January 9, 2023 • 21 mins
Have you ever felt like you've suddenly gone off course - detoured into unchartered territory? Teresa Janzen shares a ministry report and message that will encourage you on your journey - even when you have no idea what the future holds.
Lewis and Clark, the famous explorers, navigated the Missouri River. They were expert river navigators, and they had a whole team of people with them called the Corp of Discovery.
They were given the commission by the President of the United States to find a water passage to the Pacific Ocean. This is going to be a game changer for the US for trade and development and all that type of stuff. And they navigated to the source of the Missouri. and when they crested the mountain expecting to find a river on the other side, what they found was the Rocky Mountains—big surprise.
Sometimes you go into a situation thinking that you know what's going to be ahead. You've prepared for it. You took courses for it, you studied for it, you've held committee meetings for it, you've set budgets for it, and you crest the mountain and think you're going to move forward. And all of a sudden you find yourself in a situation that you hadn't planned on, and nothing that you've done in the past has prepared you for it.
If you feel stuck in a rut and unable to move forward, get Teresa’s free guide, “Get Out of that Rut!” https://teresajanzen.com/unstuck/
Learn more about Radical Abundance at Radical-Abundance.com
Teresa Janzen is your host. She ignites a passion for abundant living through radical service. Teresa is an international speaker, author, and coach of speakers and writers. Her experience in leadership and global ministry drives her to share inspiring stories with wit and insight. Her candid and personable style is sure to capture the heart of any audience.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
Welcome to radical abundance.
I'm your host TeresaJanzen today's episode
is a ministry report.
I recently had the opportunityto share at Day Bible
Chapel in Saranac, Michigan.
I call this message intounchartered territory.
You know, South Sudan can bea bit of a tough environment.
(00:24):
It's still the youngestcountry in the world, for
those of you who don't know.
And South Sudan, althoughit's name says South, is
not located anywhere nearthe south of Africa, it's
actually in Northeast Africa.
A little bitpolitically unstable.
You may have heard that,and maybe you haven't
because it doesn't hitthe news so much anymore.
It did when it became a countryin 2011, but people get tired
(00:46):
of hearing the same thingover and over again about
difficulties and challenges.
We get fatigued with thattype of thing, and so it has
dwindled out of the news.
It's a tough place, eventhough if you were to take a
survey, 90% of the populationsays that they're a Christian.
10% perhaps are nothing.
(01:07):
Or African traditionalreligion, also known as animism.
And then there's some Muslimsin the northern part of South
Sudan where that pressedto the South has succeeded.
So Dan and I, our focus, ourministry in South Sudan is very
much, focused on equippingthe church, the church in South
(01:29):
Sudan, the national leaders tobe impactful in their community.
The gospel has not made a,transformational impact on
the culture overall, butthere are individuals whose
lives have been transformed.
And you know what?
It's not a very different storyhere in the United States,
(01:50):
and in fact, we're gonna talka little bit more about how
things here in the US arechanging, just like things
in south Sudan are changing.
So our ministry in general,I work with the leadership of
an organization called ACROSS.
Now, ACROSS was foundedin 1972 so that Western
missionaries could servein what was then a Muslim
(02:12):
context because South Sudanwas under the regime of Sudan,
Sharia Law, and everything.
In , 2005, the comprehensivePeace Agreement was signed.
and people could serve openly.
And so the missionariesall went their own way
Africa Inland Mission, MissionAviation Fellowship, Sudan,
(02:32):
interior Mission, Sudan, UnitedMission today called pioneers.
All of them, TearFund, youname it, so in 2005 they said,
maybe we should just close it.
We don't need it anymore.
But for years they hadbeen working alongside the
nationals in South Sudanand the nationals said, we
really like what we're doing.
We'd like to continue.
So the missionaries said,okay, and they turned it over
(02:55):
to South Sudanese leadership.
My role in South Sudan isto work with the leadership
of the organization.
on missional strategy, policydevelopment, and implementation.
I know this is soundingreal exciting, isn't it?
? Everyone loves policiesand procedures.
Well, I do, and I do loveit because it's building the
(03:15):
capacity and the infrastructureof the nationals to go forth
and be transformationalin their communities.
So today, Dan and I servea lot in the background.
Now, Dan does get out inthe field a little bit more.
. when we went to SouthSudan originally, we
lived in the village.
We didn't have electricity.
No flush toilet.
(03:36):
Anything like that.
And then a lot of thingshappened due to the
insecurity we had tomove to the capital city.
We started withelectricity 12 hours a day.
