Uncategorized – Page 10 – svgmissionary.com

Ephesians 4:31 and My Quiet Anger

A few weeks ago I began taking Bible Memorization seriously again. This is actually something I should have done a long time ago, and became convicted about it while reading “The Pursuit of Holiness” by Jerry Bridges. He does an excellent job of explaining how the memorization of Scripture helps us apply Scripture to life (or combat specific sin) so it’s a spiritual exercise instead of a mental one.

Reading “The Pursuit of Holiness” along with another book by Bridges “Respectable Sins” helped me realize certain areas of spiritual weakness in my life. One in particular was the sin of what I like to call “quiet anger” which means frustrations in life lead to a few seconds of annoyance [1]. By itself this isn’t a very serious problem…however every time something like that happens (especially if it comes from the same source) that quiet anger grows.

the Lord used Ephesians 4:31 to show me the danger of my quiet anger

Ephesians 4:31 Let all Bitterness (quiet anger) and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speech be put away from you with all malice

the interesting thing about this passage is Paul’s saying all of the violent forms of anger find their source in bitterness. It’s not normal for someone to suddenly display wrath, most of the time it starts as small frustrations.

With the Lords help I’ve begun quoting Ephesians 4:31 to myself whenever that quiet anger arises, and even verbally rebuking this attitude of frustration when it was out of control. I did this because part of me knew someday that habit of putting away quiet anger would be tested…and last Friday was that day.

One of my biggest needs right now is a vehicle so last week I contacted Baptist Mid Missions about getting an electronic transfer of the funds necessary to buy one, and started setting up a bank account in Barrouallie. A lady at the bank helped me figure out what was needed, and then I came with the necessary documents last Friday.

Unfortunately since banks in SVG have been used in the past for money laundering by foreigners the application process took a lot longer than expected. Particularly frustrating was the fact that I had to leave the bank three times in order to have new documents printed at a fellow missionaries house, and then bring them back [2].

Coming to their house the third time I was not in a very good mood to be honest, but that’s when the Holy Spirit brought Ephesians 4:31 to my mind. That truth along with an understanding of God’s Sovereignty [3] helped me remain calm and patient instead of growing in bitterness

I would memorize Scripture as a child to get a badge in Awana’s or a sticker, which is a good thing because God’s Word was hidden in my heart. But today I do it for a much better reason; to make sure when Satan’s temptations come, in the power of Christ I can stand firm.

I am not exactly sure what would have happened if Ephesians 4:31 wasn’t on my mind, but I do know without it I would be one step closer to wrath.

eye rolling, deep sighs, muttering to myself ↩
new information was needed in addition to the original paperwork ↩
It was the plan of God that all this happened ↩

Adventures of JB, Uncategorized

A Bachelors Hospitality

Editors note: this post was originally written on June 1, 2016

According to my watch it’s 1:24 Wednesday afternoon, which means in just over three and a half hours Lord Willing, I’ll be officially moving into my new rental property in Barrouallie.

It was two-weeks ago today (Wednesday) when I signed a contract for the home and since then I’ve been very busy.

Buying a stove and refrigerator then having it delivered
Purchasing furniture and a mattress
Getting internet hooked up
And bringing over things from the other rental a little at a time, then one of my large barrels last Monday

When setting up a new home people always have a choice; they can either set it up in a bachelor [1] or family style (which has more comforts). The truth is because of the large amount of expenses (and the fact that I have to buy a car soon) I chose to begin setting my home up in a bachelor style, then raise it to family a little bit at a time over the next year.

Now to be honest keeping my home set up for a bachelor isn’t a very bad thing because I am one! However it’s meant to be a ministry tool for things like discipleship, counseling sessions, fellowships, and bible clubs for children. Unfortunately those things are kind of hard to do with cheap furniture :-), But at the same time I remember that hospitality speaks louder than comfy chairs.

the word “hospitality” makes us think of elaborate meals served on the finest china and desserts amazing enough to make everybody in town jealous. But it can also be a kind word, glass of water, bible story, snack, or glass of koolaid (if your lucky). The reason a culinary masterpiece and a glass of water can both be an act of hospitality is hospitality itself emphasizes acts of kindness.

