Jesus Didn’t Come to Make Christians, He Came To Make Disciples

Revelation Discipleship – Part 1

By ChristianWeek | April 30, 2020

Before we jump into Revelation Discipleship, we need to begin with what “discipleship” means. So often in our modern church language it has come to be equated with certain classes we take, or subjects that we learn. Many in the North American Church view discipleship as a luxury rather than a necessity; we see discipleship like heated seats in our car, nice to have but not really essential.

There has been a significant cultural shift where “discipleship” has been eroded to the point where simply attending a worship service 3 out of 4 Sundays is the new normal. We keep lowering the bar and now, with how things have shifted during the pandemic, there is the possibility that we don’t even have to actually show up, we can simply pop in our earbuds while we mow the lawn or walk on the treadmill.

The larger our churches have become, the more prevalent un-discipled Christians have become. In small churches there was no opportunity to “hide in the pews”, everyone was needed and expected to serve. You were missed if you weren’t there for the Sunday night classes or the Wednesday night prayer meetings; the places where much actual discipleship used to happen.

I grew up learning about how to walk with Jesus by going to church whenever the doors were open and watching how my elders worshiped and learned about Jesus. I was a sponge ready to soak up everything around me. We had church services on Sunday morning, “Discipleship Training” classes on Sunday night, and on Wednesday there was always a lesson of some sort and a prayer meeting. 

I was blessed to have a father who was always learning new things and then teaching them to our church, so I went to many classes taught by my Dad. I learned under him about “Experiencing God” (discipleship), “Fresh Encounter” (revival), “The Baptist Faith and Message” (what our denomination believed about doctrine), “Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses” (Cults and how to recognize things that were unbiblical), “The Sanctitiy of Life” (abortion), and these are just a few I remember. (Thanks, Dad!)

Youth group time was Bible teaching. We had a lot of fun together as a group – movie nights, sports, camps, just being together; but our church time together was about discipleship. As a teenager I remember sometimes thinking that was boring (let’s be honest), but now that I have teenagers I see it as such a blessing. It’s just not the same today.

Looking back, I realize now that my generation was one of the last generations where discipleship was highly prized. My husband and I worked with college students for 10 years before pastoring, and we saw over and over the chaos that can come upon one’s life when they don’t really know what they believe, so they can’t properly filter what is Godly and what is not.

Undiscipled Christians are easy prey.

So what exactly is discipleship? Is it going to church on Sunday? Is it having a “quiet time” with God every day? Is it taking a “discipleship” class?

Yes… and no….

Wikipedia says “It is not the same as being a student in the modern sense. A disciple in the ancient biblical world actively imitated both the life and teaching of the master. It was a deliberate apprenticeship which made the fully formed disciple a living copy of the master.”

So, when someone says that being a disciple is living like Jesus, that is TRUE! But there are so many steps to take in order to know what that means…

David Platt says about discipleship, “In light of Jesus’ authority, every disciple is to share the Word, show the Word, teach the Word, and, for the glory of God, serve the world.”

Yes! In order to do that we need to KNOW the Word. You don’t get to know the word of God in 30 minutes every other week or so.

Robbie Gallaty states “At the very core, a disciple is a learner, one who is set on growing and developing. In nearly every sphere of life, people learn specific skills from someone else that has developed those skills. An electrical certification is attained only after an extensive apprenticeship with a more experienced electrician. When a prospective doctor finishes medical school, he or she invests several years in a residency, a time of shadowing an experienced physician. This concept of learning directly through the expertise and experience of another is the foundation of what Jesus envisioned when He used the term “disciple.”

The term “Christian” is used only 3 times in the Bible (twice in Acts and once in 1 Peter), but the term “disciple” is used 269 times! Jesus didn’t come to make Christians, he came to make disciples. 

The implications of being a Christian, but not being a disciple are far-reaching. First, when we don’t know what the Bible says, and therefore what we are to believe about something, we can easily be swayed by all sorts of false doctrines. I don’t mean crazy, “out-there”, kind of doctrines like cults and such. I’m talking about every day things like what the Bible says about sexuality or sanctity of life, for example. 

