Echoes Into Eternity Chapter 11
Accomplishing the Mission
USS Bainbridge, Uss Long Beach & USS Enterprise
Nuclear Task Force
USS Enterprise, Indian Ocean, September 1978
My bombardier/navigator George and I gathered with the rest of our flight in the squadron Ready Room 4 two hours before launch time. We had a good mission scheduled that day—a War At Sea exercise, or WASEX. The “enemy “ ship was the USS Long Beach, presently over 80 miles away. The flight brief was given over the ship’s TV station to all the ready rooms. After discussing our tactics with the other crews, we headed to the locker room. It took about 10 minutes to don our 30 pounds of flight equipment. The “G” suit zipped on each leg and around your abdomen easily. Getting into your torso harness demanded the moves of a contortionist, especially after lunch.
Once we suited up, we took the elevator up to the flight deck. With a few steps across the Starship Enterprise tile design, we were out of the island and on to a flight deck humming with activity as men in color coded jerseys prepared the airplanes and catapults for the next launch. Men fueling the aircraft wore purple; plane captains wore brown; maintenance, catapult, and arresting gear crews wore green; deck hands wore blue; those loading bombs and missiles wore red; safety and medical personnel wore white; and taxi directors wore yellow. We wore drab green, and as I walked toward our Intruder, I could feel the excitement within me grow.
Preflight inspection of the aircraft was next. This was the most important 20 minutes of the day. An airplane in good mechanical condition was essential to your survival. With that complete, we both boarded the Intruder and strapped into our Martim Baker Escape pac ejection seats. This meant connecting our shoulder and lower torso “Koch” fittings, and leg restraints to the ejection seat and tightening down the slack.
With the help of a “huffer” (high-powered airblower), I started both engines, and completed the pre-taxi checklist. Now we were ready to taxi toward the catapult, and the ship began its turn into the wind for launch. The 12 chains that held the Intruder to the deck were removed by the plane captain. Following the directions of a yellow-shirted taxi director, I pulled out of the parking spot, turned toward the bow catapults and spread the wings.
The Enterprise has four steam catapults—two on the bow, and two on the “waist” (on the angled deck) for launching aircraft. In less than 250 feet, these “cats” accelerate the aircraft from 0 to 160 mph, usually in less than two seconds. Being launched off the ship in this way was like being the rock in a slingshot. As long as everything went fine, it was The Best Ride at The Best Amusement Park that you ever experienced. If something went wrong because of a catapult or aircraft malfunction, then you had less than two seconds to decide if the airplane was going to fly, or fall into the sea.
If your airplane wasn’t going to fly, then you had to get out before the aircraft hit the water. There’s a yellow and black striped handle over your head, and one tucked between your legs. These handles are your “emergency exits” from the airplane. Pulling either one ignites the rocket motor inside the ejection seat that you’re strapped into. The book said that the Martin Baker GRU-7 ejection seat would get you safely out of the airplane at any speed and any altitude (but not attitude) if you had the time for your seat to fire and parachute to deploy before hitting the ground.
Even if you did get out of your jet safely before it hit the sea and inflate your life vest and then disentangle yourself from the parachute shroud lines, there was still a problem.
A Serious Problem.
A 90,000 ton ship was bearing down on you with four 32 foot diameter propellers driving it at 15-plus knots. These big ships don’t turn on a dime. Quite the contrary. Anything or anybody immediately in front of an aircraft carrier has an excellent chance of being run over by it. I heard one pilot talk about being dragged under the ship, seeing the propellers approaching, but somehow managing to avoid the blades. Another friend was not so lucky—he ended up caught in one of the water-cooling intakes. His body was found a few weeks later.
Ejection off the catapult was not something to look forward to, especially at night, but sometimes it was the only option.
With the ship now headed into the wind, our launch began. The fighters were first, and the noise was deafening as they went to zone five afterburner for the launch. I was in line behind an F-14 Tomcat, and an A-7 Corsair for the no. 2 catapult. As each launched, I inched forward until it was finally our turn.
Following the signals of the yellow shirt, I slowly maneuvered the Intruder into the catapult shuttle—the device that connects to your nosewheel bar and does the actual pulling of the aircraft. When I was “in,” the yellow shirt gave me the “hold” signal. There was a pause as a deck hand attached the “hold back rod” to the rear of the nosewheel. This device is designed to hold the aircraft at full power, but to release it when the cat stroke began. The Catapult Officer then gave the “take tension” signal to the catapult operator who was standing over in the cat walk. I reached forward of the throttles and swung out the “cat grip”and felt the aircraft squat slightly as the nosewheel automatically compressed, as if the Intruder was getting ready to jump off the deck.
