HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 2 AA HHiigghheerr PPuurrppoossee FFoorr YYoouurr OOvveerrsseeaass JJoobb Bert Claro HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 3 A Higher Purpose for Your Overseas Job Copyright © 2007 Revised Edition by Roberto Claro Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. Illustration on page 18 used by permission from Living Springs International. Printed copies available from CrossOver Books, Inc. P.O. Box 2656 MCPO 1266 Makati City, Philippines ISBN 978-971-002 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 4 Table of Contents Foreword Introduction A Word to Pastors 1 How to Stay Close to God in Faraway Places 2 The Role of OFW Tentmakers in World Missions 3 Two Basic Skills for Cross-Cultural Disciple Making 4 How to be a Good Tentmaker – The Juan dela Cruz Story 5 How to be a Good Tentmaker – The Juan dela Cruz Story (Part 2) 6 Do You Know What You Have in Your Luggage? 7 How to Communicate Creatively 8 Some Final Matters Appendix A: The Good News Appendix B: Juan‘s Vision Diagram Appendix C: Seminar Notes & Answer Key Appendix D: Juan‘s Prayer Letter Terms Tentmaker Resources Notes References HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 5 Foreword Two decades ago, national Christian leaders and foreign evangelists propagated the vision that the Philippines was destined to become the launching pad of the Gospel in Asia. They were convinced that the Filipino Church would become a major force in world missions. In the 90s, the challenge of planting churches among the remaining unreached people groups brought with it the acknowledgment of the difficulties of deploying traditional missionaries in the most spiritually needy places in the world. On the other hand, Filipinos have been sovereignly positioned by God all over the world as contract workers, effectively circumventing the barriers that hinder traditional missionaries. Today, tens of thousands of Filipino Christians are strategically poised to make a major spiritual impact in the most unevangelized places and people groups in the 10/40 Window. Bert and I first discussed the OFW phenomenon in light of its missiological implications in 1997. We realized then that the missions vision for the Philippines would become reality through the platform called ―tentmaking.‖ From that point on, Robert has relentlessly pursued the goal of sharing the tentmaking vision with churches and individuals. His passion for God and his belief in the Filipino people as God‘s new force in missions are evident in the pages of this book. But more than just a book that inspires, A Higher Purpose for Your Overseas Job discusses some practical issues that every Christian overseas worker can relate to in matters of cross-cultural witness. I trust you will find this book both intellectually and spiritually stimulating. And I pray that it will lead you to consider becoming an ―OFW‖—an Outstanding Filipino Witness—to people who have yet to hear the name of Jesus Christ! That all may hear, Robert “Bob” Ferdinand K. Lopez HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 6 Introduction God has an awesome plan for the ―Overseas Filipino Worker‖ (OFW). God has been at work in the Philippines and around the world for hundreds of years preparing the stage for this generation of OFWs. It is an undisputed fact that Filipinos are ―world class‖ in their ability to speak English, relate to others, work hard and learn new languages. Today, millions of Filipinos are working in countries all around the world. And many of them are believers who love the Lord Jesus with all their heart. It is no accident that you are reading this book right now. God is stirring up the hearts of His people to lift up their eyes to see the final harvest fields. And as we pray for Him to send out laborers, He often calls us to be the answer to our prayers. Almighty God says, “Look at the nations and watch—and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told” (Hab. 1:5). This book is an attempt to provide some basic insights and skills to help Christian overseas Filipino workers to carry out the Great Commission. It is just a beginning point, but it is my prayer that it will challenge many to take the next step of obedience in response to God‘s call to ―Go and make disciples of all nations….‖ May God speak clearly to you as you study the following pages. This material may be studied in a variety of ways. It can be used for individual study as you prepare to go overseas. The answers to questions in the book are given in the ―Notes‖ section at the back of the book. You may also use this as a guide for a cell/small group. It can be used by a pastor or church leader or teacher to train a group of people who feel called to work overseas. You may want to use it for a youth or young adult retreat or camp. It is also intended for use as a tentmaker orientation seminar. Make copies of the ―Seminar Notes‖ section (Appendix C) as a handout for the people you train. An Answer Key is provided. Acknowledgments The sources of the materials drawn from are acknowledged where the source is known. Special thanks for ideas and insights from our friends and mentors. Most of all, we are thankful to our Lord Jesus. ―For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever!‖ (Rom. 11:36) HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 7 A Word to Pastors It is hard to find a local church in the Philippines that does not have at least one member or a close relative of a member who is working overseas. That is just a reality of life. It is exciting to hear the testimonies of the many Overseas Filipino Workers who come to faith in Christ during their time overseas. But what about the Christian OFWs who are going out from your church? You may have asked yourself, ―How can I help these Christian OFWs maximize their potential for the Kingdom of God?‖ As you equip the saints for the work of ministry, don‘t leave out the OFWs in your church! God has a bigger plan in mind for them than just providing for their financial needs. God wants your church to be a Great Commission Church. That means God wants you to be actively involved in challenging, training, sending and praying for those He is calling to be missionaries. Many Christian OFWs will be the only witness for Christ in the places where they work. Many of these places are completely closed to traditional missionaries. It seems that self-supporting OFW ―tentmaker‖ missionaries may be God‘s primary plan for bringing the Gospel to the people in those places! Unlike fully-supported missionaries, there is no limit to the number of OFW tentmakers your church can send out! It is my prayer that this book will provide a simple way to help you train OFWs to maximize their potential for the Kingdom of God. Many churches have been blessed as their members working abroad have supported their home church financially. But an even greater benefit is the encouragement and edification that comes as the church hears the testimonies of the things God has done through the witness of OFW missionaries. God bless you as you train your people to carry out the Great Commission! The ―Seminar Notes‖ section (Appendix C) was prepared to help you train your own tentmaker missionaries. Make photocopies of the Seminar Notes for those you will teach. Use the answer key to fill out the blanks on your copy of the Seminar Notes. Each session corresponds with the chapters in this book. The seminar can be compressed into a one-day format, but we recommend that you spread out the teaching over several days or weeks. Luis Bush gives us this challenge: ―The next generation represents a vast untapped bounty of skills and resources for the kingdom of God…for bi-vocational work.‖1 The question is, will we join God in what He is doing in our generation? I trust your response is a strong ―Amen!‖ Important Note: Some of the church planting approaches discussed in chapters 4 and 5 may appear a little ―unusual‖ compared to the way things are done in the Philippines. Just keep in mind that in many places where your OFW church members will go, they will be attempting to share Christ with local people among whom there may be no churches or pastors. Things must be done differently to help new churches quickly take root and then reproduce themselves forty, sixty, even one hundred times before the Lord‘s Second Coming! Let‘s pray that God will do what only He can do! HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 8 Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God. William Carey Tentmaker, India When God‘s finger points, God‘s hand will open the door. Clarence W. Jones Ecuador HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 9 1 How to Stay Close to God in Faraway Places One of the major challenges of the Christian OFW is how to stay close to God in a faraway place. You will leave your home church behind and you may be going to a place where Christian worship is restricted. In some cases, employers attempt to convert OFWs to their own religion. The good news is that God will be there giving you the desire and the power to do His will (Phil. 2:13). There will also be many other Christian OFWs who will be looking for fellow believers. This book is written for men and women who already have a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ. Can you remember a time in your life when you realized that you were a sinner on your way to eternity in hell? Can you tell about the time when you turned away from sin and placed your trust in Jesus as your only hope of salvation? Are you certain that God will welcome you into heaven when this life is over? Hopefully you can answer ―Yes!‖ to each of these questions. But if you cannot, please read the Good News on pages 94-96 and discuss this matter with a pastor or Christian friend. Before anything else, you must be sure about your relationship with God. In this chapter we will look at two important issues that will help you stay close to God in the faraway place you are going. We will look at what it means to be a ―full-time Christian‖ and what it means to ―live by faith.‖ Are you a full-time Christian? Are you a full-time Christian? Your answer to this question may determine the difference between success and failure when it comes to tentmaking missions—and your whole Christian life! What is your answer?  Yes, I am a full-time Christian No, I am a part-time Christian I‘m not sure… Why is this question difficult for some of us to answer? It is because the traditional view of priest and pastor cloud our thinking when it comes to the Christian ―layman.‖ When we think of a person being ―full-time,‖ we usually think of a pastor and paid church worker who spends all of their time doing church-related work. If a pastor works at a secular job to support his family, he is often judged as not having enough faith to be ―full-time‖ for God. The basic message is that somehow laymen are second- class Christians. As we consider the issue of tentmaker missionaries, it is important that we place the Word of God above the traditions of man. There is strong biblical grounds for believing that a godly Christian HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 10 businessman or skilled worker is equally as important in the plan of God as a paid church worker. It is possible that sometimes it may take stronger faith for a layman to live for God doing his secular job than it does for a pastor to do his ―Christian job.‖ The point is not to put down the role of church workers, but rather to lift up the important role of Christian lay men and women. The job of pastors and teachers is to ―equip the saints for the work of the ministry‖ (Eph. 4:12). It is everyday Christians living out their faith in the world who have the greatest opportunity to bring lost people to Christ. When we commit our lives to Christ, we declare that ―Jesus is Lord.‖ That means that He is my Master wherever I go, whatever I do—all the time, full-time! There are no part-timers in the kingdom of God! If you are truly a child of God, you are a full-time Christian! Scripture says, ―He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again‖ (2 Cor. 5:15). There are no “part-timers” in the kingdom of God! If you are truly a child of God, you are a full-time Christian! If you view yourself as less than ―full-time‖ you will always have reasons for not being actively involved in God‘s mission. But God wants you to see yourself as one who is called to do your part in world missions as a full-time Christian! If you are following the Lord with all your heart, you are equally important in the plan of God as any church worker or missionary!2 Don‘t make the mistake of thinking less of yourself than God thinks of you. Rather than some insignificant person, God says, ―But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light‖ (1 Pet. 2:9). So live like the person God has recreated you to be. And live that way full- time! In the next chapter you will see that this concept of being a full-time Christian is an important part of understanding what it means to be a tentmaker. How to Live by Faith We will approach the issue of what it means to ―live by faith‖ from a different perspective than you may have heard before. Let‘s begin by looking at what faith is. One paraphrase of Hebrews 11:1 says, ―The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It‘s our handle on what we can‘t see‖ (The Message). Tentmaking missions is all about saying, ―Lord, here I am, send me wherever in the world You want me to go!‖ It often involves the challenge of going to faraway places to bring the Good News of salvation to the lost. The only way you can face this awesome task with confidence is if your whole life (public and private) is built on ―the firm foundation‖ of faith. This is so important that the Scripture declares that ―without faith it is impossible to please God!‖ So, we need faith to survive and we need faith to please God. But what exactly is ―faith‖? Read Hebrews 11:1-6 below. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 11 Hebrews 11:1-6 1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God‘s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 4 By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead. 5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him. Verse 6 gives us a powerful insight into what faith is all about. It says that if I have the kind of faith that pleases God, I must believe ―that He is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him‖ (KJV). I must believe two things: a. that God is (He exists) b. that God is a rewarder God is Here Let‘s look at those two requirements of faith. First, we must believe that ―God is.‖ It‘s good to know and believe that God exists. But where is God? He is everywhere. He is in heaven. Yes, that is true. But one of the most important issues about the existence of God is the fact that God is here! Numerous times throughout Scripture, God tells His people, ―Fear not for I am with you.‖ The Bible is full of ―God is here‖ passages! The good news of Christmas is Immanuel, ―God with us.‖ The Great Commission culminates with the promise, ―And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age!‖ (Mt. 28:20). So we can express the kind of faith that pleases God with the confident assertion that ―God is here‖ — wherever ―here‖ happens to be. When you find yourself in a place far from family and friends and fellowship, it will bring strong encouragement to have the kind of faith that says, ―God is here!‖ Add to this list of “God is here” passages: Gen 21:22; 26:3, 24 Gen 28:15; 31:3; 39:3, 21 Exo 10:12, 15 Lev 26:12 Num 11:20 Deut 31:6, 8 Josh 1:5; 3:7; 22:31 Judg 6:12, 16 1 Sam 16:18 2 King 6:16-17 1 Chron 11:9; 28:20 2 Chron 32:7-8 Psa 46:7, 11 Isa 41:10 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 12 God is Good The second aspect of faith that pleases God is believing that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. God put the desire for reward in the heart of every person. Unfortunately, many people try to satisfy this longing through playing the lotto or bingo or wishing they could be on a game show with a million peso reward. But God wants to satisfy our longing for reward. He is The Rewarder! And ultimately, He Himself is the reward (Gen. 15:2). In Christ, God rewards us with forgiveness of sin, approval, acceptance, victory over temptation, love, joy, peace, patience, purpose and meaning in life! This also means that when bad things happen, we can trust that God will still be glorified as He works all things together for good! We seek God through reading, memorizing and meditating on His Word and we seek Him in prayer. And God fulfills His promise to reward us! Simply stated, God wants to reward us with the things that will bring Him the greatest glory and bring us the deepest joy. We can confidently say, God is good! So one way to express the kind of faith that pleases God is to say, ―God is here and God is good!‖ Repeat that three times. Worship Like Abel Look back at the story of Cain and Abel (Heb. 11:4) in the light of this way of expressing faith. ―By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice…‖ So, when Cain brought his sacrifice, his attitude might have been something like, ―God is far and God doesn‘t care.‖ If we are not careful we become guilty of worshiping like Cain in our daily time with God and at church. By contrast, when Abel brought his offering to God, his heart attitude was probably, ―Lord, I know You are here and You are good! I worship You and give You this sacrifice with thanksgiving.‖ Which man do you think went home saying, ―It was good to worship God today!‖? Choose to worship like Abel in your daily time alone with God. Before you begin reading the Bible, say out loud, ―God is here and God is good!‖ Worship like Abel! As an OFW in a faraway place your spiritual life will depend on it! Walk Like Enoch Now let‘s look at the story of Enoch in the light of this understanding of faith. Back in Genesis 5, it says ―Enoch walked with God.‖ Just imagine 246 year-old Enoch getting up in the morning and going to work with the strong assurance that ―God is here and God is good.‖ Wherever he was, whatever he did, his heart was focused on the God who is here and the God who is good. And the Bible says that ―he was commended as one who pleased God.‖ What an example for present-day Enochs in the workplace around the world! “God is here and God is good!” HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 13 How will you be able to stay close to God in a faraway place? How can you please God as a Christian working among people who do not know Jesus? Start your day with worship like Abel. And all day long walk like Enoch! When you need wisdom to make an important decision, remember, ―God is here and God is good!‖ When you are tempted with sexual sin, remember, ―God is here and God is good!‖ When you feel all alone and discouraged, remember, ―God is here and God is good!‖ When you don‘t know what to tell an unbeliever about God, tell him, ―God is here and God is good!‖ Start your day with worship like Abel. And all day long walk like Enoch! This is what walking by faith is all about. Wherever you are living right now, start living by faith. Daily affirm that ―God is here and God is good.‖ Say it out loud right now. Thank Him for His faithfulness right now. This is the firm foundation under all you do as an effective tentmaker. Declaration: Let it be known to all in heaven and on earth that I am a full-time Christian! At work or play, everywhere, everyday, I will live by faith and confidently say, ‘God is here and God is good!’ Signed: _____________________________________________________________________ Date: _________________________ Place: _______________________________________ HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 14 Review/Discussion: 1. Explain in your own words what it means for a person to be a full-time Christian. 2. Read Hebrews 13:5-6. Explain how this passage reinforces the truth about God that ―...he is and he is a rewarder to those who seek him‖ (Heb. 11:6). 3. We have seen that one way to express faith described in Hebrews 11:6 is ―God is here and God is good.‖ Explain to another person how you can see that this will help you in your overseas job. 4. Here is a list of some ―holy habits‖ that many Christians have found to have helped them stay close to God. Place a check next to the ones that are already a regular part of your life. Place a plus mark (+) next to the ones you plan to make a part of your life.  