by David Lyons
Our Navigator vision will never flourish unless both Navigator staff and disciples around the world become better at living and discipling together among the lost where we live, work, and play. We strongly believe that our own families and relational networks are at the heart of our contribution to discipling the nations.
However, as an International Executive Team, we struggle with this. Due to our travel schedules, it is hard for us to live and disciple together among the lost. And if it is difficult for us to serve among the lost together, why should we hope that Navigators who don’t make their living by the Gospel could do this? After all, many Navigators have demanding jobs. So, we don’t get a free pass just because of our travel schedules.
The IET has been praying together that God would enable us as leaders to experience this aspect of our calling despite our challenges. Our prayer, according to Colossians 4:2-6, is that God would open doors for the Word, enable us to make the most of every opportunity, and send ministry partners to our neighborhoods. We long to bless our neighborhoods together with others so as to sustain momentum during our trips abroad.
As we continue praying, we have been watching for what God will do next. God has begun to open some hearts around us. One neighbor couple shared about their struggle with a wayward son. Now one of us is helping them to find hope and perspective in the Word of God. In another case, God opened the hearts of a whole network of friends who teamed up to help a neighbor’s son recover from a serious illness. Then, a formerly reclusive neighbor finally accepted an invitation to dinner, and even asked for help with some personal matters.
One of us on the IET began organizing neighborhood parties. The pandemic daunted that effort for a while, but recently three non-believing neighbors asked if they could resume those parties—in his front yard. As we all roasted smores in the driveway, others began coming out of their homes to join the fun. One of those neighbors had previously avoided all contact with neighbors, but by the end of the evening, he looked around and said, “This right here is what the world needs today!” Another newcomer said, “I’ve been watching your family. You have the life I want.”
God has also answered our prayers for local ministry partners! As we played cornhole in the front yard, we learned that a couple who had just moved to the neighborhood had been trained by Navigators in college. Another leader on the IET has begun partnering with an old high school friend who is coaching needy children.
Despite this good news, some of us still feel stuck and are waiting for God to bring breakthroughs. So, we continue to pray.
What do you do when your calling feels out of reach? Pray for a few like-hearted friends to journey with you. Seek to live and disciple together among those who are not yet in the kingdom. Jesus said that if we keep asking, it will be given to us. If we keep seeking, we will find. If we keep knocking, the door will be opened. Let’s keep praying and see what God might do!
NavPress has published a book to help you think and pray about reaching your neighborhood. It’s titled Finding Home: Discovering God’s Dream in Our Neighborhoods. You can obtain it from the NavPress website.
You can also watch a video about how Navigators in Oregon are reaching their neighborhoods here.
And if you’d like to hear my wife, Reneé, and I share our story, you can visit this link.
David Lyons is an international vice president of The Navigators.