Waving two fingers back and forth rapidly, the Cat Officer gave me the “turn up” signal. With my left hand I pushed both throttles to full power, locking my fingers over the cat grip bar. This prevents your hand and the throttles from slipping back during the 24 “G” acceleration that was now just seconds away. You didn’t want to launch off the cat with anything less than full power! I watched the fuel flow and the EGT (exhaust gas temperature) indicators climb and stabilize at normal full power settings. I quickly scanned the other engine instruments. With my right hand I began a “wipe out” of the flight controls, moving the control stick to every corner, ensuring that they were all functioning properly. This final wipe out was very important.
Satisfied that this A-6 was ready to launch, I glanced over at George and asked if he was ready to go. He answered affirmatively with two clicks of the intercom. George was always ready to fly. He had spent almost seven years as a POW in North Vietnam and was making up for lost time. I settled back into my seat and with my left hand tight on the throttles and cat grip, I saluted the Cat Officer with my right hand. That was the signal that we were ready to go. Now I tried to “relax” and enjoy what was coming next.
The next three seconds were the worst part. We were now the “rock” in the slingshot with no control over our destiny. Our lives were now in the hands of two men and various pieces of machinery. The Cat Officer reached down with his forward hand, touched the deck and pointed toward the bow. The catapult operator pushed the two buttons of the catapult control. Within a second the catapult fired and the Intruder shot forward.
This was a good shot! The massive power that accelerated the Intruder down the track slammed my eyeballs back into their sockets. Still, they stayed locked on to the Vertical Display Indicator, my primary attitude reference. The deck became a blur and suddenly the edge passed beneath us. The water 60 feet below was deep blue and uninviting. The 48,000 pound Intruder dropped a few feet as the control surfaces became aerodynamically effective. I pulled the aircraft into an 8 degree nose up attitude with my right hand and my left hand moved forward to the landing gear handle, knocking it to the “up” position. In another two seconds, we felt the thumps of all three wheels locking into their compartments and the gear doors closing. Now we were ready to really fly!
We leveled at 500 feet and accelerated ahead. George turned on the radar and checked out the computer. It was not unusual for some of the onboard equipment to malfunction during the cat shot. At six miles we began climbing and turned, arcing around to our departure radial. There the rest of the strike force, four A‑7 Corsairs, three other A-6 Intruders, and an EA-6B Prowler, was circling at 12,000 feet. We joined with my wingman and the rest of the strike force and headed out toward the Long Beach. Our goal was to sneak in under their radar for a surprise attack.
About 40 miles out from the Long Beach, we descended to 200 feet accelerating to 420 knots. Our radars were off to avoid detection. At ten miles, we split from the A-7s, descended to 50 feet and accelerated to 480 knots. Now we were so low that we were invisible to the Long Beach’s radar.
We began an elaborate zigzag pattern that would put us all overhead Long Beach with ten second intervals between planes. Timing and speed control were critical to arrive overhead in your ten second window. Having a mid-air collision was the last thing that you wanted to happen.
Flying at 50 feet at close to 500 knots is a true rush. The whitecaps of the waves were a blur, and it required total concentration to keep the aircraft low, but not too low. At this altitude and speed, a hiccup or any spurious forward stick movement can be fatal. You can really “feel” the speed this low, especially flying in formation with other aircraft.
At six miles we visually sighted Long Beach and turned the “Master Arm” switch on, opening the electrical circuits to the bomb racks. Just then the first two A-7 Corsairs crossed over the Long Beach in their attack from the left and right of me, followed by the two remaining Corsairs crossing at 10 second intervals. At two miles out I jammed the throttles forward and began the “pop-up” attack maneuver, designed to minimize your exposure to the enemy’s missiles. It begins from as close to water as you care to fly with a hard pull on the Intruder to 30 degrees nose up. Then comes a 30-degree bank turn to the right (away from the target), followed two seconds later by a roll back to the left to the 135 degree (almost inverted) position, to visually pick up the target.
The effect of this maneuver designed to hinder any anti-aircraft gun from accurately tracking you had the effect of seeing the horizon spin in one direction, followed by a spin back in the opposite direction a few seconds later. Usually at this point we were on our back floating through about 2,300 feet AGL, and enjoying the effect of sky BELOW you, and sea ABOVE, with the target ship UPSIDE DOWN in front of you. Then it was a pull back on the stick to bring the nose of the aircraft down onto the Long Beach. Now it was time to get everything right-side-up. By rolling back right to wings level you set up for a shallow 10 degree dive attack with a release altitude of 1,500 above the target. Now place the bomb sight cross hairs on the center of the Long Beach, check your speed, and count “one potato, two potato, three,” and pull the trigger on the stick.
This was an exhilarating maneuver to fly, with a fatal ending for any enemy in the target area.
