A few years ago I had the opportunity to hear Leon Dillinger talk about his life as a missionary in New Guinea over the course of past 40 years.
One of the many interesting aspects of Leon and Lorraine's ministry was how they ministered through their work to the Dani tribe for 7 years before a single person confessed to accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. During the years leading up to the first conversion, and since, the Dillingers prepared and worked and prayed..over and over, day in and day out (it took him 1/2 that time to speak the same language). They ministered through their labor of providing medical services and introducing new food sources, planting crops, and living in the community. All these years they worked with the love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in their heart and actions, believing that in time their work would make a difference.
Can you imagine a life of such patience and struggle but not seeing any results of your ministry? But the Dillingers knew their ministry was about their life in that tribal community, and in time, the Danis responded to the words, and the love, through the work. You and I are should look at our ministry in a like way. Most vocational missionaries (what you and I, as believers in Christ should be) have similiar experiences; years of living and preparing before any fruit shows itself.
I struggle with what causes a practicing Christian to think he or she should do anything different here in our America, than the Dillingers, and scores of missionaries like them, do every day.
The purpose of this website is to bring together my thoughts, notes and papers about this subject of God at Work. As I do so, my theme is Practicing Christianity. I haven't been overseas to live and work as a "missionary." I've worked in an office around Christians and non-Christians. I've spent time laying the foundations to share the Gospel and to wittness within my sphere of influence with my words and my work. Someone once said, "share the Gospel with everyone you come in contact with, and use words when you have to."
There is a parallel to the vocational, or traditional, missionary, and the "normal" worker and I believe they are much more the same than they differ. In a large part, my struggle, and I don't believe I'm alone, is with our culture. The normal church attender is told, mostly through omission, that our work is not as important as a third world country missionary. Yet, a Christian's work is every bit as important if we are working for our Lord and Savior. We must take notice of the purpose for which we are working. Whether you're working as an accountant, a broker, a truck driver, nurse or you're Leon Dillinger giving penicillin shots and planting lemon trees, it has eternal impact if your doing it with a mindset to enlarge and mature the body of Christ.
Jesus instructed his apostles to disciple, baptize, and teach everyone to observe what He commanded and the most important of those commands was to love. Leon and Loraine loved the people they were in community with and I can't imagine how hard that must have been at times. Paul reiterated Jesus' commanded by instructing the Colossians to proclaim Him through instruction and teaching so that we would present everyone complete in Christ.
What better way to observe Jesus commands that to go about our day with the mindset, the worldview, that we are missionaries to our community at work and to love those around us?
Lord, as I go about my world today, I pray that I honor your name by loving my co-workers. I pray that I look upon the unbeliever as natives to whom I'm to witness to about You. I pray my wittiness is not just with my words, but with my work. I pray that I listen to the groaning of the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Help me to help them to help others in your name. Blessed be your name, your kingdom come. Here in this community at home and work just as it is in Heaven. That your name is honored and that I am satisfied. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
One of the many interesting aspects of Leon and Lorraine's ministry was how they ministered through their work to the Dani tribe for 7 years before a single person confessed to accepting Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. During the years leading up to the first conversion, and since, the Dillingers prepared and worked and prayed..over and over, day in and day out (it took him 1/2 that time to speak the same language). They ministered through their labor of providing medical services and introducing new food sources, planting crops, and living in the community. All these years they worked with the love of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in their heart and actions, believing that in time their work would make a difference.
Can you imagine a life of such patience and struggle but not seeing any results of your ministry? But the Dillingers knew their ministry was about their life in that tribal community, and in time, the Danis responded to the words, and the love, through the work. You and I are should look at our ministry in a like way. Most vocational missionaries (what you and I, as believers in Christ should be) have similiar experiences; years of living and preparing before any fruit shows itself.
I struggle with what causes a practicing Christian to think he or she should do anything different here in our America, than the Dillingers, and scores of missionaries like them, do every day.
The purpose of this website is to bring together my thoughts, notes and papers about this subject of God at Work. As I do so, my theme is Practicing Christianity. I haven't been overseas to live and work as a "missionary." I've worked in an office around Christians and non-Christians. I've spent time laying the foundations to share the Gospel and to wittness within my sphere of influence with my words and my work. Someone once said, "share the Gospel with everyone you come in contact with, and use words when you have to."
There is a parallel to the vocational, or traditional, missionary, and the "normal" worker and I believe they are much more the same than they differ. In a large part, my struggle, and I don't believe I'm alone, is with our culture. The normal church attender is told, mostly through omission, that our work is not as important as a third world country missionary. Yet, a Christian's work is every bit as important if we are working for our Lord and Savior. We must take notice of the purpose for which we are working. Whether you're working as an accountant, a broker, a truck driver, nurse or you're Leon Dillinger giving penicillin shots and planting lemon trees, it has eternal impact if your doing it with a mindset to enlarge and mature the body of Christ.
Jesus instructed his apostles to disciple, baptize, and teach everyone to observe what He commanded and the most important of those commands was to love. Leon and Loraine loved the people they were in community with and I can't imagine how hard that must have been at times. Paul reiterated Jesus' commanded by instructing the Colossians to proclaim Him through instruction and teaching so that we would present everyone complete in Christ.
What better way to observe Jesus commands that to go about our day with the mindset, the worldview, that we are missionaries to our community at work and to love those around us?
Lord, as I go about my world today, I pray that I honor your name by loving my co-workers. I pray that I look upon the unbeliever as natives to whom I'm to witness to about You. I pray my wittiness is not just with my words, but with my work. I pray that I listen to the groaning of the Holy Spirit who lives in me. Help me to help them to help others in your name. Blessed be your name, your kingdom come. Here in this community at home and work just as it is in Heaven. That your name is honored and that I am satisfied. In Your Name I pray, Amen.
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