(Note to reader- Jeff and Laura Wilhoit have served with Pioneer Bible Translators (PBT) in Guinea, West Africa since 1996. Guinea is a primarily Muslim country about the size of Oregon, with a population ofeight million andthirty-threedifferent languages. Jeff and Laura work with the 150,000 Toma people to translate the Bible into the Toma language. The rough draft of the Toma Bible is finished, and the Wilhoits have completed the exegetical check ontwenty-five percentof the Bible and have published nineteen percent. They administer a literacy program to teach the Toma people to read their own language. The Wilhoits also supervise another Bible translation project in the language of a neighboring Muslim people group. In addition, Jeff has served in leadership roles in PBT on both the Guinea branch level and the international level. Jeff and Laura have two children, Kayla 5, and Eric 2, who they home school. Jeff is a native of Lakeside Christian Church and Lakeside has financially supported Jeff and Laura in their work for the past several years. Laura greeted the congregation this morning and a video was shown which provided details about their work in Africa.)
Good morning. As my wife said, we are happy to have the privilegeof worshiping with you here at Lakeside again.My daughter has already provided an introduction to our family in the video. You saw some of our living conditions in Africa,which are different than those here in America.
People often ask us what is the hardest thing about being in Guinea. Of course, we don’t enjoy all the living conditions, but we were expecting the lack of modern conveniences. When we first arrived the one modern convenience that wedid notexpect we would miss so much is e-mail. Being able to communicate with our family and friends. You may have heard the missionary child’s version of the Lord’s prayer. It ends with the phrase, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us some e-mail." In the last couple of years we have had more access to e-mail through a satellite modem. It is not cheap to use, especially not for surfing the internet, but we can send and receive e-mail at an acceptable price. In fact, sometimes when the inbox is filling up we feel like praying, "Deliver us frome-mail."
The inconveniences aside, probably the hardest thing about living in Guinea is the lack of good worship opportunities in our own language. When we go to churchthe serviceis almost always in another language, usually Toma or French. When we have Bible studies with other Christians, those studies are usually in another language. We do have our own family Bible story and singing time at night in English, but there is no substitute for worshiping with God’s people in your mother tongue. The whole reason we are translating the Bible into Toma is so that thatthe Toma peoplecan worship God corporately and individually in their heart language.
Right before we left Guinea in April to return to the United States, Pioneer Bible Translators held a spiritual retreat for missionaries. It was really refreshing, mostly because the entire retreat was in English. During the retreat one of the scripture passages that we studied was the last part ofEphesians 3.
As I reflected on the passage, I realized that it addressed at least three key issues in the lives of Guineans. And the more I reflect on the passage, I think thatthese same issues are very relevant for us today. The first issue is the question,"Who Am I?"
Who am I?
Our text this morning is found in the book of Ephesians 3:14-21. Ephesians 3:14-21 (NIV) states, "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
In Ephesians 3:14-15 (NIV)the apostle Paul writes, "For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name." The phrase, "derives its name" means "identity, character, and existence." Everyone who is part of the family of God derives his or her true identity from God the Father.
Guinea: Identity defined by relationship to others.
In Guinea, a person’s identity is defined by his relationship to others. The most important aspect of a person’s identity in Guinea is the ethnic group he or she is from. There are over forty different ethnic groups in Guinea, speaking almost as many distinct languages. In Guinea, even your religion is largely determined by your ethnic group.
Most ethnic groups in Guinea are predominantly Muslim. If you are born into one of those groups, you are automatically Muslim. Becoming a Christian for someone from a Muslim people group, is to denyhis identity andto deny that he is part of the community.Persons who convert to Christianityare often persecuted by being cut off socially and economically. They are no longer part of the family or the social network.
After ethnic group, a person’s clan, family, and even position in the family are very important. If someone who is even distantly related to you is in trouble, you are obligated to help him, even if it puts you into a difficult situation. For the Guinean, for good or bad, his identity is defined by his relationships.
Americans: Identity defined by job or accomplishments.
As I studied Ephesians 3:15 I reflected on how Americans define their identity. In America we have a tendency to define our identity based on our roles in society or on our achievements. When people meet for the first time, inevitably one of the top three questions is,"So what do you do for a living?" While family, race, and socioeconomic status help form our identity, most Americans derive their identity from what they do for a living.
Even as Christians we sometimes derive our identity from what we do in the church. But if our identity is rooted in what we do or in our accomplishments, then what happens if we change careers or fail? Then we really don’t have a secure foundation on which to live our lives.
Jesus: Identity defined by his relationship to his father.
