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I'm currently reading through Tim Keesee's Dispatches From the Front and Mindy Belz's They Say We Are Infidels. The Lord is using both books to expand my understanding of the incredible advances, unique opportunities, ever present challenges, and tremendous needs discovered on the front lines of gospel ministry. Thankfully, my bubble of American Christianity is being punctured, as I thrill to see the God of the nations working among the nations and as I weep at the horrible persecution faced by so many of my brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. I am continually finding myself deeply challenged by what I'm learning is happening to and through the church globally, and I realize that my experience here in America is more the exception than the rule, both in the effects of the gospel and in its obstacles. I'm not sure what the end result will be in how God is challenging me through these resources, but I'm already finding myself stirred toward three responses: (1) yearning to see gospel advance on the frontlines of the United States of Amercia, (2) desiring to be more global in my own gospel vision, and (3) strategizing how to mobilize our singles group, which is uniquely positioned to really make an impact as we take risks for the sake of the gospel. Concerning that last response in particular, I've already started exploring ways in which we can participate in global frontline missions from Indianapolis — financial aid to persecuted Christians, support for Bible projects, short-term mission trips, etc. I'll keep you posted and would covet your input and prayers, too. In the meantime, I want to highlight below some resources that I'm finding particularly helpful to remove the blinders from my eyes and to help me see the successes and suffering of my Christian family worldwide. Persecution Updates & Haystack Prayer Group These resources from Frontline Missions International (the Persecution Updates and the Haystack Prayer Group) are a valuable tool for receiving real-time updates on situations in which our brothers and sisters are being persecuted, especially in the 10/40 window. Just today, I received the following update. The West African nation of Mali is among the top nations that persecute their minority Christian population. Mali is a Muslim country currently under siege by radical Islamists in the north, whose goal is to overthrow the government. Because of previous attacks against Christians by Muslim extremists, many believers have left the country. However, Beatrice Stockly, a Swiss missionary, remained, in spite of being abducted and held for 10 days in 2012 for the crime of sharing her Christian faith. She is known for her kind and gentle demeanor, demonstrated as she passed out flowers and Gospel literature to women and children around the city. After her first capture, Beatrice was ordered to leave Mali and never return. Many, including her mother and brother in Switzerland, urged her not to return to Mali. However, her response was “It’s Timbuktu, or nothing.” So she returned. On January 8, 2016, Beatrice was again kidnapped from her home in Timbuktu by Islamic terrorists and is still being held. Please pray for special grace for Beatrice in her captivity and for other believers in Mali. Frontline Missions also offers a free 31 Day Prayer Guide that will assist you in praying for our brothers and sisters who live in countries known for having high persecution rates.
 They Say We Are Infidels by Mindy Belz This has been a fascinating book to read so far, for many of the same reasons as the Dispatches. However, its goal is less to chronicle the advance of the gospel, and more to tell the stories of Christian brothers and sisters silently suffering across the Middle East. The book's subtitle is "On the Run from ISIS with Persecuted Christians in the Middle East," and I've learned much about charity, endurance, and mission from the faithful testimonies of these dear believers. Furthermore, the author provides much helpful behind-the-scenes insights into the politics generating the last decade-plus of chaos in that region. You can learn about the book here and listen to an interview with the author here.  FX Conferences & NEXT Missions Training
These two ministries form the recruiting and training arm of Frontline Missions International. The Frontline Experience (FX) is a conference designed for those who have a heart for missions in restricted-access settings. NEXT training assists serious Gospel risk-takers as they explore long-term, cross-cultural gospel ministry through field experiences, mentoring, language acquisition, and professional development.  We are working our way through a mini-series on strategies for enduring the wilderness wanderings of life, following the example of Caleb who had "a different spirit" in "follow[ing] [God] fully" (Numbers 14:24), even through the 40-year holding pattern he endured. (Part 1, Part 2) STRATEGY 2 — EXPRESS IN PRAYER Yesterday, I took more time examining our first strategy because I believe that our emotions and actions will follow our thoughts and beliefs. We must think rightly so that we might have a different spirit in fully following God into and through our wilderness wandering. Thinking rightly starts with evaluating, and perhaps adjusting, our perspective (strategy #1). A second strategy for handling the seemingly aimless times of life is to express it in prayer.