Five seconds after I began the “pop-up” maneuver, the Long Beach’s conning tower filled my bombsight and I pulled the trigger. However, today the only thing that we dropped on the Long Beach was a “bomb tone” on their radio frequency, demonstrating that we could have inflicted major damage. I pulled out of the dive and leveled off, flying past the Long Beach’s conning tower at eye level as the other A-6’s made their attack.
Misson accomplished.
Eight jets had just attacked a 700 foot cruiser, all dropping their ordinance with 70 seconds. Had we been at war attacking a Russian ship, there would have been major damage to the enemy.
It is obvious that the Church of Jesus Christ that those first disciples were successful in accomplishing their mission. Our existence and participation today confirms that!
The growth of the Early Church was nothing short of phenomenal! In less than three centuries, a small obscure movement with no religious structure headed by 11 impoverished and lightly educated men spread to become the official religion of the Roman Empire and established local congregations in the far corners of Africa, Asia, and Europe.
How did they do it?
Those first missionaries had a few things working in their favor.
First there was a Roman system of roads that made travel possible.
Built for the marching legionaries, these roads were “built to last forever” and linked the provinces of the Empire together. When I was a Fifth Grader living in Yalova Turkey, the road from my home along the coast of the Sea of Marmara to my school on the U.S. Air Force base at Karamursel 17 miles away was literally the 2000 year-old Roman road with a layer of modern asphalt on top.
A few years ago, we walked along the Via Ignatia in Northeastern Greece- the very same road that Paul used in his travels!
With these roads, you could actually plan a trip and get there, and the peace enforced by the Roman legions allowed for generally safe travel.
Those First Century missionaries began their ministry in Israel – Judea, which was the land bridge of three continents. They could literally walk to China, India, Spain, Libya, Nigeria, and Russia.
Thanks to Alexander the Great’s conquest three hundred years earlier, Greek was a common language spoken in all parts of the Empire.
In addition, there was even a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures- the Septuagint.
All these factors provided a favorable environment where the Gospel could be communicated across the Empire. But more important was their philosophy of ministry.
· They were strongly motivated by their experience with the crucified and risen Christ;
· They understood the eternal stakes of their mission;
· They realized what preparation was required to effectively spread the message;
· They knew what they needed to accomplish the work;
· They had a distinct attitude of service and they understood the personal cost;
· They leaned heavily on the Holy Spirit; and finally,
· They possessed a simple formula for ministry.
Our modern methods often ignore the effective experience of the Early Church.
Our ideas of preparation tend to be more toward formal education; we are more organized in our operations; our motivations often focus on personal desires and needs, and our reliance is often more on man’s planning and fundraising abilities than anything else. This has been my own experience as a missionary in Central America, where I noticed many mission groups headquartered in high altitude, cool environments, with established strategies for reaching their target audience. My experience was very different, arriving in a hot sea level area with many insects, with no plan other than deliver some relief supplies to needy refugees. Starting a school project that has lasted over 35 years was not on our agenda, but it obviously was on God’s!
Jesus declared to his disciples while at Caesarea Philippi: “I will build my Church” (Matthew 16) and He told them that upon receiving the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, they would begin the Jesus Christ To The Remote Corners of the World Evangelism Movement (Acts 1:8).
These first disciples had:
a strong personal relationship with the risen Lord and
a sensitive ear to the Holy Spirit.
They counted on God’s plan and power.
Through them, Jesus did build His Church in a phenomenal manner.
Fifth Century Church at Philippi
One of the first questions that I usually ask a team that arrives in Nicaragua to work with us is “Why did you come?”
Usually the response hits a few areas: “I felt like I could be used”; “I saw a great need”; I felt like I could learn something from this experience”, are typical responses. All of these are good reasons to go on a missions trip, but underlying all of these is perhaps the most profound and important reason we do anything for the Kingdom, be it folding chairs after service or dedicating our lives to live among an unreached people group.
Isaiah had an experience with God that is described in the sixth chapter of his book.
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple. Hovering around him were mighty seraphim, each with six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with the remaining two they flew. In a great chorus they sang, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with his glory!” The glorious singing shook the Temple to its foundations, and the entire sanctuary was filled with smoke.
Then I said, “My destruction is sealed, for I am a sinful man and a member of a sinful race. Yet I have seen the King, the LORD Almighty!”
Then one of the seraphim flew over to the altar, and he picked up a burning coal with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to my people? Who will go for us?”
And I said, “Lord, I’ll go! Send me.” Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah saw God in all his glory, and that made him despair, realizing his own sinfulness. It is a common reaction when we enter the presence of the Lord. Experiencing God’s holiness reveals our own sinfulness. Yet at this moment of despair, God did something very special. The angel brought a coal from the altar, touched it to Isaiah’s lips, and declared him a righteous man, whose sin’s had been forgiven. Imagine the joy that exploded in Isaiah’s heart. Receiving forgiveness of sin, eternal life, spiritual empowerment, and all the fruits of the Spirit is something to jump and shout about! So when God asked for a volunteer to take a message, Isaiah very naturally volunteered, knowing what God had just done for him.