That's a big improvement.
Okay.
, six months ago wegot electricity.
That's most of the time whenthings are going normal.
That's a game changer, lifestylewise, and not because we
don't have air conditioning,fancy stuff like that.
(03:57):
And yes, it is hot.
We have a refrigerator.
Just imagine your lifewithout your refrigerator.
Imagine your grocery shoppingwithout your refrigerator and
your meal preparation and yourleftovers and all that stuff.
That's how we've beenliving for over six years.
Okay?
So we have a refrigerator that'sa game changer in lifestyle
(04:18):
and I'm so grateful for it.
so anyway, we moved tothe capital City and
we partnered with thisministry called Across.
I work with the leadership.
Dan works with the leadershipof the church, the indigenous
church, which means he getsout and about in the country.
And South Sudan is oneof the least developed
countries in the world.
Now I do want to sharewith you some scripture
(04:39):
cuz we're in church, right?
And so we are going to look alittle bit today and I , called
this talk, , Into unchartedterritory, and I hope that
will become evident as we go.
We'll see.
In First Corinthians chapterthree, beginning in verse 10, it
says, because of God's grace tome, I have laid the foundation
like an expert builder.
(05:00):
Now, others are building on it.
But whoever is building onthis foundation must be very
careful for no one can layany foundation other than
the one we already have,which is Jesus Christ.
When I'm in the UnitedStates, I love to watch hgtv.
I don't know if anyoneelse likes to watch hgtv.
(05:20):
I think the reason I liketo watch it is because in
South Sudan, Dan and I livein about 110 square feet.
Okay.
110 square feet.
That's our living space.
So when I'm in the US I watchHGTV and it's so beautiful.
These homes, even the littleones, you know, and they
tear down walls and theyopen things up and I love
(05:42):
the part when they choose thetile and the paint and the
fabrics and, and everything.
And I'm just amazed.
And that's when theyput it all together.
When the magic happens andyou have this beautiful
home, but every once in awhile they open something
up and they find a problem.
Right?
I watched a showone time recently.
They started openingthings up and they found a
(06:04):
problem in the foundation.
Now that's a problem.
Everything looked good on top.
You couldn't tell thatthere was a problem in the
foundation, but there was.
And they said, wecannot continue.
There's no tile selection,no paint selection.
Nothing can happenuntil we fix this part.
And you know what?
(06:24):
It's expensive.
That's the big part.
They'll say it's $20,000,$30,000, and no one will ever
see it, because when we're done,we're gonna cover it up again.
Right?
Foundations are reallyimportant and so we cannot.
Spend too much time pickingout the tile till we've
(06:46):
checked the foundation tomake sure that we're building
on something that's good.
And when we look at ourlife, and your life and
each other's lives and eventhe life of the church, we
can look in pretty good.
We can be all color coordinated.
We might even have thePowerPoints in order,
and tech might evenwork , it could happen.
(07:08):
I heard it happened once.
Even if the tech doesn'twork, if the foundation
is strong, then you'vegot something to build on.
You know, before you buildon a foundation though, you
have to choose a locationand real estate, that's
what they say is important.
Right?
Location, location, location.
I've been reading this booklately by Tod Bolsinger and it's
(07:31):
called Canoeing the Mountains.
I'm reading it because I'vejust started my doctoral
program at Fuller TheologicalSeminary and he's the professor.
Uh, that I'm going to be dealingwith the next three years.
And, , he wrote a book, sowhy don't you read the book?
Plus he assigned it.
Well, I was confused bythat title of canoeing the
Mountains until he sharedthe story of Lewis and
(07:54):
Clark, the famous explorers.
And they navigatedthe Missouri River.
They were expert rivernavigators and they had a
whole team of people with themcalled the Corp of Discovery.
They navigated theMissouri River.
They were given the commissionby the President of the
United States to find a waterpassage to the Pacific Ocean.
(08:14):
This is going to be a gamechanger for the US for
trade and development andall that type of stuff..
And they navigated to thesource of the Missouri River,
and when they crested themountain expecting to find
a river on the other side,what they found was the
Rocky Mountains Big surprise.
(08:35):
. So sometimes you go into asituation thinking that you
know what's gonna be ahead.
You've prepared for it.
You took courses for it, youstudied for it, you've held
committee meetings for it,you've set budgets for it, and
all of those things, and youcrest the mountain and think
you're going to move forward.
And all of a sudden you findyourself in a situation that
(08:57):
you hadn't planned on andnothing that you've done in the
past has prepared you for it.
.
