LESSONS FROM JESUS & NIGERIA

This morning I was in Matthew 7 where Jesus says,
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'

How is it possible for someone to call Jesus “Lord” and in His name do many miracles, prophesy, and cast out demons, only for Jesus to say, I never knew you? Isn’t prophesy, casting out demons, and doing miracles in Jesus’ name, Christian work? How can we be deceived into thinking we are serving Jesus when we are not?

One only needs to visit Nigeria to find the answer to these questions. Our time there was truly enlightening. The southern half of Nigeria is 80% Christian and is home to the largest city in all of Africa, Lagos, made up of 21 million people. Yet, Nigeria is an extremely corrupt country and evil place. The kind of place we’d say, “needs missionaries.” Yet thousands of missionaries have been working there for well over 100 years. Multiple generations of born again Christians, and yet so little impact.

We met with a handful of local Christian workers, pastors and several other missionaries. It was interesting how each group blamed the other for their problems. When I asked the question, “So, what impact is the church having on society?” I received a flood of replies that varied from, “all the local pastors want is a Western ‘sugar daddy’” to “there is a tremendous lack of discipleship”.

The first issue is modeling. The nationals do what they see Westerners do. Several Nigerians told me:

• If the Westerners are dependent on the wealthy West, well then why shouldn’t we Nigerians get money directly from the West too? 
• If the Westerners have little or no accountability for their time, taking 3 or more months off every year or 2, why should we Nigerians be held accountable for our time? 
• If the Westerners complain and make excuses about the supposed difficulties of living in our country, why can’t we Nigerians claim the same difficulties as an excuse for little production?

The second issue though, may be more serious. When we asked people about their faith, it often came back to sharing about the things they did. When people did reply, I have a personal relationship with God, it usually turned out to be buzz words and not a deep relationship with God. Interest was high in getting training, finding materials, and learning new methodologies, but few seemed to understand how to discern God’s will, or what His voice sounded like.

The couple we mentor there has started a home for abused women and children and started 4 businesses, with 2 more in the works to start this year. As the women are healed, they are trained in a business so as to have a job, a future, once they are healed.

While I was there, the owner was interviewing a woman named Juliana for a receptionist position. Juliana lived in the community and did not come from an abused background. When he asked, “Why would you want to work here?” Juliana answered, “Because I have heard and seen that God is in this place and I want to work where God is.”

We are learning the importance of using the weapons God has given us to get wisdom and gain a godly understanding for ways of doing business in the community. In time, this should transform a community who we then hope will impact the wider society. We are learning how to put prayer, fasting, and discipleship into the workplace. God cares about everything we do. Everything we do is to be done unto His glory (Colossians 3:23). People need to be discipled in ways to fight for both what is in their control and not in their control. We control systems, machines, methodologies, hours at work, etc., but we do not control the unseen forces at work around us. With the latter, we need to learn to spiritually ask God for the things we do not see or understand, and for the discipline and discernment to apply what He tells us related to these forces.

But discipleship is not words. Discipleship is a relationship. Learning to live life – do business in the Spirit, is fighting in a new arena for most. We need to understand that discipleship is a relationship. These are things that cannot be taught by words alone, but must also be modeled through our lives and work.

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus sends out His disciples to baptize and disciple. In Nigeria, the church and mission agencies seem to be succeeding at only half of this assignment.

As I am asking myself, may we ask one another; Is an incomplete obedience what Jesus means by, I never knew you? Is doing things in His name, different than doing things with Him?

I’d be interested to hear how you think things are going in your own church, or community? And how we might do them better!

DO YOU COUNT EVERYTHING AS LOSS?

The following was submitted by an OPEN worker in the Arab world.

