Grace to Every Tribe

Recklessly Abandoned Senders: Giving to Missions

AJ — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:06:40 +0000

“I have but one desire now–to live a life of reckless abandon, putting all my energy and strength into it.”

–Ed McCully, Missionary Martyr (one of the ‘Ecuador Five’)

As a missionary, Ed McCully’s quote resonates with me. The longer I live and the more I read the New Testament, the more attractive the concept of living a life of “reckless abandon” for Jesus and the Gospel becomes to me.

The idea of reckless abandon for the sake of Jesus and the kingdom is not a new one. In Luke 14, when thronged by a multitude of curious, would-be-but-still-largely-uncommitted followers, Jesus turned and frankly declared: “Any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (v. 33).

Ed McCully (left) with Peter Fleming and Jim Elliot

These words are among the most radical of all of Jesus’ radical sayings. The finality and scope of Jesus’ ultimatum takes our breath away. It sounds so . . . well . . . reckless. “Renounce” is such a strong word . . . like “abandon.” And “all?” “Renounce all?” Really? This sounds so unrealistic to people who are ever accustomed to emasculating Jesus’ hard sayings. Such reckless demands do not jive well with the American Dream — even the “Christianized” version. Can Jesus really be asking us to recklessly abandon all that we have to be his disciples?

Everyone seems to agree Jesus’ words apply to those called to be missionaries. Yet, how do Jesus’ words apply to Christians who have not been called to the mission field? At To Every Tribe, we are fond of saying all believers are either goers, senders, or disobedient. So, what about the “senders” among us? Are Jesus’ words of self-denial and renunciation any less applicable to “senders” than they are to “goers?”

The answer must certainly be, “NO!” The difference between “goers” and “senders” is not the difference between sacrificing and not sacrificing. Nor is it the difference between being recklessly abandoned and being cautiously calculated. Those are the differences between “goers” and “disobedient.” The difference between “goers” and “senders” is purely functional. One carries the gospel to foreign lands while the other stays at home and facilitates that going. Both sacrifice. Both renounce all to follow Jesus. Both take up their cross. Both die to themselves. Both live lives of reckless abandon for Jesus.

Recklessly Abandoned Senders: Renouncing All

So, what does a recklessly abandoned sender look like? When Jesus says we must renounce all we have, he must, at the very least, mean we must renounce all personal claim to our money and material possessions. Our things, our money, our assets are not ours. Renouncing all we possess means we bring it all to Jesus and lay it at his feet. We surrender it all to him. We cease to view it as a means of making our lives more comfortable or secure. This means our assets are no longer personal assets, but kingdom assets. They are gospel assets. Jesus does not give us money so we can build our own personal kingdom. He graciously calls us into his kingdom and, then, gives us material resources for the advance of that kingdom — his kingdom, not our kingdom.

This is surely what Jesus meant in Matthew 6 when he said “seek first the kingdom of God” in the context of speaking about money and material goods. People who are not citizens of Jesus’ kingdom lay up treasures on earth. They work, toil, and sweat to build around themselves a cushion of financial protection and stability. They labor to amass property and possessions to improve the status and comfort of their own kingdom. They do so because their money is where their heart is. It is their treasure, Jesus says.

A New Kingdom

However, followers of Jesus have forsaken the kingdom of personal enrichment and have entered the kingdom of God. They have a new King and, therefore, renounce their former dogged pursuit of material accumulation because they cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24).

This transfer of kingdoms results in a radical re-evaluation of the role money plays in the lives of kingdom citizens. They “do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world” (1 John 2:15). They are no longer driven by “the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions” (v. 16). They are freed from the love of money (Heb. 13:5). The things they once considered to be their “gains” — their personal assets — are now counted as loss for the sake of Jesus (Phil. 3:7). They seek his kingdom first, and begin to accumulate wealth in heaven (Matt. 6:33). They realize the quality, success, and value of their life does not consist in the abundance of their possessions (Luke 12:15). Their expectations and desires for this life change. Since their treasure is in heaven, they are no longer looking for their kingdom to come in this life. They realize the only material things Jesus has promised us in this life are food and clothing (Matt. 6:25-34), and, with those two things alone, they are content (1 Tim. 6:8). They are happy with their allotted “daily bread” and nothing more (Matt. 6:11). They no longer obsess about feeding and clothing themselves because, as citizens of Jesus’ kingdom, they understand “life is more than food, and the body more than clothing ” (Matt. 6:25). Furthermore, they know their heavenly father knows their needs and will provide (Matt. 6:32). He promises to never leave or forsake them so they become increasingly detached from money (Heb. 13:5).