Principle: Gratitude is a powerful motivation. Knowing God, and realizing what He has done for us is perhaps the most profound reason for involving yourself in ministry.
The first disciples had this gratitude. They witnessed what Jesus did on the cross for them. They received with His sacrifice with a life changing thankfulness, and responded by totally giving their lives for Him.
One life totally dedicated to God is a powerful force in this world. Christian history records the effect of lives totally dedicated to God, and how individuals changed their world. Francis of Assisi, Ludwig von Zinzindorf, John Wesley, Billy Graham, John Paul II, Mother Teresa, Jack Dyer, Keith Larkin, Ralph Moore, Craig Englert, Randy Smith, Laura Uyeda, Nutie Melrose, Tom Keogh and Truman Cunningham are only a few examples of men and women who so appreciated what Christ did for them on the cross, that they devoted their lives to Him, and in the process literally changed their world.
We need to have this concept when the bugs and insults get thick; when the personal and spiritual attacks come; and when discouragement and discomfort abound. We need this as the underlying reason why we are following the King in His assigned works of service.
Our other motivations for our ministry may wane, yet this is the one constant:
Who God is and what He has done for us!
The altar at the church at Laodicea
If this is the reason for our involvement in ministry, then we come to the next obvious question: Why does God want us participating in these “works of service”?
Does He really need us? Is God so limited in His power and authority that He must use the likes of me to help Him reach the Miskito Indians in Nicaragua? Obviously God could show up on the Rio Coco, snap His celestial fingers, and all the children on the Lower Rio Coco would be able to read and write. Jesus could walk down the river (in the middle!), speak some amazing words, do a few amazing things, and all would see Him, and worship Him.
But for some reason He doesn’t do that but instead chooses to use us collectively to educate the children and bring the message of the Gospel. This may be a frightening concept! After all, would you rely on yourself to accomplish the most important mission in humanity? Probably not, but God does.
I think that this is a clue to the real reason why He wants us involved in ministry. Let’s step back in time for some help in understanding.
Communion (or the Lord’s Supper) is a special time for all Christians. Jesus’ final celebration of the Passover with His disciples (with unleavened bread and wine) was rich with symbols of God’s grace and favor to mankind. But there is more to the story. My friend Dr. Randy Smith usually tells it like this:
When a young Hebrew man decided to marry the girl of his dreams, the first person he went to was her father. He usually began his discussion by saying something like this: “Jacob, I was in the field with my flock the other day when your daughter walked by. She is so ugly that my sheep ran away and it took me three days to find them all”.
To which the father replied: “You are mistaken my son, my daughter is a beautiful girl.” Thus began the negotiations for the dowry, the price of the bride. After they had decided how many sheep, goats, barrels of oil and bushels of wheat she was worth, the girl was called in, and the plan revealed. Wine and bread were brought to the table. The young lady gave bread to the young man, and the cup of wine. Without any words, the young man drank from the cup and passed it to her. In his cultural way, he was saying, “I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you be my bride?”
The young Hebrew maiden knew what the cup of wine gesture meant, and if she took the cup and drank from it, she was culturally saying, “Yes, I accept your proposal of marriage”.
In our culture, we make a different gesture. I remember the day in April 1987 when I asked Laura to marry me. It was at a beach café in La Ceiba Honduras where we went for some refreshing melon smoothies. The air was hot muggy with loud blaring music (the song “Push It”). It suddenly was apparent that this was the time to ask Laura Uyeda to be my bride. I dropped to my knee, took her hand, looked deeply into her eyes, and said “Laura, will you be my wife?” (It was one of the best moves that I ever made!). She laughed and replied “Yes of course!”
At the Last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus took bread, broke it, ate, and passed it around the table. He took a cup of wine, drank, and shared with his disciples. Along with His symbolism of the bread being his broken body, and the wine being his blood spilled out for the covenant between God and his People, his disciples may have seen something that reminded them of the marriage proposal. They understood that along with the sacrifice on the cross, Jesus was inviting them into an intimate relationship with them, along the lines of the most intimate relationship that they knew, marriage. They even later began referring to themselves as the “Bride of Christ”.
Principle: God is calling us into an intimate relationship with Him. Ministry is when we get to do things with Him, and in the process, we see Him more, and get to know Him better.
Think of the times when we find ourselves working with a stranger on a job. Usually through the work, you get to know your co-worker. After days and weeks of working together, a solid relationship is formed. At least that is what happens to me on a job.
When we do the work of the Kingdom, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and we let Jesus build His Kingdom by using us, we have more and more experiences with Him as we work “Together, Making Disciples”. I have had moments when I have been asked to teach, and suddenly something is coming forth from me that I didn’t prepare, which is touching the listeners much more than my original lesson. That is Jesus showing up. It is an astonishing experience.
