"Doctrine and life are to be distinguished. Life is as bad among us as among the papists (Roman Catholic Church). Hence we do not fight and damn them because of their bad lives. Wyclif and Hus, who fought over the moral quality of life, failed to understand this...When the Word of God remains pure, even if the quality of life fails us, life is placed in a position to become what it ought to be. That is why everything hinges on the purity of the Word. I have succeeded only if I have taught correctly"
...Martin Luther.
What Luther means by this is that the very point of the doctrine of Justification by grace alone (the central doctrine of the reformation) is that discipleship is not dependent upon its results. The Christian was called to be faithful, not successful.
Our next get-together
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
a better country— a heavenly one
Instead, they (people of Faith) were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. [Hebrews 11:13-16 ]
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. [Hebrews 11:39-40 ]
A good reminder for us to know that our hope is not in this world -- but the one to come, and to realize not to get too caught up with the affairs of this world. ( Lord, awake us up so that our hearts are not weighted down with all the dissipation and anxities of life )
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect. [Hebrews 11:39-40 ]
A good reminder for us to know that our hope is not in this world -- but the one to come, and to realize not to get too caught up with the affairs of this world. ( Lord, awake us up so that our hearts are not weighted down with all the dissipation and anxities of life )
Saturday, August 25, 2007
LESSONS LEARNED AS A MISSIONARY
This was an email I received few years ago from John Ed Robertson. I like to share this with you. It's a personal-memoir writing which he learned through the 18 years as missionary to France. I guess we can learn in few pages... :)
(by John Ed Robertson)
Yesterday, we talked about “Learning God’s Lessons From Life’s Experiences”. I shared 6 lessons that I learned more or less the hard way, including some that I learned as a missionary. Specifically, we talked about how easy it is to desert one’s ideal because of disappointed expectations.
Today, I would like to focus in on lessons I have learned as a missionary. Now, by the word “missionary”, I probably mean “Navigator”, because most of these lessons are lessons that apply wherever one is serving God as part of a movement seeking to take the Gospel to lost people. Personally, I don’t believe that you have to cross an ocean, or even a national border, to be a missionary. You can be a missionary just by crossing the street if you are doing so to take the Gospel to someone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ.
In the U.S., I often explain what I am doing by saying, “We are equipping ordinary believers to be informal missionaries”. America has the reputation of being a Christian country, but in reality it is a post-Christian country. Basically it is about equally divided between churched and unchurched people, and the unchurched are as much of a mission field as France or India or China or anywhere else. So the lessons that I am going to share this morning were learned both in France and in the U.S., and they are relevant, I believe, for anyone who is serving God in either or his own country or another one.
I have to tell you, however, that when we arrived in France, I was scared to death. At the age of 38, I had just brought my wife and family to France to serve as a missionary. From now on, there would be no graceful way out without being labeled a missionary casualty.
The essence of my job was communication, but suddenly I couldn’t even ask for directions, let alone explain complex spiritual truths. I wondered if I would ever be able to communicate in French. But something else bothered me even more deeply.
I had always heard that the number one cause of missionary casualties was inability to get along with other missionaries. Now I was beginning to see how serving God in another country intensifies relationships. My biggest fear, therefore, was that I would not “fit” on the existing missionary team, which was having a very effective ministry.
But there was more. I had come to assume the responsibility of being the country leader, but the former country leader was still there. Can you imagine how I felt? I was supposed to assume the responsibility for leading the French work, and I could hardly find the bathroom! I really began to wonder if there was a place for me in France.
As I thought and prayed about it, it seemed ridiculous. There were probably 54 million people in France that did not know the Gospel, and there were 6 or 7 Navigator staff. Obviously, there was plenty of room for anyone who came to share the Gospel. But that still didn’t eliminate the growing knot in my stomach. One day I was walking around the streets of Grenoble, France thinking and praying about this situation. I should add that I had a lot of time to think and pray at first, because there was very little else I could do. Since I couldn’t speak the language, and since language school did not begin until we had been there for about a month, I had a lot of time to nurse this growing knot in my stomach.
Anyway, I was walking around praying, and the knot was getting bigger and bigger, and suddenly a thought occurred to me:
THERE
IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE SERVANT
I suddenly realized that this was the key to finding a place for us in France. If I came as the country leader, or the national director, or a manager, or a boss or a commander, there might not be room for me. There are a limited number of places at the top of any organization, and the competition for those places is quite fierce. At the bottom of the pyramid, however, there are always plenty of vacancies. If you want job security, that is if you want to be sure to always have a job, be a servant. There is not all that much competition for those places.
Jesus made it clear by His teaching (Matthew 20:25-28) and by His example (John 13:1-20) that servanthood is an essential prerequisite for leadership. Leaders exist to serve those who lead. As Lorne Sanny, former international president of the Navigators, has put it, “God turns organization charts upside down.”
So that idea really helped. I decided that I would be a servant in order to have job security! Nevertheless, after a couple of weeks, the knot began to grow again in my stomach. I still wondered if I could assume my responsibilities in France without serious conflict. Specifically, I wondered if I could avoid conflict with the former leader. As I thought about it, I concluded that there were three possibilities…and all three of them were bad! Either he would get mad and leave, or I would get mad and leave or we would have a prolonged power struggle, and all three of those are bad! As I was praying about this, the knot in my stomach began to grow again. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind:
WHY NOT PRAY FOR THE BEST?
