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Monday night the Lord allowed me to experience a spiritual high, and low in less than thirty minutes that illustrated clearly the challenge of missions.  At around 6:30 a boy I had been sharing with prayed to accept Jesus (I have doubts about his decision but trust God to continue working in his heart) then about twenty minutes later a group of boys came to my porch with an item that another one had stolen from my house earlier that day.

Because this was an expensive item I decided to send a message and walked him over to the police station.  It actually became a big deal because lots of children were playing nearby and by the time I got to the station there were ten kids with me (thought he would run away and hide the next day)!

Sitting there in the station looking at an eleven year-old boy who according to the police was well known for stealing things one thought went through my mind….how did he get this way?    

While there isn’t a clearly defined right or wrong answer, one of the greatest influences is the lack of structure or authority for the children of Barrouallie.

This doesn’t mean parents just let their children run wild.  Instead in countries like Saint Vincent were jobs are hard to find its common for both parents and other family members to work all day doing something like fishing, or selling produce.  

Obviously not being there means they CAN’T make sure their children do the right thing, or discipline them.  So kids spend most of the day idle (spending time with friends) and come home around 7:00 or 8:00 at night.   As you can imagine spending time with friends instead of family members affects how they define right or wrong.

 Just to clarify this doesn’t mean all the children steal, the one who had stolen from me was being “physically restrained” by two or three others, and a group brought the item back to me.

The truly sad part of the situation Monday night was the boys mother who had just gotten home after working all day, only to be picked up by the police and brought to the station.  My heart broke as she explained to her eleven year old son someday his “thiefing” (stealing) would lead to his death.

Unfortunately this is a common problem not only in Barrouallie, but mission fields around the world, and parts of the United States.  The lack of authority figures who WANT to be there but CAN’T creates a generation of children who don’t respect any authority.

So what is the answer?

Spiritual parenting

In my opinion spiritual parenting means an authority figure takes on the role of mentoring or discipleship with a child that teaches them right from wrong.  Is this the job of their parent or family member?  Of course it is!  But what if that person cannot be there to teach the child right from wrong?

Because all children respect and obey “Mr. John” I have a responsibility to not only teach them Scripture, but take on the role of a spiritual parent.  I’m sure I won’t measure up to being a parent, but this helps keep eleven year olds out of the prison station.

Earlier this week I wrote a post about interest in American politics overseas and how it reveals a desire for a savior or deliverer (in this case America).  That post was positive because an understanding all the world is broken (including the US) shows no individual can truly be our savior, and focuses our eyes on the one true Savior Jesus Christ.

At the same time this interest in American politics is a great hindrance to missions, and sharing the Gospel in particular, because they see the chaos that has erupted from the 2016 presidential election.

Now let me just say this isn’t a post attacking either candidate (though like most of you I have serious issues with both of them) but mourning the fact that nightly news programs loudly publish throughout the world “America is no longer a Christian nation.”

Gonna have to send all the kids out of the room before I can turn on the news tonight.

— Trevin Wax (@TrevinWax) October 7, 2016

In a way this isn’t a surprise for Americans because we saw our Country slowly drifting away from God long before same-sex marriage was accepted by the Supreme Court, transgenders use of bathrooms became a hot-topic, and religious freedom was confined to four walls on Sunday.  The presidential election isn’t the source of our brokeness, but puts a spotlight on it for the world to see.

Sadly many people in mission fields were unaware just how bad things had become in America…they know now

and now that they know America’s chaos becomes my identity instead of the Gospel.

When I first came to Barrouallie St. Vincent everybody called me “white man” for about a month till the started learning my name.  Thankfully they all call me John now, but as one of the three white people in town, being American is still a huge part of my identity.  This isn’t too much of a problem since I don’t expect people to look upon me as “Vincentian” and I’ll always be proud to be an American.

Since I’m from the States though people would talk to me about American things like:

1. Where they had been in America
2. Sports in the US
3. American TV shows or movies
4. And things things that were different back home

This week because the discussion of American things included

1. Muslim terrorists
2. Gun control
3. the riots in Charlotte
4. and racial profiling

In the mornings and evenings I always take a walk around the community to develop relationships, and share Christ.  As conversations during those walks turned from small-talk to what they saw on Foxnews or CNN it became more and more difficult to turn them towards their need of Jesus.

Even worse I was no longer identified as “John the missionary who came to share Christ with us” but “John the missionary whose parents lived two-hours from those riots in Charlotte”, or “John the missionary from the Country were racism is rampant”,or “John the missionary from the Country where everyone owns guns.”

These unspoken identifications aren’t true of course (not everyone’s a racist, and not everyone owns a gun) but the point is watching news coverage from the US makes them THINK that’s true, and in the end that’s all that matters.  

Satan hates the Gospel…he would rather people talk about anything except their need of a Savior.  Unfortunately the news gives Vincentians plenty of other things to talk about, and if I’m not careful its incredibly easy to start arguing about “issues” (with someone who cannot vote) instead of clarifying the Gospel.

