Numbers 13 Decoding February 22, 2009
Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Launching, Student Ownership.add a comment
The last two tips have been about seeing what God might do in other contexts. 1. Can I step away, just for a moment, to go look for what God might do somewhere else? 2. Do I believe that God has already been at work preparing the ground for going into that community? Here is a third tip on this theme, a unique take on decoding a campus. Perhaps you have some students that are getting serious about reaching their campus or they would like to help launch another ministry with you. This was written a couple of years ago, by Dave Peterson, former staff in the NorthEast and now a pastor in a church in Connecticut.
Numbers 13 Decoding
It is really pretty easy to do. Last week I met with a team of leaders who had just transitioned in because the key leader from the fall is spending the semester abroad.
I had the four students work together to make a map of the campus. I had them highlight the dorms and write in how many students were in each dorm. If a dorm had freshman concentrations I had them write that information. I then had them identify how many commuters came to the school and write that information where the commuters would park. The next thing I had them do on the map was have them do some basic decoding by identifying the main pathways and nodes that exist on the campus.
When they had completed this I had them open to numbers 13. We read the passage and I asked them:
- What was happening in the passage?
- What was the land like that the spies explored?
- What was the report that the spies gave?
- Did all the spies agree? What was the difference between Joshua and Caleb and the other spies? (eyes of faith)
- What do you think God wanted the people of Israel to do?
As you think of your campus,
- What is it like?
- What are the giants that you face on campus?
- What do you think God wants to do on our campus?
- What do you need to do to see God’s plan for your campus become a reality.
At this point I had them calculate the percentage of believers that were involved in their group and other Christian groups on campus. I shared about how the Gallup polls often say that 50% claim to be Christians and how on some schools during the great awakenings 50% or more were involved in Bible study. We talked about how many would be involved if only 10% of the students on their campus was involved and the difference that it would make.
To give them a sense of the possibilities I shared how there are student-led ministries of 200 plus on different schools.
We talked about what it could look like and then we prayed together conversationally about the vision that God had laid on their heart.
I suggested that it could actually be a neat exercise to do this at one of their weekly gatherings.
Dave
I remember when I was a student at Penn State, Wayne Okamoto and I would often prayer walk around East Halls. Often we would pray that as the lights in those dorm rooms lit the dark quad, that many would come to Christ and be light in the dark world. God uses prayer walks and Dave’s Numbers 13 experience to help build vision for what God will do and stretch student’s faith in how He can use them. For more on this, check out Colleen Harvey’s tip on Prayer Mapping. And for more on Decoding, see Kerri Louck’s tip on Decoding.
The Cornelius Principle February 21, 2009
Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Launching, Leadership, Volunteers.1 comment so far
In last week’s tip, I talked about how Christ looked to go to other places even while things were happening at home. You remember the “whole town was gathered at the door.” He knew, and we know, that others also need to hear the gospel. God honors faith in going to other places. Here is where the “Cornelius Principle” comes into play.
In Acts 10, we see the story of Cornelius. Peter was praying. God gave him a vision of a sheet coming down from heaven with various animals on it, some clean and some unclean. God told him that they were all clean. At that very moment, Peter received a knock at the door with a request to come to Cornelius’s home, a Gentile home. Earlier in the chapter we read about this God-fearing Cornelius, but Peter had know way of knowing what would transpire. When he explained the Gospel, the whole household believed. Peter came to see that God wanted those outside his community of faith to be saved also. But the point here is that God had already worked in Cornelius’ heart before Peter ever showed up. When he heard the message, he received it gladly.
Likewise, we believe that God has already prepared some on other campuses and in other cultural communities to receive the message we bring. Some are prepared to receive Christ. And some will have a desire to start a work of God in their community.
For example, Dave Pritchett, Forerunner, Southeast Region, developed a webpage, where students can learn about starting a ministry. He also developed ads to put on Facebook to point to that page. John Achilles, Forerunner, Red River Region, placed ads on Facebook for a dozen campuses. There have been over 425 hits from those campuses the first week. God cares more about seeing ministries launched on campuses so that others can hear the Good News of Jesus Christ than we ever will. We know that God wants all to come to faith. We are simply going where God has already worked ahead of time.
Dave Meritt, Student Venture’s Coaching Center, received an email from Kevin saying that he wanted to make a difference for Christ in a school in Missouri. Dave emailed him about GoCampus and how he could apply to volunteer with Student Venture. Within three days, he had an application and all the references in. He emailed again saying the more he dug into GoCampus, the more excited he got about what God might do. In Dave’s first phone conversation with him, he mentioned he was connected with five youth pastors who had kids coming from as many schools. Each one is interested in seeing a movement launched in those schools. Dave says that the Coaching Center believes God has prepared one or two people to make a difference for Christ in every school in the country.
So as we go, trusting God to raise up those who want to make a difference for Christ, let’s anticipate what God will do. We can assume that He has been working in advance and we can trust Him to lead us to those Great Commission resources, people and otherwise, to reach that campus or community for Christ.
“Let us go elsewhere” February 9, 2009
Posted by Gilbert Kingsley in Evangelism, Launching, Trusting God.4 comments
I was in a meeting Friday where Darryl Smith, Student Venture National Director, was sharing from Mark 1:21-39. This was a great reminder of a passage that has meant a lot to me personally in terms of the vision God has given me for ministry. Notice what Jesus did and the reaction of the people. (Quotes from the NIV.)
- :21 Jesus taught in the synagogue
- :22 “The people were amazed at his teaching.”
- :23 Jesus confronted evil spirits.
- :25 The spirits came out of the man.
- :27 “The people were all so amazed…”
- :28 “News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.”
- :29 Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law.
- :32 Jesus healed the sick and demon-possessed in Capernaum.
- :33 “The whole town gathered at the door…”
Darryl asked the question, “When you are having so much success in ministry, does it make sense logically to step away from those activities that brought about that success?” But, what did Christ do?
First, He focused on His relationship with the Father by going away to a quiet place. That is such a great example for us to keep our walk with the Lord as first importance. Even while “Everyone is looking for you!” (:37b), his relationship with the Father was pre-eminent.
Second, and this is the challenge part for many of us, He said, “Let us go somewhere else to the nearby villages so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So he traveled throughout Galilee. Now we are not the Lord, but some other questions come to mind.
- Do we feel the freedom to go “elsewhere”?
- Doesn’t Christ’s going to other places before He established a leadership framework seem counterproductive?
- Do I subtly find myself looking at my own importance in managing the work that He has called me to do?
- Do I seek the Lord to know how to balance helping the ones He has already entrusted to my care and still look for ways go to others who are presently outside of our reach?
I love this passage. It reminds me that I need to keep looking to the Lord to know what He would have me do day by day.
