Thanks to air raid sirens, neighbors and refugees are hearing more about the gospel than ever.

We are now a full week into open war with Russia. Of course, Russia has been warring against Ukraine since 2014, but this is an unprecedented phase. Still, it’s amazing how quickly one gets used to the mundane realities of war.

On day one, the news of other cities being bombed caused great anxiety in the city of Svitlovodsk, where my family and I live. Of course, the fact that the news woke us up before dawn and was very unexpected made it much worse. The intent to cause panic seemed planned.

Now, on day seven, the adrenaline has worn off. We are used to the 8 p.m. curfew and sitting in a dark apartment at night. We find ourselves ignoring some of the air raid sirens—especially the ones in the middle of the night, since we’re so exhausted. We’ve also learned that not every siren means a bomb might drop on our heads.

But whenever we do head to the bomb shelter, my family and I take the opportunity to share the hope of Christ with our neighbors.

CONTINUE READING

^{Image: Efrem Lukatsky / AP Images: “People gather in the Kyiv subway, using it as a bomb shelter.”
Originally Published on Christianity Today}

Calvary Chapel has been ministering in Ukraine, Hungary and Poland for decades. Many churches have been planted, and many missionaries have been sent. Some of the pastors and missionaries in Ukraine have been successful in helping their families and friends leave the country; others have stayed in Ukraine to minister and help others navigate through these very difficult days. There are two ways in which we can help:

First, those who have stayed in Ukraine need funds for food and fuel. Secondly, those who have successfully fled Ukraine, have landed in Hungary and Poland, and will need funds for food and shelter. Thankfully, there are pastors and churches in Hungary and Ukraine that are preparing for the tens of thousands of potential refugees.

We would appreciate your continual prayers and any financial gift that you could give. If you would like to help financially, please click on the donate button. This will take to you a drop down prompt where you can select the “Church Relief Fund.”

We will keep you updated on future needs.

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Every elite athlete has at least one thing in common – they have been coached to maximize God-given potential. In the context of sports, coaching is presumed and is an accepted and expected part of the culture. On the other hand, meaningful coaching and mentoring is less prevalent in the context of Christian ministry. Accordingly, the benefits of development are hindered and hamstrung.

If you want to influence God’s kingdom, there is likely no more rewarding use of your time than coaching existing and emerging leaders. The same is true for those who receive coaching. Kingdom leverage is created every time a leader is coached to be more effective. Church leaders continue to need support at every stage of development, because of the unique challenges that are experienced along the way.

Some of you have been blessed to have coaches and mentors along your journey. They encouraged you that you had the right stuff to finish well and motivated you to discover your God-given potential. They warned you about potential dangers you might encounter and how to avoid or overcome the obstacles that are inherent in every leader’s journey. Unfortunately, too many of you did not receive that type of support. You embarked on the journey and God was gracious, faithful and blessed your ministry.

Yet, don’t you agree it would have been beneficial to have someone who was ahead of the curve, with whom you could relate, to coach you along the way?

Have you ever thought about coaching others or receiving coaching?

What do coaches do?

Coaches provide intentional, relational support to create accountability for existing and emerging church leaders.

They assist in assessing and aligning God’s people with His plan. Gary Collins, a leader and pioneer in coaching, defined Christian coaching as, “The practice of guiding and enabling individuals or groups to move from where they are to where God wants them to be.” Christian coaches encourage others to find God’s vision for their lives and from following their own agendas to pursue God’s purposes. Miller and Hall, in their primer on Christian coaching offer the following definition: “Christian coaching is a focused, Christ-centered relationship that cultivates a person’s sustained growth and action.”

Coaching is primarily related to support. A coach doesn’t have to have all the answers, nor are they supposed to constantly tell other leaders what to do. Coaches often are most effective when they help leaders learn to listen to God for themselves. A coach’s goal is to help others succeed. The art of effective coaching can be learned, and the basic process is relatively simple. By following a basic framework and implementing some general coaching skills, you can learn to coach.

How does coaching differ from mentoring?

