YOUR IMAGE

I am cleaning out my files from the 1980’s – pre-computer days. I found this story. No author is attributed to it, so if you know, please let me know so I may credit them. I trust it will encourage you as it does me.

There was a group of women doing a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which says; "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next study.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond sharing her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest in order to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot. Then she thought again about the verse, "He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. "She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined."

The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver in place, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver were left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" 

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh that's easy—when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that you are in God's hand, He has His eyes on you, and He will keep holding you and watching you until He sees His image in you.

Author unknown.

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD

Be realistic. Listen to feedback. Play well with others. Compromise. These are things we are often told. Well, what if the “other’’ party is wrong? What if the conventional wisdom is too conservative?

An entrepreneur is someone with faith in God’s ability to work through us to make something where there was nothing before. To an entrepreneur, the idea that no one has ever done this or that is a good thing. An obstacle is an opportunity.

Steve Jobs was famous for his drive and ambition. Though clearly not Christ-centered, this drive made him notoriously dismissive of phrases such as, “It can't be done” or, “We need more time.”

Jobs learned early in life that reality was falsely hemmed in by rules and compromises that people had been taught as children. Jobs had a much more aggressive idea of what was or wasn't possible. To him, when you factored in vision and work ethic, much of life was malleable.

As an example, when developing a new mouse for an early Apple product, Jobs had high expectations. He wanted the mouse to move fluidly in any direction, which wasn't a concept for any mouse at that time. In starting to solve the problem, a lead engineer was told by one of his designers that this would be impossible. What Jobs wanted wasn’t realistic and wouldn't work. The next day, the lead engineer arrived at work to find that the employee who’d said that no longer worked for Apple. When the replacement came in, his first words were, “I can build the mouse.”

This was Job’s view of reality at work. Malleable, adamant, self-confident. Not in the delusional sense, but for the purposes of accomplishing something. He knew that to aim low meant to accept mediocre accomplishment. But a high aim could, if things went right, create something extraordinary. 

When the Pharisees said to Jesus, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath," implying that His disciples should abide by the rules, Jesus pointed out that their view of life and worship was not God’s view.

Entrepreneurs and visionaries see beyond. God has opened our eyes to the opportunities and the potential created by today. Yet for many of us, such vision does not come easy. It's understandable. Our schools, our churches, our Pharisees – so many people in our lives have preached the need to be realistic or conservative or worse—don’t rock the boat. This is an enormous disadvantage when it comes to believing God to walk new paths, build bigger things, be better.

Understand that our doubts (and self-doubts) feel real, but they have very little bearing on what is and isn’t possible. Our perceptions determine, to an incredibly large degree, what we are and are not capable of doing. In many ways, they determine reality itself. When we believe in the obstacle more than in the goal, which will inevitably triumph? We need to be open. Question.

Jesus makes it clear, but with God, all things are possible. (Mark 10:27) Listen to Him. Abide in Him. Work with Him. Live with Him.

And in speaking to Mary the angel says, "For nothing will be impossible with God." Taken another way, that means the only thing that is impossible for God is to do nothing. Jesus clarifies in Matthew 6:33, but seek first His kingdom and His righteous and all these things will be yours as well.

Get your input from God, not men. Seek His mind, His vision for your life and work. Do not be hamstrung by the naysayers around you. If we are with God, nothing will be impossible.

PRIVACY – NO ROOM ON THE BEACH

Are you ever tired? Looking for a bit of rest? Need a break?

Jesus often took breaks, but they didn’t always go as planned. In Matthew 13 Jesus goes out of His house to sit and rest by the sea.

I live 100 yards from the ocean. I have a favorite place to sit and enjoy God’s awesome creation. I would guess that Jesus had His favorite rock, or spot on the sand to sit at too. It is likely before He began openly teaching and healing people that He went there often. However, on this day, He no sooner sits down than someone sees Him and informs the community and a crowd forms.