And when we come back here toare changing and I think you
may also be finding yourselvesan unchartered territory.
You start down the path.
and you think you know whereyou're going, and all of
a sudden there's a new lawin place and you feel like
(09:20):
parents, you feel like maybethe school has more authority
over your children than youdo, and what's the voice
of the church in a culturethat seems to be not only
ambivalent, but even hostile?
So where do you go from here?
And that's, those are thethings you have to navigate.
But when we come back here tothe United States, we sense
(09:42):
even more and more of a foreignenvironment here as well.
I think because you're hereall the time, I know that
you're aware, but it mightnot feel quite as drastic.
In recent years when wecome back, we're like,
wow, things are different.
where's our friendlyWest Michigan community?
And believe me, we travel inother parts of the country.
(10:05):
West Michigan is stillrelatively friendly, but
there is a little bit ofa different feel here.
We sense it a lot when wego through the airports.
We sense it a lot inthe urban centers.
Um, and Grand Rapidsisn't an exception either.
And then we watch the news andwe hear about the political
situation and, and we know that.
(10:27):
you are also enteringunchartered territory.
It reminds me a littlebit of my father-in-law.
My father-in-law always love tosay, this world is not our home.
We're just a passing through.
You know, there's a lot ofdifferent theological thoughts
about those types of things,but even the Apostle Paul and
(10:47):
second Corinthians, he didtalk about that type of thing.
this morning I was reading thesecond Corinthians chapter four.
And I was so encouraged.
I went on to chapter five andinto chapter six, and I'll
tell you, I was so temptedbecause it was so nurturing
to me to just come here andread those chapters to you.
People don't really likeit when you do that, when
(11:09):
you're a speaker in places,but I was so encouraged.
So I hope todaythat you will go.
and just spend some time.
Second Corinthians chaptersfour, five, and six..
I'm going to read you a portionof it, but not all of it.
But in, uh, chapter five, theApostle Paul does say, for,
we know that when this earthlytent we live in is taken
down, he refers to, this is atemporary situation we're in,
(11:31):
and that can certainly giveus some hope for the future.
But for sure, we have to livein this earthly tent in this
place that we're in right now.
And what do we doin the meantime?
So we know that there's a futuretime when the earthly tent
will be taken down and will bewith God in all of his glory.
But in the meantime, we're here.
(11:52):
In the meantime, we'recalled on to be the church.
In the meantime, the worldis transforming around
us and we are enteringunchartered territory.
And this is when you needto learn to be adaptive
because the things that youhave learned in the past.
Are not going to takeyou to the future.
Just like Lewis and Clarkexpertly navigating the river
(12:16):
had to come up with a newmeans of transportation when
they got to the mountainsbecause that canoe wasn't
gonna do 'em any good.
Now, what does thatmean for you personally?
What does it mean for you asa parent, as a grandparent?
What does it mean for youcorporately as the church?
Because we have to wrestlewith these questions both
individually and corporately.
(12:38):
. Okay.
How do you navigate yourfamily in today's culture?
How do you ministerto your grandchildren
in today's culture?
How do you be impactful andrelevant to the community
around you as a churchand today's culture?
(12:59):
I'm not gonna tellyou because I can't.
This is something thatyou guys have to work out.
For yourselves individuallyand corporately, but I'll tell
you that the answer is likelynot found in what you were just
doing in the last few years.
The answer is going to be foundwhen you dig all the way down
to the foundation, and thatfoundation is Jesus Christ.
(13:23):
It's not gonna be foundin the church programs
that worked in the past.
It's not gonna be foundin the outreach activities
that worked in the past.
, it's gonna be found when youmake sure that your foundation
is Jesus Christ, and thenyou learn to be adaptive.
I do want to read you a portionof this scripture because I
(13:44):
think we are all, uh, livingin these foreign lands and
foreign times, whether we'rein South Sudan or whether
you're in Saranac, Michigan.
. You know, when Dan andI moved to South Sudan,
we had had careers herein the United States.
I've been in nonprofitadministration, public speaking,
things like that for years.
(14:04):
Dan's an agriculturalistperfect tools to take
to South Sudan, right?
and yet the environmentchanged for us.
We had to learn to be adaptiveas we went, and , I think that
that can be the same for you.
I love, right in the middleof second Corinthians chapter
five, when I was reading thesewords of Paul, I thought,
wow, I could read these wordsto the church at day Bible
(14:27):
chapel, and it would almost belike a message from Dan and I.
Now, these are Paul'swords, but I really can
relate to them a lot.