Once, a girl came to me down river in Sawa, with a huge machete wound on her forearm. We were hours away from the nearest clinic, and I didn’t have any sutures. Instead, I took duct tape, and made some butterfly bandages, pulled the wound together, applied some antibiotic ointment, and wrapped her arm in tape. I asked Jesus to touch her, knowing that she could get an infection that could be very serious. I told her to come back the next day. She didn’t, nor on the following day. I finally went looking for her on the third, and found her. The tape was hanging loosely on her arm. When I took it off, I saw that the wound had completely closed, and there was no infection. Jesus definitely showed up and touched her!
Many times we have had broken down outboard motors, miles from the nearest mechanic. After cleaning plugs, gas lines, and all our other tricks, we pray, asking Jesus to make the motor run. Usually after a few more pulls, the engines fires, and soon we are praising the Lord as we fly down the river.
There are so many times that Jesus has shown up in our ministry, that we come to expect His presence. In fact, we realize that without Him, we will accomplish nothing.
Our ministry with the Miskitos along the Rio Coco in Nicaragua, at the Rio Coco Café on the Caribbean island of Utila and in Vero Beach Florida has been simply opportunities for us to spend time with Jesus, working with Him, and doing what He is doing. In the process, we have gotten to know and appreciate Him for who He is!
In the Middle East today, there are arranged marriages. The prospective groom and bride never met until the wedding. The bride arrives at the ceremony wearing a veil, usually made from coins wired together (her dowry). The first time they actually see each other is after they are declared husband and wife. Remember the story of Jacob, who fell in love with Rachel, but was deceived by her father Laban and discovered too late that he had married her older sister Leah instead! I wonder how many Christians will show up at the “Marriage Ceremony for the Lamb” (Rev.9:19), as unknown to the Groom as those veiled Middle Easterner brides.
Principle: True Followers of Jesus will be compelled by their gratitude for what He has done for us to be involved in His mission to reach all humanity and invite them into His Kingdom.
Principle: Jesus desires us to be participating with Him as He builds His Church because He desires a more intimate relationship with us.
The theater at Ephesus where Paul established a church
With these two principles, there are a few obvious questions to ask that will help us become more effective in our roles in the Kingdom.
The first might be: “How do we prepare ourselves for ministry?”
Many of us have this experience: We might be sitting in a church service, and or under a tree at the beach, and thoughts begin to fill our minds about the needs we see around us, and a desire grows within us to do something to meet that need. Most of us grew up in a religious environment where the church staff did most of the work with the help of a few volunteers.
My friend Dave once joked when I asked him if he was regularly reading his Bible: “Bags, I pay a priest to do that for me.” He was being funny, but there is an attitude that ‘ministers’ are those ‘professional’ people who went to Bible school and are on the staff of our churches.
We even have words that define this division in the Body of Christ:
Clergy and Laity. Professional Christians and Spectator Christians.
Visit many churches in Europe built in the Middle Ages and notice that there is even a fence (sometimes with a gate) separating the altar area where the priests work, and the seating (or standing) area of the church where the people watch and participate on a very limited basis. Indeed, our architecture reflects this separation of those professionals who minister, and those of us who just watch.
For many, Christianity is still a spectator event. Yet a reading of the Bible suggests a completely different story.
If you study the Book of Acts, and the Epistles, you will notice three prominent words: “Apostolos”, “Presbuteros”, and “Adelphos”, designating people who were doing the work of the church. We encounter these three groups in the first verses of Acts 15.
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. Acts 15:1-3
Apostles: apóstolos; to send. one sent, apostle, ambassador.
Elders: presbúteros; an old man, an ambassador. Older, aged; a senior. The elders of Christian churches, presbyters, to whom was committed the direction and government of individual churches.
Brethren: adelphós; A brother. Adelphós generally denotes a fellowship of life based on identity of origin, e.g., members of the same family; members of the same tribe, countrymen, and so forth. One of the same nature. The members of the same Christian community are called brothers
Jesus send forth His “Apostles”, who brought the message, established churches, and appointed the “Elders”, who oversaw the work of the “Brothers and Sisters”- the “Saints”- in each local congregation. It was a simple structure that included all members of the Body of Christ in the ministry of the Church. It seems that ministry was a team effort, involving new believers as well as the older, mature disciples.
In fact, if you count the times each of these three words are mentioned in the Book of Acts, it is overwhelming the ‘Brothers and Sisters’ who are doing the ministry, as noted by over 180 times when it says in the New Testament ‘the Adelphos' did this, went there, took something somewhere,’ etc. The words Apostolos and presbuteros are used less than 20 times in describing those who took action.
