Help Wanted!

Dear Friends,
I am continually surprised by the God who calls people who are broken so that they will be lifted up and be a reason for others to be lifted up. I am learning my God is a God who takes a dirty rug and brings beauty out of it. This is hard to accept for a reasonable and sane, but may be the ability of God who brings beauty out of mess makes him one and only. It is a privilege to serve him.
There are many people, specially from this country who could do much better job than what I do and God chose me as I am continuing to live on the edge. The love I get from friends and God, everyday making me so thankful and filled with gratitude because I know none of what I get do I deserve . The weaker I am the more I am recognizing that I do not deserve what I am doing and how much thankful I should be for what God is doing in the people who are in my life.
Paul calls himself a Chief of sinners in 1 Timothy 1, as Dan Allender, pointed out clearly. But the amazing thing is Paul talks about a lot of sinful people who do not deserve to go to heaven and then moves to show how sinful he is,
8We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9We also know that law[a] is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
The Lord's Grace to Paul
12I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus
15Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.






And Paul continues to call himself a "chief of sinners" Paul is saying I am really one of the worst of those people he described in verses 8-11. He even continues to call himself blasphemer, persecutor and a violent man. Then, he says I still am the worst of the sinners. But because of the grace of God I am saved and even I am a leader. Many leaders think they are the best of all. I think the best biblical description for all leaders who are called by God is the "worst of all" or as Allender describes it "The Chief of Sinners." The more I see my sin the more it brings me to the bible. Some times in Bible studies and fellowship, people try to explain away the failure of God's leaders; or somehow they try to make it holy. The only difference I see from the saints of salvation history and the worst sinners are the gospel. Many leaders want to give a good appearance to the outside world by hiding their brokenness hoping no one will discover it. Good luck with that! Paul, and other leaders, however, did not ashame to embrace the deep sinfulness in their leadership. The only thing, according to Paul, that makes a Christian leader great is the fact that Jesus fell in love with the worst of all.
Culturally, it makes me cry when I see broken famous leaders try to cover up their brokenness at the cost of the joy that comes from embracing weakness.
Because I have been misunderstood culturally it is very easy for people to level me as if I do not know anything or as one church leader, years ago, put it in talking to me on leadership, "we are studying your status in our church to see what you deserve." Thankfully, people who hurt me without knowing, helped me to see myself in a more realistic way and to look at the bible and read more on leadership. Therefore, I thank the people who intentionally or unintentionally hurt me. Because God used that to help me see and embrace my weakness and boast about it. They made me look into the Bible if the CEO leadership style which puts one person above others really is biblical. Look what Dan Allender says about leaders in the bible:
I can hardly name a leader in the bible who didn't fail radically enough to warrant being removed from leadership...it seemed God loves to use troubled,odd, unpredictable people to not only lead others but also to make the gospel known.
I think that is very similar to what Paul is saying above. God really chose people through out salvation history who are very reluctant, afraid to lead, and who really know and embrace their brokenness and not afraid to admit it. When God chose a poor sinner who gets in trouble a lot because of his brokenness creates a story that gives glory to his name. As Allender, again points out clearly, " Leaders are primarily story tellers and story makers; and troubled people are called to be leaders because they create and tell compelling stories. Sane, reasonable, play-it-safe people are not sufficiently engaged in life to generate great stories. instead they sit back and wait a leader-storyteller to come along and get them caught up in a life worth living.

This does not mean leaders are out there looking for trouble. The world is broken enough around a true leader to give him enough ways to give him enough pain and trouble. I really love what I do. Most days end up with things I can not do because I was not able. I feel bad because I was not able to bless one more family today for the lack of volunteers or my weakness. But the same time I embrace and enjoy my limitedness for the God who cares for the poor is more than me to touch lives and provide needs. The families we are trying to help come from a broken world that remind me of mine and others sin around me. Thankfully, in the last four years I never had a problem to be reminded how imperfect and sinful I am. Some people tried to accuse me of my imperfection to hurt me, others did it because they truly love me. When I look back why God put a reluctant person like me in leadership because he wanted me to tell a story of his deep continuing forgiveness to the fool. I love you Jesus!

