NTM - New Tribes Mission | Planting Tribal Churches

I recently listened to an old audio message given by AW Tozer quite a few years ago. His message was about the Omnipresence of God. He said that we often pray for God’s presence in a particular place, or ask for God to be near us, etc. The fact is God is always near. Then why do we so often FEEL he is distant. Tozer said it is because God can only commune with that which is of His nature. God created us in His image. In 2 Peter 1:4 it says, we are partakers of His divine nature. It is that image and that nature with which God can have fellowship and communion with. When we act independent of His nature and image, that is when we FEEL distant from Him. He has not left, He is still with us, but because we are not acting in accordance to the image of which we were created, God’s nature cannot have fellowship with flesh! Robin and I just started reading the book “Practicing the Presence of God” together this morning. It’s interesting how Tozer’s comments here agree with what Brother Lawrence was living out so many years ago. Here are a few thoughts from the first “conversation.” Brother Lawrence insisted that, to be constantly aware of God’s presence, it is necessary to form the habit of continually talking with Him throughout each day. The dear brother remarked that we must give ourselves totally to God in both temporal and spiritual affairs. Our only happiness should come from doing God’s will, whether it brings us some pain or great pleasure. To succeed in giving ourselves to God as much as He desires, we must constantly guard our souls. In addition to being involved in spiritual matters, the soul is involved in the things of this world. However, when we turn our backs on Him, exposing our souls to the world, He will not so easily answer our call. When we are willing to accept God’s help and guard our souls according to His desires, we may commune with Him whenever we like. Isn’t that interesting. “When we turn our backs on him and expose ourselves to the world…” communion is difficult. That’s exactly what Tozer was saying. Because it is only His nature and image within us that can commune with God, when we are living in the flesh and following after the things of the world, commune with Him is going to be stunted. On the other hand, when we seek after godliness as defined by JF Strombeck a number of emails ago (Only that which takes God into account vs. ungodliness being; Anything that God cannot bless… anything not according to God’s nature and image), we may commune with Him whenever we want.” So, all that to say that even the very basic exercise of fellowship and communion with God requires an attitude of Not I But Christ. It’s His life within us, and the nature and image of God within us that allows us to fellowship and commune with God. Let’s continue to foster and cultivate the attitude and perspective of “Not I that lives, but Christ who lives in me.!” Let’s pray for each other as we continue to walk along in this journey. David Watters

For all seek their own… Our Situation You have seen them and heard of them. They are preachers and evangelists who use “the ministry” for profit. They are a disgrace to the name of Christ and a determent to the gospel. But how often is our life not much different? Yeah, we don’t “do ministry” for profit, but how much of our lives are lived for self and not for the Lord? JF Strombeck defined ungodliness as any activity that God is not a part of. If God is not in it, then it ain’t Godly. If you did an inventory of your life’s activities, how many would fall in the “godly” category, and how much would fall in the “ungodly” category, so defined? Let’s make this even more revealing. What about our interactions with people? How often is God a part of my response / reactions to those around me? How often is God a part of how I respond / react to situation that assault my life? I fail in this every day as I respond / react to my kids. How about you? The Scripture: Phil 2:19-30

1. In verses 19-24 Paul describes his relationship with Timothy. What are some of the things that Paul says about Timothy?

2. How does Paul contrast Timothy with the “All others” in verse 21?

3. How does Paul describe Epaphrodites in verses 25-30?

4. Both of these men lived lives of joy. Where did their joy come from? What was the motivation for their lives?

5. How does this relate to what looked at in verses 12-18? (follow this link for the previous study, or ask me for a copy if you are interested)

http://www.wattersedge.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=725:the-joy-of-pouring-out-my-life&catid=51:gal220life&Itemid=95