I shared this lesson yesterday in another context, but this was actually the first time this thought had ever occurred to me. As I thought about it, I asked myself, “”Why not pray for the best?” Why not pray for a fourth alternative? Why not pray that it will work out smoothly. At least that way I will know that if it doesn’t work out smoothly, it won’t be because I never prayed that it would!
To make a long story short, that is what happened. It did work out smoothly. But there is one more element to the story that I need to tell you. Unbeknownst to me, the former leader had done something for which I admire him greatly. He had said to himself: “I am convinced that this will never work, but I am going to try to do something that may be the hardest thing I have ever done. I am going to work as hard as I can to prove myself wrong.” And he did. So I don’t want to give you the impression that this worked out because of me. It worked out because of God, primarily of course, but it was also because the other man chose to work as hard as he could to prove himself wrong. In my opinion, it takes a big man to do that.
During this period, I was reading daily in the book of Psalms. I saw that it was not David’s leadership gifts or abilities that made him great. Instead, God blessed David primarily because of His relationship with God and his character. I can’t change the talents – or lack thereof – that God has given me, but I can choose to walk with God and to grow in Christ likeness. Success in those areas is within the reach of every Christian! This lesson can be summed up as follows:
CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GIFTS AND ABILITIES
In I Timothy 3, Paul enumerates prerequisites for spiritual leadership. One thing is immediately evident: character is much more important that talents and skills. Only one item out of 15 is related to ability (“able to teach”), whereas at least ten are related to character. I Corinthians 13:2 enumerates several very desirable gifts that are worthless without an important component of Christian character: love. “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
If God had wanted every Christian to have all the spiritual gifts, He could have very easily given them all to every believer. For some reason, he chose not to do so. The Bible makes it clear, however, that God wants every Christian to grow in Christ like character. For example, Ephesians 4:13 says that the gifts were given in order to build up the Body of Christ,” until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Modern society has turned this around by placing the accent on certain gifts or abilities. One author has hit the nail on the head when it comes to American culture. He says that in America, physical appearance is the gold coin of human worth, and intelligence is the silver coin. This distorted value system condemns millions of people to feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem.
The Bible, however, places worth and dignity within the reach of every individual in two ways. First, worth is normally measured in terms of how much someone is willing to pay to obtain something. For example, we say that this house is worth $100,000 because that is what someone paid to buy it. By that line of reasoning, we are worth the blood of Jesus Christ, because that is what God buy us to paid back: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (I Peter 1:18-19)
Secondly, though not everyone may be obviously “gifted”, each of us can grow in Christ likeness and be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. “For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.” (Romans 8:28-29)
I find that focusing on my walk with God and my character keeps the Christian life simple…and refreshing. In fact, our first year in France, when we were in language school and basically useless to the ministry was one of the best years of my life. Suddenly, all I had to focus on was my walk with God, my character, my family and learning French. It simplified things wonderfully.
When I begin to think about my gifts and abilities (or lack thereof), I am tempted to either be proud or discouraged. Concentrating on my walk with God and my character, however, is both challenging and encouraging: challenging because I never arrive at total perfection and encouraging because progress is always possible if I desire it. Matthew 5:6 promises that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied…with righteousness. God is delighted to help anyone who wants to be righteous make progress toward that goal.
GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT
What does that mean? Let me try to explain, but first let me say that I am convinced that at least half of the conflicts in the Body of Christ, whether it be in church or the Navigators, could be avoided if we would give one another the benefit of the doubt. What I mean by giving the benefit of the doubt is that we need to avoid jumping to negative conclusions regarding the motives or competence of other Christians when we hear something about them that shows them in a negative light. Let me give some examples.
I already gave one example, although I didn’t identify it as such, when I told the story about going to France and the potential for a prolonged power struggle with the man I was replacing as country leader. He gave me the benefit of the doubt by saying that he was going to work as hard as he could to prove himself wrong by making it work. I gave him the benefit of the doubt by praying for the best and choosing to be a servant. Although neither one of us used the expression “give the benefit of the doubt”, that is what we were doing.
Another example. A number of years ago, my supervisor made a decision that I didn’t understand and that affected me. In discussing the situation with one of my peers, I got the impression that my supervisor’s decision was based on his lack of confidence in me. I was furious. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to talk with him the next day, and he was able to explain his thinking. The situation was resolved peacefully. But suppose that we had not been able to discuss it right away? I could easily have spent weeks or months or even years nursing bitter feelings of rejection because I had jumped to a false conclusion, whereas giving the benefit of the doubt would help me avoid that.
I Corinthians 13:7 says that love always trusts. Why is it so difficult for me to trust my brothers and sisters in Christ when I hear a truncated version of what they have said or done? Why do I jump so easily to negative conclusions about their motives or their competence?
It is easy to spend considerable time and energy chasing down unsubstantiated rumors if we do not choose to give the benefit of the doubt. If I hear that a co laborer has criticized me, I need to say to myself: “He must not have meant it the way it sounds, or perhaps the person who heard him misunderstood what he meant.” Of course, giving the benefit of the doubt doesn’t mean being naïve. But it does mean reserving judgment until we can find out the facts firsthand.
IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO BE GODLY THAN IT IS TO BE RIGHT
I already mentioned that the major cause of “missionary casualties” is the inability to relate harmoniously to other missionaries. This has always astonished me that friction in relationships causes more people to head for home than language, culture, loneliness, difficult living conditions= a seemingly endless list of difficult adjustments. All these factors put additional strain on one’s relations with coworkers.
Inability to get along with fellow workers is a prime cause of “casualties” among people working in one’s own culture as well. Harmonious human relationships are never easy. When we are deeply committed to the Lord and His Great Commission, it is easy to become obsessed with the importance of making the “right” decision, of choosing the “right” strategy. Unfortunately, this attitude can easily lead to ungodly behavior toward coworkers who don’t necessarily agree on the “right decision, the “right” strategy, the “right” philosophy of ministry.
You see, the more there is at stake, the more important it is to choose the right strategy or philosophy or decision. When you leave your profession and your country for a mission, that mission is about all you have. This puts a tremendous strain on relationships when there is not perfect agreement on the right course of action. For some reason, things are intensified when you are serving together in another country.
But you don’t have to go to another country to experience this. It can easily happen among coworkers in their own country. I suspect that Dave and Larry have seen plenty of cases of this happening among Americans serving in America. When you leave everything for a mission, that mission is all you have left. When that mission is threatened because some blockhead Navigator wants to choose a bad strategy, it is very easy to get upset and compromise on godliness. I have seen it happen time and again that godly, mature Christian leaders can act in ways that they would quickly condemn in a young Christian. Why? Because it was more important to them to be right.
Although serious conflict over issues of ministry philosophy or strategy are all too common, it is possible to break the cycle through choosing to be godly, even if we are convinced that the wrong decision is being made. I already shared the story of how the man I replaced as country leader in France chose to work as hard as he could to prove himself wrong. That is a good example of choosing to be godly rather than being right. He was convinced that it was a mistake, but he worked as hard as he could to prove that he was wrong. It takes a godly man to do that.
Many conflicts result from disagreement over the better of two good options. When I was in the Navy, I learned that a mediocre plan well executed is better than an excellent plan sloppily executed. Choosing to be godly over being “right” enables us to wholeheartedly implement a decision with which we may not agree, and thus help to guarantee its success. If we insist that our ideas are “right” in the face of determined opposition, we can cause unnecessary conflict or ensure the failure of a plan by not giving it our best.
Of course, this principle applies only to issues that are not clear-cut questions of morality. We should never violate a clear teaching of the Bible or stifle our consciences because of pressure from other people, even from other Christians.
Let me illustrate what I mean with a case study from the Bible: Acts 15:36-41. This is a familiar story, of course, and it is easy to gloss over the pain that Barnabas and Paul both undoubtedly felt at this parting of the ways. Barnabas had been the first Christian to welcome Paul into the Body of Christ (Acts 9:27-28). When Barnabas was sent to Antioch, he sent for Paul to help him in the ministry there (Acts 11:25). Paul and Barnabas had been ministering together for some time at Antioch (Acts 11:30. 12:25), when the Holy Spirit directed the church there to send them out on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-4). Then they made the first missionary journey together (Acts 13:7, 43, 46, 50; 15:2, 12, 22, 25). Then they were allies in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:2. 12, 22, 25). Altogether, they had probably known each other for 12 or 13 years, and they had served together for several years. So this was undoubtedly a painful separation.
So the question is: “Who was right and who was wrong?” Paul and Barnabas both felt strongly enough about this issue to sever their working relationship over it, so it was no little thing. How many think that Paul was right? How many think that Barnabas was right? How many think that this is a trick question?!?
Let’s look at this a little more closely. What is the issue here? Whether or not to take Mark on the second missionary journey, right? Now, what was the underlying value that was driving Paul here? The mission, right? What was the value that was driving Barnabas? The man, right? Barnabas saw this missionary journey as an opportunity to rehabilitate Mark, because his overriding value was the man. Paul did not want to jeopardize the success of the mission by taking along someone who had bailed out on the first missionary journey. So who had the right value?
I personally tend to believe that they were both right. Both values of the mission and the man are Biblical. As a matter of fact, Paul later admitted, at least tacitly, that Barnabas was right, because he wrote to Timothy: ”Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in my ministry”!
I think that what we are dealing with here is a difference of convictions. Paul had a conviction that the mission was the most important thing. Barnabas had a conviction that the man was the most important thing. This points up that there are different levels of belief or certainty. Specifically, I think that there are four:
1. Certainty: These are things that are perfectly clear in the Bible, and we can’t compromise on these. Jesus is the Son of God. The Bible is the Word of God. Salvation is by grace through faith. Murder, adultery, theft, lying, etc. are always sin. God has given us Ten Commandments, not ten suggestions. There can be no compromising on these things.
2. Convictions: These are beliefs that I hold very deeply, and though I am not about to change them, I can recognize that other believers may have different convictions that they hold very deeply, and it doesn’t mean that they are wrong. I think the story of the separation of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-41 is an example of differing convictions.
