Who Do You Say I Am?

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” 
They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.” Matthew 16:13-17

“Who do you say I am?”

What if Jesus asked us this question? Would we give as clear and concise answer as Simon Peter? Or would we stumble around like the other disciples listing off the thoughts of everyone else? I would like to think that my ears would be so in tune with my Heavenly Father that I would hear the still small whisper divinely answered in my ear. However, I might just be like the other disciples listing off all the voices of the flesh that had been screaming aloud from the media, the television evangelists, or the local radio preacher. I sometimes wonder how influenced I have become simply by existing in this world around me without even realizing it. Would I even recognize the revealing of the Heavenly Father?

Living in the third world has caused us to ask some of these questions. We have observed the church here become so riddled with the “flesh and blood,” as Jesus refers to it, that they don’t know the difference between who Jesus was (and still is) and who John the Baptist was. In other words, here in Liberia, Jesus has no more power than the next guy. In fact, by their actions at times, Jesus has less power then the sources they seek out. John the Baptist was not given any divine power to heal the sick, cause the lame to walk, or set the captives free. He was not Christ. He was not the Son of God. He was not God in the flesh. But, somewhere along the way, Jesus, the Almighty One, lost His power in the eyes of the Liberians and it was given to another. This is no different than what the Isrealite children did in the desert, or what they did again and again when they arrived in the promised land. They would set up idols, Asherah poles, high places and in essence gave the power to another “god.”

So, back to my original question, “Who do you say I am?” Either Jesus has the power, or we have given it to another. Do we truly believe that Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God?, or are we, of little faith, looking to other sources for our help in our times of trouble? In the western world we rely on our 401ks and our healthcare systems when we get into trouble. What would we do if none of those existed? Would we run to some other source to fix our troubles, or would we run to our ever present help in times of trouble?

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm  46:1

If we really say that Christ is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God, than our hearts need to run to Him when we are in need of help, comfort, and strength. 

Heavenly Father, forgive me for not running to you first when I face challenges. Help me to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness. Father, I pray that not my will but yours be done in my life and the lives of those who read this post. We pray that you become greater in us as we become less. Father, it’s not about us, it never was and never will be, but it is all about you, for your honor, and for your glory. We lay our lives at your feet. Do as your heart desires in our lives. Let us speak all that you reveal to us through your word and through your still small voice. We pray that you seal these things upon our hearts this day. In your precious name.  

Potential

Have you ever had a love/hate relationship with someone, where you are extremely thankful for them one day and it seems like the very next day, they do something that causes you to get incredibly frustrated with them? I’m sure we can all agree that there are times this happens to us, and maybe some of us more than we care to admit. Our ministry to the Liberians very much so has these times. This got me thinking about Jesus and how he sees us and those around us.

I find it interesting that Jesus  had the complete capability to raise up a mega church while He was here on earth, after all, He is the Messiah! What better leader could there possibly be then Jesus Himself? But Jesus didn’t do that. He didn’t cater to the masses, even though there were times that the crowds followed. He didn’t run to the synagogues or try to take over the Jewish temple. He didn’t chase after the mega church mentality of having hundreds and thousands of followers. No, Jesus chose 12. Jesus  saw great potential in this small intimate group. He knew that after He returned to heaven, they would be the ones who would literally spread the gospel around the world. The masses wouldn’t do that. The masses would move on to the next “messiah.” But these men would be touched so deeply that moving on only meant they were going to the next town to share about the fire burning within them. In fact, these men were so radical about their relationship with Christ that 10 out of the 12 of them were killed for their faith. The two exceptions: Judas Iscariot who had taken his own life and John who died of natural causes in his old age, of course he died while exile in Patmos. 

The disciples probably earned their fair share of frustration points with Jesus. They doubted, questioned, argued, and even betrayed Him. But not one of these things negated the potential that Christ saw in each of these men. It is amazing to me how Christ could continue to keep His focus on the end result when the disciples were constantly tripping over their own two feet. Yet, this is how we are called to work with others. We are called to see the Christ like potential in them, to foster that potential and help it to grow, even when they do not see it themselves. Christ did not give these men material possessions, but he fostered their relationship with Him. He watched that relationship grow, until the day came that these men could stand on their own two feet and have the ability to see the potential in others. That is what spreads the gospel, walking with people as they learn to walk with Christ. No more no less. 

How about us? Do we see the potential in those around us, or are we too busy getting frustrated with the little they “don’t know,” or  they “can’t do” to foster their God given gifts and abilities to be the next disciples for Jesus Christ who will take the gospel to the world?