Our Professor I have been reading through Andrew Murray’s book “The True Vine” in conjunction with my Bible Study and am always amazed at how God uses multiple sources to confirm the same truth. The chapter I read today is “Except Ye Abide.” Andrew Murray uses the illustration of a vine and branches. If a branch is separated from the vine, can it bear fruit? Of course not. What is the work of the branch? Does a branch have to strive and struggle through self effort to stay connected to the vine? Of course not. It seems silly to think of such a thing. Yet, God calls us branches and Himself the vine. Why then do we struggle to “abide”? “There is but one way for the branch to bear fruit, there is no other possibility, it must abide in unbroken communion with the vine. Not of itself, but only of the vine does the fruit come!” “Abide in me,” Christ said. And yet, how strong is the universal tendency to seek to bear fruit by our own efforts. “How difficult it is for us as believers to rest in actual, continuous abiding in Him.” “The branch cannot bear fruit of itself. Except it abide, it cannot bear fruit.” Nor can we! Our responsibility, as a branch, is to find our whole life in OUR vine, Christ alone. Murray says, “Our whole existence must be as exclusively devoted to abiding in Him, as that of the natural branch is to abiding in its vine.” “There is unspeakable danger of our giving ourselves to work for God, and trying to bear fruit with little of the true abiding and the wholehearted losing of ourselves in Christ and His life.” As I compared these thoughts with our passage, I believe this was the difference between Timothy, Epaphrodites and the “all others” of verse 21. These men found their joy in abiding in Christ, and their lives bore the fruit of Christ’s life within them. The “all others” were trying to bear fruit without true abiding, nor with wholehearted losing of themselves. They sought their own, and not the things of Christ. God’s Purpose As I think about God’s Purpose in these truths, I have to ask the question, what does this mean practically in my life? As I was studying Phil 2:19-30 with my kids around the breakfast table this week, I asked this very question. What does this mean practically today? I asked Andrew, what does it mean to abide in the vine today? What is one thing that you can make the choice to respond according to the spirit (abiding) instead of in the flesh? We talked about how he often quickly responds with frustration in his voice. I asked the same question of Caleb, and then Hannah. Then, I asked it of myself. I told my kids, you know how I need to apply this today? When I am trying to work, and you guys are fighting and arguing, and I have to get up from my work to come put out your fight, I am often not abiding in the vine with how I respond. I am doing my parent-ly duty in not letting you get away with fighting, but I am doing it without God, therefore I am not abiding. How about you? Gal 5:16, “Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” How do you need to apply these truths today? When do you most often “walk in the flesh?” When do you need to make the choice to abide in the vine and allow the life of the vine live through you? I look forward to what God is going to do in each of our lives this week as we seek to consciously abide in Him more often.

Our Situation

In his book, “Disciplined by Grace” J.F. Strombeck said these words: “To be occupied with SELF brings distress and enslaves the soul. To be occupied with Christ brings liberty and conformity to His image.” Would “being occupied with Christ” be a description of your life? How does this “being conformed to His image” thing work anyway? (Rom 8:29) How does being occupied with Him produce conformity? The Scripture: Phil 2:12-18

1. What does Paul mean in verse 12 when he says, “Work out your salvation?”

2. Verse 13 Paul states God is the one who “Works in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.” (NLV) How does verse 12 relate to verse 13? What is the “work” described in these verses?

3. Verses 14-16 give a short list of Christian conduct. Based on the previous verses, what is the motivation behind this exhortation toward Christian conduct? (You may need to go back to first verse of the chapter and get a picture of the whole chapter for this answer)

4. Where does Paul’s joy come from in verse 17? How will his readers share in that joy?

Our Professor

As the great shepherd, our Father desires to see the motivation for our conduct to be out of love for Him and not from any other thing. In Romans 3 Paul declares that God had revealed a totally new principle for salvation. The Jews were living under bondage to the law, trying to obey it and failing miserably. In verse 21 Paul said, “But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law.” What a relief that must have been. That is the foundation of our Justification. Verse 22 says, “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” Our Justification was completed totally apart from any merit or work on our part. Our Sanctification (Christian Life) is also the total work of God on our behalf. Phil 2:13 declares, “It is GOD who works IN you, giving you the DESIRE and the POWER to do what pleases Him.” In 2 Peter 1:3 Peter declares, “God’s power has given us everything we need to live a life pleasing to Him through the knowledge of Him.” In the same way that our salvation (justification) was completely a work of God on our behalf, our Christian Life (Sanctification) is also a work God is doing on our behalf. So what does Paul mean in verse 12 when he says, “Work out your salvation,” and what does this mean practically in my life? Does this mean that we need strive and labor, in our strength, in the flesh, to try to carry out the list of Christian conduct in verses 14-16? NO! That’s the distress and enslavement Strombeck talked about. The answer is in “being occupied with Christ.” It’s like the picture of a couple who has been married for 50 years. They have spent so much time together, they look alike, they sound alike, they have the same idiosyncrasies, they do the same weird things. In a real sense, they have become one. That’s what God wants of us. He wants us to look and act like Him. So He says, work it out. Get to know him so deeply, that you begin to act like and look like Him. This is the same concept as John 15, “Abide in me.” In his book, “The True Vine,” Andrew Murray defined abiding in Christ like this, “We have to trust and obey, to detach ourselves from all else, to reach out after Him and cling to Him, to sink ourselves into Him. As, we do this, motivated by His grace, a character will be formed, and a heart will be prepared to experience: “Christ in you.” God’s Purpose There is a huge difference between motivation out of duty and conformity to a list of rules of conduct, and the divine motivation Paul is talking about here. The actions may be the same. When motivated out of fear of punishment or guilt from failure, the actions may look the same, but the heart is not. When the motivation is out of love, the actions are genuine. When the heart is right, the actions are a true sign of devotion, not just conformity. In Phil 2:17-18 Paul said, “But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God… And I want all of you to share that joy. Where does the joy in “pouring out my life as an offering to God” come from? Will this joy come from serving God out of duty, fear, guilt or anything other than love? When Paul said, “And I want all of you to share that joy,” he wasn’t morbidly wishing hardship on us. No, he was saying he wants all of us to experience the joy in serving out of love! This was God’s desire right from the very beginning. Why did God give the choice to Adam and Eve whether to eat or not to eat? He wanted their motivation for obedience to be out of love, not like Robots, nor out of fear of punishment. He desired for them to obey because of the relationship they had. He wanted them reaching out after Him, clinging to Him, sinking themselves in Him…. Occupied with Him! “To be occupied with self brings distress and enslaves the soul… to be occupied with Christ brings liberty and conformity to His image.” Are you occupied with Him today?