“Jesus does not give us money so we can build our own personal kingdom. He graciously calls us into his kingdom and then gives us material resources for the advance of that kingdom—his kingdom, not our kingdom.”

This is the perspective Paul encourages in 1 Corinthians 7 when he says, “[Let] those who buy [do so] as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it (vv. 30-31, NIV). Paul encourages us to maintain a healthy emotional distance from this world’s goods. Yes, we have to buy and sell. We are not ascetics. We must deal with material possessions in this life. We must conscientiously manage what we have. Yet, we do so in such a way that we remain ultimately unattached to these things. We hold onto all of them loosely as we seek to use those resources for the advancement of the kingdom.

In the Psalms, David called his house the “house of my sojourning.” We must learn to look at everything in that light — as a temporary gift from God — as we make our pilgrimage through this world. Our houses, money, cars, jobs, and careers are simply the houses, money, cars, jobs, and careers of our sojourning. If this is true, neither acquiring nor protecting any of these things in this life will be our chief occupation. Getting them will not drive us, keeping them will not occupy us, protecting them will not consume us, and losing them will not destroy us. We live for another time and another place.

Wartime Living

This radical kingdom perspective — financial reckless abandon — is often appropriately called “wartime living.” I can think of no better way to capture the sentiment of Jesus’ teaching. The call to wartime living is a call to simple living. It is a call to zero-excess living. It is a call to minimalistic living that conserves and funnels all resources into the greater war effort. In wartime, car assembly lines are converted to artillery factories. Food is rationed so as to send as much as possible to the troops. Money is used sparingly so as to conserve as much as possible for the front lines. The war becomes the all-consuming preoccupation of those who have sent their sons, siblings, and fathers off to the trenches. The progress of the war hinges, in part, upon the commitment of those back home to personal self-sacrifice and reckless abandon for the cause. Mission is war, and we must live accordingly.

The Philippians

Few people better exemplified this kind of sacrificial, kingdom-oriented, financial reckless abandon than the church in Philippi. In the book of Philippians, Paul recounts “from the first day until now” the Philippians had financially partnered with him in ministry (Phil. 1:5). In the weeks and months that followed Paul’s planting of the church, the Philippian believers “once and again” sent Paul gifts to fund his mission (Phil. 4:16-17). Apparently that support had continued throughout the years. Ten years later when Paul passed through Macedonia near the end of his third missionary journey, the Philippians once again demonstrated their reckless abandon as gospel-driven senders by sacrificially contributing to Paul’s offering for the suffering church in Judea. Here’s how Paul describes the generosity of the Philippian church: Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. (2 Cor. 8:2-3) That is financial martyrdom. They were poor, yet, out of their “extreme poverty,” their kingdom-centered, mission-loving generosity overflowed in wealthy giving. Nearly 20 years after Paul founded the Philippian church, their poverty continued, yet so did their mission-minded generosity. During his Roman imprisonment, Paul wrote the Philippians to thank them for the gift they had sent to him in prison — again, a gift sent out of deep poverty. “Do not be anxious about anything,” Paul encourages them. As Paul had learned, so they had to learn “the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Phil. 4:12). The Philippians understood, as their legacy of self-sacrificial giving to Paul’s mission indicates.

Funding the War

Mission is war, and war must be funded by wartime living–wartime giving. We cannot fund the war while pursuing the American Dream. The call to take up our cross, die to ourselves, and renounce all personal claim to our material possessions is a call to both goers and senders in this war. Mission requires more than dedicated self-sacrificing, recklessly abandoned goers. It also requires dedicated self-sacrificing, recklessly-abandoned senders.

* This is an article that I wrote for the Fall 2010 To Every Tribe magazine. This issue as well as back issues can be read here.

Want a Job With the Drug Cartel?

AJ — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 20:07:30 +0000

A while back I posted an article on the drug war in northern Mexico and it’s implications for our ministry. Today I ran across this photo of a job advertisement for the drug cartel, Los Zetas. The ad reads:

“THE ZETAS” want you. Military or Ex-Military. We offer you a good salary, food and attention for your family. You will no longer suffer mistreatment and hunger. We won’t feed you Ramen Noodles. Stop waiting to call. Interested parties call: 867-168-7423.

Subtle…

Jesus is Worth it

AJ — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:00:04 +0000

Here’s a video that captures the essence of To Every Tribe’s mission. Watch it here, on the Jesus is Worth it YouTube channel or at Jesus is Worth it .com.

