The Rise and Fall of Modern Day Missions

 I have been partially involved with Christian missions for over 40 years since my Inter Varsity days in 1979 to 1980 at Georgia Tech.  One of my roommates joined Wycliffe.  My college friends went to Saudi Arabia with Aramco and other oil companies to learn Arabic and be missionaries to Muslims.  They took risks for the Gospel and many dreamed of living in China or Yemen.  They took summer trips to China and talked about missions often.  Most failed to see their dreams come true.  Most of them took engineering jobs with big companies and got rich and we stopped communicating.   Some got divorced from spouses that got scared of foreign countries.  

I attended Brother Andrew fund raisers after college when China was closed and the noble exciting christian thing to do was to smuggle bibles into China.  We heard all sorts of mysterious stories of people inprisoned for Bible smuggling and evangelizing in mainland China from our Brother Andrew friends.  Who knows how many of these stories were really true or what was exaggerated to raise more money.  

All right.........too cynical, maybe?  But I am struggling and doubting and being challenged by the state of missions today.  Especially American missionaries and their lack of stability and sustainability.  

Choosing Poverty and Service over Wealth? The Story of Dianne

I had decided to write a monthly newsletter for LoveroftheLeast.com but then I rememberd a blog I had started right before Thanksgiving.  The newsletter will feature a Lover of the Least, real people, not radio of TV personalities, that I have had the privilege to meet over the past 40 years.  I chose Dianne to be the first featured missionary and I thought it was a perfect fit for this blog....... Why did Jesus choose poverty over wealth?

Why would the Father choose to send his Son to earth in poverty?  Why not make Him a real Prince born into royalty with great inheritance and earthly wealth?  Along with this wealth would come great power and authority where He could rule without rival or confrontation.  His lifestyle would include all the pleasures and comforts of the world with no limits to material wealth including land, jewels, precious metals, real estate, slaves, governments and every creature comfort.  He would have been admired and viewed as the epitome of success and highly respected and feared by kings, rulers, presidents and governments around the world.  

Why not make him a man of great power and wealth like Donald Trump or Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs or Jack Dorsey or Tim Cook or Pope Francis?  All men of great power and influence and knowledge.  

Have you ever thought of why the Father chose utter poverty in an animal barn to bring the Savior?  And why he never chose the life of the men mentioned above for the Son of God?  

Is this lifestyle and view on wealth supposed to be an example for His followers?  Read the short story of Dianne from the slums of Bangkok.  She seems to be leaning in that direction..........     with her life.

Brothers of Grace and fellow Lovers of The Least:

I have decided that I will feature a missionary once a month that I have had the privilege to meet.  Like many of you, over the years, I have had the opportunity to meet some incredible people on the mission field starting with the incredible Don Rulison who introduced me to Maken and Narola Sanglir.  And of course, most of you know, this meeting changed my and Linda’s lives for the past 22+ years by introducing us to a level of global servanthood and sacrifice we had never seen.  

Today, I am sharing my experience with Dianne, an Aussie who worked with UNOH in the largest slum in Bangkok.  I followed Dianne around Khlong Toei one day watching her speak to the elderly sick woman in the pic below with Narola.  I will never forget how genuinely concerned she was with this woman’s health and well being.  Her kindness and love for this woman was expressed in her taking the time to stop and listen to this dear woman.  I watched Dianne meet with neighborhood children and give them a drink and a kind word.  I was impressed with her genuine kindness and humble, low key attitude to serve and live in this dirty, filthy, smelly slum in this small two room shack.  As you can see by the photo, she sleeps on a small mat in the small upstairs bedroom.  She is standing in front of her shack with Stephen Sanglir, oldest son of Maken and Narola.

I was also impressed with Dianne’s simple life and lack of a desire for materialism.  She left her two daughters in Australia a few years back to join UNOH and live among the poor in Khlong Toei…….. kinda like…. Ah………. Maybe, sorta like……. WELL…… Jesus might have done!  I can’t even remember what Dianne did in Australia as a career before she retired to LIVE the Gospel of Jesus in Khlong Toei.  I was that overwhelmed with her mission and ministry and commitment.  But I do remember that she asks no one for support and never will.  She is 100% self supporting.

Now Dianne would probably be embarrassed that I am sharing my time with her.  She is not flashy or self absorbed!  It is NOT about her.  But as far as I am concerned…… Dianne is a Rock Star!  She is the real deal on the mission field and I count it an honor to have met her.  

