Meditations on John the Baptist

John 3 records a situation that could have turned out very badly. John the Baptist, who has enjoyed large success in his ministry, faces the challenge of responding to the fact that Jesus’ ministry is beginning to eclipse his own. One of John’s disciples points out (apparently with some consternation) that all of John’s disciples are going to Jesus. How will John respond to his diminishing influence? Will he express the natural human responses: jealousy, resentment, dejection? His response, by God’s grace, is exemplary. He acknowledges that Jesus’ success is from God, reminds his follower that he had always insisted that he is Jesus’ subordinate, and expresses that his joy is tied to Jesus’ success. Because of these things he can honestly say that he wants Jesus’ star to rise while his star fades into the horizon.

As I ponder these verses I wonder if I can honestly say “He must increase, but I must decrease.” These words are so easy to verbalize and yet so difficult to internalize. What does it look like to think this way? The key to understanding the concrete ramifications of John’s statement lie in reviewing his thoughts and actions prior to this declaration. I cannot copy John’s final, gloriously self-denying call for Jesus’ magnification unless I embrace his earlier, daily submission to Jesus’ rights.

1. John, the son of a priest (and so in line to serve as a priest with its comforts, stability, and prestige) lived in the wilderness, dressed in rough clothing, and ate a meager diet. His garb and diet were intended to communicate to the public that he was God’s prophet so that they would listen. But apparently he was rejected by the majority as being demon-possessed (Mt. 11:18). His sacrifices seemed fruitless.

2. John pointedly proclaimed a firm message that angered unrepentant sinners. He confronted people from all classes, including the religious leaders of Israel and the political leaders appointed by Rome. He did not compromise to be liked, received, or even tolerated.

3. John resisted every temptation to pronounce himself to be something more than he was. How easy it would have been to gain a little more credibility with the crowds and a little more weight for his message if he had been dishonest.

4. John humbly thought of himself as nothing more than a herald. Jesus later identifies John as the Elijah that was to come. Did John lie when he denied that he was Elijah (Jn. 3:21)? No. He simply did not think so highly of himself to imagine that he might be anything more than he was: a mouthpiece for God preparing the Lord’s way.

5. John publicly acknowledged his inferiority to Jesus (thus exalting Jesus).

6. John engaged in a ministry for the purpose of revealing Jesus to men.

7. John testified explicitly before all Jesus’ exalted status as the Son of God and his intended goal of being a substitute sacrifice for sin.

John’s entire life reflected the priorities contained in the statement “He must increase but I must decrease.” And so I find myself challenged, not so much by the statement, but by the life. My hope is that the Spirit who indwelled John lives in me. Therefore, I can live in such a way that Jesus is magnified in my life. God give me a heart that desires Jesus’ exaltation above my own! A life driven by that desire will certainly get what it wants.

Jan/Feb Update

January/February 2009

Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,

As we focus on a New Year, we are reminded of how grateful to God we are for your prayers and support this past year. Please continue to pray for God to advance our mission in 2009 by adding supporters. Although assembling a partnership team in this sluggish economy seems impossible, we are confident that God will accomplish His will in the best timing possible. We are reminded that, in God’s sight, these present difficulties are no greater than the obstacles faced by mission enterprises in the past. So we confidently echo William Carey, desiring to attempt great things for God while expecting great things from God.

Ministry Partner Update

In fact, God has already been working behind the scenes on our behalf. We praise the Lord for moving on the hearts of two more families to become partners in our mission to France. The support from both of these families was unsolicited and reminds us again that this is God’s work. We have been praying for God to raise our support level to 20% for the beginning of the year. Presently we have a little over 18% of our support, and we are waiting to hear from two individuals and two churches about joining our partnership team. It is exciting to see God work, and we look forward to praising the Lord for answering our prayers.

Time with Family and at CPBC

The end of November and December were full of visiting family and serving in our local assembly, Cleveland Park Bible Church. We were able to participate in our church’s Christmas program and in various aspects of our Sunday services. Michael also had the opportunity to teach a Sunday school lesson on the meaning of the Incarnation. Although we have enjoyed the time with family and our church, we are ready to hit the road again in search of ministry partners.

Back to Calling and Writing!

