Lessons Learned

After vital experiences in ministry it is important to take a few minutes to think about the lessons learned. It could be that one of the biggest problems of modern Christianity is we do not take the time to absorb what God is trying to say to us through the experiences He allows into our lives. Hey! Maybe we are no different than His first disciples.

During the past two weeks Susan and I had the privilege of participating in the Global Youth Initiative in Israel. All told, 250 leaders from over 50 countries attended this event. It was a privilege to simply sit and chat with many of them and hear about what God is doing in their ministries.

So, what do we take away from the experience in the Holy Land? What will we be able to use in our ministry in Latin America?

Lesson One: Going to Israel is great but it is not as great as an on-going, vital relationship with our God.

Because our schedule was so packed, my devotional time actually suffered while on the trip. I realized I may be having the best formal study time ever, but it was not as valuable to me as the personal time I enjoy with our living God every day of my life. I never want to take for granted the privilege I have of interacting with the Word and learning from Him on a daily basis.

Lesson Two: People who deny the historical reality of Jesus have a long, tough row to hoe.

As Christians, we do not (or should not) have faith in faith itself. Instead, we have faith in a historical God who broke into time and space and lived among us. It takes more effort to deny that reality than it does to accept it. The great evidence in Israel is that Jesus really came to live among men.

By the way, happy Easter. The grave really is empty! I had the privilege of leading a communion service for 150 leaders in front of the garden tomb (Gordon’s tomb).

Lesson Three: The powers of this earth will disappear, but God will continue to work out His plan in history.

Herod the Great was properly named. He built incredible structures and building complexes. The Temple, Masada, and the Herodion all come to mind. The latter was built into an artificial mountain and included a palace, synagogue, Roman baths and a unique defensive system. The Herodion looked down on a rural village called Bethlehem. The imposter king sat in his enormous palace and looked down on the humble birthplace of the Eternal King. Still it is the message of Jesus that has changed the world. Herod’s great works are simply tourist attractions today.

Lesson Four: When it says Jesus went into the wilderness, the Bible is not kidding.

And when the Scriptures say He was tempted there, I have no doubt they are speaking the truth. I cannot imagine a more inhospitable place to spend forty days and forty nights. Hot, cold and plenty of rocks with which Satan could have tempted Jesus in His hunger. Thinking of rocks, the sheer number of rocks in Israel brings a whole new meaning to the concept that “if I quiet these, even so the rocks will cry out.”

Lesson Five: It is our “great faith” that will please God.

As we visited the ruins of the city, I was impressed by the fact that the tribe of Dan did not take the cities and towns which they were given (Jos. 19:40-46). This was probably because of their fear of the Philistines and the weapons they had developed. So, instead the tribe of Dan captured the city of Laish on the beautiful mountainside (Jos. 19:47). It was a comfortable, easy place but this decision caused enormous problems for Israel over the coming centuries.

God often places challenges before us that seem impossible. Usually these challenges require us to have not a little faith, but great faith. Interestingly enough, great faith is what pleases our God more than anything. One of the only times that Jesus was ever amazed or surprised was when he noticed the “great faith” in the centurion in Matt. 8:10.

My great hope in life is that I can be more like the centurion and less like the members of the tribe of Dan.

Lesson Six: Things may not seem like they are going in our favor, but as long as we continue on in God’s work the gates of hell cannot prevail against us.

I was impressed by the fact that Peter made his great confession about the nature of Jesus in Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13). This city was the center of the worship of Caesar, Baal and Pan. In fact, the temple of Pan was built in front of a cave that was known as the entrance to the underworld or hell. When Jesus told Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against his confession, Peter was probably looking at them!

It must have seemed impossible to Peter that this ragged band of brothers called disciples could prevail against all the construction and organization of those contemporary religions. Still, that is exactly what happened. Today I can’t imagine how Christianity will win out over the forces of Islam, radical Hinduism and secularism. However, the confession remains the same and this is the message that we need to give to the world. Jesus is still the true Messiah and the Son of the Living God.

Lesson Seven: Jesus was purposeful in how He went about beginning a movement of discipleship. We would do well to study His life and imitate his methods.

Jesus invested in seventy-two disciples, more deeply in twelve and profoundly in three. The size of the program was not as important as the communication of a spiritual DNA that changed the world. Today He is still calling us to make disciples who reflect both His priorities and character. If Jesus thought of that as His work (John 17:4), we would probably be wise to make it ours (2 Tim. 2:2).

Thank you for praying for us during the trip. Thank you to those who helped make the trip possible. We would appreciate your prayers as we get back to making disciples who can make disciples here in Latin America.