People had come from as far away as Tyre (Mark 3:8) to hear Him or be healed, so it is logical to assume there were hundreds of people camped around the village of Capernaum where he lived, hoping for an opportunity to meet Him. He’s spotted, a crowd gathers. Wanting space and rest, He calls for one of His friends to bring over a boat and climbs aboard. He sits down, but rather than sail to some distant quiet spot, He addresses the crowd and begins to teach.

Do your ever tire of living in fishbowl – a life where people are constantly pushing and pulling on you, touching you, asking you for things, never allowing one minute of alone time? Being recognized by everyone as the only foreigner in the city or neighborhood?

Well give thanks to God, for we are being just like Jesus!

KEEP PLOWING

An OPEN worker writes,

This past week I was doing a quarterly review with one of our designers and one of the things he said to me was, “Boss, you need to be meaner to me, even if it’s just a little bit.” I said to him, “I don’t understand?” He went on to explain that there are no other bosses in Pakistan who treat employees the way we do and he’s worried that if he ever left, he wouldn’t be ready to work for such an obstinate boss.  This led us into an hour-long conversation on why because of what God has done in me I could never be a "mean" boss and how God Himself is a loving, kind, and compassionate God who isn’t out to get you, or use you, but rather looking for a personal relationship with you.  

This is excellent plowing. 

The key to opening ears is hearing Jesus’ words. The key to opening hearts is seeing Jesus life. Ears are truly opened through the eyes. People need to see Jesus first, then they will listen.
The Apostle John puts it this way, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

Be patient, be steadfast in plowing into peoples’ lives.  Live out your faith. Hearts who see the difference will become eager to hear about Christ who is that difference.

THE PURPOSE OF B4T

The following was told as part of a message, given at the B4T Expo in San Jose this past weekend.

I recall the story by a professor in Greece.  He was speaking at a business conference in Eastern Europe. On the last day of the conference, he was participating in a workshop and as things were wrapping up, the leader walked over to an open window and looked out. Then he asked if there were any questions. The professor laughingly asked him, “What is the meaning of life?” Everyone in attendance laughed. However, the leader held up his hand indicating quiet, and then responded, “Allow me to answer your question.” He then took his wallet out of his pocket and removed a small round mirror about the size of a quarter.

“When I was a child during World War II,” he said, “we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but too many pieces were missing, so I kept the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone, I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun rarely, if ever, could shine. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places. I kept the little mirror, and as I grew up, I would take it out at idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. 

As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game, but a metaphor of what I could do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light, nor the source of the light. But light – be it truth or understanding or knowledge or God – is there, and it will only shine into dark places if I reflect it. I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have, I can reflect light into the dark places of this world – even into the dark places of human hearts. And by reflecting the light, I believe I am causing others to see the light, and even seek to reflect the light themselves. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life.”

What is the purpose of B4T?  Our purpose is to REFLECT THE LIGHT.

The Ideal Painting

This blog is contributed by an OPEN worker, serving in the Arab world.

The painting above, is the result of a marketing survey, which asked people “What would be included in an ideal painting?”  The most popular answers were; George Washington, deer, mountains, trees, a family, and clouds, so the artist created the above image. 

The idea was to show that sometimes marketing surveys ask tons of questions in such a way that they can’t possibly understand their customers’ needs from the answers they receive. It’s funny how many things could be in an ideal painting, yet when all of them are put together it makes for a goofy picture, one that nobody would really purchase to hang over their mantle.

Sometimes we try too hard. We try too hard to be something or someone, we are not. At times we try to know a certain subject or understand something new, when that’s not who God intends us to be. Yet when we try too hard, especially of our own devices, we end up looking like this hodge-podge painting that attempts to be jack-of-all-trades but master of none.

This story has many implications. For business, we must know our customers, our market niche. We can’t chase every opportunity that comes along to make money. We need to know our target market. We should focus on what we do best and leave other services or products for other companies.  We need to know what our customers want and give them that. We don’t need to sell George Washington, deer, clouds, mountains, families, etc.

