Devotional for Missionaries (Missionary:

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Saturday, August 18 – Day 16

(Quiet Time) Quiet time is for you to get alone with God. This can be done in worship, Bible study, prayer, meditation, etc. On this trip you will have one hour each morning for quiet time. This is a critical time for you to get spiritually prepared to minister. General Guidelines • Don’t lie down. You will fall asleep. • Go somewhere you won’t be distracted, but where your TL’s can still see you. • Be focused and diligent Three Ways to Go Deeper • Journal • Mediate • Memorize Scripture Suggested Schedule • 10 – 15 minutes of praise/worship • 20 minutes of Bible • 15 – 20 minutes of prayer/meditation

Acts 12:1-19 Christians in India are officially free to practice their faith, but many are persecuted for their faith. Many are held captive by family’s expectations, social constraints, or physical threats. People’s hearts are bound against the gospel by tradition, deeply rooted lies, and spiritual drought. Verse five tells us that constant prayer was offered for Peter during his imprisonment, by the church. Not just his family and close friends – the whole church. Verses six and 12 tell us that the church was praying for Peter’s freedom up to the night before he was to be brought before the people and presumably executed. Many of Jesus’ parables about His second coming, place the time during the middle of the night. Peter being freed only hours before his trial should encourage the Church to pray until the midnight hour when Jesus returns. India and her people need to be on the list. Consider some things you can pray for on behalf of the people and/or the Church in India. Make a few notes, and if you feel you can reasonably commit to it, decide when and how you will pray for them. Every Thursday night at 8:30? Whatever works for you. People/Places/Strongholds in India to pray for (until the moment Jesus splits the sky, no matter how discouraging it may look):

When/How to offer up those prayers:

Friday, August 17 – Day 15

Acts 10-11:18 (Matt 10:5-6) Cornelius was a Gentile. He was not circumcised, and he was not a descendant of Abraham. He was not part of “God’s” family. Jews were not supposed to sit with people who were not circumcised, because they were “unclean.” Even the first time that Jesus empowered His disciples and sent them out, He told them not to go into the Gentiles, but to preach to the Jews. What Peter did in this passage had to be prophesied to him in a vision (v. 10-16), and confirmed by the voice of the Holy Spirit (v. 19-20). Without all this, Peter probably would not have gone with Cornelius’ men. Later, when Cornelius and his family received the gospel and were baptized with the Holy Spirit, the Jewish believers who came with Peter were “astonished” (v. 45). No one expected this. The disciples were not astonished because they were racist; the idea of a Gentile entering the kingdom of God and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit had simply never entered their minds. In Acts 11 and 15, Jesus’ disciples have to deal with this new adoption in ways they obviously had never thought about. God loves to do things that people say are impossible. He likes to make you question what you think you know, and shake things up sometimes. Once He’s done it to you, though, He’ll want to do it through you. In Acts 11, Peter gets in trouble. He broke the rules. By the end of the passage, however, all of the Jewish believers were glorifying God for granting salvation to the Gentiles as well. What happened in 18 verses? Peter gave testimony. Things have happened to you and through you in the past two weeks that some of your friends and family at home will not believe. The difference will be your confident, unwavering, enthusiastic, Biblical testimony. Start praying about it and working on it now, because as soon as you step off the plane someone will ask you, “How was it?” “Amazing” will not bring glory to God. Testify.

India 07 You are on a plane right now, on your way to a nation halfway around the world. Think about that for a minute. … You have worked very hard for that seat. You served spaghetti, washed cars, knocked on doors, and wrote letters to aunties you didn’t even know you had. In the end, God provided. And what have you gotten yourself into? You are about to work harder and longer than you ever thought possible, eat things you cannot identify, and use toilets that will at first appear to be instruments of torture. You’re going to need a lot of prayer. But what is it for? You are also about to preach the gospel to people who have never heard its Name, heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, and save people from an eternity’s torment. You’re going to need a lot of prayer. We want to do everything we can to help and encourage you (and not just while we’re in India!). This devotional is an extension of that. You will have quiet time every morning, and we encourage you to use this at part of that time. This devotional is to help keep your time with the Lord productive and focused, and to keep our entire team in unity. We’re excited for how this will impact our ministry. Each day is focused on a scripture or two. They are referenced, but not quoted so you will need your Bible. Read the scripture before reading the devotional for the day, the Holy Spirit may teach you things we didn’t include. Further, don’t just close the book when you’ve read to the bottom of the page. Answer questions that are presented, and pray or mediate on the ideas proposed. And if you have questions or need prayer on anything, feel free to talk to us or your MIG leaders. That’s why we came. We’re excited to minister to the people of India with you, and we’re very proud of you all. Thank you for your dedication to our team. Pastor Tim and Lex

Friday, August 3 – Day 1 Matthew 4:18-22, 8:18-22, John 6:66-69

Thursday, August 16 – Day 14

Acts 8:4-25

When Jesus called His first set of disciples, He said, “Follow Me,” and they did. They laid down whatever they were doing at the moment and walked away from it to follow Him. Jesus calls His disciples the same way today, and has called you to India with similar expectations. In Matthew 4, those young men knew what was going to happen that day, but when Jesus changed their plans they put their nets down and followed Him.