We see it all the time in the  Christian media. A popular Bible teacher suddenly takes a stand that is not biblical and they lead literally millions of followers down the same path because those followers were not grounded biblically themselves, and so are easily swayed by a charismatic personality.

The Bible calls them “wolves”. Paul warns the Ephesians, in his final goodbye to them, to expect teachers like this to come and seduce some away from the truth. He warns them to watch out for such “wolves” and to oppose them. 

Those wolves are still around today, prowling around the flock of Christ and teaching doctrines that are subtly skewed from the truth.

The most dangerous lie is partially true. 

We always have to remember that we have an enemy. The Church is the greatest threat to Satan, and why wouldn’t he send in wolves to confuse us? We aren’t looking for red horns and a pitchfork, people, we’re looking for smooth talking, just-slightly-off-doctrinally, wolves in church-goers clothing.

Secondly, being a Christian but not a disciple keeps us from following the commandment Jesus left us with in Matthew 28:19-20 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This wasn’t a commandment meant for the super-christian, the minister, or the uber-devout amongst us – this was meant for every single follower of Christ. We are to go make disciples. Period. In order to make disciples, we must be disciples. Period. 

The 21st Century Church in North America has more professionally trained ministry leaders than ever before, we have more programs than ever before, and yet you can make a case that we are producing fewer disciples. Disciples of Jesus are never mass produced, they are individually handcrafted.

Now that we know the goal, and the roadblocks along the way, let’s jump into the letters to the churches in Revelation and see if we can find a blueprint for how we are to undertake this lifelong journey to discipleship.

Next: Revelation Discipleship: He Wants Our Hearts – Letter to the Church in Ephesus

About the author

ChristianWeek

By Canadian Christian News Service | June 19, 2015

On June 21, pastor John Burns of Relate Church in Surrey, B.C. will tee-off on White Rock’s Peace Portal golf course. He will spend Father’s Day – and beyond – attempting to golf for 24 hours to raise money and support for two charities: Mercy Ministries of Canada and Watoto Childcare Ministries International.

Burns hopes to raise $1 million. He will try for 200 holes of golf – double the 100 holes that he played over a day in previous years when he has raised money for charities in the past.

“I will tee off at 8:30pm Sunday evening, carrying my own clubs, and will attempt to run and play as many holes of golf as I can in 24 hours,” explains Burns. “I will play through the night using golf balls that light up and wearing a head lamp. I’m expecting to run about 65 miles while climbing the equivalent of 400 flights of stairs and stopping some 1000 times to swing a golf club to hit my ball. I am asking people to sponsor me per hole, or hour, or for the total event.”

Mercy Ministries of Canada is a free  Christian residential program for women aged 19 – 28  dealing with life-controlling issues such as self-harm, eating disorders, sexual abuse, unplanned pregnancies and addictions.

Watoto Childcare Ministries is a holistic-care program, initiated as a response to the overwhelming number of orphaned children and vulnerable women whose lives have been ravaged by war and disease in Uganda.

John Burns shares his vision – and his concerns about being awake for 24 hours – in this brief video.

About the author

Canadian Christian News Service

CCNS is a press release distribution network designed specifically for the needs of faith-based organizations in Canada.

Israel Experience makes history come alive

By ChristianWeek Editor | June 18, 2015

Picturing the land where Jesus and His disciples travelled can be difficult when one has never been to Israel. We read the Bible, but it is hard to visualize those famous landmarks.

Imagine if you could get an up-close view of where Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, if you could sail the historic Sea of Galilee where much of Jesus’ ministry occurred, or have a transformational worship experience at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem.

“Visiting Israel allows me to actually visualize the Bible as I read,” says Back to the Bible Canada radio teacher John Neufeld. “To walk in the places that Jesus walked and experience the culture Jesus experienced. The Bible references Jerusalem but also the New Jerusalem that is to come. Being in Israel allows me to anticipate what God will yet do.”

