Pray for Pastors mentoring and training in Malawi

 It was a joy yesterday to zoom into Malawi as we looked at the first chapters of Romans. Internet inside the church building was temperamental, so things went outside under the trees... in God's beautiful creation.

Over coming days the pastors will be both relying on and relaying what God says in His word to others, those being mentored, and their churches. Pray for them with us. Romans 1 reminds us that we try to suppress the knowledge and glory of God. However like the law of buoyancy in science ... this is an impossible thing to do. We all learned the law of buoyancy  in the bath as children. It says that if we suppress a ball in water (whether at the bottom of a bath, a bucket or at the bottom of the ocean) the ball will always rise / bounce up to the top. It's an unchangeable reality, a law of life under God.

Psalm 19 reminds us that the heavens declare the glory of God. Whether we look at the night sky in in Malawi, Milton Keynes or Milwaukee, the God of the cosmos reminds us of His glory, the order of His care, the rhythm of his sustaining hand. His voice that spoke us and all things into being, speaks His presence and love, loud and clear around the whole world. Look up at the orchestrated majesty of the stars this evening... and consider yourself before such a God who invented, elevated, and sustains such things with a word. What is man that God would be mindful of us ?

 Creation declares God. Eternity in the hearts of mankind (Ecc 3:11) declares that we have a desire to set to our home in God. A cosmological, spiritual "sat nav" has been placed in every human being. Above all the cross of Christ displays the glory and righteousness of God... welcoming us home in the undeserved gift of Christ, His perfection and His love. Put all these things together with the great truth that Christ has gifted us not only His righteousness by faith, but also His Spirit to be bold in a broken world, and we have confidence to be witnesses of Him. The power of the gospel transforms. There is good news that this world must hear. The only answer to our world is Christ. In Him is our confidence. Pray for confidence in our Malawian friends... that they will declare the truth of Romans, this gospel of undeserved righteousness in Christ to those around them, in the power of The Spirit. May many in Malawi see Christ in His living word through our friends.

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For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 

ROMANS 1:16

Pray for the great harvest of camps ministry 2024 to continue to come in.

 Continue to pray for youth and children's camps in Ukraine. This year has been a bumper harvest, both of numbers attending and of spiritual impact. Whilst many camps are completed, some continue...

Pray:

1. That young friends will meet with, give their undivided trust to, and overflow with the joy and reality of Jesus Christ. 

2. That young friends who have been through much trauma will receive healing from the great physician who understands us better than ourselves.

3. That the young and depleted teams will continue to be strengthened, especially in the light of so many camps being so oversubscribed.

And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 8:32

Learning points from the frontline.

 I was asked, "what could the UK church most learn from those working with unreached peoples/ frontier mission/ in persecution / under occupation?"

Foolishly I replied "2 or 3 things" (maybe I was showing my baptist heritage - old habits die hard),  but the conversation has kept going... it's a fascinating subject we can learn a lot from. 

I've limited this bullet summary to the first 7 for now (seems a biblical number). In reality the issue is a singular one of vitality. Those who follow His lead, know His presence. In all things that is paramount. This single issue has many ramifications and I don't want to be guilty of looking at the periphery rather than the source. However the outworking of that vital obedience is an ongoing test of more obedience. Hopefully at least this alerts us to some areas where we need to be obedient in which will drive us to Him in greater dependence. Fruitfulness comes from following the trajectory and instigation of the one who makes all things fruitful. 

The prayer then is for us all. This kind of fruitful dynamic is open to all of us, whatever church or mission group we belong to. Ultimately we are children of the living God and that is our primary identity and calling. It may lead to tough questions about who we work with and what we prioritise. It is not for the super-spiritual or multi gifted to be fruitful, it is the normal, ordinary pattern of a child of God as we seek to live fruitful lives.

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you 

that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, 

so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."

John 15:16

1. The priority of Character: integrity is everything. A veneer of pretence does not cut it in hostile territory. Lives are under great scrutiny. The church is being watched. You may be the only Christian in your people group, the gateway to historic and eternally significant conversations which impact many people and future generations. Maybe we don't view our characters, life and behaviour with this gravity, but every second counts before eternity. Maybe we don't get watched enough because we keep confined to a Christian Ghetto. When we step outside of our comfort zone though...people will only see the reality of Christ when we live Him out in reality. How you live matters, how you and I show humility. love, patience, and authenticity, is what wins the day. Performance living alone, self energised Christianity, or culturally insipid compromise would disqualify the declaration of the gospel as fake. Is it different if you are the only Christian in your family, your class, your office? Are people in the UK not so needing to see Christ in action ? Genuine humility, grace, loving sacrifice, is a vital and critical step to see them move things forward with Christ. People will watch the UK church far more when this is what they see.
2. The Priority of Love: Love and grace have their world epicentre and headquarters in the house of God (at least they should). "See how they love one another." "By this will all men know..." This is the great apologetic of the Living God (who is Love) being present amongst his people. It is harder to love under pressure (including loving enemies and those who have formally lived wretched lives) but frontier fellowships seem more able to love beyond boundaries in the power of Christ. Ironically, in many situations (which are far more comfortable with less opposition/ facing less hostility) there is constant friendly fire which decimates fellowships. We could include the culture of public internet reviling and backbiting within that.  Without love exemplified in the church there is no power of authenticity in those who declare Christ (1 Cor 13:1). 
3. The important priorities of God's perspective: Secondary matters really are secondary when so many need to know Christ. Sadly many of us take our hearts and eyes off the magnitude and plight of the lost, and divert from the reality of Hell which is coming soon. 