In this passage, Philip, Peter, and John are in Samaria preaching the gospel, baptizing in water and the Holy Spirit. Their work in that part of Samaria being ended, they headed home. Verse 25, however, tells us, “So when they had testified and preached the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.”

Read the passage in Matthew 8 again, but this time, take Jesus out and pretend it is a pastor or famous evangelist you know that is speaking. That’s pretty mean. These people were making reasonable requests, why do you think Jesus refused them?

These guys did not pat themselves on the back, take a free day in Samaria to shop, and get on a plane. They preached the gospel all the way home. They told the shop owners about Jesus’ great love. They preached in the airport, and shared testimonies with the person sitting next to them on the plane. There is certainly nothing wrong with a free day (or going home), and it is not unreasonable to be tired after two weeks of intense ministry. The danger of overseas missions trips, and what happens too often, however, is that we tend to think the evangelism happens “over there,” and Illinois is “home base,” where we rest until next summer.

(Write something down before you read on. You won’t be graded.) I think Jesus was rejecting the idea that people can follow Him on their own terms. Jesus is a Jew. He knows it’s important to bury the dead, but He would not accept someone’s pledge of allegiance with any conditions. We can’t come to Jesus and say, “Ya, in a minute.” He is our priority. Is there anything that came to India with you as a priority? Anything you want to see or do that may hold you back from following Jesus through India unconditionally? If so, write that thing down:

In John 6, some would-be disciples quit because they got offended when Jesus got difficult. Jesus turned to “the twelve” (there are twelve of us on this trip, by the way) and asked if they wanted to leave too. Review Peter’s response in verses 68 and 69. Spend some of your prayer time this morning in giving up your priorities. Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare you to walk away from your plans, and to make you so dependent on Jesus that you can’t even imagine what you’d do besides follow Him.

When Jesus sent out his missionaries, the first place he tells them to preach is Jerusalem – at home. When the Holy Spirit sent them out to the “ends of the earth,” the disciples knew that did not mean they were not to preach in Jerusalem anymore. They breathed the gospel, so wherever they were, Jesus was being preached. Spend some of your prayer time this morning petitioning heaven for the boldness, the confidence, and the love to preach Jesus all the way home, and then all the way until next summer. Think about the people at home who need Jesus, but you’ve never talked to about Him. Ask the Lord to open doors, to give you opportunities to share what happened to you this summer and present the gospel to those at home. People at home who need the gospel:

Wednesday, August 15 – Day 13 Happy Independence Day, India! On August 15, 1947 India became a sovereign nation – free from British rule. Today marks 60 years of political independence. On August 14, 1947, the Republic of India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, gave a speech titled Tryst with Destiny that may have been prophetic of the spiritual road ahead. Excerpts:

Saturday, August 4 – Day 2 Acts 9:1-19 What happened to Saul on his journey?

Why did Saul, in verse 5, call the voice he heard, “Lord,” if he didn’t know who it was?

“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awaken to life and freedom. A moment comes … when we step out from the old to the new … and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. (Matthew 25:1-6)

God called Ananias to go talk to Saul and minister to him. How would you feel if that was you?

“Freedom and power bring responsibility. The responsibility rests upon this Assembly, a sovereign body representing the sovereign people of India. (Luke 12:47-48, Psalm 2:10-12)

Sometimes you may be asked to pray for people who are scary, ugly, or demon-possessed. How will you deal with that?

“The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over. (Isa 25:8, Rev 7:17, Rev 21:4) “A new star rises, the star of freedom in the East, a new hope comes into being, a vision long cherished materializes. May the star never set and that hope never be betrayed! (Matt 2:1-2, Heb 13:5) “Our next thoughts must be of the unknown volunteers and soldiers of freedom who, without praise or reward, have served India even unto death.” (Phil 2:8, Acts 1:8 – Thomas was eventually martyred in India) Dedicate some of your prayer time today to petitioning heaven for the spiritual freedom of India. Pray for her leaders. Pray that at His midnight hour India will be ready, that they’ll realize there is One still who can wipe every tear from every eye, and that they realize that the Eastern star that doesn’t set is that of Christ!