Mexican Drug Violence and Our Ministry

AJ — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 04:02:08 +0000

I was recently asked to participate in a blog interview concerning To Every Tribe. I was asked specifically about what’s going on in Mexico with the drug war and whether or not things have gotten more dangerous in areas where we work. I prepared a short answer for the interview and a longer version for this blog. Here’s the scoop.

The drug war is most certainly escalating and things have definitely gotten more dangerous in Mexico. What’s going on? Well, because Mexico stands between the U.S. and South America, it’s estimated that over 70% of the drug flow into the U.S. each year is controlled by Mexican drug traffickers. These traffickers, organized into alliances called “cartels” have developed into powerful, dangerous criminal organizations that aggressively protect their territory and seek to expand their control of the lucrative narcotics industry. The “drug war” that we hear so much about is essentially the battle between rival drug cartels for control of drug trafficking routes through Mexico into the United States, as well as the battle between the cartels and the Mexican government and military.

This “drug war” in Mexico has been going on for a long time, especially since the ‘90s when the major Columbian cartels lost power and control of the narcotics industry shifted to Mexico. But in 2006 things began to escalade when Mexico’s current president, Felipe Calderon, took office and began an all-out war on the cartels. The result has been a bloody battle stretching from Tijuana (northwestern Mexico) to Matamoros (northeastern Mexico) and claiming over 23,000 lives. In addition, shifting alliances and power struggles within and between the cartels have exacerbated the problem by increasing the violence and instability in northern Mexico.

Up until the last few months, most of the drug-related violence has kept to the west of where To Every Tribe works in the extreme north-eastern corner of Mexico. But a recent turf war between two cartels has brought the war closer to home. The Gulf Cartel, based in Matamoros, Mexico, just a few miles from the To Every Tribe headquarters in south Texas, has controlled the drug trafficking routes along the Mexican gulf coast for over a decade. But in recent months, the Zetas, a mercenary army made up of former elite military commandos has begun to encroach upon the Gulf Cartel’s territory. The Zetas are “the most technologically advanced, sophisticated and dangerous cartel operating in Mexico” and have “assumed the role of being the No. 1 organization responsible for the majority of the homicides, the narcotic-related homicides, the beheadings, the kidnappings, the extortions that take place in Mexico” (CNN.com). As the war between the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas has escalated, the battle has drawn nearer to the Gulf Cartel’s home city of Matamoros—the city that we at To Every Tribe pass through every time we enter Mexico. Shootouts between the Mexican military and the cartels as well as between members of the two cartels have made this area increasingly dangerous and unstable. Road blockades, kidnappings, and execution-style murders have become increasingly common. In the last month there have been several major shootouts along the highway that we travel to access the villages where we’re church planting. Just two weeks ago an ambush was set up by the Zetas for the Gulf cartel at an intersection that we pass through on a regular basis. The result was a major gun and grenade battle just a few miles from the little fishing village where we do much of our work. When I passed through two days after the battle, I could see clear evidence of the fight—like a pickup riddled with bullet holes. The next week (last week) 11 bodies with t-shirts with large Zs (for ”Zetas”) were dumped alongside of the same highway—apparently from a cartel execution.

As a result of the increased violence the U.S. State Department recently issued a new travel warning urging American citizens to avoid unnecessary travel in northern Mexico. The warning states:

It is imperative that U.S. citizens understand the risks involved in travel to Mexico, how best to avoid dangerous situations, and who to contact if one becomes a victim of crime or violence. Common-sense precautions such as visiting only legitimate business and tourist areas during daylight hours, and avoiding areas where criminal activity might occur, can help ensure that travel to Mexico is safe and enjoyable.

The warning specifically mentions Matamoros as one of the cities of danger here in Northern Mexico. At this point we haven’t decreased our activity here in northern Mexico, primarily because the cartels haven’t yet primarily been targeting civilians in the areas where we work. But things have certainly become much more dangerous and we’ve been forced to be more cautions as we travel and work south of the border.

Unfortunately the violence in Mexico is not limited to the drug wars, nor is it limited to northern Mexico. Local and regional gangs and criminal organizations involved in all kinds of extortion-related crime have run rampant throughout all of Mexico for decades—even centuries. And it seems that the increased activity of the drug cartels has served to embolden these other smaller gangs and organizations. Kidnappings, assassinations, robbery, police corruption, and many other kinds of violent criminal activity is a normal part of life for almost the whole country. When my family and I lived in Monterrey, Mexico, we had several close friends and many friends-of-friends who were victims of kidnappings and robberies. This kind of violence will always be a threat for missionaries in Mexico. And it’s not limited to northern Mexico. A couple of months ago international news organizations reported an ambush and assault on a caravan of human rights observes on a major highway in the state of Oaxaca, just a few miles south of where To Every Tribe bases its southern Mexico church planting operations. The caravan of journalists and activists was headed to a nearby village that had been held hostage and terrorized by a local crime organization. That organization made sure the rescuers never reached the village.

