Doped

I am fascinated by the Amazon jungle. I absolutely love it there. My wife, Dorcas, and I have been to the jungle about 12 times, and FRC-Lima has even planted a daughter church in the Amazon jungle with the Yagua tribe. Right now FRC-Lima is supporting the Yaguas as they build their own church building in their native community. The church will be used for Yagua and for inter-tribal worship services.

Every time we go to the Amazon jungle, we visit a small, family-owned zoo on the banks of the Amazon. The zoo features giant anacondas. I have seen anacondas as much as 20 feet long at this zoo, and I have even held them across the back of my shoulders. The anacondas are absolutely beautiful, with a green-and-black skin that is smooth like leather. The anacondas also are absolutely deadly. The zoo owner told me that they could strangle and suffocate a fully-grown human being to death in less than 10 minutes.

And yet I have held these killer anacondas on my shoulders, and in my arms, and I am still here to blog about it.

Why?

Because the anacondas that we visit at the jungle zoo are doped.

It's true. The zoo owner lights a cigar, holds the lit cigar under the nose of the anaconda, and the mighty beast is rendered powerless. Something as pedestrian as cigar smoke can reduce a 20-foot-long killer anaconda to almost nothing.

So the question I have for you today is: how have you been doped in your international ministry?

What is it that is keeping you from reaching your full power and potential in international ministry?

What is the cigar smoke that has rendered you powerless, fruitless, sluggish, and as doped out as a 20-foot anaconda?

The enemy has lit his cigar and is waving it under your nose. He's going for the KO punch, hoping to drive you to your knees and to watch you hit the canvas. He doesn't want you to prosper and prevail in your ministry! He wants you to lay down and become as lethargic and drowsy and powerless as a doped-up anaconda.

God has given you anaconda-like power and strength in your international ministry, and He wants you to use it mightily. Yet despite the supernatural strength that God is ready to give us, so many of us fall prey to the cigar smoke doping of the enemy. So many of us are lethargic, sleeping giants, unaware of the great and mighty things that God wants to do through us internationally.

I once heard Joel Osteen of Lakewood Church in Houston say at a conference, "God puts in us things that we don't even know we have." That's exactly how it is for the doped-up anacondas. They have no idea of the strength that they possess. And it's exactly the same for us, too. We have no idea of the spiritual strength God will give us, and what God can do through us if we let Him.

Be like the anaconda in its natural state, strong and fierce and fearless. Avoid the enemy's cigar smoke, and watch what great and mighty things God can do through you!

Boxed In

Over the weekend the cinema management decided to install new seats (faux leather style) in the cinemas where we have our FRC-Lima worship service and pre-school and children's ministry. We spoke with the cinema management early on Saturday afternoon, and we were told that the workers would be installing the new seats all through the night and - have no fear! - the job would be completed and cleaned up by 5:00 AM on Sunday moring, 2 hours before we show up at 7:00 AM to start setting up for our first service at 9:00 AM.

Ahh ... the best laid plans of Peruvian mice and men ....

We arrived at the cinema at 7:00 AM sharp on Sunday morning, and went up to Cinema 6 on the 4th floor, where we have our worship service. When we arrived there, it looked like an earthquake had hit. There were open boxes, closed boxes, cut-up boxes (all the size of refrigerator boxes), dust, dirt, debris, empty Coca-Cola cups, empty 2-liter water bottles, and empty popcorn boxes all over the stage area and all in and among the 18 rows of seats in the cinema. We also found about a half-dozen "workers" there - and I use the term "workers" very lightly - all of whom were either sleeping or puffing on cigarettes. They had only completed 5 of the 18 rows in the cinema. I think they spent the night in the cinema having a slumber party or watching continuous loops of "Pineapple Express" in Spanish.

I was not amused.

I must admit to having a Jesus-turning-over-the-tables-in-the-temple moment in the cinema. No doves or sheep were scattered, although a few kernels of stale popcorn were.

The workers suddenly sprung to action and began to clean up their mess. They left us with barely enough time for additional clean-up and set-up and a final music and schedule run-through, but we got it all done just seconds before we had to open the doors to greet the crowds for the 9:00 AM service.

This is not the first time that we have had Sunday-morning-chaos in the movie theater. It won't be the last. And I say that while also adding that we have a very good relationship with the cinema management.

But the lesson to be learned and re-learned from Sunday morning's free-for-all is that you always have to expect the unexpected. We had been promised by two different members of cinema management that everything would be fine and dandy by 5:00 AM on Sunday, but ....