Who are your 12? In other words, God is not calling us to the masses. He calls us to influence a small group of those around us. This has been a breath of fresh air to our family while on the mission field. It is so easy to get caught up in seeing all of the needs. But God is not calling us to ALL the needs, or for that matter, He is not calling us to All of the people either. He is calling us to our 12. We have had to ask ourselves who is the small intimate group of people God is calling us to see the potential in, to walk with, as they learn to walk with Christ?

For related reading: Holding Up The Hands of Others, Training Others in Kingdom Living, Call to One Another Living 

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for your example. I thank you that you have modeled working with a small group  to empower them to become strong in you. What a relief it is to know that we do not need to feel the pressure or responsibility of shepherding hundreds, because truly that is just a bit intimidating. Thank you for giving us small chunks. Help us to see the potential in others, to walk with them as they learn to walk with you. We pray this in your precious name.
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Renovation

Building and renovation projects can be a time consuming investment. Some of us would just rather avoid them altogether and others of us jump in with both feet, but by the time we are in up to our necks we look around and wonder what we were thinking. I have recently been through a somewhat small “renovation” project in our home in Liberia. I put renovation in parentheses because it was never meant to be something that needed to be redone in the first place. However, if there is one thing we have learned about Liberia it is this, things rarely get done right the first time. So, be on your guard when they actually are done “right.” Please don’t misunderstand me here. I am by no means trying to criticize the Liberian culture. It’s just that when you receive education by an uneducated culture the results of that education are surely going to bring about it’s fair share of problems. And this is exactly what we are seeing in the country of Liberia. They are caught in a vicious cycle of poor education. So, upon graduation from college or even their trade schools, the understanding of their skill is limited. The best part about this, is that as missionaries we have such a wide open field to plow, plant and one day harvest. It’s very exciting to us.

Back to my original topic of renovation.  As I spent time the Lord this morning, I realized just how much our faith journey is like a renovation project.  When we are in the throws of a renovation project sometimes we have a hard time making heads or tails of the mess that is being made. If you are dealing with an older home, you may find that you start your renovation project only to find seven other things that need fixed along the way. Isn’t that kind of like how our faith journey can go sometimes? We can’t see the vision for the finished product because we are too busy seeing the mess, or as we walk through the one thing the Lord has us working on fixing and then it feels like seven other things crop in there that need adjusting too.  I frequently find myself telling God that I can’t find Him because I’m too busy looking at the messiness of my life and I just feel overwhelmed by how much fixing really needs done. 

It’s funny how short sighted and impatient we can become with the process. God is not in a hurry with this renovation project of our faith. In fact, the slower He takes us, the more gentle the other fixes will seem to us if we embrace God’s speed at the project. In that same vein, the slower He takes us, the more detailed He can become, in other words, the more like Him He has the ability to make us. This makes me wonder why I am in such a hurry to get through this renovation of my faith. The more I rush Him the less detail He is able to add. What a loving Heavenly Father we have, He knows what He is doing.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

In the times of renovation in our faith journey we are called to fix, or focus our eyes on Jesus, to not get distracted by the mess that is all around us right now. Why? Because He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is renovating our faith into something better and more beautiful than it was before, something that will be unrecognizable, if we only allow Him to work in His timing and at His pace.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

Isn’t it comforting to know that Christ is working on us to create something special. He has a unique and especially chosen plan for your life. Ephesians 2 calls these plans “good works.” I just love the fact that God is handcrafting me, and He is handcrafting you as well! He sees the end result even when all we can see is chaos. It helps me to be less anxious about where my faith renovation is going to know that God has a clear vision and He never misses even the smallest detail.

Father, I thank you that among the mess of this faith renovation you are in the process of creating something beautiful. No matter how messy this thing gets, the end result will be well worth every change we need to make in the process. How humbling it is to know that you are the author and perfecter of this renovation project, a project that you promise to bring to completion in your perfect timing. Help us to step back and allow you to take out the things that should not be in our temples and allow you to add the things that should. Make us more like you each and every day. In your precious name we pray.

The Calling

We have been here in Liberia for seven months. I realize I have practically abandoned my blog in the last seven months, but I did not expect to be hit in the face with the adversities of just trying to survive life. I never would have expected that things like preparing meals, doing laundry, dishes, shopping for food, getting water (because we have no running water), and cleaning absolutely everything (especially during dry season when the dust is insane) would take up the majority of our time most days. In the states most of these things are done with machines and take a fraction of the time they do here. Just living is a full time job here!