This fall, Back to the Bible Canada is offering the opportunity to join Neufeld, Laugh Again’s Phil Callaway, CEO Ben Lowell, and musical guests The Wiebes to visit the places read about in the pages of Scripture.

Taking place October 30- November 9, The Israel Experience will be an unforgettable 11-day journey featuring four-star accommodation, as well as daily breakfast and dinner buffets. Participants will be able to taste a cultural St. Peter’s fish lunch, visit the City of David, see the powerful temple of prayer, visit the Wailing Wall and take a dip in the Dead Sea as well as much more.

When travelling to Israel, whom you travel with is a high priority. Back to the Bible Canada, in partnership with Premiere Journeys, offers the experience and insight that allows visitors to gain all of the benefits Israel has to offer.

To book your Israel Experience, call 1-877-277-2122 or for more information, call 1-800-663-2425.

– Submitted by Back to the Bible Canada

View the full PDF of this article: SOM-Back to Bible 29-04

By Janelle Vandergrift Special to ChristianWeek | June 14, 2015

Every month in Canada, more than 800,000 people line up at food banks across Canada in order to feed their families. Statistics cannot convey the individual experiences of these people, both adults and children: the impact on health, the stress and feelings of shame, and the barriers to being active in community life.

As Christians, we all have the responsibility to do something about the injustice of poverty. This includes delivering charity, as people who are hungry or homeless must be given food and shelter now. But our response must also include justice—a transformation of the structures, policies and behaviours that make and keep people poor.

This is at the heart of public justice that we can define as the political dimension of loving our neighbour. Isaiah 10:1-2 says, “Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people.”

Faith communities are typically quite familiar with the call to care for the poor. There is no need for debate on why we should care; the 2,000-plus verses on poverty in the Bible do that pretty well already. The question is “how” we are going to care.

Are we going to preach sermons about the topic? Are we going to open more food banks or serve healthier and more abundant food? Are we going to deepen our resolve to end poverty? Are we going to join a network committed to social justice? Are we going to donate our money to anti-poverty work?

Perhaps we will consider all of these things.

But churches and people of faith must think beyond these considerations. Faith communities must see themselves as leaders in Canadian society. This means calling for upstream action, particularly from the government of our country. We must not be afraid to see ourselves as influential actors in a democracy with a critical voice that should be heard.

Taking leadership does not mean that we ignore other voices. We are not the only leaders. Rather, it means that we have heard what is necessary to speak out on behalf of the voiceless and for the rights of all who are vulnerable. It means we speak out to “defend the rights of the needy and the poor” as Proverbs 31:8-9 calls us to do.

We must call for our government to increase investment in affordable housing and the number of good-quality jobs. We must call for improvements to our insufficient income security programs for those who can’t find a job or are simply unable to work. The inequities in Indigenous communities, amongst newcomers and other marginalized groups must be recognized, acknowledged and rectified.

In 2011, the Canadian Council of Churches, the Canadian Interfaith Delegation of the World Religions Summit, the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, and the Dignity for All campaign developed a joint declaration on faith and poverty, calling for a national anti-poverty plan. As faith communities, we need to use this declaration, to push it further, to make it clear that people of faith in Canada want more from our government.

People who use food banks must be given the opportunity to live in dignity, with policies and programs in place to ensure that they are able to do so. A society is not judged by how they treat those who are most well-off—but those who are the most vulnerable. As people of faith, we must be willing and active in holding our government to that same standard.

This piece was adapted from a reflection given to the Justice Tour and Canadian Council of Churches delegates on May 13, 2015 in Ottawa. The Justice Tour was a series of faithful gatherings of concerned Christians in cities across Canada, coordinated by the Canadian Council of Churches and Citizens for Public Justice.

About the author

Janelle Vandergrift
Special to ChristianWeek

Janelle Vandergrift is a Socio-Economic Policy Analyst at Citizens for Public Justice.

By Ann-Margret Hovsepian | June 14, 2015

Whether you’re looking for a job, hoping to get married one day, trying to have a baby, anticipating a necessary surgery or praying for a loved one’s salvation, you probably know what it’s like to wait for something important to you. Sometimes we don’t have a choice and we just sit tight while we wait to see how God’s timing and plan will unfold. Other times, we try to take matters into our own hands and do whatever we think it takes to get the job done. The problem is, both those reactions can lead us into sin and disobedience.

