IS IT NEW

Eager for the Word

One of the things that tends to become tedious in ministry is the repetition of core components and ideas. Those that run the evangelical organizations and those that go on short-term missions to labor for the Gospel all seem to have this fatigue that stems from anticipation, doubt, guilt and many other emotions.

On a recent trip ministry trip a friend of mine accompanied me and saw the workings of the Church in a new light. He saw the pastor as a caretaker of the building and one who opened the sanctuary, swept it and got the windows open and the fans and lights running. He saw the pastors wife and daughter setting up the chairs and the son getting the keyboard ready before focusing on the laptop to have the power point operational. A tpical Sunday in a rural town but done with a newness that seemed fresh. My friend commented that it was almost like breathing a new kind of message to see expectation in the hearts of those that worship.

In another locale I witnessed around 200 people sitting cross legged on the floor while anticipating the preacher who was tied up in traffic as he shuttled between two congregations. They were singing and mingling in fellowship with a newness that made it feel as if this was the first service of a new believer and no logistical inconvenience would get in the way of piety.
I ask you a question as to whether the Gospel feels new to you every time you read it? Does it give the tingling in your stomach of nervous excitement every time you share it? Do you feel refreshed and renewed every time you hear it? Maybe the fatigue we feel and the exhaustion we expereince from the physical demands of ministry can only be treated with the mental desire to make it new.

OPPORTUNITY

Dr. Ravi Zacharias once said that the natural progression from secularization to pluralization and eventually privatization happens when people move from acceptance of the unthinkable to approval and applause of the same. In this pursuit man has cleverly attributed the change in culture to progress and the lack of acceptance of all change to being archaic and not in touch. I have been watching this change and the cultural adaptation of all that is insane for almost two and a half decades and am amazed that within all this upheaval the human heart still longs for purpose. This has become more evident as I try and share with audiences about the Living God and his pursuit of our heart. In the so called bastions of evolved thinkers where origin, meaning, purpose and destiny are just umbrellas for the ignorant, I am finding the opportunity for truth to be more glaring than ever. When I am asked to share about the spiritual side of success more of the audience seem to be on the edge of their seat hoping for a seven step solution or a pill that would thwart temptation. When I lead them in an affirmation to the Living God the response is overwhelming. It is like God has said that wherever man creates chaos from disbelief opportunity will arise for the truth to prevail. When Jesus healed the blind man the man could now see. However he was also forced to see a new light which he never new. It is okay to be ignorant of light and remain in darkness but it is an opportunity when those that choose darkness over light realize they have a choice. Choose well you good and faithful servant.

PRAYER

The power of prayer is one that man cannot comprehend. Many a time in the midst of anxiety and the fear of the unknown I have meditated on the word of God. The words that my mortal mind can comprehend are not nearly as important as what God does through His calming response. My mentor Zig Ziglar always educated me on the simplicity of eternal arithmetic. He used to say YOU + GOD = ENOUGH. I have often looked at that assurance and quantitatively deduced that prayer is actually the cheat sheet that has the answers to life’s problems. It is with humility and amazement in equal measure that we understand that He who chose us among His creation already had a place for us to go when confounded with problems.

WHO IS A MISSIONARY

By: Matthew Bennett

I had a ‘chance’ meeting with a guy by the name of Krish Dhanam in January of 2008. Since that day, we have become great friends and been able to share in God’s word on several different occasions. My beliefs leave me no other choice than to ‘know’ God arranged for us to meet. He did so in order that I may learn from Krish and his enthusiasm for his faith….and it has taken me to places I never thought I would go. He had invited me to go on a mission trip…which would mean for 10 days I would in fact be a missionary. Needless to say, I was quite thrilled to have this opportunity.