Dear Friends and supporters, In Psalm 25:8-13 the Psalmist reminds us of the following things: • The Lord is good and does what is right. • He teaches sinners to walk in his ways • He shows those who ARE NOT proud how to do what is right • He teaches them His ways • ALL the Lord’s ways are loving and faithful • God will teach the man who respects the Lord the way he has chosen for him As I have prayed about what to share with you today, the Lord has reminded me that ALL the Lord’s ways are loving and faithful and those who are humble, He will show them how to do what is right. Over the past few weeks the Lord has been really doing a work in our lives. For some time now Robin and I both have been under quite a bit of stress from our different ministries. And unfortunately, as Robin and I have really taken the time to sit and talk about these things, it has become clear in the last week or so that our busyness and stress has been isolating us from each other. As a result, we are seeing the need to make some changes.

The Lord is ALWAYS good and what He does / allows is ALWAYS right. Looking back over the last few months, the Lord could have stepped in and kept this from happening. But He didn’t, because He knew going through this trial would make us stronger. “God will teach the man who respects the Lord the way He has chosen for him.”

For the past 1 ½ years we have been praying for and waiting for a family to come and take over the Tribal Supply ministry so that Robin can be freed up from her work load, and be able to help me continue to develop the Orientation program as well as to be there to help the ladies with their transition to the field. But, that has not happened, and even now, the couple that was currently enroute to come and take that over, just informed us that due to lack of support they have resigned from NTM and are now pursuing other avenues to be involved in missions. With that in mind, and with what we are learning of ourselves, Robin and I have come to the conclusion that she needs to be relieved of her responsibility in Tribal Supply. So, with Robin’s family graciously paying for her to come home for Christmas, upon her return in January, we have requested of the field that she not return to Tribal Supply.

Also, over the past 1 ½ years, I have been developing an orientation program for the support personnel that come here to our main support center. In the past few month, some things have developed here on the field that will expand my ministry. It has been decided that as of February, 2012, all support personnel for the whole field will come here first, be orientated, then be sent to their designated locations. What this means is that the number of people I will be orientating will increase significantly. As a result, and again in order help Robin and I from becoming isolated from each other, we have decided that I will be stepping back from everything else in order to devote the time and energy necessary to be ready for these new missionaries coming. As some of you know, we were also asked to consider passing off Orientation by the end of this school year so we would be free to fill other ministries next year. But, in light of what we have discovered about ourselves, and the expansion of the orientation ministry, we have come to the conclusion that a move in location would not be a wise thing to do right now.

The past few weeks have been so good as we have gotten in the Word together and been reminded of God’s grace in our lives and been given a renewed vision of Him. One of the books we are reading (Disciplined by Grace – JF Strombeck) said these words, “ If one should pass through a great trial in life and not come out with a deepened realization of dependence upon God, then something of vastly greater worth has been lost than any temporal loss sustained by that trial. God’s purpose then in the lives of His children while here on earth is to create, develop, strengthen, and refine that complete dependence upon Him.”