You may wonder how waiting on God can be sinful, particularly if you’re not trying to manipulate the situation to get the results you want. Remember that sin isn’t only a physical or outward behaviour—it can be committed in your heart, too. You may pride yourself over waiting on God’s timing without meddling, but if you’re not content in that waiting, if you’re not truly trusting His plan but are simply resigning yourself to it, or if you’re feeling resentful because you’re not seeing the results you’d hoped for…that’s sin.

So, how do you wait on God in a way that honours Him? The Bible is full of examples of and verses about waiting so a topical study on patience would be a good place to start. It may also be helpful to reconsider your understanding of the word “wait.”

Have you ever wondered why the people who serve you in restaurants are called waiters and waitresses? They are waiting on their clients. That’s not referring to the long minutes they stand by your table while you’re trying to decide between the Fettuccine Alfredo and Thai Chicken Mango Salad. It refers to the service they are giving you—their availability (in good restaurants, at least) to respond to your requests and meet your needs.

This is a good definition to apply when we talk about waiting on God. We’re not meant to sit around and mope and do nothing while we wait for God to do His thing. Instead, we should be ready and willing to serve Him in any way that He calls us to, putting aside our own agendas, wants and aspirations. Like Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel, and Jesus Himself, our response to God should be: “Here I am!”

It’s also important to beware the delayed gratification trap. You no doubt have learned by now that instant gratification can sometimes result in dissatisfaction in the long run. Delaying gratification creates a waiting period that may help you see that what you’re waiting for isn’t what you truly want after all. The temptation that seems irresistible at first may not interest you five minutes later or five days later, so it’s worth disciplining yourself to hang on for a bit.

However, waiting on God and delaying gratification are not the same thing. Gratification of any kind shouldn’t be the main goal. The whole idea of gratification is going after what you desire. But what if what you want most—what if the gratification you’re willing to wait a long time for—isn’t in God’s plan for you? Just because you’re being patient, it doesn’t mean you’re doing the right thing. Satan doesn’t care if you sin now or later; he just wants you to fail.

In my experience, when you let go of your plans and just start living in daily obedience, that is when you are truly gratified. Instead of anxiously waiting for your dreams to be realized, ask God to lead you where He wants you to go, to align your heart’s desires with His and to give you patience while you wait for Him to reveal His will to you.

Ann-Margret is a full-time writer living in Montreal, Quebec. Her fourth devotional book for tween girls, Truth, Dare, Double Dare, hit stores in October 2014. Visit www.annhovsepian.wordpress.com or www.facebook.com/ann.hovsepian.author.

About the author

Ann-Margret Hovsepian

Ann-Margret Hovsepian lives in Montreal and writes full time (as a journalist, author and blogger) and is also active in women’s ministry, evangelism and missions. Her third devotional book for tween girls, Truth, Dare, Double Dare, hit stores October 2014. You can visit her blog at www.annhovsepian.wordpress.com or connect with her on her Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ann.hovsepian.author).

Sociology studies prepares heart and mind for service

Where do seminaries stand on the social sciences?

By Steven Sukkau | June 14, 2015

LANGLEY, BC—What does sociology and Christianity have in common? While the divide between theology and sociology exists, Trinity Western University (TWU) professor of sociology, Michael Wilkinson, says seminaries are coming around on the social sciences.

“We’re coming back to the beginning, when seminaries wanted ministers to be informed on social sciences,” he says, noting Canadian churches at the beginning of the 21^st century believed sociology informed ministry to become more effective.

The discipline moved into the secular universities and became a state profession in the early 1930s, but Wilkinson says Christians and Christian higher education is again looking to learn how to better serve their world and communities through the understanding of social sciences.

“Many Christian universities put less of an impact on sociology than say, psychology, but I think that could change,” Wilkinson says.

