Just In Time

Truckers must be trained before they are allowed on the road.  Training is required for teachers, carpenters, bull riders, policemen, nurses, hair stylists, and even Wal-Mart checkers.  Most vocational preparation is what I call “just-in-time” training, meaning, people are instructed for a task just before they are launched into the work.  

 

There is hardly a profession in the world that doesn’t require training for a specific task.  EXCEPT, for people who are going overseas as career missionaries.

 

Missionary training is a hard sell. Missionaries are trying to get to the field. They’ve been approved by their denomination or sending agency; they’re raising support and to stop in the middle to attend a two-week or one-month training session seems to be a waste of time and money. But is it?

 

The Long Road Less Travelled

 

What is the process for getting to the mission field for a career missionary? Consider the chart below, an arbitrary time scale to be sure, but a guide nevertheless.

 

1.     The Discovery phase serves as an introduction to missionaries in Sunday School, a mission conference, or a denominational video presentation. Capturing the attention of American Christians towards the global task has become increasingly challenging. However, it is at this crucial point of Discovery that the less-traveled journey begins.

 

2.     The Interest period is a person dipping their toe into the global waters by attending an Urbana conference, a fact-finding short-term mission trip (not the vacation type), or taking a Perspectives course.  It is at this juncture that a person either moves forward or backtracks.

 

3.     The Commitment step is answering “the call.” It’s that defining moment when one says, “Here am I Lord, send me.” But how do they get there?

 

4.     Preparation may include going to seminary, an internship in a local church, and filling out an application to a missionary sending agency. This time period could easily be five years or more. The timeline for second-career people may be shortened with focused training.

 

5.     If one perseveres to the point they are approved to be a missionary, they begin the Funding process which is between six months (rare) to three or more years (sadly, not unusual).

 

The question is, after they complete the arduous process and finally get to the field, how prepared is that missionary really for cross-cultural service? Their cultural anthropology class was six years ago and they have no clue why the study of kinship has anything to do with being a witness to a Hindu. True, they did spend two weeks in the Dominican Republic participating in vacation Bible school, but did they learn what it takes to set up residence in Cote d’Ivoire? They may feel called to serve in the Philippines, but exactly what is the need in that country, which has had the Gospel four times longer than they have been alive?

 

JUST IN TIME LEARNING

 

Just-in-time  (JIT) training plays a vital role in preparing missionary families for their fieldwork, and its duration can vary from two weeks to three months. By providing targeted and timely instruction, JIT training equips them with the necessary skills, knowledge, and cultural understanding needed to navigate the challenges they will face in the field. The focused and time-sensitive nature of JIT training ensures that missionaries are well-prepared and able to make a meaningful impact in their new environment.

 

JIT sharpens the focus of missionaries. Even if a missionary is only 50% into their fundraising efforts, JIT can actually assist them in raising support during the most challenging phase. By enabling missionaries to concentrate on their mission and the people they will be working with, JIT allows them to present a clear and compelling message when seeking support. This clear focus not only motivates the missionary but also resonates with those who listen to their plea for support. As Ralph Winters aptly stated, "When the task is not clear, people are not sent." Therefore, having clear goals will lead to realistic and attainable results in support raising.

 

JIT means that when a missionary gets on the field months later, they will have a head start on what needs to be done and how to achieve their goals. The missionary will actually understand that contextualization isn’t just a word they learned ten years ago in an obscure classroom, but a reality in the context they now find themselves.

 

It is a sobering reality that many missionaries embark on cross-cultural work without adequate preparation. This fact is evident in the statistics that show 95% of missionary efforts are concentrated in countries that have already been extensively reached with the Gospel. In this context, the importance of just-in-time training becomes apparent. JIT training not only addresses this issue practically but also has the potential to be a defining moment in the life of a missionary and in advancing the unfinished task of the Great Commission.

 

Strategic, God-Led Partnerships (SGPL)

Several years ago I was asked to speak to a group of about fifty people about missions and becoming a missionary.  Many of the people in the room were young professionals, in their late 20s and early 30s.  They had a heart for the Great Commission but didn’t know where they would fit in the grand scheme of things.  I asked them this question,

“What is the one thing that keeps you from committing yourself to career missions?”

 

“Raising support,” was their overwhelming response.