I am here because I am loved by Jesus. As I go forward, the only single hope I have and the strength and passion that gives me going is the fact that Jesus chose a person like me to go tell to the people I serve who are ashamed of their sin, ashamed of their country, ashamed of their family and tribe, that Jesus truly forgives those who do not deserve to be forgiven. He forgave me and continues to forgive me. Not only that, he chose me to lead and allow me to fail to constantly show how vast his love is. OH! I pray that many leaders in this country see the mission field that God brought from all over the world is the reflection of the weakness we have and as we are willing to be vulnerable we can cross and touch others. Because the church aggressively applied the CEO model of world leadership, to many people, who come from another countries the leaders are so unreachable. Therefore, many people think that the church is lead by so perfect and so high people. What a lie! I am praying that many people who know and serve Jesus, in this country would become vulnerable enough so that others will see the power of grace that calls the worst of sinners to do the best of all works. When leaders are able to do that Revival happens!

God's leadership model "chooses fools to live foolishly in order to reveal the economy of heaven, which reverses and inverts the wisdom of this world. He calls us to brokenness not performance; to relationship not commotion; to grace not success"

Paul, in his letter to Timothy, is saying that any leader can not be any righteous. Because any one in the kingdom who really chose to lead is a fool and a person who is living on the edge. Many leaders "know they are a mess. But they hope against hope that no one else would notice."
Help wanted! God wants to hire quality people. Fortunately, their quality is people who know they are the worst of all sinners! So that is why I am part ot it. Therefore, there is a place to a sinner and a weak person like me. That is why I love heaven! I am loved and ushered by the king of Kings! There is an opening for people who know that they will have the ability to accept the order of the true boss and the true leader.
What does this mean for cross cultural ministry? I think this is a powerful uniter. We all are broken. We all are "Limping" as Allender describes it. Therefore, we all need grace that God brings to us through each other. We embrace and enjoy our weakness, as leaders, in a cross-cultural world while God make us very thankful for choosing us to cross to each others world and love each other. That means no one is better or less than the other. All leaders, new and settled Americans, are working in the kingdom because they are loved and chosen while they are the worst of all and continue to be.
AMEN! WE ALL NEED TO BE PART OF THIS EXCITING GRACE FILLED JOURNEY WITHOUT TAKING OURSELVES SO SERIOUSLY! WE ARE NEEDED BECAUSE WE ALL ARE FOOLISH! WE ARE NEEDED WE ALL ARE THE WORST OF ALL!

LOVED BY JESUS!!!!

| By kishawork2 | 05:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

February 02, 2008

What an amazing year

Dear Friends,
Yes what an amazing year because of what God has done in all of our lives! I am out of town for a couple of days. God has touched me this morning with these verses as I think about the year that ended from Isaiah 45
8 "You heavens above, rain down righteousness;
let the clouds shower it down.
Let the earth open wide,
let salvation spring up,
let righteousness grow with it;
I, the LORD, have created it.
God is briging rightousness and justice to people who have been rejected and opressed. As much as much men should and try to bring rightousness it is ultimately God who brings justice. His justice is in the context of mercy and grace. That is why there is healing when God brings justice. You can read that in Luke 4 when Jesus proclaimed the year of Jubliee. In the book of Esther when the Jews were faced with injustice God brought justice in a woman in the palace whose Jewishness was a secret. That has been a challenge to many of us whom God has put us in a place where we can serve the less fortunate. We are working with more than 103 families and the numbere is growing. That is what happened in the last year. We did not try to bring justice on our standards we look for justice always in the context or mercy.

My life has been marked by an invitation to cross by the merciful Lord every single day. With all of its challenge crossing is the most joyful thing that has happened to me. I am so thankful. God helped me to "Rise Together" with those whom he brought in my life. I am filled with deep gratitude because God has used me to bring justice in the context of mercy to those who need it.
God gave me a wife who is gracious and who stood by me even in difficult times. Praise Jesus!
We just finished two successful semisters of tutoring in partnership with Firm Foundation Turoring.
Our Communal Mentoring program is taking a new shape but up until now the kids see us as a safe place and people to talk to them even when they are in trouble. God has used us as a chnnels of his love and we are thankful for that.
We have been blessed with many friends who are willing to be where we are at and cross to where we are at. We are very thankful.
Does this mean life was without difficulty? No, not at all, There were days, becaue of the painful difficulties, I wondered whether the Lord has called me to the work I am doing. Every step of the way, regardless of the sin and challenge in and around me, God has been deeply loving and immesurably gracious in confirming his will in my life. That love of God made me to extend Justice in the context of mercy to those who may not deserved it or who has been so far from it up until now.
In the mid of 2007, at one point, because of the challenge I was in the midst of, confused if God has called me to the ministry. I am hurting and crying for help. Mercy and justice seemed very far. I was feeling useless. It looked like God has take a vaccation. I was really confused! I had a dream that night which confirmed God, truly called me to the work I am doing. I do not know what you think about dreams. Belive me I have my reservations. But this was more than clear and that was what I needed. God is a god of mercy and Justice.