Paul tells the Philippians, For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3:3

Paul points out the differences between the circumcision (us) and the uncircumcision (non-believers) is 3-fold:
1) We worship by the Spirit of God. For example, Jesus tells the woman at the well that she worships what she does not know but a day is coming when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
2) We glory in Christ Jesus instead of the things of this world.
3) We put no confidence in the flesh, but instead put our confidence in the righteousness of Christ that depends on faith (v.9)

One of the three differences between us and the world is that we glory in Christ Jesus. Paul goes on to say that he counts all things as loss, including his earthly credentials (v.4-11). It got me thinking: what are the things that I glory in? Unfortunately, it’s not only Christ Jesus that I glory in. He has me in a process of learning, painful as it is, to count all things as loss and glory only to Himself. In Galatians 6:14 Paul chases this idea with, But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Isn’t that astonishing? May boasting in anything save Christ alone be far from us as well! I want to call us to a greater holiness here. As B4T’ers, many of us secretly glory in our business. I sometimes hear a pride in the voices of B4T’ers that we are working with our own hands and not living only off of what other people give. We could slip into a state of pride that our business is going well. We can forget to count as loss all that we have given up to get this far. These are traps. Let us not fall in them.

I struggle to count my career as loss. I struggle to not overthink about all that I could have back home. Do you see what I’m doing here? When I let my affections stir for these things I’m failing to count them as loss. I’m feeling as though I have sacrificed something to be here doing what I’m doing. This is a real problem because in these moments, I’m miscalculating the tradeoff I made. These things are rubbish, says Paul. These things are worthless in comparison to what I got.

In the parable of the treasure in Matthew 13:44, Jesus has this to say: The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and buried. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

The treasure we have in Christ is so infinitely valuable that the man sold everything to go and buy that field – and he did it with joy. He didn’t do it grumbling; he didn’t do it with the pressure of his local church behind him. He didn’t say, “Oh, okay, Lord I will do it.” In his joy he sold everything to get ahold of this.

We have this same treasure in Jesus. Let our businesses, let all the things we left behind, let money and fame, let approval, let control and power all be counted as loss for the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ as Lord and being known by Him.



What do you need to count as loss today?

INTERNS. BLESSING? OR BURDEN?

Internships, Interns. Do the words make you cringe? What thoughts does having an intern conjure up? “Baby sitting?” “Sloppy work?” These are just two of the many reasons B4Ters don’t like having interns. Yet having an intern can be a big help in building your business.

When I was still running our business and leading a team, people who were working in other regions would often ask, “How come you always seem to have so many people working with you?” The answer – interns. Throughout the years we had a steady stream of young people coming through our business and city. And often it was these interns who came back long-term. So, what are the keys to getting interns to return, and seeing them bring a blessing and not a burden to you and your work? There are two.

1. Understand that an internship is first and foremost a training program. When we invest in people, they see it and they feel it. It's true, training and mentoring a college intern requires time and effort; much more time and effort than someone with work experience. It is likely you will need to invest time up front to help the intern develop the skills that are useful in your business. In mentoring them you’ll need to anticipate the questions they will encounter and it’s wise to have someone who is assigned to oversee their work. I found on the average it would require an hour of my time each morning to keep the intern working and productive throughout the day. 
   
   Interns need guidance. In the beginning the first one or two interns required possibly 2 to 4 hours of guidance a day. Yes, that’s a big investment. But once I developed a structured training and evaluation process and trained others to oversee them, the amount of time involved training and supervising subsequent interns, became less and less, because I used that same process for every intern after that. In addition to their job, the process included where they lived, the Bible passages they studied, plus how to build relationships so as to learn some language and the culture outside of work. Making these inroads encouraged each intern to see there’s a future for them with our business and among our people group. It made them feel a part of the business and our community. And most importantly the intern experienced our commitment to investing in their life and work.
   
2. Secondly, every one of us has a project or three that we’d like to get done, but just don’t have the time to do it. The project or job we’d like done may require only 20-30 hours of our time, but with all that’s happening who has that time to spare? Interns are perfect for such projects. Yes, they’ll take an hour a day of your time; and yes it will take them twice or even three times as long to do the job than if you did it yourself. However, think about this. If it would take you 20 hours to do the project and an intern 40 hours, it may seem like a bad investment of your time. Yet if you invest one hour each work day with an intern over the course of two weeks, that’s 10 hours. If the intern is working on the project 6 hours a day during that time, that’s roughly 60 hours. Sixty hours is more than enough time for the intern to complete the project, saving you 10 hours. In addition, the intern gains valuable work experience, is exposed to B4T, forms a bond with you and your staff, and returns home having an honest sense of accomplishing something of value to the business. 