In the State Department report I mentioned above, the following warning was issued: “U.S. citizens traveling to towns and villages with large indigenous communities located predominantly but not exclusively in southern Mexico, should be aware that land disputes between residents and between residents and local authorities have led to violence.” Well, we’d certainly qualify as “U.S. citizens traveling to towns and villages with large indigenous communities.” That’s what we do!

So how do we react to all of this? Well, we certainly don’t stop our mission. We take precautions (like avoiding travel at night and keeping away from known centers of violence), but at the end of the day we continue to make disciples of Mexico’s unreached people groups while leaving our safety in the hands of God. Jesus promised, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” That’s our great comfort. Please pray for us.

For more on what’s been happening in Mexico, check out the whole State Department report.

Trip to Huatulco, Oaxaca

AJ — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:58:15 +0000

(click on map to expand)

Lord willing, I’ll be leaving tomorrow to head down to the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca. I plan to spend next week in the coastal town of Huatulco (pronounced “wa-TUL-co”) where I’ll be attending and observing a training course for Mexican national pastors. Also while in Oaxaca I’ll be visiting a couple of areas where To Every Tribe plans to send future church planting teams. I also hope to spend some time with a Christian family who has hosted To Every Tribe mission teams in the past.

I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. Thanks for your prayers for my trip, especially as I’ll be traveling alone.

May Prayer Update

AJ — Tue, 11 May 2010 21:46:53 +0000

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all,
how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
Romans 8:31

This verse is one of my favorites—one I’ve spent lots of time meditating on the last few years. I love it for its simple reminder that God gave up his Son, Jesus, “for us” —that is, on our behalf. The last few days the words in this verse that have captured my attention are the words “with him.” Paul says, “how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” Did you catch that? He’s not just saying that God will “give us all things.” “All things” is great, but it’s not the greatest gift. Notice the word “also.” “Also” implies that God will “give us all things” in addition to something else. The something else is identified in the words “with him”—that is, with his Son. So God not only gave up Jesus for me but he also gave Jesus “to me”! He is mine—God’s gift to me! “Hallelujah, all I have is Christ! Hallelujah, Jesus is my life!”

We’ve been pretty busy since our last prayer update a couple of months ago. At the To Every Tribe headquarters here in south Texas we’ve been working on a number of projects related to our work as Mexico Field Director. Ruth has been busy taking care of our home and homeschooling the children. Jonathan and Christian just finished their soccer season and are excited as summer vacation nears. Katelyn is growing, cutting teeth, and trying to walk (which keeps us on our toes!).

At the end of March I was privileged to travel down to the south-central Mexican cities of Queretaro and Guadalajara to visit with To Every Tribe missionaries Jim Blomstrand and Ruben and Debbie Ibañez. Jim and the Ibañez family will be part of our church planting team heading to southern Mexico later this year. We had a great time of fellowship as we discussed the team’s plans and strategies for their work in Oaxaca.

The first week of April I was privileged to preach for a special spiritual emphasis week at Macedonian Christian Academy in Alamo, Texas. In the daily chapel services with Macedonian’s middle and high school students we focused on Colossians 2. It was an incredible joy to proclaim to these young people the surpassing beauty, sufficiency and supremacy of Jesus Christ! Then, on Thursday and Friday evenings I was privileged to bring two messages to the school’s parents on “The Supremacy of Jesus in the Home.”

Later in April I attended the John Bunyan Conference, an annual pastor’s theology conference held in Lewisburg, PA. The conference was a great time of fellowship, study and learning. It was a special treat to attend the conference with To Every Tribe missionaries Chris Johnson, Scott Ronyak, and Alex Sisson as well as with TET staff members, Rod and Linda Conner.

As many of you know, I had planned to accompany David Sitton on a trip to Papua New Guinea this month. Due to some illness I’ve had the last few weeks, we decided to postpone that trip. This was a big disappointment, but we’re grateful that my plane tickets were able to be extended for up to a year. Please pray for my continuing health needs.

Thank you all for your faithful prayer and support for our family and our ministry. We’re excited about the next few months and would like to invite you to pray with us in the following areas:

Travel in Mexico: We are planning several visits to Mexico this summer both for me by myself as well as for our entire family.
Safety: Violence resulting from Mexico’s drug war has made work and travel there increasingly difficult and dangerous.
Church planting: Much of our time and ministry this summer will be focused on To Every Tribe’s church planting work in north-eastern Mexico.
Wisdom: Much wisdom is needed as I provide leadership and direction for our church planting team headed to Oaxaca later this year.
Legal recognition in Mexico: We’re currently working on getting To Every Tribe legally recognized in Mexico. This will greatly facilitate our work there and enable us to secure visas for our missionaries much more easily.

