From “Autumn,” who’s finishing her TOAG internship this year…

I just heard an amazing story about my friend’s escape from a civil war. ”Aisha” was being held hostage by rebels by her sheikh, a man who loved God and was known to feed the poor and rescued many people, regardless of their political or tribal affiliation. He put his own family at risk by hiding people at his house until their escape could be arranged. As the weight of this story set in, we cried and rejoiced about God’s great love and mercy for her, that He provided the sheikh to be her rescuer. I felt amazed and overwhelmed by how much God loved her, and we praised God together for saving her life. I long to see her come into the Kingdom and to know the fullness of who God is…this King who frees hostages and feeds the starving and loves us so very deeply. Aisha is so precious to Him, and I want her to know Him the way that He already knows her - intimately, with no veil over the eyes of her heart. And the sheikh - he reminded me of Cornelius, who feared God and often helped the poor. I pray that he will meet God in a similarly miraculous way since it is obvious his heart longs to know Him.
 
We are reading through Acts as a group right now, and it is amazing to see how the disciples share the truth about Jesus. They do not go in telling people how wrong they are and then bust up with the cross and “how to get to heaven” talk. Instead, they tell people the “message of Jesus”. The message of Jesus, NOT the message Jesus told about getting into heaven. This is huge - Jesus IS the message. They told people about all the things Jesus is, who He is, how amazing He is, and all the things He has done. They spoke about Jesus’ connection to the One the prophets spoke about, explained that He was the fullfilment of all their hopes of a Messiah, and showed them who Jesus is by healing many who were sick or even dead. They shared Jesus…what are we/you sharing? 

From “Autumn,” who’s finishing her TOAG internship this year…

Our group was part of a conference recently that was all about sharing the Kingdom of God with cousins. I learned so much that it’s impossible to talk about all of here, but I’ll tell you about some of the major ways God moved in my life through it.
 
Throughout the weekend we heard many stories about how God has spoken to cousins through listening prayer. At first, I even felt jealous that God would speak to them that way and not to me. I went to pray with one of the leaders and had to confess my anger towards God. Then He spoke to me! He showed me one picture in particular that addressed a deeper wound I had. He also told me a word He calls me and many other things. I was so happy to have Him speak to me, and I realized that the reason I had not heard Him before was because I was not listening. The woman I was praying with also explained that prayer is something you learn how to do. It’s a skill, just like communicating with other people you love. You can talk to people and hear them, but not actually be communicating. I am really glad that hearing God is something that I will get better at as He heals things in my heart so I can trust Him more, and, like any skill, with practice. I can’t wait to learn more about inner healing prayer/listening prayer so I can teach my friends about this and have them hear from God, too!
 
Related to prayer, we also heard from the speakers how they ask questions to find where people are hurting, and often will ask God to speak to that person through listening prayer to heal their hearts. So often we are taught that there is a one size fits all message for people when we are sharing about Jesus, and that is just not true. We looked at all the places in Scripture where Jesus or His followers are interacting with people, and every encounter is different. To the lame, Jesus is the healer. For the woman who is deeply ashamed, Jesus is the one who knows all her dirt yet still loves her and keeps talking to her. Those who are weary find rest, the estranged find family, the widow finds a protector, the broken hearted find joy… Jesus is the good news for everyone!

Random thoughts from the past month of TOAG:

- God is amazing (!) and He is still working miracles in 2010 (like, real miracles where bodies rise from the dead and lame people walk).

- Being part of a house church is incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding. Challenging because we are constantly refining each other in the fire of community. Rewarding because we get to worship the living God together, at all times (not just for an hour on Sunday).

- “Treasuring Jesus more” is the number one secret to living an intentional life that’s focused on sharing Him with others.

- Compared to your average American, Muslims are approximately 187 times easier (and more willing) to engage in spiritual conversations. 

- My wife and I have never had so little to live on, yet so little stress about money.

- Prayer works. It really does. I don’t know why I don’t do it more often…

- Team life is like married life. There’s joy, there’s pain, there’s conflict, there’s forgiveness, there’s tension, there’s intimacy, there’s failure and there’s success. And in the center of it all - there’s Jesus.

- We have a mortal enemy who loves to tell us lies and steal our joy. Fortunately we have a Savior who is (infinitely!) greater than he who is in the world.

- Suffering drives us squarely into the arms of our Father. It’s no wonder why the Bible continually associates suffering with rejoicing…

- God is good, all the time.

- Nothing can prepare you for TOAG. Not even this wonderful blog

Lots going on right now!

Last Friday I did go to the Eid al-Adha with a local club. I was able to meet a few guys, but mostly conversation was really slow. I think they were suspicious of my being there and most did not want to talk in English to the new guy. Rachel went, too, and had a similar experience.

However, I talked with a friend of mine, Aziz, who is from _____. He invited me to their picnic/dinner for Eid, so I left the other guys and hung out with nine ______s for about five hours! It was a really good time. I was able to ask lots of questions, share a bit about Jesus, and see if Mohammed might be interested in doing a study/discussion on the prophets next semester. He sounded up for it.