He has seen how an education on contemporary social issues has been useful not only for student pursuing social work, but also for seminary students looking to enter full-time ministry.

“It can be very easy to be overwhelmed by society’s issues, they’re so complex,” Wilkinson says. “Students say, “I can’t make a difference,” but you can make a difference.”

It starts by being informed on how society operates, and understanding what the world looks like.

“You can’t change the world through social change until you understand how society works,” he says. “Understanding why a society works and how is a big step in identifying the root of the problems… and how you can take action.”

The combination of a sociology education and faith prepare students to make an impact.

“You give them the tools, and your beliefs shape your work,” Wilkinson says.

There are plenty of social problems, and it’s impossible for any one organization to solve them all, he says. But one organization can address at least one problem or more.

“We need specialists in all fields,” Wilkinson says. “Together we can create a flourishing society.”

TWU launched its sociology degree program five years ago, Wilkinson says, and it is going strong.

It was while attending TWU and taking First Nations Studies that Jenny Shantz’s dream to minister to first nations youth in Vancouver became tangible. Mentored by a professor with a passion for social justice and native relations, Shantz says she came to understand history from other perspectives.

One project included conducting interviews on a reserve over a weekend.

“I was learning so much,” Shantz says. “But I needed to live in a native community to understand where they are coming from, and how reserve life functions.”

After earning her bachelor of arts with TWU, Shantz returned to university for her teaching degree. She went on to develop an after-school program in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside while working at Union Gospel Mission, and later lived and taught for two years in Driftpile, a Cree community in Northern Alberta.

The experience and education she says were critical to the role of supporting First Nations people in Vancouver, who are diverse in languages and traditions.

In 2007, Shantz helped found Inner Hope, a youth ministry in East Vancouver serving at-risk Aboriginal teens.

It all stems from her faith and convictions that this is God’s work.

An analogy that explains Shantz’s convictions is the story of the paralytic being carried to Jesus, only for the man’s friends to lower him from the roof to get close to Jesus.

“The youth we work with are paralyzed, paralyzed from addiction, poverty and abuse,” Shantz says. “There are times you need friends to pick you up and take the roof apart… it’s about breaking down barriers. That’s Christian love, to say, “your circumstances do not define you.”’

As Christians we are all called to break down these barriers, she says, and give the hurting a chance to “walk and jump again”.

Mady Sieben is a third-year International Studies major at TWU and says it was an International Justice Mission video on present-day slavery that flamed her passion for social work and justice.

“I was blown away,” Sieben says. “I thought slavery was abolished; I was confused that it still existed.”

She began devouring information and books on slavery and the more she learned, the more she found social work a perfect way to make a difference.

Her International Studies courses include everything from political science to global policy and current events.

“Education is key,” she says. “It’s easy to be ignorant about what’s going on, and if you don’t know fully what’s happening it’s hard to make a difference.”

She says the training prepares students with a well-rounded understanding of how the world is constructed. Combined with the spiritual growth Sieben has experienced at TWU, she feels she has the knowledge and the passion to take a stand.

“The closer I get to the Lord, the more on fire I am for justice,” Sieben says. “Any time injustice is present, it breaks His heart. He wants everyone to see his or her God-given worth.”

About the author

Steven Sukkau

Online database aims to preserve Canadian Christian heritage

Encyclopedia honours leaders of the past and future

By Steven Sukkau | June 14, 2015

Those behind a new Online Encyclopedia of Canadian Christian Leaders are hoping to chronicle the faith lives of influential people who have helped shape a country.

Created by retired Christian author and faith-political journalist Lloyd Mackey, the project is part of his work earning a Doctorate of Ministry at Tyndale Seminary. The vision is to create an online database of leaders from the first 150 years of Canada’s history as a nation.

“I want to include leaders from across the years,” Mackey says. “And some future leaders who are starting their important work now.”

So far, leaders include those such as writer and tireless worker for women’s rights Nellie McClung (1873-1951) who called Western Canada the “Land of the Second Chance” and others like Albert B. Simpson (1843-1919), founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance. As one writer put it upon Simpson’s death, “His epitaph is written in the hearts of countless multitudes at home and abroad… no one in this age had done more effectual, self-denying service for Christ and His Gospel.”