When it comes to relationships with others, we need to know who we are. What is your identity? How do you view yourself?  Is your identity found in what you do (your job) or is it found in being known by the Most High?  Godliness requires we understand who we are in view of a holy, loving God. We will not be effective in reaching the unreached if we can’t even figure out who we are.  If our friends value George Washington and shouldn’t try to become George Washington to please them. And if we think that the speaker at a conference is terrific, like the mountains/deer/family/grass, that doesn’t mean we need to become like the mountains/deer/ family/grass to be like him. Each of us is designed uniquely by God with gifts given by Him that we use to present back to Him for His glory (Psalm 139 is a beautiful picture of this).

When Paul said that he became all things to all people in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, he had the prerequisite mastered first. He said that he was free from all. We are not free if we are trying still to be cool – to please men. (Galatians 1:10) We are not free if we are trying to impress our boss or our parents or our co-workers. Paul was already free from all that. He became all things to all people, so that he might save some. He was already others-focused when he decided to become a servant to all. (1 Corinthians 9:19)

So instead of trying to be like the ideal painting, which is an example of both a bad marketing survey and a botched attempt to create something beautiful, let’s be first servants of the Most High God. After we understand who we are in Him, we will be free to become servants to our neighbors, friends, co-workers, bosses, etc. so that we might save some.

B4T & BALANCE (PART II)

When you are first starting your job overseas or your business, you may need to abandon any idea of balance. That’s a serious statement that warrants strong consideration before moving into the B4T world. You will need to get family, friends, loved ones and especially your leaders on board with your full-court push and be prepared for some backlash at the drive you’ll need to settle into your job or to get your business going.

In starting out, the work-life balance you achieve may be more like 90/10, than 50/50. Know your own contentment level. Strive to understand what that balance is for you personally and be prepared to make the commitment to act upon your decision. As you settle into your job, that balance will change and you’ll be able to invest more time in things and with people away from the office. It’s important to recognize that the fulcrum of balance will be a sliding point on the bar of life.

Sometimes the decisions revolving around balancing the various areas of life and work will be easy, other times they’ll be more difficult. The important thing is that you know yourself. It’s essential to have ways in place to relieve some of the internal pressure you place on yourself. The B4T path is one of constantly assessing and reassessing what are the best long-term decisions you can make at each moment in time.

Regardless of how much your B4T life requires you to devote to your work, knowing your position in Christ and finding meaning in your days is what will ultimately contribute to the best work-life balance. This is why the advice to, “do what you have a passion for,” is so incredibly important.
Each of us is different. So, balance will be different for each of us. A former mentor used to tell me with a smile, “You know what balance is? Balance is where I am at.” To help you manage the work-life balance debate, tune out the opinions of others and start checking in with what the Lord is saying to you. Ultimately, it’s up to you to figure out what balance works best for your own situation, but if you need some help finding that equilibrium point, there are others who have gone before you who can help. Find a mentor or attend a Huddle to gain perspective (you can contact us directly for both of these). Understand that every person is different and just because some people are exhausted having to work 50 hours a week does not mean everybody is. The key is to find the Lord’s equilibrium for His will for you.

When you are walking with God in His will, He will give you a love for your work and a passion for the people you work with—His joy for what you’re doing every day. To achieve balance, keep Jesus front and center in all areas of your life and work, then intertwine Him into your passions and your profession. Realize, everyone is different, so get comfortable with the balance point that works personally for you.

The things that others typically compartmentalize into the “life” box (family, exercise, vacation, leisure activities) are essential to our work too. They serve as a means to recharge and reset our mental and physical health and productivity. So, no more worrying about the work-life balance myth. Stop treating your personal life as something you have to make time for and your work life as something you have to apologize for. By His grace and for His glory we are B4Ters. And what God made us to be and what He’s given us to do transcends both.

BALANCE & B4T

The typical picture of entrepreneurs—20-hour work days, always-on email, working nights, weekends and holidays—screams for work-life balance. The “go for broke” ambition that turns B4T entrepreneurs into workaholics can either burn you out or send you to an early grave.

I’ll be honest with you: I hate the phrase “a balanced life”. Jesus was one of the most unbalanced people in history.  Seriously, who fasts for 40 days? Who in their right mind consistently challenges their religious leaders? Who stays up all night praying?  Who tells people to take up their cross and choose the narrow, hard path over the wide and easy one? Balanced people? No, I don’t think so.

