Raising funds for your salary is often a necessity in ministry work. However, we must not forget that support raising, although necessary, is as much a spiritual work as serving at your church, praying fervently, or reading your Bible. These all take a little bit of discipline and a lot of the Holy Spirit. Each of these gives us the greatest joy when done with the right heart, but can quickly spiral into legalism and shame if we are not careful.
Everyone has a place and role in the Great Commission. God wants to use you for beautiful things! Here are some things you can do right now to start reaching the nations whoever you are, wherever you are.
What works against you in grasping Christ's love for you? When I think about this question, my answers create a long list, sadly. My sin, fear of rejection, not being good enough, not being faithful enough, being a burden, seeing and experiencing broken relationships, feelings of shame.
During my time with Cafe 1040 in Europe, our group navigated the city through a "buddy system," ensuring no one ventured out alone. When a teammate sought a companion for a rendezvous with a girl she had met at a local Korean Festival, I volunteered without hesitation, completely unaware of what God would do from this encounter.
I was 25 before I truly understood that God was not American. Two months later I boarded a plane to North Africa with Cafe 1040. I found Cafe 1040 while fasting in order to seek the Lord’s guidance on my next step of obedience and God providentially bringing me into the life of one of Cafe 1040’s staff.
As I climbed the ladder to the roof of the flat I would spend the next several months of my life in, I realized a gnawing dread was growing inside me. So, with heavy heart and burdened mind I turned to the LORD for understanding. What started as a simple prayer asking for wisdom swiftly turned into a struggle with God over the course and direction of my life.
One of the biggest challenges for students once they return home from their overseas missions mentorship is re-acclimating to Western culture. Talking about their experience can be a challenging experience. Here are five open-ended, insightful questions that will get to the heart of their time overseas.
Recently I had the most incredible opportunity to go visit a village in the middle of the mountains about four hours or so from where I live. It was the most beautiful place, full of orange trees and rolling hills, but the most beautiful part was that this village is made up of mostly believers! Isn't it crazy and so exciting to know there is a village in the middle of nowhere Thailand full of people who are following Jesus!?
“Jesus delivered the Great Commission. In it comes the command for all the peoples of the earth to be reached with the good news. But who was Jesus speaking to? Was it to the original apostles only? To the church at large? To particular local churches? To frontline, missions-minded people? Or is it given to each and every Christian?”
Our team just began a homestay. You can read more about what these are here.
On our first night, we ate with our friend Sam who was a devout cousin. Our conversation with him was very direct. He loved to discuss religion and what he believed. He began to discuss the duty of his belief and how Allah was the one true Father.
Q: Give us a little background about your testimony/story and how that led you to looking for an organization like Cafe 1040.
A: I grew up going to church, I was saved when I was six years old and I can remember telling my mom that I wanted to be a missionary. I don’t even know where I got that vocabulary or where it started. I just knew I wanted to go and tell people about Jesus.
n my 18 years with Cafe 1040, I have had the privilege of hearing and seeing stories of lives changed from students who participate in our missions mentorships.
For our students, the people living inside the 10/40 window are no longer an unreached statistic on a page. (3.1 billion to be exact) They are friends they text for coffee dates, they are families they have shared a meal with, and they are people, just like you and me, longing for meaning in this life.