Thank you for your continued prayer for our ministry. We have needed and sensed your prayers as we have grown through this time. Thank you for your ministry in our lives through prayer and encouragement. David and Robin Watters 

Can you hear His voice? Our Situation Do you know God’s voice when He speaks to you? There’s an old chorus that says, “Lord my desire is to be like you, say the things you say, do the things you do. Help me hear your voice thru all the other noise so I can be what You want me to be.” Is your life quiet enough that you can hear his voice? When He speaks, can you hear it and recognize it? The Scripture: 1 Sam 3

1. In 2:29 God asked Eli the question, “Why do you give your sons more honor than you give me?” What does this tell us about how Eli raised his boys?

2. What thoughts do you have about the comments regarding Samuel’s lack of knowing God in verse 7?

3. What did Eli council Samuel to do? How could these words be used in your prayer life?

4. What kind of knowledge do you think Samuel had of God at this place in his life? (Experiential or head knowledge?)

5. What did God want to teach Samuel?

6. What kind of application can you make to our lives from this story?

Our Professor It’s amazing to me that it says, “Samuel did not yet know the Lord…” It could be that this is referring to the audible voice of the Lord. Certainly Samuel had a godly heritage and was trained in the work in the temple. Samuel was carrying out his duties in the temple, helping the high priest etc and yet it says, “He did not know the Lord.” The Lord wanted Samuel to know Him in an intimate way. He wanted His relationship to go beyond serving Him to knowing Him deeply. God had big plans for Samuel. He didn’t want Samuel to repeat the sins of Eli. God’s Purpose As I have meditated on these verses, there are a couple of applications that have come to mind. First, a challenge to parents and leaders: What kind of heritage are you passing on to your children and those who look up to you? In the case of Eli, God had to step in and do for Samuel what Eli failed to do. Thank the Lord that at times, He is does to step in and provide the mentoring and discipleship to those who are motivated to pursue it. But, are you being proactive with your family and those who look up to you? I have been particularly challenged to do this with my own children lately. It’s a joy to see our children walking in truth. But, it’s a challenge to realize that often they aren’t going to get there without some mentoring and guidance from us! Secondly, we can be busy about the Lords work, doing great things for God, even serving as an assistant to his priest, and still not REALLY KNOW him! I am sure the Samuel had some knowledge of God. But somehow, it seems, he never came to know God in an intimate way. Is that true in your life? Do you find yourself going through the motions of serving Him without a deep experiential knowledge of Him? Do you REALLY know Him? Not just a head assent to Biblical facts, but a heart, as is said of David, “After God’s own heart.” Paul said in Phil 1:21“For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Later in Philippians, he said, “That I may KNOW HIM.” Phil 3:10. May that be your prayer today. May you know him and be able to hear His voice above all the other Noises of life!

Tears Turned to Rejoicing Our Situation Have you ever had times in your life where you just wonder what in the world God is doing? Maybe it was the loss of a job. Maybe it was the loss of a loved one. Or, as in the case of our story today, maybe it is something you have prayed for and asked God for, but have never seen God fulfill what you asked. What do you do in those times? What truths help you keep your focus on the Lord? Have there been times where you were tempted to just give up on God? The Scripture: 1 Sam 1-2:11 Chapter 1

1. What was the cultural implications of Hannah being barren?

2. How did Peninnah’s mistreatment affect Hannah?

3. How many years had Hannah endured the abuse from Peninnah?

4. How many times do you think she had prayed about this before chapter 1:12?

5. Do you think she was ever attempted to give up on God?

6. How did Hannah respond to God’s answer through Eli? Chapter 2:1-11

1. What things does Hannah praise and worship God for?

2. From her prayer what observations can you make concerning what was going on in Hannah’s heart?

3. As you think about God’s shepherding work in our lives, what observations can you make concerning the result of God’s shepherding in Hannah’s life? What did she learn through this event?

Our Professor As we think the situation Hannah found herself in, and her prayer of rejoicing, it’s interesting to look at this prayer as a window into Hannah’s heart. If this prayer is a reflection of her heart, this woman was in great turmoil. I am sure she identified herself with these words: “those who stumbled; those who were starving; the childless woman; the poor in the dust; and the needy in the garbage dump.” Why did God wait so long to answer? What was God doing? What was our Professor, the Great Shepherd of our faith, doing in the heart of His child all that time? God’s Purpose This is a beautiful picture of God’s shepherding! What a contrast between this prayer and the reality of chapter 1. God was doing an amazing work in Hannah’s heart. She had gone from the poor in the dust; and the needy in the garbage dump to; “My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong. There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” The purpose of God’s work in our lives is to knit our hearts to His. He desires for us to know Him in an intimate way. All the years of waiting; All those “unanswered” prayers; All the abuse and harassment; for what purpose? To cast her on the Lord so she would see the Lord in a new way!