For the gospel and the kingdom,

AJ & Ruth Gibson

Click here do download a printable (PDF) version of this update.

To subscribe to our e-mail prayer updates, click on the “Prayer Updates” link on the sidebar of this page.

March Prayer Update

AJ — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:45:44 +0000

“God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency
in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8

We are so thankful for that grace—just the kind of grace we need: an all-sufficient, for-all-things, at-all-times, good-work-producing, abounding grace! Time and time again we have seen that grace manifest in our life and ministry.

2010 is speeding along quickly, and many exciting things are happening here at To Every Tribe. The next couple of months will be especially busy for us.

This week I will be traveling down to the south-central Mexican cities of Queretaro and Guadalajara to visit with To Every Tribe missionaries Jim Blomstrand and Ruben and Debbie Ibañez for a few days. Jim and the Ibañezes are preparing to be part of a church planting team headed for the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca in the next few months. Please pray for my trip and for Jim Blomstrand and the Ibañez family.

Also please continue to pray for my upcoming trip to Papua New Guinea in May. Plane tickets have been purchased, and plans for the trip are coming together nicely. Thanks to those of you who have generously contributed to the trip fund.

Please pray for us as we continue to line up instructors and enroll students for the 2010-12 Center for Pioneer Church Planting school years. We are excited about the switch from a one-year to a two-year program.

Thank you for your continued prayer for our support raising. Our support level is currently at 46.8%, up from 32% when we sent out our January prayer update.

Our family is doing well. We have enjoyed becoming increasingly involved in Divine Providence Church. I have been team-teaching a weekly Bible study on the New Testament, and Ruth has begun to play the piano for the Sunday worship service. Also, we are excited that Divine Providence has partnered with To Every Tribe and is participating with us in church planting in northern Mexico. Jonathan, Christian, and Katelyn are doing well. Jonathan and Christian are both playing soccer in a city kids’ soccer league. Katelyn is now 7 months old and is growing quickly.

Thank you all for your faithful prayer and support of our ministry. May God richly bless you with his all-sufficient, for-all-things, at-all-times, good-work-producing, abounding grace!

For the gospel and the kingdom,

AJ and Ruth

Click here do download a printable (PDF) version of this update.

To subscribe to our e-mail prayer updates, click on the “Prayer Updates” link on the sidebar of this page.

I’m Now Tweeting on Twitter. Does That Make Me a Twit or a Tweeter?

AJ — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 18:29:26 +0000

Follow me @drajgibson.

May Papua New Guinea Trip

AJ — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:18:06 +0000

Lord willing, David Sitton (To Every Tribe president) and I will be making a 3 week trip to Papua New Guinea in May. The following are our primary goals for this trip:

Visit the struggling church in Chambri to encourage the believers. Bible teaching and discipleship training; explore the feasibility of Appropriate Technology Strategies to provide better water, etc. for their people.
Visit the Black Water region (lowland swamps) village of Gavmas where there is no gospel witness; initial evangelism; survey the area for possible base for missionary activity in the near future.
Meet with the Bena (highlands) church leaders to pray for and strategize about how to utilize the 10 acres to establish a PNG training and sending base for new To Every Tribe missionaries and for the equipping and supporting of national pastors and missionaries.
Exploring with the Bena leaders how to begin businesses (Appropriate Technology Strategies) to generate income for their pastors and missionaries.

Beyond these specific goals, this trip will be an important learning experience for me as a new To Every Tribe staff member. As To Every Tribe’s Mexico Field Director, one of my primary responsibilities is to help our agency form a Mexico-specific strategy for church planting that reflects our church planting strategy/methodology in Papua New Guinea. The plan is for this trip in May to provide first-hand exposure the work there to better equip me for that responsibility.

The cost of this trip will be around $3000. Thanks to a recent gift of $1600 we are well on our way to raising the funds needed for this trip. Please pray that we will be able to raise the remaining money for the trip. Who knows, the Lord may even want you to contribute!

More updates and prayer requests for the trip to follow the next couple of months.

January 2010 Prayer Update

AJ — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:54:48 +0000

Here’s our latest prayer update I sent out last week. If you don’t receive our e-mail prayer updates and would like to, click on the “Prayer Updates” link on the sidebar of this page.