesus points to a world of terrorism without boundaries. His description looks alot like the world we now live in. Luke 21:25-28.There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Men will faint from "TERROR", apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. WHEN THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE, STAND UP AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, BECAUSE YOUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEAR.

This is not a time to cower at terrorist actions. It is not a time for us to faint or to live in fear of the world's plan. It is not a time to be distracted. My wife and I, with our church, will stand up and lift up the name of the Lord when the world would want us to hide. This is the time to declare CHRIST'S REDEMPTION DRAWING NEAR.

We will bless what God has blessed and contend for the fulfillment of His promises to the people of Israel. YES...Greater riches come to the Church through the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel. YES...the world will know that Jesus is Lord and His promises are true.

As you think of us in Israel, stand up and lift up the name of the Lord. Pray for the fullness of God's promises to Israel and for the world to receive Jesus the soon coming King.

Two personal stories connected to Israel and the intensity I feel for standing up for this nation in this day.

First, I was in Poland coaching our USA Wrestling Team a few years ago. While I was there I arranged a day to go to see Auschwitz Concentration Camp. The Israeli National Team Heard that we were going and they asked me if they could join us. I witnessed first hand the deep pain that was endured during this recent dark period of our history. I heard personal stories from the Israeli team and their feelings from visiting this place of unbelievable horrors. The impact of that day is forever etched into my memory.

Secondly, I was coaching a a World University Team with the World Championships being held in Cairo Egypt. That year an Israeli Wrestler won the World Title. As is the custom, He got to stand on top of the award stand and have his flag raised while his National Anthem played. Every World Champion is honored in this way at every World Championship. This was the first time I saw the world's view of Israel at close range. Every other World Champion had an entire gymnasium stand in silence as their flag was raised and Anthem played. When the Israeli World Chyampion took to the podium the gymnasium was filled with loud jeers and obnoxious whistling. Items were being thrown down on to the gym floor in protest. (I was standing on the main floor with things being hurled in my direction.) An Egyptian band played as loud as they could to cover up the playing of Israeli National Anthem. With the World participating in the Championships, only three countries stood to honor the Israeli World Champion as his flag was raised; Israel, USA and Germany. The rest of the world was either booing or doing nothing at all. One section of the gymnasium was filled with Egyptian military in full dress with weapons and all. Standing in the middle of that gym floor in front of this angry mob was a dangerous act.

It is important to stand up for injustice. It is important to let Israel know that they are not alone. It is important that they know that God has given up on them. It is time to stand up and contend for God's promises to be fulfilled.Why Israel when things are so tense with terrorists running rampant? When would there a better time to communicate the Heart of God? Standing up in Israel in this day communicates deeply to a people the world would rather see eliminated. I am proud that our Church plans to stand up for Israel in the midst of these difficult times. I am excited to stand and to witness this action.

It is a prophetic moment with eternal consequences.

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for a discussion of Missions and the Church"

or

"Shedding light on the Mission of the Church
(more light than heat, please)"

or

"What is missions?"