A HISTORIC MEETING BETWEEN CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE AND LAOS EVANGELICAL CHURCH

           Laotian Pastor's Visit:  A historic meeting was held for the first time between Church of the Nazarene representatives from the United States and Laos Evangelical Church leaders in the afternoon of September 24, 2009 at Nakham Church in Vientiane, Laos.  Rev. Rodney Miller, Senior pastor of Elgin Church of the Nazarene and Rev. Sisouphanh Ratthahao, associate Pastor Laotian Community Outreach made a historic trip to Laos by the Commission of Nazarene World Mission Department.

It's the first trip for Rev. Miller who is also the President of the Nazarene Missionary International from Chicago Central District.  For pastor Ratthahao, it's the second trip to his homeland since he left the country in 1979 and it's his first since 1995.

On their way to Laos, they met with Rev. Sawat Hahom, Thailand District Church of the Nazanene Superintendent in Bangkok.  After having a strategic meeting,  the three leaders, representing three ethnic groups traveled to Vientiane, the Capital of Laos.

They were warmly greeted by Rev. Dr. Khamphone Kounthapanya, President of Laos Evangelical Church and his key colleagues at Wattay Airport on September 24th. 

In the afternoon, the three leaders had an official meeting with the Leadership Team of the Laos Evangelical Church, presided by Dr. Kounthapanya.  The leaders exchanged their visions for church planting in Laos. 

Later, in the evening, the Laos Evangelical Church hosted a banquest to welcome the church leaders from the States and Thailand.   Rev. Miller also had the opportunity to present gifts from the Elgin Church and the Lao New Harvest Church of the Nazarene to both the President of the Laos Evangelical Church and to the Thailand District Supertindent at the banquet.

Besides their official meetings, the three leaders from the States and Thailand had spent a few more days attending Christian services and touring the country which used to be called "The Land of million elephants." 

Pastor Sisouphanh expressed his dream that one day we may see at least ONE MILLION Laotians who give their hearts to Jesus as their Saviour.

Overall, this historic trip was successful in creating more understanding and cooperation between the Churches inside and outside Laos.

 Free Car Wash?  No Kidding!

"Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life."                

Lessons From A Fishing Trip

"Jesus said to them, 'Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fishermen out of you.  I'll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.' "  (Mark 1:17 The Message)

Recently, our men decided to take a fishing trip together in the Great Lake, north of Chicago.  We started out early just right after the sunrise.  First we stayed only a short distance from the shore and caught some pretty good size of salmons.  However, we lost many of them due to our inexperience of reeling in our catch.  We were all disappointed for losing half of our fish near the shore on that day.

Then our fishing captain took us out into a deep water and we caught some and lost some more bigger fish.  Before our fishing trip ended we caught 15 fish about half of our daily limits for six people.  "Overall, you're doing very good for the first time fishing in the big water like this.  IF IT WERE EASY, ANYONE COULD DO IT," our captain who has been in the fishing business for more than 35 years explained.  In other words, we were considered as successful and lucky in our new venture.  For many others it may take about 3-5 trips to catch some fish like we did.

LESSONS:  Go where the fish are.  Have a lot of patience.  Even though the fish get hooked, it's not neccessary you'll catch them all.  You may lose them in the process.  Do not be over excited when you land on some fish.  Some of them may get away in front of your eyes just before you'll reach out to shake hands and welcome them into your boat.  You definitely will CATCH SOME AND LOSE SOME, even pros will admit some disappointments.  The deeper water you go, the bigger fish you'll get but it also takes longer time to catch them.  However, the harder your efforts, the biggest and the most exciting results you receive.  DO NOT FORGET TO GIVE PRAISE TO THE LORD!  Then SHARE THE CREDIT AND REWARD with others, because you may not realize it takes more than one person to get the job done. It's a T.E.A.M. efforts (Together Everyone Achieves More.)  Finally, regardless whatever experience you may have, it is PRICELESS! 

