SEND International Member Orientation Program July 5-17, 2015 Spiritual Formation

1. SEND InternationalMember Orientation ProgramJuly 5-17, 2015Spiritual Formation

2. Decision maker Takes charge Determined Enjoys challenges Problem solver Productive Purposeful; goal driven Decision maker "Let's do it now!" Enthusiastic Verbal Motivator Friendly Fun-loving Spontaneous Creative; likes new ideas Group oriented “Trust me! It will work out! Accurate Reads all instructions Predictable Analytical Detail-oriented Perfectionistic Practical Precise “How was it done in the past?” Loyal Sympathetic Calm Non-demanding Avoids confrontations Dislikes change Warm and relational Adaptable “Let’s keep things the way they are!”

5. Richard Foster Celebration of Discipline • Corporate Disciplines • Confession • Worship • Guidance • Celebration Inward Disciplines • Meditation • Prayer • Fasting • Study Outward Disciplines • Simplicity • Solitude • Submission • Service

6. Dallas Willard The Spiritual Disciplines Inward Disciplines “We abstain to some degree and for some time from the satisfaction of what we generally regard as normal and legitimate desires.” Solitude – We purposefully abstain from interaction with other human beings, denying ourselves companionship and all that comes from our conscious interaction with others. Silence – We close ourselves off from “sounds,” whether those sounds be noise, music or words.” Fasting – We abstain in some significant way from food and possibly drink as well. Frugality – We abstain from using money or goods at our disposal in ways that merely gratify our desires or our hunger for status, glamour, or luxury.

7. Dallas Willard The Spiritual Disciplines Inward Disciplines Chastity– We purposefully turn away from dwelling upon or engaging in the sexual dimension of our relationships to others – even our husbands or wives. Secrecy– We abstain from causing our good deeds or qualities to be known. Sacrifice– We abstain from the possession or enjoyment of what is necessary for our living – not, as in frugality . . . the discipline of sacrifice is one in which we forsake the security of meeting our needs with what is in our hands. It is total abandonment to God, a stepping into the darkened abyss in the faith and hope that God will bear us up.

8. Dallas Willard The Spiritual Disciplines Outward Disciplines “These disciplines of action provide the power for growth and development in the spiritual life.” Study – We engage ourselves in the written word of God. This includes reading, hearing, inquiring and meditating on what comes before us. We withdraw into silence where we prayerfully and steadily focus upon it. Worship – We engage ourselves with, dwell upon, and express the greatness, beauty, and goodness of God though thought and the use of words, rituals, and symbols. We do this alone as well as in union with God’s people. Celebration– We enjoy ourselves, our life, our world, in conjunction with our faith and confidence in God’s greatness, beauty, and goodness. We concentrate on our life and world as God’s work and as God’s gift to us.

9. Dallas Willard The Spiritual Disciplines Outward Disciplines Service– We engage our goods and strength in the active promotion of the food of others and the causes of God in our world. It is to serve another with the purpose of training myself away from arrogance, possessiveness, envy, resentment, or covetousness. In that case my service is undertaken as a discipline for the spiritual life. Prayer– When we pray we talk to God, aloud or within our thoughts. Fellowship– We engage in common activities of worship, study, prayer, celebration, and service with other disciples.

10. Dallas Willard The Spiritual Disciplines Outward Disciplines Confession – We let trusted others know our deepest weaknesses and failures. Submission – We engage the experience of those in our fellowship who are qualified to direct our efforts in growth and who then add the weight of their wise authority on the side of our willing spirit to help us do the things we would like to do and refrain from the things we don’t want to do.

11. Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Paul’s “everything”:If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. What’s your “everything”?

12. Habakkuk 3:17-18 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Luke 10:17, 20 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." (Jesus replied) . . . do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

13. Intimacy with the Savior • Nothing is as important in all of the orientation that we can give you during these days in MOP as to remind you and impress upon you how absolutely critical this is to your life and ministry. • Nothing will be easier to let slide in your life and ministry as a missionary than a consistent, daily pursuit of intimacy with Christ. • Nothing will have as great an impact on your effectiveness as a missionary. • Nothing is more difficult for your mission leadership or other team members to monitor or hold you accountable for than the level of your intimacy with Christ.