 

It’s true, our Lord did say that we are to “pray that to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers” (Matt. 9:38), but, like my old professor, Noel Smith, used to say, “People can’t eat a ‘God bless you’, they need filthy lucre to buy bread.”  A bended knee is worthless if there is a latch on the pocketbook,

 

The graph below is my adaptation of The God Ask by Steve Shadrack (2013) and it highlights the key components of how the students of that mission class could overcome their hesitancy for missions. 

Missionaries have a two-way God ask.  First, they need to have confidence that it is God who is their provider for all their financial needs.  Of course, this is true for every follower of Christ, but sometimes cross-cultural workers get anxious and try to find slick and unusual methods to raise funds.  Methods are not wrong until we start depending on our marketing schemes.  Secondly, the God ask is that He would bring people into our lives in partnership for the work He has called us to.

 

Donors have a two-way ask as well.  To God, that He would lead us to know who and what Great Commission work we should invest in.  Secondly, when we encounter cross-cultural workers, their vision for ministry is compatible with our understanding of global needs.

 

Strategic God-led partnerships are easier through sodalities (associations) than modalities (organizations). The purpose of (sodality) para-church groups is to focus on specific tasks (feeding programs, medical work, targeting unreached people groups, etc.).  Denomination modalities many times is a grab-bag approach to global work where donors depend on the organizations to send out missionaries rather than have a strategic plan.  The strength of modalities is the financial and accountability structure, which is lacking with some independent clearinghouse or sodality missions.

 

The key to Strategic God Led partnership is intentionality.  Missions cannot, or should not be, merely a program or driven by emotion.  When a missionary, church, organization, or individual donor intentionally understands the global need and asks God for direction and provision, the Lord of the Harvest will send laborers to the 3.6 billion people who have never met a follower of Christ.

𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒏𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝒓𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅

Following up on my prior post, a more comprehensive description of the Engle’s scale is below. Special attention is focused on those who serve in the most unreached parts of the world.

 -5: Negatively Resistant – These individuals are opposed to the message of the Gospel and may actively reject it. Muslims in North Africa and the Middle East, and Hindu fundamentalists in Nepal or Sri Lanka are not only resistant to the Gospel but may be hostile to the message of Christ. Those working in these environments are mostly Insiders and Alongsiders.

 -4: Resistant – In these cultures, people may not exhibit overt hostility towards the message of the Gospel. However, due to cultural constraints, they tend to resist and reject any suggestion of embracing the teachings of Christ. While they may not be antagonistic towards Christians, they remain closed off from considering the claims of the Gospel. The individuals serving in these contexts encompass a range of roles, including Pioneers, Insiders, and Alongsiders.

 -3: Neutral – Individuals that are neither hostile nor receptive to the Gospel. They may be unaware of it or indifferent to it. Of course, these people are everywhere in the world. Much of missionary/evangelism throughout the world are among the Neutral. 

-2: Interested – This stage can be described as the "nibble" phase in the process of "fishing for men." People in this stage are relatively more open to the message of the Gospel and are willing to delve deeper into its exploration. It’s a critical juncture for Pioneers and Insiders, as they engage with resistant people groups. Prematurely jerking the pole, so to speak, risks permanently scaring away those who are genuinely interested in the Gospel.

 -1: Seeking - Individuals at this stage are actively seeking answers to their spiritual questions and are open to considering the Gospel.  This is one-on-one, many times secretly, guiding people toward becoming followers of Christ Jesus. 

 0: Indicating a Decision - Individuals at this stage are ready to make a spiritual decision but have not yet done so.  Like Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, they may be secret disciples but have turned the corner in believing He is the Christ. 

 +1: Making a Decision - At this stage, a person has made a decision to follow Christ, but for Insiders and Pioneers this is a crucial point, much like -2. This is not necessarily the time to insist on baptism or joining a church. The convert may need further guidance and support before they take that next step. 

+2: Receptive to Discipleship – The new believer is now eager to grow in their faith and is receptive to discipleship and mentoring. There is nothing more invigorating than to be with newborn babes in Christ. 

+3: Growing in Faith - Individuals at this stage are actively growing in their faith and may need guidance and support as they face new challenges and opportunities. This is especially true of a new believer in a resistant culture. How to navigate this new life among kinship and cultural expectations can only be properly addressed by those who have actually dealt with these challenges…Insiders. 

+4: Maturing in Faith – At this point the individual takes on the role of an Insider. Mature in their faith, they are equipped to mentor and disciple others. 

