My Life With Christ In Thailand

Habakkuk 1:5 (late 7th century – social injustices – handed over to Babylonians) “Look at the nations and watch — and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.”

God is going something – both salvation and judgment and He wants to use us!

Jim Elliot said: “Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.”

OUR MINISTRY:

Our Ministry Motivation: We “Must Have” The Right Perspective:

Who God Is – Who I Am – My Purpose: To enjoy God and worship Him forever.

My whole motivation is to please God and expand His kingdom – both in work and family.

Must Be Done In Love: (this goes without saying)

Jn 13:34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

Example: Walter & serving lady with leprosy.

1) Must Be Done In Serving Others:

It isn’t about asserting my authority, but about putting the needs of others above my own – it’s servant leadership. I am giving responsibility to serve others.

Lk 22:26: “But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.”

Mt 23:11-12: “The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

We lead by example; demanding more of ourselves than others.

What I teach, I must do that and more! …

2) My Life In Christ Flows Out Of Who I Am:

God is more concerned with who I am becoming than with what I’m doing – ministry flows out of being (NOT doing!).

Prov 19:11: “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

We must let God’s purposes prevail in our lives. – This comes by knowing God intimately!

Thais: “Every religion teaches you to do good.”

Ours is not just a religion, but a personal relationship with Christ – knowing Him and then making Christ known.

3) There Must Be Preparation:

Randy Alcorn writes, “No soldier wins a battle that he is not prepared for, and non prepares for a battle that he doesn’t know exists.”

Prepare: Mentally, physically, spiritually: I resolved never to quit, never to fall out. I will make it or die trying.

If a person follows God’s purpose for his life, there’s no safer place to be. – Whatever we do, it is God doing it for us.

4) There Must Be Courage:

Courage is not the absence of fear, but pressing on with God has called you to do.

Deut 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Don’t let fear paralyze you!

Example: Going to villages (fear)

Our faith in God is our security

5) There Must Be Trust In God:

Proverbs 3:5-7: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.”

Even during a time that I may question God’s motives, only to trust Him and execute the orders that I’m given.

6) There Must Be An Awareness That Life Is A Spiritual Battle:

Ps 144:1: “Praise be to the LORD my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.”

God has already given us the victory through Christ; Satan wants us to fail. There is victory only through Jesus!

Satan attacks in many ways – often he will attack us so that we don’t realize our position in Christ – we may feel we are worthless. [Lesson: “Our Position In Christ]

Example: Karen man who had face deformity & felt he could not accomplish anything.

7) There Must Be Endurance & Self-Discipline:

Example: Language school

We accomplish God’s orders not through feats of daring or a quick wit, but simply enduring hardship together.

I must die to myself!

2 Tim 2:3: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.”

Lk 21:19 says: “By standing firm you will gain life.”

Example: Lung Thong – The only Christian in his village

There are no shortcuts! Like a compass, the cumulative effect of taking little shortcuts can put you far off your objective.

Even the little decisions you make in life have a large impact on where you end up.

Stephen Vincent Benet has said: “Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.”

We need to discipline ourselves, or life will do it for us.

And remember that our difficulties and trials are forging character and self-discipline – traits that God will put to good use in this life and in eternity with Him.

8) There Must Be Accountability, Character And Personal Integrity!

Truthful; trustworthy; honesty; have convictions.

R. Ruth Barton: “We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be.”

Victory is not secured on the battlefield, but on the training range, or practice field.

I am accountable each week to a group of co-workers.

Andy Stanley: “You can lead without character; but character is what makes you a leader worth following.”

Your character will determine your legacy.

Rom 8:6: “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.”

Character is the will to do what’s right even when its hard (a willingness to make touch decisions).

What hangs in the balance is your moral credibility = authority = Gives you influence in a variety of contexts.

You can manage but not influence. You must live out your values.

9) There Must Be Obedience

Jesus made His coaching immensely practical, trained His friends through action for action.

He perfectly balanced His disciples’ theological input with practical participation.

The disciples not only increased their knowledge, but Jesus gave special care to provide his disciples with opportunities to put their knowledge to practical use.

Mt 7:24: "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Mt 7:26: “But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.”

Luke 8:21: He replied, "My mother and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice."

Jn 13:17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”

Jn 14:21a: “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me."

Example: 17 year old Hmong boy during Laos training: suffering & persecution – willing to obey

10) There Must Be An Eternal Perspective – An Eye On Our Future

Our hope is in the Lord and our eternal future in heaven.

Rom. 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Eph. 1:18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints …

Eph. 2:12: … “remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”

1Th. 2:19: “For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?”

Titus 1-2: “Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago.”

In speaking of our family, my hope is that we will all be faithful in God’s calling and purposes in our lives, together, enjoying eternity with Father God!