I was fortunate enough to travel to India with Krish as a part of Mala Ministries in November of 2010. It was an experience that has changed my life. I had always wanted to travel to India for a variety of reasons. I know it is an excellent and explosive mission field and I’d always been intrigued by the sheer size of the population and the completely different concepts on the way people live. I found India to be a place much different than where I grew up in rural Illinois. When I want to travel somewhere, I hop in the truck and it takes me 5 minutes to drive 5 miles. When I went to India, it wasn’t so easy. The freeways are excellent roads, but the secondary roads…well, let’s just say it’s an experience every day. We were successful in getting lost (with a cab driver, mind you) every time we travelled. It didn’t bother me one bit as I was enjoying seeing this area of Pune. I really enjoyed observing the completely different type of lifestyle. I drive my ford truck to work, some guys in India ride their camel. It’s really neat! The food was a great experience as well. I found the Indian food quite spicy, but I enjoy that sort of food very much. I enjoy the way the pastors we ate with interacted during our dinner time. They were very respectful and quite humble in making sure we sat at a ‘special’ table and they always wanted to wait on us.

The biggest takeaway from my trip to India, however is an idea that came to me after I came home. I was reading through my journal and looking at all of my pictures and making contacts with all the people I met over there. I was preparing a sermon for my home church, thinking about all the ways this trip impacted my life. The people who I met in India were very strong Christians. I interacted with pastors mainly. I interacted with the guys that take the word to the people in a country where the word isn’t always wanted. India is an exciting mission field, but a dangerous one. We heard stories about persecution, beatings-sometimes to death. It broke my heart to see 9 young men one night dedicate their lives to a mission field they knew in their heart would be a physically dangerous and monetarily challenged profession. So when I put all of this together and think about what I was doing in India, it occurred to me that we may be able to look at this ‘missionary’ thing a different way. While I am so proud of American churches for sending missionaries all over the world, and those people are the best of heroes, I think we could use some missionaries from other places right here in our country. What I’m getting at is this….there are people in India that possess a faith I’ve rarely been exposed to. If I could take just one of these people I met in India and plug them into one of our American communities, I really think the possibilities are endless for renewed faith and transformation. Some of the people I met have been forced to rely ‘solely’ on Christ to get through the trials in their life. They possess a faith declaration that I am truly humbled by. I went to India as a missionary, but I came home humbled and honored to be able to have met and worked with some of the most wonderfully dedicated Christians I could ever have imagined getting the chance to. These guys are what I call true missionaries.

AFFILIATIONS

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When I began this journey of evangelism and first felt the call of ministry, I remember the feeling of fulfillment that came about in just having the privelege to respond with an affirmative. Today after three years of itinerant experiences, I am fortunate to look back and refelct on some of the God ordained events that required our affiliation.

Partnering with the underground church in one country and then being part of the Ravi Zacharias Life Focus Society in the land of my birth were two extremes that will remain the highlight of all the affiliations. In between there was the affiliation of sharing of a message in a slum in one country and the washing of the feet of the real foot soldiers for the gospel in another. Teaching the outgoing seminary students of the real mission field was an easy affiliation for me as I live in relative saftey. Watching their heart quicken with anticipation of the upcoming battle that would be their existence was a humbling affiliation.

I look with anticipation at the next set of affiliations. As one pastor put it in a language that I could not understand and in a locale I could not fathom-we are all here by divine appointment. I guess as we look at the affiliations that confront us, the easiest response would be to realize that someone bigger and mightier pre-orchestrated all these affiliations. Be ready for the divine appointment and you will fulfill your divine calling.

Epic Adventures

When the God of the universe calls you into service to Him is there any negotiation? Can one actually take time to say that there are some earthly business ventures that have to come to fruition before I can commit? How foolish is the reasoning of man to believe that a call is a suggestion and somehow not a mandate. A year and a half into the struggle between secular progression and ministerial submission I am still wrestling with the call of God and the adventure life becomes when the agenda is scripted only in the eyes of a Creator. If anyone thinks that it is easy to get on a plane and leave all that is familiar and venture into unchartered territories then they are really only looking at the adventure through the eyes of tourism.

Granted many an exotic locale does come into the vision of territorial accomplishment and one has the opportunity to see the spectacular sights and sounds of a majestic world. But the true adventure is when the call to follow the Gospel of Jesus Christ is given and the people who come forward look through your eyes into your heart and thank you for making the effort to come to their midst. It has been said that heaven rejoices when one sinner repents. The adventure is not so much following the call of evangelism but succumbing to becoming a party-planner for The GREAT I AM!