We know Ananias was worried about going to Saul because he seems, in verse 14, to be reminding God why this might not be a good idea. His life could be at stake, so why did he go?

If Ananias was willing to pray with a man who could have had him killed for doing so, how much more should we be willing to pray for people who make us a little uncomfortable? Pray for an eternal perspective this morning, and the courage to lay down pride for the sake of expanding God’s kingdom.

Sunday, August 5 – Day 3

Tuesday, August 14 – Day 12

Matthew 9:1-8, 9:18-26, Luke 5:17-26, Mark 5:21-43

Acts 4:1-13, 24-30

Matthew 9:2b//When Jesus

Verse 13 tells us that the priests and the Sadducees, religious rulers of the first century, marveled at the disciples’ boldness because they knew that the disciples were not well-educated men.

faith, He said to “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”

,

Jesus their faith. Faith is often considered something internal, a condition of the heart. Here, however, we’re told it can be seen. The Bible tells us that faith without works is dead; faith that does not look like faith is not really faith at all. How did these men demonstrate faith?

Jesus saw faith, and He forgave and healed the paralytic man. We’re told nothing about the condition of the paralytic man’s faith, just that his friends were full of faith. Their faith led to his salvation and healing. Your faith in your God can bring healing to someone’s eternity and to someone’s life. The faith of the person being ministered to is important, and maybe the paralytic man here was full of faith, but the Holy Spirit didn’t find it necessary to mention that if he was. It was when Jesus saw faith – anywhere – that He acted. Jesus loves faith. (Which came first? The forgiveness or the healing? The eternal or the temporal?)

At this time in Israel, every young boy went to school to learn the Torah. If he did well, he would be allowed to continue until he was old enough to become an apprentice. If he did not do well, he went home to learn his father’s business, and his formal education ended. Because Peter and John were not Pharisees (or mentoring under one), the leaders knew that they probably hadn’t been taught or done much study on religion for decades – except what they learned in the synagogue every Sabbath. Yet here they were, standing in front of people they should be mortally afraid to offend, and accusing them of murdering the Messiah. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to be a missionary – or to be a Christian for that matter. Peter and John healed a man in Jesus’ name, and now stood before the council declaring Jesus’ deity simply because they believed Him. They were bold because they had spent time with Jesus, and since He left, they studied the scriptures every day. They knew that they knew Him. The Bible tells us that because of their boldness, the Pharisees and Sadducees could tell that Peter and John had been with Jesus.

answers (Mark 5:36), “Do not be afraid; only .” It was the faith of the girl’s father that allowed her healing to manifest.

People can tell if you’ve been with Jesus, because you talk about Him with confidence. If you were talking about a brother or a good friend, you wouldn’t shy away from the conversation because you know that person. If someone says something that is untrue, you will defend your brother to the bitter end because you know that you know him. Know that you know Jesus, and tell the people of India about Him. You don’t have to have three scriptures on healing memorized if you know Him, His will, His love, and His way.

Spend some time praying for unwavering faith today. Then go back and read these verses out loud to yourself, or to a friend. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

And if you’re stuck, pray what the disciples pray in verses 24 through 30 – for boldness. The truth is, though, that it is already in you because you know Jesus.

A few hours later, a religious ruler comes to Jesus to ask that He visit his home and heal his dying daughter. Along the way they get a report that the man’s daughter has died. Before the man can respond, Jesus

Monday, August 13 – Day 11

Acts 3: 1 – 8 (Matthew 10:1, 8) Notice what Peter says in verse six, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” What did Peter have? According to Jesus, in Matthew 10, Peter had the power and authority of Jesus’ name and a command to freely use it. According to Acts 2, Peter had the power of the Holy Spirit. Peter could not give the man silver or gold, because he had none. He could, however, give the man the power of Jesus’ name (and the gospel, if you keep reading in Acts 3). You cannot give what you do not have. That’s pretty basic. You do, however, have the same name of Jesus and the same Holy Spirit that Peter had.

Monday, August 6 – Day 4

Mark 6:30-32, 45-46, Genesis 2:2 The Lord approves of rest. When the disciples came back from their first missions trip, Jesus told them to get away and rest. Jesus Himself sent the crowds away and went alone to pray. We make you rest for one hour over lunch. Has this time been restful over the past couple of days? What are you doing during this time that is not very restful?

Jesus frequently withdrew to pray alone during his three-year ministry. If Jesus needed quiet time, how much more do we? You are mandated one hour of quiet time every morning. Has this time been beneficial to you? What is one thing you could do to get more out of your morning quiet time?