The primary distinction between coaching and mentoring is the process of training. Coaches generally ask questions to help a leader discover God’s answers. On the other hand, mentors generally give answers, rather than ask questions, in an effort to guide a leader. The coaching or mentoring style may both be used at any time of training. The mentor-disciple relationship is generally characterized by a mentor instructing a disciple, “Do this.” Yet, in a coaching relationship, the coach is primarily helping the leader to discover the answers [e.g. What do you think you should do?] and occasionally instructs the leader to “Do this.” Bob Logan notes, “Good coaching isn’t the art of giving good answers. It’s the art of asking good questions.” When a person discovers a course of action for himself, it will be followed with greater passion and conviction than when a trainer simply tells a leader what to do. What keeps existing and emerging leaders from receiving effective coaching, or becoming effective coaches?

There are numerous reasons, including ignorance of the benefits, but the four most common that I’ve observed are as follows:

1. Time:

Both coaches and the coached are concerned that they don’t have the time to for a coaching relationship in addition to their numerous other responsibilities. Nevertheless, an effective coaching relationship can be established in one hour per month, for 6-12 months. If you are presently unable to figure out how to carve out one hour a month, you’re very likely in need of coaching.

2. Money:

It can be discouraging to say the least when you see a leader charging $200+ for an hour of their time to serve as a coach. Let’s put aside the issue of whether that is a wise or valuable investment of resources to become more effective. I’m aware of many capable and Christ-like mentors who are offering to coach for no money or relatively little money. Trying to make a living by coaching is extremely challenging. So, the more capable leaders who simply recognize that they can give some of their time for the kingdom purpose of training, the more that money will be eliminated as an obstacle.

3. Fear of accountability:

The same attribute of chutzpah that motivates many to seek to become leaders is an obstacle to admitting that we don’t have all the answers and need help. When you discover that you are encountering obstacles to Christian life and ministry, then coaches are an answer. Rather than let the fear of accountability or inadequacy paralyze you, create a healthy relationship with accountability to overcome.

4. Where to begin:

Here are some ideas to overcome the obstacle of wondering where to begin. First, become familiar with a basic approach and general coaching skills. I’ve written a book on the subject called “Coaching,” and it is available for free here. Second, the team at Calvary Church Planting Network [CCPN] and Velo Church Leaders are prepared to coach 30 to 50 leaders for free in 2016. Third, we are interested in expanding the sphere of coaches willing to help aspiring leaders. So, if you want to receive coaching or be part of a team offering coaching, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bruce@velochurchleaders.org.

A few years ago I was engaged in a spirited discussion with a seasoned Israeli pastor. The topic was Western Christian Zionism in relationship to Gospel proclamation in Israel. This pastor acrimoniously summarized what he perceived to be Western Christian Zionist support for Israel:

“I (says the Christian Zionist) am willing to fight for Israel to the very last drop of your (Israeli) blood!”
Wow! Ouch!
What this pastor was trying to communicate is that Christian supporters of Israel are generally willing to support Israel in realms which are not dangerous, or that will not threaten their good relationships with their Israeli friends (i.e. political, financial, tourism and, humanitarian aid). The eagerness to support Israel in these areas is generally based upon the theological belief in the uniqueness of ethnic Israel in the plan of God. This theological understanding is often transformed into a support of Israeli that incorporates endorsing the realization of land promises to the descendants Abraham through Isaac. Consequently, Israel’s military self-defense is perceived as a divinely given right. Indeed, many Christian supporters of Israel interpret Israel’s past and present military conflicts to be an essential part of end-times prophecies. Thus, what my Israeli pastor friend was communicating was his perception that Christian “supporters of Israel” are more than willing see Israelis go to war and be on the right side of end-times cataclysmic events. They are prepared to support these ideals at the cost of Israeli blood. This is not, by any means, authentic support of Israel.

Striving to understand Bible prophecy in light of current events is certainly a reasonable ambition, and there is no denying that Israel plays a significant role in eschatological sections of scripture. Yet, as believers in Jesus, we are compelled to think through Israel’s complex political issues, and even our theological and political assessments of Israel, with a “Gospel-first mentality.” As ministers of the Gospel of Jesus the Messiah, we must consider how our viewpoints bring honor to God through encouraging people towards repentance for the remission of sin and new life through faith in the Jesus. Supporting Israel through the “go get’em” mentality is not as constructive as inspiring Israeli people to restore their broken relationships with a loving God.