The enemy will do his best to throw you off of your A-game by hurling similar wrenches at you as you prepare for your Sunday morning service or other ministry project or outreach. Expect it. Work around it. Be flexible. Always have a Plan B, and even a Plan C or Plan D if necessary. Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water ... or into the cinema ... that's when the enemy's sharks will start circling.

As I've said before, flexibility and adaptability, plus an ability to work at a rapid pace when necessary, are keys to success in international ministry. It will make you or break you, depending on whether or not you have it. If you have it - good. Keep building up that muscle. If you don't have it - then learn it and get it ASAP. You don't ever want to find yourself "boxed in" as we almost were early on Sunday morning at the cinema.

Spears (And I Don't Mean Britney)

Just in case you were wondering, ministry envy and jealousy is alive and well here in Lima, Peru. Yesterday my wife, Dorcas, learned that a woman pastor in Lima said some very ugly things about Flamingo Road Church, and questioned our vitality and durability here in Peru. It's very sad, but not at all surprising.

Here's a 100%-guarantee-or-double-your-money-back: you will face envy and jealousy against your international ministry, no matter what country you are in. Do not be so naive as to think that once you have left your native country, all of this petty jealousy and envy ceases. It does not. I've seen ministry envy, jealousy, and competition in the USA, Peru, Cuba, England, Russia, Israel, and other places where I've done ministry. It happens all around the world, and mainly because too many pastors and ministry leaders forget the words of Paul in Galatians 6:4-5, where he warns against comparing yourself to somebody else.

Former heavyweight champion George Foreman, now the pastor of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Houston, has written, "No one spears a dead fish. It's only when you're alive that people will start throwing their spears." Big George connected on that one just as if he was throwing a quick right for a KO!

There will be jealousy and envy and competition against you in your international ministry. There will be lies told about you. There will be spears thrown at you. Being from another country does not make you immune to it; in fact, it might even make you a bigger target.

But fear not, because this means that you are making a difference and having an impact wherever God has put you!

Stay focused. Don't get off your game. Test your own actions. Don't compare yourself to others. Carry your own load. Develop the hide of an elephant. Keep your eyes on the prize. While others are grumbling and carping on the sideline, you need to stay on the field and keep your mind in the game!

Lima Prison Blues

We're partnering with the US Embassy in Lima to provide toiletries and other basic items to American citizens imprisoned in Peru.

There are 19 US citizens imprisoned in Peru, mainly on drug trafficking charges, and they've all been pretty much abandoned by their families. They have nothing. The prisons in Peru where they are being held are not exactly the Four Seasons Hotel. Tuberculosis runs rampant in these places. The US Embassy was looking for a charity or NGO to donate toiletries and other items to the US prisoners, so we here at Flamingo Road Church in Lima stepped up to the plate. We announced this new partnership and outreach at church last Sunday, and the people responded magnificently, already volunteering to buy toiletries, donate clothing, and visit the prisoners.

Embassies may provide social outreach opportunities for you in international ministry, and it is something that you should investigate. Be ready to step up to the plate and volunteer if an embassy is looking for help with a social project or with disaster relief assistance.

Ironically, we know that most, if not all, of the 19 US prisoners in Peru may never darken the door of FRC-Lima (or at least not for 30-years-to-life). That doesn't stop us. We're grateful for this opportunity that God has given us to reach out to men and women in prison in Peru ... and in the US Embassy, too.

Jesus Fish

Do you have a Jesus fish on your car?

Should you?

A couple of days ago, Dorcas and I were driving back home from an appointment. We were stopped at a red light just a few blocks from where we live. There is always a physically-challenged young Peruvian man at that intersection. When the light is red, he limps over to the waiting cars, rag in hand, hoping for the opportunity to clean your windshield in return for a tip. This is a common site at almost every intersection in Lima. It's kind of like the folks who want to clean your windshield in NYC.

We know the young man. Juan Carlos is his name. He hobbled over to us, smiled and waved, and swept his rag across our windshield. We greeted Juan Carlos and gave him a tip. Next to us was another car, a small Toyota sedan, with two men in the front and one woman in the back. They were all well-dressed. I also noticed that they had a big, red Jesus fish hanging from the rear-view mirror, complete with a Bible verse in Spanish.

Juan Carlos hobbled over to their car. He waved his rag in the air, trying to get their attention and approval. They kept staring straight ahead, and ignored him the entire time. They didn't even acknowledge Juan Carlos for 1/1,000 of a second! As soon as the light changed from red to green, the folks in their Toyota roared off, leaving Juan Carlos to suck on their exhaust fumes.

But they had their Jesus fish!

Great testimony, folks!