My God is an amazing God. Though I literally disowned by my father many years ago he became my father and brought justice in the context of mercy in everything I have done. I want that justice to be contagious and touch many people.

Believe me, cross-cultural ministry is not an easy work: there were, and still are, times I would be levelled, there were times I was truly insulted, there were many times I felt alone in the midst of many people, there were times I felt a guest in the midst of God's people. But because God stayed with me I stayed with the people he has called me to serve. Thank you Jesus! God's mercy and justice is vaster than the sea.

There was a day myself and my wife did not have any money to the ministry and to ourselves. But God came in the midst of that. One of those times was just about three months ago. We needed a sizable amount of money. But we did not know where to get it. Before we go to bed, I remember praying, saying to God he has provided so far and we will trust him to continue to provide. The next day God provided the money for my wife as a refund from her company for the money she already spent on education and which she really did not expect. The money is almost four times more than we expected. Yes Crossing is difficult. But When God is there the waters will divide into two walls making a way for God and his people to move on.

We are making some important changes in our ministry in the coming days. We are inviting all of you who have been given spercial gift, who are in the place of privilage, in the place of leadersship to help us and stand by us as we make these mature and right changes. Just as God used queen Esther to bring Mercy sang Justice to the Jewish people he wants to use you:

"Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"


God brings justice whether we respond to his call or not. As Merodicai told Esther. It is a privilage to try to bring God's mercy and Justice to the most undesrved ones this past year. I hope you will see it as a privilage not as a burden to serve people who may not be fortunate otherwise.
Let the showers of mercy and justice fall on all of the people who have been levelled and rejected.
Happy New Year!
Jesus Come Again!

| By kishawork2 | 11:04 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

January 30, 2008

Convinience and Call

Dear Friends,
Today when I woke up the Lord was brought this song in my language that is deep and touched me to the core.
We have made if thus far
because you Shepherd us
in bad and in good protected us
glad tomorrow is in your hands
as we love and continue to live
in your miracles
I live and continue to live because of God's miracles. I stay and continue to stay because of God. Recently the Lord brought a choice in my life between convenience and truth. We live and do everything we can to get convenience. When you see the TV ads you will see how much we are after convenience. You can see that creeped in the Christian community which is trying to do ministry at the least convenient way. There is nothing wrong to have convenience. But when it governs our thinking of living and relating there is a big trouble.

Many of us who lead God's people are trapped, knowingly or unknowingly, in the convenience dilemma that will touch our core values. The sad thing is,most of us are not even aware of it. This is not new you can see it through out salvation history. To remind you one; the Israelites were in the wilderness and so inconvenienced that they demanded to go back to Egypt.
I have recently learned in a very hard way to look what God has called me to do though mostly it inconvenienced me and others. The Church needs to watch lest it sacrifices God's new movement for the sake of organizational convenience and familiarity. Those choices and changes we are making are happening because what God is doing in our communities is at stake. As McManus, points out the church is an organism that brings changes in all of its aspects.

As I said many times, because some people try to put others in a box of their own they find it very difficult to accept the growth and the change God is doing in our lives.

But God who calls a fisherman, a forgotten Shepherd, a given up farmer like Gideon, or a death row hopeless like Mordecai he called people whom you would not expect to be part of the kingdom. If anyone recognize that they would not have a problem with what God is doing in the lives of the people who are not expected to be on the top column of the suburbia Church shelf.

Here at RISE TOGETHER MINISTRIES God is allowing us to to take unusual steps in making sure not just justice and mercy, but biblical justice and mercy is applied in our lives and others. I personally believe that I am the least to deserve God's grace and mercy. Because I am one and on the top of the worse. But God has extended that mercy to me. Just like those workers who did not like what their masters paid to the latecomer workers(Matthew 20). God decided to pay attention to me to the least one and bless me. Some people may not like that. But it is the master's decision and when it comes the master's decision no one can have an option.

And that love and extended grace made me to love and stay with people who would not be lovable or acceptable otherwise. To some people of "order and importance," that is not acceptable. Others who have received grace and mercy from God joined in the work.