Interns need well defined goals and there should be measurable outcomes for the intern to complete, which you will learn to do as you work with the intern. If you need help with setting up a process for interns, OPEN has people who are available to assist you.

For example, here’s a recent email from JP working in SE Asia.

I am just now completing a Nexus B4T internship with Steven who I met at the B4TExpo. Steven will now head back to the U.S. to work with us as a sales person. He was with us about seven weeks and it has been beyond what I was praying for! Amazing how deep he was able to connect with our team and also the support he has been to our business during his time here. I talked to my wife yesterday about how now I realize the impact (spiritual and business) a high-quality intern can have. I wanted to pass along this positive input!

Needing some help? Consider trying an intern this summer. 

For more information contact Michelle(at)NexusB4T.com

MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES

Your employees are the face, hands and feet of your business. They are the ones your customers interact with. As B4Ters we want to enable co-workers to excel, help them discover their own wisdom, engage themselves entirely in their work, and accept responsibility for the work they do. Train your people well and they will work well. Learn their career aspirations and help them accomplish what they aspire to do. Jesus says, “Whatever you wish men would do to you, do so to them.” (Matthew 7:12) 

As leaders, we are to serve. Employees who are well trained and held in esteem will return such godly leadership by working hard for you.

Our co-workers and/or employees are also the first line of witness to the goodness and reality of the Lord in our lives. We need to walk and work in the Spirit every moment we are at work. The following are some helpful comments from OPEN workers about how they keep their employees motivated and His light shining before all men at work.

• Recognize employees in your staff meeting for work they have done well. Constantly be on the lookout for chances to praise your people’s work
  
• Try to involve employees in your thinking and making plans related to the business. Not only will they know the local market better, including suppliers and customers, they will also strengthen the marketing of the business’s goods and services.
  
• Learn what the employees really value and provide that. In some locales the workers desire opportunities for personal growth, while in others they want respect, promotions, responsibility, and often more money.
  
• Give employees a chance to develop new skills that enhance their worth in their current position, and prepare them for future advancement inside or outside the company.
  
• Be relational. It may not be possible to hang out with employees, but celebrate their birthdays and personal holidays; get to know at least the names of their family members. Ask about their lives, their joys, and their struggles. Pray with them.
  
• Thank people for their efforts. This simple tool is often underused. Reward people with notes or little gifts of encouragement. Make sure the feedback is specific and frequent.
  
• Maintain a transparent culture in your business. Discuss company information with employees regarding future plans and strategies, new products, and the department’s and employees’ role in the overall plan. Involve employees in decision making, especially those decisions that affect them.

Which one will you do this week?

CHRISTMAS REALITIES

The joy comes quickly.  The joy goes quickly.
Jesus is in Bethlehem, and then he is gone.
The shepherds who looked at Jesus, are looking again after their sheep.
The wise men are no longer revering the Lord, but ruling their subjects.
Joseph is back in his carpentry shop, receiving customers - not gifts.
Mary no longer hears the voices of angels, instead, the cries of a baby.
The joy gives way to reality. 

How do you see the babe?  If we participate in a new birth, we naturally experience joy.  But with every new birth there is commitment; a cost.  There comes a time after the celebration that we must act.  We must put into our daily lives the practice of what we believe.  If not, we have only a greeting card faith.  The Messiah has come.


We dare not stop with the sentiment of Christmas. We need to ask ourselves is Christmas the celebration of a baby?  Or is it a call to commitment.  A call to a new life?


Personally, I am continuing to relearn that it's easy to live with the joy of new born babies – especially grandchildren.  Yet it's quite another thing to guide and encourage them in the midst of their trials and tribulations – especially dirty diapers. In all we do, remember the importance of putting the baby back into reality.


Have a Blessed Celebration of Jesus!

GOD IS SUPREME

I'll be honest with you. Sometimes it's a real pain to embrace the diversity in our movement. Working with strong personalities, bridging denominational differences, mission backgrounds and juggling various agendas is demanding.  I often hear a cacophony of voices pulling me in what sometimes feels like different directions:

“We need to make prayer a greater priority!”
“There’s not enough emphasis on business!”
“Why aren't we spending more time in worship?”
“Shouldn’t there be more emphasis on language learning?”
“Where is the power of Spirit in all this?”
“We don't spend enough time on best practices!”