+5: Multiplying Disciples – Multiplying may or may not result in a people movement, but is through this process the unengaged will have a witness among them and the unreached are being reached with the Good News about our marvelous Lord Jesus.

Communication By Scale

In my last post, I outlined the categories of mission work (Pioneers, Growers, Clandestiners, Insiders, Alongsiders). The category of a missionary's work is determined by two key factors: the location where the missionary serves and the level of understanding the local population has regarding the Gospel. 

 

The world population is nearing 8 billion people. 

47.7% percent of the world has been Reached with the Gospel, meaning 20% percent of the population is Christian, and more than 2% are evangelical. 

41.5% of the world is Unreached, meaning, 5% or less of the population are Christian and less than 2% evangelical. 

Within the Unreached there are the Unengaged, 10%. The difference between the Unreached and the Unengaged is that the Unreached, in many places of the world, like India, the Church has access to non-Christians, whereas the Unreached has limited to no opportunity to hear the Gospel, as in Algeria where the Christian population is .04%. 

Of course, in every country, there may be pockets of Christians within an Unreached country, such as the Nagas in northeast India, and pockets of Unengaged in a Reached country, i.e. the Somali in Kenya. In analyzing ministry/missionary needs, the focus should be on people groups, not countries or regions. 

As stated before, over 90% of all Christian work is among people who have already been reached with the Gospel, they are the Growers, meaning their work is primarily in church growth, and living in countries that are highly receptive to the Gospel message. 

5% of all missionary work are Pioneers, working with 41.5% of Unreached. 

Less than 2% of mission work are among the Unengaged people groups, and what little engagement there are is through Insiders and Clandestiners. 

 The Alongsiders, for the most part, are in partnership with Insiders and Clandestiners. 

Another model in analyzing missionary activity is the awareness/receptivity of people to the Gospel. Most missionaries are familiar with Engle's scale for evangelism, which was introduced in James Engel and Wilbert Norton's book, What's Gone Wrong with the Harvest? published in 1975.

This model is helpful, especially for Growers where most of the population is -6 on the scale, which includes most of North and South America, Sub-Sahara, and Europe…47% of the Reached world.

 

Because my focus is primarily on the Unreached and Unengaged people groups of the world, the scaled-down Engle’s model will be the focus of my next post.

 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐃𝐨 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐨?

 

In a previous post, I gave my views on “is every Christian a missionary?”  I argued that, like the office of a pastor, teacher, and evangelist, the office as well as the gift of a missionary is unique.  

By default, every missionary is a cross-cultural worker, meaning they have left their own culture, and learned the language of the culture in which they serve.  

 

What then does a missionary do?  I have classified missionary work into four categories.  

Pioneers, Insiders, Clandestiner’s, Growers, and, Alongsider’s.

 

𝙋𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙧𝙨-  By definition, pioneer missionaries are the first to do something. They go to unreached areas and take the Gospel first.  You could say they are entrepreneurs, starting new ventures in places where no other person or group has gone.  Two hundred years ago pioneer missionaries were the norm.  They went to the unreached people and groups proclaiming the Good News to those who had never heard of Jesus.  We don’t have many true pioneer missionaries in today's mission world, but there are a few.  In Thailand, where I was last month, I know that there are some Western missionaries that are starting new churches.  If they are breaking new ground in that country that is true pioneer work.

 

𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬– Insiders are Christians from that country who live where, in many cases, it is illegal to be a follower of Christ and certainly will be killed or put in prison if they convert to Christianity. Of course, missionaries from the West are not Insiders but they can work with Insiders covertly.

 

𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧’𝙨– In many restricted areas of the world, traditional church planting isn’t possible, and those who go to those countries cannot obtain a missionary or religious visa.  Clandestine work is living in these closed countries working in business or as a part of an NGO.  Many of these clandestine workers are working with Insiders.  I am familiar with at least three such American families who are serving in these restricted countries.  By nature, the work is slow and not visible which perhaps is a frustration for sending churches in America, but very important in reaching the most unreached peoples of the world nevertheless. 

 

𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬-  Much of the work of Western missionaries today is in the capacity of Growers. They serve in countries where there is freedom for the Gospel to start churches, build buildings, teach in seminaries, and offer social or youth programs.  Most of the work of Growers is in countries, that by definition, are already reached with the Gospel.  Of course, there are lost people in every corner of the world so their work is important. In function, however, they are not reaching the most unreached of the world but are involved in the church growth of the country they serve.  