Beginning in verse 11 it says.
because we understandour , fearful
responsibility to the Lord.
We work hard to persuade others.
That's whatmissionaries do, right?
God knows we are sincere,and I hope you know this too.
(14:51):
, are we commendingourselves to you again?
no, we are giving you areason to be proud of us.
You can answer thosewho brag about having a
spectacular ministry ratherthan having a sincere heart.
I will tell you, there wasa time when we were in the
village in South Sudan.
I love short-term mission teams.
Short-term missionteams are important.
They can really be encouraging.
(15:11):
But this one particularshort term team came into
the community where we had.
ministering for a coupleof years and we felt
like we were banging ourhead against the wall.
They did a couple of events.
They recorded a number saying wehad 2000 people come to Christ,
and then they went home and weknew those 2000 people before
(15:34):
they came, and we knew those2000 people after they came.
And I thought, boy, thatnewsletter of theirs
must look amazing.
. And sometimes I sit and I tryto write our newsletter and
I'll tell you about one person,but I'll tell you that one
person I am more confident hada transformational experience
(15:54):
in their life than the 2000,maybe someone in that 2000 did.
But it's not aboutspectacular numbers.
And that's true for you too.
The ministries that you do, ifyou look for the spectacular.
, you're probably gonna findyourself really on the surface.
, I do think that the key isgoing to be looking for deep
(16:17):
personal relationships andthat's where Dan and I spend a
lot of our time is one-on-one.
Yeah, we do group stuff, butit's the one-on-one interactions
that are really important.
I really didn't mean to stopthere, so let me continue.
If it seems we are crazyand yes, we have been
accused of that, but Paul.
But I, if it seems we are crazy,it is to , bring glory to God.
(16:41):
And if we are in our rightminds, it's for your benefit.
Either way, Christ'slove controls us.
Since we believe thatChrist died for all, we
also believe that we haveall died to our old life.
He died for everyone sothat those who receive his
new life will no longerlive for themselves.
(17:01):
Instead they will livefor Christ who died and
was raised for them.
My friend Christ died for you.
Not so that you can live in fearof what's gonna happen tomorrow,
not so that you can be confusedor be subjugated to criticism
(17:25):
from the world, not so that you.
Feel lost and desperate in aland that is not your own, but
so that you can be confidentand filled with joy knowing
that you have been redeemed.
This is a gift you have,and if you have experienced
the transformational gift ofChrist redeeming and forgiving
(17:45):
your sins, let me tell you,I have a sin or two, and I am
grateful that they're washedby the blood of the lamb.
When we sing songs like that,my sins, I don't remember
the chorus right now, butwe sing it and it's really
hard for me to hold still,but I have to remember
I'm in the United States.
Cuz in South Sudan we don'thold still , but I try to
(18:08):
restrain myself, I getexcited when I know that
Christ died for my sins andgave me his righteousness.
Mm-hmm.
, he gives me the HolySpirit so that when I am.
detained on the sideof the road by police.
I can just be patient.
I can wait.
(18:29):
I can know that if I am evenimprisoned, I'll be okay.
Some people, it coststhem their life.
Some people, it coststhem their dignity.
Some people it coststhem their time.
For all of us, it'llbe inconvenient.
We know that, but we have hope.
(18:50):
and we can take courage.
So I just want to encourageyou, I know you're not serving
in an easy time either.
I'm gonna skip downto chapter six.
I wanted to read thewhole thing to you.
Really.
It's good stuff.
. I love the word of God.
Chapter six in verse one.
It says, as , God'spartners, do you know
(19:11):
you're a partner with God.
He sees something inyou that He said,.
Come and help me buildmy kingdom here on earth.
Do you know what?
He doesn't need you.
He doesn't.
He has invited you though,and that's an honor.
I sit here and say, Lord,you've invited me to minister
(19:34):
to people in your name.
So , as God's partners, webeg you not to accept this
marvelous gift of God'skindness and then ignore it.
For God says, now thisis quoting back all
the way to Isaiah.
God says, at just theright time, I heard you
on the day of salvation.
(19:55):
I helped you.
at just the righttime in your life.
God heard you, and on that day,it was the day of salvation.
He helped you.
. Don't keep thattreasure to yourself.
Your grandchildren needit, your neighbor needs it.
(20:16):
Your children need it.
Your friend needs it.
So take courage.
I heard a statistic recentlythat 80% of Christians
in the United States willnever share their faith.
That's scary to me,especially in the world
that we're currently facing.
Let me tell.
, how to share your faith.
