{"id":9165,"date":"2020-03-11T09:21:41","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T13:21:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=9165"},"modified":"2020-03-11T09:22:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T13:22:37","slug":"7-joys-of-a-mission-mobilizer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/?p=9165","title":{"rendered":"7 Joys of a Mission Mobilizer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Missions-Catalyst-no-tagline_large\"\"7By Shane Bennett<\/p>\n

I tend to be optimistic\u2014one of many gifts from my mom. But sometimes these days the world at large assails a positive outlook. It\u2019s as if the universe is saying, \u201cNot today, buddy!\u201d We\u2019ve got growing Covid-19 concern. Markets are melting down. And a couple of nights ago, the gold fish I got for Persian New Year<\/a> jumped out of his bowl to an inauspicious death on the kitchen counter.<\/p>\n

But gloom and doom will not win the day. My glass is still half full. Spring is near, Jesus loves me, and I got married last week!<\/p>\n

In February, I soberly warned of the seven sins of mobilizers<\/a>. This month, with great pleasure, I dive into the seven joys of mobilizers: the particular charms, privileges, and delights of doing the crazy stuff we do.<\/p>\n

1. The Weight of Glory<\/h3>\n

Lewis\u2019s seminal sermon celebrates the honor, the staggering weight of glory, that we can be part of the divine pleasure. Could I bring joy to God? Even thinking that pings all of my \u201cnot worthy,\u201d \u201cnot me,\u201d \u201cnot likely\u201d buttons! But it\u2019s true! And as mobilizers, our privilege is to work hard, long, and well to see God glorified, to see God\u2019s pleasure increase as his kingdom springs up all around the planet.<\/p>\n

This is a pleasure\u2014a gift for which I\u2019m too rarely grateful, too seldom cognizant.<\/p>\n

2. Life Beginning Among a New People<\/h3>\n

Many of us in the Missions Catalyst tribe mobilize people toward the ends of the earth, the unreached or unengaged peoples. We could pick easier things to do, right? Ah, but when it works, when the gospel begins to take hold in a new place, what a joy!<\/p>\n

I remember sharing a story from the life of Jesus with a young Gambian guy who\u2019d had no real previous interaction with the Bible. His wide-eyed, \u201cThere\u2019s something about Isa\u201d comment will probably stay with me to my death.<\/p>\n

3. Joining Friends on Their Journey<\/h3>\n

Sometimes in Perspectives classes I\u2019ll challenge students to tell me what they\u2019re good at and I\u2019ll tell them where they might contribute to reaching unreached peoples. I do that to pull the veil off their imaginations, to enable people to see in new ways the way God loves them and plans to employ them in his kingdom work.<\/p>\n

I love to help people take their next step. Can you relate?<\/p>\n

Occasionally we\u2019ll really connect with someone or some family and get to watch, even participate, as their journey unfolds. That\u2019s like drugs to me. I have friends who\u2019ve served in North Africa, Turkey, and Italy at my direct invitation. They\u2019ve filled my heart with hope and joy.<\/p>\n

4. Love Beyond Boundaries<\/h3>\n

One of the many lessons embedded in the masterful story of the good Samaritan is God\u2019s desire for us to love beyond those near us and like us. For mission mobilizers, this is part and parcel of our calling and our work. God\u2019s glory and compassion for those beyond the established church motivate us in ways far superior to targeted triumphalism.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re lucky, as we learn to love people far different from us and advocate for their best in God, we\u2019ll realize in fresh ways how thoroughly God loves us.<\/p>\n

Of course, this \u201cloving those unlike me\u201d can be hard work, frustrating, demoralizing, and sometimes apparently without fruit. But it\u2019s a good work, both in the effect on the loved and the growth of the lover. It\u2019s good for our souls, a gift really, to practice obeying the second greatest command. (Tweet this<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

5. Fresh Perspective<\/h3>\n

Whenever we learn about another people or culture in our efforts to advocate for them, our own hearts and minds are shaped and developed.<\/p>\n

My work in recent years to mobilize church-planting efforts among Muslim migrants in Sicily has given me a chance to see in the smallest way how Sicilians view their island\u2019s immigration situation. This, in turn, helps me understand how people in my own country, even my own church, view immigration.<\/p>\n

My time mobilizing in Holland helped me see how differently Dutch people see the world than I do. This has challenged my thinking in areas of tolerance, cooperation, and frugality.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m particularly grateful for the many Arab, Indian, and Southeast Asian cultures that have impressed on me biblical truth regarding community and hospitality.<\/p>\n

My mind is a happier, more interesting playground for having enjoyed the gifts of many diverse cultures. Yours, too?<\/p>\n

6. Fantastic Food<\/h3>\n

Of particular note are the culinary gifts mobilizers receive. I would happily take seconds of almost everything someone from a different culture has ever given me. From the mango drinks a kind Arab shop keeper in Illinois shared with my kids to the watermelon in a Palestinian refugee camp\u2026 from baklava in a Turkish village to the South Asian feast an international student made for my family after he\u2019d returned to America with his new wife. Ah, but God\u2019s kindness has come through the food shared by many.<\/p>\n

There may be no better way to introduce someone to a people group than to buy them some of their food! This is the mobilizer\u2019s secret weapon. And of course, it\u2019s rude to expect someone to eat alone! (Tweet this<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

7. Freedom to Dream<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s one of my favorite dreams: What if we prayed the Lord\u2019s Prayer, asking, \u201cMay your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,\u201d and God said, \u201cYes. I\u2019m down for that! I say \u2018Yes\u2019 to that prayer!\u201d What does it look like? How does it come about?<\/p>\n

I sure don\u2019t have all the answers, but I love that my job involves dreaming about them.<\/p>\n

This is a gift, isn\u2019t it? To give your mind and your time (at least some of it) to dreaming about how God will accomplish his purposes for our planet?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m currently wondering about what kingdom opportunities will open up in Syria. As I pray for peace, I look forward to days when the displaced will begin to return home, when reconstruction money will start to pour in, when thoughtful, loving Jesus-people from all over will give the best of their strength to come alongside and care for Syrians.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s going to happen, you know, this completing-the-Great-Commission thing. One day it will be done. Jesus would not have asked us to do it if that weren\u2019t so. What a joy that we get to be a part.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Shane Bennett I tend to be optimistic\u2014one of many gifts from my mom. But sometimes these days the world at large assails a positive outlook. It\u2019s as if the universe is saying, \u201cNot today, buddy!\u201d We\u2019ve got growing Covid-19 concern. Markets are melting down. And a couple of nights ago, the gold fish I … Continue reading 7 Joys of a Mission Mobilizer<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-practical-mobilization"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9165"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9168,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9165\/revisions\/9168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/missionscatalyst.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}