Seeing hospitality as acts of kindness instead of world-class cuisine is hugely important for me since as a missionary (1) I don’t have the money to create these kinds of meals and (2) I definitely don’t have the cooking skill to do it! But anybody can give out glasses of water and jolly ranchers.

So with God’s help my new house will become known as a place where people can receive hospitality; it may not have the most comfortable furniture, delicious food, or surround sound system. But it will have an attitude of love that won’t turn people away…and in the end that’s what matters.

very basic with small amounts of furniture and cheapest items ↩

Uncategorized

Surviving Life Without Internet

SAMSUNG CSC — On Tuesday it was officially three-weeks since I returned to St. Vincent and the last sleep before moving into my new rental property in Barrouallie. A Believer graciously allowed me to stay at her rental since May 10 in a nearby area pronounced “Curtain” which is over the hill from town (about a fifteen-minute walk) but I’m very excited to be living in Barrouallie starting Wednesday.

The Lord used that time in Curtain to challenge me physically as the walks back and forth got my body back into shape while developing self-discipline. But the greater challenge was a mental one since the house didn’t have internet. Usually this didn’t bother me since I walked to town at least twice a day [1]to check email, but it made nights pretty frustrating.

Like most of you after a long day of work I enjoy relaxing, and the Internets a big part of that

I use it to watch sports or news [2]
Check news websites
Communicate with friends through social media like Facebook
Listen to music
or enjoy something on Netflix

to be perfectly honest without the use of wifi I had no clue how to relax for the first week! However the Lord since then has shown me it is indeed possible to live without internet.

Around 7:00 on day three lack of internet was making frustrated (and to be honest in a pretty bad mood) when I remembered a copy of “the Lord Of the Rings” trilogy was downloaded on my laptop. So I started reading a few chapters into the second book and quickly found myself extremely interested.

Since that night I was able to download the book on my Ipad (makes reading easier) and finished that trilogy along with David Copperfield [3], “Kidnapped“by Robert Louis Stevenson, and started through “Uncle Toms Cabin”. I’ve also been able to finish “A Pursuit of Holiness” and “Respectable Sins” by Jerry Bridges, while reading half of a recent book “Good Faith.”

At first I read those books because to quite honest there wasn’t much else to do for entertainment, however soon I continued reading them (and others) because of the way that they touched me emotionally. Over the last few weeks I’ve sat weeping on my porch more than once, and laughed hysterically quite a few times because of the treasures in those stories.

Somewhere during that time reading became my response to frustration or weariness…not because it was the only choice…but because I knew it would speak to my heart.

Last Thursday I felt blah from morning till about three [4]in the past my responses to these days was to lay down on the bed and watch Netflix, but on Thursday my sickness led to finishing “Respectable Sins” and starting another book. While there’s definitely something to be said for getting rest when we aren’t feeling well, I truly believe those books do more by ministering to my heart.

Last Monday I got internet at the new rental fast enough to stream, FaceTime, and post all day long. But when weariness comes I pray it will drive me to books that nurture my soul instead of just simple entertainment.

once in the morning, and once in the late afternoon ↩
by the way there was no television either ↩
technically I cheated on this one since most of it was listened to as an audiobook but it still counts 🙂 ↩
Nausea and tiredness probably from a few exceptionally hot days last week and walking back and forth from Barrouallie ↩

Uncategorized

How I Was Doing My Quiet Time Wrong

The first thing I do every morning after pouring my first (of many) cups of coffee is throw on my housecoat and take the dog outside. By the time that’s finished I usually feel somewhat “human” so I find a quiet corner to have my daily quiet time. Like most of you I love that daily time with Scripture, but am frustrated because some days it felt as if I was in the very throne room of God, then other days it felt as if God was 1,000 miles away.

Of course I’m aware that every day in Sripture isn’t going to be a spectacular experience (like when your reading through the Levitical laws) but it wasn’t till recently I realized my way of reading Scripture made it hard for God to speak.

Before explaining the mistake let me share with you a few sentences God used to reveal weakness in my bible reading. It’s from Grasping God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

Keep in mind we are not yet asking the question “what does the text mean?” We are simply asking “what does the text say?”

