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a well lived bland life
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Thanksgiving Fun
Thanksgiving was a blast. I got my fill of good food and desert and got to spend a lot of time with family. As of every holiday I sat around watching football, playing games, and watching about six or seven movies while eating more food. I really enjoyed talking with my family and telling them more about my trip to Myanmar and the activities that will ensue. I had a hard time explaining that our trip isn't a missionary trip in traditional terms, but rather a trip to visit, encourage, and further establish the existing churches and leaders in Myanmar. It may help by using examples in scripture and the world today.
In Acts and Paul's Epistles (Letters) to the first century churches there is an overall cycle or process that Paul works through. In Acts you see Paul going to different cities and evangelizing people and "creating" believers (I use the term creating loosely here as it is not Paul who is creating but the Holy Spirit working in the people). Many traditional evangelical missionary organizations do a fantastic job of this, but then leave the newly converted believer to fend for themselves among the wolves. Paul instead continued to revisit or even stayed for a few years at some churches and helped to establish the new believers into communities of faith. We all know that being with like minded people makes it easier to grow and believe something rather than being amongst non-believers. Although many people take this to the extreme and create counter-culture Christian societies, where they removed themselves completely from society creating their own culture. Which sounds like it would work, but that's not what God commanded us to do, He commanded us to make disciples, and He prayed for us that we may be in this world but not of this world.
"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:16-20
"My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified."
John 17:15-19
My point here is two fold: a disciple is more than a convert, as defined by Webster's dictionary a disciple is one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another, so by using the word disciple it assumes more than just knowing, but also being able to teach others; my other point is that if we live in our own counter-culture how can't we make disciples of the world if we're too scared and don't know anything about it?
Lastly Paul would entrust leaders in the new communities of faith who were rightly established in their beliefs and would help to take Paul's place and raise up new believers and continue to encourage the weaker believers.
Our trip to Myanmar is not like the conventional missionary trip, in that we are going to work with existing churches. Myanmar was evangelized in the early 1800's and we are just going to strengthen and establish the churches and leaders. BILD International's main focus in their missionary efforts are to train and establish leaders of the faith, which is where the BILD acronym comes from (Biblical Institute of Leadership Development). A real life example of this need is currently in India there is a very large expansion of the gospel, but there is also a large percentage of churches that aren't prospering and many are leaving the church and closing its doors. There is a real need for strong leaders in the churches to help establish the next generation in biblical principles.
I know I tend to ramble too much when writing on this, but I really want everyone to understand the full intentions of our trip. A year and a half ago I did a summer internship/apprentice at our church which we went through the book of Acts and the letters to the churches (Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, etc.) and it totally changed my outlook on missions in general and also the role of the church as being central to God's overall plan.
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Blando's Blog
Disciple of Christ, Husband, Father, and IT-guy.
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