You cannot give what you do not know you have, either. Peter had the confidence to “fix his eyes on” the man and command his attention. Peter had the boldness not only to command the man to rise and walk, but to take him by the hand and pull him up to his feet. That boldness that served Peter and the apostles is a gift of the Holy Spirit that comes naturally when we spend time in the presence of God. The better we know Him, the more confident we will be in those “moments of truth” that His word will stand and His promises endure. Peter was so full of the Holy Spirit that he had some to share. A missions trip, like any other form of ministry, can be intensely draining – as you may be noticing. It’s because you are pouring the Holy Spirit out of you, into the lives of the people we minister to, but there’s not a lot of time to fill up again. Find the time. Make the time – you can get up an extra half-hour earlier to be with God. We’re in the middle of a battle; you may have to become militant about your schedule in order to survive. Be in the Word. Spend some time praying this morning that the Holy Spirit would reenergize you for the work He’s prepared for us today!

Besides the one hour every morning and the lunch break, what are some “down” times that you could use for prayer, reading your Bible, or memorizing scripture?

Your personal ministry will be as powerful as your time with the Lord. Take some of your time this morning to ask the Holy Spirit to help you be more diligent, more focused, or more of whatever you need to be to get the most out of your time together. Then, pick one time of the day that is not already set aside as quiet time, and commit to doing one thing with it every day. Read a chapter of the Bible on the way to every village, or get up a half-hour earlier than you need to and spend some extra time in prayer or worship.

Tuesday, August 7 – Day 5 Mark 7:31-37, 8:22-26 There’s more than one way to heal someone in Jesus’ name. In chapter 7, Jesus takes the man away from the crowd. Why do you think He did that?

Sunday, August 12 – Day 10

Acts 2: 1-37 Verses 11 through 13 tell us two important things: 1. Everyone in the crowd heard and understood the “wonderful works of God.” 2. Everyone in the crowd was confused. Signs and wonders do not inspire repentance or faith, and do not by themselves lead people to salvation.

In verse 33, Jesus does a dance – or signals the runner at second to steal third – or something. Why do you think He did that?

In chapter 8, Jesus does not take the man away from the crowd. In verse 23, after Jesus lays hands on him, the Bible tells us, “He him if he saw anything.” Jesus knew what happened, and what the man could see. Why do you think He asked?

Then what did Jesus do? A. Get discouraged and leave B. Pray for the man again C. Yell at the man for not having enough faith D. Get mad at God Sometimes the Lord may ask you to do something a little strange while you’re praying for someone. The temptation is to ignore it and hope the person gets healed/delivered anyway. It’s to God’s glory, however, if we step out and do what we’re asked. (It’s also wise to run it by your MIG leader first to make sure it’s not offensive or dangerous.) Other times, someone won’t get healed right away. You may have to lead them in repentance first, rebuke demons, or just try again. We know God is a healer, though, so don’t give up right away.

Here, the crowd saw a sign – 120 Jewish men talking about the same thing in a dozen different languages – but they mocked the disciples. It wasn’t until Peter stood up among the crowd and shouted the gospel that people believed. Verse 37 tells us, “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart …” Signs and wonders and miracles are good. They confirm the gospel and they heal people. The Bible tells us that signs and wonders follow the preaching of the word, but, more importantly, “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Signs and wonders and miracles are good, but what the people of India really need is repentance and salvation. It is easy – especially if this is your first time being used of God for the supernatural – to get excited about a healing and downplay or completely forget about that person giving his life over to Jesus. Spend some of your prayer time this morning petitioning God for a revelation of eternity. We live so much in the natural world that it is easy to forget the spiritual realm that is all around us. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your spiritual eyes today, and to renew your mind as to what is really important. What are we really here for? Notes/Thoughts:

Saturday, August 11 – Day 9

Wednesday, August 8 – Day 6

Acts 1:8

Matt 17: 14-21, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-42

“Witness,” as a noun, is defined as: 1. a person who sees an event take place 2. evidence; proof

How many things are possible to him who believes?

