Serving Bread

A few years ago, I sat in on an evangelism training program that included a mixture of discussions and videos to showcase this ministry’s methods of witness. I wasn’t too impressed by the training. I thought it focused too much on contact evangelism (which is necessary and valid) rather than relational witness. And it’s primary modus of operation is “as long as I tell the truth, it doesn’t matter what the hearer hears” (and most communication experts will tell you that the burden of communication is always on the communicator and not the hearer). But what has struck me most in the various video modules was the motivation by which the witness does witness. In nearly every scene, the witness communicates his faith and arguments through the lens of love.

It goes something like this, “I know you don’t know me and I don’t know you, but I love you. I don’t want you to go to hell because I love you.” And with that, the witness invites himself to share more to try to convince the hearer of the truths of God. I heard this line again recently and I’ve pondering what love has to do with witness if anything. Is love the primary motivator for witness? Can you love everyone, including strangers? And if I don’t love strangers in that way, does that mean I don’t have the heart of God? Read more »

Jesus must have been a very lonely guy. He was incredibly popular, but he must have been lonely. He visits his hometown only to find that he is not accepted by his own people. And though he’s not surprised by his friends’, family’s and neighbors’ responses, it is hurtful and lonely when the people who were or are community reject you or at the very least, do not honor you the way you’ve been honored. His loneliness comes out in his posture toward the people. His disciples see them as a burden that are ruining rest while Jesus sees them as sheep without a shepherd.

In this scene, what stands out is that though the disciples participate in the miracle, they find themselves farther relationally from the chief shepherd than closer. And finally, seeing how the crowd of people respond to Jesus, they are looking for help and healing but it’s not evident they are wanting a relationship.

Loneliness is a corrupting feeling. Loneliness leads people to hurt themselves and hurt others. Loneliness shapes how we think about others and how to engage others. Yet despite how lonely he must have been, Jesus endured through that. He didn’t turn to sin, to criticism or to abandonment. He remained engaged in the mission. Jesus knew his Father and knew his mission. I wonder if those are the two key elements that help us endure loneliness or hard times in general.

Jesus may have been lonely, but he knew the Father, intimately. He loved the Father and he knew that the Father loved him. How people treated him did not matter because he knew how good the Father is. Second, he knew his mission. And he would be faithful to that mission regardless of the response and how people treated him in the process. Loneliness does not trump mission for him.

The world can be a lonely place. Ministry can be a lonely place. Like Jesus, going deep with the father, and having a clear sense of call and mission helps and navigate the loneliness that may creep around us.

I had a conversation with a colleague recently about the difference between leading people and advocating for people. As one who works in a cross-cultural ministry, I am constantly trying to figure out how to lead effectively within this context. I am aware that the call of the missionary is to invest the energy to serve and to build trust to equip people to hear and obey God.

Within a cross-cultural ministry like mine, advocating for people is important. In fact, ministry in general invites us into some levels of advocacy. I think of Paul’s ministry which may not have taken off had it not been for Baranabas publicly supporting him and believing that Paul is actually a transformed person who has God’s call on his life. So is advocacy enough to presume authority? Read more »

In chapter 5 of Mark, Jesus confronts three people with three ailments that has dehumanized them. The demoniac is isolated from community and has been overcome by a legion of demons. The woman has been unclean and bleeding for 12 years and the little girl is on her death bed. Each of these characters is not able to enjoy life to the fullest. And when Jesus comes into their lives, everything changes. Jesus has power over the demonic and over death. Jesus has power to restore people into community and empower them to witness.

Though as readers we may be inspired and overjoyed by the power of Jesus, that’s not the case for the people who experienced the stories first-hand. The demoniac’s neighbors begged Jesus to leave town (and they succeeded at kicking him out of the neighborhood). The disciples tried to dismiss the power of the healing claiming that what Jesus felt was the pressing of the crowd, and Jairus’s friends and neighbors mocked Jesus for believing that the little girl could be revived.

Jesus has power and domain over things that we don’t think he does. We may see hopelessness, but Jesus sees more. Like all three of these characters, we have to recognize our vulnerability and areas where we feel most dehumanized. And like these three characters, we have to believe that Jesus can do more. Like his words to Jairus, he exhorts us to not fear, but believe (Mark 5.36). The demoniac believed while his neighbors feared. And the woman, though feared, she did muster up courage to believe that Jesus can heal her.

Lord, give me faith in the areas where I’m tempted to fear and not believe that you can do more. Jesus, do more!

The bulk of Mark 4 is Jesus teaching in parables. There’s five or six of them in this chapter, depending on one would interpret the story of the storm. But more on that later. The common question that stands out is “Why did Jesus teach in parables?” While some of the answer might be that it was a common way to teach, Jesus actually answers that question in Mark 10.11-12: “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”

Jesus points out some sort of divide–those on the outside receive things as parables but to the disciples who asked him about the parables, they’ve been given insights into the secrets of the Kingdom. And the parable of the sower seems to be some sort of ‘meta-parable’ that explains the process of learning and processing God’s word.

