Thanksgiving

"For we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of theupward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:3-14

For some reason this passage came to mind this morning. As I began reading it over and over, it became clear what God was reminding me. I have much to be proud of - much that I could boast of in the flesh - my family, my heritage, my upbringing, my accomplishments in school, and my willingness to leave my home and go to the nations. Pride is such a fickle thing. It tempts us to make the gifts God has blessed us with into trophies we can claim. Today, that is not so. I am reminded of His great gift - Christ's death and resurrection. As Paul says, whatever things were gain to me I count as loss compared to knowing Christ my Lord - that I may know Him, the power of His resurrection, and fellowship with Him in His sufferings - to press on to lay hold of the one who has laid hold of me! So today, I forget what lies behind me and reach forward to what lies ahead - eternal glory with Christ. This does not mean I am ignoring my past. No, I look at it in the light of what is to come and all that He has done. I have been blessed with an incredible family that I cherish and love deeply. I am so thankful for them. They have molded me and set me like an arrow on the path He created me for. I am thankful for the heritage and blessing He gave them to pass on to me - that gift is only found in and through Him. I am thankful for the education and wisdom He has provided me. I am reminded today more than ever that these gifts were given to motivate me all the more to press on to the goal He has called me to - to know Him, to walk in His power, and share in His sufferings to the glory of His name. 

So, today I am thankful for a God who would choose to die for me even when I was a sinner and did not deserve it. I am thankful for the godly parents and siblings that He gave me to prepare my heart to know Him before I was willing to give Him my life. And I am thankful for every moment I get to walk in obedience to His will. 

Discipleship

God has had me busy. I planned to get an update out last week, but I ended up spending the week in a locals home in Molepolole, the largest village in Botswana. We spent each day going out an visiting their relatives and neighbors, sharing the gospel. Each day, there were multiple people who were overjoyed to hear the truth of the gospel. You could see the pain on their faces regarding their sin, and their joy to repent and believe. God is truly doing a work in that place. The local church met with us and went out with us, and by the end of the week, they could boldly share the gospel without our help. God is good. They have already asked us to come back and share more with them about this four-phase discipleship plan we have been working on. 

This is something we, as a team, are really excited about. The four –phases are geared to build a strong foundation, teach one to feed/grow himself/herself, to learn to teach others, and to mold Christian character through shepherding hands-on practice/learning. We are really excited about this, and already are seeing excitement over it. God is preparing people to hunger for real discipleship that leads to maturity. With many of the churches we have been in contact with, they inform us that they recognize something is missing and want something more. At the end of last week, we had the national AGM, which is yearly meeting for the Botswana Baptist Convention. Jack had the opportunity to present this model of discipleship and to make it available to the churches. There were some that were skeptical, but immediately many began asking about it and for it. God is preparing something here. I share this to ask for your prayers – that God will continue to stir a heart for discipleship here that is founded in the gospel and humility, that God will give us hearts to follow hard after Him in all things, and that God will raise up young leaders who will spend a lifetime being poured out in this way for His glory.