My pastor was preaching about prayer this last week. One of the important thing God has taught me from his sermon is Prayer is entering God's character. It is not being able to explain his intellect. It is willing to be loved and accepted by him. It is allowing God to do new things in our lives. Some people try to figure out what he is thinking or even try to figure out God while he is inviting them to share his heart and his grace. What a loss!
Because some people are not willing to move with the God who creates new things does not mean God stopped working. If the God I worship is a God who has been put in the box of some suburbia mentality I would have gone long time ago.

The God I worship is a God who allow me to enter his heart and be loved by him. Out of that grace and mercy come. It is an experience that make me joyful and move me in the new direction that he designed for me and the community I am privileged to serve.

The more I think about it the more I love the work I do; and the more I fall in love with my God. I do not think I will allow anyone to take that away from me because they are not willing to move out of their box.
I love God and more that that it is a great joy to be loved while you are broken!

| By kishawork2 | 07:33 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

January 25, 2008

Touching Jesus

Dear Friends,
This morning God was speaking to me through my pastor. Do you remember that lady in Israel who was bleeding for 12 years before she came to Jesus? The message was about her. She was not suppose to touch any one, she was not allowed in the temple. She was suppose to be outside of the city. If she was to follow the culture and crowd of that time she was not allowed to touch any one, let alone Jesus.

But when She was desperate she came to Jesus. Against the crowd she made her way through and gripped Jesus' cloak. she was instantly healed. Most of the time though we do understand how much we need Jesus we do not do the most unpopular thing until God bring us to our desperate hour. As my Pastor suggested, God has seen her first and that helped her to come. All the desperation and the bleeding helped her to decide to come to her solution at last, thank you Jesus!

to me the beginning of this year was like that. In the past 4 years one of my brokenness was the fact that I did not want to upset any one. At my own cost, because of the community I serve and in the name of not to be in trouble.
I avoided confrontation, I avoided fight even when it is worth fighting. I waited till the last minute. Just like this woman, when I am desperate I came to Jesus and did all the things I did not want to do. Interestingly, that is when I saw Jesus working in me.
One of my friends was telling me last year, in the midst of the pain that I was going trough, God is growing me to become a leader who tells people the truth in the context of justice and mercy. Though it has been a bumpy ride, because of my disobedience to God, it is one of the best changes God made in me. My desperation brought me to Jesus. Because of the fear of rejection and not wanting to be uncomfortable; I waited until the last minute to make the choices and changes that I needed to bring to myself and to the people I serve. The more I did not want to confront people, including those who hurt me, to avoid confrontation the more I became miserable.
God brought me to the hour of my desperation and I was able to walk with him and there is healing and restoration. Believe me it seems easier to go with the crowd, and may be continue bleeding until God brings you to the healing. But it takes, to most of us, a lot of desperation to crack thorough the crowd and get the grip of Jesus. The Church of Jesus Christ is not a pleaser institution it is a counterculture movement. It is not an institution that tries to catch-up. It is a movement that is a forerunner and changes times.
Because God is moving me in the direction I never planned there will be people who would be upset and mad. Because of the cross cultural movement I am in, and most people choose not to cross, when things change I know I would be levelled and may be rejected. But because this is the healing movement of God I had to make difficult choice and changes because of the Justice and mercy of God to me and people I chose to serve.

My last four years again and again, taught me that it is possible to be a crowd that seemingly follow Jesus but not really come into grips with him. It take one desperate soul to see Jesus with all of his might and go against the odds. In this ministry, where I am constantly reminded that I am alien and Immigrant; I had to pay a price I never expected because of people who chose not to apply humility and servanthood in a cross cultural context. But the God who crossed from heaven to earth helped me to grow and touch many lives regardless of my delayed obedience. The God who chooses one person in the midst of the crowed who probably missed him is walking with me everyday regardless of the crowd's view of me. Many people have the mentality of making everything as normal and routine as much as they can so that their comfort zone would not be shaken.

The new year started with that desperate call to Jesus and he is proclaiming a year of Jubilee to me and the people I serve. I am free and I am loved and called by God with who I am. I am one of a kind as each one of you are.
I am not naive to forget that there are people who may consciously committed to be different from me. But I am learning to listen to God, only God. If that is a mistake it is worth making. I am trusted the God who gives life to the dry bones and stops a 12 year bleeding.
THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply Forward

| By kishawork2 | 01:15 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

December 07, 2007

Your God is Coming!

Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Last night Ache, a person we are working with, called me and told me his roomate, who had been in the US for a while, left without notice and took all of Ache's belongings as well. He had nothing even to protect himself from this cold weather. Last night I made sure he had a place to stay with some of the other families. Then this early this morning I brought him some furniture and clothing.

This experience made me think about the Scripture I read this Mornning from Isiah 40 "Your God is Coming." What an awesome God who comes to those who are at the bottom, and those who are the forgotten ones. There were many times my God has come to me through people who are willing to be used by him. There is a lot of betrayal, injustice, and pain in this world. I am learnning that to make a differeence we all need to pray that God will bring leaders who are willing to be forrunners rather than runner-ups. This is especially true for the diverse communities God is forming in churches these days. We need to pray for people who are willing to learn and decidedly, have a policy to be gracious to his or her fellow man, or as one author put it, people who are willling to practice 'Gracism."

I see in many parts of the world, people who believe they are doing cross cultural ministry, however they are not yet willing to truely cross over the the cultures they are trying to reach. Sometimes, as one author puts it, many people who are trying to do cross cultural ministry, while staying at their comfort zone, are "people who are trying to push the bus while they are still in it." If you need to push this bus of cross cultural ministry there is a big need of to get off the bus and pushing it together. "" Superiority cloaked in the desire to serve is still superiority." God is asking each one of us to give the best of what we have to the worst and the most undeserved. When you come down to it, that is what grace is all about. God came to us, we who are enemies and sinners.

As I tried to mention to some of you before, there is a lot of amazing knowledge in America, I am trained by Americans who loved me and who were willing to come to where I am. Whatever my teachers taught me, there is one thing that remaines in me, most of the world comes here with a broken heart and and an empty hand. Big knowledge can never heal a broken heart or an empty hand. It is time to get off the bus and be a healing and a blessing.

My prayer to many of God's people is that they will be a people whose are willing to have a paradigm shift in order to give grace to the worst and most undeserved. Your God is Coming! "God, make us people who are used by you so that your coming will be realized!"
When I see what is going on the the 103 families we are working right now (after Christmas that number will grow), we need to pray for harvesters not only seasonal visitors, but people who are willing to stay with the most undeserved ones. Please pray for us. I think with every thing Going on, God is doing a new movement. As most of you hopefully agree with Mcmanus, the Church is a movement not an institution. With this movement and coming of God we need to move with God. As Mcmanus, Says,
It appears that if we are unwilling to move with the wind of God, we will be moved by the whirlwind of God. One type of
movement is a journey into God's future; another uproots us from all the securities we refuse to relenquish.
I really think God is raising up leaders, slowly but surely, who are eqquiped with giving grace and willing to make real sacrifices so that they can love others as themselves. Some of the leaders God is calling are tired of playing a catch up game because they want to be forrunners like the New Testament leaders. When people, in any church, are willing to cross and see the God size movement they are willing to stay on the altar as living sacrifices. Yes, it may look and feel good to get off the altar. But if we are the tools God uses to show to the opressed that " their God is coming" then we will stay on the altar and move with the wind of God.

God is not calling people who are "benevolent opressors," or people with good intentions that are only willing to serve with in their own frame of reference. Ache, and others who are experencing opression and injustice, as if they had not already suffered enough oppresion in their own country, will be blessed when they see people who stoop down in order to lift them up. A people who are giving up on keeping up but a people who are willing to be far ahead in order to impact others and bring real change. This change is not only in the church but to the whole world. This change requires a cross cultural humility, which means literally leaving a comforts zone eventhough it is difficult, in order to trust people who are not so good in our eyes and standards! God help us to move with your wind! God Make us forerunners.!

