Experiencing Darkness

It had all started as a normal day during City Project. We had arrived in New York City the Saturday before to stay in a shelter, share the gospel with unbelievers, and be trained by strategic missionaries. Most of the training and planning was useless at this point…

A friend and I were assigned a specific Muslim group in Queens. Conversations had to be started, but we had to be authentic. Both of us agreed to go to one of the mosques for the evening salat (prayer) in order to start conversations. We entered the dark building confused and unsure of what would take place.
“Why are you here?” one of the men asked. “We are curious about other religions and want to learn more about Islam,” we responded with deep sincerity. We proceeded through wudu (washings) in order to enter the ceremony. Face, ears, arms, hands, feet, then hands again. With bare feet proceeding to the prayer hall, I prayed with a heavy heart to the only God who has ears to hear our cries. My friend and I sat in the corner to observe (not partake) in the ceremony. With every tick of the clock, my heart grew heavier; my heart literally felt like it was going to burst. Tears began to roll down my face only for me to wipe them away in light of my surroundings. I felt the need to share just a few of my thoughts and burdens.

• How many Christians see these men, young and old, and never share of the redemptive work they have experienced?
• How many Believers, like myself, are more concerned with politics, Soteriology, or personal agenda than the eternity of God’s beloved?
• Do professing Christians truly “[look] to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross”? If so, why do they walk away and not long to endure the same struggle for unsaved?

Paul said “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers.” Do we bear the same burden as this sinner saved by grace? 

A recognizable pattern in my life and through Scripture is looking to God and leaving with a new sense of purpose. Take Saul who transformed into Paul; Moses and the burning bush; Israel looking to the bronze serpent; or Jacob (Israel) wrestling with God. All of these accounts point to series of darkness/trouble, encountering God, and leaving remarkably changed. I share about this dark experience because in these moments, I was tested to love my neighbor, put their needs before my own, and allow God to bring about salvation. It may not be easy, but it certainly is worth it. James also shows us why we endure trials.

“Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
James 1:2-5

Not everyone is called to live as a vocational missionary to the Unreached People Groups of the world. Some are, but not everyone. Instead, we are called to make disciples of all [tribes, tongues, and] nations. If we don’t go, how will they hear? More importantly, if we do not petition on their behalf nor expect God to move, how can we ever expect God to work through us? Challenge: be willing to experience trials and darkness for someone else’s soul. This example is found in Jesus; is it found in you?

Prayer for CP Taiwan Team

My team is in the air right now on our way to Taiwan! Please pray for us:

Pray that God would use this process to teach us to love Him above all else. (Matthew 22:37-40)
Pray that the nations would come to know Him as Lord. (Acts 17:24-27)
Pray for the field partners, that God would continue use them and give them favor with the people.
Pray God would use us to serve the field partners well.
Pray that the Holy Spirit would go before us and prepare the hearts of the people we will interact with.

New York City: Learning and Growing

Last week, Summit College traveled to New York City to expand efforts to reach the nations. As you may know, New York is a large and diverse city with thousands of languages and representation from every continent. Our mission? Three simple steps.

The gospel changing students.
Our team had a week of orientation; gospel training, evangelism techniques, and studying people groups. But none of that would prepare us for the daily battle for our souls. Nothing can replace the importance of the gospel in our lives first. Without it, we are just another group of people in the big city. No direction, no sense of purpose, and no power to accomplish the work ahead. With the gospel, we’ve been given an identity (child of God), mission (to make disciples of all nations), and the Spirit of God which “[equips] you with everything good for doing his will.” (Hebrews 13:21) This week had a literal transformation on my life.

Part of our daily agenda was to go to individual neighborhoods, love on people, and share our faith. I was with a group in Astoria, Queens, NY. This community is predominantly Bangladeshi Muslim. One day while I was sharing with a friend, I was completely overwhelmed. My pride had gotten the better of me before a conversation filled with rejection and bitterness. I walked away speechless. It took a solid five minutes of prayer and tears for God to teach me something: All my efforts to save people are in vain if the Spirit is not working in my life as well. God may use us, but he changes our hearts in the process.