Principle: The majority of the ministry of the First Century Church was carried out by the ‘Brothers and Sisters’.
The fresco of Jesus on the ceiling of the Chora Church Istanbul Turkey
Since there were no ministry training schools or Bible colleges at that time (aside from the traditional Jewish rabbinical schools), how were these Apostolos, Presbuteros, and Adelphos trained for their work in the Kingdom?
Acts 4:13-14 provides us with an answer.
The scene is the Temple in Jerusalem, and Peter has just performed a miracle. On their way up through the “Beautiful Gate”, they encountered a beggar who had been born lame. Invoking Jesus’ name, Peter seized the man’s hand, and raised him up, and the beggar was immediately healed, and able to walk for the first time in his life. This miracle caused people to quickly gather, and Peter and John began to proclaim the Gospel. Soon, the Temple guards arrived and hauled them both off to jail, where they spent the night. The next day they were brought before the religious rulers of Israel, the Sanhedrin, to explain how they had healed this lame man. Peter boldly began to tell them about Jesus’ power to heal and save. Luke records:
The members of the council were amazed when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, for they could see that they were ordinary men who had had no special training. They also recognized them as men who had been with Jesus. But since the man who had been healed was standing right there among them, the council had nothing to say. Acts 4:13-14 NLT
There are two observations here of note. First, Peter and John are described as “ordinary men”. The Greek word used here is “idiotes”. We get another word in English from this Greek word: Idiot.
In the Greek, “Idiotes” simply means “unskilled, or “uninstructed”, and has nothing to do with a lack in natural capacity, as it does in our language. Still, a point is made: Peter and John were Galilean fishermen who were not professionally trained according to the Jewish traditions, like all the members of the Sanhedrin who had spent their lives studying the Scripture and working at the Temple. Yet these “ordinary” men had performed a miracle which none of the council had ever managed.
Principle here: God loves to use ordinary people to accomplish miracles.
Why? Because when God’s “idiotes” do amazing things, people naturally conclude that they must be connected to a Power much greater than themselves.
The Second observation is this: The Sanhedrin observed that these Galilean fishermen were “men who had been with Jesus”.
Principle: Spending time with Jesus is the greatest preparation for ministry that we can have.
How do we spend time with Jesus? We do it when we pause to pray in those private moments. We encounter Him when we open His Word and fill our minds with His wisdom. We spend time with Him when we gather to worship. During trials and tribulations, our need for Him is evident, and in that need, He shows up with comfort and peace. In our service to His people, we are working with Him. When we meet with our “Adelphos”, our common bond is His Holy Spirit. Fellowshipping with our Christian brothers and sisters can be a very real experience with our common Lord.
Another question as we consider our roles in the Kingdom might be:
“What do we need to for the ministry that God has called us to?”
In our primary school project along the Rio Coco, we could begin our list of needs with money, skilled teachers and administrators, reliable outboard motors, and many gallons of gasoline. That is our natural thinking. Actually, when we began this project in 1985, we had none of those.
However, apparently, we had the two things that the Bible says we need to do ministry.
In Biblical history, there was a time when the refugees came back from Babylon to reconstruct the Temple in Jerusalem. One of the leaders of this project was a priest named Jeshua. For the Temple to be rebuilt, they needed wood, stone, and other building materials, along with food and pay for the workers, military protection, and skilled artisans. However, God gave Jeshua something even greater.
Then the angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. Satan was there at the angel’s right hand, accusing Jeshua of many things. And the Lord said to Satan, “I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from a fire.”
Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, “Take off his filthy clothes.” And turning to Jeshua he said, “See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.”
Then I said, “Please, could he also have a clean turban on his head?” So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.
Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: If you follow my ways and obey my requirements, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk in and out of my presence along with these others standing here. Zechariah 3:1-7 NLT
Jeshua was given the two things which would guarantee the success of his ministry:
· Authority from God to do the job, and
· Access into God’s presence for direction.
These are the two required elements for success in ministry: Authority and Access.
Authority is what a policeman directs traffic with. He has a badge given to him by the government that makes disobeying him a crime. Although he physically cannot force an eighteen-wheeler truck to stop or turn, his authority can, and usually does. When God assigns us work, the first thing He gives us is the authority to work in His name and in His power. All else happens because He has given the word.
And when Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, imploring Him, and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, fearfully tormented.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion said, “Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed. “For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, “Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. Matthew 8:5-10 NLT
The centurion was used to working under authority. It was only way he could do his job as a soldier. It is also the only way we can operate successfully in the Kingdom- under God’s authority. Only when He gives it does anything of eternal value happen.
Once God gives us His authority to do His specific work, He wants us to come into His presence to receive direction. Proverbs 16:9 says:
The mind of man plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps.
Many steps in God’s plan are often not what we would logically think to do or even that we could do.