3. Opinions: Romans 14:1-2 says: “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, {but} not for {the purpose of} passing judgment on his opinions.” This introduces Paul’s teaching on the questions of Christian liberties. Is it permissible for a Christian to eat meat sacrificed to idols? Is it OK for a Christian to eat wine, or to play sports on Sunday, or whatever? Paul puts these questions in the category of opinions. An opinion is a belief for which I probably have good reasons, but I am willing to consider changing my opinions if someone gives me some good reasons. When we went to France, for example, our opinions on some things were challenged.
4. Prejudice: This is a level of belief, which may be firmly held, but is not well supported. The best way I can illustrate this is the old saying, “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts.”
Now, it has been both my observation and experience that many, if not all, of us have the tendency to escalate things up this scale. For example, we tend to elevate our convictions to certainty, our opinions to convictions, and our prejudices to opinions. In extreme cases, prejudices get elevated to the level of absolute certainty! This leads to a lot of conflicts over issues that are not worth fighting over. If we can identify the proper level of the subject we are discussing, it can help us not to draw a line in the sand over something that is not worth it. This is one practical way to apply the principle that it is more important to be godly than it is to be right.
LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS
This principle came into focus for me when my communication skills were reduced to zero because I couldn’t speak the language of the people I was trying to reach. I decided that I could choose to love the people and their culture even if I could not choose to be fluent in their language. I worked very hard to learn their language, perhaps the hardest I have ever worked in my life, and eventually I was able to speak French just about as well as I speak English, but not without more effort. But as I thought about it, I realized that the country was full of people who spoke the language perfectly, but who did not use that ability to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15)
In fact, one day I was sitting in a café, and I observed how the people were using a perfect command of the French language to say absolutely nothing of significance. I wanted to say to them: “How can you do that? How can you waste your ability to speak French like that to say such meaningless drivel?” Needles to say, I didn’t say it, but I did realize that, even though I was limited in my ability to speak the language, I did have something worth saying, and I could choose to love the people to whom I was saying it.
As I look back on it now, I realize that the French were able to perceive that we loved them, even if we didn’t speak their language perfectly. Some of the best friends we have ever had are French, both believers and unbelievers. I used to ask myself, “Why do these people want to be our friends? We have foreign accents, and we are Americans.” I concluded that they must have sensed that we loved them and we were doing the best we could.
Moses (Exodus 4:10-13) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-10) were both convinced that they lacked the communication skills needed to proclaim God’s message. Fortunately for them (and for us), God stands ready to give us the skills needed to carry out His mission (Exodus 4:12; Jeremiah 1:9-10). I can still remember my first halting attempts to share my faith-and my utter amazement when people responded to what I had to say. If we care about the people with whom we are seeking to communicate, that will come through despite any verbal limitations we might have. I Corinthians 13:1 makes it clear that love is more important than eloquence: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
YOU CAN’T LOSE BEING A LEARNER
The Greek word that is translated “disciple” (mathétés) in the New Testament is a word that literally means learner”. It is the word from which we get the word “mathematics” in English. It signifies thought accompanied by endeavor. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to think that being a good disciple of Jesus Christ means growing to the point where I don’t need to learn anymore! Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is all too easy to develop a “teacher” complex, when one is seeking to reach people for Christ or to help them grow as disciples. I have observed, however, that adults respond much better to a “fellow-learner”, someone who has not yet discovered all the secrets of the universe and who is committed to the process of continual learning.
When I was a midshipman in the Navy, I found that the enlisted men were always willing to help me if I would admit that they knew more about their part of the ship than I did. My friends who refused to admit their ignorance always got the runaround!
We had the same experience in going to France. The French accepted our halting speech from the beginning (when it was really bad!), because they sense that we were committed to learning and making progress.
Early on in our time in France, a fellow missionary told me: “There is no question as to whether or not you will become a little child; the only question is whether or not you will do it graciously!” He was right. Yet, surprisingly, it was refreshing to start all over again, to learn how to speak and how to live just as a child does. The joy of discovery is one of the wonders of childhood, and it is rare that an adult is given the privilege of a fresh start. But beginning again is also humbling, so we have to choose to enjoy it.
All of these principles require us to make certain choices. We can choose to remain faithful to our ideal. We can choose to pray for the best. We can choose to develop Christ like character, to be godly, even when it means renouncing our right to be right. We can choose to give the benefit of the doubt. We can choose to love people, even when we have difficulty communicating with them. We can choose to be learners.
Have you ever thought how much of the Bible is about choices? Every command implies a choice – either to obey it or to disobey it. Joshua 23:14-15; Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Proverbs 8:10-11 and 16:16; John 7:17 and Luke 10:38-42 all speak to the importance of making wise choices.
In 1989, I had spinal meningitis. When I began to recover after 5 weeks in intensive care, many of my friends told me that they had thought that I was going to die. I had been oblivious to this, but it did get my attention. One thing for which I was extremely grateful was to realize that, if I had died at that time, I would not have regretted any of my choices. I regretted many of my actions, and especially my reactions, but I didn’t regret any of my choices. That is significant, because there had been times before this where I had been tempted to regret my choices, especially when I was scraping to find enough money to pay the bills! In general, engineers have fewer financial worries than Navigators! This experience helped me regain perspective that I was glad that I had chosen to give my life to this ideal and not to desert it.