Blessings…….KJ

But it's gonna cost ya..............

The LOVE of Money has no Boundaries!  “Its gonna cost ya!”

 

It is so subtle.  People love money!  All types and ages and colors of people.  If human, they love money.  I don’t care if they are a 78 year old sweet church lady from Kentucky with a sweet southern accent.  The love of money is enticing and seductive and cannot be resisted. 

 

It just happened to me tonight.  I need an alteration on trousers for my daughter’s wedding on Saturday and asked this nice church lady if she could help me.  Probably a 15 minute job for her, maximum.  “I can do it, but its gonna cost ya.”  I always pay but this time because I am in need with an emergency that she sensed was serious, it will cost me.  What does that mean?  I immediately replied that I need the trousers and that I would pay triple the regular price.  She seemed to love that response.  Wow!!!  This sweet “Church Lady” is willing to charge me triple her normal price because I am in an “urgent need” situation.  She is willingly taking advantage of my problem to benefit her bank account.

 

So I thought about that for a couple of hours and instead, asked my wife if she could do it and she was able to fix it.  I must confess that I was miffed and angry about the situation.  I have used this seamstress many times over the years bringing other work to her and applauding her skills.  But, the “its gonna cost ya” comment really upset me and disappointed me.

 

Ok, don’t get me wrong.  We are not talking about thousands of dollars.  But isn’t it the principle of the matter that counts?  Are we called as children of the one true God to find opportunities and take advantage of people based on their negative situation?  Or, are we called to be like the Macedonians mentioned in 2 Corinthians 8.

 

“for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.  For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.”

 

This love for stuff and money is so subtle and anyone can fall into it.  Even little 78 year old sweet southern ladies who never miss church and spend every waking hour with their grandchildren.  They love God, they love country, they make a great apple pie and oh........ they love that almighty dollar too.  Its enticing, its delicious, its private, its faceless, its capitalistic and its American!  After all, books have been written on it.  Leaders tell you that you don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.  Its gonna cost ya!

 

Just like the Macedonians, they negotiated with Paul.  No!  Instead, they begged him and the church for the favor of giving, giving more than their means.  How do you do that?  You do that because you prefer others to yourself.  You serve and you prefer.  My friends, you GIVE til it hurts.  Its called sacrificial giving til it hurts.  Have you ever felt pain where you had abundance of joy and extreme poverty and a wealth of generosity?  IF you are an American, and most of you trying to read this are American, you have no clue what extreme poverty looks like, tastes like or smells like.  NO clue!  None!   But Paul says the Macedonians were living it and they still begged him earnestly for the favor of helping the saints.  This giving is a favor, not a chore or a dreaded obligation!  Do me a favor………… let me give to you out of my poverty.

The love of money is a subtle sin that even sweet ladies can commit and still look sweet and Godly.  Breaking the 10th Commandment is more common than we think.  Coveting the stuff of others including their money will consume you and make you ineffective in the kingdom.  So why does no one talk about it or preach against it.  Because we all do it!  Often!  This is about the intentions and desires of our hearts.  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."  Especially in this materialistic country we live in where money is power and more money is more power.  And we are all pursuing it with all of our heart, mind and soul and NOT the Kingdom.  

But Jesus said it differently in Matthew 13:44 when he told his disciples:

            "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his         joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

Why have I been writing about the love of money for the last 10 years?  Because I would rather buy stupid stuff than that field.  I would rather vacation and enjoy the good life than the kingdom of heaven!

But................. sooner or later......... "its gonna cost ya".

Walking with God vs. Beating the Odds

I absolutely love to gamble!

Can’t tell you how many times I have been to Vegas!

And I can’t tell you how many times I have tried to figure out a method to beat the odds.

With Craps, hold the dice a certain way and get the right arch on the dice with only one bounce  to hit the end of the table.

Roulette – work the thirds of the table alternating to cover 2/3 of the table with every spin.

 Black Jack – you know the odds, use the rules card on when to stop cards from the dealer.

I’ve bought several Gambling Books on “Beating the Odds”.

Trying to set myself up to Win and Win Big!!!

Of course, none of them help!

And No, I didn’t bet the mortgage for “Baby needs a new pair of shoes”

Sure, I have made some stupid bets but not with money for milk.

And just like Eldredge says, I have tried to do that with my life.

Beat the odds of failure.

Read the next self-help book on marriage by Tony Robbins 

Or

How to be a Better Leader by John Maxwell.

Or Faith and Healing and Positive Thinking by Joel Osteen

So why have I been fired so many times?