Jesus calls us to be slaves of God. Is slavery balanced?  In Luke 17 Jesus talks about the life of a slave.

"Suppose one of you has a slave plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the slave when he comes in from the field, 'Come along now and sit down to eat'? Won't he rather say, 'Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink?'"

The very fact that the term work-life balance exists implies that things are inherently out of balance—that there’s something broken that needs to be fixed. And the implication, at least in Christian circles is that “work” is bad and “life” is good. The thinking is that the two are mutually exclusive, when in reality, they’re inseparably interwoven parts of the same whole.

As an entrepreneur who has started 10 businesses and 3 non-profits, I’ve grown frustrated at the way mission organizations treat B4Ters who are entrepreneurs. Surely we are the minority, a special breed, one who are set apart. There needs to be greater understanding to help the normal majority to gain a perspective on how our lives actually work. We should not be expected to conform to the rules of others, when God has created us to be rule breakers.  Did Jesus break any rules?  When I raise that question I am quickly told that Jesus was God.  True, I am not God, but He has filled me with His presence and as a Christian we are “little Christ’s” who are made in His image.

Everyone of us is different; different gifting, different experiences, different calling. Who we are is not to be compartmentalized. Personally, I am a father, husband, business owner, team leader, basketball coach, mentor, and lover of Jesus, wherever I am and whatever I am doing.  I may be coaching the basketball team in the evening, but I am still a business owner. When I am at work, I am still a father. I am not any less “me” when I’m answering work emails nor am I any more “me” when I am enjoying supper with my family at home.

Wherever you are and whatever you do, you are you. Understand that work and life are not going to be separated by something as simple as a hyphen. Jesus’ day, and our days, are not arranged on a scale that is seeking equilibrium.

FISHING

The following is contributed by my mentor Jerry.  It’s a great reminder, that wherever we are and whatever we are doing, we can be fishing for men.

The locker room is one of the places I fish for men. This morning was one of those brilliant moments when I heard a stranger say, “I love my job.” Wow, gold! Keep in mind there were a number of others listening. I responded with, “I believe work is worship, but I have a question. Why do you love your job?”

My new friend Johnny let loose with, “I just like every person where I work. I come in every day and delight in working with them. There isn’t one I don’t like.” By this time I was laughing and having fun.

When he said, “I guess everything we do should be worship,” I could almost hear that go into the men dressing in and out.

In stark contrast some time ago I listened to a man loudly disclaim his former church in the same locker room as he released a stream of bitterness into the atmosphere. The cool thing is that I took him to lunch today and dug down into all the hurt and pain he had experienced. An hour later I asked, “So where are you today? Have you forgiven these people…because I remember hearing you broadcast some serious bitterness in the locker room?”

He was quiet for a moment. Reflective. Then to my amazement, he said, “Yes, God is helping me. I want to get my life back.” We left friends.

I love fishing.
  

GIVE & TAKE

I am reading the book Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant. The book explains three styles of interpersonal dealing: taking, matching, and giving. Givers are people who give more than they take. Matchers are people who try to give and take proportionally and conditionally. Takers are people who take more than they give. Givers are primarily other-centered. Matchers are other-centered so as to get what they want, meaning I'll help you when I think you’ll help me. Takers are those who are primarily self-centered.

Here's the counter-intuitive part. Grant’s research shows that if we look at the most successful people—the happiest, the most likely to be promoted, etc.—they are generally givers. If we look at the least successful people, they too often tend to be givers. Takers do moderately well, but over time, few people wish to deal with them. Matchers do okay too, but not as well as givers.

Grant explains why being a giver is a good strategy for success, as well as under what conditions giving is a failing strategy. Why do givers succeed? Simply put, people appreciate givers and giving often makes people want to give back. Since givers help others and often put others’ needs as a priority, givers often build (without deliberately trying, which is key) a network of support from others they’ve helped. Want to communicate most effectively? Ask more questions of others than you give answers to. Ask for advice and be aware of how you can help others. Want to bring out the best in people around you? Believe in them by recognizing and appreciating their strengths and contributions. Want to be successful? Don’t think of personal relations as zero-sum games (where others can only win to the degree you lose) but positive sum games (if you win, it doesn’t mean that I lose, but we can all win together).