Although we have a great responsibility, we also have a great hope. If serving God is primarily a matter of intrinsic qualities that we either have or don’t have, we can easily become discouraged. If, on the other hand, we realize that pleasing our Master is primarily a matter of choices that we can make, we can be freed from the burdens of comparison and inadequacy. As we walk with God, continually allowing Him to transform our character, we will be laborers that need never fear defeat.
LESSONS LEARNED AS A MISSIONARY
1. THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE SERVANT
2. CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GIFTS AND ABILITIES
GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT
IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO BE GODLY THAN IT IS TO BE RIGHT
FOUR LEVELS OF BELIEF
a) Certainty
b) Convictions
c) Opinions
d) Prejudice
5. LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS
6. YOU CAN’T LOSE BEING A LEARNER
By John Ed Robertson
Today, I would like to focus in on lessons I have learned as a missionary. Now, by the word “missionary”, I probably mean “Navigator”, because most of these lessons are lessons that apply wherever one is serving God as part of a movement seeking to take the Gospel to lost people. Personally, I don’t believe that you have to cross an ocean, or even a national border, to be a missionary. You can be a missionary just by crossing the street if you are doing so to take the Gospel to someone who doesn’t know Jesus Christ.
In the U.S., I often explain what I am doing by saying, “We are equipping ordinary believers to be informal missionaries”. America has the reputation of being a Christian country, but in reality it is a post-Christian country. Basically it is about equally divided between churched and unchurched people, and the unchurched are as much of a mission field as France or India or China or anywhere else. So the lessons that I am going to share this morning were learned both in France and in the U.S., and they are relevant, I believe, for anyone who is serving God in either or his own country or another one.
I have to tell you, however, that when we arrived in France, I was scared to death. At the age of 38, I had just brought my wife and family to France to serve as a missionary. From now on, there would be no graceful way out without being labeled a missionary casualty.
The essence of my job was communication, but suddenly I couldn’t even ask for directions, let alone explain complex spiritual truths. I wondered if I would ever be able to communicate in French. But something else bothered me even more deeply.
I had always heard that the number one cause of missionary casualties was inability to get along with other missionaries. Now I was beginning to see how serving God in another country intensifies relationships. My biggest fear, therefore, was that I would not “fit” on the existing missionary team, which was having a very effective ministry.
But there was more. I had come to assume the responsibility of being the country leader, but the former country leader was still there. Can you imagine how I felt? I was supposed to assume the responsibility for leading the French work, and I could hardly find the bathroom! I really began to wonder if there was a place for me in France.
As I thought and prayed about it, it seemed ridiculous. There were probably 54 million people in France that did not know the Gospel, and there were 6 or 7 Navigator staff. Obviously, there was plenty of room for anyone who came to share the Gospel. But that still didn’t eliminate the growing knot in my stomach. One day I was walking around the streets of Grenoble, France thinking and praying about this situation. I should add that I had a lot of time to think and pray at first, because there was very little else I could do. Since I couldn’t speak the language, and since language school did not begin until we had been there for about a month, I had a lot of time to nurse this growing knot in my stomach.
Anyway, I was walking around praying, and the knot was getting bigger and bigger, and suddenly a thought occurred to me:
THERE
IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE SERVANT I suddenly realized that this was the key to finding a place for us in France. If I came as the country leader, or the national director, or a manager, or a boss or a commander, there might not be room for me. There are a limited number of places at the top of any organization, and the competition for those places is quite fierce. At the bottom of the pyramid, however, there are always plenty of vacancies. If you want job security, that is if you want to be sure to always have a job, be a servant. There is not all that much competition for those places.
Jesus made it clear by His teaching (Matthew 20:25-28) and by His example (John 13:1-20) that servanthood is an essential prerequisite for leadership. Leaders exist to serve those who lead. As Lorne Sanny, former international president of the Navigators, has put it, “God turns organization charts upside down.”
So that idea really helped. I decided that I would be a servant in order to have job security! Nevertheless, after a couple of weeks, the knot began to grow again in my stomach. I still wondered if I could assume my responsibilities in France without serious conflict. Specifically, I wondered if I could avoid conflict with the former leader. As I thought about it, I concluded that there were three possibilities…and all three of them were bad! Either he would get mad and leave, or I would get mad and leave or we would have a prolonged power struggle, and all three of those are bad! As I was praying about this, the knot in my stomach began to grow again. Suddenly a thought crossed my mind:
WHY NOT PRAY FOR THE BEST?
I shared this lesson yesterday in another context, but this was actually the first time this thought had ever occurred to me. As I thought about it, I asked myself, “”Why not pray for the best?” Why not pray for a fourth alternative? Why not pray that it will work out smoothly. At least that way I will know that if it doesn’t work out smoothly, it won’t be because I never prayed that it would!
To make a long story short, that is what happened. It did work out smoothly. But there is one more element to the story that I need to tell you. Unbeknownst to me, the former leader had done something for which I admire him greatly. He had said to himself: “I am convinced that this will never work, but I am going to try to do something that may be the hardest thing I have ever done. I am going to work as hard as I can to prove myself wrong.” And he did. So I don’t want to give you the impression that this worked out because of me. It worked out because of God, primarily of course, but it was also because the other man chose to work as hard as he could to prove himself wrong. In my opinion, it takes a big man to do that.