For ten years we flew a Piper Seneca twin-engine aircraft from Florida to Honduras and used it to support our school project. We never had a budget for this aviation ministry, and logically it didn’t make sense to own such a piece of equipment. Yet that Seneca became one of our most valuable assets.
We took our three Miskito Indian leaders from Nicaragua to Israel in 1997. That didn’t really seem like a good use of resources, according to our worldly logic, yet in a three-month period, God miraculously provided us with airfare, an apartment in Jerusalem, and money to fund a study tour with Dr. Randy Smith and Christian Travel Study Programs. That trip directly resulted in a film that has been shown throughout Miskitia in the Miskito language, a relief ministry in Israel from 2000 to 2003, a book on spiritual life, pastoral training conferences in Nicaragua, a Miskito teacher going to school for a year in Jerusalem, eleven study tours in Israel, Greece, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean where we were able to bring many of our friends into a greater cultural understanding of the Scriptures, and many classes and seminars in the United States where hundreds of “adelphos” have been equipped for ministry.
Principle: God’s plans are often far beyond our own. Access to His presence is the only way we will get direction.
Authority from God and Access to Him are the basic necessities for any work of God. Without these two critical elements, we are operating on our own strength and wisdom, and ultimately our efforts will result in little or no fruit.
The Edicule at the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
With proper motivation for ministry and understanding the ultimate purpose of ministry, we can proceed with the preparation and actual accomplishing of the things God has called us to. But how do we proceed?
What should our attitude be for this life of service?
Paul was very specific to his disciple Timothy:
You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 3Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. 5Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules. 6The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops. 7Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything. 2 Timothy 2:1-7
Paul utilizes three illustrations of lifestyles to his young friend and ministry partner. First is the soldier: one who must risk his life on a daily basis, and endure hardship of long marches, living outside in hostile environments, and facing danger on a regular basis. Soldiers were dedicated to their life of service. They were under strict discipline, and punishment for any breach in orders during wartime could be instant death. The focus of a successful warrior must be intense, not allowing any distractions to take his eye and mind off the objective.
Ministers must also have their objectives firmly in mind, and be willing to endure personal discomfort, as well as laying their own agendas aside.
Next, he brings the athlete to center stage. In the ancient world, men trained for ten months for the annual empire-wide games. They competed in various running, jumping, throwing, and wrestling events, each of which had their own particular set of rules. The ultimate tragedy for each of these athletes was to be disqualified after months of training, on a rules violation. Hours upon hours of training would result in nothing!
Ministers understand God’s priorities for their lives. They understand God principles for holy living. They know that it is all about the simple formula of Loving God with all or hearts, souls, and minds, and Loving Those He has places around us. When we violate God’s rules for His Kingdom, our fruit will diminish, and eventually if we continue in a lifestyle that is not in accordance with God’s desires for our lives, we will be disqualified from the privilege of participating with God in building His Kingdom.
Finally, Paul uses the farmer as the ultimate illustration of the attitude of faith and diligence that ministers must possess. Farmers of ancient time did not understand the seed germination process like most high school biology students do now. Even with that knowledge, farming is still an adventure in faith that God will allow the seeds to grow, provide the proper irrigation at just the right time, and allow for a good season of harvest. When it all happens properly, the farmer rejoices, and is the first to eat the fruit of his fields. If the flood comes at the wrong time, or storms during the harvest, the farmer as well as the entire community suffers.
Ministers enjoy seeing the lives of those who are brought into the Kingdom through their efforts. It is all about relationships! Through these relationships, God uses various members of the Body to support many of those who are doing specific works of the ministry. We each have our part to play. To some God has given the ability to acquire resources for the work of the Kingdom. They are simply “funnels” that God uses to pour financial and material resources through to others whom He has given assignments in various ministry projects.
It is a great Kingdom concept: “Together, Making Disciples!”
The Hall of Justice at Pergamum Turkey
Their method of relational discipleship was very effective in spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Rodney Stark documents the phenomenal growth of the Church in his extensive study The Rise of Christianity by pointing to many factors within the Christian community that were different and attractive to the Roman culture.
Christianity was a very inclusive movement that appealed to many across class and economic lines. We see this when Paul and Silas arrived in Philippi. Their first convert was a wealthy purple fabric merchant from Thyatira name Lydia. The next was a slave girl (think ‘trafficked woman’) who has her demon driven out by Paul. Finally, the Roman jailer, probably a former Legionnaire Centurion, received Jesus when the jail is shaken by an earthquake. Imagine sitting with this group in Lydia’s home. Impossible in proper Roman society where class distinctions were rigidly observed.
Fifth Century church ruins at Philippi
Christians treated women differently than the Romans, giving them equal status with men, even allowing them to assume positions of authority within the church structure. At the ending of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he refers to one woman, Junia, as an apostle.