Get adequate sleep (6 to 8 hours)  Eat a balanced diet  Exercise regularly  Spend time daily in prayer  Ask God to empower you with the Holy Spirit  Use a plan to read through the Bible  Memorize and meditate on Scripture  Sing worship songs to God throughout the day  Meet weekly with a prayer & accountability partner  Read good books or magazines HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 15 To finish world evangelization, thousands of Christians must support themselves abroad with their trades and professions and make Him known to people around them. Ruth Siemens Tentmakers Needed for World Evangelization A tentmaker views his occupation not as a sign of status or a road to success, but as a key to unlock the door to a country which is closed to traditional missionary approaches. Dean Wiebracht The World Beyond Your Walls HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 16 2 The Role of OFW Tentmakers in World Missions Missions is the Central Theme of the Bible There are some who think of missions as a minor, insignificant theme in Scripture. But it would be closer to the truth to say that God gave us the Bible so we would understand two basic things: 1. His World Mission – To glorify Himself through bringing people ―from every nation, tribe, people and language‖ into His eternal Kingdom through faith in Christ (Rev. 7:9). 2. His World Mission Strategy – To mobilize His followers to make disciples of all the nations (Mt. 28:18-20). No, missions is not a side issue in Scripture. Some even go so far as to say: ―The Bible is missions!‖3 An individual believer or fellowship of believers not committed to world missions is a contradiction! People often talk about ―the biblical basis of missions.‖ Maybe it would be more accurate to talk about ―the missions basis of the Bible!‖ How missions-minded is your church? Do you have regular times when you pray for unreached people groups? Are the people you worship with actively praying for and supporting missionaries? God desires for us to share His heart for the world. We must continually ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to lift up our eyes and see the abundant harvest fields far beyond our own barangay and city and country. Evangelism or Missions? Often we hear people speak of doing ―missions‖ when they are actually referring to outreach intended to bring people into their local church. It is helpful to define the difference between evangelism and missions. Ralph Winter encourages us to use the term ―evangelism‖ to describe the work of reaching lost people who are of the same culture as our own.4 These people are much easier to reach because they speak our same language and share many of the same cultural distinctives. On the other hand, the term ―missions‖ should be used to for reaching out to lost people who are part of a culture different from ours. When people of a different culture who speak very little English come to Christ it will usually be best for them to start a church that can multiply within their own people group. This is better than trying to bring them into an established Filipino church - particularly in places where Christians are persecuted. There are two general types of missions. ―Regular missions‖ involves reaching people of another culture group that already have some well established churches. There are still many lost people, but they are already being reached by local believers. By contrast, ―frontier missions‖ is the work of focusing on HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 17 people of another culture among whom there are very few if any churches. Unless outsiders bring the Gospel to them, they will likely never hear about Jesus. There are other ways to define the difference between evangelism and missions, but for now, let‘s agree with Ralph Winter‘s terminology. Most of us naturally prefer to do evangelism rather than missions. The reason is that it is always easier to relate to people who come from our own culture. People of other cultures often seem ―strange‖ and are more difficult to relate to. If the person we want to bring to Christ comes from a culture that is very different from ours, we must be willing to cross many cultural barriers to present the Gospel to him. For example, we will probably need to learn to speak his heart language, understand what he believes about ―God‖ and salvation and what he has heard about Christianity. The good news is that ―God is here‖ to help us do the hard work of cross-cultural ministry. Quiz: As a Filipino, would it be ―evangelism‖ or ―missions‖ for you to share the Gospel with: 1. A Filipino from your province working in the Middle East ______________________________ 2. A Manobo Filipino who speaks very little English or Tagalog ______________________________ 3. A Japanese person visiting the Philippines ______________________________5 Unreached People Groups An ―unreached people group‖ is a distinct cultural group that has very few, if any, believers. They need missionaries—―cultural outsiders‖—to bring the Gospel to them. This is the work of frontier missions. Once there is a growing number of believers and churches, it is the job of the new believers as ―cultural insiders‖ to evangelize their own people. Paul, the first great tentmaker, put it this way, ―It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known…‖ (Rom. 15:20). One of the strongest motivators for getting involved in missions are Jesus‘ words in Matthew 24:14: ―And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.‖ The Lord Jesus waits on us to reach the unreached (pioneer missions) before He will come again! Missions in the Early Church As you consider these things, you may recognize that you have focused on evangelism and neglected missions. The truth is the first believers in the book of Acts made the same mistake! They were satisfied with evangelizing other Jews and were neglecting the cross-cultural work of reaching the Gentiles! But God was not willing to allow that to continue. It took a dramatic vision (Acts 10) for Peter to finally understand that God really had called him to make disciples of all nations. Evangelism – reaching people of my own culture Missions – reaching people of a different culture HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 18 Jews Samaritans Genti les (Acts 2) (Acts 8) (Acts 10) We must pray that God will help us overcome the tendency to only reach out to ―people like us.‖ Many OFWs focus all their evangelistic efforts on fellow Filipinos. Praise God for the thousands who have become believers overseas! That is the great task of evangelism. But it is essential that we are also involved in the work of missions, reaching those who are different from us and who may never hear of Jesus except through us and those we send. God has called us to do both evangelism and missions. We must be faithful in the work of evangelizing people like us. But we must also be faithful in making disciples of people whose culture is ―foreign‖ to us. The Keys of the Kingdom Jesus said to Peter, ―I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…‖ (Mt. 16:19). What were the keys of the kingdom for? There are several possibilities. One thing we know for sure is that keys are used to unlock and open doors. What doors were those Kingdom keys intended to open? One answer is that in the Book of Acts we see God using Peter to open the doors of the Gospel to three very important groups of people. These are three major steps forward in the spread of the Gospel.6 In Acts chapter 2 (vv. 1-5, 37-41) Peter preached in Jerusalem and 3000 people believed and were baptized. The door of salvation was opened to the _________________________. In Acts chapter 8 (vv. 14-17) Peter and John confirmed that the door of the salvation was open even to the _________________________. In Acts chapter 10 (vv. 23-28, 44-48) Peter preached the Gospel to an outsider named Cornelius, his relatives and close friends. They believed and were baptized. The door was now open even to the _________________________!7 Peter’s Keys of the Kingdom Personal Application: 1. Who did God use in your life to open the door to salvation to you? Thank God that that person was faithful to use ―the keys of the kingdom.‖ 2. Whose keys are you holding in your hand? (It may be a person, a family, a people group.) Ask God to guide you in this. Ask Him to enable you to be faithful in bringing the Gospel to them. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 19 The Role of the Filipino in the Mission Task God has been at work behind the scenes for hundreds of years, preparing the Filipino people for missions in these last days. Good language skills, cultural adaptability, simple life style, Asian features, friendliness and boldness in sharing the Gospel are among the qualities God has placed in Filipino believers. Add to this the willingness to work overseas in Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Communist countries or to travel the world as seamen. The people in many pioneer mission fields are easily accessible to OFWs. It is no accident or coincidence that a Filipino Christian finds himself or herself in the Middle East or some Asian nation or on a ship with an international crew. It is the plan of the Sovereign God of the universe! Our task is simply to trust and obey God as He works through us to bring the lost to Himself. The Philippines is quickly transitioning from being a mission field to a powerful mission force. There are some who will go out as fully or partially supported missionaries. But many more are called to go out as full-time, self-supporting Christians—called and empowered by the Spirit of God! This is the most exciting time in all of history to be alive! And it appears that Filipino Christians have a vital part to play in this final phase of missions before the Lord‘s return. The ―10/40 Window‖ refers to the part of the world where most of the unreached people groups of the world are living. On the following page, it is the shaded area in the box which is located between 10 degrees and 40 degrees north of the equator. The Philippines (indicated by the arrow) is just inside the lower right corner of the 10/40 Window. It is as if the Philippines is on the doorstep of the 10/40 Window. From this strategic location, hundreds of thousands of missionaries can be sent into the 10/40 Window. And it is becoming increasingly clear that the majority of these missionaries will go out as tentmakers. These facts should not make us proud, but rather should make us aware of the tremendous responsibility we have. ―From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded;. . .‖ (Lk. 12:48). What is a Tentmaker? This book is written primarily for the Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) tentmaker. What is a tentmaker? A tentmaker is a Christian who takes a ―secular‖ job in a cross-cultural setting for the purpose of making disciples (and making money). Reaching out to fellow OFWs is a wonderful thing to do, but HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 20 that is not the calling of a tentmaker. Tentmakers are focused on cross-cultural disciple making. Their goal is to reach the local people who have never heard of Jesus—in many cases, doing frontier missions. The term comes from the Bible. When Paul arrived in the foreign country of Corinth, he ―went to see [Aquila and Priscilla], and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them‖ (Acts 18:3). Paul actually did the work of making the kind of tents that people would live in. That was his skill. He worked to support himself by making tents. But why did Paul spend time making tents rather than just doing ―full-time,‖ love gift-supported ministry? It is very clear in Scripture that he worked to support himself during his ministry in Corinth, Ephesus and Thessalonica. Some believe that Paul worked to support himself during most of his missionary career!8 Was this just a sideline that he used to support himself when his money ran out? Or was it that Paul had backslidden and was not able to ―live by faith‖? These are important questions to answer. Paul’s Tentmaking Job was His Ministry Scripture shows us that Paul saw his tentmaking job as an important part of his ministry. As an expert disciple-maker, Paul knew that truth must be modeled as well as spoken. He wrote, ―For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example...we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow” (2 Thess. 3:7-9). While Paul was doing his tentmaking job, he was showing new believers how a person can live the Christian life in a secular work environment. He lived and worked in the same conditions as his disciples. No doubt the new converts thought to themselves, ―If Paul can live for Christ while working in a secular job, so can I!‖ No, there was no lack of faith on Paul‘s part. The passion of Paul‘s life was ―knowing Christ‖ and bringing the Gospel to ―where Christ was not known‖ (Phil. 3:8, Rom. 15:20). He lived a very focused, intentional life. He did everything he did in order ―to win as many as possible‖ to Christ (1 Cor. 9:19). It was part of Paul‘s missionary strategy to make tents. It has been said that Paul ―...considered his self- support model as essential to his total strategy...Only his workplace evangelism could produce the missionary lay movement that was his only hope of winning the Gentile world.‖9 The history of missions is full of examples of self-supporting missionaries. The Moravians are well known for sending out thousands of missionaries starting in the 1700s. These missionaries were almost exclusively tentmakers. For most of them, the only support they received from their home church was prayer. Even William Carey, the father of modern missions, was a self-supporting tentmaker missionary! Carey, who was actually a shoemaker, once said, ―My business is to witness for Christ. I just make shoes to pay my expenses.‖ Through the years God has done great things through humble men and women who have gone to the mission field as tentmakers. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 21 Called to be Tentmakers If you are considering taking an overseas job and you have a heart for bringing people of another culture to Christ, you may be called to be a tentmaker! Your overseas contract is more than God‘s provision for your financial needs. If God gives you a job, you can be sure that He has plans for you to make disciples where He sends you. Most of the remaining unreached people groups of the world live in places where a person identified as a ―missionary‖ could never get in. God‘s solution: tentmakers! Is He calling you to bring Chinese, Thais, Bangladeshis, Cambodians, Arabs, Pakistanis, Central Asians or some other people group into a growing relationship with Jesus? Will you say ―Yes, Lord!‖ to His tentmaking call? Full-Time, Self-Supporting Christian If we are serious about finishing the task of making disciples of all the nations, we must be open to new ways of doing missions. If our only plan is to send fully supported Bible school or seminary trained missionaries, the job will never get done. We need thousands more missionaries today! Add to that the fact that most of the remaining unreached peoples of the world live in countries that will not give visas to anyone identified as a missionary. If we really want to take the Gospel to the whole world, we must tap the great resource of millions of full-time, self-supporting Christians. There will continue to be a need for sending out fully supported missionaries, but let‘s open our eyes to the new thing God is doing! Many people are convinced that in these last days God is calling the churches in the Philippines to mobilize their OFWs as tentmakers to ―go and make disciples of all nations.‖ Here is a definition of tentmaking: Tentmakers are full-time, self-supporting Christians called by God to obey the Great Commission in a cross-cultural setting. On the job and off the job, their objective is to bring people of another culture into a growing relationship with Christ. Tentmakers are full-time, self-supporting Christians called by God to obey the Great Commission in a cross-cultural setting. On the job and off the job, their objective is to bring people of another culture into a growing relationship with Christ. Is God calling you? Take some time right now to pray. Remember, God is here and God is good. Because He is here, He will hear your prayer and answer you. Because He is good, you can trust that as He leads you, He will work all things together for good. We will come back to the issue of following God‘s calling in chapter 8. mn mn mn HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 22 Every local church should be a Great Commission Church. Jesus gave the Great Commission to the local church. The unreached peoples of the world cry out to us, like the man in Paul‘s vision, ―Come over...and help us!‖ (Acts 16:9). A Great Commission Church is a church that is aggressively seeking to do its part to make disciples of all nations. It is a church whose love for the Savior leads them to share the Savior‘s concern for the world. The task is great! But it can be done! We all have a role to play! Your responsibility is to be very sensitive to the Holy Spirit as He gives direction to you and your church. There are at least four important ways every person in your church can get involved. Become one of the following: 1. Goer – Follow the Lord‘s calling to go out as a missionary. This could be as a fully supported or partially supported missionary. Very likely it will be as a tentmaker. 2. Sender – Pray, give, and encourage those who go. 3. Mobilizer – Call out and train others to go and give and pray. 4. Welcomer – Reach out to the ―foreigners‖ who come to your area to study, work and migrate.10 Pray right now and ask God what role He is calling you to fill. Don‟t ask, “Do You want me to take part in world missions?” Instead, ask, “Which of these four roles is the one You want me to play?” mn mn mn ―Once you decide to ask Jesus Christ to take control of your life, involvement in world missions is no longer optional.‖ Peter Wagner ―The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.‖ Jesus Christ HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 23 Review/Discussion: 1. In your own words, explain the difference between evangelism and missions. _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 2. Do you sense that God has placed in your hand the ―keys of the kingdom‖ for a particular people group? Write the name of the people group or country: _______________________________________________________________________ Spend some time praying for that people group right now. Ask God to show you how He wants to use you to bring the Gospel to them. Note: If you don‘t sense a special burden for a specific people group or country, ask God to lead you to a people group that He wants you to pray for. You may want to contact a mission organization. On the internet, try doing a search for ―unreached people groups.‖ 3. What primary role do you believe God wants you to play in missions? Check one of the following:  Goer Sender Mobilizer Welcomer 4. Read 2 Thessalonians 3:7-10. Based on this passage, why did Paul work to support himself? ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ 5. If you believe God has called you to be a ―tentmaker,‖ Where you believe God is sending you: ________________ (country) What job you will have: ____________________________ When do you expect to go: _________________________ Who does God want you to reach: ___________________ (people group) Share this with a friend and ask him to pray for you. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 24 No one...need say, I am too ignorant, I am too inexperienced, I have too little influence, or I have not sufficient resources. The first apostles of Christ were in the eyes of the world ―unlearned and ignorant‖ men. Roland Allen The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church ―Ah, Sovereign LORD,‖ I said, ―I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.‖ But the LORD said to me, ―Do not say, ‗I am only a child.‘ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,‖ declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:6-8 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 25 3 Two Basic Skills for Cross-Cultural Disciple Making ―I feel like God is calling me, but I don‘t know how to be a missionary!!!‖ That is very likely what many are thinking who are reading this book. There is good news. There are two basic skills that you can learn and put into practice today! Of course there is much more that needs to be learned about being an effective tentmaker. But let‘s start with the basics. Skill # 1: “One-Step-Closer” Simply stated, the goal of ―One-Step-Closer‖ is this: Wherever the person is spiritually, help him take one-step-closer to salvation in Jesus.11 The Gray Matrix12 is an attempt to visualize the process a person moves through as he comes to saving faith in Christ and grows toward maturity. Think back to your own experience of coming to faith in Christ. Most likely you did not make a commitment to Christ after the first time you heard the Gospel. Typically, God uses many different events and experiences to draw us to Himself. Maybe it was a radio program. Then a pastor‘s message, a Bible study, a tract, then a friend‘s testimony. Then the final step came when you made a ―pledge of allegiance‖ to Christ alone as Lord and Savior. The ―‖ on the diagram represents where the lost person is in relation to Christ. For people who grow up in a ―Christian nation‖ like the Philippines, they will be much closer to Christ. The gray line shows how the person moves step-by-step closer to Christ. Depending on their background, they may begin with a negative attitude toward Christianity. But hopefully, through things they hear, people they observe and experiences they have, their attitude toward becoming a disciple of Jesus becomes increasingly positive. They may also start with very little knowledge, if not a mistaken view, of who Christ really is. As they learn more, they increase in knowledge of who He is and what it means to have a personal relationship with Him. An important question: Which part of this process is evangelism? Our tendency may be to focus only on that glorious final step of helping a person ―pray to receive Christ.