Maybe those people thought that the big, red Jesus fish was going to give them some sort of divine protection on the streets of Lima (which is frequently needed!), or at least better gas mileage. I don't know. But I do know that the big, red Jesus fish stood for absolutely nothing when they ignored Juan Carlos and covered him with exhaust fumes. Maybe Matthew 25:40 (about helping out the least of the brothers) had been torn out of their Bibles.

If you're going to advertise the fact that you're a Christ follower, then act like one.

Do you have a Jesus fish on your car?

Should you?

Politics

I'll always remember the first time I ever preached in a church in Havana, Cuba. Prior to speaking, I was handed a document by the pastor of the church. He asked me to please read it and agree to its contents. His hands were trembling as he passed it to me. On the piece of paper was a list of "Dos & Don'ts" for anyone speaking at that church. Actually, it was almost all "Don'ts." At the top of the list, in all capital letters, and underlined and highlighted in yellow marker, were the words, "Do not discuss politics or the government!" Yes, there was an exclamation point at the end of that sentence!

The Cuban pastor begged me to adhere to the document. I smiled at him and said, "Of course." He was greatly relieved.

After the service that muggy August evening in Havana, he told me how there were government spies in the crowd taking notes on my message. Apparently, in the past, visiting foreign pastors would use their messages to tweak the government of that island, in a misguided attempt to show solidarity with the church there, but all it did was get Cuban pastors in some very hot water.

The Cuban pastor told me how his father had spent several years in prison on the island because of his faith, and my pastor friend also told me how frequently he would be summoned to police headquarters on Sundays after services in order to explain some of his messages. For example, one time the police asked him who he was referring to when he was talking about the devil in his message. They thought he was referring to the leader of that country.

You can understand his concern over the words of visiting pastors.

Politics and the proximity to political power, both nationally and internationally, can be intoxicating to many pastors. I've seen pastors who thought they could singlehandedly change US-Cuban relations with their words, and all they did was cause big problems for Cuban pastors. I've seen mission groups get involved with worker strikes in Peru, and it caused them to get thrown out of the country. I've seen Peruvian pastors who traded their place in the pulpit for a place on the election ballot, and they fell out of God's favor.

As pastors and Christian leaders we need to remember that we are serving a power that is greater than any human government. For some reason, though, many of us forget this as soon as we shake the hand of a political leader. We want their power, instead of what God has granted to us.

Avoid political entanglements in your international ministry. It will limit your capacity for success, and it will alienate you from a large percentage of the local population. It's perfectly fine to minister to local political leaders, and in fact it's important to do so. But also remember, as Tony Campolo once noted, that Jesus was neither a Republican or a Democrat.

We are here on Earth to serve God, not human governments, and we are here on Earth to win souls, not votes.

Distractions

I've been to Cuba a few times. Once I was there to speak at a church in Havana, and to deliver a few suitcases worth of Bibles to them as well.

After I finished my final teaching at the church in Havana, the pastor thanked me profusely for all of the Bibles that had been delivered. The church did not have any more Bibles - not even one! - to distribute to new believers, and finding Bibles in Cuba, as you might imagine, can be a real challenge.

The pastor told me how his church had been blessed by the donation of the Bibles, but I told him that I had been even more blessed by the unforgettable time of fellowship and fraternity that I had shared with him and his precious church. It was awesome for me to see how the gospel of Christ was aflame in Cuba, in spite of decades of persecution and suffering and extreme poverty.

"Do you know what the difference is between Christians in your country and Christians in my country?" the Cuban pastor asked me.

"What is it?" I responded.

"In Cuba, we do not have the distractions that you have in your country," he continued.

Boy, was he ever on target with that one!

Distractions.

I understood exactly what he meant. Distractions. Things that turn our focus away from God. It could be the new iPhone, or a Blackberry, or checking e-mails every two minutes, or text messaging, or a Facebook account, or a MySpace account, or voting for the next American Idol.

They don't have any of that in Cuba. Because Cubans have so little around them, their focus is mainly upward.

I've seen the same thing in Peru. I've seen foreign mission groups come here and become so focused on replicating their creature comforts and conveniences from back home that they totally lose their effectiveness. I've seen foreign missionaries and pastors go absolutely apoplectic in Lima (and even worse in the jungle) if they can't get their iPhone or Blackberry to work properly.

Listen, we have been able to leverage modern technology to bring more people to the feet of Jesus Christ, but it's important to remember that we need to have dominion over technology, and not vice versa.

Be careful not to get distracted by your desires for comfort, convenience, and technology, particularly if you are going from the first world to the third world. It's easy to get ensnared in that trap. God has your back and He'll meet your needs, whatever they may be and wherever they may be. Don't let the enemy use distractions to throw you off of your A-game!