Unfortunately I don’t have an easy answer to this problem (don’t think there is one) but maybe the first step is remembering the unsaved in mission-fields are watching.

• The see the chaos
• And politicians acting like spoiled children
• news programs that turn into shouting matches
• Division over what people “self identify” as
• Social media websites such as Facebook or Twitter turning into tools that attack other viewpoints
• And a Government that exudes more and more control over Churches

They see our brokenness

They know we have turned from God

so with the Lord’s help may I become known as “John the missionary who owns his Countries brokenness (along with his own) and with every newscast confesses America’s need of a Savior.”

Last night as we were finishing a Bible study from the book of Mark I asked if anyone had questions or insights about what we had been covering.  One of the members raised her hand and in frustration told me about a friend she had repeatedly invited to Church, but always refused to do so.  “How do I get her to come to Church?” she asked.

This Believer was speaking towards one of the greatest struggles in missions.  There can be no doubt that the local Church is God’s tool to reach the world with the Gospel of Christ through the preaching of Scripture, evangelism, and discipleship of Believers.  However many people are either not interested in attending a Church, or already attend one that doesn’t preach the Gospel.

To be honest I had been struggling with the question she asked myself (how do I get people to come to Church?) for a while. No matter how hard I tried it every attempt at an answer seemed to fail, and it wasn’t till recently I understood why.  

Almost every answer had to do with a program

Basically my attempt to bring people in was creating programs at the Church and excitedly telling people “come to see us”!  The Lord truly uses this ministry philosophy, but my friend and myself (along with you) have learned there are individuals who won’t come to any program

The temptation in situations like this is to launch new programs thinking “this is the one that will work!”  But this is like screaming “come to see us” as loud as we can to someone who is deaf.

 

Recently the Lord helped me realize 90% of my ministry was program-driven through the local Church (screaming come to see us).  The problem with this is I’m ministering in a very religious mission field where the vast majority of people attend Church somewhere, so an invitation to a ministry is met with “oh I go to __________.”

My first response was to begin thinking of new programs that could be held at my house instead of Church, but in the midst of that the Lord helped me understand I was still screaming “come see us” and though that may reach a few, the majority of Barrouallie would still refuse to come.

The answer to our struggle isn’t screaming louder but changing the statement.  Instead of saying “come to us” we should confidently say “I’ll come to you.” This involves interacting with people where they are in relationship development, finding where they are spiritually, sharing the gospel, explaining the truths of God’s Word, and maybe even starting a Bible study.  One of the largest differences is this takes eyes that are open to the opportunities God brings.

Yesterday during my afternoon walk I carried a small book with Bible pictures in my back pocket, and a New Testament instead of my phone in the front pocket.  Eventually I came by a boy named Jaymarie who was playing football (that’s soccer for Americans) with his friends, he had asked me to tell him a Bible story a few days ago (couldn’t attend Bible club) so we sat down on his steps and I asked him to pick out a story.

He ended up choosing a picture of an Israelite sacrificing a lamb for his sins in the tabernacle so we talked for a while about why God wanted that lamb to die, and how those sacrifices were a picture of Jesus.  “Jaymarie” I asked, “if you died today where would you go?”  he was able to tell me Heaven, but couldn’t give a reason why God would let him in.

Slowly I opened to Romans 10:9-10 and explained the only way to enter Heaven is by confessing our sins and believing in Jesus.  “Have you ever done that?” I asked and Jaymarie shook his head no.  Because it would be easy to force him into a decision at that point I told Jaymarie we would talk about it more later…Lord willing I’ll be able to share more today.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 20:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation

A program at Church may have brought more people but I seriously doubt it would have offered the opportunity to share the Gospel one on one with Jaymarie.

The local Church will always be God’s chosen tool for fulfilling the Great Commission, however the Lord is helping me understand sometimes the answer isn’t screaming louder, but quietly listening for His voice.

 

Through the years God has taught me many important lessons about the differences between America, and overseas cultures. One of the first (and most important) came as I sat with a group of fellow Australian Missionaries at a local coffee shop on a Thursday morning.  As we chatted an Aussie sitting nearby said to us “hey are you guys American?” and after learning we were, he asked who we were voting for in the upcoming presidential election.  He then went a step farther by telling us who we needed to vote for and why!

This and other experiences quickly taught me individuals in mission fields love to discuss American politics.

This took me by surprise because at the time (2008 I believe) it was taboo for Americans to ask about another persons political affiliation, and even today discussion of politics is usually only reserved for close friends. Things are different overseas where individuals are very aware of whats going on in America (through CNN, FoxNews, and constant updates from social media) and enjoy using politics as a topic of daily conversation.

While these discussions surprised me at first I learned to enjoy, and even look forward to them:

1. Because they challenge me to clearly explain, and defend my position
2. Opened the door for religious conversations
3. are a good way to break the ice with people
4. And help me view whats happening in the US from their viewpoint

More than anything I love these discussions because they reveal we live in a broken world….and everyone is looking for a Savior.