With the busy Christmas and New Year seasons behind us, Michael resumes the task of contacting churches for opportunities to present our mission. We will begin traveling again at the end of January, but we have plenty of room in 2009 for more meetings. We trust that God will answer prayers and move churches to invite us to present our mission. Michael continues to work part time at UPS, but we are seeking wisdom concerning when he should resign so we can jump full time into deputation. Although we are not sure the exact date Michael will leave UPS, we look forward to devoting all of our energies to raising support so that we can begin proclaiming the hope of the gospel in France.

Please Pray for Us

The present economic realities do present challenges that test our faith. So, please pray that . . .
1. God will accomplish sanctification in us through the deputation process.
2. We will trust God for his timing and have his wisdom concerning deputation.
3. God will guide us concerning our schedule for 2009.
4. God will lead us to churches of a like mind who will partner with us by supporting us financially.
5. God will use us to awaken Christians to the spiritual needs of the French and to Christ’s redemptive purposes for the world.
6. We will continue to grow and develop so that we will be useful tools for the Lord in France.

Thank you again for your support through prayer and giving. We thank God for you!

In Christ,
Michael, Liz, and VivianeMLCole@HopeForFrance.org

Sept/Oct Update

Dear Praying Friends and Ministry Partners,

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through September! The summer days have passed by quickly, leaving us with memories of what the Lord has done and with anticipation of what He will do in the coming months. We truly appreciate your interest in our mission to Proclaim the Hope of the Gospel in France and your desire to stay tuned in to what the Lord is doing in our lives to prepare us for that ministry. In order to provide more frequent insights into how God is working in us, we are posting thoughts about mission philosophy, facts about France, and deputation news on our blog. You can access the blog by clicking “Cole News” at http://www.hopeforfrance.org/.

The End of an Era
As we mentioned in our last letter, Michael successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on July 7, and we are praising God for his mercy and sustaining strength. Following the defense, there were a couple more rounds of corrections for Michael to complete, but we have now officially witnessed the end of the “Ph.D. Era” in our lives: Michael handed over the final draft of his dissertation to the Records Office at BJU! We look forward to the conferral of the degree in May, 2009. It is our desire that God will allow us to use what Michael has learned over the past decade to make and mature disciples for Christ in France.

Moving On
Turning the corner on the dissertation process has allowed Michael to devote more time to contacting pastors to schedule meetings. In our last letter, we asked you to pray that God would provide meetings for this Fall. In the Lord’s wise providence, we have not yet been able to schedule meetings for the remainder of this year (with the exception of two missions conferences we had previously scheduled). God has provided some meetings for 2009, and Michael continues to contact pastors about meetings for this Fall. Please pray for God’s will to be done. We are currently considering several options for how to best use these last few months of 2008 if God does not provide meetings. Whatever we do, we desire to follow the Lord in faith.

Our Supporters
We are happy to report that the Lord has moved two churches and two families to help support us! The sacrifices these people are making humble us and motivate us to work hard on deputation and in our future ministry in France so that their support is well used. With the current support coming in as well as a support increase starting in January from our sending church, our support level will be $490 per month—almost 10% of our estimated need. Hitting the Road for a Short Trip Mid-October, we will have the privilege of participating in a missions conference in Rockford, IL. We’re excited about the opportunity to present our mission and spend several days with the church people getting to know them and letting them get to know us. Following the conference, we’ll jump back into writing and calling pastors. At this point, we have contacted pastors in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin, Arizona, and California. Although we know that we need to labor diligently in the work the Lord has given us, we realize that God alone can produce fruit from our labors.

Please Pray for Us That…
1). God will accomplish sanctification in us through the deputation process. 2). We will trust God for his timing and have his wisdom concerning our transition into full-time deputation. 3). God will fill our deputation schedule for 2009. 4). God will lead us to churches of a like mind who will partner with us by supporting us financially. 5). God will use us to awaken Christians to the spiritual needs of the French and to Christ’s redemptive purposes for the world. 6). We will continue to grow and develop so that we will be useful tools for the Lord in France.

God bless you for your prayers, encouragement, and financial support. Your gracious ministry to us is a blessing from our Lord!

Seek the Father in the Son!

