Rough jagged rocks under the rushing waters of a crisp mountain stream are shaped and molded as the erosive force of the water tumbles rock against rock resulting in a smooth, rounded stone that is still ever changing. Such is the process my mind and heart has undergone through my time at the MTC. The Lord has used instructors, his word and time to mold and transform my thinking. My desire in this paper is to share what the Lord is teaching me in these final days of missionary training.
The clock strikes twelve indicating that classes for the day are over and it’s off to my home. Peeling back the scales reveals the essence of this “home,” a hidden fortress or cave secluding my little family from strangers, friends and even my own relatives! “Home” is where we hunker down and live our lives until the next scheduled event occurs. This is how I have lived my entire life, but the Lord is showing me the limitations such a lifestyle will carry into a discipleship context. I have learned that discipleship must be embraced as a way of life. By this I mean that discipleship is living life together, the discipler with the disciple. Consider the interaction Jesus had with his disciples. Jesus walked, endured storms, ate, prayed, cried, rejoiced, slept, and even fished with his disciples. As Jesus interacted with his disciples in a wide variety of experiences, life became his classroom. I have become convinced that living life together is the context which discipleship needs to take place. This is where the lifestyle I have become so accustom to would really put a damper on the church planting ministry my wife Abby and I plan to be a part of. I am grateful to the Lord for revealing this to me and more grateful that I can trust and rely on him to help me emerge out of my cocoon like home and live life amongst people, particularly those who I will be ministering among.
Each day my classes broaden my understanding of all that the task of tribal church planting entails. Stated plainly, the task is huge! Broader than I ever imagined when I signed up for missionary training. I am coming to grips with the fact that a partial, half hearted commitment will not suffice. This especially hit me when one of my instructors asked us to consider what a young church might need as far as commentaries and topical books on things like marriage and the tongue. This is on top of curriculum development, literacy, translation, teacher training, outreaches, discipleship and more. I truly felt that if I am to commit to this task, it is my entire life that I am committing. Through this the Lord has been showing me the all too often battle that wages within my heart. The battle between what I have to do and what I want to do. This battle has been present and even cultivated my whole life. I think back to the days before training when I worked a nine to five job. The goal was to finish work, (what I had to do) so I could do what I wanted to do. It is becoming clear to me that if this is the mentality I carry into the ministry of planting a church a mature church will not come to fruition. If church planting is something I am going to dive into it needs to be head first.
In our maturing and mature church module, stories of mature tribal believers exhibiting maturity were told frequently. The stories of one particular man named Suduwama from Bisorio Papua New Guinea have encouraged and taught me at new depths. It was said that this man has such moral authority that you can hear a pin drop among the church when he stands up to speak. His life backs what he says. Man, I desire my life to exhibit moral character like Suduwama. As I am spurred on by the life of a tribal man who lives thousands of miles away who I have never met, I am also becoming more intimate with the book of 1st John. Chapter 2 verse 3 has brightened my day numerous times in the past week. Keeping Christ’s commands is the result of knowing God. So, if I am not keeping his commands the remedy is not to try harder, but to get to know him. In the same way, I mustn’t simply try to live a life like Suduwama. I need to get to know the Lord Jesus. What a privilege.
Brandon and Grace says
You guys are the real deal. I totally respect you and I’m gonna really miss you.