I was finishing the last two laps of a swim when a horrendous pain jolted my back. I knew I was in trouble. Twenty minutes later, after attention from a friend, I was in a taxi headed to a hospital. The emergency room nurse gave me two white pills to chew. The next thing I knew, a doctor looked me in the face and said, “You are having a myocardial infarction.”
The principle I learned is that believers can avoid setting up unnecessary cultural barriers between people and Jesus. There are ways to give people the pure Gospel of Jesus and His kingdom within each cultural context.
These farmers often struggle to earn a living or pay for their children’s schooling. As Peter thought and prayed about how to reach these people for Christ and disciple them, he knew that he also needed to help them economically. But he wanted them to be self-sufficient rather than dependent on charity.
Mike Shamy, an International Vice President of The Navigators since 2004, will be stepping out of his role as a member of the International Executive Team in February 2018.
Today in country after country, wars and divisions split families and neighbors. In many places, the opposition is murdered or exiled. In others, no one dare speak a word publicly about any government actions or officials. Peaceful transitions of power are rare. And too often, justice and righteousness are nowhere to be seen.