The other half of the story is that Rachel stayed home and prayed for me. At first, she was a bit disappointed that she couldn’t come spend time there too (it was all single  guys), but God spoke to her heart about the joy of seeking Him first.

Also happening with TOAG is the new book we’re reading and the upcoming retreat this weekend.

The book we started last week (and God willing will finish this week) is called Finding God, by Larry Crabb. We were skeptical at first (as we are with all new books/authors), but this one is really proving to be right-on. It is written by a Christian Counselor/Psychologist, but it doesn’t feel like it. He writes very candidly about the sinful nature and man’s greatest need. He references scripture, not flippantly or out-of-context, but showing that he has searched and struggled through the scriptures for the voice of God.

He basically states that how we respond to pain/struggles/disappointment is critical to having true fellowship with God. We are inescapably selfish and try to use God to solve our problems (or at least make sense of them) instead of trusting in God’s goodness and finding sweet times with him in the midst of problems. I could go on, but you’ll just have to read the book or ask us about it

This weekend, we will be discussing the book, but mostly using it as a springboard to discussing how we respond to problems and pain, especially in the context of being a team/church. How do we/should we deal with conflict and problems within our group? How do we use these to bring us closer to God and closer to each other instead of reacting selfishly and bringing destruction and bitterness? Pray for us this weekend as we want to be humble and really learn.

I hope that sums up the key things so far. Seems like so much I want to say but want to be brief.

After his (and his wife’s) first four months of TOAG, here’s what Jackson writes about the experience:
In all honesty, TOAG is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. It has stretched me in countless ways – spiritually, emotionally, financially, in my marriage, communally, and in just about every other area you can imagine.

At times, I have doubted God. I have wrestled with the Lord. I have wondered why in the world we put ourselves in this position. Why did we move 2,000 miles from Chicago to Phoenix for all of this? We could’ve saved a lot of money. We could’ve had our family and friends only minutes away. We could’ve kept our jobs and lived comfortably right where we were.

Yet God had a different plan.

He brought us here for a reason and He is stretching us for a reason. He doesn’t want us to be comfortable. He doesn’t want us to know how we’re going to pay every bill. He doesn’t want us to get settled into our old habits of relying on ourselves. He wants us utterly dependent on Him.

This is what I’m finding out more and more through TOAG: The trials in our lives force us back to the gracious arms of our Father. And that’s exactly where we want to be. “In His presence there is fullness of joy, at His right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). This is why the biblical writers always associate suffering with rejoicing. Because the suffering brings us closer to Jesus, and since Jesus is our greatest joy, this is great cause for rejoicing!

The other day God led me to a wonderful passage in Hosea 13: “But I am the LORD your God from the land of Egypt; you know no God but me, and besides me there is no savior. It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought; but when they had grazed, they became full, they were filled, and their heart was lifted up; therefore they forgot me” (vv. 4-6).

What we see in these verses is precisely what’s happening in our lives. God is our only savior, but when we go after other things for our satisfaction (i.e. graze and become full), then we forget the Lord! And how horrific are those times… Forgetting the Lord kills our joy and it kills our fellowship with Christ.

So thank you, Jesus, for stretching us. Thank you for crucifying our earthly desires more every day. Thank you for bringing us to TOAG, so that we might find you more and more beautiful.

Written by intern John Mark, on 12/3:
Although completely eclipsed to most Americans by Thanksgiving and “Black Friday”, last Friday was the most important holiday of the Muslim world. Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, celebrates God’s provision of a ransom sacrifice for the son of Abraham after Abraham trusted God and obeyed. While most Muslims like to focus on Abraham’s obedience and God rewarding this obedience, it clearly demonstrates more important truths about God that they often miss.

As I celebrated Eid with some friends of mine, I began to see just how significant this sacrifice is and how clearly God points to the coming Messiah, Jesus. I mentioned this in part to one of the Muslim friends I was celebrating with, but feel like I mostly missed the opportunity to clearly present Jesus. After all, we are talking about God providing a sacrifice, a spotless lamb, a ransom that took the place of the sons of Abraham! It was the faith of Abraham that resulted in an everlasting covenant between God and Abraham!

I’m looking forward to next year…

Written by TOAG intern John Mark:
“What do you want me to do for you?” (Luke 18:41). This is one of the many profound questions Jesus asked and is still asking. I have often viewed this question as being a bad one, as in our culture, the consumerism mentality taints and distorts this question. But in this case, the blind man really had nothing. The one thing he still could have held on to – his pride – he gave up by looking like a fool to the crowd as he cried out for Jesus, the Son of David. He thus demonstrated his faith in Jesus as sufficient. If God would likewise make me aware of my deficiencies, whatever they might be, and then give me the grace and faith to daily bring these before Jesus for his strength, power and healing! Does fear keep me from following him? Does lack of compassion? Does a distracted heart? Only let me respond likewise to Jesus’ question!