‖ Of course, this is the goal of evangelism as well as missions. However, it is accurate to say that every The Gray Matrix No knowledge of the Gospel Able to teach others A n ta go n is ti c E n th u sias tic x Knowledge Attitude  HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 26 time you help a person take one-step-closer to salvation in Christ, you are doing missions! Helping a person take one-step-closer to salvation in Jesus is doing missions! If you will be living in a 10/40 Window country, the process of bringing a person to faith in Christ may take longer than it does in the Philippines. As we have seen in the last chapter, missions involves bringing the Gospel to people who are not like us. That usually means adding several more steps in the process of coming to Christ. For example, in Central Asia, a coworker may not only be confused about who Christ is, but he may also have a very negative attitude toward you as a ―Christian.‖ So how do you do one-step-closer? Bow your head to pray before eating lunch. Don‘t do it to show off, but to give thanks to God. Those who notice you may ask what you are doing. Tell them you were praying. The conversation may stop with that. But as they see you pray day after day, they will become more curious about your relationship with God. He takes one step closer. In your conversations with them, casually mention an encouraging insight you received from the Scripture. Sooner or later people will ask you to tell more about your faith. One step closer. Avoid debate. You are doing what some call ―fishing evangelism.‖13 Your life and your words are ―bait‖ that will entice your lost friend and coworkers to ask questions. Always be ready to share what God has done in your life. As Peter puts it, ―Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect‖ (1 Pet. 3:15). Keep in mind the goal of sharing the Gospel and inviting that person to trust in Jesus. Pray for him to be saved. Believe that God is at work in his life. Expect him to come to faith in Christ. Be prepared to help him when he is ready to express his faith in a prayer of commitment. And be ready to continue the process of discipleship far beyond that initial commitment. But remember that you are involved in missions every time you bring a person one-step-closer to Jesus! It‘s all part of the process. Look back at the diagram on previous page. Think about a person you are praying for to come to faith in Christ. Where would you place him or her on the Gray Scale? You don‘t have to be a pastor or a Bible school graduate to help people come one-step-closer to salvation in Jesus. You can do this! “One-Step-Closer” You can do this! The Mango Boy Once upon a time in a place not so far away, there was a boy who lived on a small farm with his family. One day his mother sent him to the city to sell a large basket of ripe mangoes. After the long bus ride into the city, the boy sat by the side of the road trying his best to sell mangoes to passersby. But the whole day came and went without a single buyer. Tired and discouraged, the boy started the long trip toward home. On the bus he found a place where he could sit on the floor next to his basket of mangoes. Hungry for supper, he thought to himself, ―If no one else is going to eat these mangoes, I might as well eat one!‖ With that he picked the biggest, juiciest mango he could find HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 27 and began devouring it! It was so sweet and delicious. And the juice dripped from his chin and hands as he ate it. He didn‘t even notice the people on the bus watching him. Suddenly his enjoyment was interrupted by a man‘s voice. ―Excuse me boy, are those mangoes for sale?‖ he asked. A bit startled the boy answered, ―Yes, sir.‖ The man bought five mangoes! A woman nearby bought three. And within the next 10 minutes, the boy sold all the rest of his mangoes! The moral of the story? Do people around you notice that you are enjoying your relationship with Jesus? Are you regularly experiencing the joy of the Lord? The Bible says that the disciples were ―uneducated and untrained men‖ and yet people ―began to recognize them as having been with Jesus‖ (Acts 4:13, NASB). Do people around you recognize you as having been with Jesus? There is no better time than today to deepen your daily devotional time with Him. The reality is this: if you won‘t do it where you are, you probably won‘t do it where you are going! Begin each day with the prayer, ―Lord, use me today to help those around me come one-step-closer to You. Enable me to discern where people are spiritually and give me the courage to be Your witness in my words and my actions.‖ mn mn mn Skill #2: “Company 3” Once a person makes a commitment to Christ what will you do? Usually we refer to the process of growing to maturity in Christ as discipleship. Jesus told us to ―teach them to obey everything that I have commanded you‖ (Mt. 28:20). So where do we begin? All the materials you will need are a Bible and a bookmark! Hopefully you will be able to secure a Bible in the heart language of the new believer. If you will be in a country that persecutes Christians, it is important to be very discrete in how you conduct your discipleship meetings. A Company 3 Discipleship Group14 is two or three people gathered together in Jesus‘ name (Mt. 18:20). These groups are the basic unit of disciple making and church life. For reasons given below, each group should not be more than three people. When a fourth person wants to join, one of you should start a new Company 3 with him. There are three parts in the weekly group meetings: 1. Sharing insights from the Bible – Agree each week on a portion of Scripture to read. It should be challenging. For example, agree to read the Book of Philippians (all four chapters) through three times. When you meet together, share the things God is teaching you. New believers will be excited to share what God is saying to them through His Word. Always focus on obeying what God reveals. If Bibles are not available or someone is a very poor reader, choose a passage of Scripture (one or more verses) to memorize. Go over and over it together until all three of you have it memorized. Then meditate on that passage during the week (think about it over and over). Share the insights God reveals when you meet again. 2. Sharing our personal lives – This is the time to be open and honest about areas in our lives that God wants to change. You must model the level of honesty you expect from your HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 28 disciple. Don‘t pretend to be more spiritual than you are. Your disciple will respect your honesty and be encouraged as he sees God at work in your life. Look over the topics listed under Personal Sharing Helps on the bookmark. You may want to share about something not mentioned there. Remember, ―God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.‖ We will only suffer defeat as long as we try to hide our sins in the shadows. ―But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin‖ (1 Jn. 1:7). 3. Praying for each other and those who need Jesus – Pray for the personal needs and concerns of your Company 3. But spend most of this time praying for lost friends and ―enemies.‖ Give thanks for answers to prayer and ask God to give you opportunities to help lost friends come one-step-closer to Jesus. It is essential that the focus of a Company 3 be outward rather than inward. This is accomplished by continually praying for the lost and always being ready to start new groups with those who are being saved. Below are some reasons why it is good to have only two or three people in your Company 3. Flexibility ~ Two or three people can meet almost anywhere, anytime; during lunch break, at a coffee shop, in a park, in a home. The larger the group, the more difficult it is to get everyone together at the same time in one place. Security ~ Two or three people meeting together will not arouse suspicion in the eyes of those who oppose Christianity. This pattern of discipleship can be used by new believers who are at risk of persecution if they are discovered. Fellowship ~ God intends for our growth in Christ to happen in the context of fellowship with other believers. Even if there is no established church, you can begin to experience genuine ―church-life‖ as two or three gather together in Jesus‘ name. As He promised, Jesus will be there with you! As people are saved, they should immediately be placed in a Company 3. This is their follow-up and fellowship. Accountability ~ We all need to be accountable to someone who cares about us. In a group of two or three, it is more likely that we will have the courage to share honestly and receive encouragement to overcome our besetting sins. All of us need encouragement to keep growing in Christ. Because of the level of sharing that takes place, men should meet with men and women should meet with women. Reproducibility ~ This simple pattern of encouraging growth in Christ can easily be reproduced by anyone in any place. Once you start a Company 3, challenge the people in your group to start a Company 3 with one or two others that they are discipling. Why Only Two or Three? The reason for limiting the size of the Company 3 is not to keep others out. When a fourth person wants to join your Company 3, one of you should start a new Company 3 with him. The goal is to have hundreds of people meeting in groups of two or three. This can happen anywhere in the world! If you are going to be living and working in a place where Christian worship is not allowed, it may be that at times you will need to make your Company 3 your ―church.‖ Of course God‘s plan is for there to be larger groups of believers meeting together for worship, fellowship, ministry, discipleship and missions. But there may be times when you will have to be content with ―two or three‖ gathered together HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 29 in Jesus‘ name. And remember, Jesus promised He would be with you (Mt. 28:20). Even in the most difficult places, you can live in the confidence that God is here and God is good! Below is a sample Company 3 bookmark. It is a simple guide for your Company 3 meetings. Read through it carefully. Make photocopies of this page, cut along the solid lines and fold along the dotted line. You may want to laminate your bookmark to make it more durable. Use it in your Bible to mark the place you are reading. Follow the ―agenda‖ when you meet with the one or two others in your Company 3. Reading/Memory Helps Change your daily routine t o make time for your Bible reading and memorizi ng. Make this your first priori ty. The be nefits will be eternal ly gre ater than the cost! • Pray before & whi le you read, asking God to speak t o you. • Underline or highlight as you read. This will he lp you find important passages later. • Copy your memory verse on a card & re view it during the day. • Writ e down your insights in a notebook and obey what God tel ls you to do! Personal Sharing Helps Consider if God might want you to share about something related to the following: • Too little praying • Not sharing Jesus with ot hers • Financial dishonesty • Pornography • Sexual temptation/sin • Bad habit/addiction • Unforgiveness toward someone • Hurtful words • Wrong at titude • Neglecte d relationship • Problems with evil spiri ts Prayer Helps Choose three pre-Christians to pray for. List their name s and the name s of the ot her people your group is praying for. Pray for each of t hem daily. Use any of the following to help y ou in your praying. • Lord, I pray that You wi ll draw _____ t o Yourself. (John 6:44) • Lord, prevent Satan from blind- ing _____ to the truth. (2 Cor. 4:4, 2 T im. 2:25-26) • Please convict _____ of his/her nee d for Jesus. ( John 16:7-14) • I pray t hat _____ will believe in Christ as Lord, take root and grow i n faith and bear much fruit for Your glory. (Rom. 10:9-10, Col. 2:6-7, Luke 8:15) CCompany 3 ompany 3 AgendaAgenda Talking about the Word Each pers on s hare: ―This is what God said to me through the Bible this week...‖ This is not a time for preaching to the group, but sharing what God is teaching you. Before moving on, agree to- gether what you will read or memorize before your next meeting. Talking about Our Personal Lives Each pers on s hare: ―This is what I believe God wants me to share with you about myself…‖ Be honest, vulnerable, under- s tanding and keep all that is s hared confidential. ―Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, s o that you may be healed‖ (James 5:16, see 1 John 1:7) Talking to God Pray for each other. But spend mos t of this t ime praying for friends and enemies who need to know Jesus. Pray for oppor- tunities to bring them one step closer to Jesus. Pray short simple prayers. Try taking turns praying ―sentence prayers.‖ Depending on the setting of your meeting, you may want to pray with your eyes open. Just talk honestly and lovingly to God. ~~~~~~~~~~ “For where two or three come together in M y name, there am I with them.” (M atthew 1 8:2 0) © cro ss train@asia.com The Company 3 Agenda Bookmark HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 30 Many believers at home and abroad find that they have deeper needs that are not being met in the church worship service. Even a cell group or home Bible study group doesn‘t meet the need. They need a Company 3! Can you imagine how much stronger your home church would be if every person was a member of a Company 3? Take the challenge of starting a Company 3 discipleship group! Don‘t wait until you are overseas to begin! If you are already overseas, start one now! mn mn mn Let‘s look again at what it means to be a tentmaker: Tentmakers are full-time, self-supporting Christians, called by God to obey the Great Commission in a cross-cultural setting. On the job and off the job, their objective is to bring people of another culture into a growing relationship with Christ. In this chapter we have looked at two skills for carrying out the tentmaker‘s objective: One-Step-Closer and Company 3. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 31 Review/Discussion: 1. Think of one of your pre-Christian friends. Where would you place him or her on the Gray Matrix? Now think of the people in a place overseas where you may go to work. Where would you place the typical person in that people group? If you are not sure, it would be good to do some research on this. What does this show you about the importance of recruiting many people to pray for you and for the lost people you will be working with? 2. Think about the ―Mango Boy‖ story. How would you rate yourself on how much you are experiencing ―the joy of the Lord‖ in your daily life? No Joy Joy Overflowing! What do you sense God is telling you about your personal devotional life? What do you plan to do about it? 3. What goal will you set for yourself related to starting a Company 3? Write the name of one or two persons you will ask to start meeting with you as a Company 3: _________________________________________________________________________ Agree to meet together for at least two months. Of course you should continue beyond that as long as you sense it is God‘s leading. This will not only be of great benefit to the two of you, but it will also give you some experience in how to do Company 3 discipleship. Remember: If you won’t do it here, you won’t do it there! HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 32 The world will not be won to Christ with business as usual. As you go on mission with Him, be willing to do new things… work in every possible way with your brothers and sisters in the body of Christ to spread the gospel today to those who have never worshiped Him! Avery Willis & Henry Blackaby On Mission with God God has shown us that He is indeed doing something in our days among the peoples of the earth— something so amazing we would not have believed it had we not seen it with our own eyes… We are calling this amazing thing Church Planting Movements. David Garrison Church Planting Movements HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 33 4 How to be a Good Tentmaker The Juan dela Cruz Story What Will Your Employer Say About You? In this book we are focusing on ―God‘s higher purpose for your overseas job.‖ But does that mean you should think less of the job that God has provided? No! Instead, you should make every effort to be an excellent employee! When you finish your contract and move on, what will your employer say about you? Hopefully he will say, ―You are one of the best employees I have ever had!‖ Jesus said, ―You are the light of the world...let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven‖ (Mt. 5:14, 16). A vital part of your testimony is the quality of your work. As Paul, the first tentmaker put it, ―Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord!‖ (Col. 3:23). Introducing Juan dela Cruz Juan dela Cruz will be the focus of this and the next chapter. He is an imaginary character, but much of the following account is taken from real experiences of real people. God rarely does ―xerox copy‖ work. He usually does unique things in each place. So don‘t expect that your experience will look exactly like Juan‘s. But study carefully this story of Juan dela Cruz because in it you will discover many important principles that will help you become a good tentmaker. Juan is the third son in a large family from the province. With his technical training and experience he was able to get a job in an oil refinery in the Middle East. As Juan prepared his travel documents and other paperwork, his thoughts were heavy with concern for the people in the country where he would be working for at least the next two years of his life. He thought to himself, ―How can I be the light of the world in such a dark place?‖ Juan had come to faith in Christ six years earlier and had continued to grow as a Christian. Now he was about to begin the most challenging and exciting chapter of his life. He realized that God did have a higher purpose for his overseas job! Juan’s Life Objective Juan wanted much more than to just live a decent life and make it into heaven. He had a deep sense that he was being called to be a part of the greatest adventure of the universe! Juan felt he was being invited to take part in the ultimate goal of history. This whole world is moving toward the day when people ―...from every nation, tribe, people and language‖ will be gathered around the throne of God in joyful celebration (Rev. 7:9). Juan believed God was calling him to bring the Good News of salvation to people who had never had a chance to hear it before. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 34 Juan was so grateful for the incredible privilege of an intimate, growing relationship with God. He had become a child of God, saved by grace through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. And he was growing in the kind of faith that declares, ―God is here and God is good!‖ But Juan also knew that those who do not know Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life, will spend eternity in Hell (Jn. 14:6; Rev. 20:15). As he pondered these awesome realities, he began writing down what he felt should be his purpose in life. He called it his ―life objective.‖ He wanted his goals in life to be God‘s goals. After much prayer and thought and reading the Bible, here is what Juan decided on as his life objective: ―To please God by loving Him with all my heart, caring for my family, being an excellent employee, and (by His power) bringing many people into a growing relationship with Jesus.‖ My Life Objective: To please God by loving Him with all my heart, caring for my family, being an excellent employee, and bringing many people into a growing relationship with Jesus. So what is your life objective? Your life objective is one sentence that expresses your reason for being alive on planet earth. It expresses your purpose in life. Having a clearly stated life objective will help you to keep your focus as a tentmaker. In the space provided at the end of this chapter, write a first draft of your own life objective. Juan thought to himself, ―I‘m not a preacher or an evangelist! And I‘m going to have a full-time job!