Author: Steinar Opheim

What went wrong with the World Watch List?

/ Steinar Opheim

Saudi-Arabia or Nigeria? Where do you think this picture was taken? The answer is Nigeria. The current World Watch List from Open Doors does however indicate that it is more dangerous to be a Christian in Nigeria than in Saudi-Arabia. Foto: Steinar Opheim

Open Doors is an important advocate for the persecuted church. The organization´s World Watch List is a powerful tool that brings attention to those who suffer for their faith in Jesus. The list will however lose its status unless Open Doors changes the way it is made. Continue reading →

God moving into the neighborhood

/ Steinar Opheim

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From time to time The Message is just brilliant in the way it has paraphrased some of the texts in the Bible. John 1:14 (MSG) says:

“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.”

Anyone who is involved in tentmaking will from time to time be asked what tentmaking is all about. The simple answer is this:  It is all about God moving into the neighborhood. By sending Christian professionals to work in other countries and places, God’s kingdom is established in new neighborhoods all over the world.

A few years ago Barna research surveyed why people come to Christ. According to their statistics most people become believers because they have a close relationship to someone who knows Jesus.

Workplaces and neighborhoods are wonderful places for making contacts with new people. These relationships are creating highways along which the Gospel can travel.

Unfortunately other surveys show that many believers often spend most of their time hanging out with other people who are already followers of Jesus. In this way great opportunities for sharing the Gospel are lost.

One married couple once decided to make changes in their lives in order to build friendships with more people who didn’t know Christ. They promised each other that they would make sure that 50 per cent of the people who came to their home would be those who had no faith in Jesus. The decision caused huge changes. First they had to stop inviting their Christian friends. And then they had to befriend people who had little or no knowledge about Jesus.

Two Challenges

First, we will challenge you to write down the names of friends with whom you have regular contact. As you look at the list, ask yourself if you should befriend more people who do not know Jesus Christ in order to introduce them to him.

Second, we would like you to look at the map below showing where in the world the Gospel is least known. We ask you to prayerfully consider if there are any new places God is asking you to go so that he will be able to move through you into some new neighborhoods.

Serve God by doing what you like

/ Steinar Opheim

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What does a little boy bringing food to Jesus and a European comedy show have to do with tentmaking?

The boy who came with bread and fish to Jesus was too small to be a professional himself. Probably he had not even prepared the food he is bringing in front of Jesus. Still a drawing of this little, faithful young man has become an illustration for the GO Equipped TENTmaking courses that are run several places in the world. The main reason for this is that the boy is making what he has available for Jesus in order for the Lord to use it. And because he has this attitude, he and the others present become witnesses of one of the greatest miracles the world has ever seen.

God’s calling to all of us is to bring what we have in front of him so that it can be of use to him. That also includes our professions.

God and desires

It is probably not by chance that you chose the profession you did. God has designed us in different ways. His design also defines what we are interested in. And our interests will again direct us when it comes to choice of profession.

Many people are concerned about what God’s will for their life is. A good way of finding the answer is to ask what interests the Lord has given to you and what you would like to work with. God is not a father that gives us desires and interests in order to test if we are willing to sacrifice everything to follow him. He usually wants us to use his gifts to glorify him.

A Bible school teacher working for a conservative, Lutheran school in Europe once said that his standard reply to young students seeking the Lord’s will for their lives was as follows: “Until God shows you something else, you should think that he wants you to do and work with whatever you like the most.”

This may of course sound like self-fulfillment, but it isn’t.  As believers we have a calling to develop our God given gifts in order to glorify him. If our aim becomes to glorify ourselves, we have missed the point.

Move your skills

When it comes to tentmaking and Business as Mission, you are not asked to leave your profession to serve God. The question is whether you are willing to bring your skills and God given gifts with you to another culture in order to be God’s’ambassador’there?’If’your’answer’is’yes’or’maybe,’you’should’consider’attending’one’of’the’upcoming’GO’Equipped’TENTmaking’courses.

Let’us’go’back’to’the’little’boy’bringing’food’to’Jesus.’A’few’years’ago’some’European’comedians’made’a’TV – show’where’they’pretended’that’they’were’teaching’people’to’prepare’food.’They’had’bought’five’loaves’of’bread’and’two’fishes.’Then’they’held’a’Bible’in’front’of’the’camera’saying:’”According’to’this’book’this’will’be’enough’food’for’5000’people.”‘Everyone’laughed,’but’of’course’the’recipe’was’not’right.’They’had’forgotten’the’most’important’ingredient:’God’s’blessing.

When’we’bring’our’professions’and’what’else’we’have’in’front’of’God,’he’can’use’it’for’his’purpose,’and’he’can’make’us’a’blessing’to’many’nations.’(Gen’12)

Has God stopped moving?

/ Steinar Opheim

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A 25-year anniversary coming up next month will either put God or the global church to shame.

Expectations where high as the 4.300 leaders at the Lausanne congress in Manila in 1989 were finalizing the Manila manifesto. For the first time the great challenge of the unreached people groups had been highlighted in front of leaders from the whole world-wide church. The participants from 173 nations were eager to take the Gospel further and make Jesus salvation known among the thousands of unreached people groups that were known. Leading voices believed that the job could be finished by the end of the millennium.

Now, 25 years later, the task of reaching the unreached in many ways looks just as unfinished as it did for the participants in Manila.

According to Joshua Project close to 7,000 of the world’s 16,600 people groups must still be labeled as unreached. The total number of people in these groups is close to three billion. More than 4,600 people groups are still below the radar of the worldwide church and no one is planning to reach them with the Gospel.

Shame

“We are deeply ashamed that nearly two millennia have passed since the death and resurrection of Jesus, and still two-thirds of the world’s population have not yet acknowledged him,” confessed the participants at the Manila congress.

Who is to blame for the fact that next to nothing has changed in the quarter of a century that has passed by since then? Has God stopped being on the move or does he no longer have a desire to see all people saved? Or is it Jesus followers who have misunderstood the task their Lord gave them or maybe they are just unwilling to fulfill it.

In an article posted on Joshuaproject.net, Kent Parks in Act Beyond points out some reasons why the church has failed to fulfill the Great Commission. Lack of interest is one key factor.

– The emphasis on unreached people groups seems to have resulted in “boredom”among some church leaders – and they seem to want to find the next idea. One Asian mission leader shared that just about the time the Western Christians have succeeded in raising awareness for the unreached people groups s around the world, some seem to have developed “attention deficit disorder” and want to move on to something new, writes Parks.

Lack of friends

Joshua Project estimates that for every dollar of Christian resources less than one penny is directed at reaching unreached peoples. The American-based resource center also refers to a survey done a few years ago showing the likeliness of Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims being reached with the Gospel. According to the survey 86 out of 100 Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus worldwide do not know a single Christian.

John 1:14 states: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood” (The Message). If God is to continue to be on the move, Christ’s followers may need to be willing to move too.

The summer months often give time for reflection. Could you consider applying for a job, start a business or study in a place where you can reach one of the people groups that has yet to hear the Gospel?