We’ve been developing what has been called a “Curriculum for Christlikeness”. It is basically a written plan of practices I’ll incorporate regularly into my life in order that Christ may live through me to a greater and greater extent. None of these are very new or original, but it has been revealing and helpful to pray through this and hear from God. My goals are essentially: a daily magnifying of God before my heart, a daily surrendering of my heart to God and a daily walk in communion with Him. Practices that God has used in my heart before are things like: journaling and praying over scripture, reading biographies of saints gone before me, regular times of prayer with my wife, watching videos to learn about God’s creation, and times of solitude and fasting.

But to balance all of these practices out, I’ve been thinking and studying a lot about the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have had to be reminded that I cannot conquer sin – only Jesus conquered; I cannot imitate Jesus – only can I have Him live through me; I cannot have the fruit of the Spirit on my own – only does the Spirit produce it. So the most important first step has been one of humility. I have realized anew that life with Jesus begins in my life with “It is finished”. Jesus has already accomplished my justification, sanctification and glorification. And what is required to begin life with Jesus is the same that is required to walk with him and he in me daily: Faith (in the sufficiency of Jesus), Repentance (a simple turning of my affections from the World and again to Jesus), The Holy Spirit (as He cleanses and enables) and Absolute Surrender (complete and immediate obedience to the will of God).

Believe it or not, sharing Jesus with Muslims is not an endless series of grueling, painful experiences devoid of any joy or happiness. This probably isn’t a shocker to most people, but I think it’s worth noting. Too often we get wrapped up in the discouragements and trials of ministry, thinking that it’s all pain and no gain. While of course there are plenty of difficult seasons, it’s important to see that our hardships don’t tell the full story!

For example, just last night my believing friend and I went to play volleyball with about 25 Muslim men. And guess what – it was an absolute blast! We were laughing, joking, diving in the sand, making fools of ourselves, and even hugging each other after someone made an amazing play. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and it felt incredibly natural. We didn’t see these men as “projects” or try to force a new religion on them. We simply ENJOYED our time together and basked in a few hours of great camaraderie.

Perhaps the coolest thing about this experience is that God was right there with us through everything. This was a gift from Him and He brought us to a place of friendship and relaxing on a cool Saturday evening. He used a simple game to grow our relationships with those who need to hear the truth of Jesus Christ.

So what’s the point in sharing this story? The point is that ministry to Muslims is not an eternal state of turmoil or sorrow. It is a divine blessing from God Himself and a privilege bestowed upon us by the King of the universe. We don’t HAVE to share the gospel – we GET to share the gospel. We don’t HAVE to interact with Muslims – we GET to interact with Muslims. We don’t HAVE to surrender our lives for Christ – we GET to surrender our lives for Christ.

I’m reminded once again of the command from Philippians 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” (v. 4). Living in the kingdom of God should never be seen as a burden or devolve into worry and self-pity. We are to rejoice in the Lord always, both in the pain and in the gladness. And believe me – there is much to be glad about.

From John Mark:
The new focus for TOAG is “spiritual disciplines.” I personally don’t like the term nor how I’ve seen it usually worked out among Christians. In general, the connotations it carries for me is “man-centered sin management.” Trying to reform my behaviors and attitudes but impose a structure of practices that train me to act contrary to how my flesh normally would act.

I am thankful that the term spiritual disciplines does not carry this connotation for most people. After having some time to think and pray about the issue I see that in the Scripture (and in my life) a more appropriate definition is “ways in which I experience communion with God.” The goal definitely is to no longer walk by the flesh or act accordingly, but to live by the SPIRIT and put to death the deeds of the flesh.

We were created primarily for intimacy with God: unbroken fellowship with our Creator. We were created for worship and love within this, and there are certainly ways that I have daily experienced this. This, then, is the best spiritual discipline: “continual prayer as I walk by the Spirit and am filled by Him.” The other things I do throughout the day should also serve the purpose of bringing me into this place with God. Things like meditation on scripture, fasting, listening/singing/crying to music, listening to good teaching all have helped both “Rachel” and I to enter into times of sweet communion with God.

However, I find that most people reverse the order. The order ought to be repent from sin, practice a “discipline,” enter into communion with God. Instead, I see people practicing disciplines in order to try and repent and get rid of sin, thinking that this will bring them to God. We need clear teaching that reminds people that living outside of relationship with God is sin. There is no middle ground of “just missing out on God’s blessings by not walking by the Spirit.” Part of this issue is that not everyone who claims the name of Jesus is truly regenerated in heart, but that topic is for another day…

From John Mark:
Went to the mosque tonight and saw a lot of familiar faces of people that I have been wanting to hang out with more. Looks like I’ve got a few things planned for this weekend, including tennis with one friend. Going to the mosque has been something I haven’t been doing a lot of since Ramadan, but tonight realized how important it is to go to keep up with friends that I’ve met. Looks like I’m going tomorrow morning for sunrise prayer (5:45am).

-Pray for my time with cousins this weekend. That it would happen and satan would not get in between us to prevent interactions from happening.
-Pray for me to be humble before God and to listen to the Spirit as I interact