Greet Andronicus and Junias, my kinsmen and my fellow prisoners, who are outstanding among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. Romans 16:7
Junias: Iounías; feminine. proper noun. Junias, a kinsman and fellow prisoner of Paul. A woman.
Romans often rejected their female babies, leaving them in the forest or throwing them in the Tiber. Stark estimated that there were 131 men for every 100 women in Rome in the First Century. Christians did not discard their babies, and in fact, according to many sources, rescued those thrown into the Tiber and raised them as their own.
Roman law required widows to remarry within two years or pay a fine to the Emperor. Christians welcomed widows into their community and provided support for them.
It was acceptable for Roman men to have many lovers, but women were not allowed such freedom. Christian men were monogamous and the husband-wife bond was considered sacred. These aspects of Christian morality attracted many Romans caught up in the chaos of unbridled familial relationships.
There were two major plagues in the Roman Empire, 160 AD and 250 AD, where up to 30% of the population of major cities perished. Pagans had no theology for caring for the sick, and many who contracted the plague were thrown into the streets and left to die. The Christians in the cities took care of the sick, even when many of the caregivers contracted the plague and died. The Christian theology called for caring for the sick, and that physical death was the door to eternal life with Christ. Stark points out that giving food and water to sick people increases their chances of survival by 30-40%. As a result of these relational actions, many of the survivors of these plagues became part of the Christian communities, and they brought many family members with them.
When waves of persecution came upon the Christians, those arrested and executed in the arena faced their deaths in a very different manner than most Romans. Calmness and serenity were displayed by many as they met their deaths. Afterall, Jesus had faced death for us all, and He conquered death so that we could have eternal life.
Stark also points out that urban life in Roman cities was chaotic due to corruption in the government, gang activity, high crime, and the challenges of living in tall tenement apartments with little fresh water or waste disposal in homes invaded by insects and rats. Christians in these cities developed their own support systems, helping others to cope with the immense challenges of Roman urban life.
“Christianity revitalized life in Greco-Roman cities by providing new norms and new kinds of social relationships able to cope with many urgent urban problems. To cities filled with the homeless and impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers Christianity offered and immediate basis for attachments. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity. And to cities faced with epidemics, fires and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services.” The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries. Copyright © 1996 by Princeton University Press, Page 161
Because of these and other factors, Christianity grew from around 10,000 at the end of the First Century to over 33 million by the middle of the Fourth Century which constituted 53% of the population of the Roman Empire.
When Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in February 313 recognizing Christianity as an official religion of the Roman Empire, he was only recognizing what had taken place- many of his subject were Followers of Jesus Christ.
In our own country, we have seen periods of significant growth in the Body of Christ that were the result of a move of the Holy Spirit and following action by those touched by the Spirit
According to Dr. Bruce Shelly in his book Church History In Plain Language, by the end of the Revolutionary War, church attendance was at an all time low with less than 10% of the population attending church.
“As evangelicals faced the challenge of winning a nation to Christian obedience, two instruments were available to them: the voluntary society and the revival.
In 1790 evangelicals faces a dual evangelistic challenge: to regain the East and win the West. In the East, especially in a number of colleges, fresh enthusiasm for the life of the Spirit was apparent before 1800. This revival came to be known as the Second Great Awakening. It provided the next generation with skilled and dedicated leaders for the western crusade. The great western frontier revival took place in newly settles regions between the Alleghenies and the Mississippi and centered in Kentucky and Tennessee. This awakening took on the characteristics of the inhabitants. It was rugged, wild and boisterous.
Thus, early in the 19th Century a host of societies appeared seeking the shape some aspect of American life: the American Bible Society, the American Colonization Society, the American Sunday School Union, the American Education Society and a host of others. ‘One thing is daily more becoming evident,’ Lyman Beecher observed in 1830, ‘that the grand influence of the church and triumphs of the last forty years are the result of the voluntary association of Christians.’”
Church History in Plain Language. Copyright © 1982,1995 by Word Publishing. page 383-4
According to Shelly, individuals touched by the Spirit, who began a walk with Jesus, looked around at the issues in their communities and decided to volunteer to do something to solve those problems. The result was the establishment of non-church voluntary organizations that had a significant impact on the society as a whole. This influence had such an impact that when sociologist Alexis De Tocqueville was sent to America by the French government to study the American Democracy, he stated:
“There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America.” Democracy in America, Alexis De Tocqueville
How did America move from less than 10% of the population attending church in 1790 to this report by De Tocqueville in 1834? It was because of men and women, ‘Adelphos’, who became enthusiastic disciples through a move of the Holy Spirit, decided to put their faith into action and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and do things they had not done previously that resulted in a great spiritual and beneficial impact on their communities.
We can do the same.
We should be doing the same.
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