It’s interesting that most of my political conversations overseas revolve around who I’m voting for (like the coffee shop conversation) instead of issues.  Even more fascinating is the fact that many of those individuals overseas connect THEMSELVES to America’s leadership even though they would never be able to vote.  Last night I walked by a Vincentian who was excitedly explaining to his friends how he used to be a Republican, but changed to a Democrat when Obama ran for president 🙂

Part of this connection with the American political system is because they know what happens in the US heavily affects their Country (something I didn’t understand till becoming a missionary).  But I personally believe it goes deeper and has to do with their search for a Savior.

For many of these people America is seen as a land of opportunity.  They notice the brokenness of their country (every society has problems) then look to the US as a land that was seemingly perfect and think, “if only I could live there.”  Recent years however revealed the so-called “perfect land” is extremely far from it (of course America never was).  Riots, shootings, political unrest, and violence viewed daily on their television screens reveal that the whole world is broken.  It’s my opinion this desire for one Country that “isn’t broken” leads people overseas to latch onto American leaders who promise to fix our brokenness.

The fact is no leader no matter how charismatic or wise could heal our world that has been broken since Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of Eden.  They may make the right decisions initially, but eventually everyone will be corrupted by power.  It is only in the New Heaven and New Earth where brokenness will be forgotten (Revelation 21:1-2).

It’s tempting to avoid these political conversations (I did as much as I could initially) because they can become confrontational and awkward.  Yet the Lord gives few better opportunities to explain men cannot truly fix the worlds problems.

Yesterday I met with an unsaved friend named Steve.  During our conversation we talked about racial profiling, black lives matter, Muslim terrorism, riots in Charlotte, and of course the upcoming presidential election.  Though it was awkward at times I embraced that conversation because it highlighted we are all incredibly broken…and pointed towards the one true Savior.

A few weeks ago Tabernacle began a visitation ministry on Monday nights.  Basically this involved going from house to house handing out tracts, inviting people to Church, and sharing the Gospel if possible.  This kind of ministry in a religious town like Barrouallie (I’ve been told there are as many as ten Churches in the area) makes those conversations very interesting.

Many towns in SVG could be called “religious mission fields” because almost everyone goes to a Church.  This results in a culture of unsaved people who think they are saved, and may be able to give answers that a saved person would share, but have no real relationship with Christ.

The big problem is people like this actually understand the Gospel, but haven’t placed their faith in it.  Mack Stiles says in his book “Marks of the Messenger“explains their spiritual need this way, “Understanding is not enough, there must be heartfelt, deep-seated faith and trust in Christ, His work and His call to us personally.”  This is bad news for many people in Barrouallie (and around the world) who have an understanding head-knowledge of what the Gospel teaches, but it’s never affected their heart.

Last night during visitation I noticed a teenage girl who sometimes attends Bible Club nearby so I walked over and gave her a tract.  As we were talking  the Lord led me to use one of my favorite questions when sharing the Gospel,”if you went to Heaven today and God asked why he should let you in, what would you tell him?”  (this question comes from Share Jesus Without Fear by Bill Faye, I find his questions and conversation starters very useful when witnessing.)

Our question went something like this

Me:  “Anna (not her real name) if you died today and after getting to Heaven God asked why should I let you into heaven?  what would you tell Him?”

Anna:  (thinking a moment) “I would tell Him I am a child of God”

Me:  “okay, so how does somebody become a child of God?”

Anna:  (biting her lip)  “umm do good things?”

Sadly our culture is filled with Anna’s who can explain the Gospel but have never truly experienced it for themselves.  Even more heartbreaking they believe that understanding of Salvation is enough to get them into Heaven.

So how do we reach the Anna’s of this world?  While it’s definitely not an easy task I believe in the words of Mack Styles we must explain “understanding is not enough.”  Christ Himself made this very clear when encountered by a demon-possessed man in Mark chapter one.

Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
Mark 1:22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
Mark 1:23 ¶ And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
Mark 1:24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
Mark 1:25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
Mark 1:26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. (emphasis added)

Obviously this demon (notice the words “us”, and “we” that proves its the demon speaking not the man) knew exactly who Jesus was, but Christ sent him out of the man.  Later we are told Jesus didn’t allow the demons to speak because they knew who He was (Mark 1:34). Christ knew their confession came from fear of being cast out instead of true-repentance.  Again “understanding (confession of Christ) is not enough, there must be a faith and trust in Christ.”

Now I could spend hours explaining to Anna why calling herself a child of God couldn’t save her if she got there by doing works, and didn’t have a firm grasp on what it meant to believe in Jesus.  But it’s my personal opinion a knowledge that understanding the Gospel isn’t enough to save her comes through the conviction of the Holy Spirit.

So its my job to MOVE PAST THE BASIC GOSPEL ANSWER and with loving questions bring that uncomfortable moment when they bite their lip.  This through prayer and conversation puts what Ted Koukl in his book “Tactics“calls “a pebble in their shoe.”  That small seed of doubt (what would I say to God?) is used by the Holy Spirit to bring Biblical conviction, and prepare for future Gospel Based conversations.

May God break our hearts over the Anna’s of this world, and give us opportunities to lovingly show understanding is not enough to save them.