‖ But the Lord reminded him that Jesus‘ method of reaching the world was spending time with a few disciples. Jesus spent most of His time with only 12 men and He gave special attention to just three! Juan was relieved when he realized he didn‘t have to be able to preach or teach in front of a large group of people. Juan decided on what would be his basic method as a tentmaker. He would start by finding those individuals that God has already been preparing for him. Through ―friendship evangelism‖ he would lead them to Christ. Then he would train them to reach their own people using the same simple method. Juan had heard about ―one-step-closer‖ and Company 3. These would be his basic tools for evangelism and discipleship. In doing this, Juan could see how he could be a vital link in the chain of discipleship that could grow into a Church Planting Movement! The result could be hundreds, even thousands of people coming into a growing relationship with Jesus because of what God would accomplish through Juan‘s life! A Church Planting Movement A Church Planting Movement or ―CPM‖ is happening when a group of believers helps to start other groups of new believers. And those new groups also help start other groups of new believers...and the process begins to multiply quickly! That is a CPM. Here is another way to describe it: A Church Planting Movement is taking place when, by the power of God, churches are rapidly reproducing themselves. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 35 Through this kind of supernatural reproduction of disciples, whole people groups, cities and nations can be brought to saving faith in Christ! It all begins with one new believer. And as tentmaker missionary, Juan realized he could be the one to win that first person to Christ. A Church Planting Movement is taking place when, by the power of God, churches are rapidly reproducing themselves. Juan remembered having learned about the reproduction rate of elephants and rabbits. Most churches he knew of were like elephants. They take a long time trying to grow big and very seldom start a daughter church. But Juan wanted to see churches that reproduced like rabbits. Here is what Juan had found: Elephants Rabbits Can reproduce at age: 18 years 4 months Pregnancy lasts: 22 months 1 month Babies per pregnancy: 1 7 Offspring in 3 years: 1 476 million15 Church Planting Movement churches would definitely be ―rabbit churches‖! Another interesting comparison is the differences between the octopus and the starfish.16 Prayer and Spiritual Renewal Juan knew that prayer and spiritual renewal were essential building blocks in a Church Planting Movement. A CPM is a movement of God through yielded, obedient believers. Juan knew that he and his prayer partners in the Philippines would need to spend much time in prayer for the people group he felt called to reach. A CPM can happen in any culture or people group. Juan was thankful that a CPM was not dependent on his abilities or experience. A CPM is dependent on the power and mercy of God. And Juan knew that God moves in response to believing, fervent prayer. Juan knew that only God could start a CPM. But God uses people as His instruments. Juan prayed for wisdom to avoid those things that would slow down a CPM. For example, he knew it would be a mistake to import Western or Filipino Christianity. He had once heard of the plea of a Christian in India who said, ―Don‘t bring us the potted plant of all your church traditions. Just bring us the seed of the Gospel!‖ He prayed for God to give him wisdom as he worked toward a church planting movement. Note: As you read the sections that follow, think about how these principles might apply in the place you will be working. As you read this story, you will catch a glimpse of what CPM churches in various parts of the world today actually look like. For the ladies: Women who are yielded to God have been mightily used in Scripture and in the history of missions. As you read the description of Juan‘s ministry, picture how these principles might apply to your work as a lady tentmaker. In most cultures, it will be best for you to focus your work on discipling women. God wants to use you in a unique and supernatural way for His glory and His Kingdom! HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 36 Focus on the Unreached When Juan first started working at the oil refinery, he was surprised by the deep struggle he had with homesickness during his first six months on the job. He also battled feelings of anger and resentment toward the local people he worked for. A friend helped him understand that much of this was part of ―culture shock‖ and would improve as time went on. During this time, Juan gave extra time to Bible reading and prayed each day. During these times he had the strong impression that God was calling him to bring the Gospel to the local people all around him. Juan had long hard working hours so his time and energy were limited. He knew he would have to use his time wisely. Juan had already become one of the leaders in a Filipino Bible study. But now he felt that God was calling him to focus his time and energy on reaching locals. Some of his Christian friends felt hurt because Juan stopped coming to some of their Bible studies and fellowships. But other Filipino believers who understood that God was calling him and committed to pray for him daily in his efforts to reach those who had never once heard the Gospel. Juan found one Filipino brother who was willing to be his ―accountability partner.‖ They agreed to meet together once a week for encouragement and prayer. Learn the Heart Language Juan now set his heart on learning the language and the culture of the local people. He knew that if he hoped to speak to their hearts, he needed to speak their heart language. Juan began praying for a local friend —someone who could be his language and culture ―coach.‖ And he also prayed that this coach/friend would eventually become a follower of Jesus. God answered his prayer. Juan met Jerry one day during lunch break. Jerry was impressed with Juan‘s determination to learn to speak the local dialect. They soon became close friends. Jerry was the man of peace17 that God would use to bring the Gospel to many others. Cultural Adjustments As he learned more about the local culture, Juan came to the decision that he should stop eating pork. His reason was to avoid offending Jerry and his other local friends. When asked about his faith, Juan would usually respond, ―I am a follower of Jesus the Messiah.‖ Because his local friends had many misconceptions about what it meant to be a ―Christian,‖ Juan avoided using that term.18 Group Conversion After about six months, Jerry came to the point of giving his life to Jesus the Messiah. Jerry was thrilled! Juan realized that he must be very careful in the next few steps. His goal was not to see Jerry come to Christ. His goal was to see many, many people in Jerry‘s network of family and friends worshiping together throughout the city! Jerry was the yeast of the Kingdom that Jesus spoke of in Luke 13:20-21. From Jerry the Kingdom of God would spread throughout the whole lump of dough! During this time, Juan made extra effort to stay close to Jerry‘s family. There were times he broke an appointment with a Filipino friend in order to accommodate Jerry‘s invitations to family events. But Juan knew that it was essential that he avoid the serious mistake of extraction evangelism. His prayer was that HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 37 Jerry and his whole household would be saved. In the Bible, the royal official whose son Jesus healed, Cornelius, Lydia, the Philippian jailer, Crispus and Stephanas are all examples of family or group conversion.19 Rather than pulling the new believer out of his network of family and friends, that network becomes the focus of evangelism. See page 124. Easily Reproducible Methods Juan began instilling in Jerry the vision of seeing hundreds of small groups of believers multiplying among his people. They spent much time praying for Jerry‘s whole family to come to Christ. Juan helped him to grow in faith and taught him how he could start a church in his home when his family and friends became believers. Juan was always careful to only do things that were reproducible. Juan‘s concern was that Jerry would be able to share with others what he was learning from Juan. He avoided using complicated or imported evangelism and discipleship materials. He tried to stick with the Bible as much as possible. Juan tried to always keep it simple and reproducible—like the Company 3 discipleship method. Juan often reminded himself, ―If Jerry can‘t do it, don‘t do it! And if Jerry can do it, don‘t do it!‖ This meant using simple, reproducible methods. It also meant stepping back and allowing Jerry to be the one to share the Gospel with others and to disciple new believers. As he put this into practice, Juan gained a much deeper understanding of how much he must depend on God. It also caused Juan to pray fervently for Jerry Yes, Jerry made some ―mistakes‖ along the way. But he learned from them, and Juan was amazed to see the powerful evidence of Jesus fulfilling His word: ―I will build My church!‖ Juan reminded himself: “If Jerry can’t do it, don’t do it! If Jerry can do it, don’t do it!” One day Jerry said, ―I think my cousin is ready to become a believer in Jesus! Will you come lead him to Christ?‖ Here is Juan‘s answer: ―I would love to, but I think you should be the one to lead your cousin to Christ. I don‘t want you to depend on me to lead people to Christ. Would you like us to role play so you can ‗practice‘ sharing the Gospel with your cousin?‖ HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 38 Review/Discussion: 1. Look back at the section about life objective. Take about 20 minutes to pray and think through your personal life objective. You may want to look up key Scripture verses that have become an important part of who you are. You will most likely want to revise this in the future, but go ahead and write your own life objective statement: __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ 2. In your own words, explain the meaning of the term ―Church Planting Movements‖ or CPM. How is this different from the way most churches are started in the Philippines? Discuss with the group what you think are the advantages and challenges of making a CPM your goal. 3. Look over the tentmaker strategy issues covered in this chapter listed below. Place a minus mark (—) next to the ones you think may be particularly difficult for you to put into practice.  Know your life objective  Church planting movements  Prayer and spiritual renewal  Focus on the unreached  Learn the heart language  Cultural adjustments  Group conversion  Easily reproducible methods Now place a plus mark (+) check next to ones that make the most sense to you. Then discuss your answers with a friend. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 39 ―In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams… And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.‖ Acts 2:17, 21 God grant us faith and courage to keep ―hands off‖ and allow the new garden of the Lord‘s planting to ripen. Lottie Moon China HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 40 5 How to be a Good Tentmaker The Juan dela Cruz Story (Part 2) Be a Shadow Shepherd Juan enjoyed opportunities to be ―up front‖ in his church back in the Philippines. He was ―just a layman,‖ but he knew much more about the Bible than Jerry! Still he realized that he must always think ahead to the time when he would not be around. Who would lead the church then? In addition to that, the culture was so different, it was clear to Juan that the shepherd of a local ―flock‖ of believers should be a local person! If Juan could train Jerry to become a house church shepherd, then Jerry would believe that he could train someone else to become the leader of another house church. That was how Juan could multiply his ministry! God‘s ways are not our ways. Juan realized that he must decrease so that Jerry could increase. He chose to focus his energy on training and coaching from behind the scenes. He was being a shadow shepherd. Jerry was the upfront shepherd. Juan and Jerry spent much time praying for the conversion of Jerry‘s family and friends. Eventually, in answer to prayer, God brought many of Jerry‘s family members to faith in Christ. God had given dreams to some, physical healing to others. But each one came to believe that Jesus was God the Son who had paid the penalty for sin on the cross. When Jerry‘s family started having a weekly worship time in their home, it was agreed that it was best for Juan not to attend the meetings. Juan longed to be a part of the worship services, but recognized that his most effective role was encouraging Jerry. Juan was content with being a shadow shepherd! Juan‘s goal of seeing many, many people come into a growing relationship with Christ in a CPM was being accomplished through equipping a leader who would be able to train others (2 Tim. 2:2). A Simple Definition of “Church” Juan taught Jerry that a group of believers should be considered a ―church‖ as soon as they begin meeting regularly to worship God, encourage one another in the faith and plan ways to share Christ with others. God places in the heart of each of His children the desire for fellowship with other believers.20 Jerry and his house church members were fully convinced that in God‘s sight, their little congregation of 12 people was just as precious and legitimate as a church of 120 or 1,200! Juan was often tempted to suggest adding some of the traditions from his home church in the Philippines, but he reminded himself to only give them ―the seed of the Gospel‖! He chose to leave the heavy potted plant of his church traditions behind. The church that met in Jerry‘s home was simple—and reproducible. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 41 The Church Meets in Homes As we have seen, this new church meets in Jerry‘s home. They occasionally meet in other homes. They have no plans of building a church building. Due to persecution, small groups meeting quietly in homes works best for them. The church in Jerry‘s home has a deep understanding that the church is the people gathered to worship God. The place they meet to worship is only incidental. And they realize they can start as many churches as there are houses in the city! Juan had learned that if a house church grows beyond about 20 people, it begins to lose its informal fellowship atmosphere and becomes more and more formal.21 Formal worship services are not bad, but they can result in allowing people to become spectators rather than active participants in worship. So Juan taught Jerry that the house churches should focus their energies on starting new churches rather than trying to grow any bigger than 20 members. Of course, the ever present danger of being caught by the local authorities was an important factor that encouraged Jerry to limit the size to about 20 worshipers! Two or Three Leaders per Church As soon as several people believed in Jesus, Juan encouraged Jerry to share the church leadership with others. Each week Jerry would ask different people to prepare to share from the Word of God the following week. They were not preaching formal sermons, but sharing insights and applications from the Scripture. Usually their weekly worship gatherings were very informal and anyone who felt they had something to share was encouraged to do so. Gradually, it became clear which people were particularly gifted in teaching and leading. Three men, including Jerry were affirmed by the group to be the elders or pastors of the house church. Juan encouraged Jerry to share the shepherding and teaching responsibilities. None of these three leaders were paid for their work. Juan never mentioned that concept. One of the reasons Juan encouraged multiple leaders was that it would help to prevent the development of false doctrines as the leaders corrected each others‘ mistakes.22 These three growing Christian ―laymen‖ did an excellent job of leading their congregation of 20 worshipers. They Perform Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Important Note: Remember that there are no established churches or trained pastors among Jerry‘s people as you read this. Juan was very comfortable with the practice of his home church in the Philippines where only ordained pastors led in the Lord‘s Supper and baptism. But Juan struggled with how the newly forming churches could multiply if they had to wait for an ordained pastor to baptize new believers and lead the Lord‘s Supper.23 Juan longed to see new churches multiplying rapidly among Jerry‘s people. He decided he would have to trust the Spirit of God to use the Word of God to guide the people of God—even if they were brand new believers! From the beginning, Juan taught Jerry how to lead the Lord‘s Supper and baptize new believers. Jerry in turn, encouraged other new converts to baptize those they led to Christ. There was great celebration on the day that Jerry‘s oldest brother baptized Jerry‘s father! HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 42 Look to Scripture as the Final Authority Juan made it a practice to refuse to give quick answers to Jerry‘s questions. One day Jerry asked, ―Do you think it would be OK for me to drink a little wine when I visit friends in a nearby country?‖ Instead of telling him his opinion, Juan answered, ―Jerry, if it‘s OK with God, it‘s OK with me. Why don‘t you ask God to show you the answer as you read the Bible this week? Then let‘s talk about what you believe God has shown you.‖ A week later Jerry came back with a firm decision not to drink even one glass of wine. His decision was based on what he had read in the Word of God and his concern not to cause a brother or sister to stumble. Juan was taking a risk when he did this, because it was possible that Jerry might have come back saying that God had showed him that it was fine to drink a whole bottle of wine! But for Juan this was a step of faith. He believed that God could and would speak to Jerry. The result is that Jerry was not dependent on Juan for answers to his questions. Instead, he learned from experience that God does speak to His children through His Word. Jerry was then able to teach other new believers to do the same. The result was that the church meeting in Jerry‘s home had a deep confidence in God‘s desire to reveal His will through His Word. The Bible (rather than Juan or Jerry) became the final authority.24 Obey the Commands of Christ From the beginning, Juan challenged Jerry to obey the commands of Christ. He told Jerry, ―We are not called to remember Jesus‘ commands, but to obey them! Jesus said that when you make disciples, you are to ‗teach them to obey all that I have commanded you‘‖ (Mt. 28:20). Juan helped Jerry understand what Jesus commands were by summarizing them under seven basic commands.25 These became the standard by which the church in Jerry‘s home lived day by day. The Seven Basic Commands of Christ 1. Repent, believe and receive 2. Be baptized 3. Worship (Word & Lord‘s Supper) 4. Pray 5. Love God & your neighbor 6. Give 7. Make disciples Every Believer is a Minister There were three elders (shepherds) in the church in Jerry‘s home, but Juan insisted that every believer should see himself as a minister. By ―minister,‖ Juan meant a person who is called to worship the Lord, encourage the body of Christ, and reach out to the lost. When they met for worship, Jerry expected every person to come with something to share. This was based on the pattern described in 1 Corinthians 14:26.26 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 43 Offerings were taken to help the poor and needy. But at this early stage in the development of the church, the elders never thought of asking to be paid for their ministry. They had their own secular jobs, so they supported themselves. The weakness of not having a ―full-time pastor‖ was actually a strength! The believers all saw themselves as ministers!27 Jerry challenged new believers to immediately get involved in contributing to the life of the church. He was convinced that God has an important role for each one of His children as they exercise their spiritual gifts for the good of the body in worship, spiritual growth and evangelism. There was no place for passive disciples. Every New Believer a Potential New Church As soon as the first three believers began meeting for worship in Jerry‘s home, Juan began praying with Jerry about starting new churches in other homes. When a person came to faith in Christ, Jerry would begin training him to lead a church in his own home rather than coming to the church in Jerry‘s home. Of course, some of the new believers worshiped with the church in Jerry‘s home. But the believers began viewing every new believer as the potential start of a new house church. Their vision was to see thousands of house churches multiplying all across their nation! Juan also encouraged Jerry to lead his church to pray for ways they could be used by God to take the Gospel to neighboring people groups and nations. Jerry became convinced that a healthy house church would reproduce itself over and over—even to the uttermost part of the earth! Work as a Team Juan‘s work contract was only for three years. He realized that the time was drawing near when he would be gone. Who would continue working with Jerry and the newly forming network of house churches? Juan was grateful for the team he was a part of. They were not all from Juan‘s same church background, but they had been drawn together by their shared visions to help start a CPM. They were ―Great Commission Christians.