The original disciples could be the first kind of witnesses, because they saw the events of Jesus’ ministry take place. You did not. Regarding the first definition, you can be a witness of the things He has done in your life. Regarding Acts 1:8, you may be more useful as the second kind of witness. You cannot give anyone a first hand account of the things Jesus did during his first earthly ministry, but you can be evidence that He is God, Christ, alive, and coming again. Through your personal testimony, the words you speak, and the love you exhale, your life can be proof that the Bible is true. It’s also interesting to note that the Greek word for “witness” is the same as the Greek word for “martyr.” Read that verse again with the word “martyr” in place of “witness.” How does that change your perspective of how Jesus has called us to live? Noah lived a life that proved God is true. For 120 years he built a boat in his back yard and told people it was not only going to rain (which it had never done before, Genesis 2:5-6), but it was going to rain so much the earth would flood. Imagine 120 years of ridicule, but Noah persevered. Every board that was cut and every nail that was driven was Noah’s testimony to the world that God is real.

Look at the father’s response in Mark, verse 24. He seems to contradict himself, but Jesus does not correct him. What do you think the father meant by this short prayer?

Do you think it was a good prayer?

Y

N

When Jesus is alone with His disciples again, they ask why they could not cast this demon out. Do you think they were surprised they couldn’t do it?

Y

N

Matthew mentions an aspect of Jesus’ explanation that the other gospels do not. In verse 20, Jesus said it was because of their . Faith and belief are two different things. The disciples had cast out many demons and healed many sick. That they asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast this demon out tells us that they probably didn’t know. The disciples definitely had faith for this kind of thing.

What can you do today to make yourself evidence of Jesus? You could lay hands on someone for healing, or deliver someone from a demon. You could love the unlovable, or help the helpless. Come up with as many as you can, but concentrate on one. Pick one thing you have not done yet and commit to step out in faith today to do it.

Believing is a little more. To God, healing a sore throat and healing cancer are similarly easy. To us, cancer – or epilepsy in this part of the gospels – is more serious, more scary, and harder to heal. We can have faith that the Lord can do it, and at the same time hold onto unbelief that it will happen now, as a result of our ministry. That small degree of unbelief can get in the way of a healing or deliverance.

The one thing I really want to do today to be evidence that Jesus is Love is . Lay hands on the page and claim it, pray about, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in it. He will. He wants to.

Spend some of your prayer time this morning praying what that boy’s father prayed, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” Lord, I believe you can heal the sick and deliver the oppressed, and I believe it is your desire to do it. Help me to see with Your eyes and believe that you are bigger than ALL things!

Thursday, August 9 – Day 7 Luke 15 (the whole thing) Jesus tells three stories about three lost things in this chapter: a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son.

Friday, August 10 – Day 8

Luke 17:5-10, Philippians 2:14, Mark 10:44 What do the disciples ask of Jesus in verse 5?

How many people do you know “need no repentance?” How many people do you think have ever walked the earth “need(ing) no repentance?” Imagine how delighted God would be at 99 of that person … Verse 7 tells us there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Take a couple of minutes and mediate on what that means of the love of God. How much must He love any one person if his/her salvation causes that much joy in heaven …

Does Jesus do what they ask?

Y

N

In verses 7-10 Jesus speaks of a servant’s duty. What does this have to do with the disciples’ request about faith?

(Thoughts?)

In verse 20 the lost son returns home to his father. We can tell that the father in this story is wealthy. He is probably a man respected and admired by many, with many responsibilities, and much influence. We are told, however, that he “ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.” Noble, important men do not run, especially not a “great way,” but this one did because of his joy. Take a moment and think about God. Read Revelation 4 if you need some help. Consider His majesty, His power, His omnipotence, etc. Now imagine you, or an Indian villager, smelling a lot like a pig, walking dejectedly to the throne of heaven. Suddenly the Father, clothed in light, gets up and runs to meet him. The villager might be a little scared at first, but the Father wraps His arms around that person and orders clean clothes and a feast. Imagine … Ask for that image continually on your mind today. That every time you lead someone in a prayer of repentance, the Holy Spirit would remind you what’s going on all around you that you cannot see, and that your spirit would be able to partake of that same joy.

It seems fair to us to say that if one person is working in the fields all day, someone who did not work all day should make dinner for him. Jesus seems to be pointing out the obvious opinion, however, that a servant would naturally work in the fields all day and then prepare dinner for the master of the house. Not only does the servant not get a break until the end of the day, Jesus reminds us that it would be strange for the master of the house to even thank the servant for his work. It is easy for us, especially considering the culture we’re used to, to think we should get the evening off if we’ve been working hard all day. Of course, our bodies need rest, but do we sometimes spoil our flesh? We are servants of God and His kingdom on earth, so much of the “work” may represent spiritual work: ministering, praying with people, praying alone, fasting, etc. We sometimes think if we’ve done enough for a few days we can take a day off. We are also called to be slaves of all. That’s all people alive on the earth. That’s physical work. Do we pat ourselves on the back and consider how humble we are, or do we say, “We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do?”