There are people who write wholebooks about this, and I'm just
(20:38):
going to do it in one minute.
I'm gonna tell you how toshare your faith because the
reason why 80% of the peopledon't share their faith is
because they don't know how.
And I don't want anyone here toleave here today without knowing
how to share their faith.
You sit down withsomeone, you tell them
what Jesus did for you.
Mm-hmm.
tell them what lifewas like before and
(21:00):
what life is like now.
. Mm-hmm.
. That's as complicatedas it gets.
Mm-hmm.
talk to people, listen tothem in their point of need,
and then let the Holy Spiritspeak through you for what
God has already done for you.
Don't keep it to yourself.
(21:22):
That verse continuesand it says, indeed,
the right time is now.
Today is the day of salvation.
Welcome to radical abundance.
I'm your host TeresaJanzen today's episode
is a ministry report.
I recently had the opportunityto share at Day Bible
Chapel in Saranac, Michigan.
I call this message intounchartered territory.
You know, South Sudan can bea bit of a tough environment.
(00:24):
It's still the youngestcountry in the world, for
those of you who don't know.
And South Sudan, althoughit's name says South, is
not located anywhere nearthe south of Africa, it's
actually in Northeast Africa.
A little bitpolitically unstable.
You may have heard that,and maybe you haven't
because it doesn't hitthe news so much anymore.
It did when it became a countryin 2011, but people get tired
(00:46):
of hearing the same thingover and over again about
difficulties and challenges.
We get fatigued with thattype of thing, and so it has
dwindled out of the news.
It's a tough place, eventhough if you were to take a
survey, 90% of the populationsays that they're a Christian.
10% perhaps are nothing.
(01:07):
Or African traditionalreligion, also known as animism.
And then there's some Muslimsin the northern part of South
Sudan where that pressedto the South has succeeded.
So Dan and I, our focus, ourministry in South Sudan is very
much, focused on equippingthe church, the church in South
(01:29):
Sudan, the national leaders tobe impactful in their community.
The gospel has not made a,transformational impact on
the culture overall, butthere are individuals whose
lives have been transformed.
And you know what?
It's not a very different storyhere in the United States,
(01:50):
and in fact, we're gonna talka little bit more about how
things here in the US arechanging, just like things
in south Sudan are changing.
So our ministry in general,I work with the leadership of
an organization called ACROSS.
Now, ACROSS was foundedin 1972 so that Western
missionaries could servein what was then a Muslim
(02:12):
context because South Sudanwas under the regime of Sudan,
Sharia Law, and everything.
In , 2005, the comprehensivePeace Agreement was signed.
and people could serve openly.
And so the missionariesall went their own way
Africa Inland Mission, MissionAviation Fellowship, Sudan,
(02:32):
interior Mission, Sudan, UnitedMission today called pioneers.
All of them, TearFund, youname it, so in 2005 they said,
maybe we should just close it.
We don't need it anymore.
But for years they hadbeen working alongside the
nationals in South Sudanand the nationals said, we
really like what we're doing.
We'd like to continue.
So the missionaries said,okay, and they turned it over
(02:55):
to South Sudanese leadership.
My role in South Sudan isto work with the leadership
of the organization.
on missional strategy, policydevelopment, and implementation.
I know this is soundingreal exciting, isn't it?
? Everyone loves policiesand procedures.
Well, I do, and I do loveit because it's building the
(03:15):
capacity and the infrastructureof the nationals to go forth
and be transformationalin their communities.
So today, Dan and I servea lot in the background.
Now, Dan does get out inthe field a little bit more.
. when we went to SouthSudan originally, we
lived in the village.
We didn't have electricity.
No flush toilet.
(03:36):
Anything like that.
And then a lot of thingshappened due to the
insecurity we had tomove to the capital city.
We started withelectricity 12 hours a day.
That's a big improvement.
Okay.
, six months ago wegot electricity.
That's most of the time whenthings are going normal.
That's a game changer, lifestylewise, and not because we
don't have air conditioning,fancy stuff like that.
(03:57):
And yes, it is hot.
We have a refrigerator.
Just imagine your lifewithout your refrigerator.
Imagine your grocery shoppingwithout your refrigerator and
your meal preparation and yourleftovers and all that stuff.
That's how we've beenliving for over six years.
Okay?
So we have a refrigerator that'sa game changer in lifestyle
(04:18):
and I'm so grateful for it.
so anyway, we moved tothe capital City and
we partnered with thisministry called Across.
I work with the leadership.
Dan works with the leadershipof the church, the indigenous
church, which means he getsout and about in the country.