These questions are referring to the hermeneutics (interpretation) of Scritpture which first understands the context in that day, then finds biblical principles in it that can also be applied to today…however it can easily refer to our quiet time as well.

Many days while drinking that first cup of coffee I’m praying something like this to God;

Lord what do you want to tell me today?
Lord please speak to me!
What has God been trying to say to me through His Word?

Those prayers are a beautiful thing because they openly confess my need to hear from God on a daily basis. but at the same time it affects how I read Scripture. During my quiet time I ask myself.

what is God saying to me?
what sin do I need to confess?
What promise can I claim?
How does this passage directly relate to what I’ve been experiencing?

In other words I approach the text asking “what does the text mean for me?” Instead of asking “what does the text say.” At first this may not seem like it’s too big of a deal (I mean God does speak to us through His word) however looking for something I view as meaningful keeps me from seeing the theme of the actual text.

For instance this morning I read this in devotions from Leviticus 22.

Lev. 22:4 “ ‘If a descendant of Aaron has a defiling skin disease or a bodily discharge, he may not eat the sacred offerings until he is cleansed.

Now I could have spent a long time trying to figure out what a sacred offering meant for me in 2016, but this would mean overlooking the fact this passage isn’t referring to the sacred offering (words used six-times), the major idea was who could (or couldn’t) eat the sacred offerings (speaks of eating sacred offerings at least five times.) A biblical principle would be it was something Holy or set-apart only for those priests who were clean morally to eat…anybody else who tried to eat it would die (Lev. 22:3). Yet in my rush to find “something meaningful” that idea will be overlooked.

I’m not saying that approaching Scripture asking “what does it say?” Instead of “what does it mean?” Will make quiet time a more exciting experience. In fact it’s much easier to look for something that speaks to me, because studying the grammar and key words of a passage is hard work.

However it’s as we allow God to speak to us through His Word (instead of reading meaning into it) that we discover key biblical principles. And it’s as we meditate on those principles God will draw us closer to Him.

Uncategorized

Ministering in a Religious Mission Field

This week in an article on “Four Questions Every Church should ask a Missionary Organization ” Elliot Clarke made a statement that I found very interesting.

“The fact is this, for all of our discussion about unreached people groups, most places that we send missionaries already have some kind of Christian influence.”

Clarke with this statement is encouraging Churches to ask missions organisations how they partner with other churches or groups. However he is correct that a huge amount of mission fields today can be referred to as religious [2].

A few months ago I shared the Gospel with a man who after being asked where he would go when he died immediately responded “hell.” Yet he could quote Romans 3:23 and Romans 6:23, tell me why Jesus had to come and die (for his sin), and even had a general idea about how to accept Christ. But when I asked if he wanted to accept Jesus his answer was a respectful no.

Sadly missions today is very different that it was in past generations when people heard the Gospel for the first time and excitedly accepted Christ. Today those in mission fields (and even America) can quote the Romans road while loving the most pagan life imaginable.

The conversation with that man who knew all the answers but didn’t accept the Lord reminded me of the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in John 3. This religious leader knew the foundational truth that Jesus was from Heaven because of His miracles (3:1–2) but couldn’t comprehend the deeper truth that Jesus had to come because he couldn’t save himself (3:3–8), and though he clearly knew the prophecies that proved Jesus was the messiah (3:10–12) refused to believe (3:9).

I truly believe Nicodemus in the back of his mind knew that Jesus was the Messiah come to save the world from their sins. He knew all the prophesies but did not allow that truth to impact his life. So it always stayed in his head never affecting the heart of Nicodemus

Notice that the ministry of Jesus here isn’t so much about sharing the Gospel but about moving past the basic Bible truth (you aren’t a normal man) and revealing the deeper Gospel truth (Christ is God’s Son who would transform hearts though the Holy Spirit). In a way we can follow Christ’s pattern by explaining the truths of Scripture instead of proclaiming them.

In more basic terms we make the person stop and think about what Scripture truly means.

This is a frustrating kind of ministry especially after we have explained the Gospel countless times and it still hasn’t made an impact upon lives. Yet all that work is worth it the moment you see the Holy Spirit lead that person past knowledge to a true relationship with Christ.

[2]: By calling a field religious I mean they have a basic understanding of the Gospel or Christian truth