A WAY PREPARED

I may have already shared this once but felt I need to share this again, not because you’re ignorant of it J but because I am constantly refocusing our little team so they could experience how God works. I know of a person who was to officially join a new ministry as per his church posting. He wanted a laptop computer so he could do his work well. But his leader said “I’ll buy you a record book so you can record your visitation and mission activities, it works better. He wanted to learn English as part of his training; the leader said “here there is no English, only the target language”. He wanted a motorbike; the leader said, “That is a good prayer point so we need to start praying about it”. He wants to do an external training, so the leader said “I think it is important that we do this one first”. I think there are times when we join a ministry or move to where God wants us to move with our list of demands. “I will obey and this is what I expect to happen.” And if those demands are not met we get put off and could reason that it was not the right ministry for me. The scenario above mirrored my life when I started. It took me time to accept that it is not true. Now I am constantly reminding myself and our new trainee of the words of the Lord Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 10:9-10 (BBE) “Take no gold or silver or copper in your pockets; Take no bag for your journey and do not take two coats or shoes or a stick: for the workman has a right to his food. And into whatever town or small place you go, make search there for someone who is respected, and make his house your resting-place till you go away.” And I have asked those whom we are and have trained this question; “Why did the Lord Jesus instructed his disciples not to take any needed supplies?” And the answer that was given me, back when I was struggling with the same issue, “Whatever the disciples will need has already been provided in the community they were going to.” This has been the same for all whom God has called to ministry, for me, for you, for our new trainees. It is a great encouragement to know this truth and to take God at his Word.

Lavinia and Elidad in Hong Kong 2013