But lately the Spirit has been showing me a more positive aspect to our diversity.  What is the unifying theme or ultimate value behind all of our desires? The ultimate value is our desire to see God glorified in all things. Truly we yearn for the supremacy of God working in us and through us.


What do I mean by the supremacy of God in all things? To value the supremacy of God in all things means that we seek a God-centered way of thinking, living, working and witnessing that exalts His magnificence and surrenders our flesh to His lordship. When I begin to exalt His magnificence, something happens in my heart. My self-centered focus, my burdens, my anxieties melt away. I feel secure. I feel loved. I feel rest.  My soul is fortified, my vision renewed. I am ready to fight the good fight of faith. This in turn moves me to greater surrender – because I long more of Him. Desiring the supremacy of God in all things glorifies God, satisfies my soul, and motivates me to serve Him.

I experience His supremacy when I acknowledge my dependence on Him through prayer. I experience His supremacy when I delight in integrating His glory in my work. I experience His supremacy when I walk in the Spirit and drink from the rivers of living water. I experience His supremacy when I submit to His will for the people and in sharing His will in their language.  

I am humbled and strengthened as I reflect on this ultimate value. I am humbled because I realize that I need a full dose of each of these things. No one person, no one strategy has it all. The supremacy of God is most fully manifested as we pray, worship, walk in the Spirit and abide in His Word. We need each of these emphases.


At the same time, I am strengthened because nothing moves me more deeply than exalting His magnificence and surrendering to His lordship. I feel like Mary this Christmas: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.” Luke 1:47-48


May we all exalt the Lord in this season.

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.

JUSTICE

The following is contributed by a tentmaker, working in the Middle East.

I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; and the peace offerings of your fattened animals, I will not look upon them. 
Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. 
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? – Amos 5:21-25

There are aspects of every culture and every age that bear resemblance of God’s intention for the people, although usually with some tainting by sin. There are also many aspects that are so twisted by sin they must be called out, overhauled and restored. This is the basis for contextualization. We contextualize the Good News because there are good things we can latch onto and proclaim to the people that our God is like _____ or He loves ______ just like they do. But there are things that God will judge in each culture too. Paul was masterful at finding the positives in a culture so that he could build a bridge to what needed to be redeemed.

Try convincing someone of anything while criticizing everything about them, and you will quickly have a door slammed in your face. Let this give you some hope if you feel like there is nothing left in today’s increasingly globalized culture that reflects the glory of God. One thing that is great and notable is the emphasis on social justice in business. For instance, if you are using child labor or treating your employees poorly, the media will find out and you will be out of business soon or at least your reputation will be dragged through the mud. In prior ages, this wasn’t even possible. Yet, as usual, even the good in a culture is tainted by sin.

The focus on social justice in today’s age regarding workers’ rights, etc. often exists as a PR stunt to increase profits. Even when it doesn’t, it often exists to move forward a certain agenda such as gay/transgender “rights” that are fundamentally at odds with the way He has called us to live. I don’t wish to indict all businesses here, because there are obviously some where the leadership truly cares about those in their community and wants to do whatever they can to help. As believers, we have a real opportunity here. Look at Amos 5:21-25 and see what the LORD hated in Israel’s dealings. He hated their festivals and songs, their so-called “worship.” He asked them if they had given sacrifices when they were in the desert for 40 years. The obvious answer is “no,” but He wanted them to realize that He doesn’t need their sacrifices; yet He desires obedience and true worship from the hearts. He tells them that they should let justice roll down like water and righteousness like a flowing stream. This would please Him.

We serve a God of justice. He hates greed, dishonesty, extortion, and all forms of social injustice done in the world of business. Let’s make our B4T businesses flow justice and righteousness like a rushing river, not for the side benefit of a profit increase or for our reputation in the world, but so that we would have a positive impact on the way the world functions – that our employees, our co-workers, would get to work in a place where they are treated with dignity and respect, that they would get a glimpse of a restored and redeemed world where things work as God originally intended them to. This is our version of justice. May our employees’ eyes be opened through our love and generosity, so that they may see and savor the beauty of the living God and what He has done for us through Jesus.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

The following is written and contributed by a B4T worker in the Arab world.