Mackey hopes the project becomes a collaborative effort between historians, teachers, journalists and others with an interest in Christian history in Canada. He is looking for more suggestions for leaders to include, as well as more writers to contribute. Mackey hopes the database will include over 200 entries by July of 2017.

“We recognize that Christian leaders come from different categories of life,” Mackey says, adding each entry falls under government and politics, Church, business and philanthropy, media, entertainment and the arts, healthcare, and education.

For potential entries Mackey looks to answer the question, “What is it about an individual that they have shown leadership and brought their Christian faith to bear,” he says, while trying to keep in mind the importance providing a cross section of leaders across the denominational spectrum.

“As long as they are Christ-centred and biblically based,” Mackey says.

The online nature allows researchers to access the data from anywhere in the world, though Mackey says the project is not a wiki that anyone can edit. Mackey is currently bringing together an editorial board to review and edit entries as they come in.

“This is a valuable tool for historians and theologians,” Mackey says, helping Canadians see how Christian faith has been shaped through gripping stories of real people who have lived out their beliefs.

To learn more visit www.canadianchristianleaders.org or to suggest leaders for inclusion e-mail Mackey at lloydmackey@shaw.ca.

About the author

Steven Sukkau

The lost art of rest: Why we all need the sabbatical

Leaders need to be “a living sacrifice…not a burnt offering.”

By Steven Sukkau | June 14, 2015

In a culture obsessed with productivity, and enamoured with work ethic, what has become of the sabbatical? Taking an extended leave to deliberately cease work-related activities is more often seen as a quaint notion, almost outdated, for another time and place.

Yet, when a weekly day of rest was handed down from God through Moses to the Israelites, (Exodus 16:23-30) their feet still soggy from crossing the bottom of the Dead Sea, the mandated Sabbath was a shocking commandment in comparison to the orders of their slave drivers.

Pharaoh, the self-styled god of Egypt, ruled over a culture obsessed with production, work for work’s sake, in sharp contrast to Israel’s God who now demanded a cessation of work every seven days.

Modern Christians are faced with a similar shock when it comes to the Sabbath time and the sabbatical.

“Our culture is closer to Egypt than we’d like to admit,” says Mark Buchanan, author of The Rest of God: Restoring your soul by restoring Sabbath. “Our work culture is defined by productivity and accomplishment.”

While North American culture isn’t obsessed with building pyramids, the comparison remains.

“We don’t have glowering task masters,” Buchanan says. “But we have a system that says, “Produce, or be labeled as lazy.””

The sabbatical becomes almost an act of defiance and subversion, and takes “a tremendous amount of courage,” Buchanan says. “It has to do with how we define ourselves. Our culture places value on producers, we believe we are what we do, but God says we are beloved children.”

Like the baptism of Jesus, Buchanan says God affirmed His favour and blessing on Jesus and His identity, before Jesus began his ministry, before He did anything.

Christians need to rediscover the art of rest through Sabbath time, moving from a position of producing to a position of receiving, which goes beyond a simple vacation or lying on a beach with the phone turned off.

The concept of the sabbatical comes from the Hebrew word, “Shabbat” which means to stop or cease.

While some may be tempted to use their sabbatical to pursue education, or visit other churches, as some pastors might be, Buchanan says it’s really a calling to cease any work-related activities.

A better picture is the concept of letting the farmland lie fallow, Buchanan says. “In that rest there is replenishing. The rain falls, nitrogen seeps into the soil… farmers are quick to see the imagery and importance of the sabbatical.”

It’s waiting expectantly, letting your heart lie open under heaven like a field lying fallow, to receive what God has for us.

Some employers may not provide set sabbatical times. But that shouldn’t let anyone off the hook, says Wanda Malcolm, professor of pastoral psychology at Wycliffe College in Toronto. She explains anyone can become deliberate with time set apart for ceasing work.