And South Sudan is oneof the least developed
countries in the world.
Now I do want to sharewith you some scripture
(04:39):
cuz we're in church, right?
And so we are going to look alittle bit today and I , called
this talk, , Into unchartedterritory, and I hope that
will become evident as we go.
We'll see.
In First Corinthians chapterthree, beginning in verse 10, it
says, because of God's grace tome, I have laid the foundation
like an expert builder.
(05:00):
Now, others are building on it.
But whoever is building onthis foundation must be very
careful for no one can layany foundation other than
the one we already have,which is Jesus Christ.
When I'm in the UnitedStates, I love to watch hgtv.
I don't know if anyoneelse likes to watch hgtv.
(05:20):
I think the reason I liketo watch it is because in
South Sudan, Dan and I livein about 110 square feet.
Okay.
110 square feet.
That's our living space.
So when I'm in the US I watchHGTV and it's so beautiful.
These homes, even the littleones, you know, and they
tear down walls and theyopen things up and I love
(05:42):
the part when they choose thetile and the paint and the
fabrics and, and everything.
And I'm just amazed.
And that's when theyput it all together.
When the magic happens andyou have this beautiful
home, but every once in awhile they open something
up and they find a problem.
Right?
I watched a showone time recently.
They started openingthings up and they found a
(06:04):
problem in the foundation.
Now that's a problem.
Everything looked good on top.
You couldn't tell thatthere was a problem in the
foundation, but there was.
And they said, wecannot continue.
There's no tile selection,no paint selection.
Nothing can happenuntil we fix this part.
And you know what?
(06:24):
It's expensive.
That's the big part.
They'll say it's $20,000,$30,000, and no one will ever
see it, because when we're done,we're gonna cover it up again.
Right?
Foundations are reallyimportant and so we cannot.
Spend too much time pickingout the tile till we've
(06:46):
checked the foundation tomake sure that we're building
on something that's good.
And when we look at ourlife, and your life and
each other's lives and eventhe life of the church, we
can look in pretty good.
We can be all color coordinated.
We might even have thePowerPoints in order,
and tech might evenwork , it could happen.
(07:08):
I heard it happened once.
Even if the tech doesn'twork, if the foundation
is strong, then you'vegot something to build on.
You know, before you buildon a foundation though, you
have to choose a locationand real estate, that's
what they say is important.
Right?
Location, location, location.
I've been reading this booklately by Tod Bolsinger and it's
(07:31):
called Canoeing the Mountains.
I'm reading it because I'vejust started my doctoral
program at Fuller TheologicalSeminary and he's the professor.
Uh, that I'm going to be dealingwith the next three years.
And, , he wrote a book, sowhy don't you read the book?
Plus he assigned it.
Well, I was confused bythat title of canoeing the
Mountains until he sharedthe story of Lewis and
(07:54):
Clark, the famous explorers.
And they navigatedthe Missouri River.
They were expert rivernavigators and they had a
whole team of people with themcalled the Corp of Discovery.
They navigated theMissouri River.
They were given the commissionby the President of the
United States to find a waterpassage to the Pacific Ocean.
(08:14):
This is going to be a gamechanger for the US for
trade and development andall that type of stuff..
And they navigated to thesource of the Missouri River,
and when they crested themountain expecting to find
a river on the other side,what they found was the
Rocky Mountains Big surprise.
(08:35):
. So sometimes you go into asituation thinking that you
know what's gonna be ahead.
You've prepared for it.
You took courses for it, youstudied for it, you've held
committee meetings for it,you've set budgets for it, and
all of those things, and youcrest the mountain and think
you're going to move forward.
And all of a sudden you findyourself in a situation that
(08:57):
you hadn't planned on andnothing that you've done in the
past has prepared you for it.
.
And when we come back here toare changing and I think you
may also be finding yourselvesan unchartered territory.
You start down the path.
and you think you know whereyou're going, and all of
a sudden there's a new lawin place and you feel like
(09:20):
parents, you feel like maybethe school has more authority
over your children than youdo, and what's the voice
of the church in a culturethat seems to be not only
ambivalent, but even hostile?
So where do you go from here?
And that's, those are thethings you have to navigate.
But when we come back here tothe United States, we sense
(09:42):
even more and more of a foreignenvironment here as well.
I think because you're hereall the time, I know that
you're aware, but it mightnot feel quite as drastic.
In recent years when wecome back, we're like,
wow, things are different.
where's our friendlyWest Michigan community?
And believe me, we travel inother parts of the country.