Next time when you see a sign in someone's office which says "GONE FISHING!", do not be surprised.  You should take sometimes off and do the same once in a while and enjoy some fresh air.  You will clear your head and refresh your perspective of life and ministry as well.  GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR OWN FISHING!

Now we know how to catch some fish.  Jesus said, "Therefore, go and  make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these disciples to obey my commands I have given you.  And be sure of this: I am with you always even to the end of the age."  (Matthew 28:19-20 NLT)   

                                                                                                                                                                                      Posted by Aj James 5/25/09 

"Friends, when life gets really difficult, don't jump to the conclusion that God isn't on the job.  Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced.  This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner."  (1 Peter 4:12-13 The Message.)

Leadership Legacy

"And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ." (The Apostle Paul, 1 Corintians 11:1 NLT)

A.W. Tozer (1897-1963), one of the most widely known Christian leaders among evangelical churches in the past, reminded us that people do follow leaders for better or for worse:

"The history of Israel and Judah points up a truth taught cleary enough by all history, viz., that the masses are or soon will be what their leaders are. The kings set the moral pace for the people....

Whatever sort of man the king turned out to be, the people were soon following his leadership. They followed David in the worship of Jehovah, Solomon in the building of the Temple, Jeroboam in the making of a calf and Hezekiah in the restoration of the temple worship.

...And the truth is that for better or for worse religious people follow leaders. A good man may change the moral complexion of a whole nation; or a corrupt and wordly clergy may lead a nation into bondage....

Today Christianity in the Western world is what its leaders were in the recent past and is becoming what its present leaders are. The local church soon becomes like its pastor." (Tozer on Christian Leadership, A 366-Day Devotional compiled by Ron Eggert, January 8.)

It's interesting to note that Tozer wrote about this leadership issue in his generation. And it is still happening today.

 

 

 

 

Dreams In the Desert

Have you ever experienced a situation where no matter how much you've tried to make it happened but no result, and you still want to hang on to it?

Peter F. Drucker said about this common mistake within a non-profit organization including the church that is to patch up the old rather than to go all-out for the new. He went on to say, "It is one of the crucial tasks of the executive to know when to say, 'Enough is enough. Let's stop improving. There are too many patches on those pants." (MANAGING THE NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION, 70.) Great advise!

However, Drucker believes there are exceptions. "You can see some great achievements where people labored in the wilderness for twenty-five years. But there are very rare. Most of the people who persist in the wilderness leave nothing behind but bleached bones." He wrote. Then he quoted St. Augustine who wrote sixteen hundred years ago to one of his monks who busily built churches all over the desert, "THERE'S NO JOY IN HEAVEN OVER EMPTY CHURCHES." (71.) For me, that's hurt!

There are more than 10,000 Laotians living in the Fox Valley area in Illinois where I currently serve. For years we've labored for the Gospel but there's very little in the result (although things are improving and we are still winning souls.) But when things get tough I am tempted to move into a new area where the grass seems to be greener. Then the Lord keeps reminding me that I am NOT REALLY IN THE DESERT OF SPIRITUAL BARRENNESS. It's true that the Laotians in our area are still remained the biggest challenge to us, but there's plenty of hope through the POWER OF GOD'S WORD AND SPIRIT.

The Bible reminds us about "Hope In the Valley of Dry Bones." God asked the Prophet Ezekiel, "Son of man, can these dry bones live? I said, 'O, Sovereign Lord, you alone know.' Then he said to me, 'Prophesy to these bones and say to them, 'Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!'... " (See EZEKIEL 37:1-14.)

If you are a minister and wondering about your decision, I cannot tell you to move or stay. Every CALL and SITUATION is different. It's NOT a sin to stay (if there's still no breakthrough i.e, in William Carey's case) or move away (if you think it's still hopeless.) But if you choose to hang on, like me, there's hope in every situation. However, we cannot keep doing the same old way which is not working and expect good results. We must learn to let go some things and keep finding new ways to bring some great harvests.

