DMM/CPM: A Word Aptly Spoken

A Word Aptly Spoken

As we consider the launch of Holy Spirit led movements of households of loving-obedient worshipers of Christ, leadership development in the tough personal issues is a crucial component.

Proverbs 25:11

Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.

The Message (MSG)

11-12 

The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry,
And a wise friend’s timely reprimand is like a gold ring slipped on your finger.

Suri tilted her head as she considered the pre-owned personally scripted answer which she guardedly embraced. Instead, she gave a potentially risky response to my question, “Suri, you look gorgeous on the outside at this wedding reception, but I wonder about the condition of the beauty growth process which God has planned for you from the inside out?”

Sure, she could have handed me the page from her script of self-protect and I would have spoken blessing over her, hugged her and moved on.

However, the Holy Spirit, unbeknownst to me brought Suri to the point of misery in her recent unrevealed bondage patterns of pornography, Face Book self solicitation of sex partners, cellphone sex talk, adultery, and other sexual sins. Thankfully, Suri chose to go toward freedom at that “right circumstance” of the Holy Spirit’s stirring.

Suri teared up. I offered to meet privately with her after this rather public meeting. She came over the next day. In that subsequent time together she relayed how she could not stop thinking of the brief words I had spoken to her. She kept thinking how much those words disturbed her yet, beckoned her at the same time.

Suri has now chosen to take steps toward healing in these areas. With the depth of darkness she has lived in for a period of time now, her pathway will be highly difficult. Thankfully, with the power of Christ and the hope of His healing hand there is a pathway to freedom, which awaits her. Importantly, the words of exhortation and the words of comfort went forth and the promise is that she can be transformed.

Indeed, God’s love is like that. He always calls each of us who are in Christ out to His higher ways. He calls each one of His children to these processes. Freedom is waiting. His perfect love is awaiting each of His followers who choose His face above all.

Shane and Shane sing words aptly spoken in the song entitled Your Love.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0Agv--7tPk  

The chorus cuts deeply through the realities of the battle for the human heart as we yearn for His ways or not in our lives.

The Power of the Word Aptly Spoken

The power of a word aptly spoken with grace and mercy, in the authority and in the leading of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is incalculable in a life which longs for God’s transformation.

As I reflect upon this past year alone, I marvel at the words in which I can recall readily. The battle of words spoken to each of us in haste or regrettably launched from others or ourselves is at stake here. Do we readily assess our growth in Christ from the aspects of words spoken in both exhortation (skillfully done or not) as well as those words launched for comfort? Or do we assume and presume that only the words spoken to us which spur us on in comfort are of the greatest value? I submit to you that both of these aspects are two sides of the same coin. Let’s say, for the sake of this illustration, that intimacy/worship/obedience in response thereof to Christ is the coin. The two sides which can spawn great growth, then, could be said to be words of exhortation as well as words of comfort and encouragement.

One way to evaluate this past year, as you seek to get alone to listen to ABBA is to ask Him the following questions;

1.     Father, what words did You speak to my heart this past year which were words of exhortation/correction/training in righteousness of which I did choose to obey? Rejoice with Him in those areas. Give thanks.

2.     Father, what words did You speak which I chose not to obey? Talk with Him about these areas and repent where need be (I John 1:9), rejoice where need be, reclaim ground given over to deception (Satan’s lies) and choose to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit in those areas.

3.     Father, what words of prophecy or word imagery were spoken over me this year? Is there a word which inspired my heart in which I need to walk in yieldedness in order to appropriate these promises?

4.     Father, direct me by Your Holy Spirit to embrace the reminders of Your Word which You gave as banners to my heart this past year. Rejoice with Him in gratefulness, review those promises of His Word and presence which He gave to you faithfully this past year.

5.     Father, give me Your words for the themes or such which You desire to impart to my heart to embrace for these next few months. Write these down, record these and share them with those godly ones who will mutually hold accountable in grace and mercy.

6.     Father, increase in my heart the tenderness and wisdom (skillfulness) of when to speak, when to pray, and when to share words which could be aptly spoken “like apples of gold in settings of silver”.

Father, Your perfect love is PERFECT. Cause my heart to hear Your melody of love which can both tear me apart as well as put me together. I renounce the self-reliant thought that You are somehow are not looking for my best. Your goodness is my ground zero. You are good and Your mercies ARE everlasting. I give to You that which You desire, my total implicit unmitigated dependence upon You alone. Ramp up my heart yearnings for surrenderedness to You alone to have its way in my life. I offer you the totality of the vacuity of my heart in deeper ways still for You to reside, abide, confide in my heart because of my desire to fear only You, ABBA. Cause this coming year to produce the yield of fruit You promise for Your Name and Fame and Glory alone in my spheres of influence and to the ethne of the earth. Cause my heart to be faithful in making reproducing disciples who obey You because of their fond affection for the greatness of Your Name. In Jesus Matchless Name, I pray. Amen.

