Why Here? Why Now? And What am I Doing?

I can remember my first mission trip.  It was here in the Philippines, and my first church to work with "Castillo Baptist Church."  I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but was told to stay here, preach here, and shake a hand here.  While I was working with this church they desired to do door to door evangelism, and they wanted me to do the evangelism.  So, we began to walk door to door doing sharing the gospel.  We came to our first house right there close to the church, and I sat down in front of this elderly woman and asked her if she had ever heard of Jesus.  She answered bluntly, "No!  Who is He?"  I shared the Gospel with and by the power of the Spirit she repented and believed.  I walked out of the house thinking to myself, "Ok, how has this woman never heard of Jesus when the church is right there?"  I didn't consider the thought anymore until I came to join back with my fellow missionaries that went on this trip with me.  One them walked up to me, tapped me on shoulder, and asked, "How many?"  I look at him perturbed, and then soon realized that he was referring to people who were evangelized.  I heard numbers like 3000 and 5000, and was thinking to myself, "What is our goal here?"  I soon realized we as American missionaries are not actually fulfilling the Great Commission, but were just there to get people to pray a prayer and go back home and say we went on a mission trip.  We had made a lot of decisions but left these pastors clueless on what to do after that.  It is not to these churches faults that their communities do not know Christ.  It is to the missionaries and church planters who left these pastors to themselves.  I then realized that we as American missionaries living in our Bible belt, nominal Christian culture were not making disciples, but just creating another American nominal Christian culture.  

I then asked, "What am I suppose to do?"  This is why I came to the Philippines again.  I came here to spend as much time with pastors as possible.  Some have asked, "Zach, isn't missions about reaching the lost, not pastors?"  Let me ask the question, who could reach more people; an American who is limited in the local language, that will only be there for a few weeks, OR pastors of local churches who know there people, community, and will there till they die?  So, yes my goal is to reach the lost, but to steward this time as best as I can. I am spending a majority of my time with pastors.  We had the first annual R93 Pastors Conference on December 21st where several churches were represented.  One pastor after the conference said to me, "It the first time I've wept in worship since I was a child.  And it wasn't emotions or music.  God showed me that His glory was more supreme over all things in my life, and I should lead my people to feel the same."  Wow.. I could have went home at this point.  These pastors came to me afterwards desiring to have this conference again.  So, R93 Pastors Conference 2014 is in the planning now.  

I did do some evangelistic work while here however.  Me and a team from the church hiked approx. 2 to 3 miles carrying food and equipment into a remote unreached village crossing two rivers in the dark.  This was an incredible experience, because I got be apart of these people's mission in reaching these people and soon to be church plant.  These church worker not only saw my desire to make disciples in my teaching, but in my sweat and effort.  This was humbling also to know that these workers are being stirred by the Spirit to make disciples.  

Tomorrow,  I am headed to another location.  This is an island that when I asked a missionary about he said, "God would have to drag me there before I go."  Then, I told him, "well I will go."  This is the first time I have revealed much about this island.  This island has estimated 5 to 6 Christians of approx.  300,000 people, whom are all terrified of revealing that they are Christians.  The island is prominently muslim.  I major reason is it's closeness to Indonesia, and because of that I am packing all of my things in one backpack and dressing as Filipino as possible.  Some have asked, "Do you ever feel in danger in your mission work?"  My sin wants to flesh out and answer, "I feel in danger driving on the interstate." But I want to answer that question Biblically.  First, I don't see Paul saying, "Well I think it's too dangerous."  NO, you see Paul saying, "And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:22-24).  Second, knowing that the savior of my soul hold the entire world in the palm of his hand is sufficient for me to go into the hardest people group and the toughest terrain.  We must have confidence that nothing may touch us outside the sovereign hand of our amazing God.  I sleep well at night because of the very fact that my life, my safety, and my hope is not dependent on me, but in a risen savior!! 

I am not doing to something great for the sake of Jesus.  Jesus is allowing me to be apart of something he has already accomplished.  God does not need me, nor does he need any missionary.  I am unworthy of all things that he allows me to partake in.  

Thanks to you that are praying!  

Blessing, 

Zach