The temptation in looking at these parables is to spiritualize them before we understand them. These are stories that point to deeper spiritual truths but on the surface they are just a story. A fine story for all to hear and for most listeners, it’s just a story. But when people have pressed Jesus about the parables, he gave them more truth. And that’s where I find Jesus to be a brilliant teacher. Only those who want his teaching will get his deeper teaching. Jesus is fishing for people of faith and curiosity.

As he says in Mark 4.24, “The measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you.” He’s right–the more we give the more we get and then some. And if we don’t want it, his teaching remains a surface level teaching.

So when it comes to the story of the storm in Mark 4, I wonder if that’s some sort of living parable for these disciples. Jesus calms a storm. What does that mean? And does Jesus want more for his disciples? Put it another way, does Mark want more for his readers?

In my early ministry years, I interpreted ministry as a job. But instead of doing the work of a corporation, I was doing the work of God. God was my employer who gave me the assignment on what I was supposed to do. Over the years, I realized that it’s inaccurate to use workplace imagery to define ministry. God is not an employer, but a father who is interested not in productivity, but in relationship.

The growth of Jesus’ ministry is matched by thoughtful leadership. Like Moses (who heeded Jethro’s advice in Exodus 18, Jesus multiplies his leadership through the appointing of apostles. The job description of the apostle would be to 1. be with him, to be sent out to proclaim the message, and to have authority to cast out demons.

Jesus is gathering folks to do exactly what he had been doing in the previous chapters. They were to proclaim the message and cast out demons. And the means by which they would learn to do that would be by being with him. This life-on-life training is invaluable. Time with Jesus is the best training to do the things of Jesus.

I think of the countless helpful resources to do good ministry and leadership that are quick go-to’s to be effective in what we do. But nothing comes close to spending time with Jesus. Time with Jesus is a necessary and essential requirement for anyone who wants to do the ministry of God. For me, it’s easier to do the work of God rather than to be with God. In time, that will just render me ineffective, tired, and probably cynical. Being with Jesus motivates us for the things that God calls us to do.

I find it helpful for me to have several disciplines that nurture and remind me of my life with Jesus–a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly space set aside for prayer and rest. By creating space at these intervals, I am living in a rhythm that at the very least allows me the space to be with Jesus. Each of these spaces fulfills a different purpose, but they all serve to remind me that I am beloved and that my ministry comes out of being.

We live in a world of distractions. I just googled “Leadership distractions” and observed the sheer number of articles written on the power of distractions to derail leadership. Whether it be in an organization, a corporation or even individual discipleship, it’s easier to follow and address the distractions and needs of the moment, rather than focus on the larger vision and goals.

And in ministry, needs are always raging. Ministers are constantly responding to the needs of our people–afterall, we are called to work with broken and lost people. If the needs of others is the only or primary factor in influencing our decision and leadership, our vision will be squashed and ultimately, we will probably fail in meeting the very needs that we are so nobly addressing.

Why? Because our vision and call is what should drive us in our leadership, our discipleship and our programs. Vision and calling require patience and time to meditate and reflect well on what God is doing and how he calls us in that purpose. Responding to needs outside of the purpose is actually disobedience to the very vision we had sought God for.

I’m struck by the interaction of Jesus and his first disciples in Mark 1.35-39. Jesus had just spent the night healing people and casting out demons in town. Presumably exhausted (and probably extroverted out), he sneaks out to pray, which is quickly short-circuited when he disciples find him to tell him about the new round of people waiting for his ministry. Jesus answered them, “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.”

Jesus’ purpose (at least in the opening chapter of Mark) is to proclaim the message that the Kingdom of God is at hand and that all should repent and believe (Mark 1.15). And his strategy seems to be going form town to town to do that in various synagogues. At Capernaum, people are excited about Jesus and people who missed out on the first round of healings want what Jesus has offered their neighbors. But rather than respond to those needs, he sticks to his original purpose.

I am too often distracted by the needs of others or by opportunities that are not necessarily lined up with what I sense my vision and call to be. When I survey how I have spent my time and ministry in the past two years, I would say that a good percentage of my time (maybe around 25% if not more) was spent addressing various ministry needs and opportunities that do not necessarily line up with my vision and call. For example, a student on a local campus has repeatedly initiated with me for discipleship purposes. And I have met with him on several occasions. While I would love to see this student mentored and discipled, my ministry just does not overlap with him.

Now I do think a portion of how we schedule our time needs to create space for “distractions” or needs not necessarily related to our vision, but those should be few and should not take a primary role in our leadership.

There’s a few reasons why I turn to needs. First, they are easy to spot. Second, I want to extend compassion to those around me; Third, I hate saying no and disappointing others. It’s funny that when I read the gospels, Jesus disappointed a lot of people. But ultimately, he knew that when he fulfilled his vision, people’s needs will be that much more fulfilled than anything he’d offer were he to only focus on such needs.