And 

Why did I sell those 300K shares that went from 30 cents/share to $30/share at 32 cents?

The damn books aren’t working!!

Eldredge makes sense when he says………

"We end up with quite a list. But the only lasting fruit it seems to bear is that it ties us up in knots. Am I supposed to be reading now, or exercising, or monitoring my fat intake, or creating a teachable moment with my son? The good news is you can’t figure out life like that. You can’t possibly master enough principles and disciplines to ensure that your life works out. You weren’t meant to, and God won’t let you."

Eldredge, John (2010-09-19). Walking with God: Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really. (p. 2). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

And I know some of you, just like myself, have not been happy in their jobs or marriages or church

Or

You fill in the blank_________________________________

But Eldredge is right………

"That whole approach to life—trying to figure it out, beat the odds, get on top of your game—it is utterly godless. Meaning, entirely without God. He is nowhere in those considerations. That sort of scrambling smacks more of the infamous folks who raised the tower of Babel than it does of those who walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day."

Eldredge, John (2010-09-19). Walking with God: Talk to Him. Hear from Him. Really. (p. 2). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. 

But you know, the self help and beating the odds didn’t help Tony Robbins….

He is on his second marriage.

And if you have listened to Joel lately, you will notice that 

He is about as deep as the water level in our rain gage the past month.  

NO!!

It seems to come down to learning to Walk with God.  Kind of like ……

Galatians 5:16,17

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for they are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

And that’s what this next book is about……

Learning how to have an intimate walk, daily, with the Living God.

I have been on crutches for a long time and just switched over to my cane.

How is your walk?  

The Next Chapter: Walking with God vs. Smack Talkin! Your Choice?

Obey God in the thing he shows you, and instantly the next thing is opened up.

God will never reveal more truth about himself until you have obeyed what you know already………..

This chapter brings out the delight of real friendship with God.  

————Oswald Chambers

When it comes to Spirituality, I can talk some smack!!

I know all the right terms and verses and quotes and doctrines and phrases……..

God Help Me!!

To Stop the Smack Talk

And

Start the Real Walk…….

not a Moon Walk……or a Poser Walk

But a Walk with my Friend

John 15:15

“I no longer call you servants…………”

A Holy Walk…..loving purity and the Holiness of God!

This book has changed me.  Given to me by my daughter over 10 years ago, I never picked it up until 8 months ago.

The timing was right…….it has rocked me………deep…….in my soul.

Next to the Word of God, Wild at Heart is by far, “My Best Read”, ever!

I would put it over the Westminster Confession any day of the week.

But this is not a book plug, its a life plug!

Dallas Willard writes, “The ideal for divine guidance is …a conversational relationship with God: 

The sort of relationship suited to friends who are mature personalities in a shared  enterprise."

Eldredge suggests we should engage God in simple questions:

“What are you teaching me to do?

What are you teaching me to let go of?

What in my heart are you speaking to?”

So…….I’m gonna try to ask these questions when I am being surrounded by the Philistines……as 

David did in 2 Samuel 5:17-20, 22-25.  No Formula…….

But an open heart……listening to the Spirit of God……speak…..and He will speak.

Do you Hear Him?

Is He is speaking to YOU?

Next Book……….

Walking with God

By

John Eldredge

"Walk by the Spirit"......and I don't mean Johnny Walker Black!

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for they are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

—————————Galatians 5:16-17

So………….my wife and I are at a crossroads and at times, at odds with each other on what to do next.  I admit……I have been confused, very angry, discouraged and disillusioned by normal American Christians, especially myself.  

For the last 4 years, I have been thinking about my next 25 years on this planet and eternity. 

 Part of me says……relax Keith……just be a normal American and do normal American stuff……….

there is no need for adventure in your life.  

After all, your friends and family and acquaintances 

NEVER, EVER 

discuss their future ministry or service opportunities and probably never even think about it.

They live the American Dream in the here and now, counting their 401k's……letting life come to them…..

They are not struggling….why the hell should you??

You are 58 years old, safe, somewhat healthy, some friends, loved by a Godly woman and maybe one or two of your children and most of your Grandchildren, on a good day!

Just do what 99% of your friends, both Christian and non-Christian, do!!  

Live the free American luxurious life

….dreaming of your next luxurious vacation while lounging in your new home watching Monica Lewinsky’s ex-boyfriend’s wife do battle with a thrice married, billionaire orange clown on your new 65 inch LG 4K Curved TV in the cool comfort of your living room drinking your favorite beverage (Double Oaked Woodford Reserve or a Macchia Cab)!!!

