TMB

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)

Strategic Hospitality

/ Phill

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“Hospitality is the key to evangelism in the 21st century,” according to Steve Childers, an evangelism trainer for North America. He was speaking in the context of North America, where people no longer gather in stadiums and street corners to listen to preaching.

He may well be right. Hospitality as a strategic approach actually reaches beyond the shores of the western world. It is at least one of the keys to effective sharing of the gospel for tentmakers everywhere.

Hospitality refers to the friendly and generous treatment of guests, visitors, or strangers. Scripture has a lot to say about hospitality. It is not a peripheral theme in the New Testament. In fact, it’s a qualification for being an elder:

                 An elder “must be…hospitable” 1Ti 3.2

                 An elder “as God’s steward, must be… hospitable.” Tit 1.8

                 An elder “must be well thought of by outsiders” 1Ti 3.7

We are taught that it is not an option, but is commanded as lifestyle for followers of Christ. Heb 13.1-2 commands, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…”You say it’s not your thing? Get over it!

It should be a natural outflowing of the love that we experienced from God who, “shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” We are to love others as Christ loved us.

In Scripture hospitality goes well beyond the “fellowship-type-thing” and reaches out to show love to strangers and those outside our inner circle.

Strategic hospitality asks:

How can I draw the most people into a deep experience of God’s hospitality through the use of my home and relationships? Hospitality is often seen in the context of visiting in a home, or over a meal. Certainly, that is a part of it. But it should not be limited to the home. Our whole life should be characterized by a spirit of caring and generosity, whether at home, or the office, or on the street.

Here are some simple steps to take to begin building the habit of hospitality:

1.       Be intentional in pursuing relationships, including with non-believers

2.       Put it on your calendar

3.       Build relationships with people in places where you spend a lot of time and have natural contacts -neighbors and co-workers

4.       Build relationships through connections in your children’s activities

5.       Take up a hobby that opens up relationships with non-believers

6.       Pray for unbelievers in your life by name

One does not have to go overseas to start practicing strategic hospitality. Start developing the skill now and it will serve you well in the future.

What Can Tentmakers Learn from a Shoe Salesman?

/ Phill

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The Zappos online shoe company has been a growth phenomenon and the object of many business school case studies. Everyone wants to know what makes them tick and how they have managed to stand out and be so outrageously successful where so many others have failed.

Founder and CEO Tony Hsieh credits the company core values for their success. They capture the heart and soul of the company and define the way associates relate to each other, to their clients, and to the world.

Zappos calls their values – Family Core Values. Everyone in the company knows the values and is accountable to practice them in every aspect of their work. Even the customers know the values because they are included on every web page and shared in other communications to them. Expectations are set.

There is nothing spiritual about what they do. They sell shoes, make money (lots of it), and develop a loyal customer following along the way.

It is instructive to look at their values. Is there anything here that can also apply to your ministry or business?

Zappos commitment: as we grow as a company, it has become more and more important to explicitly define the core values from which we develop our culture, our brand, and our business strategies. These are the ten core values that we live by:

  • Deliver WOW through service
  • Embrace and drive change
  • Create fun and a little weirdness
  • Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded
  • Pursue growth and learning
  • Build open and honest relationships with communication
  • Build a positive team and family spirit
  • Do more with less
  • Be passionate and determined
  • Be humble

Many of these are surprisingly biblical and could be applied to a tentmaker on the field.

These may not be the values you want for your business/ministry, but it is important for a tentmaker to take some time and figure out what his values are. A tentmaker needs to have a set of core principles which characterize his work and life.

You may not want to be so ambitious. Start with 2 – 4 biblical guiding principles or values that you want to characterize your ministry. Find ways to integrate them into your everyday activities. It should not be something that is added on to what you are doing but something that is blended into what you are already doing. Demonstrate Christ’s love naturally through the way you interact with others.

In the case of Zappos we are looking at a company, so one might think the principle only applies to tentmakers doing business as mission. Actually, it can also help an employee tentmaker be more focused on the purpose for being a tentmaker and help in evaluating his own effectiveness.

By focusing on a few core values the tentmaker will have stronger relationships and show a consistent message.