It sounds obvious, right? But it isn’t. Even when we may be givers in our personal lives, we often become matchers or takers at work. Even if the success of a giving strategy seems intuitive, it is equally intuitive that getting ahead requires receiving as much as, or more than we get. We tend to spend most of our time working on things that will obviously benefit our self and so not spend more time assisting others. But Grant cites a growing body of research showing that giving—under the right conditions—really is the best overall strategy.

In B4T we need to understand the importance of being genuine givers.  In Acts 20:34-35, Paul says:
You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.

Paul expresses an attitude characterized by generosity and the desire to bless and meet the needs of others. Through his tent-making, Paul not only supported himself but met the needs of his co-workers as well. Clearly, Paul applied “it is more blessed to give than to receive” in his own life and work. Paul not only ministered in the word but also in deeds. Making tents made Paul’s witness holistic as he ministered to the needs of others. Paul also worked because he wanted to help the weak—the people who could not return in kind the help given to them. Paul reinvested his wealth as a witness of God's grace and goodness to those in need.

As a biblical principle, B4T workers must strive to have a holistic approach to our life and work. Doing unto others as we'd have them do unto us (Matthew 7:12) should be a core value of all B4T work. We need to strive to be givers. Our businesses should also be givers too. Giving—blessing others—is a holistic way that not only proclaims God’s good news in word but meets the social needs of the people through our deeds.

How are you demonstrating giving in your own life and work?

A MASTER BUILDER

We resume our study in Matthew 13 of the parable of the sower. We are learning that if he expects to reap a harvest the sower needs to prepare both himself and the soil. We’ve determined that there are two ploughs needed for breaking up hard ground; prayer and love.

What’s involved in ploughing a hard heart? Time. To plough up a hard field, it takes time. To plough up a hard heart takes time too.  In the book, Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Master a language? 10,000 hours.  Master a job? 10,000 hours. Master a relationship? 10,000 hours. Gladwell’s research proves that time is an essential ingredient in the success of any venture. Ten thousand hours invested in any skill will make you an expert. Paul relates to this in 1 Corinthians 3, when he refers to himself as a “master” or wise builder.  He’s invested the time to impact lives.

About 5 years ago, a mission organization working in Muslim areas did a survey to learn how many hours a week their members were spending with Muslims.  The survey concluded on average that their field workers or “missionaries” averaged 3 to 5 hours/week with Muslims.  And that’s probably divided between 3 to 5 Muslim friends. If we do the math, that breaks down to roughly 250 hours a year with Muslims. Divide that among 3 friends and you are now spending less than 100 hours a year with each person.

Now if you are seeing your Muslim friend twice a week or 5 hours a week, that means over 48 weeks, (allowing for 4 weeks for vacation) you’re going need over 41 years before you will get 10,000 hours.  Now certainly God can break through and work a miracle in any person’s life and heart at any time. But personally, in the 33 years I’ve lived overseas, I’ve only witnessed a couple of such miracles leading to a Muslim turning his/her life over to Jesus. As a strategy, such miracles are not readily reproducible, nor in my case, did they result in more than a couple of families coming to Christ.

So, the question is, how can we get large blocks of time with those we are trying to reach so that they may both see and hear the Gospel in and through our lives?

The solution is one word: work.

As we discussed last month, work and worship are synonymous in the mind of God. If we are working with local people, 6 hours a day, 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, for 10,000 hours --- that’s roughly 6 years 10 months of ploughing. That means it should take about 7 years before we see a break through.

So how in the world do we get 10,000 hours with any Muslim?  How do we find the amount of time with people that is needed for such ploughing?  I hope the solution is obvious. We work with them. We get jobs and work alongside the people we are called to reach, or we start businesses and we create jobs for the people enabling us to both model and speak the truth of the Good News to them. This is ploughing. This is sowing into people’s lives. This is becoming a Paul-like master builder, and it includes making tents with the people.