 

 

 

The Ultimate Aim

Jesus said, "And again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." (Matthew 19:24 NIV)

A few years ago I began to have an interest in the game of golf. I love most games of sport. However, as I get older, golf seems to be an ideal game that I could pick up as my new advanture.

I began to read many books about golf. I realized that golf is not easy as I thought. (Since I am lefthanded, I could not find any book written specifically for lefthanded player. I had to visualize everything in the opposite of righthanded way.) Then a friend of mine bought me a set of used golf club from a garage sale. I was so excited and I went out to buy a lot of practice golf balls and practiced the swing in my own back yard. (You should see the divots in my grass and I actually tried to hide them from my wife by covering them with anything I could find.)

Then one day, I got a chance to play a real game of golf with a group of my friends. As I prepared to tee off the first hole, I tried to remember some tips from those books that I read. One of them said, "In playing this first hole, as in everything we do in life and golf, we must have a clear purpose and precise aim. It is a challenging par four that demands it tee shot so precise it could fly through the eye of a needle to a very narrow landing area." (Playing the game by Jim Sheard and Wally Armstrong, 15)

That's almost impossible for me to tee off for the first time and expected the golf ball to land in a very narrow of fairway. But I did it with my first tee shot. However, I escaped the first four holes with many bogeys :)

In the fifth hole par three, I tried to redeem myself from the previous failure. This time I used the ultimate aim. To my surprise and everybody else's, the ball actually landed on the green. However, I missed the birdie putt only to make par which is not too bad for the first timer.

I remember a popular statement, Robert Kennedy paraphrased George Bernard Shaw when he said, "There are some people who look at the way things are and ask, 'Why?'; there are others who look at the way things could be and ask, 'Why not?' "

Come back to the spiritual matter. When Jesus' disciples heard His saying, they were greatly astronished and asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:25-26 NIV)

We believe it's hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of heaven because there are too many things in life that many rich people do not want to let go and really focus on things that matter.

The Bible strongly urges us to focus on a real purpose for being and an ultimate goal in life. "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:1-2 NIV)

 

 

 

 

 

School Of Brokenness

I hope someday to share one of my biggest dreams. But for now, I only want to share about my brokenness.

In his book, A Tale Of Three Kings, Gene Edwards wrote "God has a university. It's a small school. Few enroll, even few graduate. Very, very few indeed." (13)

My all time favorite Christian author is Charles Swindoll. I probably have more of his books in my library than any author, except the Bible. Dr. Swindoll says about this school of brokenness, "The tuition is free. It only costs you your life."

As Marshall Shelley and Robert Moeller say in in Mastering Conflict & Controversy that God is more concerned with what happens in you rather than to you. In short, you attend the graduate school of character. (20)

At one time, I was in a high position with a denomination as a district director for the Laotian District. I was young and ambitious. My ego was high. I thought I would win the world for Christ by doing anything possible. One of our Lao district churches desperately needed a building. I led a campaign to purchase a church building for them. Our impossible dream became a reality. Then one day I was out of my job. I badly tried to find a new job to support my young family of four. I had taken grave yard shifts at factories off and on for over two years because we could not afford to leave our two young children while my wife had to go back working during the day.

I remember on the New Year's eve of 1997. During the break at work (yes, I even had to work on New Year's Eve) while the whole world had fun welcoming the New Year, I found myself very down bottom. I thought that I had wasted all my years of training both is school and ministry. I thought of Moses as he had spent 40 years in the desert as a shepherd after leaving the high position in Egypt. Then I thought of David had to live in the caves after spending months and years with King Saul in the palace. I also thought about how the apostle Paul must have felt during his retreat after he encountered with Christ on the road to Damascus. He must think that all his trainings in Judaism were wasted and later he had to support himself as a tentmaker.