1. Talk to God (Philippians 4:6-8). Turn your anxieties into prayer requests (Philippians 4:6-8) and cast your cares upon the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). Talk with God about your hopes and dreams, your disappointments and frustrations, your impatience and burdens. But make sure that your prayer always cycles through to obedient trust (Luke 22:42). Casting the cares of your wilderness wandering upon the Lord will focus your dependency, adjust your perspective, and equip you with the necessary spiritual resources to endure it (James 5:16b-18). And as you pray, do so with expectancy, taking heart that however long the waiting might have to be, God will act in His time. David writes in Psalm 40:1-3, “I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.” So pray and don’t despair! 2. Talk to others (Ecclesiastes 4:19-25). In addition to expressing your burden in prayer, express it to other people in Christian community. Let others bear your burden with you (Galatians 6:2) that that you might be encouraged and revived (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12). We’re all tempted to waver (Hebrews 10:19-25) and doubt (Hebrews 3:13). So draw upon God’s community to strengthen and establish you in your wilderness (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:14).  READ 2 TIMOTHY 2
Illustration: Strong men don’t run away — Liam Neeson Taken meme: “He trained Batman, Obi-Wan, and Darth Vader; He is Zeus and Aslan … Why would you kidnap his daughter?” It’s inconceivable to think of him running away! In a passage that begins with a call to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2:1), it seems almost contradictory for Paul to also exhort his son-in-the-faith to “flee” (2:22). Instead, we are reminded from Paul’s counsel here that the strongest of spiritual men and women display their greatest strength when they acknowledge the power of sin, the weakness of their flesh, and the wisdom of God’s command to flee! Indeed, a sign that they are “strong in grace” is that they “flee from sin.” Those who would be “strong in grace” understand that God’s grace in no way excuses them from dealing with sin themselves. They know that if they are not careful, they might become dirty and dishonorable, unfit for the “use” of the Master. Notice that this is what Paul teaches in the two verses before our text, in verses 20-21 (READ). See, God wants to “use” you for the “good work” (v. 21) of bringing His “opponents” to “repentance” and “the knowledge of the truth” (vv. 24-26). But to be this kind of “servant of the Lord” (v. 24), you must not “entangle” yourself with sin (like a soldier, v. 4); instead, you must “compete according to the rules” of God’s Word (like an athlete, v. 5) and “work hard” to enjoy this fruit (like a farmer, v. 6). Indeed, you must “cleanse yourself from what is dishonorable, and you will be an honorable and set apart vessel that the Lord can use (“useful”) whenever He needs to (“ready”).” So, God wants to use you … Are you usable? Are you clean and honorable? Are you “strong in grace” by dealing with sin. Honorable and usable vessels deal with sin in their lives, by God’s grace, through three activities: I MUST FLEE SOME THINGS — "FLEE YOUTHFUL PASSIONS" “Flee” – to seek safety by flight; a purposeful, forgetting-all-else, “get me out of here” mentality
“Lusts” – strong desires, particularly for that which is presently forbidden “Youthful” – those things peculiar to the age of youth — Question: What might these be (cf. 2:23, 2:24, 3:1-7)? Application: I must understand the nature of youthful lust, that it is an enemy to be feared, not a stranger to be flirted with. I must especially be aware of this in my youth. Having understood its nature, I must then “run scared” until that time when the Lord gives legitimate, sanctified fulfillment to those lusts. I MUST PURSUE SOME THINGS — "PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS, FAITH, LOVE, AND PEACE" “Pursue” – to press hard after something; to seek after eagerly; to earnestly endeavor to acquire
“Righteousness” – that which is straight, right, conforming to the character (i.e., the will and Word) of God; esp. obedience to vv. 23-24 “Faith” – consistency, perseverance, and trueness that comes from believing in and conscientiously living in light of the revelation of God’s Word; faith in this passage would be the catalyst of v. 26 “Love” – self-sacrificial, volitional love that acts in the best interest on the object loved, without regard to personal cost; overcomes feeling and is consistent with righteousness and faith; love in this passage would be demonstrated by v. 25 “Peace” – harmony between individuals; peace in this passage would be to live v. 24 Application: Rather than focusing on what is being denied to me (i.e., youthful lusts), I should focus on what has been graciously granted to me (i.e., righteousness, faith, love, and peace). I should seek to cultivate these characteristics in my own life. In a sense, all four of these characteristics are the opposite of a “youthful lust.”
I MUST PRAY FOR HELP — "WITH THOSE WHO CALL ON THE LORD FROM A PURE HEART" “Call” – to invoke for aid; this suggests a true humility and a continuous, active dependence upon a greater power; cf. Hebrews 2:18; 4:15-16 “Lord” – the Master, who according to verse 21 is even our “Despot,” and we are his “slaves” “Pure” – clean, undefiled, free from mixture with anything that soils or corrupts; blameless, innocent: this is, then, a humble and non-idolatrous attitude “Heart” – denotes more than an external appropriateness; focuses on one’s inner man (i.e., who He is before God) Application: According to 2:1, there is “grace in Christ Jesus.” But, since God only “gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6-10) I must humble myself and realize my own inability to consistently and righteously flee and pursue. One manifestation of humility is an earnest, consistent prayer life. God’s aid must be solicited, and often! However, I must realize that God will not give grace to those who hypocritically refuse to use it. My heart must be in keeping with my prayer. If I ask God to give me His grace to aid me in my fleeing and pursuing, I must do so with confession and commitment, so as to receive that grace. My heart must be clean before God, and a pure heart is attained by fleeing and pursuing. And so, we have a three-fold chain that will not be broken. All three activities must be engaged in habitually. Notice also that there is a mutual, corporate, partnering, accountability component to this activity of sanctifying prayer — I should pray “along with those” who call on the Lord with a pure heart! Truly, then, let us therefore “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” by fleeing, pursuing, and praying. Then, we will be set apart, honorable, useful, and ready for the Master’s service! If you're looking for another devotional tool to enrich or refresh your walk with God, let me recommend The Valley of Vision. This is a collection of short Puritan prayers, which contain earnest emotion, rich doctrine, and personal hunger for God's fellowship. The prayers are structured in such a way to aid meditation and reflection, and the prayers are organized around key themes.
While I've known of the benefit of this little book for a long time, my problem has often been knowing where to start with it or how to use it. Thankfully, Joe Thorn solved that problem for me over at his blog. Joe has prepared a schedule that enables you to read through this book in 13 weeks, by meditating on three prayers a day (at 9:00, 12:00, and 3:00) Monday-Friday. You can read his own comments about this devotional aid and download the schedule here. You can purchase the book from Amazon, either as leather-bound or soft-cover. As a sample of the rich benefit this little resource offers, I've quoted the first prayer below. The Valley of Vision Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision, Where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights; hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory. Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is to possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision. Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells, and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine; Let me find Thy light in my darkness, Thy life in my death, Thy joy in my sorrow, Thy grace in my sin, Thy riches in my poverty, Thy glory in my valley. |
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