‖28 Juan‘s team included three other Filipinos and two Westerners. Here are some of the benefits Juan received from being on a team: 1. There were times when Juan‘s team members followed up with people that Juan had befriended. Sometimes another team member could relate more easily with that person, and other times, Juan was taking advantage of their ―tag-team evangelism‖29 strategy. 2. Even before Jerry put his faith in Christ, Juan invited him to meet with the team for a time of informal worship and fellowship. The team modeled what church life looks like. This helped Jerry to envision how to ―do church‖ with his own family and friends when they came to Christ. 3. Juan also found that he could always depend on his fellow team members for prayer support, counsel and spiritual encouragement. Juan often wondered if he could have survived if he was working as a ―lone ranger.‖ HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 44 Ongoing Leadership Training How would Jerry and other emerging house church pastor-leaders receive encouragement and training? Because of their deep friendship in Christ, it was very hard for Juan to think of leaving Christian team members named John committed himself to provide ongoing leadership training for Jerry. John and Jerry agreed to meet once a month for time of encouragement, accountability and training. Expect Persecution During his last meeting with Jerry before returning home to the Philippines, Juan reminded him of Paul‘s exhortation: ―We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God‖ (Acts 14:22). So far, the church in Jerry‘s home had been spared discovery and persecution. But Juan reminded Jerry that Scripture clearly states that ―everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted‖ (2 Tim. 3:12). But he also reassured Jerry with the words of Romans 8:35, ―Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?‖ Juan was amazed and humbled by the depth of Jerry‘s faith as he declared that he was willing to face even death for the sake of his Lord and Master. mn mn mn As Juan sat quietly on board his flight heading back toward Manila, he had a deep sense that he would never see Jerry again in this life. But he also had a strong confidence that in the next few years, along with the coming persecution, house churches would multiply by the thousands, and millions of Jerry‘s people would be swept into the kingdom of God. And the day would come in the not too distant future when Juan would stand shoulder to shoulder with Jerry along with the countless millions from every nation, tribe, people and language celebrating and worshiping the Lamb of God! See the diagram (Appendix B) showing what Juan had envisioned for Jerry‘s people group. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 45 Review/Discussion: 1. Look over the tentmaker strategy issues in this chapter listed below. Place a minus mark (—) next to the ones you think may be particularly difficult for you to put into practice. Place a plus mark (+) next to three issues that make the most sense to you.  Be a shadow shepherd  A simple definition of ―church‖  The church meets in homes  Two or three leaders per church  They perform baptism and the Lord‘s Supper  Look to Scripture as the final authority  Obey the commands of Christ  Every person is a minister  Every convert a potential new church  Work as a team  Ongoing leadership training  Expect persecution Discuss your reactions to these strategy issues with a friend. 2. Look back at the tentmaker strategy issues in the last chapter and this chapter. Begin praying now that God will give you a big vision for your people group. Share with a friend what you believe God wants you to do. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 46 Part of maturity is awareness that one must be an apprentice, eager for God‘s life-long training program. Greg Livingstone Planting Churches Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23-24 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 47 6 Do You Know What You Have in Your Luggage? Juan had been overseas six times. Every time they asked him the same question at the check-in counter: ―Do you know what is in these bags? Did you pack them yourself?‖ What‘s the concern? They want to be sure there was not a bomb or some other explosive material in his luggage. It may seem like an absurd question at first. But the truth is that many tentmakers leave the Philippines with a time bomb in their luggage!30 No, we are not talking about an actual bomb. We are referring to emotional and spiritual problems that can be equally dangerous explosives. Too many tentmakers discover that problems they thought they had left ―back home‖ came with them along with their other ―emotional baggage.‖ Those unresolved problems are like a time bomb ticking… Sooner or later, it will blow up. The explosion can cause serious damage to you and to the ministry that God has prepared for you. How? Take these two would-be tentmakers for example. A man‘s hidden supply of pornography is discovered by his coworkers. A woman‘s bitter, unforgiving attitude toward her abusive father causes her to act hatefully toward her employer. Will either of these tentmakers be effective in sharing the Gospel with their coworkers? No. The unresolved problem they brought in their emotional baggage exploded and destroyed the ministry opportunities they could have had. Satan knows your weaknesses. He knows about those things you have never told anyone else. Over and over, Satan has succeeded in ruining the life and testimony of a tentmaker. His usual strategy is to attack us at the point of our weakness. But Scripture says, ―we are not unaware of his [Satan‘s] schemes‖ (2 Cor. 2:11). So how can we deal with these tactics of the enemy? Baggage Check Time Do a baggage check! Do you know what you are carrying in your emotional baggage? Take the next few minutes to examine what you are carrying with you from the past. If you discover that you are carrying a bomb, now is the time to ―disarm‖ it and leave it behind. There is far too much at stake for the kingdom of God for you to take a chance with a bomb! Paul challenged Timothy to ―...fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith‖ (1 Tim. 1:18-19). Prayer Stop and pray this right now: “Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart to see myself as You see me. Show me anything in my life that causes You shame and disappointment.” HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 48 My sin separates me from God and man You Your GO Friend Now read slowly and carefully through the following self-evaluation. Place a check next to any of the items you have in your ―baggage.‖ Be honest. Be open to other things not listed below that the Holy Spirit might bring to your mind. Baggage Check Questionnaire 1. I have a relationship problem with one of the following. (I am still angry toward):  My father  My mother  Another family member  A person in authority over me (past or present)  Some other person: _______________________ 2. I see a pattern of this in my life:  Worry, fear  Uncontrolled temper, outbursts of anger  Pornography, sexual fantasies  Homosexuality  Addiction to a drug, drink, etc.  Unforgiveness/bitterness toward people who hurt me  Gossip, critical attitude toward others  Dishonesty in financial matters  Desire to always be in control  An ungodly habit 3. Other issues in your life that could cause you to ―blow up‖ if not dealt with (fill in the blanks):  ____________________________________________________________________  ____________________________________________________________________  ____________________________________________________________________ Disarming Time Bombs Even if you have discovered a bomb in your emotional baggage, there is hope. That bomb can be disarmed and you can be set free! Here is the place to begin: Roof off, walls down Our entrance into the Christian life begins with a heart that believes and lips that confess, ―Jesus is Lord‖ (Rom. 10:9). This process can be visualized as a man in a house.31 Before coming to Christ, our sins separate us from God like the roof of the house. Our sinful pride keeps us from sharing who we really are with those around us — like the walls of the house. Saving faith involves taking the roof off as I admit to God that I am a hopeless sinner, desperately in need of the Savior‘s forgiveness. When I believe with my heart, the roof comes off. Then, when I confess with my lips that I am a sinner saved by the grace of God, the walls come down. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 49 You Your Friend GOD Roof off, walls down = fellowship with God and man Roof off: I confess my sin to God , but hide it from my brother You Your Friend GOD My testimony to others reveals the reality of what I believe in my heart. What is true of saving faith is also true of growing faith. If you are serious about disarming your time bomb, you must be willing to take your ―roof off and walls down.‖ You begin by admitting your sin to God, asking for His forgiveness and cleansing. That is ―roof off.‖ But that is not enough. If you are serious about victory over sin, you must be willing to take your ―walls down.‖ James puts it this way, ―Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed‖ (Jas. 5:16). Pray right now for God to lead you to a trustworthy, ―shockproof friend‖32 with whom you can share your heart. God gives grace to the humble—to those who are willing to live with their ―roof off and walls down.‖ Those who humble themselves by confessing their sin to a fellow believer will find strong help from the hand of God. Are you willing to take this step of obedience in your walk with God? Don‘t allow your spiritual pride to deceive you into thinking that just confessing your sin to God is enough. Do you remember how God dealt with the sin of Ananias and Sapphira? What was their sin? They pretended to be more spiritual than they really were. Their ―little secret‖ was a time bomb that literally killed them (Acts 5:1-11)! Make a Commitment: I believe I know the person with whom God wants me to share about my ―time bomb.‖  Yes  Not yet, but I am praying God will lead me to that person Note: It is best for men to share with men and women to share with women. It will be of great benefit to always have your own Company 3 (described in chapter 3) for your own spiritual growth and maintaining victory over sin. No one is so spiritual that they do not need to be accountable to someone else. A paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 10:12 says, ―Don‘t be so naive and self- confident. You‘re not exempt. You could fall flat on your face as easily as anyone else. Forget about self- confidence; it‘s useless. Cultivate God-confidence‖ (The Message). For additional help in gaining freedom from the power of sin in your life, it is strongly recommended that you read The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson.33 Our enemy is strong. But our Savior is a million times more mighty! This is the Word of God to us: ―‗Come now, let us reason together,‘ says the LORD. ‗Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.‘‖ (Isaiah 1:18) ―But if we walk in the light [roof off and walls down], as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.‖ (1 John 1:7) HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 50 ―You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.‖ (1 John 4:4) God specializes in ―hopeless cases.‖ No matter what you are struggling with, God has provided a way of escape. There is strong victory over the enemy of our souls. How to Stay Strong in Spirit in Satan’s Territory 1. Read at least a chapter in the Bible daily. Use a bookmark so you will know where to read the next day. You may want to try the OT/NT Reading Plan. When you begin, read Genesis chapter 1 and Matthew chapter 1. Then put bookmarks in both places. Everyday read a chapter in the Old Testament and a chapter in the New Testament. This way you will eventually read through the whole Bible. 2. Pray daily. Make time to talk with God. And be sure to listen to what God wants to say to you! Don‘t stop praying when your prayer time ends. Talk to the Lord often during the day. Remember, He is with you all day long! 3. Memorize and meditate on Scripture. Write your memory verse on a card and carry it with you so you can review it during the day. Joshua 1:8 is a good verse to begin with! 4. Sing songs of worship to the Lord throughout the day. Even in prison, Paul and Silas sang! Remember, the joy of the Lord is your strength (Neh. 8:10). And you can live in joy if you are walking by faith, claiming that ―God is here and God is good!‖ 5. Fellowship with other believers — even if it is only a Company 3. Jesus will meet with you and give you strong encouragement as you share His word and pray for each other and for the lost. One of Satan‘s oldest strategies is to attack those who don‘t keep up with the group (Deut. 25:17-18). God‘s solution: ―Let us not give up meeting together...but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching‖ (Heb. 10:25). HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 51 Review/Discussion: 1. Why is it that we find it so difficult to take our ―walls down‖ and talk about our private struggles and sins? Choose one or more of the following and explain your answer.  Fear of rejection Pride Shame Deception 2. As you reflect on the Baggage Check Questionnaire, do you sense that God is telling you to do one of the following? If God is speaking to you, respond with immediate obedience! Apologize to _____________________ for offending him. Pay back money I took from _____________________. Destroy pictures, books, VCDs, etc. that cause temptation. Break off my relationship with _____________________ (it is outside God‘s will). Make changes in my life to avoid a temptation. Remember, delayed obedience is disobedience. And disobedience causes a hardening of the heart. See Hebrews 3:12-15. Submission to Authority Do you have difficulty following a supervisor or manager because you feel you are a better leader or have better ideas? Do you criticize people who are in authority over you— especially when they are not as qualified as you? In family, government, church and business, we must trust God‘s wisdom in who He places in authority over us. Failure to do so is essentially rebellion against God. This is a common problem. Is God saying something to you about this issue? What step of obedience will you take? 3. Meet with one other person that you believe will be trustworthy and ―shock-proof.‖ Confess your sin to that person and ask him/her to pray for you as you obey what you believe the Lord wants you to do about it. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 52 The LORD said to Samuel, ―How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.‖ But Samuel said, ―How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me.‖ The LORD said, ―Take a heifer with you and say, ‗I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.‘ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate.‖ 1 Samuel 16:1-3 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 53 7 How to Communicate Creatively Submission to authority is an essential part of the Christian life. In fact Scripture says, ―Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God‖ (Rom. 13:1). But what if the governing authority forbids Christian worship or sharing the Gospel with others? Do we obey God or the government? There was a time in the book of Acts that the first believers were faced with this dilemma. Here is their response: ―We must obey God rather than men‖ (Acts 5:29). They suffered imprisonment and beating because of this stand. It is important for us to obey the laws of the land. For example, if there is a law against gatherings of more than 15 people, keep your Bible studies and worship gatherings small. Don‘t do things that invite persecution! However, there are some matters in which we must obey God rather than man. We must be willing to take the risk of sharing the Good News of salvation in Christ with those whom God has prepared—those who are ready to take one-step-closer to Jesus. We must find creative ways to meet with other believers for worship and encouragement—even if it is only with two other people in a Company 3. What is the persecution climate in the place you will be serving as a tentmaker? Some places are green zones where Christians are totally free to share the Gospel and evangelize the local population. But other places are red zones where there is ―...an active repression of Christianity by governments and/or militant religious leadership.‖34 Serving as a tentmaker in a red zone increases the need for carefully following appropriate security guidelines. Based on what you know, how would you classify your tentmaking destination? Check one. If you are not sure, find out. Green zone – no limitations on worship and evangelism Yellow zone – some restrictions, but no serious threat Red zone – severe penalty for Christian worship and evangelism If you are certain you are going into a ―green zone,‖ you may wish to skip the rest of this chapter. However, it will still be helpful for you to be aware of the issues raised in this chapter. Prayer Requests If you are on your way to a red zone, it is very important that you use some creativity in how you write your prayer requests. For an example of a ―safe‖ prayer letter, see Juan‘s Prayer Letter in Appendix D. You may be thinking, why not just write letters in Tagalog or Cebuano or some other dialect? Unfortunately there are countries where the ―government offers a bounty of a year‘s salary—a tempting HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 54 prize for many—for anyone who reports a home fellowship.‖35 Often it is a fellow Filipino who reports believers‘ activities in order to get a wage increase or improve his job security. So don‘t be deceived into thinking that using your local dialect will keep you from getting caught. What happens when an OFW is charged with unlawful religious practices? It depends on the country and the specific circumstances, but in most cases they will be questioned and deported.36 That can be a very traumatic experience. It also means that the OFW loses his job and is ―blacklisted,‖ preventing him from returning to that country. This is serious. But not as serious as what happens to the local believers. What happens if a local person in a red zone country is charged with having converted to Christianity? In many cases these new believers will be imprisoned, tortured and even executed. Your casual conversations, phone calls, letters you write and letters you receive could endanger the lives of new Christians. So it is very important that you be careful in what you communicate to others about your efforts to reach the local people. It is also important to be sure the person with whom you share that information is trustworthy and understands security issues. It is also vital that family members and churchmates in the Philippines who communicate with you by letter, e-mail or phone understand that things they write or say could result in arrest or even death. God does not want His children to live in fear. But neither does He want us to needlessly endanger ourselves or the lives of others. It Can Happen A Filipino tentmaker working in a south Asian country which is ―closed‖ to traditional missionaries sent a newsletter home to his prayer supporters. The letter included pictures of himself leading a Bible study with local converts. Unfortunately, a well meaning mission group got a copy of the newsletter and reprinted much of the information (including the location, the tentmaker‘s name, and the photos) in their monthly publication that was distributed all over Asia—including the country where the tentmaker was working! The result was that the tentmaker was forced to leave the country because his continued presence endangered anyone with whom he might associate. If we believe the Word of God, persecution is a normal part of living for Christ. However, we should not invite or bring persecution upon ourselves. Jesus told us that He was sending us out as ―sheep among wolves.‖ So we should not attempt to become wolves or some kind of ―super sheep.‖ But we should do all we can to avoid being stupid sheep! In these days of computer technology, a handwritten letter, a photocopied newsletter or an e-mail message intended for a few persons can be copied and posted on an internet site where it can be read by millions! Many red zone countries pay individuals to search through Christian magazines, newsletters and internet sites for information about church planting activity going on within their country. You must be sure that the information you send home is handled by a person who is fully aware of the dangers of mishandling sensitive information. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 55 Security Guidelines If you are involved in a short-term ministry project (like distributing Jesus films) or a long-term team effort, it is essential that all those involved agree to a set of security guidelines. Once security guidelines are in place, you must agree to abide by the rules. As we have seen, failure to exercise caution can result in needless deportation and suffering. If you will be working with a people group that is hostile toward Christianity, ask a number of people what they consider to be wise security guidelines. Don‘t just take one person‘s word on this. Don‘t be foolish. And don‘t live in fear. Martyrdom Throughout the history of the church, men and women have lost their lives as a direct result of obeying God‘s leading to take the Good News of Jesus to people who are hostile toward Christianity. In one OFW training program, the final session includes signing a ―last will and testament‖ which includes instructions on what to do with your body should you die overseas. You must settle this issue: Am I willing to give up my life for Christ? If you will be working as a tentmaker in an extreme red zone, you should ask God to give you clear direction, wisdom, courage and peace. In the Book of Revelation, the Lord Jesus says, ―Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death‖ (Rev. 2:10-11). As you consider these sobering issues, remember, you could lose your life right in your home town riding on a jeep or crossing the street. What better place to be than right where God wants you, doing what He has called you to do? Take the challenge! Heed the call! Face the future with confidence in Him who has promised, ―I will be with you always, even to the end of the age!‖ No matter where you go, your confident declaration of faith will be: ―God is here and God is good!‖ Some Basic Assumptions If you are working in a red zone, you can assume: 1. Assume that there are people around you who would be happy to report your ―Christian‖ activities to the authorities. 2. Assume that your paper mail and e-mail may be read by local authorities. 3. Assume that your phone calls may be listened to. 4. Assume that God will guide you as you learn from others who are involved in reaching out to the local people. 5. Assume that God has sent strong angels to protect you (Psa. 34:7; Heb. 1:14). 6. Assume that the peace of God will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 56 “God is here and God is good!” Review/Discussion: 1. Read again the Scripture passage at the beginning of this chapter (1 Sam. 16:1-3). What did God tell Samuel to do that would keep him from being killed? Share any ideas about how this might apply to your situation as a tentmaker. 2. Look back at the e-mail message from Juan in Appendix D. Now it‘s your turn. Try writing a ―safe‖ letter telling about things that are going on in your church. Get a friend to see if he thinks it is ―safe‖ and if he can understand what you are really trying to say. 3. Below is a list of some common security mistakes. Place a check next to the ones you will need to be careful to avoid. Sending out prayer requests that give specific names and places Sending pictures of local believers in worship gatherings Assuming letters written in a Filipino dialect are ―safe‖ Using a company or a non-Christian friend‘s computer to send e-mail messages with detailed prayer requests Talking openly in a group of Filipinos about evangelism among local people Sharing the Gospel or a Gospel tract too soon with a local person Talking openly on the phone about what God is doing Failure to teach home church people how to communicate with you using safe vocabulary Disregarding a security guideline because it doesn‘t seem necessary — no one is getting caught. Spend time praying with a prayer partner about your concerns related to security. Pray for wisdom, courage and peace. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 57 God does not give jobs just so you can earn a paycheck. God has a redemptive mission that He intends to accomplish through you. God wants to redeem a lost world. He wants to work through you to see His Kingdom come in the hearts and lives of the people around you. Mike Rogers The Kingdom Agenda May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen! Hebrews 13:20-21 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 58 8 Some Final Matters Discouragement OFWs who have worked in places around the world have one thing in common. Almost without exception at some point they have come face to face with discouragement. During your first few months in your new country, you will likely experience ―culture shock.‖ After a brief ―honeymoon phase,‖ the excitement of a new job and a new place will soon be overshadowed by the loneliness of being so far from home. You may begin to dislike the local people, their language, their smell, their food and the way they relate to you. You may find yourself becoming very discouraged. But don‘t give up! The good news is that‘s part of culture shock. You will overcome it! And by the grace of God, you will become a happy, well-adjusted person in your place of work. Beyond culture shock there are other causes of discouragement. It has been said that the ―...biggest reason tentmakers leave the ministry to which they have felt called is that what they are doing seems to accomplish nothing.‖37 It is a natural tendency to get weary and discouraged with the slowness and difficulty of bringing in the kingdom of God. The Bible tells that David, before he became king of Israel, spent some time living in a foreign land. On one occasion he went through a very discouraging experience. And then the Bible says, ―But David found strength in the LORD his God‖ (1 Sam. 30:6). The dark, discouraging days will come. But be determined to find strength in the Lord! After many years of living overseas a wise man once said, ―...all discouragement is of the devil. Discouragement is to be resisted just like sin.‖38 You will encounter spiritual warfare as a tentmaker. But don‘t focus on the enemy. Keep your eyes fixed on the Author and Finisher of our faith when the enemy attacks with discouragement. The Great Commission begins with the assurance of victory: ―All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples...‖ (Mt. 28:18-19a). Here is a checklist for battling discouragement. The issues are not only spiritual. Remember that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and God expects you to take good care of His property! Put a check next to the ―holy habits‖ you need to work on: Get adequate sleep (6 to 8 hours) Eat a balanced diet Exercise regularly - even just brisk walking Spend time daily in prayer Ask God to empower you with the Holy Spirit Use a plan to read through the Bible Memorize and meditate on Scripture during the day Sing worship songs to God throughout the day Meet weekly with a prayer and accountability partner Time for relaxation and fun with friends HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 59 Dear, You Are My One And Only People do strange things when they are in strange places far away from home. Too many marriages are ruined because, ―I was so lonely and there she was…‖ A wife who spent years raising the children sadly says, ―This overseas job was going to bring in money to provide for the things we dreamed of for our children and for us. But now the life we could have had together is ruined...because of her.‖ Loneliness will be deep. Temptations will be strong. This is as much an issue for those you leave behind in the Philippines as it will be for you overseas. So what is the solution? ―It is not good for man to be alone.‖ That is what God said. If you believe He has provided this job for you, you can depend on Him to give you the ability to stay faithful to your husband or wife. Here are some suggestions. Place a check next to the ones you commit yourself to do: Make sure that your home church will care for the needs of family members you are leaving behind. Pray that God will make a way for you to be able to live with your spouse and children.39 Write letters weekly. Stay in touch by texting. Talk by phone often. Use e-mail if that is an option. Find another Filipino (same sex) who is also determined to stay pure. Talk together often about your struggles and encourage each other to remain faithful. Pray! If you are single, spend time with people you respect. Don‘t compromise your moral standards because of loneliness. Have a Financial Plan In far too many cases, OFWs who earn well do not plan well. When they return home after five or ten years, they have very little to show for all their hard work. If you are not trained in financial planning, talk with someone who can give you good advice. Here are some basic suggestions: 1. Give to the Lord‘s work! Your home church in the Philippines will be greatly encouraged by your regular giving. 2. If your goal is to provide an education for family members, set up a way to be sure the money goes to that need. Set up a way to prevent funds from being diverted into ―emergency‖ needs. 3. Make arrangements to send home a portion of your monthly income to be invested in a house, a business, a vehicle, etc. You must have a trustworthy person who will handle your finances. Avoid get-rich-quick schemes! 4. Make plans to have some money to lend or give to relatives and friends who will have financial needs. Pray for wisdom to know how to respond to those who ask for help. Contagious Christianity Someone has said, ―If you catch the germ of Christ, you will never be cured.‖ In his book, Becoming a Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels says that God wants us to ―...first catch His love and then urgently and infectiously offer it to all who are willing to consider it. This is His primary plan, the one Jesus modeled so powerfully, to spread God‘s grace and truth person to person until there‘s an epidemic of changed lives around the world.‖40 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 60 The Formula:41 High Potency (your life in love with Jesus, + filled with the Holy Spirit) Close Proximity (deliberately spending time with + a lost person at work and play) Clear Communication (present the Gospel in a way the lost person can understand) = Maximum Impact The ―maximum impact‖ you are working toward is the people in your place of work becoming infected with an eternal relationship with Jesus Christ! The overwhelming joy they experience will cause them to pass it on to many others. The result will be a contagious church planting movement! Take a few minutes to review the life objective statement you wrote at the end of Chapter 4. You may want to revise it to include something about making a ―maximum impact‖ on the people around you for the kingdom of God. Write out your life objective again here: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you are going to a place where people are resistant to Christianity, you may become frustrated if people do not respond as quickly as you hoped they would. But remember, God is at work! Your labor for the kingdom is not in vain! Expect God to give you ―one-step-closer‖ opportunities every day. Be faithful in the little things. Watch for the evidence of God‘s work in the lives of those He brings across your path. High potency means keeping your spiritual life focused on a simple, pure love relationship with Jesus. Close proximity means making time to spend with a lost person. Be a real friend. Clear communication means being able and ready to make a simple presentation of the Gospel. Expect God to give you that opportunity. Prayer Supporters A seasoned missionary once wrote, ―I feel like a man who has his boat grounded in shallow water. Pull or push as he may, he will not be able to make his boat move more than a few inches. But let the tide come in and lift his boat off the bottom—then he will be able to move it as far as he pleases, quite easily and without friction. [All the results in my missionary effort] ...depends almost entirely on the state of the Spiritual Tide in the village—a condition which you can control on your knees.‖43 ―I find myself thinking, ‗What am I doing here?...Why am I here?‘ And often the gentle whisper of the Holy Spirit says to me, ‗You‘re building bridges. You‘re establishing trust. You‘re laying the ground work for conversations that might happen a year from now. You‘re doing the kind of thing that Jesus did.‘ ‖ 42 HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 61 Don‘t even consider going overseas as a tentmaker until you have the firm commitment of many prayer supporters. Do you have a ―home church‖ that has promised to pray for you? If not, maybe this is not the right time for you to go. The biblical pattern for this is Acts chapter 13. It says: ―In the church at Antioch…While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ―Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.‖ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.‖ (Acts 13:1-3) This is a pattern we would do well to follow as tentmakers: • Called by God • Prayed for by the church • Sent out Prayer support is vital. You will be able to sense ―the spiritual tide‖ rising among those you are reaching out to as people pray for you and those you minister to. Use appropriate security precautions. But regularly share prayer concerns with your prayer supporters. ―In the church at Antioch...While they were worshiping the Lord and fast- ing, the Holy Spirit said, ―Set apart fo r me Barnabas and Saul fo r the work to which I have called them.‖ So after they had fasted and pr ayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.‖ (Acts 13:1-3) Called by God - Prayed for by the Church - Sent out HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 62 Response/Commitment Let‘s look at our tentmaker definition one more time: Tentmakers are full-time, self-supporting Christians, called by God to obey the Great Commission in a cross-cultural setting. On the job and off the job, their objective is to bring people of another culture into a growing relationship with Christ. Do you have a strong sense of call from God to be a tentmaker? Has God provided a job for you in a cross-cultural setting? Are you experiencing a growing relationship with Christ? Are you a ―contagious Christian‖? Do you believe that you are prepared for the assignment God has for you? Hopefully you can answer ―Yes‖ to all of these questions. For most of us, we may have some hesitancy on one or two of these questions. In the process of working through this book, you have probably discovered some areas in your personal life and ministry skills that God wants you to continue to work on. Don‘t let the areas needing attention keep you from taking the next step of obedience to God. Prayerfully consider these four possibilities: 1. God is saying, ―Go. You are not yet all I want you to be. But if you will continue to grow closer to Me, keep a humble attitude and allow Me to teach you new things, I will use you to extend My Kingdom.‖ Yes, Lord 2. God is saying, ―Go later. There are some important ‗heart issues‘ you need to deal with before you go out as a tentmaker. I am more interested in who you are than in what you do.‖   Yes, Lord 3. God is saying, ―Don’t go. I want you to stay at home and mobilize local churches to pray and give and challenge others to go out as tentmakers. You will be very valuable to my Kingdom if you do this.‖ Yes, Lord 4. I‘m really not sure what God is saying to me right now. But whatever He says to me, my answer to Him will be… Yes, Lord Choose one of these four statements that comes the closest to what you believe God is saying to you. Show your commitment by placing a check next to the ―Yes, Lord‖ response. No one response is better HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 63 than the others. All that is important is hearing and obeying God‘s voice. Even if you are struggling with what God is leading you to do, He is always pleased with a ―Yes, Lord‖ attitude. God will bless you as you continue on your adventure into tentmaking. There will be many challenges along the way, but one thing is certain. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can be sure that “God is here and God is good!” God bless you! Review/Discussion: 1. Look at the topics covered in this chapter listed below. Place a check next to the ones you are going to need to work on before you leave.  Discouragement  Marriage/Family Relationship  Financial Planning  Contagious Christianity  Prayer Supporters 2. What do you believe God is saying to you right now about becoming a tentmaker missionary? Share that with another potential tentmaker and pray for each other. 3. What do you feel should be your next step as you prepare for the future? HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 64 Appendix A The “Good News” We are all guilty before God ―...the whole world is under the control of the evil one.‖ (1 John 5:19) ―For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.‖ (Romans 3:23) ―If anyone‘s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.‖ (Revelation 20:15) There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. ―He does not leave the guilty unpunished.‖ (Exodus 34:7) Even the prayers of others will not be able to save us. When it comes to trying to save ourselves, God says that ―all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.‖ (Isaiah 64:6) God made a way for us to be saved ―God our Savior...wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men...Christ Jesus.‖ (1 Timothy 2:3-5) ―We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.‖ (Isaiah 53:6) Jesus died on the cross as a perfect man, satisfying God‟s requirement that sin must be paid for. He died in your place. He paid for all your sin. You must turn away from sin, believe that Jesus died in your place, and receive His gift of eternal life. ―Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.‖ (Acts 16:31) ―Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.‖ (John 1:12) God promises to take you out of the “dominion of darkness” and place you into the Kingdom of Jesus His Son! Jesus said, ―I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life‖ (John 5:24). ―For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins‖ (Colossians 1:13-14). If you believe these things, you can express your faith right now in this simple prayer. If this is what you sincerely believe, pray this out loud: GOD God the Son - Jesus Christ Eternal Life Complete Forgiveness Total acceptance Unending Joy & Peace GOD HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 65 Dear God, I admit that I really am a sinner. I realize that I deserve eternal punishment because of my sins. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross in my place. I believe that His death completely satisfies Your requirement for justice. I turn away from my sins and I receive Your complete forgiveness. Thank You for the gift of eternal life. Now, come and live in me through Your Holy Spirit. I depend on Your power to enable me to live a life that pleases You. In Jesus‘ name I pray, amen. If you are trusting Christ alone for your salvation and you are now following Him as the Master of your life, your name is written in the ―book of life‖ along with the rest of the faithful (Philippians 4:3). You will live forever! All of this is because of His great love! ―But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved...For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.‖ (Ephesians 2:4- 5, 8-9) Be sure to tell a Christian friend what God has done in your life. And share this good news with someone else who needs to know it! HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 66 Appendix B Juan‘s Vision for Jerry‘s people group HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 67 Appendix C Seminar Notes A Higher Purpose For Your Overseas Job Make copies of the following pages for use in teaching the contents of this book. Answer key is provided. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 68 SESSION 1 How to Stay Close to God in Faraway Places 1. a. Do you know that you will go to heaven after this life?    Yes  No  Not sure b. If you were standing before God and He were to say to you: ―Why should I let you into My heaven?‖ what would your answer be? 2. Are you a full-time Christian?  Yes  No  Not sure What do you think this means: ―If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!‖ 3. If a believer views himself as only a ―part-time Christian,‖ how might that affect his attitude toward making disciples? 4. How to live by faith Read Hebrews 11:1-6. One way to express the kind of faith that pleases God is: God is __________________ and God is __________________ 5. How could this understanding of ―living by faith‖ help an OFW in a country where there are very few other followers of Jesus? 6. Declaration: (Fill in the blank and read this out loud as a group.) Let it be known to all in heaven and on earth that I am a ______-time Christian! At work or play, everywhere, everyday, I will live by faith and confidently say, God is here and God is good. Signed: _________________________________________________________________________________ Date: ___________________________ Place: ______________________________________________ HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 69 SESSION 2 The Role of OFW Tentmakers in World Missions 1. The difference between Evangelism and Missions According to Ralph Winter, Evangelism is making disciples of people of ________________________ culture. Missions is making disciples of people of a _______________________ culture. 