This is business for transformation.

IS WHO I AM IN THE MARKETPLACE – WHO I AM IN JESUS?

 I did a study today on authority and power in the New Testament today.  The key words are δύναμίσ (dunamis) and εξουσία (exousia). Both words are translated “authority” in multiple places. Yet the emphasis of Jesus, and commentators agree, is that δύναμίσ (dunamis) refers to Jesus’ authority that comes from the “power” He has, while εξουσία (exousia) refers to Jesus’ authority that comes from His position as God.  

In considering “authority” I began thinking about our organizational chart and titles of people – especially my title.  One important issue in working in or building a B4T business or a B4T organization is God’s word, His affirmation (exousia) to us. Twenty-two years ago when He led me to begin doing B4T, many Christian leaders said I was wrong. Many well-meaning leaders warned me that tentmaking, BAM, would never impact the lives of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists. But I listened to what I believed was His voice, and not people. You each know the result.

As you move forward, realize that whatever B4T job or business you have, it will be different. Whether it be your organizational chart, the ways you lead a meeting, advertise, manage finances, etc., everything needs to flow out of our relationship with Jesus.  Jesus’ use of exousia authority and dunamis authority varies. I find there are multiple times in the New Testament where Jesus overtly uses His position as God, His exousia authority, to tell, even order demons what to do. But I struggle to think of one time where He uses that same exousia authority to tell people or order people what to do; whether that be religious leaders, government officials, His disciples, or people in general. Jesus rebukes Peter and Satan, in Matthew 16:23, but that too is a spiritual warfare encounter. The times He calls people “fools”, “liar”, “white washed tombs”, etc., He’s never addressing an individual, but a line of thinking, an aspect of culture, or man-made rules that He never intended. Jesus leads people out of relationship and modeling, dunamis authority, not His positional authority.

In the church and in our own lives, there’s a tension between the sacred and the secular. This tension also exists between being professional in the business world, and being faithful to what God tells us.  Excellence is also a central value for believers. So do we define excellence in terms of what we believe is pleasing to Him, or by what is accepted as professional?  For example, in the workplace, how do we ensure our identity is found in Jesus and work flows through His Spirit first, and then to one another?  How do we blend work and service and worship in our jobs?

So how does this play out for us?  Well for me, in thinking about what title I should have on my business card I asked myself, “What title did Jesus give Himself?”  In the Gospels Jesus describes Himself in a variety of ways; Light, Bread, The Word, Shepherd, etc., but gives Himself basically only two titles; Son of God, and Son of Man. Both titles center on His relationship with God. Some may argue that a “son” is a position, but I’d rebuttal that an heir is a position. A prince is a position. These, and others, are titles other people give to Jesus, but He does not use them for Himself.  Jesus seems to find His identity in His relationship with God – nothing else. To describe myself as a son, emphasizes relationship. Personally, I aspire to find my identity in my relationship with Jesus – nothing else.

People like titles. A title gives us an identity that helps us to fit in with the world. A title tells others what we do – that we have value. But titles are not where we should gain our value or our identity, nor should we to encourage others along that line.  Modeling and relationships go hand in hand.  This week I am trying to practice what I preach. I am getting new business cards made. My job title? “Listener to God.”

MINDING OUR MOTIVES

I met a young woman recently who said she wanted to do B4T like me. When I asked her “Why?” her reply was, “I don’t like the idea of raising financial support.”

Many people have noble goals but fail to take the steps to achieve them. Why? Because of the myths they believe. B4T is not for dreamers. It is hard work. The first step in becoming a B4Ter is to consider God’s leading in your life. In understanding His leading, it is essential you discern your true motives for wanting to serve Him via business overseas. Why do you want to be a B4Ter? Fulfill the Great Commission? Money? Use your skills/education to serve God? Travel? Live a nice lifestyle? Help others? Take the Gospel to a particular place or people?

Different people are motivated for different reasons. Solomon reminds us, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 14:12) If you do not have the right motivation – God’s motivation, you will not get far. It is important to be honest with yourself. Honestly ask yourself, “Why am I interested in being a B4Ter?”