A majority of French people question the very existence of God. If, however, a Frenchman allows for the existence of a "God," most likely he will be an agnostic, questioning whether it is possible to know that God. The question "Can I know God?" is not a bad one, if one asks it because one knows that sin separates him from God. In essence, no matter why one asks the question, the answer remains the same. Yes, God can be known in His Son, Jesus!

These thoughts arise from my consideration of Hebrews 1. What a mercy that God has revealed himself to us! What an opportunity we have to direct men's attention to the only One who can reveal God the Father to sinful men! What a joy to explain that the Son has made it possible for sinners to approach God safely!


John Owen writes the following concerning the self-revelation of God in Christ. It is, of course, difficult to digest, but wading through the quotation is worth the effort because it is encouraging and convicting.


"Would we come to that acquaintance with the nature, properties, and excellencies of the Father, which poor, weak, finite creatures are capable of attaining in this world,--which is sufficient that we may love him, fear him, serve him, and come unto the enjoyment of him? would we know his love and grace? would we admire his wisdom and holiness?--let us labour to come to an intimate and near acquaintance with his Son Jesus Christ, in whom all these things dwell in their fullness, and by whom they are exhibited, revealed, unfolded unto us; seek the Father in the Son, out of whom not one property of the divine nature can be savingly apprehended or rightly understood, and in whom they are all exposed to our faith and spiritual contemplation. This is our wisdom, to abide in Christ, to abide with him, to learn him; and in him we shall learn, see, and know the Father also" (Commentary on Hebrews, 3:100).

Now, if only I can express that in French.

Arresting Caveat

David Hesselgrave issues this startling warning against impatience in understanding the mindset of one's target audience:

"The missionary who takes the Fall seriously, then, must stop to define his terms. Which terms? Those terms indicated by the distance between divine truth and cultural error. The definitional process must proceed by comparison and contrast. If this process seems too painstaking for the Western missionary who is used to instant everything--from instant cake to instant coffee--so be it. But he should know that to build Christian conversion on non-Christian foundations is like building skyscrapers on sand. The mission fields are well populated with men and women who have been ushered into the heavenlies without knowing why they got on the elevator. Once back on earth they have no intention of being taken for another ride" (Communicating Christ Cross-Culturally, 151-51).

Ziegenbalg and Plutschau

I've been reading Stephen Neill's A History of Christian Missions off and on for months now. Although the book is relatively short (478 pp.), Neill offers a good bit of detail concerning past efforts to evangelize the world. He attempts to trace the evangelistic efforts of Christendom as a whole, so he includes Roman Catholic and Orthodox missions. Although the book is a history and therefore supposedly interested only in relaying fact, I wish Neill would more forwardly express the fact that the erroneous views of the gospel held by the Roman and Orthodox churches compromise and eventually invalidate identifying their work as Christian missions.


That said, I want to turn to the focus of this post. While I have enjoyed reading about past missionary endeavors, I have especially appreciated the fact that Neill sometimes includes the principles which guided these historic efforts. His treatment of Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry Plutschau is one example. These men were Pietistic Germans sent out by the King of Denmark in 1705 to south-east India. They also happen to be Europe's first non-catholic missionaries to India. Neill records 5 principles that these men followed in their attempts to make disciples (pp. 194-97). I will include all five even though the first two do not directly apply to our mission to France.


1. "Church and school are to go together." That is, people must be able to read the Bible, so the mission must provide education.


2. "If Christians are to read the Word of God, that word must be available to them in their own language."


3. "The preaching of the Gospel must be based on an accurate knowledge of the mind of the people." I think this principle applies to our mission to France. At the most basic level, such efforts may contribute to building a rapport with our target audiences because it will hopefully communicate the sincerity of our desire to know and help them. Beyond that, however, it will help us know where to begin our presentation of the gospel. In light of the fact that a majority of the French are practically atheists or agnostics, our starting point will very often have to be the assertion that God exists and rightfully demands their devotion. This assertion must be presented as the Bible's claim and supported by evidence from science, etc. Third, a knowledge of the French worldviews will also show us what terms we need to carefully define so that we do not unwittingly cloud the gospel by carelessly using words that carry unbiblical connotations in the French culture. Fourth, understanding the mindset will help us know which ideas we should emphasize. For instance, a pervasiveness of the belief in the goodness of man necessitates a focus on man's inherent sinfulness and guilt, but to those convinced of their guilt, a greater emphasis on the good news of reconciliation instead of sustained emphasis on sin and guilt would be appropriate. Fifth, acquiring this knowledge will help us remove as many stumbling blocks as possible. The gospel itself is a stumbling block to the natural man. We do not want to add other stumbling blocks simply because we are ignorant of the French way of thinking.