• If you are a small group of believers each with an opinion, true unity is defined not by some  "members policy pdf" or a dictatorial leader with theological fetishes of minutiae, but by the vital community in common unity agreeing to disagree in order that 100,000's or 1,000,000's would have a healthy, united, heart beating church of love and overflowing grace in their region to share Christ. The mission of God is way more important than the ego or intellectualism of man. 

4) The priority of God’s household: (Gal 6:10, 1 Peter 2:4-5). The conviction that fellowship is blood bought privilege, a real, vital treasure and lifeline. When church is living and functional in God (and it isn't always sadly especially in the West), the thought of being disconnected to it in frontier mission or individualistic is a stupidity beyond understanding. A small young church in unreached areas or on advancing in strategic missional purposes faces the darts of God's enemy on a daily basis, and therefore keep short accounts with each other, reaches deep into pockets (Acts 2:45) for each other and sees others added to the family (Acts 2:47). 
5) The priority of daily spiritual surrender to Him so that we do not fall surrender to the tactics of the enemy. EPH 6: 17-18

" In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;  and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,  praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication."

 Spiritual armour is critical. We are hungry for heaven's resources, knowing they are needed each moment when the earthly battle is hot, and we are truly aware of the cosmic scale of that raging battle and our own fragility.  The normal routine for a Christian is one of utter dependance. All circumstances are seen as critical in frontier mission. In the comfort of the West, we are happy to cite Romans 8:28 as balm, but not so keen to welcome the implications of it to bring on fruitful conflict.  However, those in frontier fruitfulness see each moment with critical clarity, they never take off the ambassadors uniform. Each greeting, encounter, scenario is met with a sober, measured, self controlled desire to know what God wants, and how we should please Him. A day can seem like a thousand years as we wrestle with God and a fallen hostile world with rhythmical repetition. Life support is God's voice through His word which is devoured, treasured, meditated on, acted upon and channelled with power and effect. 

The final two big learning points came as we discussed the main differences between "stable" churches in "safe places" (who attempt equilibrium -where there is neither much daily opposition or missional progress) and "frontier churches" within or on the edge of unreached places...where God is delighted to bless. 

Clear conviction of how blessing comes: 

Follow His heart to reach the lost and everything else will slot into order by His help as you live under His word and in His Spirit.

6.  Priorities and blessing: 

God blesses the lives of faithful followers under pressure. Whether the infrastructure has been perfected or is pleasing to leadership has no relevance. Churches who view  ministry routines as self serving without a dynamic missional vitality are easily distracted by small detail. Mission organisations which have lost their "advance mode" due to size... don't want to be disrupted but may be even perpetuated by a desire (however subversive)  to to being  but In fact they believe that were there more organisation, control and systems in place... blessings would ensue. In reality they are rearranging the furniture on the titanic... or at least a tanker that is not going anywhere on the mission of God and pointing in the wrong direction.

This doesn't mean that frontier churches or healthy mission networks are without structure or organisation, but that both are channelled into the simplicity of whether is biblical (what God wants) and missional (from his heart as they serve his purposes to reach the lost. 

Decide the priorities and preoccupations of the church on the basis of serving the mission of God and the outworking of His biblical mandate for the church to be a radical and critical  expression of transformation in a broken world. 

7. Priorities and His direction: Established Western or larger churches with huge infrastructure and established cultures (that many have signed up to) cannot change quickly or act nimbly for missional flexibility or advance. Some small or medium churches are the same, because the resulting conviction is similar... that what we do and how we are structured is the governing, dominant, determining factor of where we go next. Self perpetuation of church in fear of not rocking the boat is missional paralysis. This is the organisational tail wagging the missional dog as he lies on the grass in the sun. Can you teach such new tricks? Yes is the answer, but some who signed up for an easier life and a ghetto of cultural introspection will leave. 

Direction must be decided by the mission and mandate of God. His global missional plan, biblical wisdom and present provision in a diverse world displays all the colours, intricacies and nuances of a rainbow. His grace covers the globe. His plan, power and provision is big enough. His promise is solid enough. Why would we choose to not go His way?

To paraphrase Augustine (if we are allowed to)...

"Pray knowing that everything depends on God, and is decided ultimately by Him. Work as though everything accomplished for the mission of God on earth depends on you, living in His power and wisdom."