Many people who have gone into business overseas have failed to accomplish their original objectives. They became a B4Ter because they did not wish to raise support, they wanted a better lifestyle, or they wanted to help poor people. Their reasons for becoming a B4Ter were focused more on their own happiness than the will of God. They sought to fulfill their own goals for living a nice, safe, Christian life overseas.

For believers and non-believers alike, it seems the primary motivation in life is to be happy. However, as good soldiers on active duty, our happiness should stem from pleasing our Commanding Officer, not ourselves (2 Timothy 2:4). We are not to choose the wide gate but the narrow one (Matthew 7:13-14). God’s glory, not our own happiness is to be the basis for the choices we make and the things we do. Many, dare I say most of us, pursue friends, spouses, education, or jobs, with one thing in mind – ourselves. Incredibly, many people even go into mission work to feel happy. But honestly, I do not care if you are happy. Why? Because we live in a radically un-Christian society with a value system that is practically the opposite of the one Jesus Christ teaches. Jesus says, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:23-25)

Business is not an excuse for keeping our worldly idols – including material wealth – and still serving God. Luke 9:25 is a good check on our motives for doing B4T. If we are seeking to gain the world, we need first to find Jesus. Each person’s motivation for doing business abroad needs to be nothing other than the glory of God. Jesus’ purpose on earth was to bring glory to the Father (John 17:4), and so our motivation should be the same. Everything we do is to glorify Him (Isaiah 43:7). Our decision to become a B4Ter or a traditional missionary should be characterized by a long term, significant commitment to Him.

FITTING IN

My dear friend Mike wrote me the following.

When we were serving in Brazil, I gradually and intentionally, tried to dress more and more like a Brazilian would.  It wasn’t much of a sacrifice, because I liked the styles that most men wore and I perceived that Brazilians liked that I embraced their style.

My one problem was with shoes.  Not that I didn’t like them.  I just couldn’t find any in my size.  (Size 12 is huge in Brazil).  Instead of entering a shoe store, picking out a few styles and asking to try them in my size (which they never had), I soon began walking in and simply asking, “What do you have in size 12?”  They were never the cool looking ones, so eventually I gave up and bought my shoes when I was back in the USA.

Then one time when I was back in the States, I bought a pair of very Brazilian looking shoes.  The first time I wore them in Brazil, a friend immediately commented on how good my shoes looked.  That made me wonder if my Brazilian friends understood that the only reason I hadn’t wore Brazilian style shoes sooner was because I couldn’t find any that fit.  But then, why would they ever consider that?  Every time they went into a shoe store, they had plenty of options.

Today I wonder what things Christian churches and Organizations do that don’t “fit” other segments of our society.  How many people from different ethnic, economic or educational backgrounds are drawn to some aspects of what we are doing (like me and Brazilian shoes) but they cannot “buy in” because it just doesn’t fit them and/or their culture?

I can relate to Mike’s feelings.  For years I know I tried to fit into the Indonesian culture and in trying to reach the people I not only wore their clothes but tried dozens of different approaches to belong. I learned to tell stories that appealed to them. I learned songs in their language. I studied the Quran so I could share the Gospel through it. I learned to pray as they do. I memorized poems, learned their history. I learned and implemented many different evangelistic strategies, all with hope of becoming accepted – an insider, all to win them to the Gospel.  But despite my efforts none of these things led me to feel like an ‘insider’, nor was I ever accepted as belonging.

Then by God’s grace, (not my design) I began working.  I didn’t notice it immediately, but slowly and surely I realized peoples’ attitudes toward me began to change. No longer was I an outsider, but I was living and working just like all my neighbors. I had an understandable role in the community and the way I worked – no lying, cheating, bribes, etc., became a witness to the people around me. A witness that led to neighbors, clients, and co-workers asking me about my life.

Mike hit the nail on the head; people cannot “buy in” to our lives, our words, and our witness until our lives “fit” or make sense to them.

HELPING THE BLIND SEE

The following is titled, “The Malsi”.  It was originally written by Richard Jameson.

Once long ago in the kingdom of the Great King, there lived a people in the neighboring land of Malsi, all of whom were born blind.