14. Priorities of a Missionary • God • Family • Ministry • Church • Team • Neighbors • Etc. My Church My Family Growing Intimacy with God My Team My Ministry My Neighborhood

15. The Central Importance of the Spiritual Life of a Missionary Dr. Wesley L. Deuwel • The central importance of the spiritual life of the missionary is something we all agree with yet all too often we take it for granted and do very little about it. I mention but two examples: • 1. How carefully do we check the personal experience of the Holy Spirit in our candidates? • How much do they know of the infilling of the Spirit? • Of the guidance of the Spirit? • Of the Spirit’s help in intercessory prayer? • Of the Spirit’s anointing in their ministry? • How much do they know of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, their home lives, and their work lives?

16. The Central Importance of the Spiritual Life of a Missionary Dr. Wesley L. Deuwel • 2. How much do we check the personal prayer life of our candidates? • How much do they experience of the joy and sweetness of communion with Jesus? • How regularly and how long do they commune? • How much of an intercessory prayer life have they been maintaining? • How do they plan their intercession? • How much do they know by personal experience of prevailing in prayer? • Of prayer burden-bearing? • Of prayer warfare?

17. The Central Importance of the Spiritual Life of a Missionary Dr. Wesley L. Deuwel • Is there a conflict between our Western mind-set and spiritual priorities? Our American values are so ingrained in our thinking that we are almost totally focused on improving performance, how-to manuals, the latest equipment, and the psychologically better way. There need be no conflict, but before we realize it the visible takes precedence over the invisible, the how-to becomes more exciting, seemingly more urgent, and less demanding than waiting on God. It is more tempting and easy to arrange a seminar on some better method, than to bring people to a retreat to wait on God.

18. The Central Importance of the Spiritual Life of a Missionary Dr. Wesley L. Deuwel • Our Western mental mind-set tends to make us forget that we go to our mission assignments, especially in the early years, as learners, listeners, sharers B not as the latest trained expert bringing the latest answers. The deep experience of the Spirit must smite our ultra-independent spirit and teach us our total dependence on God and our place as a member of the body of Christ in which we are all constantly mutually interdependent members of one another.

19. The Central Importance of the Spiritual Life of a Missionary Dr. Wesley L. Deuwel I am not depreciating the instruments we have developed for the evaluation of our candidates, nor the splendid seminar materials which we keep developing. I am not opposed to them. It is just so easy to become totally out of balance; the priority emphasis in the New Testament is upon the spiritual life and the developing of the spiritual life.

20. Overview of Spiritual Formation

21. Glorification Justification Fall Creation God Divine – Human Cooperative Sanctification Faith Promise Process of becoming holy Fallen man Born Born Again Death or Rapture

22. The Christian Life & Intimacy with the Savior • Hanging on to God as my refuge during the storms • Stress and suffering growing me • Resisting temptation • Power for ministry, for witness • Fruitfulness • Effective prayer life • Relying on God rather than myself • Dying to self • Longing for Christ’s return while wholeheartedly serving • Motivation to give myself fully to God’s kingdom work • Yieldedness to the Holy Spirit’s work in my life • A diminishing thirst for the things of the world • Joyfulness during painful and discouraging times • Loving my wife unconditionally • Balancing the multitude of demands on my time • Dealing with the fears that plague me • A diminishing hunger for the praise of men • Consistent, meaningful time in the Word

23. The Process of Spiritual Formation

24. Luke 10:38-42 38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, "Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!" 41 "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

25. Lessons from Mary & Martha • “Mary has chosen what is better.” • Jesus established a priority system. • He compared how Mary had chosen to spend her time at that moment with how Martha had chosen to spend her time. • Principle: Communing with Jesus is a higher priority than serving him.

