What it takes to be a missionary

Heard Nick Fowler, missionary to Belém, Brazil, sponsored by the Mt Juliet TN congregation, teach class tonight. Enjoyed his dynamic discussion about the gospel and decisions on what it takes to be a missionary. His wife Amy taught a ladies class, says The Missus. We enjoyed meeting Nick at Polishing the Pulpit last week and getting to visit a bit with him.

• Seems more complicated getting appointments set up with churches this time around, is most certainly my dullness or slowness.

• Come be with us for the Preachers Files Lectures in Middleton, Tenn., Sept. 6-8. I speak Saturday on "You can be sure of the power of the gospel." I'm still seeing how we're going to get from here to there.

• The Concise Bible Commentary I bought real cheap (about $2 or so) is very concise. Especially in the Psalms, where I've been reading of late. Overall, I wonder if it is too much so to be of much use. Stay tuned.

• Tomorrow night, a meet with the Mt Juliet missions committee, at their request; at least, that's the word I got.

• One suggestion, among many good ones, given tonight in Nick's class on what's necessary to be a missionary: "Have faith." Sounds simplistic, but it's one of the basic ones. If you don't really believe that it's the Lord's will that the gospel be taken to all peoples in all places, you'll stay home. If you really believe it, you will go. Have faith, will travel.

Do you know of any congregations in Malta? TFR

I read Acts 28, our NT reading for today, some days back, and since then the Republic of Malta has been on my mind and in my prayers. I wonder if we have any work going on in that country? It’s a fascinating place, from some of the reading I’ve done. (Isn’t every place?) Does anyone know if any of our people are there?

These links here and here seem to point to a work going on, but I know nothing about them.

via fellowshiproom.org

NOT just for missionaries - 2011 Retreat is around the corner « Maywood Missionary Retreat

We would like to invite you to the 5th annual Maywood Missionary Retreat to be held May 12-14 at Camp Maywood in Hamilton, Ala.

Speakers and topics include:

Jeff Jenkins – “How to Motivate Congregations to Seriously Support World Evangelism”
Stacy Ferguson – “South Pacific Experiences”
Robert Martin – “Long Term Commitments to a Field”

via missionaryretreat.wordpress.com

That's just a start of the speakers and topics. Click on the link above for more information. This is one of the best-kept secrets in the brotherhood, and your best deal for a spiritual event. Sign up!

Food for Thought for the Mission-Minded, part 2 « Jensen Missions

We now turn our attention to an “evaluation tool” which is sorely misunderstood and frequently abused. This tool or test may be termed the “numbers test.” It takes various forms and is spoken of in a variety of ways, but one basic attitude prevails. “How many baptisms do they have each year?” “How many congregations are being established?” In reality, if you ask faithful veteran missionaries, they will readily admit that this mindset often comes out in “mission reports” more as a numbers game, rather than a true test. I heard from the lips of one church leader the statement: “We choose a work where we can get the best bang for our buck!” There was no mistake about it – the only determining factor to him was – number of reported baptisms.
via jensenmissions.com

Read it once, and cry. Read it again, and get angry. Read it a third time, and change your ways!

Another lesson to be learned from Japan: "8.9" | The Leadership Fund

Tragedy tends to bring opportunity, opportunity most often met with physical provision. Will we be satisfied to send money, food, water, and clothing?

This tragedy should remind us of the opportunity to help people prepare for the ultimate destruction of the earth. It will be an event exceeding 8.9.

via leadershipfund.wordpress.com

My point exactly over on my personal blog at http://randalmatheny.com/2011/03/14/tweets-quotes-truths-and-a-prediction/

10 ways to pray for Kingdom workers « Missions Catalyst

1. Freedom from Fear

Perhaps more frequently than any other command, the Bible tells us not to fear. At the same time many of us live in cultures both saturated with and fueled by fear. I know I fear failure. I fear discomfort. I fear the loss of my health, security, and status. But this is not normal life for a follower of Jesus. John tells us that “perfect love drives out fear.”

E. Stanley Jones, a world-class missionary who lived most of his life in India, encourages, “Then discipline yourself against all anxiety and fear. Fear is the enemy – not the thing of which we are afraid, for most of our fears are never realized. They never come. Those that do come can be used in the purposes for which we live.”

May God add his grace to our discipline, resulting in lives free from fear.

via missionscatalyst.net

The above is the first thing to pray about for others. There are nine more. All of them, though coming from a denominational source, seem to have good application as we seek to be more specific in our prayers for those workers for whom we have prayed the Lord to send into the harvest.

The Missionary Mentality of the Local Church | Christianpost.com

Paul understood that to be inwardly focused was to be outwardly blind. To be a missionary means meeting, learning and embracing those outside the family of God. Paul even likens it to becoming them; this was not a dry interpretation of an even dustier research project. This was a living, personal change based on wanting to see people become followers of Christ.
via christianpost.com

Follow the money trail, says the author, to see why a church exists. He has denominational language and examples, but is mostly spot on in terms of a church's outreach. Some saints have no idea why they were planted on this earth. Time to shake the tree!

The phrase in 3 John 6, 'You will do well'

In The Johannine Epistles, Ruth B. Edwards states, in parentheses, that the phrase, "you will do well" (3 John 6), is "often associated with a request" (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996: 23-24).

This request, coming as it does, not from "John" (he does not use his personal name in the letter), but from "the elder," possibly indicating not merely a personal letter but his capacity as spiritual guide, seems to point to the main purpose in writing: to encourage Gaius not to be cowed by Diotrophes' prohibition, but to (continue to) support the preaching of the gospel through hospitality and financial help as they work in his city and travel beyond.

By saying, "you will do well," the apostle gently urges his friend to ignore one who set himself up as an authority and had forbidden what Christ specifically commanded, that the gospel be preached to all. Diotrophes, said John, "loves to be the leader" (v. 9, NLT; Edwards: "is hungry for power"). Gaius should help the preachers in spite of what the Leader had determined.

Unfortunately, Diotrophes' tribe still exists in the church. And John's short letter remains as a call to resist tendencies to subvert the mission by illegitimate power structures in order to continue the work of God in the world.

We will do well to hear John's request.

Culture Shock Article, Stand4Kids, TCK Books « Missions Catalyst

  • FEATURE ARTICLE: Culture Shock? We Don’t Have It!
  • RESOURCE LISTS: Thirty Tools for Raising a Mission-minded Family, and More
  • BOOKS: Three on the TCK Experience
    • via missionscatalyst.net

    This evangelical e-zine I find sometimes helpful, sometimes not -- as a non-evangelical. This issue is more helpful than most with some resources and ideas on culture shock and TCKs.