2. Quiz: Would it be evangelism or missions for you to witness to: a. A Filipino from your province working in the Middle East __________________________ b. A Manobo Filipino who speaks very little English or Tagalog __________________________ c. A Japanese person visiting the Philippines __________________________ 3. Why do you think it would be easier to share the Gospel with fellow OFWs than with people of another culture? 4. From who do we get the term ―tentmaker‖? ___________________________________ (See: Acts 18:1-3) Paul was a skilled tentmaker. That would be similar to being a skilled carpenter or architect in our day. Paul worked at times to support himself during his missionary travels. Today we refer to a missionary who supports himself through a secular job as a ―tentmaker.‖ 5. Tentmaker Definition: Tentmakers are ________________________ ________________________Christians called by God to obey the Great Commission in a ________________________________ setting. On the job and off the job, their objective is to bring people of another _______________ into a _____________ __________________ with Christ. 6. Every believer should be one of the following:  Goer  Sender  Mobilizer  Welcomer Place a check next to the role you believe God is calling you to play in world missions. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 70 SESSION 3 Two Basic Skills for Cross-Cultural Disciple Making 1. Skill #1: “One-Step-Closer” Wherever a person is spiritually, help him take ____________________________ to salvation in Jesus. 2. How do you think the following might help a coworker come one-step-closer to salvation in Jesus?  Pray silently before eating your lunch  Bring your Bible to work  Mention how good God has answered prayer  Sing a worship song while you work  Give a Scripture portion or tract if he asks  Offer to pray for him or her  Share how God spoke to you through the Bible 3. Listen to the Mango Boy story (p. 26). How does this relate to One-Step-Closer? 4. Skill #2: “Company 3” (Photocopy of the Company 3 bookmark, p. 29) a. A Company 3 discipleship group is made up of __________________________ people gathered together ____________________________________________ b. According to Matthew 18:20, what is Jesus‘ promise? _____________________________________________________________________________ A Company 3 group is the most basic unit of disciple making and church life. 5. The Company 3 discipleship group agenda has three parts: a. Sharing insights from the ______________________ Each week, agree on what to read (or memorize) before the next meeting. b. Sharing about our __________________________ ____________________ c. ________________________ for each other and those who need Jesus. 6. It has been said, ―If you won‘t do it here in your own neighborhood, You won‘t do it when you get overseas!‖ How do you think this relates to One-Step-Closer and Company 3? Conclusion: Can you think of a person with whom you will try to start meeting as a Company 3? Let‘s pray that God will lead each of us to begin doing One-Step-Closer evangelism and Company 3 right where we live. Pray. The Gray Matrix No knowledge of the Gospel Able to teach others A n ta go n is ti c E n th u sias tic x Knowledge Attitude HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 71 SESSION 4 How to be a Good Tentmaker: Juan dela Cruz (Part 1) In this and the next session, we will be looking at the story of Juan dela Cruz as he does the work of a tentmaker. 1. Juan found that in addition to his sense of calling from God, one thing that greatly helped him was to have a clearly stated ___________________ ____________________________. Here is Juan dela Cruz‘s: My life objective is... To please God by loving Him with all my heart, caring for my family, being an excellent employee, and (by His power) bringing many people into a growing relationship with Jesus. What is your life objective? Be thinking about this. You will have some time at the end of this session to write down your thoughts. 2. Juan‘s primary _______________________ of tentmaking ministry is a. Friendship Evangelism b. One-on-one or small group discipleship 3. Juan‘s ______________________ as a tentmaker is to contribute to a Church Planting Movement (CPM). Definition: A Church Planting Movement is taking place when by the power of God _________________________ are __________________ _________________________ themselves among a people group. 4. Some churches reproduce like elephants: slow and few. CPM churches reproduce like rabbits. Big churches are good. But small churches have the potential of reproducing much faster. It just takes less to start one! Elephants Rabbits Can reproduce at age: Pregnancy lasts: Babies per pregnancy: Offspring in 3 years: 5. Octopus: a. What happens if a leg of an octopus is cut off? It will ____________ b. What happens if the head is cut off? It will _________ Starfish: c. What happens if a leg of a starfish is cut off? It will ______________ and the piece that was cut off will _________________________ d. What happens if a starfish is cut into 10 pieces? It will become ____ new starfish! 6. As you hear what Juan dela Cruz did to contribute to a Church Planting Movement, think through how you might apply these principles in your own tentmaking ministry. a. Focus on the ______________________________ Who do we naturally relate to in a foreign country?    Filipinos  Local people (―foreigners‖) Why? HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 72 If God has called you to reach fellow Filipinos, that is a wonderful ministry. But if He has called you to do the cross-cultural work of ―missions,‖ that will mean that you must say ―No‖ to many of the Filipino fellowships and Bible studies. The reason for this is to have time to spend with those non-Filipinos who have never heard the Gospel. b. Learn the ___________________ _______________________ What are some ideas of the best way for an OFW to learn the local language? c. Make Cultural _______________________________ What are some cultural adjustments you know people in the Middle East must make? How about in the place you might be going?  Clothing  Greetings  Nonverbal communication  Others: d. ____________________________ Conversion Why is ―extraction evangelism‖ usually not the best approach? Read the following biblical examples of group conversion: Acts 11:14; Acts 16:15, 34; Acts 18:8. e. Always ask, ―Is this easily ________________________________?‖ Which of the following are easily reproducible? 1. Leading Bible studies in which you explain the definitions of Greek words 2. Sharing the Gospel with lost people using a long and very intellectual presentation 3. Reading a Bible passage and then asking simple questions to help listeners to understand its meaning 4. Company 3 Discipleship 5. Using expensive imported discipleship training materials 6. Telling a story from the Bible and then talking about some ways it applies to our lives today 7. My life Objective Take 10 minutes to write out a first draft of your own Life Objective. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 73 SESSION 5 How to be a Good Tentmaker: Juan dela Cruz (Part 2) We will continue with the story of Juan dela Cruz doing his tentmaking ministry in a way that will contribute to a Church Planting Movement. Be thinking about how you might apply these principles in your own tentmaking ministry. Remember, Juan is working in an area where Christianity is persecuted and there are no established churches. a. Be a ______________________________ Shepherd (see 2 Tim. 2:2) Juan was convinced that it would be best to just help Jerry become the leader of the new church. Juan stayed in the shadows, coaching and encouraging Jerry. b. A Simple Definition of ―____________________________‖ Juan was determined to avoid bringing his own home church traditions into Jerry‘s culture. Based only on Scripture, what do you think is the minimum number of believers you must have for it to be a ―church‖? c. The Church Meets in ___________________________ Juan knew that in a persecuted environment, it would be best for the church to meet in homes. This was a common meeting place in New Testament times. Read Romans 16:5, Colossians 4:15, and Philemon 2. For a house church to maintain an informal fellowship atmosphere, it should not grow beyond _______________ members. d. ________________________________ Leaders per Church In addition to being biblical, Juan believed that multiple leadership would help to:   share the burden of pastoral ministry   develop new leaders   correct mistakes in Bible teaching and doctrine e. They Perform __________________________ and the ________________________________ Juan did not reject the practice of his own church related to this. But he tried to be very careful about imposing his “imported” church practices on the newly forming church. He encouraged them to just use the Bible as the basis for deciding who could perform these two ordinances. f. They Look to ________________________________ as the Final Authority Rather than giving Jerry a quick answer to his questions, Juan would usually say, ―Let‘s see what the Bible says about that.‖ g. They Obey the ________________________________ (See Matthew 28:20) Juan always challenged Jerry to obey everything he was learning. Here are the Seven Basic Commands of Christ. 1. 2. 5. 3. 6. 4. 7. h. Every ____________________________ is a Minister In the initial phase of starting new churches, the leaders of the house churches were not paid for their work. Juan taught that everyone is expected to be involved in the church ministry. (See 1 Corinthians 12 and 14; Romans 12; Ephesians 4:11-16) HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 74 i. Every ______________________________________ a Potential New Church In many instances it seemed better to start a new church in the home of a new believer rather than bringing him into an existing house church. Juan kept in mind that his goal was not to make big churches but a Church Planting Movement made up of many churches that are reproducing themselves. j. Work as a ___________________________ Juan experienced these benefits from working with a team: a. Prayer support and encouragement b. Tag-team evangelism c. Model how Christians relate to each other k. Ongoing Leadership _____________________________ Juan discovered there were a number of resources already available to train leaders. l. Expect ________________________________ Read Acts 14:22 and 2 Timothy 3:12. What does Scripture say about persecution? Which of these principles that Juan practiced is the most challenging for you? See the diagram of Juan‟s vision (p. 116). HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 75 SESSION 6: Do You Know What You Have in Your Luggage? Many people make the mistake of carrying a ―time bomb‖ in their luggage when they go overseas to work! Do you have a bomb in your luggage? No, not an actual bomb. We are talking about unresolved emotional, relational and spiritual problems. Even if we cover them up, sooner or later they will ―blow up‖ and damage you and the ministry you could have had. Let‘s look at some of the bombs you might be carrying. Prayer: “Lord Jesus, open the eyes of my heart to see myself as You see me. Show me anything in my life that causes You shame and disappointment.” Baggage Check Questionnaire 1. I have a relationship problem with one of the following. (I am still angry toward):  My father  My mother  Another family member  A person in authority over me (past or present)  Some other person:_____________________ 2. I see a pattern of this in my life:  Worry, fear  Uncontrolled temper, outbursts of anger  Pornography, sexual fantasies  Homosexuality  Addiction to a drug, drink, etc.  Unforgiveness/bitterness toward people who hurt me  Gossip, critical attitude toward others  Dishonesty in financial matters  Desire to always be in control  An ungodly habit 3. Other issues in your life that could cause you to ―blow up‖ if not dealt with (fill in the blanks):       Disarming Time Bombs We are willing to confess our sins to God. That is ―roof off.‖ That is good, but in the case of many sins, that is not enough. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 76 My sin separates me from God and man You Your Friend GOD Roof off: I confess my sin to God, but hide it from my brother You Your Friend GOD The Word of God tells us there is another step if we are serious about experiencing lasting victory: ―Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed‖ (James 5:16). You Your Friend GOD Roof off, walls down = fellowship with God and man ―If we walk in the light as He is in the light [roof off and walls down], we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin‖ (1 John 1:7). Don‘t go overseas carrying your secret time bomb in your emotional baggage. Now is the time to disarm it and leave it behind! Pause right now and ask God to lead you to a trustworthy, shock-proof person with whom you can confess your sins and be prayed for. Then ask him to keep you accountable in that area of your life. (It is best to do this men with men and women with women.) Who I will talk to about my ―time bomb‖ _______________________________ When I will approach him _______________________________ HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 77 SESSION 7 How to Communicate Creatively A Filipino tentmaker working in a south Asian country which is ―closed‖ to traditional missionaries sent a newsletter home to his prayer supporters. The letter included pictures of himself leading a Bible study with local converts. Unfortunately, a well meaning mission group got a copy of the newsletter and reprinted much of the information (including the location, the tentmaker‘s name, and the photos) in their monthly publication that was distributed all over Asia—including the country where the tentmaker was working! The result was that the tentmaker was forced to leave the country because his continued presence endangered anyone with whom he might associate. If a Filipino worker is accused of sharing the Gospel with a local person, in many places that will result in deportation and never again being able to work in that country. However, for the local person who converted to Christianity, it could mean imprisonment, torture and even death. 1. We should expect persecution, but we should not do things to invite persecution. Read 1 Samuel 16:1-3 a. What did God tell Samuel to do that would keep him from being killed? b. Share any ideas about how this might apply to the situation of a tentmaker. 2. Based on what you know, how would you classify the location where you hope to go as a tentmaker? Check one. (If you are not sure, find out.)  Green Zone- no limitations on worship & evangelism  Yellow Zone- some restrictions, but no serious threat  Red Zone- severe penalty for Christian worship & evangelism 3. Below is a list of some common security mistakes made by tentmakers working in Red Zone areas. Place a check next to the mistakes you might make if you are not careful. Sending out prayer requests that give specific names and places Sending pictures of local believers and worship gatherings Assuming letters written in a Filipino dialect are ―safe‖ Using a company or a non-Christian friend‘s computer to send e-mail messages with detailed prayer requests Talking openly in a group of Filipinos about evangelism among the local people Sharing the Gospel or a Gospel tract too soon with a local person Talking openly on the phone about what God is doing among local people Failure to teach home church people how to communicate with you using safe vocabulary Disregarding a security guideline because it doesn‘t seem necessary — no one is getting caught 4. We should all be willing to die for Christ, knowing that our real citizenship is not in this world but in heaven. Break up into groups. Read Philippians 3:20 and Revelation 2:10-11. Share with each other how you feel about this issue. Then pray for each other. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 78 SESSION 8 Some Final Matters 1. ______________________ can be caused by several things. Here are a few of them:  Culture shock  Spiritual warfare  Inadequate exercise & rest  Neglect of Scripture (reading & memorizing)  Inadequate time in prayer  Giving in to temptation  Failure to meet regularly with believers  Other: ___________________________________ Place a check next to the ones you will make a special effort to work on. 2. Dear, You are My ____________________ Too many OFWs end up with a broken family because of the months and years of separation. There will be strong temptations overseas. There may also be temptations at home for the one left behind. In a broken family the children suffer the most. Here are some suggestions to help prevent this tragedy. Place a check next to the ones you commit yourself to do: Make sure that your home church will care for the needs of family members you are leaving behind. Pray that God will make a way for you to be able to live with your spouse and children. Write letters weekly. Stay in touch by texting. Talk by phone often. Use e-mail if that is an option. Find another Filipino (same sex) who is also determined to stay pure. Talk together often about your struggles and encourage each other to remain faithful. Pray! If you are single, spend time with people you respect. Don‘t compromise your moral standards because of loneliness. 3. Have a _______________ Plan If you are not trained or experienced in financial planning, talk with someone who can give you good advice. Here are some basic suggestions: a. Give to the Lord‘s work. Your home church in the Philippines will be greatly encouraged if you send them a regular offering. b. If your goal is to provide an education for family members, set up a way to be sure the money goes to that need. c. Make arrangements to send home a portion of your monthly income to be invested in a house, a business, a vehicle, etc. You must have a trustworthy person who will handle your finances. Avoid get-rich-quick schemes! d. Make plans to have some money to lend or give to relatives and friends who will have financial needs. Pray for wisdom to know how to respond to those who ask for help. 4. _______________ Christianity (from Bill Hybels) Here is the formula: HP + CP + CC = MI a. _________ Potency (your life in love with Jesus, + filled with Holy Spirit: b. _________ Proximity (deliberate spending time with + a lost person at work and play) c. _________ Communication (present the Gospel in a way the = lost person can understand) d. _________________ Impact HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 79 _________ by God ________ for by the Church ________ out What would be the result if you remove ―a.‖ from the equation above? What if you remove ―b.‖? What if you remove ―c.‖? 5. _______________ Supporters Read Acts 13:1-3. This is the account of the sending out of Barnabas and Saul (Paul) as missionaries. Here is the biblical pattern: How many people do you think a tentmaker should enlist to be his “prayer supporters”? There is no right answer, but the more the better! What goal will you set for yourself? ___________ Juan’s Vision for Jerry’s People Group HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 80 RESPONSE / COMMITMENT: Let‘s look at our definition of a tentmaker one more time: Tentmakers are full-time, self-supporting Christians called by God to obey the Great Commission in a cross-cultural setting. On the job and off the job, their objective is to bring people of another culture into a growing relationship with Christ. Do you have a strong sense of call from God to be a tentmaker? Has God provided a job for you in a cross-cultural setting? Are you experiencing a growing relationship with Christ? Are you a ―contagious Christian‖? Do you believe that you are prepared for the assignment God has for you? Hopefully you can answer ―Yes‖ to all of these questions. For most of us, we may have some hesitancy on one or two of these questions. During this seminar, you have probably discovered some areas in your personal life and ministry skills that God wants you to continue to work on. Don‘t let the areas needing attention keep you from taking the next step of obedience to God. Prayerfully consider these possibilities: 1. God is saying, ―Go. You are not yet all I want you to be. But if you will continue to grow closer to Me, keep a humble attitude and allow Me to teach you new things, I will use you to extend My Kingdom.‖  Yes, Lord 2. God is saying, “Go later. There are some important „heart issues‟ you need to deal with before you go out as a tentmaker. I am more interested in who you are than in what you do.”  Yes, Lord 3. God is saying, ―Don’t go. I want you to stay at home and mobilize local churches to pray and give and challenge others to go out as tentmakers. You will be very valuable to My Kingdom if you do this.