What do you mean when you say, "I am sharing the Gospel?"  Most Christians, would respond with several things, which one must believe and do.  Common examples of this understanding can be found in such Gospel presentations as the Four Spiritual Laws, Steps to Peace with God, The Bridge to Life, and The Roman Road. Those working cross-culturally will talk of using the Camel Method, or Evangelism Explosion or Disciple-making Movements (DMM) or Church Planting Movements (CPMs).


These are all good and helpful, but I have a problem. I would like to share the Gospel in the same way that Jesus did.  I believe that He gave us a pattern to follow.  It is my belief that one of the reasons we have four Gospels in order is so that we can look at the pattern of Jesus' teaching and life from four different perspectives.  So, what's my problem?  Just this: Jesus never shared the Gospel in a way that even remotely resembles any method I have been taught.


Jesus never presented a three-, five-, or seven-part plan to anyone. He never set any guidelines or rules to follow. Plus, neither He nor His disciples ever led anyone in a prayer to invite Him into their hearts.  The contrast between our evangelistic methods and that of Christ and His apostles is striking. Because this contrast is so striking it may have never even occurred to us that we have no Biblical model to justify our evangelistic practices.  Whether we have noticed it before or not, contemporary Evangelical evangelistic methods are not Biblically based but culturally based and consequently less effective than Christ's own methods.


Biblically, the Gospel is a person, not a set of propositional truths.  That is why Christ does not preach the Gospel as we preach it.  He is the Gospel.  Over and over again in the Bible, the good news is called "the good news of Christ" or "the good news about Christ," not just "the good news of truths about Christ," but the "good news of Christ Himself."


Christ's great work was to call men to Himself. Consider what Jesus said about Himself:


Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  (Matthew 11:28)


If you want to be perfect...Then come, follow me.   (Matthew 19:21)


If anyone is thirsty let him come to me and drink. (Mark 1:17)


If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.  (John 4:10)


Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.  (John 6:27)


The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.  (John 6:29)


I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.   (John 6:35)


Come, follow me.  (John 7:37)



I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.  (John 8:12)


I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.  He will come in and go out, and find pasture.  (John 10:9-10)



I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.  (John 11:25-26)





Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17:3)


We can spend a large portion of our time confronting people with ideas about Christ or even the ideas of Christ without bringing them face to face with our Lord Jesus Himself.


 "He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel." (Psalm 103:7) The Israelites knew about God - Moses knew God Himself.  I am afraid we have too often been preaching about true things, things which may be important, but we have failed to present Christ Himself.

  Our work is often made complex because we are trying to proclaim and defend truth instead of introducing men to Him who is the truth.

KEEP ON KEEPING ON!

Do you recognize any these familiar thoughts in your thinking?
•   Thinking a particular "method" will reach people?
•   Being impatient to see breakthroughs in people's lives?
•   Neglectful, lazy in really hearing from God in Scripture?
•   Discouraged about whether God is at work in your area?
•   Giving in to thoughts that what you're doing is for nothing?
•   Feelings of wanting to quit God’s assignment; disillusioned by setbacks or resistance?

Perhaps all of us have had such thoughts at any given time during our life and work for the Master.  But they are symptomatic of a lack of abiding (or remaining) in Jesus (John 15:4); that is, never moving from that place of trust and belief.  If allowed to continue, these ideas will rob us of persevering in order to inherit the promises of Scripture for the people with whom we work and for ourselves. Such thinking can relegate us to growing weary, to hard-heartedness and unbelief, thereby forsaking the hope of the gospel and His assignment for us.

Perseverance is a fortitude that comes from fixing our eyes on Jesus and communing with Him.  It is a steadfastness that makes us firm, abounding in God's work.  It is a patience that allows God to work all things together for good, believing that He is at work because of the hope He has given us through the life and resurrection of Jesus.  Perseverance is rooted in a faith that God will perform what He has promised. Through discipline, faith and patience we inherit the promises, (Hebrews 12:6) though, like Abraham we may not see all the results in this life. And perseverance is one of the qualities recommended to us in 2 Peter 1:4-6 as a to-be-worked-on additive to our faith.

