Wartime Lifestyle
I have been in Asia now for several days teaching, and my guess is that I am experiencing the normal set of emotions. Confusion with all the new customs. Frustration at the language barrier. Feeling far from home and vulnerable. But we were taken out to dinner at a German restaurant tonight so at least we had some familiar food.
But I think the thing that has hit me the hardest is the level of commitment these brothers and sisters have made. I was in the dorm room yesterday checking my email, and the different people were all hard at work, most hunched over their computers. Some were translating. Others answering students' questions. Other working to keep the wireless network working. But they are so amazingly dedicated and committed to their tasks.
It made me wonder about the apostles in the early days of the church. A persecuted minority with a commission so big that it was probably impossible to believe, humanly speaking, that they could really make a significant difference in the Roman Empire. But these brothers and sisters are doing precisely that. They truly believe they can make a significant difference in the lives of the billions of people in Asia.
And then there are the private stories, people with really good jobs making significant income who gave them up to serve. Parents of a single child who watched their daughter leave her profession after being trained in the university so she could go to seminary and serve. A man who shut his factory down so he could focus on fighting the good fight.
I remember years ago hearing John Piper talk about Christians living a wartime lifestyle, a way of living that acknowledges we are at war with the enemy, and victory will be costly. These brothers and sisters know this, and have made the commitment to fight, and to win.
I do not yet know how BiblicalTraining can help, but we are working on a plan. Please continue to pray for strength and wisdom for me and the other teachers. The battle is just beginning.
Bill
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I can totally relate with you
I can totally relate with you about "Feeling far from home and vulnerable." Back in 2002 I travelled with the same host to Asia and experienced the same thing. Even though I am of Asian decent, I was born and grew up in the US so my culture is mostly American. 10 years later I am now in Japan experiencing similar struggles, but fortunately they not has severe (at least I can speak the language).
Bill, I am one of those
Bill, I am one of those silent readers of your blog and have noticed over the years quite a shift in your passion as you work for the Lord in incredible ways. But this post caused me to pause and comment. You are referring to something very near to my heart. I work for Perspectives on the World Christian Movement as a Regional Director, and I was impressed you see so clearly how our passion to see the task completed would fuel our work, setting aside all worldly gain for the cause of Christ. Perspectives challenges our students to this "Wartime Lifestyle" through the original article found in the Perspectives Reader, authored by Ralph Winter. For the benefit of your readers and my brethren in Christ, I am posting the video message you refer to by Piper, including the article by Ralph Winter and a mention of the same in Piper's book, "Don't Waste Your Life."
It's sad we don't mention it often in our pulpits across America. I wonder how much change we'd see if every believer took this seriously.
Piper's Wartime Lifestyle (3-min video): http://youtu.be/tw_HY9EUbPA
Chapter 7 from "Don't Waste Your Life" where Piper refers to the Wartime Lifestyle and refers to Ralph Winter's article in the Perspectives Reader. http://www.desiringgod.org/iphone/dwyl/book/chapter7.html
Ralph Winter's article, "Reconcencration to a Wartime Lifestyle" available at Reconcencration.org in PDF download. http://www.reconsecration.org/index.shtml
By the way, the Queen Mary (the ship which spurred on the original article by Ralph Winter) is still docked in Long Beach, CA and open daily for tours. I believe you can also rent rooms on the ship for overnight stays. If you ever get a chance to see it, it's an incredible vessel with an even more incredible history.
Grace and peace, Angela Zimmerman www.perspectives.org