………………………………But then, there is another part of me.  

My wife often times calls it “my impulsive nature” ………….. that scares the hell out of her.  

Its full of adventure and risk taking!

And it gets even more intense when I meet people like the young woman Linda and I had in our home last night!

Bright, full of life and a heart for God.

A heart for Missions!!

A heart for where my heart has been for the last 17 years…..Southeast Asia!

Sure…..I cried…..tearing up right now.  

Our Father is Faithful and he is still working in the hearts and minds of young people!

It was a great encouragement and she wants to visit our children’s home in Pua, Thailand. 

We were impressed with her passion and desire to help the poor as well as her willingness to take a risk to serve the Least.

Eldredge says…..

” When it comes to living and loving, what’s required is the willingness to jump in with both feet and be creative as you go.”

 And…..Wow……..was she willing!!  Unafraid! Bold! Determined!

"Heading off into the unknown with God”, Eldredge says……” there is a time in one’s life when you have to break away.. This is a vital part of our journey and if we balk here, the journey ends.”  

Oswald Chambers speaks words of wisdom when he says….

“There comes the baffling call of God in our lives also. The call of God can never

Be stated explicitly; it is implicit.  The call of God is like the call of the sea,

No one hears it but the one who has the nature of the sea in him.  

It cannot be stated definitely what the call of God is to, because His call is to be in

Comradeship with himself for his own purposes, and the test is to believe that God knows what he is after.

There is no formula!  The only way to live in this adventure with its high stakes and risks and unpredictability is to do exactly what Paul told the Galatians in Chapter 5………

”walk by the Spirit”.

So…………what about you my friend,  are you walking by the spirit into your next Adventure??

Our Father is a Person, Not a Formula! The Legalist is confused!

Naturally, we are inclined to be so mathematical and calculating that we look upon uncertainty as a bad thing…………Certainty is the mark of the common sense life; gracious uncertainty is the mark of the spiritual life.  To be certain of God means that we are uncertain in all our ways, we do not know what a day may bring forth.  This is generally said with a sigh of sadness; it should rather be an expression of breathless expectation.  ( My Utmost for His Highest)

—————Oswald Chambers

The realm of God is dangerous.  You must enter into it and not just seek information about it.

——————Archbishop Anthony Bloom

………….and I have to say that much of my early life as a Believer, was just that!!  I viewed God as just a Doctrine…….and so I studied Doctrines……Armenism, Calvinism, Charismania, Pentecostalism,  Faith Healing, Name it Claim Wealth Doctrines, etc.  And that is what I did…..I sought more and more information…..but not a relationship with my Father in Heaven!!  I knew about His History but not so much about his person.  I know many very knowledgeable men who claim that Doctrine is everything.  They are logical, systematic, clear and precise, convincing and inspiring………but it appears to me………they are also ineffective with Dead Faith and lots and lots of Knowledge about God but little Action.  They have taken little risk in their lives and what I have seen……….they have little joy………caught up in the seeking for more knowledge and the cares of this world.  Lots of discussion about who God is but little action of what He is telling them to do in practice of their Faith.  This is my observation and yes……………. I have been quite judgmental of them but I think and I hope…….. I am getting past that.  I want to learn from my friends……….not become like them or just judge them.  That doesn’t help me or challenge me spiritually.

This life is short and why do I want to live it just “working for the legal tender” as Jackson Browne sings in his famous song The Pretender.  Is my legacy important?  Should it be?  Why do so few people I know and you know take a risk??  I believe we are "Slaves to Fear”……we are afraid of the unknown, uncertainty, becoming poor, dying poor, not having enough of anything……..especially the American Dream.  And that’s why I love this song by Jonathan David and Melissa Helser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxkNj5hcy5E

I am no longer a Slave to Fear……….I am a Child of God

Am I called to be less daring than Joshua in the Battle of Jericho or Gideon when his army was reduced from 32,000 to 300?  They were mere men just like you and me!!!  

I have to agree with Elderidge when he says:

The problem with modern Christianity’s obsession with principles is that it removes 

any real conversation with God.  Find the principles, apply the principle

———what do you need God for?  So Oswald Chambers warns us, 

“Never make a principle out of your experience; 

let God be as original with other people as he is with you."

So give me your original thought about your destiny

………share it………..

Come on……..

Be Un-American!  Take a Risk for a Change!!