Perseverance results in believing God is at work regardless of the circumstances we see.  It indicates that we are partakers with Jesus in His sufferings and in the work He is doing in our hearts and lives.  It assumes we are mentally prepared for action (1 Peter 1:13) and being careful to live holy lives.  Perseverance is essential for continuing our hope in how Christ is shaping us for the gracious revelation of us as His own.  It keeps us from growing weary and losing heart in the work He gives us, inviting others to share in fellowship with God. (Hebrews 12:3).

Perhaps for you, perseverance will work itself out in continually believing that God is carrying out His plan for your children.  Perhaps it will require more tangible persistence in Christ's ways in the face of hostility.  Maybe for you it will be continuing to pursue someone who hasn't yet believed He is truly Lord of all.  Whatever face perseverance takes in your life, it is essential for doing Business for Transformation and retaining the hope that does not disappoint. (Romans 5:5)

And it is important to grasp that perseverance in our lives affects those with whom we are in community.  We affect each other by the attitudes of mental alertness, steadfastness, faith, patience, and abounding in God's work that define our lives.  Conversely, when we have a short-term, expect quick results mentality, we also communicate our carelessness, laziness, forgetting the promises of Scripture, disillusionment, lack of faith, etcetera, to each other.  We have a bona fide responsibility for each other for wise and stimulating edification. (Hebrews 10:24)

What God has you doing; whoever God has you working alongside, we need to encourage one another into perseverance!

REFUGEE STATUS

The following is from a letter a dear friend, who serves in the Middle East, wrote us. I’ve edit parts for obvious reasons.  

I sat on the floor of a tent watching Syrian Christian refugees reach out to Syrian Muslim refugees. The Christians were sharing food they had gathered, and they were sharing Good News with the Muslims. The Christians were suffering their own losses, yet one woman in particular impressed me and I will never forget a statement she said, “I know Jesus greater because of this war. I wouldn’t change that for anything.” 

This woman was teaching her 4 year old son to love others and how the war isn’t between Islam and Christianity but between Satan and God. She told her son to always remember that in order to pray and speak Truth well. I joined other Christian refugees in visiting Muslim refugees that were sharing His Word and doing Bible studies in their tents. It was the first time most of these Muslims had ever seen an Arabic Bible or have anyone explain the Word to them. It was the first time I attended a worship service watching Christians and veiled Muslims worshiping Jesus together. It was amazing to see them focused on Him instead of their differences. Yes, there is a plenty of mess with all of that too, for we are human, but the beauty in that mess will be an image I will cherish. God’s church is expanding and awakening sleeping believers. 

The war is impacting the entire region. 

Syrian Refugees are not welcomed in most places. Many areas were forced to take refugees simply because they bordered Syria. Lebanon desires the refugees to leave and is not friendly towards them because of the years of oppression Syria had on them. The unknown of where to go and the journey to get to another country is extremely dangerous and risky, and most do not have the money for such travels. They may settle for a while but at any moment because they do not have the proper paperwork, they may be forced to leave.  One evening I was in a car with four other Syrians when we approached one of the many checkpoints. We were pulled over and the police reviewed their paperwork. They didn’t even ask to look at my passport. Thank goodness, they didn’t read the documents of my Syrian friends fully because they were expired and weren’t permitted new paperwork by the government. They could have been forced to leave the country that night. When they let us go there was silence with relief that they had another day here. But what tomorrow brings is uncertain.

When I went to visit friends where I used to live, I found my friends to be bearing a heavy grief. My former neighbor’s 18 year old son was murdered 15 days prior to my arrival. The area being Shia Hezbollah; he joined the army to stop ISIS from entering Shia areas in Syria and Lebanon. He was killed by a sniper his 3rd day in Syria. He had not even entered the combat unit yet. This incident led to much discussion about the war. We talked at length about who was evil, and of the various theories concerning who started this war and why. 

