Wise Master Builders

Week 2 we were all asked the question, "What is your current perspective and/or mindset as you prepare for cross-cultural ministry? What am I headed for? All great questions, ones I don't think I had stopped long enough to ponder. My perspective, maybe it was a little of fear and trepidation, what can I possibly have to offer, maybe a little of this is going to be an amazing adventure, God is going to do great things through me. But as we walked through the big picture of where we are headed, my heart began to sink a little as I beheld the gravity of the mission I have signed up for. 

This is the most challenging work on earth, I am preparing to go to a place where Satan has had his way for potentially centuries, where people live in constant fear and darkness. It is also the most exciting work on earth. The privilege to partner with the Lord, to evangelizing to His people, to see a thriving church established among people who have never heard the good news of Jesus Christ.  While it is rewarding, it is also weighty. According to Paul in 1 Cor 3:10: “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.”

We need to be wise master builders!

Look at a plumber for instance, how many years do they spend learning their craft and putting into practice, apprenticing? Would you hire someone with less than 2 years experience, less than 1? To be honest most of us wouldn’t even want someone with less than 4, we want someone who knows what they are doing and has a proven track record of doing a good job. 

So why would we expect anything less of those going into cross cultural missions? Why would we cut corners when eternity is at stake, the very lives of people. For this reason I am here walking through the training at Ethnos Canada. Here they are seeking to see us equipped in 3 key areas, the Bible (good methodology flows from good theology), Character (God wants us to become more like him so we can be effective communicators of the Gospel), and finally ministry skills (understanding strengths and weaknesses, equipped with good methodology that is tied to the Scriptures).

This task of reaching the unreached is too big for me. The truth is that we are partnering with God Almighty to reach His creation, people he loves dearly! This isn’t a task we should step into lightly. Is it one we have all been called to? 100%!! The great commission in Matthew is for all of us, which may look different for each of us (some cross-cultural, others in their native culture). Regardless of where that is, we need to go about this mission, this task, with great care.

"The most valuable and sacred commodity, therefore, on the face of the earth is the truth of the gospel. This is a sacred message worth living for, worth sacrificing for, and worth gladly dying for. It is the truth of all truths to which the church must be dedicated to propagate and protect." Lance Latham