 

𝘼𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨– Alongsider’s are those who come alongside national workers to help them reach the unreached.  Many of the national Christians that work in restricted or closed countries have little opportunity to go to Bible College or seminary. Alongsider’s go to their countries or a neighboring country to teach God’s Word, disciple secret believers as well as help them learn ways they can be a witness in hostile environments.  

In a world where over half the world's population has no access to hear the Good News of Christ, and where nearly 95% of all Christian work is among countries that already have a strong Christian witness, I believe it is important that we understand the nature and work of missionaries.

I suspect that for most congregations throughout the world, we are “doing” missions but not really enhancing the Great Commission to take the Gospel to all the world.  What type of missionaries are we preparing for in cross-cultural work?  Are we equipping people for the unreached or merely promoting church growth?

 

It is my strong belief that until we change our paradigm of mission work and focus on how to partner with those serving in countries with the greatest need, we will continue to do missions but will fall short in reaching the uttermost parts of the world.

 

 

 

COVID and Missions

 

There is no question that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on world missions.  The global church has been stifled because of this disease as they have been locked down or activities curtailed throughout the world.  In my case, as a teacher and trainer in cross-cultural church planting for the national church, the opportunities to work overseas continue to be more than challenging and not a little bit frustrating. 

 

One of the most devastating effects of the pandemic is the division it has caused between those of differing opinions about the virus.  Those who resist vaccines and wearing of masks are labeled as uneducated “science deniers,” while the proponents of such measures are dubbed by the former as extreme Branch Covidians or Covidianites.

 

On my recent trip to Senegal, I was struck by how the division of opinion of COVID has affected even the missionary community.  Let me set the stage…Senegal is about 17 million in population.  In the over two years of Corona, they have had less than 85,000 cases of COVID and less than 2,000 deaths.  Granted, they don’t have testing sites in every village or on every corner of the city and they certainly don’t have home testing kits.  Though the government requires masks in certain venues, it’s not mandated, and walking the streets of Dakar or Mbour you would hardly know there was a virus.  In the villages and countryside, Corona is something they have heard about but has little to no effect on daily living. 

 

How COVID has impacted missions is the effect it has WITHIN the mission community.  Primarily from North America and Europe, it is the ex-pat neighborhood that suffers the same division of opinion on COVID as those from their homeland and how to deal with the virus.  I was surprised that if some missionary or family member had a scratchy throat or a felt “flush,” they immediately went for a COVID test.  If they tested positive, they self-quarantined and some of them haven’t left the house in two weeks!  On the other side of the pandemic perspective, there are missionaries living life as though there was no such thing as an omicron, and went to work and engaged in the community as normal.  If they did feel a bit sluggish they would just take an aspirin, and taking a “test” wouldn’t even cross their mind.  Strange, isn’t it?  People overseas act exactly as they would in their home country.  

 

When Corona was discovered 24 months ago, the Africans called it a “white man’s disease.”  

Of course, we know that thousands of non-whites have died from COVID and it’s not exclusively a Caucasian condition.  However, I’m beginning to think that the fear and response to this bug has become a national/ethnic identity.  No doubt our enemy is taking advantage of some with the preoccupation of this germ.  However, because God is sovereign, His will is not thwarted and the message of Christ still goes forward.  While Westerners hunker down in place, our national brothers and sisters remain faithful in their service for Him, oblivious to the importance of a swab or a jab.  

For the Long-Haul

 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐠-𝐇𝐚𝐮𝐥

 

Last month I was asked to speak to a group of missionaries on the subject of “𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐯
𝐢𝐭𝐲.”  This group of cross-cultural workers in West Africa were honoring a couple who had just completed 40 years on the field.  In their presence, I felt I was speaking theoretically before those who lived it.  From my perspective, here are the 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐲 tips necessary for serving long-term on the mission field.

 

𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 …for the work, the people they work with and, of course, for the Lord they serve.  Hardly anyone will stick it out, in any profession, if they are “lukewarm” in their convictions for the task.  Four-hundred and eighty-five years ago yesterday, William Tyndale was strangled and burned at the stake for his passion in translating the Bible into English.  A far cry from the statement I heard from one of my students who said, “If it doesn’t work out, we’ll just come home.”  𝑰𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒐𝒖𝒕, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓.  

