Tuesday, September 15, 2015

7 Things God Has Taught Me on the Mission Field (In Seasons of Discouragement)

It has almost been five months since the Lord answered our prayers and blessed us with the ability to return to Ukraine. After a busy season of ministry and church planting in Donetsk, followed by evacuation, and then a season serving in Uganda, the Lord has brought us into a new chapter of ministry and life on the mission field in Kiev.

I've always struggled with discouragement and that weakness in the flesh has been amplified since being on the mission field. In fact, the more time I spend on the field, the more I am convinced that all missionaries are prone to discouragement and I think if not taken seriously, missionaries and ministries are often prematurely ended.

Since coming to Ukraine, the Lord continues to build on my passion, excitement, and vision for Ukraine. I get easily excited about new possibilities and new ideas for ministry, outreaches, church planting, etc. However, things never seem to progress the way I think is best (praise the Lord, because my ideas are nothing without the Lord in it), or ministries don't develop in the time frame I want them to (again, praise the Lord because His timing is always far better than mine). Because I have a personality that easily gets excited about things, I also tend to get discouraged when things don't "progress" the way I had envisioned them.

Because of the war in Eastern Ukraine, the vision for Calvary Donetsk is on hold (and perhaps it will never be "our" vision again) and this is discouraging to me. But praise the Lord, through His Spirit and the work of Jesus on the cross, I have victory over my flesh and victory over discouragement. And, praise the Lord that He has given us new ministry opportunities in Kiev and slowly revealing a new, fresh, vision to us.

Of course, I'm egger to know exactly what God's "long-term" plan is for us in Ukraine, and often discouragement sets in because things aren't moving as quickly as I'd like them to. But, when I take a moment to look back at God's faithfulness these last five months in Kiev, I am blown away by what He has done and I'm encouraged.

I'm reminded by David's example, when he was facing great adversity and discouragement. It says that, "He strengthened himself in the Lord his God" (See 1 Samuel 30:6).  For any of you preparing to go full-time on the mission field, expect discouragement. Be prepared for discouragement. And when it comes, don't allow your flesh to dwell on that discouragement, but rather strengthen yourself in the Lord.

During seasons of discouragement on the mission field, the Lord has taught me a few invaluable principles that have helped me to stay strengthened in the Lord rather than destroyed by discouragement.

This is not a comprehensive list, but just a few things God has show me (not in any order of importance):


1) Remain faithful 

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much..." - Luke 16:10b

Am I being faithful in what the Lord has placed before me? I'm learning to come before the Lord daily and have Him check my heart it this. Missionaries have a big responsibly to remain faithful and often times, without a lot of accountability. Are you faithful with the resources you have received? Are you faithful with how you spend your time? Are you faithful in ministering to the people you interact with? Are you faithful in pointing everything back to Jesus?

Perhaps discouragement has set in because you seem stuck, or the ministry isn't growing or progressing, or whatever it may be. Check your heart. Perhaps there has been unfaithfulness in an area, which is hindering the work. Jesus said it, "You were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things" Matthew 25:21b. God's ready to give us an abundance of resources and opportunities, but it may be that our faithfulness is being tested with a few responsibilities before we can continue on.


2) Stay diligent

"So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it." - 2 Chronicles 24:13

These workmen were laboring to restore the house of God and in this text we see that they were careful to restore it to the original conditions according to the specifications of the Lord. My encouragement to the missionary would be to stay diligent (be careful and persistent) in the calling and the work that the Lord has placed on your heart.

We know that the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (see Romans 11:29) and discouragement won't take them away. If God has called you to a specific country, or city, or ministry, stay diligent in that until He leads you elsewhere.


3) Fear God

"And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day." - Numbers 6:24

Discouragement will often pull our eyes off of the Lord and onto ourselves or our circumstances. Don't forget who called you onto the mission field in the first place and don't forget that you are serving Him. It's good to have that healthy fear and respect for the Lord.

Unfortunately, many missionaries feel an unspoken pressure to have results and then report back home to their supporters, organization, home church, etc. While I highly recommend communication with these people, don't do it for the wrong reasons. Don't do it so that you look successful. Don't do it so you will be recognized for the work you are doing. Remember, the fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe (see Proverbs 29:25). As missionaries, we serve the Lord, we fear the Lord, and in the end, all glory should go to Him and Him alone. On the other hand, the fear of man will only lead to discouragement and eventually destruction.


4) Spend time with the nationals 

This may seem obvious for a missionary, but sometimes we forget about the actual people we left our home country to serve. I've discovered, when I'm spending time with the nationals, ministry event or not, I always come away with a renewed passion for the country I am in. It helps bring me back into perspective of why I am here - to share the love of Jesus with this people group.

A plus to this is working with believing nationals. Nothing is quite as exciting as seeing nationals rise up and begin to serve the Lord. When I am working with a national to achieve a common goal in reaching the county, I always come away encouraged.

"Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land, all my servants were gathered there for the work." - Nehemiah 5:16

I like this example of Nehemiah, working alongside of the people and actually participating in building the wall with them. They were all working together, with the common goal of rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem.

5) Keep eternity in mind (the big picture) 

"Seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:1-2

Circumstances are usually the main factor in discouragement for me. And more often than not, they are circumstances out of my control (war for example). But with eternity in mind, we can realize that there is so much more happening, more than we can see. We are called not to love the things of this world. We are also told that the things of this world are passing away. In this life, we are to go through many trails and tribulations. There are wars and rumors of wars covering world history. When our eyes are on things of the earth, discouragement is present. However, as I enter into the Throne of Grace and my mind in set on Christ, there I am encouraged and strengthened.


6) Seek God's will daily

"They were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the word in Asia. After they had come to Mysia, they tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them..." - Acts 16:6-10

I'm sure that Paul was extremely discouraged during this missionary trip in Acts 16, but he continued to seek the Lord's will and follow the Spirit's leading. I think that in missions, we can begin by praying through every decision and over every aspect of the day, but soon fall into a routine of doing things without much prayer or thought because they have been working. However, perhaps the Spirit is forbidding us from going somewhere or doing something, but we missed that word from the Lord because we weren't seeking His will. What if Paul pushed his way into Asia because he wasn't staying sensitive to the Spirit?

For Emily and I, we make our schedule and our own routine. We've learned that we need to give ourselves a strict schedule, or else things get lazy. But within that schedule and routine, it's still so important to be asking God on a daily basis what His will is for that day and our lives/ministry.

Discouragement may come because of being stuck in a stale routine, or not seeking a fresh work, or the Lord's will daily. One of the biggest lessons we've learned is to have a schedule, but to not be stagnant, making sure we are seeking the Lord with everything we do. We need to make every day count, as unto the Lord.

7) Have the joy of the Lord

"Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory." - 1 Peter 1:8

I think of Jeremiah, mourning over the destruction of Jerusalem. He was weeping over the condition of the people and nation, feeling hopeless. And it wasn't until he recalled to his mind the mercy, compassion, and faithfulness of God that he found hope and joy (see Lamentations 3). Setting our minds on the Lord will bring us true joy. During seasons of discouragement, it is so important to renew our minds in the Lord, to meditate on His goodness, and to remember the saving work of Jesus on the cross. The joy of the Lord will give us victory over discouragement.


God bless,
Byron

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