If we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he based his identity on his relationship with his heavenly Father. When Jesus began his ministry, he was baptized and his Father said from heaven, "You are my Son, whom I love; withyou I am well pleased." Luke 3:22 (NIV). Similar words were spoken by his Father on the mount of transfiguration. Matthew 17:5 (NIV), "While he was still speaking, a right cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!' "
The crowds, his disciples, and the religious leaders of the day all wanted Jesus to be different things to them; king, messiah, prophet, teacher, healer, political revolutionary. But Jesus refused to give in to their expectations. His identity was not rooted in any functional role. He healed, yet he was not Jesus the healer. He came to save the world, but he was notjust Jesus the savior.
Over and over again Jesus keptreferring to his sonship to his Father for his identity. Just to cite one of many passages Jesus says in John 3:35 (NIV), "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands."
Even his enemies recognized that Jesus claimed this relationship. In Matthew 4 when tempting him, Satan prefaced every temptation with, "If you are the Son of God." When accusing him the Jewish leaders said in John 19:7 (NIV), "We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God."
Where do we find our identity? Is our identity in our work or accomplishments? If our identity is in what we do, when things don't go well we either blow up, fall apart, or blame someone else. When someone prevents us from meeting our objectives, we get frustrated. But if our objective is to be a child of God, to be in a relationship with him, no one can prevent us from meeting that objective. Jesus saw his identity in terms of his relationship with his Father.So should we.
David Robinson- An example of a person who finds his identity in Christ.
Most of you probably have heard of the basketball player David Robinson, who was the number one player taken in the NBA draft in 1987 by the San Antonio Spurs. He played for the Spurs for fourteen years, wasten times an All-Star, and in 1996 was named one of theFifty Greatest Players of All Time. More importantly, David Robinson is a Christian.
According to his own testimony, David's mother dragged him to church, but his father was not interested in Christianity. When he left home to attend the United States Naval Academy, he rejected Christianity. As a senior in collegehe was challenged to reconsider religion, but it didn't really affect his life until one day during his second year in the NBA when a minister came to his house.
In his own words, David relates what happened. "The first question he asked was, 'David, do you love God?' I was a little surprised, and said, 'Of course, I love God.' Then he asked, 'How much time do you spend praying?' I said, 'I eat three times a day, and I pray then.' 'How much time do you spend reading your Bible?' 'There's one around here somewhere.' Then he said, 'When you love someone, don't you usually take time to get to know that person? Don't you want to get to know that person better?'
"That day, Christ became a real person to me. I felt like a spoiled brat. Everything was about me, me, me. How much money can I make? It was all about David's praise and David's glory. I had never stopped to honor God for all he had done for me. I knew I should have been reading the Bible and trying to learn more about the Lord. June 8, 1991 was the day I vowed to commit my life to the Lord. When I did that, the Lord blessed me in a great way. He made me turn all my energies into the Bible."
During the rest of his NBA career David Robinson made itclear that his first priority was his relationship with the Lord. After his retirement from basketball, he joined the staff at the Oak Hills Church of Christ in San Antonio as a minister leading Bible studies with Max Lucado. I noticed on their website that a couple of weekends ago Robinson was preaching in four services. He has even been involved in supporting missionaries with Pioneer Bible Translators, as five members of that church work with us in Guinea and dozens of their members have made shortterm missions trips to Guinea. David Robinson is an example of someone who finds his identity in his relationship with his heavenly Father and wants to get to know him more.
This leads us to the second question that many Guineans have: "What is God like?"
What is God like?
The second question that many Guineans have is,"What is God like?" Our text in Ephesians 3 addresses this question also.
Because Guinea iseighty five percentMuslim, I am often asked about Islam. The most frequent question I get is whether the God of Islam is the same as the God of Christianity. I can’t answer that for every Muslim, but I do know that the way God is generally perceived in Islam is fundamentally different than that of Christianity. The God of Islam is distant and unknowable. The Muslim can only relate to him through intermediaries, like angels.
One of my missionary colleagues in Guinea told me about a lesson he was teaching to the small church of Muslim converts where he works. During the lesson he asked the question, "Should we love God?" And the people answered, "Of course." Then he asked the question, "Does God love us?" After some silence and then a time conferring among themselves they answered, "We have no idea."
For us, that initially sounds strange. For those of us who grew up in the Church, we grew up hearing "God is love." Even most of those outside of the Church have seen at least a bumper sticker or billboard that says "Jesus Loves You," or "Smile, God Loves You." But the more I have thought about it, I realize that many Americans have problems comprehending God’s love.
Knowing God loves you versus knowing God’s love.
In Ephesians 3:16-19 (NIV) we read,"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,and to know this love that surpasses knowledge— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
In this passage Paul is not praying that God’s people would know that God loves them, but that they would know God’s love. Did you hear the difference? Do we know God’s love, or do we only know that God loves us? I know that the molecular structure of water is a combination of two molecules of hydrogen and one molecule of oxygen. But that doesn’t do much for me on a blazing hot afternoon when I’ve been working in the attic of my house in Guinea fixing the electrical wiring under its hot tin roof. My understanding of H2O as a chemical formula doesn't stave off dehydration. I don't need deeper insights into the meaning of water.I just need water.