 

Missionaries serving many years in another country are those who have a passion that what they do, great or small, and 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬.  My friends working in secular Europe for over three decades are there in spite of the spiritual coldness because they have a passion to be light in midst of secular darkness.  “How can you live in a country of idols and lost people” a visitor asked my friend in Asia?  The answer is simple, God’s calling on their lives does not hinge on receptivity of the lost, but on the conviction, the passion, if you please, they had when their Lord moved them to that country many years ago.  Those who serve Him for the long-haul are passionate about their work.

 

𝐆𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 - In the twelve “gifts” mentioned in the Scriptures, you will not see the gift of being a missionary.  Probably the closest gift, not the office, is the gift of apostleship.  The Apostle Paul had both the office and the gift that is necessary for cross-cultural ministry.  Missionaries, like the twelve apostles, are 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝, 𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨.  

 

There used to be a rather derogatory remark in church circles when I went out as a missionary that went something like this… “If you can’t be a pastor, you can always be a missionary.”  I love pastors and I honor their ministries, but it could be equally said, “𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫.”  Those who have a long shelf-life on the mission field is due to the fact they are gifted for that task.

 

𝐍𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐞 – I have always believed that the reason many people don’t survive on the mission field is because they have never found their niche, their nook, in service.  Not everyone can do the work of an evangelist or church planting.  Those who have the gift of hospitality can bring as many people to know Christ as those who stand up and preach.  In fact, in places where people are resistant to the Gospel, those who are hospitable and who make friends can be much more effective in telling people about our Lord.  You can call it “job satisfaction,” if you like, but serving Christ in the area where we are gifted, in all areas of life, is the key to longevity. 

 

𝐏𝐮𝐦𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐬 – If a missionary makes it through 𝐟𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 on the field, barring sickness or political unrest, they will probably be there throughout their career.  Until that time, cross-cultural workers will struggle with language and culture.  𝑪𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈.  A missionary will always be a foreigner, always an outsider.  The easiest and the most common reaction to stress is to head home and call it quits.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.  From time-to-time, missionaries need to pump the breaks to find equilibrium.  That may be finding place for physical and spiritual refreshment, or being engaged in an activity that is not ministry related. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a vacation outside of your country.  If you live in Africa, go to Europe for a few weeks.  If you, live in Europe, go on an African safari.  Go somewhere to escape the cultural weight of being an outsider on your field.  It’s impossible to be on-the-go in ministry 24/7.  Paint, write, play golf or, as my friends in Senegal do, go surfing. Do something that allows you to escape the pressures of daily life in a strange land.  If you pump the breaks from time-to-time, and then you’ll find that when you do get back in the work 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 and energized for the good work God has called you to.

 

I met a missionary in South America who was well past retirement age and had lived in Bolivia for over forty years.  When I asked him if he ever thought about returning to the states his answer was simple.  “Why would I do that?” he said wryly.  “My siblings live in Florida, but I have no real ties to the U.S. anymore.  We bought a little hacienda here a few years back and, though I am physically unable to work in ministry like I used to, I still meet with our pastors and church leaders often, mentoring and encouraging Christians every day.  No, I don’t think about going back to the states.  I’m content to have coffee with friends here each day, serving the Lord here until He calls me home.”

 

Serving overseas is not for the fainthearted, but those who make missions a career, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

 

(Pictured – Marjorie Browning, served in Brazil for over 40 years, murdered in 2014).

Will 2020 Be The Good Old Days?

New Year Resolution

𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟙 ℝ𝔼𝕊𝕆𝕃𝕌𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ

No doubt there will be many posts today expressing good riddance to 2020. Truly, it’s been an ugly year.

However, it’s very possible in 2021 we will look back at 2020 as "𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔." Why? Because of the continual inordinate fear in this world, cruelty, political power grabs, spitball science, medical profiteering, media manipulation and scare tactics, shaming and neurosis. I do hope I’m wrong, but I am dubious.

Speaking with a friend of mine in Delhi yesterday he said there are two types of people he interacts with, the “𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀,” and the “𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀” as it relates to the CV. That pretty well sums it up for people I know as well. (The over cautious are the guys I saw in the Paris airport in September. I’m pretty sure that some people I know here in the states would do the same if the CDC told them such outfits would “slow the spread” of the virus.) There may be some people who are callous, but I really haven’t met anyone like that. Being skeptical doesn’t make one hard-hearted, just one who is leery of drinking the socially accepted and humanistic Kool-Aid.