During this period, I was reading daily in the book of Psalms. I saw that it was not David’s leadership gifts or abilities that made him great. Instead, God blessed David primarily because of His relationship with God and his character. I can’t change the talents – or lack thereof – that God has given me, but I can choose to walk with God and to grow in Christ likeness. Success in those areas is within the reach of every Christian! This lesson can be summed up as follows:
CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GIFTS AND ABILITIES
In I Timothy 3, Paul enumerates prerequisites for spiritual leadership. One thing is immediately evident: character is much more important that talents and skills. Only one item out of 15 is related to ability (“able to teach”), whereas at least ten are related to character. I Corinthians 13:2 enumerates several very desirable gifts that are worthless without an important component of Christian character: love. “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”
If God had wanted every Christian to have all the spiritual gifts, He could have very easily given them all to every believer. For some reason, he chose not to do so. The Bible makes it clear, however, that God wants every Christian to grow in Christ like character. For example, Ephesians 4:13 says that the gifts were given in order to build up the Body of Christ,” until we all reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Modern society has turned this around by placing the accent on certain gifts or abilities. One author has hit the nail on the head when it comes to American culture. He says that in America, physical appearance is the gold coin of human worth, and intelligence is the silver coin. This distorted value system condemns millions of people to feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem.
The Bible, however, places worth and dignity within the reach of every individual in two ways. First, worth is normally measured in terms of how much someone is willing to pay to obtain something. For example, we say that this house is worth $100,000 because that is what someone paid to buy it. By that line of reasoning, we are worth the blood of Jesus Christ, because that is what God buy us to paid back: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.” (I Peter 1:18-19)
Secondly, though not everyone may be obviously “gifted”, each of us can grow in Christ likeness and be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ. “For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son.” (Romans 8:28-29)
I find that focusing on my walk with God and my character keeps the Christian life simple…and refreshing. In fact, our first year in France, when we were in language school and basically useless to the ministry was one of the best years of my life. Suddenly, all I had to focus on was my walk with God, my character, my family and learning French. It simplified things wonderfully.
When I begin to think about my gifts and abilities (or lack thereof), I am tempted to either be proud or discouraged. Concentrating on my walk with God and my character, however, is both challenging and encouraging: challenging because I never arrive at total perfection and encouraging because progress is always possible if I desire it. Matthew 5:6 promises that those who hunger and thirst after righteousness will be satisfied…with righteousness. God is delighted to help anyone who wants to be righteous make progress toward that goal.
GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT
What does that mean? Let me try to explain, but first let me say that I am convinced that at least half of the conflicts in the Body of Christ, whether it be in church or the Navigators, could be avoided if we would give one another the benefit of the doubt. What I mean by giving the benefit of the doubt is that we need to avoid jumping to negative conclusions regarding the motives or competence of other Christians when we hear something about them that shows them in a negative light. Let me give some examples.
I already gave one example, although I didn’t identify it as such, when I told the story about going to France and the potential for a prolonged power struggle with the man I was replacing as country leader. He gave me the benefit of the doubt by saying that he was going to work as hard as he could to prove himself wrong by making it work. I gave him the benefit of the doubt by praying for the best and choosing to be a servant. Although neither one of us used the expression “give the benefit of the doubt”, that is what we were doing.
Another example. A number of years ago, my supervisor made a decision that I didn’t understand and that affected me. In discussing the situation with one of my peers, I got the impression that my supervisor’s decision was based on his lack of confidence in me. I was furious. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to talk with him the next day, and he was able to explain his thinking. The situation was resolved peacefully. But suppose that we had not been able to discuss it right away? I could easily have spent weeks or months or even years nursing bitter feelings of rejection because I had jumped to a false conclusion, whereas giving the benefit of the doubt would help me avoid that.
I Corinthians 13:7 says that love always trusts. Why is it so difficult for me to trust my brothers and sisters in Christ when I hear a truncated version of what they have said or done? Why do I jump so easily to negative conclusions about their motives or their competence?
It is easy to spend considerable time and energy chasing down unsubstantiated rumors if we do not choose to give the benefit of the doubt. If I hear that a co laborer has criticized me, I need to say to myself: “He must not have meant it the way it sounds, or perhaps the person who heard him misunderstood what he meant.” Of course, giving the benefit of the doubt doesn’t mean being naïve. But it does mean reserving judgment until we can find out the facts firsthand.
IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO BE GODLY THAN IT IS TO BE RIGHT
I already mentioned that the major cause of “missionary casualties” is the inability to relate harmoniously to other missionaries. This has always astonished me that friction in relationships causes more people to head for home than language, culture, loneliness, difficult living conditions= a seemingly endless list of difficult adjustments. All these factors put additional strain on one’s relations with coworkers.
Inability to get along with fellow workers is a prime cause of “casualties” among people working in one’s own culture as well. Harmonious human relationships are never easy. When we are deeply committed to the Lord and His Great Commission, it is easy to become obsessed with the importance of making the “right” decision, of choosing the “right” strategy. Unfortunately, this attitude can easily lead to ungodly behavior toward coworkers who don’t necessarily agree on the “right decision, the “right” strategy, the “right” philosophy of ministry.