26. Lessons from Mary & Martha • Martha loved the Savior also, but was “distracted.” • She opened her home to Jesus. • She was serving Him. “Preparations” = “much service” • “Distracted” = “drawn away” by the burden of her duties. • Principle: our ministry can draw us away from Jesus

27. Lessons from Mary & Martha • Martha was “worried” and “upset.” • “Worried” = same word as the command “care for one another” in 1 Cor. 12:25. • “Upset” = same word as the riot in Acts 17. • 1st word – Martha’s concern for taking care of Jesus. • 2nd word – Martha’s emotional outburst at Mary • Principle: Even genuine concern for another can distract from an intimate relationship with God.

28. Lessons from Mary & Martha • The problem was not in what Martha was doing, but that she was distracted from something more important by what she was doing. • She was doing the right things. She opened her home to Jesus. She was serving him as a guest. • Sometimes it’s the right things that get in the way of the most important things. • The distraction caused Martha’s heart to not be in the right place. • What was most important at that time was spending time with Jesus. • Principle: We must learn to be sensitive to the Spirit in each situation and make the best decision for how to use our time moment by moment.

29. Godly Servants: Discipleship and Spiritual Formation for Missionaries David Teague For centuries, people have felt that contemplation is superior to action. Since at least the time of Eusebius (c. 263 – c. 339), the story of Mary and Martha in Luke 10:38-42 has been interpreted in a way that denigrates workplace spirituality. Mary, who listens quietly to Jesus does the “right thing,” while Martha, who works in the kitchen, is seen as being “unspiritual.” Eusebius taught that Christ allows us two ways of life: the “perfect life,” which is dedicated to contemplation and is available to such spiritual elites as priests and monastics, while the “permitted life” is for the rest of us in the ordinary world. Eusebius believed in a spiritual hierarchy. In the story of Mary and Martha, however, Jesus does not imply that prayer is superior to work; rather, he is pointing out the needy state of Martha’s heart. He does not tell Martha, “Get out of the kitchen!” Rather, he encourages her to focus on God. She had become too obsessed with the meal. Eusebius’ interpretation was simply wrong.

30. Godly Servants: Discipleship and Spiritual Formation for Missionaries David Teague Eusebius’ false dichotomy between prayer and work explains why Protestant missionaries often react negatively to contemplative spirituality. Missionaries are often task-orientated people. We tend to be psychologically wired for action more than contemplation. I have often heard comments such as, “Contemplative praying is impractical. I don’t have the time to pray like that.” Actually, contemplative spirituality is more a matter of love than of time. There is something very valuable to it, if we properly understand it. Instead of worrying about the quantity of our prayers, we should focus on the quality of our relationship with God. When we approach our spirituality like this, it affirms our “work in the kitchen” because we know we will also “sit at Jesus’ feet” when we need.

31. Godly Servants: Discipleship and Spiritual Formation for Missionaries David Teague Action-orientated leaders need a spirituality that works for them. We find it, not by feeling guilty because we do not pray in a retreat center all day. We find it by keeping our hearts fresh with God. If our work begins to affect our relationship with God, then we know we need to seek personal renewal. But if our hearts are right with God, then our work itself will naturally become a form of prayer. This is what St. Benedict meant when he taught, “To work is to pray.” And this, too, is the central idea behind a workplace spirituality. Teague, David (2012-04-24). Godly Servants: Discipleship and Spiritual Formation for Missionaries (pp. 48-50). Mission Imprints. Kindle Edition.

32. Prayer from Ken Gire’sIntimate Moments Dear Savior at whose feet I now sit, When you knock on the door to my heart, what is it you are looking for? What is it you want? Is it not to come in to dine with me ? Is it not for fellowship ? And yet, so often, where do you find me? At your feet? No. In the kitchen. How many times have I become distracted and left you there. . .sitting. . .waiting. . .longing? What is so important about my kitchenful of preparations that draws me away from you? How can they seem so trivial now and yet so urgent when I'm caught up in them? Forgive me for being so much distracted by my preparations and so little attracted by your presence. For being so diligent in my duties and so negligent in my devotion. For being so quick to my feet and so slow to yours.