My resolution for 2021 is Psalms 90:12, putting into the personal pronoun “(𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅) 𝑻𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚𝒔, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒎𝒂𝒚 𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒊𝒔𝒅𝒐𝒎.” Meaning…we need God to reveal to us the brevity of life. That revelation will help us grow wise, and 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬.

I am assuming people know that everyone is going to die. And, since God is sovereign, each one of us will not die one second before His appointed time for us, nor the people we come in contact with. 𝑾𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓. 𝑳𝒊𝒇𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝑯𝒊𝒎. If I catch the CV and die, I’m quite certain the Lord is not going to be surprised and say to me, “Gee, Richard, I didn’t expect to see you so soon! Did you not wear a mask?”

The overly cautious might tell this story differently. “Richard, I expected to see you here because you didn’t social distance yourself.” No matter how you envision the story, it doesn’t negate God’s sovereignty. 𝗠𝘆 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀.

Being cautious, but not overly cautious, does not suggest foolishness, reckless behavior or tempting fate, whatever that is (only fatalists believe in fate). I don’t walk down the middle of a road expecting God to protect me from getting hit by a car. Wisdom dictates a balanced approach to life, knowing that there are some things I can control but a whole lot more in life I cannot control.

And how does one get such wisdom to live? Solomon says, “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙊𝙍𝘿 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙙𝙤𝙢. 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙚𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩” (Proverbs 9:10).

I think I understand that. That I am not to fear COVID nor the uncertainties of life, but to fear, respect, be in awe, in submission to the One who created me.

As I write this, another passage of Scripture comes to mind, again, written by Solomon, the wisest man in the world who said, “𝗛𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗼𝘄, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗽” (Ecclesiastes 4:11). 2021 will have a lot of head-winds and no doubt there will be days of dark clouds. If I live my life in the fear of the “𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝗳’𝘀,” I will never seize the opportunities God has for me, I will never reap the rewards of living life to the fullest in spite of the obstacles.

My prayer for this new year is that people may know the true and living, all good, all power God. By knowing Him they will have wisdom, which will give them peace, and enjoy life for the days ahead.

𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗬 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥!

Mungu (God) Anajua (He knows)

Mungu Anajua is a delightful term that Kenyans use when they don’t have an answer to something. I asked a father of six how many kids he and his wife were going to have and he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Mungu Anajua” (God knows).

So here we are, at least four-half months into the worldwide pandemic and not much progress has been made in containing the virus, curing it, opening our economy or living a normal life. Why? Because no one has answers and no one has the courage to say, “We don’t know.” Instead we have daily governor briefings to tell us the same thing they said yesterday. They spitball every day with mandates and executive orders hoping it will “flatten the curve,” but they don’t know any more today about how to solve the problem than they did sixteen weeks ago.

Follow the science, people argue, but they ignore the science because it doesn’t fit their narrative that somehow this virus is equal to the bubonic plague. Science tell us that kids rarely catch the disease and maybe they don’t even transmit it, yet we’re going to make little Johnny wear a mask to school or maybe won’t have school at all. Mungu Anajua.

Two things I have learned, maybe three, over the last four months about this pandemic journey:

1. PEOPLE ONLY LISTEN TO WHAT THEY WANT TO HEAR, whether it is about the pandemic, religion (how many times have you heard someone say, “I like to think of God this way”) or politics. Though there is no scientific data that masks slow the virus (please don’t cite the CDC as they have hardly been right about anything), some masked fanatic will pepper spray a father and his son because they didn’t have a face mask on (which happened in California). Or, like me, they think this whole thing is nonsense and still won’t wear a mask no matter what the governor says. We all believe what we want to believe and ain’t nobody going to change our minds!

2. FEAR OF THE HYPOTHETICAL is what drives the behavior of many people, and for me, that is a very sad way to live. As I stated in an earlier post, I worked in a mosquito/malaria part of Kenya for fourteen years. If I lived my life on the “what if’s” I would have never traveled into the bush to establish churches. I wasn’t foolhardy. I took my weekly chloroquine tablet but still wound up in the hospital twice with malaria and dengue fever. If I lived life on the “what if’s” I would have never left Arkansas. The whole world is held hostage to the hypothetical and that is tragic.

3. MUNGU ANAJUA. In the end, the God of the universe and the sustainer of all things really knows about the virus. I don’t know, the experts in white coats have proven they don’t know. The only science I have a little faith in are those who are actually working on a vaccine. But since they still haven’t developed a vaccine for SARS who knows if they will find an effective antidote for COVID-19. Mungu Anajua. Six months to a year from now we will all look back and will have a better picture of this crazy year. Until then, I’m going to live my life according to the Book, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” and say along with my African friends, Mungu Anajua.