| By kishawork2 | 10:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

October 30, 2007

Greatful! Volunteers or King and Queens

Dear Friends,
First of all I ask you not to read this if you do not have time and really involved in the busy american life. I know what it means for it took me more than two monthis to write this.
As you all know I live a life that is cross cultural in its all aspects. I am blessed to live in it. My wife is a gracious person who knows how to cross to where I am. I honestly can tell you I thank God everyday for her patience and grace. I have many wonderful friends who stayed with me through the years though our skin colour and accents are as far as east to west of the globe. I love living cross cultural life. since very early in my ministry my life has been characterized by cross cultural elements. I helped missionary friends to learn my language while they help me to learn English, I was literally discipled by a missionary brother who is still deeply love me and very close friend, I was educated mainly by missionaries who were not born in my country, I went to Asia to get my first Masters degree I talked the talk and walked the walk of cross cultural life. I enjoyed this life even when it is difficult for it is God who called me to CROSS.
My view of the American church is what I saw in my missionary friends back home. I have missionary friends who stayed home almost at the expense of their lives while the city I live was besiged. I know missonary friends who saved every penny they have, wearing torn pair of shoes, and very, very cheap close in order to reach the people in Africa who did not hear the gospel. One lesson, that remained all of these years in my life is the fact that any of those friends never thought what they are doing is a favor to the people they serve or to myself. The American missionaries in Africa are the jewels of the American Church who represent Christ in an amazing way. It is a privilage for me to be their friend though I do not deserve it.
Though I am blessed and continue to be blessed in this cross cultural life it is not free of the struggles. I belive most of you who get this e mail know me or crossed my way in good and difficult times. Therefore it is important to me to share you my struggles as an African. Some of you may read my blog www.kishawork.stlouisblogs.org but here I really want to share specific struggles as an African who is trying to cross to the settled culture, be a bridge between the American church and the "new Americans"
1. Is Cross Cultural ministry a favor or a privilage? I can tell you at this point God gave me a wonderful ministry that I have to lead and be accountable for. "RISE TOGETHET MINISTRIES" is designed to rise together above all the differences. One of my struggles I saw in the ministry is I come across many people who see what they do to the poor aliens we are serving as a favor and they want something back for it. I am throwing to all of you this question: Is ministry a favor you give or a privlage you recieved? Jer.20:9; 1Cor.9:16, 19. The reason I am throwing this verses is the fact that in God's community, it is a body working together no body is doing anybody a favor. As many of my friends do, I hope, pray and dream to see many churches and communities to be giver of themselves to Christ and others without expecting anything back. LORD MAKE THAT DAY CLOSER THAN EVER! If you struggle with the issue of being rewarded for everything you do in the kingdom I think it is time to search your heart and evaluate why you are doing ministry. I always try to be honest when I tell people about our ministry that it is not easy. I will stand with people who have difficulty when they serve God. But it really makes me wonder the faith of the people who think they are doing a favor for serving the God who saved them. Hopefully you know what I mean!
2. It is part of this culture, which I struggle with, sorry for being honest, to beg others to serve the Lord. Sometime we try to show people that it does not cost much of their convinience to serve God (Luke 9:23-34; Romans12:1-3). Serving God is not convinience. It is a process, a change. It can be uncomfortable. It took death on the cross for Jesus to save us.Do you think anyone would be inconvinienced to serve this God? My view of ministry is the fact that people need to know that serving God in Cross cultural ministry is a process of getting life through everyday dying to self and convinience. It is very inconvinient and difficult. I am not going to beg anyone to come and serve Christ. But I would love to offer the opprtunity to serve this God who inconvinienced himself even to the death of the cross. I understand serving God depends on the maturity and understanding of the person. But many people who volunteer in ministry, want to be treated as kings and queens just because they volunteer for ministry. Though as ministry leader, I always recognize the volunteers that are coming to may way I do not think I should beg anyone to serve God. I think my work is to presernt the opprtunity to relate and serve. Anyone serves because of the call in his or her heart and the reward that we expect from God. In many parts my country people give their full time to serve God without knowing where their next meal comes from. Why is it difficult to get volunteers in this culture who are sure of their next meal and shelter? It is a dilemma for me. Why do those who come want to be treated like kings and queens in the name of serving the King of Kings? It is a dilemma for me. Please know that I have many friends and people I know who are volunteering sacrificially. But there are people who are trying to climb on two trees because they have two feet. They are trying to serve without sacrifice, to live without dying to be a living sacrifice without staying on the altar. GOD HELP US!

I just remember the joke I read on Reader's Digest where a pastor and a cab driver went to heaven. The pastor was given a small house while the cab driver was given this big villa. The pastor asked, "I have been preaching all my life. and got this small house while this ordinary cab driver got this big villa" to which St. Peter Answered, " when you preach people sleep, when he drove people prayed. Therefore he caused more people to talk to God than you did." I am looking for a day where people who volunteer for Jesus cause more changes in the community by leaving their comfort zone to Cross and bless without expecting back from the poor people like us. For their reward in heaven is greater than any one can imagine. JESUS COME SOON!

| By kishawork2 | 03:39 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)