Lie #10
Adapted, with copy right permission, from the book, The Insanity of Obedience by Nik Ripken
This is a 7 min read
“Are our overseas workers safe?” Is an oft-asked question. Worker safety is of prime importance. Yet if safety is the primary issue for families, churches, and agencies, then there is only one thing to do: STOP SENDING.”
It was early morning, 4 am on a cold January morning when our family of six loaded up the church van with twelve pieces of luggage and headed out to the international airport. We were a small farming town family known by most, and our decision to go into full-time missions in Mongolia was highly unique in our community. As we turned the corner from our home, we were astounded by the crowd of loved ones, community members, and church friends who had arrived before the sun had even come up to line the road waving us goodbye. Tears filled my eyes as I felt absolutely enveloped in their love and support. Everyone in the van sat quiet in amazement, and then my husband Troy said,
“They think we are going to die in Mongolia.”
It was excellent comic relief and got us all to laugh through our tears. However, it was an obvious possibility, and it sent chills down my spine. The truth was, I really wasn’t much of a world adventure type. I didn’t even own a passport until God called us to Mongolia, and I would have preferred to stay where life was safer. If God had not undoubtedly called us to go, there was no way I would have. I knew we were 100% in the will of God, and I also knew our physical selves were not safe.
Tvrdik kids 2009 the day before we left for the mission field
Nik Ripken addresses this in Lie #10 as he writes:
“Western culture has attempted to cleanse faith of its rough edges. Our untested assumption is that, surely, God only wants what is best for me, my family, and my country. Given that assumption, when troubles, suffering, persecution, and even death come, we are quick to see those hard things as signs of God’s disfavor. It might be that our Western Christianity has diminished the heart of biblical faith by removing the suffering and persecution that the New Testament promises are intrinsic to following Jesus.
Not so comforting
After arriving in Mongolia and attempting to set up something that felt like a normal household, minus the running water and indoor toilet, I searched for ways to inspire our four children regarding our call to missions. A missionary had passed me a box full of books, a luxury I had not had the space in our luggage for. I was beyond thrilled to receive this gift. In it, I found a book on a missionary to China named Jonathan Goforth (yes that is a real missionary name….) It was written for middle school-aged children so I thought we would read it before bed each night. Jonathan and his wife had trail blazed in China during the late 1800s taking the Gospel where it had never been heard. The story started out well enough but then chapter after chapter after chapter was nothing but stories of death. By the time the fourth Goforth child was being buried our youngest son blurted out, “This isn’t very comforting!”
“This tenth lie is difficult to face. While we understand many of the reasons for fear, we dare not allow that fear to keep us from fulfilling Christ’s command. In simplest terms, we can make an obedient choice. We can either choose not to be afraid or we can choose to obey despite our fears. ”
On our scouting trip to Mongolia
We learned how little sense it made for us to go. Troy was a diabetic and Mongolia happened to be the one country the State Department would not send diabetic Embassy Workers to. The reason being, there were not adequate resources that diabetics require.
Troy and I discussed it for quite some time. What were we to do? How would we get the medications and supplies he needed to survive? We made a plan to stock up on what we could and to trust God to provide after that ran out. Some may have called this foolhardy. We called it faith. We were able to stay our entire eight years without ever running low on anything he needed. There was always someone traveling to the USA, and by God’s provision of the network, we were blessed to have packages of insulin and test strips brought from many people all over the globe!
What if we had let that one very logical roadblock get in our way of obedience?
“It is an extremely difficult decision to make, but overseas workers and those who advocate for the persecuted must spiritually discern when to leave Joseph in Pharaoh’s prison. At the same time, they must never cease to pray for his -and their own- obedience.”
I spent hours interviewing a young woman named Hannah, an American missionary who had been in a Russian prison for three months. She shared how God had told her she was going to Russia and she was convinced He would use her there. She never expected Him to use her in the darkest dungeons, covered in her own filth, hungry and sick. But He did. Through a series of events, she was arrested for not having a proper visa and accused of being a spy. While her family interceded for her release, she was learning to love those long-forgotten with whom she shared a prison cell. She relayed a moment where she realized God had brought her here to this hellish place. It was neither safe nor survivable long term, but she was exactly where He wanted her.
Hannah shows me her journal she kept in prison.
“Let us be clear; the will of God is not always the safest place to be, but it is the only place to be.”
Thank you for reading this CCWM series, 10 lies that keep us from going across the street or across the world. I encourage you to purchase the full book as this series covered only one chapter.
NIK RIPKEN CONCLUDES: “These ten lies are formidable obstacles that can prevent us from pursuing Christ’s command. These lies can be devastating to the cause of Christ. But these ten lies can also be recognized, refuted, and rejected. God’s people have no higher calling than to live in the light of His truth. May that be so, especially when it comes to dealing with these lies that would keep us from obedient faith.”
What’s left to talk about?
Would you be willing to risk telling a converted friend to share with you which of these lies you are listening to?
What hold does fear have over you? Of what are you afraid?
Men, are we entitled by God to a life of ease without suffering or allowing our family to suffer for Jesus?
What must change in our culture for men to step up?
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