NOT MY FIRST LOCKDOWN RODEO

This is not the first time in my life when the government told us we were locked down and not to go out of the house.

 

It was Sunday morning August 1, 1982, and, as was our custom as a family, we loaded into our four-wheel Land Cruiser and left early to travel into the bush to preach.  (In those days I preached in three different villages each Sunday, leaving the house around 8 a.m. and getting back home before dark at 7 p.m.)  We noticed that there were a lot of army vehicles on the road, but had no clue what was going on.  When we arrived at our first village, pastor Gichuki was shocked to see us.

 

“You need to return home immediately,” he said.  “There is a military coup taking place right now.  Return to your home and lock the gate and yourself in the house.” 

 

Arriving home an hour later, I tuned into the BBC radio as the Voice of Kenya had been taken over by the rebels.  Comparatively speaking, it was a minor uprising lasting only a week, with 100 soldiers killed and 200 civilians, including non-Kenyan’s.  It was nevertheless a tense moment that could have turned ugly and I, of course, was concerned for my wife and young daughters.

 

A military coup lockdown and COVID-19 lockdown both have similar and obvious dissimilar characteristics, but it all centers around the concept of CONTROL, POWER, FORCE and LEGITIMACY, which I cover in my class in cultural anthropology.

 

Richard Newbold Adams in Energy & Structure: A Theory of Social Power provides these definitions.

 

1) CONTROL is a NON-RECIPROCAL relationship in the sense that it exists between a person and some structure or system within the society which DEMANDS compliance.  In other words, we have no choice, we must acquiesce.  Kim Jong Un, the despot of North Korea, has total control over the people in his country. They don’t have a voice; they don’t have a vote.  The IRS is another example of control.  As a citizen of the United States, I cannot negotiate how much I want to pay in taxes.   I may look for ways to reduce my taxes through deductions, but I still have to pay taxes or the government will seize what I don’t want to pay.

2) POWER is a social relationship that rests on the basis of some pattern of controls and RECIPROCITY, i.e., a person or institution may have power over an individual, but it is within the judgment of that person if they will respond to that power based on their own needs.  The outcome is not total control but perhaps enough control to determine success or failure.  The question is, how much power do they have to control?

 

The pandemic lockdown instituted around the world is, for the most part, contrived by politicians.  They have power but some of them think, or would like to think, they have control over the nation/state/city, but in reality, they only have as much control as the people allow them to have.  In the beginning of the pandemic most people were willing to stay-in-place, but over time the population began to rebel against the power of the authorities.  Even as of this writing, some politicians would like to control the behavior of the population, mandating masks and delaying school openings, limiting crowds to beaches, going to church etc., because the cases of COVID is increasing…though the fatalities of the disease continues to decrease.

 

FORCE is the exercise of control, not power.  Force does not recognize reciprocal action.  The stronger the force, the more control.

 

As the rebels of Kenya tried to force their way into power, so, too, are some protestors in this country making an attempt to force their way to power and controlling the culture of the U.S.  The coup of 1982 failed and the cultural coup we are experiencing today will also fail, but not without causing long lasting damage.

 

LEGITIMACY is something (people or institution) that people agree that it is in some manner correct, proper, or the way it should be.

 

Gaining control through force does not automatically make it legitimate.  Even though Kim Jong Un has complete control in North Korea he is not considered legitimate by the rest of the world, except by other regimes lead by tyrants.  In democratic countries legitimacy is earned through the ballot box.  Every election cycle people of the society determine who is legitimate in making policy decisions and those who are not, and their grip on authority is as certain as shifting sand.

 

In the end, the Kenya coup of 1982 was quickly put down.  The reason for the defeat?  “The coup failed because most of the soldiers did not execute their parts of the plan, as they were drinking and looting instead of going to arrest the president and his ministers.”  The streets of Nairobi 38 years ago look a lot like the 2020 streets of Minneapolis and Seattle.

 

The struggle for control and power in this world continues, but it’s a futile exercise.  The real battle is behind the scenes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).  The arch-enemy of God is presently the god of this world (1 Corinthians 4:4) and plays havoc daily.  Nevertheless, only Christ Jesus has all rule and authority and power and dominion (Ephesians 1:21). The spiritual coup d’état will one day end when “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).