No magic formula
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Growing up on a dairy farm meant a lot of hard work, but at least you could measure what you accomplished. At the end of the day we could calculate how many acres of hay had been cut, how many bales were in the barn and ultimately, how many gallons of milk were in the tank.
But the results of our work in Mozambique have been sparse and hard to measure.
When we started, our battle cry was, "Let’s pray that God will open the hearts of the people so they will desire to hear and believe God’s Word."
After a few months in Mozambique, we identified the people group we would be working with -- the Lolo people. When our house was completed in their village three months later, we began full-time culture and language study. While the task was difficult, God allowed us to enjoy learning the Lolo language and we found the people friendly, peaceful and easy to get along with.
By God’s grace alone, after two years of study, I reached the level needed to leave full-time language learning. Now I could finally communicate the Gospel to the Lolo people!
Interest was fairly high when the Bible teaching began. But after about a week, the people began to ask, "If we listen to these lessons, what will we receive?" The people expected to be paid! Despite all our prayers and efforts, the lessons were not enough. Many quit attending.
After 66 evangelistic Bible lessons, a few of the people who had stayed to listen really seemed to understand the Gospel and professed faith. Yet many were not faithful in their attendance and showed no interest in continuing to meet and study the Bible together.
Since there was interest for God’s Word in another community, we decided to do an outreach with two believers from the original group. We knew these men would expect payment to help teach, so we tried to make sure they understood that we would not pay them. We explained that they needed to go because they wanted their friends to hear the Gospel. They agreed and went faithfully to help teach all 66 evangelistic lessons to this other small group. A handful of people showed real understanding and professed faith in Christ. Though the outreach was hard, I was so thankful for how it turned out.
Then the two men asked what they were going to be paid for helping! I reminded them of our agreement at the beginning and that they had been working in God’s garden, not mine.
They replied, "You were honest with us, but we were fools. … When someone goes to the water hole to bathe and an alligator snaps at him and the man manages to escape, he will run home and take a bath behind his house. That is like us. We went once without pay but we sure will not do that again."
Around the same time, rumors began to surface about the man who had helped me write the Bible lessons. He had clear testimony of faith, saying, "Before, I thought that whoever follows God’s commands will be saved, but now I have heard the truth that only Jesus saves." As he grew, I began training him to teach Bible lessons with me.
But then the rumors said he was involved in adultery. He denied it, but the evidence continued to mount and he finally resigned.
The Bible meetings were poorly attended and factions began to develop among the ten or so believers who met somewhat regularly. Only one or two believers showed evidence of a thankful spirit to God. Lives weren’t being transformed in any noticeable ways. Those who confessed faith had no real understanding of their identity as children of God and there was no sense of worship. Serious gaps existed in the application of the truth they professed to believe.
As a whole, our evangelistic efforts did not engage the women, children or youth. The few men who have listened to the Bible teaching seem to be impacted by it more as a fairy tale story rather than true reality. It seemed to impact them the way The Three Little Pigs impacts me. I can tell you the plot and the moral of the story, but it has nothing to do with my reality.
Despite our best efforts the Gospel has not impacted the community or many individual lives in a noticeable way. Many of those who profess faith are not living in a way that is noticeably different than before they heard the Gospel. Why has there been so little measurable results?
Because there is no "magic formula" that guarantees success when dealing with the hearts and lives of people with a will -- or with a sovereign God who has His own perfect agenda.
Had we known beforehand what our ministry with the Lolo people in Mozambique would look like, would we still have gone? Absolutely. Why? Because God’s name and fame and deeds and honor and glory are always worthy to be declared among the nations -- even if most do not believe.
We have just returned to Mozambique from home assignment. Praise God for the little group of believers who truly understand the Gospel. We have yet to see if our work here will result in a strong Lolo church that transforms the Lolo people, but we plan to continue to translate, teach and disciple toward that end.
Come what may, our hope is in God -- not in the results we are working toward. Our prayer and the prayer of our many faithful supporters will continue to be, "God, please open the hearts of the Lolo people to hear and believe Your Word. Transform us and the new Lolo believers into your image." Please make that your prayer as well!
