Monday, February 19, 2007

Clothes and Missionary Life

Clothes or their absence tend to cause concerns.

But clothes don’t make the man! It is the heart that matters.

Missionaries must avoid legalism and imposing western traditions on others. Remember the old joke? "How can you tell who is the indigenous peoples first native born preacher? answer: "He is the one wearing the 3-piece polyester suit and neck tie in 110 degree weather!" Missionaries must understand the rationale for clothes as taught in Genesis.

The Bible warns of man’s tendency to teach human standards,
days, diets, & dress codes,
that promise righteousness but which have no value in making us more spiritual:


If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles
of the world,
why, as if you were living in the world,
do you submit yourself to decrees,
such as, Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!

(which all refer to things destined to perish with use) -- in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?

These are matters which have, to be sure,
the appearance of wisdom
in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body,
but are of no value against fleshly indulgence." Col 2:20-23

But the Lord said to him,
"Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter;
but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness." Lu 11:39

Sanitation is Important

Some anthropologists think otherwise.

They resist missionary efforts of any kind because they think missionaries are changing cultures. However, what they don’t understand is that when the gospel changes hearts it also brings other attendant blessings. Case in point: a newly converted father who now has a concern for the health and welfare of the children under his care. As an unconverted man, he couldn't see the benefit involved in the hard work to put in a pure water system. When told by the missionary that a safe water system would mean the children of the village would no longer be threatened by the many water borne diseases that often bring death, he replied, "Why would I go to such trouble? I can always have more children." But once he came to Christ things changed. He had a new heart and a new concern for his children and his neighbors.

There is no virtue in living without pure water and sanitation systems.

While we, in the west, have the opportunity to live healthy lives, why are others bound to a 30-year life expectancy for the sake of ‘protecting’ cultures?!

Let’s not perpetuate the anthropologist’s
“human zoo”!

If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture,
"YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,"
you are doing well.

But if you show partiality, you are committing sin
and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
James 2:8-9

Monday, February 12, 2007

A Disciplined Dependance

Many of us have recently made attempts at New Year's resolutions, watched (or debated!) the BCS championship series games, and observed another attempt to make the Super Bowl weekend an official American holiday. Some have celebrated victories in regard to some of these experiences. Resolutions, competing and winning have logical connections. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church that they should run their race in such a way as to win the prize. He reminded them that athletes that don’t discipline themselves will come up short.

At The Master's Mission we have definite objectives. Like Paul wrote, we run not with uncertainty – we don't want to be like those whose fighting never gets beyond boxing the air. Always preparing, yet never competing, never engaging. Ours are definite objectives that yearn for specific results. Our desire is to provide the most effective and practical training for missionaries and their families that will enable them to establish and strengthen churches worldwide.

Two critical skill-sets are essential for this to happen. First, missionaries must know the Scripture and actually model its principles in their lives. Their relationships must reflect God's truth so that others can see the difference Jesus makes. Secondly, those missionaries must have the ability to get to the places to which God has called them and then they must be able to stay long enough to engage the people and to contribute as good neighbors in those societies once they are there.

Both tasks are formidable. Desire must be followed by commitment and training and execution if anything lasting is to be accomplished. A disciplined dependence on God gets the job done for His glory. Members of an elite military unit make the following commitments as a result of their training: “Anything, Anytime, Anywhere.” Can we who know the Savior do any less when it comes to extending God’s Kingdom? Join with me in asking for grace to turn resolutions into victories through a radical following after the Savior.

You Can't Come!

“You can't come!” the missionary wife said to the inquiring women. She explained with a twinkle in her eye, “You know my husband gives a Bible quiz each Friday morning, pitting the men against the women, and you don't know the answers. You will make the women lose!” The ladies protested, “We need to come so we will know the answers.” Our TMM missionary then responded with a chuckle, “Of course we welcome you to learn more of the Word of God!”

This group of women, all new believers, came with this request because somehow the subject of New Year's Resolutions had reached even their remote desert village. With a sense of conviction they had determined to start a new discipline for their lives. They told the missionary, “We have decided, since we have given our lives to Christ, that we should come to morning devotions at the church where we can be taught the Word of God.”

Several things make this story noteworthy. Their village is a two-mile walk from the church. The morning is probably one of the busiest parts of their day with jobs that must be done each day. And yet, they still wanted to come! I wonder, how many of us would rearrange the demands on our lives knowing that the tasks misplaced would still need to be completed later. How many of us that would make that cut, would then walk four miles round trip each morning in temperatures approaching 100 degrees, for a chance to hear and put into practice more of the Word of God?

Jesus told a group of people one day, “You cannot be my disciples.” The issue then and now is self-denial for His sake. I am grateful for the example of self-denial that missionaries and those who support them make, so that ladies like these and others have the opportunity to be grounded in the Word of the Lord! God grant them and us the grace to want to come!