(10:05):
West Michigan is stillrelatively friendly, but
there is a little bit ofa different feel here.
We sense it a lot when wego through the airports.
We sense it a lot inthe urban centers.
Um, and Grand Rapidsisn't an exception either.
And then we watch the news andwe hear about the political
situation and, and we know that.
(10:27):
you are also enteringunchartered territory.
It reminds me a littlebit of my father-in-law.
My father-in-law always love tosay, this world is not our home.
We're just a passing through.
You know, there's a lot ofdifferent theological thoughts
about those types of things,but even the Apostle Paul and
(10:47):
second Corinthians, he didtalk about that type of thing.
this morning I was reading thesecond Corinthians chapter four.
And I was so encouraged.
I went on to chapter five andinto chapter six, and I'll
tell you, I was so temptedbecause it was so nurturing
to me to just come here andread those chapters to you.
People don't really likeit when you do that, when
(11:09):
you're a speaker in places,but I was so encouraged.
So I hope todaythat you will go.
and just spend some time.
Second Corinthians chaptersfour, five, and six..
I'm going to read you a portionof it, but not all of it.
But in, uh, chapter five, theApostle Paul does say, for,
we know that when this earthlytent we live in is taken
down, he refers to, this is atemporary situation we're in,
(11:31):
and that can certainly giveus some hope for the future.
But for sure, we have to livein this earthly tent in this
place that we're in right now.
And what do we doin the meantime?
So we know that there's a futuretime when the earthly tent
will be taken down and will bewith God in all of his glory.
But in the meantime, we're here.
(11:52):
In the meantime, we'recalled on to be the church.
In the meantime, the worldis transforming around
us and we are enteringunchartered territory.
And this is when you needto learn to be adaptive
because the things that youhave learned in the past.
Are not going to takeyou to the future.
Just like Lewis and Clarkexpertly navigating the river
(12:16):
had to come up with a newmeans of transportation when
they got to the mountainsbecause that canoe wasn't
gonna do 'em any good.
Now, what does thatmean for you personally?
What does it mean for you asa parent, as a grandparent?
What does it mean for youcorporately as the church?
Because we have to wrestlewith these questions both
individually and corporately.
(12:38):
. Okay.
How do you navigate yourfamily in today's culture?
How do you ministerto your grandchildren
in today's culture?
How do you be impactful andrelevant to the community
around you as a churchand today's culture?
(12:59):
I'm not gonna tellyou because I can't.
This is something thatyou guys have to work out.
For yourselves individuallyand corporately, but I'll tell
you that the answer is likelynot found in what you were just
doing in the last few years.
The answer is going to be foundwhen you dig all the way down
to the foundation, and thatfoundation is Jesus Christ.
(13:23):
It's not gonna be foundin the church programs
that worked in the past.
It's not gonna be foundin the outreach activities
that worked in the past.
, it's gonna be found when youmake sure that your foundation
is Jesus Christ, and thenyou learn to be adaptive.
I do want to read you a portionof this scripture because I
(13:44):
think we are all, uh, livingin these foreign lands and
foreign times, whether we'rein South Sudan or whether
you're in Saranac, Michigan.
. You know, when Dan andI moved to South Sudan,
we had had careers herein the United States.
I've been in nonprofitadministration, public speaking,
things like that for years.
(14:04):
Dan's an agriculturalistperfect tools to take
to South Sudan, right?
and yet the environmentchanged for us.
We had to learn to be adaptiveas we went, and , I think that
that can be the same for you.
I love, right in the middleof second Corinthians chapter
five, when I was reading thesewords of Paul, I thought,
wow, I could read these wordsto the church at day Bible
(14:27):
chapel, and it would almost belike a message from Dan and I.
Now, these are Paul'swords, but I really can
relate to them a lot.
Beginning in verse 11 it says.
because we understandour , fearful
responsibility to the Lord.
We work hard to persuade others.
That's whatmissionaries do, right?
God knows we are sincere,and I hope you know this too.
(14:51):
, are we commendingourselves to you again?
no, we are giving you areason to be proud of us.
You can answer thosewho brag about having a
spectacular ministry ratherthan having a sincere heart.
I will tell you, there wasa time when we were in the
village in South Sudan.
I love short-term mission teams.
Short-term missionteams are important.
They can really be encouraging.
(15:11):
But this one particularshort term team came into
the community where we had.
ministering for a coupleof years and we felt
like we were banging ourhead against the wall.
They did a couple of events.