Yet in the end it didn’t matter because grieving with a mother that lost her first born requires no words. It is tragic for any parent to lose a child. I longed for Jesus’ return and prayed for His comfort to be upon her. That evening the family I was staying with and I talked a great deal more about ISIS. I explained to them that her or I could easily be ISIS. You see some of those people are forced into fighting, fighting for their families lives, or they truly believe that God wants them to do that. We both agreed if people killed our family that there would be at least a desire to revenge that death. And then where does the line end? 

I shared the story of Elijah praying and how he opens the eyes of his servant to see the Lord’s army so as to have faith. But at the end of the story Israel blessed their enemy, clothed them, gave them food, and then there was peace. We had a long discussion of what that forgiveness could potentially appear as, knowing it’s difficult because sometimes fighting maybe needed; but the war has become so blurred that it’s confusing to know who you are fighting. It was the first time I heard the wife express doubt in an Islamic system although she was quick to rephrase her statement. 

I would love to continue and describe the living situations and other events I experienced in order to open your hearts and mind to the pain of the war. Not to sadden you, but in hope that it stirs a response, and reminds us to be the Church that Christ has called us to be, to strangers… to the foreigners. We are to remember His assignment is for us to welcome them. To bless them. To share Hope. To love them. That you too, may come to know Jesus more through them.

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.” 

Deuteronomy10: 17-19

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.

THE VALUE OF COACHING

The following is written by one of our coaches. At 60 years of age, he and his wife moved to the Middle East where he coaches B4T businesses around the Arab world. 

Twenty-Four hours ago there was a bombing, the city my wife and I currently call home, as well as a nearby industrial city. A number of Christians were killed as well as Muslim's attempting to subdue the attacker. Since I arrived, over 150 people have been killed by extremists and well over 20 Muslim security personnel attempting to create a safe environment for all of us. Just as with our police in the U.S., I am thankful for these men and women who are standing up for their fellow citizens. 

You might ask why are we here, why did we walk away from incredible friends, a home, community, family and meaningful work to come here? The answer to that question, asked by our Arab friends as well, is simply we listened to what God wanted from us and we obeyed. 

My wife was called to work with children in an International School, owned by Muslims, the school does all of their teaching in English. She is paid a good local wage in this country with a per capita income of $3600 per year. God brought her to this point in her life to use the skills she used back home, overseas. She will gladly say this is the best teaching year she has ever had. 

She is having a significant impact on the students, the parents and the staff, both professionally and in her efforts to breakdown barriers. The removal of distrust between our cultures is key. Letting them get to know her/us, is critical. When I walked with her to school today, her 7 year-old students hugged her and me, thankful to see us. It was amazing, rewarding.  

Similarly, I was called to work with small businesses just like I did in the U.S. I travel around the Arab world consulting with B4T business owners. Where the owners are diligently working, we are seeing real transformation. Last week I spoke to one that I have worked with for a year who reported: In the last week work has been oozing out of our ears and we are now facing this “good” problem. My partner and I are addressing this by moving to a larger commercial space - which we have found. We should double our workforce by summer, too. 

I work with companies that are creating jobs and transforming lives in their sphere of influence. They are bringing hope and love to these wonderful people who seriously are struggling with problems that are very difficult for Westerners to understand, let alone cope with. Additionally, I am a mentor to young men and women – frankly, it has been a wonderful experience. 

My wife and I are thankful to serve in this region. We are not going to solve all the problems here, but we are pleased to have shared our lives with the people we have met. It has sincerely been an honor and a privilege. 

Please pray that the churches here reach out to the Muslim casualties' families and honor them for their sacrifice. 

If you would like to learn more or to find out ways to help in addition to prayer, write services@NexusB4T.com. I know of opportunities for business interns, for engineers, teachers, and others, as well as other ways to help. 

Do you have a job skill? Have you ever dreamed of serving the Lord in an unreached area? There a young business people who could likely learn from you. Do contact us if you’d like to know more about how you may be involved.

MOST ENCOURAGING EMAIL OF THE YEAR!—so far.

The following is contributed by a B4T couple I am close to. I am excited as I’ve worked with them for several years and prayed for them for many years.  May it encourage you too. It’s been edited, including all names, for obvious reasons.