33. Prayer from Ken Gire’sIntimate Moments Help me to understand that it is an intimate moment you seek from me, not an elaborate meal. Guard my heart this day from the many distractions that vie for my attention. And help me to fix my eyes on you. Not on my rank in the kingdom, as did the disciples. Not on the finer points of theology, as did the scribes. Not on the sins of others, as did the Pharisees. Not on a place of worship, as did the woman at the well. Not on the budget, as did Judas. But on you. Bring me out of the kitchen, Lord. Bid me come to your feet. And there may I thrill to sit and adore you. ...

34. Obstacles to Intimacy with God • Not enough time; too busy • Weariness, sleepiness • Sin (Ps. 66:18) • Complacency; laziness • Self-sufficiency, pride, forgetting total dependence • Fear of not being worthy, of what God might want me to do • Distractions (TV, computer, Facebook, sports, books, hobbies, etc.) • Tyranny of the urgent • Valuing efficiency too highly • No pattern, not sure how to spend time with God • Anxiety over things to do; wandering mind • Depression • Lack of desire, of love for God • Poor time management • Lack of faith; wrong views of God • Lack of a plan; lack of knowledge of how to spend time with God • Enamored with God’s gifts instead of the Giver of those gifts

35. Obstacles to Intimacy with God • During language school – when all your coping mechanisms are stripped away, and you see a side of you that you wish wasn’t there. • Demands of ministry assignment; expectations of team leader, teammates, nationals. • Care of children (especially for moms) • Spiritual warfare. • Little or no fruit in your ministry; can’t see God doing anything • Shattered dreams • Frustrated with teammates, or area leadership. • Sick and tired of the culture • Physical problems • Your marriage is stale and you’re not connecting at the emotional level. • Exasperated at not being able to communicate like you want to. • Impatience with your national partners. • Fear – of death, of failure, of loss of support, of nationals not appreciating you, of talking, of being embarrassed, etc.

36. Dealing with the Obstacles • Ask God for it(SEND’s value of Dependence) • Ask and you will receive. John 16:24 • Always pray and don’t give up. Luke 18:1 • You have not because you ask not. James 4:2 • Eph. 6 (spiritual warfare) – concludes with “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests, for all the saints.” • Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. 2. Ask others to pray for you • See “Praying for One Another like Paul” • Note how many of these prayers deal with knowing Christ

37. Dealing with the Obstacles •  Accountability partner(s) • Figure out how to focus on the heart; not just the externals  • Renew your mind daily • Who God is and what He’s done • Where was your life headed before He called you to Himself by His grace. Remember. Journal. • Piper’s book: When I Don’t Desire God. • Identify the time-wasters in your life. • Do a time chart for a week or more. • TV, computer, social networking, sports, etc. • Parkinson’s law: “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” • A Daily “Prayer of Surrender”

38. A Daily “Prayer of Surrender” http://www.willowcreek.com/docs/pdf/PrayerofSurrender.pdf

39. Charles Kraft Appropriate Christianity, p. 356 • The truth is that spiritual formation – or cooperation with God to enable the character of Christ to be formed in us (Gal. 4:19) – is never finished, and it cannot be assumed that enough has taken place earlier in a missionary’s training program. Mid-career missionaries probably need to focus on spiritual formation as much as do missionary candidates. Each stage in life has its own unique tests, tests that will bring us closer to God if we are sufficiently prepared to meet them.

40. Final Comments • Martha & Mary • Choose what Jesus says is “better.” Don’t let it be taken from you. • Working for the King vs. time with the King • The challenge of time w/God in ministry/missions • “Doing devotions” vs. communing with Jesus • The discipline of setting time aside for God is a means to the end of intimacy with Him that impacts every aspect of my life. • When you struggle with guilt, let it drive you to grace. • Ask God . . . • To change your heart so that you value time with Him. • For the power to resolve to nurture your relationship with Him above all things • Acknowledge your complete dependence on God for both the willing and the doing • Develop a plan; be intentional, proactive