But the results of our work in Mozambique have been sparse and hard to measure.
When we started, our battle cry was, "Let’s pray that God will open the hearts of the people so they will desire to hear and believe God’s Word."
After a few months in Mozambique, we identified the people group we would be working with -- the Lolo people. When our house was completed in their village three months later, we began full-time culture and language study. While the task was difficult, God allowed us to enjoy learning the Lolo language and we found the people friendly, peaceful and easy to get along with.
By God’s grace alone, after two years of study, I reached the level needed to leave full-time language learning. Now I could finally communicate the Gospel to the Lolo people!
Interest was fairly high when the Bible teaching began. But after about a week, the people began to ask, "If we listen to these lessons, what will we receive?" The people expected to be paid! Despite all our prayers and efforts, the lessons were not enough. Many quit attending.
After 66 evangelistic Bible lessons, a few of the people who had stayed to listen really seemed to understand the Gospel and professed faith. Yet many were not faithful in their attendance and showed no interest in continuing to meet and study the Bible together.
Since there was interest for God’s Word in another community, we decided to do an outreach with two believers from the original group. We knew these men would expect payment to help teach, so we tried to make sure they understood that we would not pay them. We explained that they needed to go because they wanted their friends to hear the Gospel. They agreed and went faithfully to help teach all 66 evangelistic lessons to this other small group. A handful of people showed real understanding and professed faith in Christ. Though the outreach was hard, I was so thankful for how it turned out.
Then the two men asked what they were going to be paid for helping! I reminded them of our agreement at the beginning and that they had been working in God’s garden, not mine.
They replied, "You were honest with us, but we were fools. … When someone goes to the water hole to bathe and an alligator snaps at him and the man manages to escape, he will run home and take a bath behind his house. That is like us. We went once without pay but we sure will not do that again."
Around the same time, rumors began to surface about the man who had helped me write the Bible lessons. He had clear testimony of faith, saying, "Before, I thought that whoever follows God’s commands will be saved, but now I have heard the truth that only Jesus saves." As he grew, I began training him to teach Bible lessons with me.
But then the rumors said he was involved in adultery. He denied it, but the evidence continued to mount and he finally resigned.
The Bible meetings were poorly attended and factions began to develop among the ten or so believers who met somewhat regularly. Only one or two believers showed evidence of a thankful spirit to God. Lives weren’t being transformed in any noticeable ways. Those who confessed faith had no real understanding of their identity as children of God and there was no sense of worship. Serious gaps existed in the application of the truth they professed to believe.
As a whole, our evangelistic efforts did not engage the women, children or youth. The few men who have listened to the Bible teaching seem to be impacted by it more as a fairy tale story rather than true reality. It seemed to impact them the way The Three Little Pigs impacts me. I can tell you the plot and the moral of the story, but it has nothing to do with my reality.
Despite our best efforts the Gospel has not impacted the community or many individual lives in a noticeable way. Many of those who profess faith are not living in a way that is noticeably different than before they heard the Gospel. Why has there been so little measurable results?
Because there is no "magic formula" that guarantees success when dealing with the hearts and lives of people with a will -- or with a sovereign God who has His own perfect agenda.
Had we known beforehand what our ministry with the Lolo people in Mozambique would look like, would we still have gone? Absolutely. Why? Because God’s name and fame and deeds and honor and glory are always worthy to be declared among the nations -- even if most do not believe.
We have just returned to Mozambique from home assignment. Praise God for the little group of believers who truly understand the Gospel. We have yet to see if our work here will result in a strong Lolo church that transforms the Lolo people, but we plan to continue to translate, teach and disciple toward that end.
Come what may, our hope is in God -- not in the results we are working toward. Our prayer and the prayer of our many faithful supporters will continue to be, "God, please open the hearts of the Lolo people to hear and believe Your Word. Transform us and the new Lolo believers into your image." Please make that your prayer as well!