As the adventures increase in frequency and the dependency on secular scraps decrease one can actually begin to feel the adrenaline of going to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. If you have ever wondered whether you can travel a trail like David Livingstone or be called into the interiors of Burma like Adoniram Judson-the answer is yes. Epic adventures await the followers of the Great Commission. When you are asked to Go for Him don’t negotiate with yourself. Get down on bent knee and ask Him to become real in your life. Say out loud “Lord Jesus reveal yourself to me today. Cleanse me of my connectivity to superficial wants and needs and give me a heart for adventure so that I may become an emissary for your word and an ambassador for your Kingdom.” The next ticket you buy will not come with choices of window or aisle but with a destination that is the difference between mundane and epic. Will you go?

This Was Holy Ground

My immediate thought was, “Gosh, I hope I have on good socks.” As I reflect back on that moment, I have this fond memory of my mother frequently reminding me to wear clean socks, t-shirts, and other underclothes. She would say, “The day will come when you will be glad you did.”

Well it happened. As I sat in the pastor’s office of Koramangala Methodist Church in Bangalore, India, the time was swiftly approaching for me to cross the threshold of ‘backstage’ safety and join onstage the senior pastor, an associate pastor, and a retired pastor who is now a leader within the Christian movement in India. The associate pastor, a vibrant young man for God’s Kingdom, began to pray for the worship service, the congregation, the music, the communion service, and then…for me. He could probably sense my anxiety as this 6’3” white guy was just moments away from delivering the morning message to this congregation of unsuspecting Bangaloreans (I doubt that this is a real word but I like it). The pastor’s prayer was comforting, encouraging, and timely, as I sat there processing my list of checkpoints: tie is straight, coat is buttoned, cell phone is off (not that I was worried about getting a call, but I was using my cell phone as my alarm clock and never figured out the time), have my Bible with pages tabbed for locating the scriptures quickly, notes for the message in the correct order, etc… “OK, it’s time to go,” said the senior pastor, and they removed their shoes. I thought for a second that perhaps this is just a ritual for them and doesn’t apply to me. It became apparent that this did indeed apply to me as well. Thus the thought, “Gosh, I hope I have on good socks.”

As I (now shoeless) followed the men onto the platform toward the altar, I was astounded…astounded by the sheer beauty of that room. The altar was beautifully draped and adorned with the communion elements and I sensed His presence as powerfully as I have anywhere. The brilliant colors of the traditional Indian attire filled the sanctuary. Almost everyone was dressed in what appeared, at least, to be their finest. The brightly colored women’s saris seemed to give light to the sanctuary, much like Thomas Kincaid gives light to a rural church setting or landscape. There was an overwhelming sense of reverence in that place, at that moment and in the moments to follow. The special music was performed by an elderly man who played the violin. In terms of our worship services filled with media, musical expertise, and high expectations of musicianship of many congregations (mine included), this “violinist” would never make the cut. However!; when you attend a worship service for the “sole purpose of soul purpose,” you will understand where I was on Sunday morning, November 2, 2008.

Thank you, Koramangala Methodist Church, for allowing me to worship our Lord and Savior in a most Holy Place. Now I know why they told me to remove my shoes…I was indeed standing on Holy ground.

Sonny Gann

Would You Recognize Him?

Some of the costumes that people wear allow them to take on a persona that is not entirely their own. Hiding behind the masks of super heroes while pretending to become caped crusaders gives us a momentary identity of strength. Dressing up in gigantic red velvet suits while putting all reality behind a white beard allows us to become jolly by association. All of this so that we can find an identity that is mostly borrowed, sometimes fleeting and always exciting.

In a manger two thousand years ago One came into the midst of humanity as a child. The identity of grandeur was concealed in innocence and sprinkled with the scenic backdrop of normalcy. Animals crouched in close quarters to find space and heat from the humans who were relegated to the same conditions of anonymity, as if history were daring a mask of righteousness to be unveiled. This dress rehearsal would unleash in the world conversations that would shake principalities and cause wars. The child that was wrapped in cloth would be the bearer of an identity that would cause a deep divide in all of civilization, including those that knew the person that was hidden behind the incarnate presentation. The torch bearers of the message and meaning of this identity would range from a scared virgin to a bunch of shepherds tending their flock at night. Heaven and earth would be separated by only a thin layer as the grand conductor of all creation dared momentarily to peel back the mask of His own creation so that humanity could get a glimpse of redemption.

