If you have noticed the title of this blog, it is the Three Legged Stool. Today I want to start explaining the name and giving a little insight into where I am going with everything. I am praying that many will read this and begin to share the vision God has given me. While I am writing specifically to help develop a network of people and Churches to encourage missionaries, I believe that the things I am writing are also necessary for developing healthy Church communities. I will be writing about the first place we need to be dependent today. That is Holy Spirit and the written Word. I will continue with the other two places a missionary needs to be supported and encouraged, Those being their local, home Church family and finally, a missions' organization and/or a Church family in their new country. These three comprise the stool that supports the work of the missionary.
I am starting with Holy Spirit and the Word because they are the foundation that all ministry flows from. They cannot be separated. Holy Spirit was sent to lead us to Jesus. He came as a comforter, guide, counselor, and our source of wisdom. Jesus told us that it was necessary for Him to leave so another, Holy Spirit would come. When we neglect, or overlook Holy Spirit, we also miss Jesus and the Father. How can I say this? Jesus told us that Holy Spirit's job was to speak of and lead us to Him. The Holy Spirit came to witness of Jesus to all that have not seen Him in the Flesh. Jesus is the way to the Father so, without Holy Spirit, we will miss the Father and the Son.
"But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. [Jhn 15:26 ESV]
I connected the written Word to Holy Spirit because this is the primary place He speaks to us and testifies of Jesus. If we are not in the written Word, we will never come to know the Living Word. The truth concealed on its pages are filled with life and Holy Spirit speaks to us through them more than any other way. They are a place to learn to discern the ways God leads and speaks. A person who is not absorbed in the written Word will find it impossible to recognize and discern the leading of Holy Spirit.
As we allow ourselves to be washed and our minds trained by the written Word, we will find Holy Spirit opening us to new ways of seeing things and new ways of thinking. Romans tells us to be conformed to this new way of thinking. It is a way that has been trained and conformed to the mind of God brought to us by His Spirit and informed by His Word. Paul put it this way
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. [Rom 12:1-2 ESV]
As we present ourselves to God, it is so He can fully do His work in us. Part of that work is that we cooperate with Holy Spirit and submit ourselves to the study of His written word while He changes the way we see things. He begins to give us His mind and we start to discern His will. The fruit of this is that we will begin to look more like Jesus to the world and we will have more confidence in following His leading. You will find yourself guessing less and walking more in confidence that God is directing your steps.
For a missionary, this is the starting point. There will be many times that a missionary cannot see a way to accomplish anything. The purposes of God are beyond human reasoning. He gives us glimpses but it is only by His Spirit, working in a renewed mind that there can be confidence in stepping out in faith. If we want to make any real difference in the world, we begin in this place. The cross brought our death with Jesus but Holy Spirit raised Him to life and united us with Him in His resurrected life.
But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [Rom 8:10-14 ESV]
Being a missionary requires wisdom and courage that only comes by fellowship with Holy Spirit. It requires discernment and knowledge of the written Word to walk in this fellowship. This fellowship is the relationship with the Living Word that Holy Spirit draws us into. It is this relationship that incorporates both our mind, will and emotions and also our spirit, made alive in Christ. It unlocks the wisdom of God for us. While the world is in bondage, we can walk in freedom and joy.
Paul said it this way to the Corinthians. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." [1Co 1:27-31 ESV]
On our own. we can do nothing. In the natural, we do not think like God. His ways are so far beyond us that we cannot comprehend them. Even if we recognize them, we won't be able to accomplish them. They are not ours to do. God's work is His. His plan is His to fulfill. Our role is to walk with Him as a witness to tell of all He is doing. A missionary is one that proclaims what they see. We see from being united with Jesus by Holy Spirit and it is this union that empowers us to be where we need to be, when we need to be there to say and do what God gives us.
In my last blog post, I wrote about not being enough. not smart enough, not strong enough, not good enough to accomplish God's purposes and that trying only makes me tired and wanting to give up. That is the point we can begin to move with the Spirit. When we know we are not enough, we are in a place that we can finally acknowledge our utter dependence on Holy Spirit to lead and guide our every word, our every action so we can be in step with all He is doing in the world today. We can't lead the work. We can't cause it to be fulfilled. We can only get close enough to Holy Spirit to follow His lead. Then, as He is drawing people to Jesus, He will allow us to speak for Him and to act for Him in ways that will accomplish His work.
We are totally dependent on Holy Spirit to do anything of value. He is our first and primary need. In humility, we must submit ourselves to the position of dependency. As a practical matter however, He is not our only need. God made us to need other people and in the next two blogs, we will explore these other two needs to be able to walk in God's purposes.
I pray that you are enjoying these posts and being challenged by them. Please subscribe in the link below and they will come to your inbox. Also please share the posts and the blog homepage with your friends and social media contacts. Your help will help me reach a larger audience with the goal of creating a network of people to build and encourage the long term success of missionaries.
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