Many times I thought my ministry was over. All my noble dreams were broken and I failed miserably. Some dispointments were beyond my control. Nevertheless, I learned what many people learned before me that God is in control regardless of what people or circumstances may do.

By the grace of God, in 1998 He allowed me to have another chance to serve Him again in a local church within a denomination called Church of the Nazarene.

Since then, my view of ministry has been changed. I no longer think of my own way of doing things. The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (TNIV)

A. W. Tozer said, "It's doubtful that God can use any man greatly until he's hurt him deeply." I don't know if God will use us greatly but one thing I do know it's no longer about us. It's only about Christ and for Him only.

 

 

 

The Audience Of One

Last night, my daughter asked me a question: "Dad, what are your dreams for the next ten years?" I thought about it for a moment. Then I said, "I don't know what to tell you. I used to have big dreams, but none is matter now. I am not concerned about my dreams only what God's dreams for me. I care less if God would allow me to serve 200 people or 20 people right where I am now only to serve His purpose." After that I told her about some of my realized dreams were turned to serve men's purpose than God's. Don't get me wrong. I love to have a big church if that's God's will for me. However, as I grow older, things don't matter although only people matter to God.

In his book, Rising To The Call, Os Guinness writes "The greatest deeds are done before the Audience of One, and that is enough. Those who are seen and sung by the Audience of One can afford to be careless about lesser audiences." (70)

In Genesis 17:1, God said to Abram: "...I am El-Shaddai - 'God Almighty.' Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life." (NLT.) Os Guinness comments that "behind the voice of God is the eye of God and behind the eye the face and behind the face the heart. To follow the call of God is therefore to live before the heart of God. It is to live life coram deo (before the heart of God) and thus to shift our awareness of audiences to the point where only the last and highest - God - counts." (69)

 

 

  

Honey,... I Shrunk the Church!

Everybody dreams of success. One of my favorite books is "LIBERATING MINISTRY FROM THE SUCCESS SYNDROME" by Kent and Barbara Hughes. In the first chapter they talked about their disappointed dreams in their early ministry. However they found out that success doesn't always mean in term of number. They listed success in ministry as Faithfulness, Serving, Loving, Believing, Prayer, Holiness and Attitude.

After preaching his heart out about the joy of giving to the Lord and to His work, our Senior pastor along with other church leaders felt disappointed with the results. Both numbers of attendance and offerings were down. Have you ever had some disappointed dreams? I surely have many.

I remember one Sunday morning I prayed and preached a strong message about commitment to God. Only four people (myself, my wife, my treasurer and her father) showed up on the following Sunday. But we did take communion together. When we got back home in that afternoon, I thought about an amusing cartoon and teased my wife, "HONEY, I SHRUNK THE CHURCH!" And I assumed the only reason our treasurer showed up today was because she needed to count the offerings and write me a check for the week (of course, that was not the case.) We still managed to laugh on our historic day. I thought I made a big mistake by delivering a high expectation message. But it turned out to be the best decision I'd ever made. Praises be to God, since then our ministry has been turned around for better.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2 NIV.)

Greg Laurie, Senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship shares a story of a minister of a small church once met the great C. H. Spurgeon, who was at the zenith of his ministry, and complained about the small size of his congregation. The minister voiced his envy of the thousands who came to hear Spurgeon each week. Spurgeon asked him, "How many people attend your church?" The minister replied, "About one hundred." Spurgeon replied, "I think that is enough to an account of on the Day of Judgment." Ouch! (THE UPSIDE-DOWN CHURCH, p.11)

If this encouragement does not liberate us from the success syndrome, I don't know what else. For me, whatever the Lord entrusts to me it would be enough to an account of on the Day of Judgment.

I also like Warren Wiersbe when he says, "You can never be too small for God to use, only too big."

Greg Laurie also makes the point, "I believe that a vital small-town church that is ignited for God is far more capable of setting the world on fire than a huge church that has turned into a social club." (23)