Orientation week in Durham– Mitch reminding us of the gospel story. 

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Students serving cities.
Our team of over fifty college students traveled to New York City with three primary objectives in mind: encouraging missionaries, equipping local believers, and evangelizing the lost. We stayed at the New York School of Urban Ministry (pictured below) while partnering with Global Gates Ministry. This incredible ministry has a large hand in the gospel being proclaimed in NYC.

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Christ sending laborers.
Christ has sent us to make disciples for our lifetime. This means locally and internationally. Matthew 9:38 reads “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Already the Lord is preparing the hearts for the gospel to be shared. He simply asks that you obey and be teachable; when we learn and obey, this will produce disciples.

Arab mosque in Astoria, NY–overpacked during one of the five daily prayer times.

Oswald Chambers put it this way:
“If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the calm waters just inside the harbor, full of joy, but always tied to the dock. You have to get out past the harbor into the great depths of God, and begin to know things for yourself—begin to have spiritual discernment… It is a dangerous thing to refuse to continue learning and knowing more.”

Preparing for New York

I can’t believe the time has come. One day. Tomorrow, the Summit College teams make their way to the heart of New York City, NY. After months of prayer, planning, and preparation, it’s time for this group to take flight. After a full day of orientation and detailed discussion about the big city, I came away with a few points I wanted to share.

• Gospel foundation is vital.
  We literally have nothing to share or preach without the Gospel. The Good News we graciously share is about the life-changing work which has happened within us. To have an unclear vision of Christ brings about death. We were created to shine brightly and adore in our Creator God (Matthew 5:14-16).
• Strategy is key.
  Going into a mission field completely blind is not God’s plan. Think about the strategic location and cultures within New York City. Largest city in the United States; Thousands of people groups (many of which are unengaged) with their personal sphere of influence; Diversity in cultures, languages, and social statuses while maintaining the “New York pride.” With all this in mind, God desires that our preparation and labor not be in vain (Philippians 2:14-16). But bear in mind that strategy, when idolized, produces vain actions. All the planning in the world will not bring souls to Christ without the Holy Spirit working.
• Projects are not the end goal… people are!
  This one has taken a while to get through my head. I constantly struggle with the desire to please God and run the race set before me… but if I run a race with blinders on, I miss the point of the entire journey which is to see Christ more clearly through His working. People are the objective of the gospel movement. Jesus cleansed the lepers (Matthew 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-45), healed blind men (John 9; Mark 8:22-25), and rose the dead from the grave (John 11). He did all of these miracles with people as the primary goal – in reaching people through physical needs, he glorified the Father through spiritual means.
  In the same way, we are called to reach the nations as people, NOT as a project.

City Project: Taking the Risk

Risk. What do you think of when I say that word? Do you think of a crazy men fighting off deadly animals, secret spy operatives on a high speed chase, or a man taking a bullet for his lover? We typically think of words like hazard, injury, or exposure.

But Risk, if properly applied, goes way beyond these words to bring about exponential benefits. If you invest very little stock in a company, you will see very little profit. Little exposure in a relationship brings about little connection with the other individual. No time or effort put into school means very poor grades. So why risk? What is there to gain?

Risk is the vehicle which is used to bring God glory. Without risk, there would be no salvation (Hebrews 12:2). Without risk, there would be no concept of love (John 5:13; Romans 5:6-8). Risk, or sacrifice, is at the very heart of love – “we love because he first loved us.”

Paul shared his vision of risk with Philippi.

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

 

(Phil. 1:20–21)

The call is to go. The command in itself is worthy of Risk. In the words of John Piper… “If our single, all-embracing passion is to make much of Christ in life and death, and if the life that magnifies him most is the life of costly love, then life is risk, and risk is right. To run from it is to waste your life.”