“Not everyone has the luxury of a sabbatical,” Malcolm says. “But our leaders ought to be really intentional about Sabbath time, within our day, week or season, and where work permits.”

Whether it’s an hour in the morning, half a day once a week, set aside for ceasing our work and looking to receive from God.

“I tell my students they need to be a living sacrifice,” Malcolm says. “Not a burnt offering.”

Winnipeg-based author and pastor Jamie Arpin-Ricci is currently preparing to leave on sabbatical and says as someone who serves in full-time ministry, this kind of rest is especially important.

“We often find ourselves serving and giving from our whole person to the needs of whole persons,” he says. “In truth, we are all human. This is why so many pastors and missionaries burn out.”

If Christian leaders are to continue serve and be healthy individuals, Arpin-Ricci says, the space for lying fallow, for Sabbath time, is essential.

It’s the reason Malcolm has also started the Wycliffe Wellness Project, what she hopes to become an online resource for those who are interested in understanding more about what it means to be well in order to serve well over the whole lifespan of one’s ministry life. Currently she is also working on an assessment tool, to help people see the pattern of stress and satisfaction in their lives.

“It gives them a chance to stop back and say, “What can I change?” Malcolm explains, whether it’s creating more space for reflection, working on relationships or saying “no” to certain opportunities. “Many see things they could adjust to enjoy ministry more.”

Malcolm hopes ministers especially realize they are not exempt from the need for rest, and instead take the lead when it comes to Sabbath times.

“They need to model the importance of Sabbath rest,” she says.

About the author

Steven Sukkau

Christian professors help Omar Khadr face life outside prison walls

“For me and my colleagues, this is the call God has put before us,” says Arlette Zinck.

By Allison Barron ChristianWeek Correspondent | June 14, 2015

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EDMONTON, AB—Known by some as a wrongfully imprisoned child soldier and by others as a terrorist and murderer, Omar Khadr is free after nearly 13 years in prison.

The 28-year-old, accused of war crimes and imprisoned since he was 15, was released on bail on May 7. A group of Christian educators is applauding the decision, and continuing their quest to help Khadr upgrade his schooling.

Arlette Zinck, a professor at The King’s University in Edmonton, Alberta, first heard about Khadr’s story from his lawyer, Dennis Edney, when he came to speak at the university in 2008.

“He [Edney] spoke of a profoundly wounded teen with a fist-sized bullet hole in his chest who was nicknamed ‘buckshot’ by guards because of the many shrapnel wounds in his body, and made to carry heavy pails of water until his wounds wept,” Zinck writes in “Love Knows No Bounds: A Christian Response to the Omar Khadr Story,” a briefing written for the Chester Ronning Centre.

“He talked about sleep deprivation and the petty cruelties of cold temperatures. He told the students how, despite all of this, and in the context of years of conversations, he had never heard Omar Khadr speak an ill word about anyone.”

Zinck, along with many students and faculty at King’s, were moved to action by Khadr’s story. Some students organized events and rallies to support him, others began correspondence with him through his lawyer.

A small group of the faculty, including Zinck, made a curriculum for Khadr so he could study in prison. Khadr is still studying with them now while he is on bail.

Zinck tells ChristianWeek that Khadr plans to continue his education and they are just taking it one step at a time.

“He’s come a long way with his studies that he began as a student who left off at approximately Grade 8,” says Zinck.

Zinck sites Matthew 25 as a metaphor for their relationship with Khadr. “That’s the passage where you’re supposed to feed the hungry,” she says. “It doesn’t ask you to become judge and jury. It just says to be faithful and answer the call that God has put before you. For me and my colleagues, this is the call God has put before us.”

Zinck says it’s important for Christians to look at what’s happening in Canadian prisons, to think about corrections and our Christian understanding of reconciliation.

“All of us as Christians are pressed to use both our hearts and our minds when we engage with the world,” Zinck says. “So often it’s one or the other—rationalizing miserable ways of behaving or reacting emotionally instead of using a more thoughtful approach.