The Owner of that childlike innocence would become a builder of lives and furniture as a carpenter. Behind the lights that adorn the trees and line the rooftops, and beneath the pile of opened wrapping that housed gifts, is the Giver of all hope and light. He wants to be the perfect gift for you this season and in all seasons of your life. Look past the hurt of your own heartache and the halos of your own applause and you will find Him. You may not recognize where He is, but you will recognize Who He is by what He has in store for you. When the mask of your own doubt begins to fade and He appears in great splendor, you will see a sign of wonder that you will recognize as God. When you look closer you will recognize that He looks just like you. Then you will know why you never recognized Him because you were never looking for yourself. Remember, He found you long before you were lost and just waits for you to recognize Him in you so that you will never again be lost in searching for your true identity in Him.

Merry Christmas in You.

For His Reputation

Krish

Who Will Go?

The overarching need of most churches is for volunteers who are willing to serve. The number one desire of most who feel called to serve is that their spiritual gift will be used. Almost all churches who seek an “intentional discipleship pathway” utilize some kind of survey to determine the pulse of its congregation as it pertains to ministry and service. Lost in the midst of the activity is the cry of the “people groups” who have not heard the message of the “Good News.”

“I will go, Lord, if you send me,” is usually the response of masses around the globe when queried about their evangelical heart. Seeking and searching for that perfect storm of volunteering when the distance, the task, the commitment, and the budget all coincide, the eager volunteer waits. No one knows who will go until the plane lands in a far off place and you are that someone who went when all the others thought it would be them. Over sixteen thousand people groups in the world and over 6500 of them un-reached because many waited for all the gifts to line up with all the givers.

God has a great need for you wherever you are. But in order to participate in the Great Commission you have to allow yourself to let Him commission you to be great. The harvest is waiting and many are sitting in dilapidated structures, while reading from torn-up Bibles, hoping that the God of the universe and the light of His glory will be revealed to them somehow. They are pondering the depth of Scripture hoping for someone like Philip to come alongside them and reveal the majesty of the Word by meeting the individual wherever he is. If you need me to I will go for you if you will just let me take Him with me. Thank you for allowing me to go. Thank you for serving Him.

For His Reputation
Krish Dhanam

A Class of Teachers

Nostalgia and sentiment are par for the course in the life I have been blessed to live. Countless venues and infinite permutations and combinations of cultures and linguistic differences have allowed me to be satiated on more than one occasion. The one site that seems to quicken the pulse and accelerate the pace is the Friendship Class of which I am listed as the Sunday school teacher. A unique demographic boasts that a majority of its members are from the greatest generation. Into their lives I was introduced almost five years ago as a teacher. I find it as amusing to write as it is to say that some so accomplished as these would even need a teacher, much less one that was under-qualified and younger.

That is their uniqueness. Former pastors and retired service men and women, homemakers and consultants, missionaries and teachers, all congregating diligently to explore the words of Holy Scripture weekly. They form the largest body in our church, and their numbers keep increasing as more people entering this phase of living find their way to the far end of a busy building for a quiet hug and a gentle nod. Reports of illnesses and visits to the nursing homes and hospitals mark the announcement time, followed by prayers of thanksgiving and blessing for those that could not make it. The oldest member is just a few blinks of busyness away from having lived a full hundred years, and another couple continues to hold hands as sixty-nine years of wedded bliss creeps up on them. Why would they want to learn when all they do is teach me through their example every week?

They are my class of teachers who need someone to stand for their principles and ideals. They are my parents in waiting and elders in advice, encouraging me to be courageous in my witness while eager for my return for another embrace. They are the embodiment of Christianity as they sought to give me the opportunity to be their leader and call me teacher. They are my class of teachers who allow me to be a foot soldier for the great commission. They are the tireless givers of time, talent and treasure who allow me to go with confidence to Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth.

For His Reputation
Krish Dhanam