For more on the subject, read Risk is Right by John Piper. Free pdf found here.

Gospel Initiative: Beginning City Project

Gospel Intiative

What is an initiative? What is it exactly that I’m called to do? What is this thing called the “City Project”? And how does it relate to me where I am in life?

Initiative is “the ability to assess and initiate things independently.” Initiative with the Gospel does NOT mean us sharing the Gospel ‘independently’. It means that our dependence on Christ is evident in the manner and tenacity with which we share. Our call as Christians is to go. Don’t believe me? Read The Great Commission and hear a poem about our duty to go.

Before I begin, I want to encourage you to read one of my previous blog post about City Project just to get your feet wet in what I am talking about. To understand the weight and value of this Summer, please watch this video about City Project 2013 as well. To see how God will change my life through this Summer, follow/subscribe to this blog and continue reading.

Now that you’re past all of that juicy content I put above, time to get into it.
When I first considered applying for City Project, some questions came up.

What am I doing? As I said in the post above, this eight-week program includes evangelizing in New York City for one week to engage Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists with the gospel. The middle of the summer includes several weeks in Durham receiving practical theological and ministry training by pastors at The Summit Church. After this ministry training will come up to two weeks internationally working with Church plants and missionaries sent from the Summit.
Is this Gospel Evangelism or “Community Service”? To which I say a firm “Yes!” Both should be present in the church. But for a majority of this trip, it is hard-core, one-on-one evangelism and discipleship.
How many people are going? There are only 60 spots for students to join in this awesome Summer opportunity. (Side-note: Applications for the Summer 2014 term are DUE TODAY, 2/1)
Just a Summit Church thing, or can anyone join City Project? Until I hear differently from the SummitCollege staff, I will say that this is open for any college student called to go. Does that mean everyone will get in? Not at all. There is a very thorough process including applications, references, a face-to-face interview, and more.

Opportunity to “Go Now”
When: May 27–July 24
This is HUGE! What other opportunity do you have available to grow, learn, and share for almost 2 whole months?!

Cost: $4800
Perspective. When I first saw this number, I was discouraged. I almost didn’t apply because my flesh kicked in and said it’s money that I don’t have. But as I said in a previous post, I was able to let go of the weight Satan had on me and just do it… Apply and see where God takes it.
To get some perspective, think of it as $83/day. To live, eat, sleep, and create disciples somewhere other than your own city is not possible for that price. Period.

Where: During City Project, students will spend one week serving in New York City, several weeks training, learning, and serving in Durham, and two weeks in an international context in Serbia, India, Montreal, London, South Africa, or Taiwan.
These areas are in desperate need of the gospel. I do not have the capacity to share how dark and dead these areas are. Just know that our labors in these areas will not be in vein.

New Chapter

If you’re like me, you may be asking yourself “Why should I take a Summer and do something like City Project?” I think that J.D. Greear can sum up the answer and so much more in his Go Now Message to college students.

If for some reason I have not answered all of your questions, read this FAQs page about City Project. To show your support of my Summer, I ask that you fill out the form below. If you choose to support me financially, you can visit my Fundraising page or request an address to mail cash or checks.
Thank you so much for reading, and God bless!

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City Project, God’s Promises, and the Key to Sharing the Gospel

What an amazing testimony from a fellow college student and believer in Christ. From Scripture reading to journal writing, God reveals himself in numerous ways.

City Project, God\’s Promises, and the Key to Sharing the Gospel.

Landon Pauley Mission Fund

One of the reasons I decided to start this blog was to express my ideas and share from my heart what it means to be a servant.
Another reason would be to document my experiences over this Summer and the years to come. This Summer, I plan on partnering with my church through The City Project to evangelize, train, and travel to glorify the Lord and prepare for vocational ministry. This is an intense Summer in store for me, but I am preparing my heart and growing now so that I will be passionate then! 

