Sons of Zebedee

I preached Sunday about James and John. Of the Apostles, James was the first to die, martyred by Herod. John, the last to die, was exiled to the Isle of Patmos.

         It doesn't seem fair that James died young. I wonder how he felt about it. Maybe the last words of another faithful servant can indicate what James thought at the end. Allen Gardiner, faithful missionary to Picton Island at the southern tip of South America, experienced many hardships and physical difficulties in serving Jesus. He died on the mission field of starvation.

When his body was found, his diary lay nearby. It bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entry showed the struggle of a shaky hand trying to write legibly. It read, "I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God." My guess is, James felt this, a sense of gratitude for having been called away from a fishing boat to a cause worth giving his life for, even when young.

         John lived long. He wrote five New Testament books. His highest honor was being known as the disciple Jesus loved (JN 13:23). Jesus loves all people equally, but being human, was subject to bonding with certain personalities. Temperaments can resonate.

         I want the bonding with Jesus that John the Beloved had. I know Jesus loves me. I also want Him to like me. I want Him to feel special affinity between us, to sense our personalities resonating, with no sin in the way.

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McCheyne Lessons

I like to read biographies. Seeing the strengths and weaknesses of others helps me better understand and improve myself. I recently began the arduous task of reading "The Memoirs and Remains of Robert Murray McCheyne".

I've often read of him. He is responsible for two of my life quotes. I've long known he literally changed the nation of Scotland and beyond.

I did not know he died at age 29. Stunning. How does a person walk so mightily with God to be a powerhouse for eternity before age 30?

I'm determined to find out. Stay tuned. I'll try to keep you posted on this blog with updates and insights.

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23,000 Church Plants

It was an honor to have Dr. David Nelms of The Timothy Initiative with us for church planting weekend. He is a man whose work in training indigenous church planters has resulted in over 23,000 churches having been planted in Asia. For you who want to know more about his work, I encourage you to check out his web site at www.ttionline.org.

We hope to do two things with Dr. Nelms. He has never had a church work with him in launching his plan in Europe. Second would like to be that church. Due to the spiritual barrenness of Western Europe, this is a daunting task. Let's begin praying now for strongholds to be broken.

We also will be leaning on Dr. Nelms to help us in our church planting efforts locally. We cannot keep paying full-time salaries and building buildings for new churches. We must find a way whereby everyone can enlist a small group and hopefully have a church grow out of that group. Pray for us to have wisdom in these days.

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Caring for Souls

The heroes of our faith have always had a burning passion to win the lost. Paul wished he were accursed to benefit his countrymen (RM 9:3). John Knox said, "Give me Scotland or I die." Wesley said, "The whole world is my parish". Praying Hyde landed on the mission field, and said, "Here let me burn out for God." Amy Carmichael, who spent 55 years as a missionary to India without ever taking a furlough, prayed, "Make me Thy fuel." David Brainerd, who died at 29, yet Wesley required all Methodist ministers to read his biography, said, "Oh, that I were a flame of fire in my Master's cause." Henry Martyn, missionary to India and Persia, prayed he might "burn out for God," and did.       

MacArthur tells a story of Robert Murray McCheyne, one of my favorite heroes. I have been blessed for years by repeating his prayer, "Lord, make me as holy as a saved sinner can be." One of my life's most moving experiences was to voice that prayer aloud in McCheyne's Scotland. It was said of him, "Everywhere he stepped Scotland shook" (Courtland Myers). He was responsible for thousands coming to Jesus; all before he died at 29. How does a person have that much influence this young? Visitors who come to see the church where McCheyne was Pastor are shown a table, chair, and open Bible. They are then told he spent hours with his head buried in the Bible, weeping for those he would preach to. I pray God would give us all, beginning with me, a deeper passion for unbelievers.

Facebook on Mission

Recently I was communication with missionaries from our church who are assigned to a restricted area. I asked if social networking was helping them. Their answers were informative. They said Facebook lets them give quick posts, which is all some people want. For those who want more detailed information, a blog seems most helpful.

They hope to do some video prayer walking when their internet problems are ironed out. That could provide helpful visuals for prayer warriors back home.

I asked if social media helps ease loneliness, or makes them more homesick, or neither? The wife's answer is a classic. "Neither. I feel responsible to keep connected to those who promised to pray. Maybe encourage others to take up the challenge as well. Not homesick in the least. After all I do have my Lord and my man here."

Pray for our missionaries. They are serving the Lord by representing us to the ends of the earth.

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Epic in San Francisco

I am on my way home from San Francisco, where I have been in meetings with Ben Pilgreen and other staff members at Epic.

Friday morning and afternoon I served with two other Pastors in giving guidance to Ben on questions he had raised. The other Pastors were Steve Stroope, Pastor of one of Anerica's largest churches, and Andy Wood, whose church plant is running over 1500 in attendance in less than 5 years.

Friday night I took the Epic staff and their spouses to a fine dining restaurant. They were significantly blessed.

Our work in San Francisco continues to do well. All four couples who moved there to plant Epic love San Francisco, and are thrilled to be there. God wrought a great work in their hearts.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, but it's time to be home. When I travel, I miss Ruth, family, friends, and Second.

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