DMM/CPM: The Wind and the Waves (POP hunting)

The Wind and the Waves As the waves swelled and roared around us, a Muslim woman on the passenger ferry boat grabs my arm and asks me to sit with her. As the boat is harshly pitched to and fro, the thought crossed my cranial space that this could be our last ferry ride. I plopped down with the next roll of the waves on the seat next to her. We talked. She shared how fearful she was of the waves…the Holy Spirit led me to share the story of Isa Al Masih and how He commanded the wind and the waves to obey His voice and be still. I suggested that we ask in the power and authority of the name of Isa Al Masih for Him to calm the waves we experienced at that moment. With a palpable hunger for more truth of the straight and true way of Isa Al Masih she expressed, "From the moment I saw you on the ship I knew that you carried something with you that is the resource for life and that I should talk with you."   Do we really grasp this reality that everywhere our foot trods, every encounter we experience, we are the glory bearers in Christ? As is our lifestyle of trusting God to see a DMM/CPM launched among these Muslim UPGs, I offered to meet with her family and share more stories of the greatness of Allah. Without the waves of life, we know Him not as the God who saves. Without the winds, we know Him not as the Only God who is all authority and power to bring the calm. To those who dare to embrace the reality of His presence into every human encounter, there lay the promised discovery of the ones whom God’s Spirit is preparing. The Person of Peace (Luke 10, Matthew 10) is not a peaceful person, they are simply someone who is churned up to long for Kingdom reality in real time on God’s terms, His way. They are also ones whom will open their households up to the glory bearers. A key intercession theme for UPGs could be applied here:

O God, bring on the wind and the waves of life which shake up the very foundations    of resistance in the hearts of the UPGs.  Show up in power, O mighty victorious God. You promise that You are stirring the hearts of the peoples of the earth. Do that now among the __________UPG, for Your glory alone. Lead Your glory bearers to Persons of Peace whom will be used greatly to launch massive movements of multiplying worshipers/disciples who know not life apart from loving and obeying You alone. In Jesus Name. Amen.

CPM/DMM: MAWL At Ground Zero

Model-Assist-Watch-Letter/Love/Leave    MAWL

MAWL-Model-Assist-Watch-Love/Letter/Leave At Ground Zero

Dear DMM/CPM practitioner,

It is vitally important that we, as foreign instigators of the launch of DMMs/CPMs in our given UPG, understand the significance of the need to model all that we want to see launched. To assume that the national (either near culture) or indigenous target person “does it more effectively” is erroneous.

We don’t know what we don’t know. We also don’t tend to reproduce what has not been modeled to us as we desire to live out these DMM/CPM essential elements. The Persons of Peace among the UUPGs/UPGs (Unengaged Unreached People Groups/Unreached People Groups) are waiting to be found.

The importance of modeling.  

As a western foreigner enters into an Asian cross-cultural context there is so much that needs to be monitored.  Ethnocentrism, cultural expectations and norms, an American or western mindset which predisposes one to “grab the steer by the horns”, can inhibit one’s desire to be effective. Humility is always a great choice, no matter what our cultural orientation.  The below story has been submitted by a colleague who is newly trained in the implementation of DMM/CPM in a multiple Muslim UUPGs/UPGs area of our country of service.

“The following experience has given me a bit of deeper perspective in the importance of the role of modeling in the implementation of DMM/CPM.  

I attended the first official meeting of a group of college students who had completed training in DMM/CPM. They committed to meet weekly for accountability to practice the principles they had learned. Twice monthly they planned to go out in search of Persons of Peace together. The weeks in between they would gather together in order to share, sharpen, and pray as they engaged in the desire to see a CPM launched on their campus among Muslim UPGs.  

In this meeting it seemed like everything was all set up and I just needed to stay out of the way as they were ready to “do it on there own”.  We decided we would break up into groups of two and go out POP hunting.  I was paired with El,  the president of the Christian fellowship for his major.  He has been a believer since a young age. El also was the one in charge of organizing this meeting of students.

Admittedly, I had assumptions that I would go wherever he led and we would talk with people whom we met.  However, many of these assumptions were quickly unraveled. El, when asked, said he had “no idea” where Muslims gathered or lived in the campus area. I knew of an apartment complex of Muslim students in my neighborhood and suggested going there.  El agreed.  

