Mission Impossible

"Your mission, Jim, should you decide to accept it, is to loosen the chains of spiritual and economic bondage in Africa. Jesus says 'with man this is impossible.' As usual, should you or any member of your I.M. Force be captured or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your existence. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds. Good luck, Jim." (Adapted from the TV series Mission: Impossible.

Dan Vick, Mark and Margaret Noblin in Kenya.

We at The Rock see that indeed our mission is impossible in our own strength. In a world increasingly focused on quick gratification and feel good results, the job can be disavowed by those faint of heart who prefer not to deal with disappointment along the way. And it is not luck, but God who carries us forward as we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

"With God all things are possible," Jesus said. This was in the context of disciples questioning who can be saved when Jesus told them it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. That statement came when a rich young man went away defeated after Jesus responded to his question about how to gain eternal life by telling him to abandon his possessions and become a disciple.

Giving up all possessions is not a universal command of Jesus, but rather a revealing probe into the real priorities of the rich man's heart. We must shed anything that comes before God in our hearts. It is not having money that corrupts us -- it is the love of money that corrupts, whether we have riches or not.

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10) Jesus taught on money more than He did heaven and hell combined - in fact more than anything, except the Kingdom of God. Of 39 parables, 11 address money. And in Luke, one of every seven verses references money.

How we view money is a window into our hearts and reveals whether we are focused on our possessions or on God. So it should not be surprising that money is at the root of every single betrayal and conflict we have experienced both in Africa and the U.S. in more than 10 years of ministry.

Our hearts are broken at a recent stumble by a trusted African brother in the Lord in this area. We believe God has revealed through prayer, experience and His Word that The Rock's focus has been placed too much on projects which inadvertently have tempted those we serve to look upon us as money sources more than faithful teachers of God's Word.

Mercy ministries fulfill a vital role and the Bible commands us to feed and clothe the poor. However, discipleship and leadership development in Africa to break the cycles of dependency and spiritual bondage are the distinct callings God has given us at The Rock.

The devil has been using our own resource of money against us in this effort. So we are led to a new theme as we teach in Africa: "No money, just Jesus." God already has given us the message and vision with our BOLD ministry initiative.

"What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?" (Matthew 8:36)

Thank you as you stand with us in prayer and financially to assist in teaching, equipping and one-on-one discipleship. We believe God for great spiritual breakthroughs. Stay tuned for more details on this exciting new "Mission Impossible" assignment in Africa!

 

Dan, Mark and Margaret

 

Enjoy the Ride

What joy to take the grandkids whitewater rafting! I just love the expressions on their faces – particularly when I know how timid about water two of them had been.

It reminds me of our ride through life. The rough water can be a source of joy and a boost to our faith. Or it can frighten us away from experiencing all the Lord has to offer.

Only a day before the rafting adventure, Samuel, 8, (front) was nervous getting on a paddle boat in a calm lake with the rest of us. The stage for a “strong and courageous” talk already had been set the night before the paddle boat excursion when the three kids were freaked out by a spider in their tent in the middle of the night.

In our smaller tent next to them, Margaret and I listened to the ruckus of the “gigantic” spider who they claimed could fly and was as fast and elusive as the wind. I hollered from our tent for the boys to be protectors, smash the spider with a shoe, be quiet and go to sleep. After several failed attempts, they showed up at the front of our tent, excited nearly to tears, pleading for me to kill the spider.

So I entered the tent of horrors and promptly pounded the garden-variety spider with my Adidas flip flop. The kids saw it was only about the size of a nickel, yet in their minds they still think it was huge. Their fears had fed off one another until the spider became legendary.

Breakfast talk the next morning centered on fear and recalled the story of Daniel and the lions’ den. They listened when I said if you fear God, you needn’t fear anything else. We also talked about how God told Joshua to “be strong and very courageous” as he prepared to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Fear is not from the Lord, though prudence is.

That pep talk emboldened Samuel to get on the paddle boat. After rafting, he said the paddle boat ride had been scarier. I suppose that first act of courage and leap of faith is the toughest.

The previous year Hannah, 9, was clingy and nervous on a canoe trip down a lazy river flowing into Lake Michigan. Stephen, 12, on the other hand, was on his third rafting trip, having never hesitated and even surviving the Snake River in Wyoming with me.

The rough waters in rafting were a blast, but not all rough waters in life are. Sometimes we shoot the rapids by choice, others times it seems we are just thrown in. Entering missions is a choice Margaret and I made, although admittedly not without some fear and trepidation.

But we did not choose to be knocked out of the boat into the rushing waters. That happens to all of us at one time or another and the older I get the more I realize it just goes with the territory, particularly when serving the Lord.

Still, we can say we have been blessed immeasurably by the ride and take comfort in those times when we have been tossed by remembering Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”