After having lived in Israel for several years, I have noticed that supporters of Israel actually support Israel quite abstractly as opposed to pragmatically. That is, they support the idea that Jewish people should have a homeland. They support the idea that Israel retains a special place in the plan of God, and they love the theological concept that “all Israel will be saved” (Rom 11:26). However, every Christian supporter of Israel should consider the following question: “Does my ideology produce pragmatic Gospel-centered action?”
This issue is particularly important when considering that Israel is essentially an unreached nation for the Gospel. Though it is challenging to conjecture (and it is notoriously difficult to define what a “Christian” is in Israel) it is safe to say that the absolute highest percentage of the population who identify themselves as Christian in Israel is 2%. Yep, you read correctly. Roughly two out of every one hundred people in Israel claim to have an affiliation with any type of Christian church (this includes Roman Catholic Churches, Orthodox Churches, Messianic Jewish Congregations, and Evangelical Christian Arab congregations). This information makes Israel one of the most unreached places in the world. In fact, in Israel most people are unaware of Jesus’ real name and refer to him by the unflattering nickname, “Yeshu.” Given the clear necessity there is for Gospel proclamation in Israel, maybe we “supporters of Israel” have been mistaken in equating our ideological/theological stances with backing Israel by fulfilling a practical need for Gospel.

How then, can Christians who love Jesus and desire to support Israel be an asset to Gospel proclamation in the land where there is great need? This can be done by overcoming our misconceptions of “support” and redirecting our efforts to the primary call of the Gospel. There are, in my opinion, a few misconceptions that have diverted the attention of the Church away from more overt Gospel ministry in Israel:

The misconception that tourism is support.

Every year, countless Christian tour groups come to Israel to explore the land of the Bible. In this way, Christians certainly support the Israeli economy and visiting believers are blessed through a fuller understanding of their Bible. It, however, is difficult to claim that tourism is the best form of support Christians can provide the Nation of Israel when the lion’s share of the population that benefits from the tourism industry is not Christian. Regardless of whether or not Christians use Christian tour agencies, the truth remains that Christians steadily travel to Israel without supporting any local Gospel ministry—or even visiting a local church. Tourism supports Israel’s economy, but it barely supports Israel’s greatest need of knowing Jesus.

Misconceptions that Israel is a moral & biblically literate place.

Because Israel is the land where most of the biblical events took place, many assume that Israelis are reasonably biblically literate. This misconception has led people to believe that (esp. religious Jewish) Israelis innately honor God, and consequently do not need to hear about the grace provided through the person and work of Jesus the Messiah. However, Israel deals with the same moral issues that Western countries do. Abortion is legal, prostitution is a problem, and Israel has had its share of political corruption (i.e. Israel’s former president Moshe Katsav is currently in prison for rape and Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been convicted of corruption and will be joining him soon). Simply because there is great religious tradition in Israel does not mean that there is great moral character.

A misconception of who the Israeli people are. This point is multifaceted.

It begins with a misunderstanding regarding the ethnic demographics of Israel, and leads to misconceptions concerning Gospel proclamation to all the people. Initially, it is important to remember that Israel is not solely ethnically Jewish. A conservative estimation is that there are 15-20% Arab Israeli citizens. These Arab people are, in theory, equal citizens of Israel and retain the same Israeli passport with an impression of a menorah stamped on it. This means that in any given place in Israel you may rub shoulders with an Arab person who may very well be a brother or sister in the Lord. Hence, it is important to remember that proclaming the Gospel in Israel, and supporting Israel politically, is not just for the Jewish Israeli; but also for the Arab Israelis, and all others who constitute the Nation of Israel.

A misconception that Israeli people are easily offended.

Christians tend to avoid ministry in Israel because they are concerned about offending people and not being able to maintain close connections with influential Israelis. Those who have spent a significant amount of time in Israel know that Israelis are very difficult to insult, especially if you talk to them in a respectful manner. Believers must not be overly concerned about offending people in Israel when conversing about what Messiah Jesus has accomplished for humankind. Christians should be genuine, using the same terminology they would use if they were talking to a neighbor. If an Israeli does not want to talk to you about Jesus, don’t worry! They will have no problem ending the conversation.

As Christians, our temptation at this juncture is to hide behind the smokescreen of what we have been doing in the past as authentic support of Israel. Our tendency is to develop a theology that makes us less responsible to support Gospel proclamation in Israel (i.e. hastily appealing to Israel’s hardening in part alluded to in Romans 11:25). Please don’t fall prey to these erroneous ideologies. Consider the following question: If you deem yourself a supporter of Israel, are you willing to make Gospel-centered ministry in Israel your theological and functional priority? If so, please take the first step and pray towards this end, for the sake of the inhabitants of Israel, as well as for the workers on the ground in this land.