4. "The aim must be definite and personal conversion." In the setting faced by Ziegenbalg and Plutschau, this emphasis was not due to the danger of mass conversions, but of professions based on the desire to profit materially from the missionaries. The gospel is attractive to those who are in some sort of need. Self-sufficient and self-reliant people aren't looking for help outside themselves. But the down and outers need outside relief. We must be careful to avoid communicating any hint of the health/wealth perversion of the gospel. We cannot present Jesus and his gospel as a way out of suffering and misery on this earth. The effects of the gospel may deliver us from some of the results of our sin, but the gospel also may be the reason we enter into persecution, etc. So we need to make sure that we are careful to present the gospel call as a call to follow Christ in his suffering. We also must take pains against creating an atmosphere that inclines people to "convert" for the purpose of obtaining our material help.


5. "At as early a date as possible, an Indian Church, with its own Indian ministry must come into being." Obviously, for our purposes, the desire is for a French church with French leaders. We are committed to the establishment of French churches in France. We do not desire to set up little ecclesiastical kingdoms over which we are the heads. Our desire is that God will raise up men among the French believers to lead his church. Actually, both Tim and I have undergone extensive training for the purpose of teaching others to lead the French church. Nor do we desire to import the forms of Southern American Christianity into France. A church whose outward forms are consistent with the French way of thinking (and the Bible, of course) will be far more effective in winning the French people. The best way for that to take place is for French men to take the reigns of leadership. Finally, we want to instill within the French a feeling of responsibility for French churches. We do not want to establish churches that are dependent upon the "free" labor of the missionaries or on gifts from supporting churches. Although we aim to spend ourselves in beginning churches and training leaders for those churches, our goal is for French believers to view themselves as the primary means by which the church is established, maintained, and grown. We also desire that they feel responsible to give of themselves and their finances for the purpose of being the primary supporters of their pastors and the needs of the church.

Self-testing on the Mission Field

"When we realize a constant enemy of the soul abides within us, what diligence and watchfulness we should have! How woeful is the sloth and negligence then of so many who live blind and asleep to this reality of sin. There is an exceeding efficacy and power in the indwelling sin of believers, for it constantly inclines itself towards evil. We need to be awake, then, if our hearts would know the ways of God. Our enemy is not only upon us, as it was with Samson, but it is also in us. So if we would not dishonor God and His gospel, if we would not scandalize the saints of God, if we would not avoid our own conscience and endanger our own soul, if we would not grieve the Holy Spirit, then we must stay alert to our own danger" (John Owen, Sin and Temptation, 7).

As I ponder this quotation, I realize how necessary self-examination will be once in France. (Not that it isn't important now in the US, but I am thinking of our mission to France.) I need God to search me now while I have a church family to support me. I will definitely need God to search me in France when I will lack a strong church to encourage and help me. In France, the Bible will be one of the primary means by which God checks my spirit. (Thank God I will also have a good wife and the Bixbys while in France.) Recently I have especially thought of self-testing along the lines of Proverbs 2:1-4. I think of these verses as providing something I call the 3E test. The first test of my condition has to do with my Estimation. I must ask myself if I value wisdom (the skill to please God) above all things or if my pleasure or will rank above God's. The second test of my spiritual state involves my Emotions. What do I love? What moves me to action? If it is not God and his ways, then I am off base. The final test has to do with Energy. What am I putting my strength into? If I find myself spending more energy on my pleasure, pet projects, entertainment, etc. then it is time to repent and ask God for a reallignment.

It is scary to think that there remains within me a bent away from God. The enemy within wants nothing to do with the conversion of the French. It will undermine all my intentions with selfishness and pride. Thank God for his Word that can pick out and suppress my remaining corruption. Thank God for the Spirit who strives against my flesh. Thank God for the hope that in Christ Jesus he can keep me from falling until the final day!