As we approached the apartments El expressed nervous laughter.  “ There is a mosque across the street”, he stated.  “Are we just going to walk in and talk to people?”  In some disbelief that this was actually happening, he again said, “We are going in there?”  I assured him that we would be fine and would share that we were out walking around and looking for new friends.  As we entered the area near the mosque we met a man named Azim. Embarassingly so, Azim had not yet chosen to put on pants past his boxer shorts. That definitely comically broke the ice for the start of conversation.  Azim quickly asked if he could go put on his pants and then come back to talk with us.  We had no complaints with his request.  

As El and I sat in the front room of his small home, waiting for Azim to return, I encouraged him to feel free to use spiritual statements as he felt led in order to open up spiritual conversation and to identify ourselves as people who are interested in spiritual things.  El replied with a hesitant OK.   After a bit of conversation we were asked about our religious background.  I stated that I was a follower of Isa Al-Masih (Jesus). Immediately, this opened up a door for some further conversation.  Azim turned and asked El as to what religion he belonged. In a lowered voice with clear nervousness he stated, “ I’m the same….the same as him, follower of Isa Al-masih”.   I was hoping for El to further engage Azim with the trained tools from the DMM/CPM equipping. That didn’t happen. We chatted about the stories of Isa Al-Masih in the Quran. I asked Azim if he had read these passages about Isa? We continued for an hour and a half of enjoyable conversation and laughter.  As we left we exchanged numbers and planned to get back together.  

After excusing ourselves to leave, El was again laughing to himself.  I asked what caused the laughter.  He stated that he couldn’t believe how normally I talked with those students, how I just spoke about my faith to them in a relaxed and normal manner.  It was a new paradigm for him to be able to speak to those “on the other side” as if they were friends or normal.  

Often times we cannot see how to shift our paradigm unless we observe a new one in action.          

After this experience it made me rethink my role in working with these students.  I realized we had quite a long ways to go to get these students comfortable in a conversation with people they feel convicted to reach out to.  Modeling a new norm for these students is going to be a key piece in order to see their paradigm shift.  I have since decided to go out with every single guy at least once to help shift their understanding and give them a model to emulate.”-experience of a DMM/CPM colleague

DMM/CPM:Creating Margins in Extraordinary Prayer

Extraordinary Prayer: An Essential Ingredient in CPM/DMM

DMM/CPM:Creating Margins in Extraordinary Prayer

Creating Margins in the Heart of Prayer

Matthew 26:39 (The Message)

Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, “My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?”

Creating margins in our lives to hear God’s voice, listen to His voice, and obey His voice is to posture one’s heart to intercession, which is extraordinarily the afforded ordinary in Christ.

I am struck in this passage with the first things first indicators on the dashboard of what Christ demonstrates. He got away. He created space to practice a heart posture of dialoguing with God the Father. He deliberately turned down the music, so to speak, unplugged the technological gadgets (extrabiblical-I know), and separated Himself for the moment in order to secure the lifetime. He chose to lay aside the white-noise filled encroaching pressures in order to secure the eternal destiny transforming Kingdom of God realities.  

As I consider my own need to create margins, create the space to hear the Father’s heart, as well as practice in each space of daily life the dialogue of incessant intercession, I recognize the modeling of Jesus first and foremost. The intentionality to secure alone time with ABBA to just delight in Him, to drink of His Word, to listen to the Spirit’s voice and to dialogue with Him is prime real estate. Face down, in a dependent way Jesus postured himself. Callouses formed upon my knees, not upon my heart is what I desire to be true of my own life.

A secondary highlight observed here in this verse is the move into self-denial. Death to self-life and its entire cry for breath is predicated upon the practice of sitting before the Father daily. There are no short cuts. Surrenderedness is part of that package of the deepening of intercession as lifestyle in our lives. Surrenderedness: the yielding of oneself in totality unto God and His purposes, no matter the cost.

Simply put, Jesus trusted the Father’s plan as He was in honest dialogue with the Father’s heart.

I am reminded of the following reality as I consider the above…I will never truly obey the One of whom I do not adore/love, I will never love the One whom I do not trust, I will never trust the One whom I do not know, I will never know the One with whom I spend no time. 

When it comes to partnering with the Holy Spirit to see Him launch these cascading movements of worshipers of Christ who love and obey the Master among UPGs (Unreached People Groups), extraordinary prayer is an essential ingredient to be delighted in and modeled. 

A worship/intercession offering is found on the following link. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpK9v0MvxDE&list=RDlpK9v0MvxDE&index=1