skills

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)

God Wired You for the Way He Wants to Use You

/ Phill

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The phone rang in the Global Opportunities office. The call was from a successful banker in mid-career wondering what God was saying to him. He sensed God was calling him to get involved in overseas ministry and was seeking counsel. He was feeling frustrated and confused.

As we talked he explained he was selling the regional bank he founded and was in transition. Obviously, he was good at what he did, this was the second time he started with nothing and made it into a business others wanted to buy from him. He was “wired” to be a good banker. He enjoyed it and he was good at it.

He had sought counsel from his pastor and came away troubled. The pastor’s advice was to put his life on hold, go back to seminary, and then look for a mission agency who would accept him, then after raising support send him to one of their fields. But, what do I do about my family, and my mortgage and other financial commitments in the meantime he asked. He also wondered, “What if I am not cut out to be a seminary student. Will this all have been for naught? There were not a lot of good answers to his questions.

As we talked about how God had gifted him and that God could use those gifts and might not be asking him to “re-tool” and become something he was not made to be I could hear a change in his voice and a rush of relief. “So I am not crazy after all,” he said.

We continued exploring alternative paths to ministering with impact, overseas, taking advantage of the special skills, passions and gifting that God had placed in him. We talked about tentmaking and having a unique opportunity to go where traditional religious workers could not go.

How I wish now I had been able to point him to a meditation by Os Hillman I recently found. The reflection comes from Exodus 31: 1-5

Then the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts– to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.

Hillman advises, “Friend, your interest in your vocation is not born of your own making. So many business people and even pastors have made the mistake of encouraging us who have a deep desire to walk with Christ in the work place to pursue vocational ministry. To remove us from the marketplace where the greatest harvest is yet to occur would be to remove us from where God called us.

“Do not take this bait. Serve the Lord in the marketplace where he has gifted you and called you.” 

You will find the entire meditation at Surf in the Spirit 
I encourage you to take a moment to jump over there and read the full text and reflect on it.

Serve God by doing what you like

/ Steinar Opheim

http://globalopps.org/tmbriefs/tmb11.jpg

Steinar Opheim

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. The next one is in Florida March 2-6. You can find information on this one and on all the other courses and seminars on www.globalopps.org.

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)

Why training for ministry skills is so important.

/ Ari Rocklin

Business as mission (BAM) is a fast growing component of missions to unreached areas of the world, and so it should be. It is a wonderful way to enable people to help themselves instead of being supported by well intended organizations or individuals. On the other hand are people who start Kingdom businesses that have a for profit purpose. I am excited at this trend and am seeing great changes in many countries where I am in contact with tentmakers.

Here is the problem as I see it.

When I look at BAM events around the world, and look at the schedules and outlines of topics that will be addressed, I seldom see a ministry component or how to do ministry  in tandem with the business.

I once wrote the BAM seminar coordinators of an upcoming event and asked why there was 
no ministry training included in their wonderful program? They told me that it simply had not crossed their minds, as they were busy lining up people with much to offer in developing a business plan, dealing with bureaucracy, raising funds etc. In their defence, they immediately asked me if I could teach such a session.

Many Christian professionals take jobs overseas or are assigned to a foreign posting by their company, often to so called closed countries. Unfortunately many leave without any specific ministry training and thus miss out on intentional sharing of their faith in meaningful ways.

“Christian professionals with overseas jobs are not tentmakers unless they intentionally seek to make Jesus known to the local people of the host country”          Ruth Siemens

GO trains tentmakers, business as mission people for critical ministry  skills in difficult countries, many of which are hostile to Christianity, not only to thrive in new cultures but to have effective ministry within the constraints of local laws and regulations. This may sound overwhelmingly difficult, but it does not have to be.

As a high level security official of a closed country once told me in a brash way, “Not even in Slamistan (his country) is it against the law to answer questions.” This simple statement tells us that renting a building for church services and then inviting people to come to a meeting is not permitted, but having relational conversations, replying to people’s questions, is not only accepted, but legal.

When you seek out training for tentmaking, business as mission, make sure you will also learn about doing ministry. Integrate your ministry plan with your business plan, and let God do the rest.

Ari Rocklin
GO Mobilizer