They recorded a number saying wehad 2000 people come to Christ,
and then they went home and weknew those 2000 people before
(15:34):
they came, and we knew those2000 people after they came.
And I thought, boy, thatnewsletter of theirs
must look amazing.
. And sometimes I sit and I tryto write our newsletter and
I'll tell you about one person,but I'll tell you that one
person I am more confident hada transformational experience
(15:54):
in their life than the 2000,maybe someone in that 2000 did.
But it's not aboutspectacular numbers.
And that's true for you too.
The ministries that you do, ifyou look for the spectacular.
, you're probably gonna findyourself really on the surface.
, I do think that the key isgoing to be looking for deep
(16:17):
personal relationships andthat's where Dan and I spend a
lot of our time is one-on-one.
Yeah, we do group stuff, butit's the one-on-one interactions
that are really important.
I really didn't mean to stopthere, so let me continue.
If it seems we are crazyand yes, we have been
accused of that, but Paul.
But I, if it seems we are crazy,it is to , bring glory to God.
(16:41):
And if we are in our rightminds, it's for your benefit.
Either way, Christ'slove controls us.
Since we believe thatChrist died for all, we
also believe that we haveall died to our old life.
He died for everyone sothat those who receive his
new life will no longerlive for themselves.
(17:01):
Instead they will livefor Christ who died and
was raised for them.
My friend Christ died for you.
Not so that you can live in fearof what's gonna happen tomorrow,
not so that you can be confusedor be subjugated to criticism
(17:25):
from the world, not so that you.
Feel lost and desperate in aland that is not your own, but
so that you can be confidentand filled with joy knowing
that you have been redeemed.
This is a gift you have,and if you have experienced
the transformational gift ofChrist redeeming and forgiving
(17:45):
your sins, let me tell you,I have a sin or two, and I am
grateful that they're washedby the blood of the lamb.
When we sing songs like that,my sins, I don't remember
the chorus right now, butwe sing it and it's really
hard for me to hold still,but I have to remember
I'm in the United States.
Cuz in South Sudan we don'thold still , but I try to
(18:08):
restrain myself, I getexcited when I know that
Christ died for my sins andgave me his righteousness.
Mm-hmm.
, he gives me the HolySpirit so that when I am.
detained on the sideof the road by police.
I can just be patient.
I can wait.
(18:29):
I can know that if I am evenimprisoned, I'll be okay.
Some people, it coststhem their life.
Some people, it coststhem their dignity.
Some people it coststhem their time.
For all of us, it'llbe inconvenient.
We know that, but we have hope.
(18:50):
and we can take courage.
So I just want to encourageyou, I know you're not serving
in an easy time either.
I'm gonna skip downto chapter six.
I wanted to read thewhole thing to you.
Really.
It's good stuff.
. I love the word of God.
Chapter six in verse one.
It says, as , God'spartners, do you know
(19:11):
you're a partner with God.
He sees something inyou that He said,.
Come and help me buildmy kingdom here on earth.
Do you know what?
He doesn't need you.
He doesn't.
He has invited you though,and that's an honor.
I sit here and say, Lord,you've invited me to minister
(19:34):
to people in your name.
So , as God's partners, webeg you not to accept this
marvelous gift of God'skindness and then ignore it.
For God says, now thisis quoting back all
the way to Isaiah.
God says, at just theright time, I heard you
on the day of salvation.
(19:55):
I helped you.
at just the righttime in your life.
God heard you, and on that day,it was the day of salvation.
He helped you.
. Don't keep thattreasure to yourself.
Your grandchildren needit, your neighbor needs it.
(20:16):
Your children need it.
Your friend needs it.
So take courage.
I heard a statistic recentlythat 80% of Christians
in the United States willnever share their faith.
That's scary to me,especially in the world
that we're currently facing.
Let me tell.
, how to share your faith.
There are people who write wholebooks about this, and I'm just
(20:38):
going to do it in one minute.
I'm gonna tell you how toshare your faith because the
reason why 80% of the peopledon't share their faith is
because they don't know how.
And I don't want anyone here toleave here today without knowing
how to share their faith.
You sit down withsomeone, you tell them
what Jesus did for you.
Mm-hmm.
tell them what lifewas like before and
(21:00):
what life is like now.
. Mm-hmm.
. That's as complicatedas it gets.
Mm-hmm.
talk to people, listen tothem in their point of need,
and then let the Holy Spiritspeak through you for what
God has already done for you.
Don't keep it to yourself.
(21:22):
That verse continuesand it says, indeed,
the right time is now.
Today is the day of salvation.
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