In my many years of doing B4T, one of my dreams my husband I have had is to sit around a table reading the Bible with our eight Muslim managers.  Well this past week while we were together, away from the office on our staff weekend, the dream came true! Here’s what happened.

Fatima had been present a few days earlier when I met Hamidah, another manager in our business who had asked me to pray for her mother’s healing. Hamidah was tremendously grateful and touched by the prayer, but that day, Fatima sat there looking awkward, with arms folded (body language and facial expression seemed quite closed). Yet it was Faitma who, at the meeting, exclaimed with enthusiasm, “This is not just good for work, it’s good for all of life!” She then went on to thank my husband and me for taking the time to present God’s Word to them in this way. 

Another manager, Zul, literally came to life as we read. I had him read a passage from the book of James. He couldn’t get through it without repeatedly stopping to say, “This is so true, this is so right!” At the end of our time, we asked each of the managers to choose one verse we had read that had particularly impacted them. Zul chose three! “And I had a really hard time limiting it to only three,” he said with a big grin on his face. 

Over lunch we invited more feedback. Rahmat commented, “I’ve worked with many companies, but I have never encountered anything like this. You literally live out your values. I’m deeply impacted.” As we closed the time yet another manager asked, “Please can we have more meetings like this in the future?”

This couple has grown their business to scores of employees. They’ve prayed, plowed and worked for years to achieve this openness. They’ve seen a few others in both their business and neighborhood come to faith, but this is the first breakthrough with their managers. God spoke to them about reading with their managers when they were preparing for this leadership weekend – and they obeyed. Keep plowing. Papa’s readying the soil you are tilling for the seed.

THE VALUE OF COACHING

The following is written by one of our coaches who is 64 years of age, moved to the Middle East where he coaches B4T businesses around the Arab world.

"Twenty-Four hours ago there was a bombing in the city my wife and I currently call home, as well as a nearby industrial city. A number of Christians were killed as well as 4 Muslim's attempting to subdue the attacker. Since I arrived, over 150 people have been killed by extremists and well over 20 Muslim security personnel attempting to create a safe environment for all of us. Just as with our police in the US, I am thankful for these men and women who are standing up for their fellow citizens.

You might ask why are we here, why did we walk away from incredible friends, a home, community, family and meaningful work to come here? The answer to that question, asked by our Arab friends as well, is simply we listened to what God wanted from us and we obeyed.

My wife was called to work with children in an International School, owned by Muslims, that does all of their teaching in English. She is paid a good local wage in this country with a per capita income of $3600 per year. God brought her to this point in her life to use the skills she had developed already. She will gladly say this is the best teaching year she has ever had.

Seriously, she is having a significant impact on the students, the parents and the staff, both professionally and in her efforts to break down barriers. The removal of distrust between our cultures is key. Letting them get to know her/us, is critical. When I walked with her to school today, her 7 year-old students hugged her and I, thankful to see us. It was amazing, rewarding.

Similarly, I was called to work with small businesses just like I did in the US. I travel around the Arab world consulting with B4T business owners. Where the owners are diligently working, we are seeing real transformation. Last week I spoke to one in Morocco that I have worked with for a year who reported: "In the last week, work has been oozing out of our ears and we are now facing this 'good' problem. My partner and I are addressing this by moving to a larger commercial space - which we have found. We should double our workforce by summer, too.”

I work with companies that are creating jobs and transforming lives in their sphere of influence. They are bringing hope and love to these wonderful people who seriously are struggling with problems that are very difficult for Westerners to understand, let alone cope with. Additionally, I am a mentor to young men and women – frankly, it has been a wonderful experience.

My wife and I are thankful to serve in this region. We are not going to solve all the problems here, but we are pleased to have shared our lives with the people we have met. It has sincerely been an honor and a privilege.


Please pray that the Churches here reach out to the Muslim casualties' families and honor them for their sacrifice.  If you would like to learn more or to find out ways to help in addition to prayer, write to Services(at)NexusB4T(dot)com. I know of opportunities for business interns, for engineers, teachers, and others, as well as other ways to help."