You see, the more there is at stake, the more important it is to choose the right strategy or philosophy or decision. When you leave your profession and your country for a mission, that mission is about all you have. This puts a tremendous strain on relationships when there is not perfect agreement on the right course of action. For some reason, things are intensified when you are serving together in another country.
But you don’t have to go to another country to experience this. It can easily happen among coworkers in their own country. I suspect that Dave and Larry have seen plenty of cases of this happening among Americans serving in America. When you leave everything for a mission, that mission is all you have left. When that mission is threatened because some blockhead Navigator wants to choose a bad strategy, it is very easy to get upset and compromise on godliness. I have seen it happen time and again that godly, mature Christian leaders can act in ways that they would quickly condemn in a young Christian. Why? Because it was more important to them to be right.
Although serious conflict over issues of ministry philosophy or strategy are all too common, it is possible to break the cycle through choosing to be godly, even if we are convinced that the wrong decision is being made. I already shared the story of how the man I replaced as country leader in France chose to work as hard as he could to prove himself wrong. That is a good example of choosing to be godly rather than being right. He was convinced that it was a mistake, but he worked as hard as he could to prove that he was wrong. It takes a godly man to do that.
Many conflicts result from disagreement over the better of two good options. When I was in the Navy, I learned that a mediocre plan well executed is better than an excellent plan sloppily executed. Choosing to be godly over being “right” enables us to wholeheartedly implement a decision with which we may not agree, and thus help to guarantee its success. If we insist that our ideas are “right” in the face of determined opposition, we can cause unnecessary conflict or ensure the failure of a plan by not giving it our best.
Of course, this principle applies only to issues that are not clear-cut questions of morality. We should never violate a clear teaching of the Bible or stifle our consciences because of pressure from other people, even from other Christians.
Let me illustrate what I mean with a case study from the Bible: Acts 15:36-41. This is a familiar story, of course, and it is easy to gloss over the pain that Barnabas and Paul both undoubtedly felt at this parting of the ways. Barnabas had been the first Christian to welcome Paul into the Body of Christ (Acts 9:27-28). When Barnabas was sent to Antioch, he sent for Paul to help him in the ministry there (Acts 11:25). Paul and Barnabas had been ministering together for some time at Antioch (Acts 11:30. 12:25), when the Holy Spirit directed the church there to send them out on the first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-4). Then they made the first missionary journey together (Acts 13:7, 43, 46, 50; 15:2, 12, 22, 25). Then they were allies in the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:2. 12, 22, 25). Altogether, they had probably known each other for 12 or 13 years, and they had served together for several years. So this was undoubtedly a painful separation.
So the question is: “Who was right and who was wrong?” Paul and Barnabas both felt strongly enough about this issue to sever their working relationship over it, so it was no little thing. How many think that Paul was right? How many think that Barnabas was right? How many think that this is a trick question?!?
Let’s look at this a little more closely. What is the issue here? Whether or not to take Mark on the second missionary journey, right? Now, what was the underlying value that was driving Paul here? The mission, right? What was the value that was driving Barnabas? The man, right? Barnabas saw this missionary journey as an opportunity to rehabilitate Mark, because his overriding value was the man. Paul did not want to jeopardize the success of the mission by taking along someone who had bailed out on the first missionary journey. So who had the right value?
I personally tend to believe that they were both right. Both values of the mission and the man are Biblical. As a matter of fact, Paul later admitted, at least tacitly, that Barnabas was right, because he wrote to Timothy: ”Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in my ministry”!
I think that what we are dealing with here is a difference of convictions. Paul had a conviction that the mission was the most important thing. Barnabas had a conviction that the man was the most important thing. This points up that there are different levels of belief or certainty. Specifically, I think that there are four:
1. Certainty: These are things that are perfectly clear in the Bible, and we can’t compromise on these. Jesus is the Son of God. The Bible is the Word of God. Salvation is by grace through faith. Murder, adultery, theft, lying, etc. are always sin. God has given us Ten Commandments, not ten suggestions. There can be no compromising on these things.
2. Convictions: These are beliefs that I hold very deeply, and though I am not about to change them, I can recognize that other believers may have different convictions that they hold very deeply, and it doesn’t mean that they are wrong. I think the story of the separation of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 15:36-41 is an example of differing convictions.
3. Opinions: Romans 14:1-2 says: “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, {but} not for {the purpose of} passing judgment on his opinions.” This introduces Paul’s teaching on the questions of Christian liberties. Is it permissible for a Christian to eat meat sacrificed to idols? Is it OK for a Christian to eat wine, or to play sports on Sunday, or whatever? Paul puts these questions in the category of opinions. An opinion is a belief for which I probably have good reasons, but I am willing to consider changing my opinions if someone gives me some good reasons. When we went to France, for example, our opinions on some things were challenged.
4. Prejudice: This is a level of belief, which may be firmly held, but is not well supported. The best way I can illustrate this is the old saying, “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts.”
Now, it has been both my observation and experience that many, if not all, of us have the tendency to escalate things up this scale. For example, we tend to elevate our convictions to certainty, our opinions to convictions, and our prejudices to opinions. In extreme cases, prejudices get elevated to the level of absolute certainty! This leads to a lot of conflicts over issues that are not worth fighting over. If we can identify the proper level of the subject we are discussing, it can help us not to draw a line in the sand over something that is not worth it. This is one practical way to apply the principle that it is more important to be godly than it is to be right.
LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS
This principle came into focus for me when my communication skills were reduced to zero because I couldn’t speak the language of the people I was trying to reach. I decided that I could choose to love the people and their culture even if I could not choose to be fluent in their language. I worked very hard to learn their language, perhaps the hardest I have ever worked in my life, and eventually I was able to speak French just about as well as I speak English, but not without more effort. But as I thought about it, I realized that the country was full of people who spoke the language perfectly, but who did not use that ability to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15)
In fact, one day I was sitting in a café, and I observed how the people were using a perfect command of the French language to say absolutely nothing of significance. I wanted to say to them: “How can you do that? How can you waste your ability to speak French like that to say such meaningless drivel?” Needles to say, I didn’t say it, but I did realize that, even though I was limited in my ability to speak the language, I did have something worth saying, and I could choose to love the people to whom I was saying it.
As I look back on it now, I realize that the French were able to perceive that we loved them, even if we didn’t speak their language perfectly. Some of the best friends we have ever had are French, both believers and unbelievers. I used to ask myself, “Why do these people want to be our friends? We have foreign accents, and we are Americans.” I concluded that they must have sensed that we loved them and we were doing the best we could.
Moses (Exodus 4:10-13) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:6-10) were both convinced that they lacked the communication skills needed to proclaim God’s message. Fortunately for them (and for us), God stands ready to give us the skills needed to carry out His mission (Exodus 4:12; Jeremiah 1:9-10). I can still remember my first halting attempts to share my faith-and my utter amazement when people responded to what I had to say. If we care about the people with whom we are seeking to communicate, that will come through despite any verbal limitations we might have. I Corinthians 13:1 makes it clear that love is more important than eloquence: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.”
YOU CAN’T LOSE BEING A LEARNER
The Greek word that is translated “disciple” (mathétés) in the New Testament is a word that literally means learner”. It is the word from which we get the word “mathematics” in English. It signifies thought accompanied by endeavor. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to think that being a good disciple of Jesus Christ means growing to the point where I don’t need to learn anymore! Nothing could be further from the truth.
It is all too easy to develop a “teacher” complex, when one is seeking to reach people for Christ or to help them grow as disciples. I have observed, however, that adults respond much better to a “fellow-learner”, someone who has not yet discovered all the secrets of the universe and who is committed to the process of continual learning.
When I was a midshipman in the Navy, I found that the enlisted men were always willing to help me if I would admit that they knew more about their part of the ship than I did. My friends who refused to admit their ignorance always got the runaround!
We had the same experience in going to France. The French accepted our halting speech from the beginning (when it was really bad!), because they sense that we were committed to learning and making progress.
Early on in our time in France, a fellow missionary told me: “There is no question as to whether or not you will become a little child; the only question is whether or not you will do it graciously!” He was right. Yet, surprisingly, it was refreshing to start all over again, to learn how to speak and how to live just as a child does. The joy of discovery is one of the wonders of childhood, and it is rare that an adult is given the privilege of a fresh start. But beginning again is also humbling, so we have to choose to enjoy it.
All of these principles require us to make certain choices. We can choose to remain faithful to our ideal. We can choose to pray for the best. We can choose to develop Christ like character, to be godly, even when it means renouncing our right to be right. We can choose to give the benefit of the doubt. We can choose to love people, even when we have difficulty communicating with them. We can choose to be learners.
Have you ever thought how much of the Bible is about choices? Every command implies a choice – either to obey it or to disobey it. Joshua 23:14-15; Deuteronomy 30:19-20; Proverbs 8:10-11 and 16:16; John 7:17 and Luke 10:38-42 all speak to the importance of making wise choices.
In 1989, I had spinal meningitis. When I began to recover after 5 weeks in intensive care, many of my friends told me that they had thought that I was going to die. I had been oblivious to this, but it did get my attention. One thing for which I was extremely grateful was to realize that, if I had died at that time, I would not have regretted any of my choices. I regretted many of my actions, and especially my reactions, but I didn’t regret any of my choices. That is significant, because there had been times before this where I had been tempted to regret my choices, especially when I was scraping to find enough money to pay the bills! In general, engineers have fewer financial worries than Navigators! This experience helped me regain perspective that I was glad that I had chosen to give my life to this ideal and not to desert it.
Although we have a great responsibility, we also have a great hope. If serving God is primarily a matter of intrinsic qualities that we either have or don’t have, we can easily become discouraged. If, on the other hand, we realize that pleasing our Master is primarily a matter of choices that we can make, we can be freed from the burdens of comparison and inadequacy. As we walk with God, continually allowing Him to transform our character, we will be laborers that need never fear defeat.
LESSONS LEARNED AS A MISSIONARY
1. THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE SERVANT
2. CHARACTER IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GIFTS AND ABILITIES
GIVE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT
IT IS MORE IMPORTANT TO BE GODLY THAN IT IS TO BE RIGHT
FOUR LEVELS OF BELIEF
a) Certainty
b) Convictions
c) Opinions
d) Prejudice
5. LOVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS
6. YOU CAN’T LOSE BEING A LEARNER
By John Ed Robertson
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