Over the centuries the people of Malsi adapted to their blindness by creating a society of absolute uniformity. Every home in the land of Malsi was built to exacting standards. Sidewalks were all of uniform length. Every home was built to exactly the same floor plan. Every home was furnished with identical furniture positioned precisely the same from one house to the next. Because of the tremendous danger posed by dissidence, any variation from the standard was dealt with swiftly and severely.

The people all moved to carefully orchestrated schedules. Rising, eating, working, and sleeping were all done in accordance with time tested traditions. The slightest deviation carried the penalty of death. Although by sighted people's standards this seemed oppressive, it resulted in a society of outward harmony and efficiency.

Tragically it had been known for years that through a minor operation a Malsite could have his or her sight restored. The Great King had sent his ambassadors to Malsi offering the gift of sight. Yet the concepts of sight and color held no meaning for the Malsi. Talk of freedom from the traditions which had ruled their land so well over the centuries was viewed as a crime of the highest degree. Thus these ambassadors were routinely killed or driven from the land.

Most sighted people of the kingdom grew indifferent to the plight of the Malsi. They justified themselves by saying, "They seem to be happy and content. Why must we insist on bringing them sight? It will only disrupt their will ordered society."

Although most had grown indifferent to the people of the Malsi, one young doctor could not get these people off his mind. He would lay awake at night thinking about the Malsi. He read all that he could get his hands on. He had long conversations with the King. Finally what he had to do became clear.
With a special commission from the king this young doctor moved to the land of Malsi. He built his house according to the Malsi standard. He arranged his furniture in the prescribed Malsi fashion. He adapted his schedule to mesh exactly with that of his Malsi neighbors. Slowly he began to win their trust.

Unlike the chaos found in the homes of other outsiders, the home of the young doctor was orderly and comfortable for the Malsi. They began to frequent the young doctor's home. Relationships developed and deepened. As time passed the young doctor began to explain to his new found friends about sight. Most totally failed to understand and scoffed at the idea. But as time passed a few grew interested. Finally came the day when a young man came to the doctor and asked to have the operation that would enable him to see.

The young doctor was overjoyed. Finally his labors were bearing fruit. He quickly performed the operation. The young man was overjoyed at being able to see. However, the traditions of his people quickly lost their meaning now that he could see. He began to act in ways forbidden by his society and was driven from his home. So he went off to the land of the sighted.

Months passed and eventually another Malsite came to the doctor seeking the miracle of sight. This one also was quickly driven from the land. The young doctor had a problem.

Although he was thrilled to see a few Malsite receive their sight, he we wanted them all to experience the joy of sight. Yet at this rate a lifetime a work would only result in a handful of sighted Malsi. What could be done?

Thus the next time someone came seeking the operation, he explained to the young seeker:
"You are about to experience something beyond your wildest imagination. You will be completely and utterly free from constraints of your society. Many of your traditions will suddenly seem nonsensical. Yet if you reject these traditions, your people will most assuredly reject you. You will be able to live forever with the sighted but you will never be able to make your family, your friends, your neighbors understand the joy of being able to truly see. Therefore I urge you not to reject the customs of your people. If your people are to be rescued from their blindness, you must become a slave for their sakes. Don't reject the Malsite culture. Instead become a better Malsite than you were before.

The young man, out of love for his family, agreed with the young doctor's wisdom. After receiving his sight, he quickly learned that the traditions of his people were no longer necessary for survival. Yet he also found that as a sighted person, he was able to live according to those traditions more easily than before. Whereas before he had obeyed the traditions out of fear; now he obeyed out of love. His life which before was devoid of joy, was suddenly filled with joy. His family quickly noticed the difference. It wasn't long before his entire family joined. One family soon became two. Two became four. Four became eight. Eight became sixteen.

Imagine the rejoicing when that doctor, now no longer young, having trained thousands of Malsi in the needed technique for restoring sight among their people, looked out over the huge crowd -- a half a million Malsi -- gathered to pay tribute on the occasion of his retirement. And the Malsi looked back at him, for they all could see.