Lack of reflection and focus on my call is usually the culprit that distracts me from the vision and pushes me to be more about the needs than the purpose that God has for me. So spaces for personal reflection are necessary to keep my focus on what God has called me to do rather than the needs around me. I like the picture we get here of Jesus. I wonder if another reason why he had to take some time away was because the needs overwhelmed him as well. And he needed the Father’s love and direction to orient him to his mission and not just to the needs around him.

Jesus had a purpose in being sent by God. And Mark seems to be uncovering that purpose for the reader. It first began in Mark 1.38: “Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.” (That message being “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news.” Mark 1.15) In Mark 2, Mark expands on that purpose during Jesus’ party with the sinners–which we can only speculate what that really means.

When people have wondered why he spends any time with sinners, Jesus responds, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners” Mark 2.17. In this chapter, we see Jesus’s relationship with the religious leaders and their confusion about one of their own. Jesus is proclaiming forgiveness, fellowshipping with the “wrong crowd, and making bold pronouncements about the Sabbath.

What stands out (especially in the story with Levi) is it fares well for people to be weak, sick, outcasts and sinners. Such recognition seems to pave the way to understand and receive Jesus. I don’t see Jesus doing any excusing of these states, but actively engaging them. Levi may be a traitor and an outcast, but his life turned around after meeting Jesus. I presume that the sinners who hung out with Jesus didn’t just have a friend over for dinner, but that they saw something more beautiful in Jesus than anything they had experienced. Could a righteous person experience Jesus? Could someone who doesn’t need a physician appreciate Jesus? Read more »

Inspired by my friend Ben who is studying and blogging through the entire Bible, I’ve decided to take the next season (however long that season will be) to study through the Bible beginning with the gospels. For 2012, I’m going to be working through the Gospels + Acts–which puts me at about 13 pages a month of reading/studying in my Bible. Most of my studies of scripture revolve around particular passages with not much regard to the whole. For my devotionals, I will take more of a macro view or big picture view of passages by studying/reading/meditating on an entire chapter.

What I love about how Mark starts his biography of Jesus or his gospel is that he jumps right in and builds a crescendo of a revival in Greater Judea. Beginning with John the Baptist and ending with Jesus, the chapter is exciting and establish that something new, different, and good is taking place in the nation. There is a powerful religious movement going on and there are people who are excited to receive what Jesus and John are offering.

The central character in Mark 1 is Jesus. Even John who is the forerunner of the revival doesn’t take any credit for it but instead moves people to look to Jesus who is the one who can baptize them with the Holy Spirit. But though that’s what Jesus will do, it’s not what we see him doing when he begins his ministry. It looks like what Jesus is doing is pretty simple–He is proclaiming a message (The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news. Mark 1.15), calling disciples, casting out demons and healing the sick. Proclamation + Disciple Making + Power Confrontation.

When I look at Jesus’ ministry, I am good with Proclamation and Disciple Making. I have done and invested in both. I have a category of proclaiming the message–even a message of repentance–and inviting people to experience the power of God. I have also had much training and opportunities in disciple making. The modern evangelical church (at least the ones with which I’m most familiar) values and focuses on preaching and disciple making. But apart from the Pentecostal and more charismatic movements, the ministry of healing as a regular part of our ministry is absent. Why is that?

I think for me is that I feel like I have the most control for the proclamation and disciple-making pieces but if I were to try my hand at healing and casting out demons, I’m not sure how that will fare. What would it look like if our mimicking of the ministry of Jesus was not just to major on proclamations and disciple-making, but to actually cast out demons and heal?

Lord, teach me and give me the courage to confront the powers of sickness and principalities that are not in your intentions for your children!

Four years ago I published a post about focusing some attention this time of year to on a New Year resolution around our finances. This is a helpful time of year to review how we are spending our finances and reflect on the changes we want to make and the commitments we want to make in the area of finances. It’s always helpful to not just be rechecking our budgets but also to be checking our heart condition to make sure that we are committed to living simply and generously.

Some initial reflections about my relationship to money reveal:

• That my expenses continue to increase–at a faster rate than my income. Some of that has to do with the needs of my children–the older they get, the more it costs to care for them. Some of that has to do that my wife and I have not been as diligent with our budget.
• General expenses are higher yet our budget doesn’t reflect that–for example, my wife and I budget $200 a month for gas but I’m spending over $300 a month for gas.
• Unfortunately, we have allowed our credit cards accrue some debt. We are spending too much money on interest payments.

Such reflections help us to establish a roadmap to be most faithful with our finances. In 2012, we are committing to get out of debt completely and to prioritize giving in such a way as to help our children gain the value for generosity. By December of this year, I’m hoping that my financial situation is much different and more encouraging than it is today.