“A third way between the voices of culture is using a spirit of intelligent charity. This is an hour of history where we can pay attention to ways that revenge is used as a substitution for justice. I’m grateful for the experience working with Omar… I think we’re called to think carefully to think about the Christian perspective on corrections in Canada.”

Captured as a 15-year-old in Afghanistan, Khadr is the only juvenile tried for war crimes since the Second World War. A Canadian citizen, he was taken to Afghanistan by his father who had ties with al Qaeda. Among other charges, he is accused of throwing a grenade that killed a U.S. soldier during a 2002 firefight.

After being picked up in the battlefield, terribly wounded, Khadr was held at Bagram, and subsequently at Guantanamo Bay, before being moved to Bath, Ontario, in 2012 and then to a maximum-security prison in Edmonton in 2013. He applied for bail while his Guantanamo conviction is appealed in the U.S.

In the CBC documentary titled Omar Khadr: Out of the Shadows, Khadr reflects on his time in Guantanamo and in prison, where he was interrogated and abused.

“This one guard in Guantanamo, he would go out of his way to just humiliate me, antagonize me…” says Khadr. “I thought, I wanna know who that guy is… so I can get back at him the next time I get an opportunity… And then I was thinking, you know… I’m giving him a place in myself that he doesn’t deserve. He’s not worth me caring about him.

“You can only imagine what this guy is going through. The thing is, if a person can inflict pain on another person and find pleasure in that… he’s probably living in worse pain than me. What he’s causing me is temporary… but he’s the one who’s gonna have to deal with his conscience later.”

While on bail, Khadr lives at his lawyer’s home.

“I try not to dwell on the past,” Khadr says. “It was either that or me engulfed in hate and misery and thinking of how bad life is. But that’s not going to get me anywhere. I try to think of things that will hopefully make my life and hopefully the life of people around me better.”

About the author

Allison Barron
ChristianWeek Correspondent

Allison is a writer, editor, and graphic designer with a BA in English from Canadian Mennonite University and a Certificate in Publishing from Ryerson University. She currently manages Area of Effect magazine and is a missionary with Geekdom House in Winnipeg, MB.

By Steven Sukkau | June 14, 2015

To impact a country for Christ, LeaderImpact believes one must start with its leaders. For that reason, the organization will bring together Christians from Winnipeg to share a vision with Central American leaders during the 2016 Panama Exchange.

LeaderImpact, a Power to Change ministry, trains Canadian Christian leaders how to share their faith at evangelistic dinner parties, during sector outreaches and during one-on-one opportunities. Participants connect with non-Christian leaders in other parts of the world through Global Exchange events, all with the vision of making a difference in the future of the cities they visit.

In 2014, on a similar Global Exchange to Panama, LeaderImpact held 50 events and saw more than 700 local leaders in one city make commitments to Christ.

“There are precious few organizations around the world working to reach business leaders with the gospel,” International Director Ron Carrothers explains. “But we’ve really seen it takes a business leader to reach a leader.”

Carrothers says LeaderImpact does about three or four exchanges each year, with leaders from across Canada.

“They don’t realize the God-given talent of leadership,” Carrothers says. “Not realizing it is like hiding their talent under a rock.”

Instead LeaderImpact works to train Canadian teams, teaching participants how to share best practices with leaders from around the globe, as well as how to share their faith and how they came to Christ themselves.

It’s not always easy to step out in faith, especially in a foreign land, but God honours that sacrifice, Carrothers says.

“When you reach a leader, you can change a city, and change a nation based on the influence of a leader,” he says, starting with their business, their home, their political leaders, and then a nation.

Western participants end up changed and blessed as well, says International Director Ron Carrothers.

“They see God work through them, and everyone on the team is seriously impacted,” Carrothers says. “They’re changed people, on fire for what they can do as Christian leaders.

“Leaders often don’t see that leadership is a great gift, and what God can do with your gift,” he says.

The Global Exchange to Panama is open to leaders in Winnipeg, and takes place April 9-17, 2016. A Global Exchange to Columbia takes place October 24 to November 1, 2015, and is open to leaders from across Canada.

To learn more visit leaderimpact.com

About the author

Steven Sukkau