Ephesians 3:19seems to indicate that we can know this love that surpasses knowledge. How can we really know a love that surpasses knowledge? That sounds like a contradiction, doesn't it? This verse doesn’t mean that we will be able to have a complete understanding of God’s love. We’d have to be God to do that. It does mean that we can deeply experience God's love. The only way to truly experience the vast love of God is that Christ becomes the center of our lives in such a way that we are rooted and established in love.
That is what is meant by Ephesians 3:17 (NIV), "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." The verb translated dwell literally means, "to settle down and feel at home." Certainly Christ was already resident in the hearts of the Ephesians or else Paul would not have addressed them as,"saints" at the beginning of this letter. What Paul is praying for is a deeper experience between Christ and his people. He yearns for Christ to settle down and feel at home in their hearts— not a surface relationship, but an ever-deepening fellowship. God is not distant and unknowable. He wants to come live in our hearts.
How can I get God’s power?
The third issue facing most Guineans is, "How can I get God’s power?"Most Guineans are faced with the daily struggle to survive. Life in most of Africa is full of uncertainties. Death from disease and accident are all too common and economic ruin is often just around the corner. That is why relationships are so important. If you are in trouble, you can count on those around you to help you. But Guineans know that counting on people is not enough. They know unequivocally that they need help from spiritual forces.
Beginning in 1990, there have been a series of civil wars in the neighboring countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast. These conflicts have bled over into Guinea, as both sides have attacked Guinean villages for plunder or because they have harbored their enemies. Even our town of Macenta was attacked and many people were killed, forcing us to live in the capital city for two years.
To protect themselves from these attacks, it is very common for a village to seek help from a fetish. A fetish is an object that represents a powerful spiritual force. Sacrifices are made to this fetish and strict dietary and behavioral rituals are enjoined on everyone who lives in the village. Christians who refuse to observe these rituals are persecuted, even to the point of being beaten and thrown in prison, because they are seen as threatening the safety of the whole village.
We have heard some amazing testimonies of Christians who have destroyed these fetishes in the face of persecution and demonic reprisals. When one Christian was about to be beaten for burning a fetish he faced down his opponents by saying, "If your fetish is so powerful, then let him be the one to cause me harm."
Unfortunately, there are also Guinean Christians who treat God as a fetish. They attempt to manipulate him through ritual or good deeds. They are trying somehow to get God's power.
As Americans, what do we think of when we think of God’s power? Do we think of 'acts of God' like hurricanes and earthquakes? Do we think of miraculous healings? Let’s look at what Paul says about God’s power in our text. Three times in this passage the word power is used.
Power comes through God's Spirit.
In Ephesians 3:16-17 (NIV) says, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith." This first reference to power tells us that power comes through God’s Spirit. And the focus of God's power is on our inner being.
The power to know the love of Christ.
The second occurrence of the word power is in Ephesians 3:17-19 (NIV) which indicates, "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge— that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Paul prays that we would have the power to know the love of Christ because then we will be completely filled with God’s fullness. Being filled with God means being more like him; reflecting all his characteristics. Notice that this is the natural outworking of knowing the love of Christ. The two are inextricably bound together. As we experience Christ’s love in our lives, we are changed to be more like God.
God's transforming power is for all of us to grasp.
The third and last time that the word power is used in this passage is in Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV) which says,"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
Many Guineans are looking to get power from God to control or change their environment. We can also get into the habit of thinking of God’s power as something that will help us overcome external obstacles or heal us physically. And there is no doubt that God's power can do these things. But the power of God that Paul describes throughout this passage is something that workswithin us to transform us. We are the ones who change when we give God control. We don’t get God’s power.God’s power gets us.
Again, remember that Paul is addressing these verses to believers. Every believer is in need of this transforming power. Doesn’t each of us have a part of our heart that we are holding back from God? Whatever is keeping you from being closer to God, whether it bepride, anger, or lust. Whatever your need, God’s transforming power can help you change.
Paul says that God is able to do more than we can ever ask or imagine. Can you imagine yourself filled with God’s transforming power? Are you willing to ask for his power, knowing that you will be changed?
In closing, I would like to show you a video this morning that eloquently addresses the issues in this passage.
Father's loveletter- DVD (Note to reader- this DVD is available on line at www.fathersloveletter.com).
I hope this video has helped you understand how much God loves you. As we saw earlier, knowing that God loves you and knowing his love are two different things. You will only know the depths of God's love when you are in a relationship with him. As David Robinson described, being in a relationship with your heavenly Father involves more than just praying to him before meals. Being in a relationship with God means accepting his Son Jesus as your savior. It means spending time with him in prayer and in his word, the Bible. It means surrendering yourself to his transforming power, becoming the person he wants you to be.
This morning, if you want to accept God's love and become his child, come forward as we sing.