‖      Yes, Lord 4. I‘m really not sure what God is saying to me right now. But whatever He says to me, my answer to Him will be…  Yes, Lord Choose one of these four statements that comes the closest to what you believe God is saying to you. Show your commitment by placing a check next to the ―Yes, Lord‖ response. No one response is better than the others. All that is important is hearing and obeying God. Even if you are struggling with what God is leading you to do, He is always pleased with a ―Yes, Lord‖ attitude. God will bless you as you continue on your adventure into tentmaking. There will be many challenges along the way, but one thing is certain. No matter where you are or what you are doing, you can be sure that ―God is here and God is good!‖ God bless you! Close in prayer for each person. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 81 Answer Key Session 1: 1. It is important to be sure that every person has a strong grasp on what it means to be a Christian. [If a person‘s answers do now show a clear understanding of salvation, take time to work with him one-on-one during.] 2. Every person who has placed their trust in Jesus as Lord is a full-time Christian. There is no other kind of Christian. (We are not talking about being a ―full-time pastor or church worker.‖) But we are saying that every person who calls Jesus his Lord, has made the choice to be a full-time Christian! 3. There would be a tendency to give excuses for not being involved in evangelism and discipling others. 4. Here Good 5. It will give him confidence that God is with him even if he is the only Christian there. Assurance that God is at work even in the lives of people around him. Joy that comes from knowing God will do good things through his life. (Or some similar answers.) Session 2: 1. my own different 2. a. Evangelism b. Missions c. Missions 3. People of other cultures speak different languages, they are often hard to understand and relate to. They have a different culture! (Or some similar answer) 4. Paul, Aquila & Priscilla 5. full-time, self-supporting cross-cultural culture growing relationship Session 3: 1. one-step-closer 2. (all of the answers are correct) 3. As others see me enjoying my relationship with Christ, they will become interested in learning more about Him. (Or some other similar answer.) 4. a. two or three in Jesus‘ name b. ―there am I with them‖ (NIV) 5. a. Bible b. personal lives c. Praying 6. We need to begin practicing these things now! Don‘t expect to suddenly become a ―super Christian‖ when you get overseas! Session 4: 1. life objective 2. method 3. goal churches HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 82 rapidly reproducing 4. Elephants Rabbits 18 years 4 months 22 months 1 month one seven one 476 million 5. a. grow back b. die c. grow back become a whole new starfish d. 10 6. a. Unreached b. Heart Language c. Adjustments Clothing: Women must dress very modestly Greetings: Must use the local expressions Nonverbal: Never use the left hand to give something to a person Sit on the floor d. Group e. Reproducible # 3, 4, 6 Session 5: a. Shadow b. Church c. Homes 20 d. Two or Three e. Baptism, Lord‘s Supper f. Scripture g. Commands of Christ 1. Repent, believe and receive 2. Be baptized 3. Worship (Word & Lord‘s Supper) 4. Pray 5. Love God & your neighbor 6. Give 7. Make disciples h. Believer i. New Believer j. Team k. Training l. Persecution Session 6: [Take time to pray before this session. The goal is to get each person to honestly identify some area(s) in his personal life that needs to be dealt with before going overseas as a tentmaker.] HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 83 Session 7: 1. a. Take a sacrifice. Tell the people he was there to offer a sacrifice. Don‘t tell them he was there to anoint the next king of Israel. b. Have a legitimate reason for being in the country. If you are questioned, don‘t give all the details of why God has sent you there. (Or some similar answer.) 2. & 3. [Participants should give their own responses. Ask them to share their answers with the group] 4. [Break up into groups of 3, read the Scripture passages and pray.] Session 8: 1. Discouragement [Ask for ideas of ―other‖ causes of discouragement] [Ask participants to share which ones they marked] 2. ―One and Only‖ [Each person choose his own answers] 3. Financial [Ask participants: What have you observed or heard about OFWs—without giving names—who have made wise or unwise decisions about how they handled their money?] 4. Contagious a. High b. Close c. Clear d. Maximum If any of the a, b, or c parts of the equation are removed, there will not be ―maximum impact‖ for evangelism. They are all three essential if we really want to see people saved. (or some similar answer) 5. Prayer [Get participants to share what they will make as their goal for their number of prayer supporters] Response/Commitment Ask participants to share with the group which statement they checked. Close the time with pray for each person, one by one. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 84 Terms Church Planting Movement (CPM) – A Church Planting Movement is taking place when, by the power of God, disciple-making groups (churches) are rapidly reproducing themselves over and over. Through this kind of supernatural reproduction of disciples, whole people groups, cities, and nations can be brought to saving faith in Christ! Extraction Evangelism This is the common error of pulling a new convert out of his network of family and friends to become part of a church community. The result is resentment and resistance from the person‘s family and friends. There is no guarantee that these others will become believers, but it is more likely if efforts are made to reach out to them even before the new convert is baptized. Ideally, the whole family will be baptized together. Great Commission Christian (GCC) – This is a person who believes that salvation is only found by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, and he is committed to doing his part to carry out the Great Commission. If we are serious about finishing the task of making disciples of all the remaining unreached people groups, we must be willing to work side-by-side with others whom God has called out to be laborers in His harvest field. Man of Peace – A ―man of peace‖ (Lk. 10:5-7) is a person who is very open to the Gospel and willing to bet his reputation on the disciples of Jesus. He is a person who has enough resources to offer the disciples room and board during their ministry visit. Two examples of people of peace in Scripture are Lydia and Cornelius. These people help to give credibility to the disciple and help in reaching whole families. Red Zone – A ―red zone‖ is any area in the world where ―there is intense stress on a regular and sometimes daily basis, brought on by [a number of factors including]...an active repression of Christianity by governments and/or militant religious leadership.‖44 Serving as a tentmaker in a ―red zone‖ increases the need for following strict security guidelines. Tentmaker Resources The number and quality of resources for tentmakers continues to increase. If you have not yet found what you need, don‘t give up! See the books listed in the References section. Search on the internet and in Christian bookstores. Seek and you will find! We highly recommend the workbook, Worker to Witness: Becoming an OFW Tentmaker (CSM Publishing). HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 85 Notes 1 The Move of the Holy Spirit in the 10/40 Window, p. 206. 2 This is a strong statement. It is stated strongly because it is biblical and it is essential that ―laymen‖ see themselves as very significant in God‘s scheme of bringing the world to Himself through Christ. We must guard against promoting the tradition that claims ―If you just have ©©enough faith, you will quit your job and become a full-time church worker.‖ In many cases, it takes more faith for a person to live for Christ in the non-Christian workplace. The full-time, self-supporting Christian has daily contact with lost people that a pastor or church worker will never meet. This is an appeal for affirming the vital contribution to the Kingdom of God by ―laymen‖ who live out their faith in the secular world. These are the real heroes of the faith! 3 The Condensed World Mission Course Reader, p. 1-2. 4 ―The Task Remaining: All Humanity in Mission Perspective,‖ Ralph D. Winter, The Kairos Reader (Condensed World Mission Course), pp. 6-1 to 6-3. 5 1. Evangelism 2. Missions 3. Missions 6 The interpretation is from Meg Crossman‘s article, ―The Reluctant Messengers,‖ in The Condensed World Mission Course Reader, pp. 3-20 and 3-21. 7 The three blanks should be: Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles. 8 Paul affirms the ―right‖ to receive payment for spiritual work, but declares that he did not use that right (1 Cor. 9:12, 15). Instead, he supported himself (v. 6). See also Acts 18:3; 20:33-35; 2 Thess. 3:6-12. For a full discussion of this issue, read the article, ―Tentmakers Needed for World Evangelization‖ by Ruth E. Siemens, in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement; A Reader, Third Edition. p. 733-741. 9 Ruth E. Siemens, in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement; A Reader, Third Edition. p. 741. 10 These four options for involvement in World Missions are discussed in ―Company of the Committed,‖ by Patricia Moore and Meg Crossman, The Condensed World Mission Course Reader, Second Edition. p. 7-6~7-9. 11 This idea is from Greg Holden. 12 The Gray Scale is an adaptation of the ―Engel Scale of Spiritual Decision‖ developed by Frank Gray of the Far East Broadcasting Company. Printed from http://www.brigada.org/today/articles/web-evangelism.html#top. 13 Ruth Seimens, Workplace Evangelism: Fishing Out Seekers Printed from http://www.globalopps.org/papers/workpla1.htm. 14 The concept of two or three people meeting together, using a bookmark as an agenda guide for the meetings is adapted from Neil Cole‘s ―Life Transformation Groups‖ described in his book, Cultivating a Life for God. The name ―Company 3‖ was coined by the Pastoral Leadership Team of The Living Circle Christian Fellowship, Quezon City, Metro Manila. 15 Curtis Seargent, Strategy Coordinator Training, 2002, ―Church Planting Movements‖ lecture. 16 Octopus & Starfish: If a leg of an octopus is cut off, it will grow back. But if the head of the octopus is cut off, it will die! Much like a large church with a great pastor. This kind of church is an easy target for persecutors. By comparison, if a leg of a starfish is cut off, it too will grow back. But there is something else: the leg that was cut off will become a whole new starfish! And if the starfish is cut up into 10 pieces it will become 10 starfish! This is much closer to a CPM model church that can survive and multiply in the midst of persecution. 17 Jesus taught His disciples, ―When you enter a house, first say, ‗Peace to this house.‘ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.‖ Luke 10:5-7 18 Paul changed the way he lived in order to win those God had called him to evangelize. He said, ―To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God‘s law but am under Christ‘s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some‖ (1 Cor. 9:20-22). Some cultures and religions have a very distorted understanding of HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 86 what it means for a person to be a ―Christian.‖ They are weak in their understanding at that point. So, it makes sense that we should adjust our vocabulary in order to win them to Christ. Actually, the word ―Christian‖ only appears in the Bible three times (Acts 11:26; Acts 26:28; 1 Peter 4:16). The term ―The Way‖ is used more often in the Bible than ―Christian‖ (Acts 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22). 19 John 4:53; Acts 11:14; Acts 16:15, 34; Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:16 20 ―We know we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers...‖ 1 John 3:14 21 Wolfgang Simpson goes so far as to say, ―One of the most important decisions in terms of the structure and future of a church...is what you do when person no. 21 walks through the door...You either continue growing upwards and become organized, and lose your house-church dynamics...or you divide the house church into two or three units and multiply it, thus growing sidewards.‖ Houses that Change the World, p. 18. 22 See Paul‘s instructions in 1 Cor. 14:29-33. 23 We encourage you to follow the traditions of your church regarding baptism and the Lord‘s Supper. However, be careful not to impose your home church traditions on newly forming congregations in pioneer mission fields. Scripture is actually silent on the subject of who is qualified to lead the Lord‘s Supper and perform baptism. It is possible that our good traditions and good intentions may dramatically slow down or even stop the rapid spread of the Gospel among an unreached people group! Ask God for wisdom to discern which things are ―Biblical essentials‖ and which are just ―the way we do things back home.‖ 24 Of course there may be times when the tentmaker needs to gently correct a misunderstanding of Scripture. But the goal is to ―appoint elders in every town‖ (Tit. 1:5) who look to the Spirit of God to accurately interpret the Word of God as the final authority in all things. 25 These ―Seven Commands of Christ‖ are discussed in detail by George Patterson and Richard Scoggins in Church Multiplication Guide, pp. 15-45. 26 This passage gives us the clearest picture of what a New Testament worship service looked like: ―What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All these must be done for the strengthening of the church‖ (1 Cor. 14:26). 27 In the years ahead, it is likely that some of the house church pastors will emerge as those with exceptional gifts of leadership. God may lead some of them to give all of their time to the work of the church and receive full financial support for their ministry. This is a very normal part of the growth process. However, keep in mind that a Church Planting Movement in which millions will be saved is our goal. For this to happen, we must plan for most of the new churches to be started and led by lay people. There will always be a great need for trained pastors who can provide ongoing training for the multitude of lay church leaders. 28 The decision to work with people of various church backgrounds does not mean you are compromising your faith. It is important that you know which doctrinal issues you do not consider to be negotiable. Take your stand where you believe God wants you to stand. As you pray and think about this matter, keep in mind the words of a believer in India: ―Don‘t bring us the Gospel as a full-grown plant in a pot full of the soil of your culture and traditions. Just bring us the seed of the Gospel! Plant it and let it grow in our soil.‖ 29 Planting Churches in Muslim Cities, p. 113. 30 This idea of carrying an emotional or spiritual ―time bomb‖ to the mission field comes from Brian Petersen. 31 The ―roof off, walls down‖ is adapted from Norman Grubb‘s Continuous Revival, p. 15. 32 This term is mentioned by Phil Parshall in his excellent chapter titled ―Missionaries and Morality,‖ p. 289, in The Last Great Frontier; Essays on Muslim Evangelism. 33 Neil T. Anderson, The Bondage Breaker (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1990) Also published in the Philippines. 34 Doing Member Care Well, p. 193 35 Please Pray for Us; Praying for the Persecuted Christians in 53 Nations,p. 170. 36 In some rare cases, OFWs have been imprisoned, tortured and even executed. It may be in God‘s plan that some will become martyrs for Christ. Their blood will water the seeds of the Gospel and cause it to take deep root and grow strong. Keep in mind that if you are arrested and deported, you will not only lose your job. You also lose access to those who are dying to hear the Gospel! HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 87 37 Working Your Way to the Nations, p. 9-3. 38 Mountain Rain, biography of J. O. Fraser, p. 78. 39 One pastor of a large OFW church in the middle east regularly tells his people, ―If you are married, either make a way to bring your spouse over here - or go back home!‖ 40 Bill Hybels, Becoming a Contagious Christian, p. 23, italics added. 41 Becoming a Contagious Christian, p. 40. 42 Becoming a Contagious Christian, p. 103. 43 Mountain Rain, biography of J. O. Fraser, p. 149. 44 Doing Member Care Well, p. 193. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 88 References Anderson, Neil T. The Bondage Breaker, Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1990. Beckett, John D. Loving Monday: Succeeding in Business Without Selling Your Soul. Downer‘s Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998. Bush, Luis and Pegues, Beverly. The Move of the Holy Spirit in the 10/40 Window. Seattle, WA: YWAM Publishing, 1999. Chan, Kim-kwong, and Tetsunao Yamamori. Holistic Entrepreneurs in China. Pasadena, CA: William Carey International University Press, 2002. Cole, Neil. Cultivating a Life for God. Carol Stream, IL: ChurchSmart Resources, 1999. Companjen, Johan, Ed. Please Pray for Us; Praying for Persecuted Christians in 52 Nations. Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2000. Danker, William. Profit for the Lord. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 1971. Garrison, David. Church Planting Movements. Richmond, Virginia: International Mission Board, 2000. Gibson, Dan. Avoiding the Tentmaker Trap. Bucks, United Kingdom: WEC International, 1997. Grubb, Norman. Continuous Revival. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: Christian Literature Crusade, 1971. Hamilton, Don. Tentmakers Speak: Practical Advice from Over 400 Missionary Tentmakers. Duarte, CA: TMQ Research, 1987. Hampton, Vinita and Plueddemann, Carol. World Shapers; A Treasury of Quotes from Great Missionaries. Wheaton, Illinois: Harold Shaw Publishers, 1991. Hybels, Bill and Mittelberg, Mark. Becoming a Contagious Christian. Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila: OMF Literature, 2001. Lai, Patrick. Tentmaking: Business as Missions. Waynesboro, GA: Authentic Media, 2005. Lewis, Jonathan, Ed. The Condensed World Mission Course Reader, Second Edition. Butuan City, Philippines: Living Springs International, 2000. Lewis, Jonathan, Ed. Working Your Way to the Nations: A Guide to Effective Tentmaking. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1993. Livingstone, Greg. Planting Churches in Muslim Cities; A Team Approach. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1993. Manzano, Jojo and Joy C. Solina, Eds. Worker to Witness: Becoming an OFW Tentmaker. Manila: Church Strengthening Ministry, 2007. O‘Donnell, Kelly, Ed. Doing Member Care Well; Perspectives and Practices from Around the World. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2002. Pantoja, Luis Jr., Sadiri Joy Tira and Enoch Wan, Eds. Scattered: The Filipino Global Presence. Manila: LifeChange, 2004. Parshall, Phil. The Last Great Frontier; Essays on Muslim Evangelism. Quezon City, Metro Manila: 2000. Patterson, George and Scoggins, Richard. Church Multiplication Guide; Helping Churches Reproduce Locally and Abroad. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1993. Piper, John. Let the Nations be Glad; The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 1993. Rogers, Mike C. and King, Claude V. The Kingdom Agenda; Experiencing God in Your Workplace. Makati, Metro Manila: Church Strengthening Ministry, 1996. Siemens, Ruth E. ―Workplace Evangelism: Fishing Out Seekers.‖ Global Opportunities, 1996. Copied from http://www.globalopps.org/papers/workpla1.htm. Simson, Wolfgang. Houses that Change the World; The Return of the House Churches. Ayanavaram, Chennai: Mission Educational Books, 1998. St. Kilda, Martin. Near the Far Bamboo: An Insightful Look at Cross-Cultural Clashes Through the Eyes of a Tentmaking Missionary. Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1993. HHHiiiggghhheeerrr PPPuuurrrpppooossseee 89 Stevens, R. Paul. The Other Six Days: Vocation, Work and Ministry in Biblical Perspective. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999. Sugden, Chris. Fair Trade as Christian Missions. Cambridge, MA: Grove Books, 1999. Suter, Heinz and Marco Gmur. Business Power for God’s Purpose. Greng-Murten, Switzerland: VkG, 1997. Swarr, Sharon B., and Dwight Nordstrom. Transform the World: Biblical Vision and Purpose for Business. Richmond, VA: Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, 1999. Tsukahira, Peter. My Father’s Business: Guidelines for Ministry in the Marketplace. Singapore: One Stone Books, 2000. Wiebracht, Dean. The World Beyond Your Walls. Mandaluyong, Metro Manila: OMF Literature, 1992. Willis, Avery T. Jr. and Blackaby, Henry T. On Mission with God; Living God’s Purpose for His Glory. Nashville, TN: LifeWay Press, 2001. Wilson, J. Christy Jr. Today’s Tentmakers; Self-support: An Alternative Model for Worldwide Witness. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 1979. Yamamori, Tetsunao. God’s New Envoys: A Bold Strategy for Penetrating “Closed Countries‖. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1987.