Liberia is one of the poorest countries in the world! After living here I can honestly say they have surpassed the third world status. Liberia is truly a fourth world country! Their infrastructure was destroyed by 24 years of civil wars and coos. And today, 15 years after the war’s end, they are still struggling immensely! Living here is almost like living 80 years ago, with one exception, cell phones. Many Liberians have cell phones, and often at the expense of buying food for their families. We personally know Liberians who virtually starved their family just so they could purchase a smartphone. That may sound ludicrous to you and I, but there is a rational to why they made that choice. It was done so they could make connections with people outside of their Liberian circle. For one individual family that we know of, it paid off. That is how we met one of our Liberian pastors! No joke! My husband connected with him over Facebook. This pastor is in charge of a large compound and school. By virtually starving his family, he changed the course of life for not only his family, but for the many families that live on the compound and attend the school. Desperate times call for desperate measures. But not all Liberians think this radically. Most Liberians settle for surviving one day at a time and not planning for tomorrow. They eat the very seed that they should be planting to harvest a crop for future meals. Many say “why starve today when there is seed to eat?” It takes radical thinkers and those who are willing to put hope in tomorrow to reach outside the here and now and invest into a tomorrow that may never come. Here in the fourth world, tomorrow is truly just wishful thinking. They don’t plan for tomorrow because they might not survive the hardships of today.

This way of life is so unimaginable to most westerners. We have never had to decide between today’s meal and a chance to survive tomorrow. We can’t understand, we have never felt that degree of poverty. For many of us, we have never even seen it, other than the occasional commercials and pictures we see on television. But even, that is not truly tangible to us. It’s nothing we have touched or seen in flesh and blood. It’s easy to walk away from the scene we see on television, but let me tell you, it’s far more difficult to walk away from the flesh and bones standing right in front of you with eyes of desperation piercing your heart. Everywhere we go there are needs, real, evident, legit needs! We are continually bombarded with people asking for help with this need and help with that need. It’s overwhelming. Before coming to this country I had a family member, who had been a missionary in Africa for 52 years tell me “you really need to know why you are called there, because if you don’t the needs of people will distract you from your calling.” Oh boy, is that ever true! If we tried to help every person who came up to us and asked for help we would miss the reason we are here completely. We would find ourselves frustrated and discouraged. Please don’t get me wrong. We do not go around refusing to help people who ask, but we have learned to ask “Lord who would you have us help.” And yes, at times that means saying no to the voices who are asking for help. Sounds cruel right? Well, let’s take a look at Jesus shall we.

There were times even Jesus could not help people, not because He did not want to, but because the circumstances did not allow Him to act. Matthew 13:58 says “And he did not do any miracles there because of their lack of faith.” If the people of Nazareth (Jesus’ hometown) would have believed and had faith, Jesus could have helped, but their lack of faith kept Jesus from helping. Jesus also said in John 5:19 ...“I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” Jesus did nothing without hearing from the Father first. If he did not hear, he did not act, or speak.

We truly believe there is a specific reason we are called to Liberia. The longer we are here the more clearly we are understanding that calling. Now as people come asking for help, we are more inclined to run it through the filter of our calling. If it lines up with our purpose, we feel more freedom to help. If it doesn’t line up at all, we do not act. This has given us great peace about when to help and when not to help. It’s not that we don’t care and love those we don’t help, on the contrary, we truly do, but we can only do what God has called us to do, anything that does not line up with that calling is nothing more than a distraction. This has been a hard lesson to learn, and one that we still fail at from time to time, but we are thankful that the Lord is a tuning our ear to his voice in this time.

The saying goes, “give a man a fish feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.” We are learning to walk the line of giving verses teaching. We desire to see the Liberians not only learn the art of “fishing”, but to have those Liberians teach other Liberians to “fish” as well. In other words. We desire to see Liberians become self sufficient and reproductive. We want them to pass along the knowledge and skills that they have learned from us to others. We have known from the very beginning that we wanted to work our way out of a job. We want the Liberians to not need us anymore because they have the skills they need to be successful. We realize that this is an investment of much time and many years, but that is part of the calling.

For more posts on this subject of calling please click here.

Lord, it has been a challenging road here in Liberia, but one we know that you have called our family to. Father, I pray that each one who reads this post will search out their calling in the kingdom and walk it out with boldness and confidence. Thank you for knowing the plans and purposes for each one of us (Jeremiah 29:11). Let us not grow weary in searching those plans out. Jesus, let your will be done in our lives, and in the lives of our family for your honor and your glory. We pray this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.