If you’ve ever stepped into the doors of a church student/youth/college ministry, you’ve probably heard about some form of Summer camp. This is no Summer camp. This eight-week program includes evangelizing in New York City for one week to engage Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists with the gospel. The middle of the summer includes several weeks in Durham receiving practical theological and ministry training by pastors at The Summit Church. After this ministry training will come up to two weeks internationally working with Church plants and missionaries sent from the Summit. In case you are unfamiliar with Summit’s Leadership and our mission:

The Summit Church seeks to further the kingdom of God not only by growing its own congregation, but by planting other ones as well. Our goal is to plant 1,000 new churches by the year 2050. In the last ten years, the Summit Church has sent out more than 300 people to serve on church planting teams both domestically and internationally.

This is my heart’s cry and part of the DNA of the Summit Church. If you would like support me through prayer and financial support, you can visit the site below (or get in touch with me through text, Facebook, Twitter, etc). Thank you and God bless!

Landon Pauley Mission Fund | Mission Trip – YouCaring.com.

What Does It Mean to “Let Go and Let God”?

Cliche. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear that phrase. Why? Because it’s thrown around, posted on T-shirts, and accepted as our default ‘Christianese’ when life gets bumpy.

But is there some truth in the phrase?

Letting Go. What does it mean to let go? What does letting go look like? If we let go, doesn’t our world just fall to pieces?
No, our life is not over. Letting go means different things in different places. A general definition of “going” means to move or proceed to/away from something. Is there anything worth holding onto in this life? Doesn’t it all just go away in the end?

Here’s the beautiful part. Letting Go is a natural part of life. Friends, family members, careers, churches, schools, you name it! Life changes. There’s a never-ending cycle of change. But the beauty is what happens when we let go of our desires, our needs, our future and security. That’s when God steps in and says “I’m here for you. Rest in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. I’ve found that in my own life, as a Christian man, when I surrender financial security or my future, I’ve seen some of the greatest seasons of fruit.

Think about it for a minute.

God wants to make a beautiful exchange with us.
God wants our messed up-ness for his holiness. How crazy is that?

1 My son, if you receive my words

and treasure up my commandments with you,

2 making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

3 yes, if you call out for insight

and raise your voice for understanding,

4 if you seek it like silver

and search for it as for hidden treasures,

5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

Proverbs 2:1-5 ESV

Don’t miss this. These are conditional statements. If you receive/call/seek, then you will understand. God wants us to give up ourselves and admit our helplessness to show HIS glory.

Dying to self (aka “Letting God”)

I will be going into what it means to Die to yourself in other posts, but what does it mean right now? It means taking that abiding and just doing it.

1 John 2:5, 6 says “but whoever keeps His word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in Him: whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which [Jesus] walked.”

You know what Jesus did? He humbled himself. That’s how we’re supposed to abide. That is the change that can happen right now.

Recently, I’ve encountered a fork in the road. The turn of the new year brought about plans for the Spring and Summer seasons. That means I need to plan. I’ve been given a few options, listed by my order of preference.
(a.) Go home/live on my own and work, work, WORK.
(b.) Apply for a paid position at a local Summer camp as a counselor for Middle and High School students… OR
(c.) Apply for “The City Project” to work with my church (the Summit Church in Raleigh/Durham, NC) and be immersed in mission work and intense ministerial training.

I thought I knew what I was going to do until God had people speak into my life. One good friend challenged me to take a step of faith, to search for God like the Proverbs 2 passage says. I was hesitant at first and told him “I’ll pray about it” and consider my options, but that really meant no. I didn’t get it until he approached me again and said “Is the Gospel worth giving up your plans for one Summer?” 
Hit me right between the eyes. My pride and concern for security had left me negligent of the Gospel, the very core of my life.

So far, I have applied for The City Project and my application is being reviewed. I have an interview arranged for this week. But what does that mean?

It means risk. It means insecurity. It means being obedient. Ultimately, it means abiding in Christ and taking it one day at a time.

Thoughts? Similar experiences? Share in the comments below.