· My heart rejoices in the Lord! The Lord has made me strong.

· I rejoice because you rescued me

· No one is holy like the Lord

· There is no one besides you, there is no Rock like our God.

· He will protect His faithful ones

· those who stumbled are now strong

· He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes,

This is the result of God’s shepherding in Hannah’s life! May we come to see our Lord and Savior, the Shepherd of our souls in the same way!

Well, it’s been a little while since I have written a “devotional” email. I really enjoy writing and greatly desire to be a blessing to Christ’s body. So, the last few days I have been just praying and seeking the Lord for where to go. Over the past month or so, I have been working with my son discipling him in how to have “devotions,” and trying to help him develop a habit of consistent time alone with God. It has been a fun growing time for both of us. So, I thought I would share what we have been doing together and give you the challenge of joining us.

Too often “devotions” become a ritual that we do each day because we are “supposed to.” There are more “devotional” books written than you can count. But, if we aren’t careful, we can get into the habit of just going through the routine without it impacting our hearts. I know this has been true in my life at times, so I am sure I am not alone.

Along with that, for many of us, times of prayer are nothing more than a shopping list of things we want God to do for us and for others. Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with intercessory prayer for others. That’s what keeps us going here on the mission field many times. But, that is only one aspect of prayer. Prayer is first and foremost an expression of personal worship to God! And yet often, personally when I pray, that is one of the most difficult thing to do.

So, for the sake of discipling my son, and to work on these two areas of my life, Andrew and I have been “praying through” Psalm 119. There are 22 groups of 8 verses. If you did this 5 days a week for 4 weeks, you should be able to pray through Psalm 119 in a month’s time. Will you join us in the challenge of praying through Psalm 119 in the next month?

Here is what we have been doing: 1. Read each section of 8 verses. 2. Identify how David worships God in those 8 verses. What things does he say about God’s character? What does he say about God’s works? 3. Identify David’s requests. David did ask God for things. But that was not the majority of his praying. Take note of the things he asks. 4. Identify David’s responses. How does David respond to what he knows about God? How does David respond to the situations he faces? What things does David say he has done or is going to do?

When you have finished use these points as an outline of prayer. Don’t go through the exercise without praying. Take some time each time you read through a section of verses to pray. Use David’s expressions of worship to worship. Use David’s requests for suggestions of things you can ask God for in your life. Finally, use David’s descriptions of his response as things you want God to make real in your life as well.

Finally, I would also encourage you to write out your prayers. I know, that seems kind of funny. How can I genuinely pray by writing something, then reading it. Give it a try. I have been so encouraged and stretched as I have taken the time to write out what I want to pray based on the verses I read. Let me close with my prayer from Psalm 119:1-7.

May your hearts be blessed and may you be stretched in your prayer and devotional life in the days ahead.

Gracious heavenly Father, thank you that a life of integrity is a life of joy. Those who live in integrity don’t have to worry about getting found out nor do they feel the shame of disappointing you. It may mean they don’t have as much as the world, but a life of joy in you is much more valuable than the money of this world.

What joy there is in searching for you with all my heart. Lord, give me a hunger and thirst after you because I know that it will bring me great joy. I want so much for my actions to consistently reflect what your Word says. I don’t want to be ashamed when I compare my life with what you Word says! Help me to not make little compromises when it comes to evil. As I live out what your Word says, may it bring victory in the little battles, and may I be a thank offering to you by living as I should.

David and Robin Watters

Dear faithful prayer partners, Thanks so much for all who have written and asked how Robin is doing. It’s so assuring to know you are praying and encouraging to hear from you. Robin continues to heal. Her incision seems to have finally stopped draining. This last round of antibiotics seems to have taken care of it. Continue to pray for her as she tries to stay low and not do too much to make sure it heals well. Thanks I have another request for you to be praying for. As many of you know I have been working with some of the PNGians in the community to try and get a evangelistic Bible Study started. Well, yesterday, I had a meeting with these men and some tribal believers from a neighboring language group who we have invited to do the teaching. The neighboring language group have picked out 2 families who would like to move down here and become “missionaries” to our local community. Yesterday, the members of our local community marked out 2 plots in the village for house building. One plot is where they have offered for these 2 families to build a house to live in, and the other plot will be for building a meeting house. Lord willing, in the next couple of weeks, work will begin on building these houses. Our desire is to see 2 Bible Studies started. One up where these plots have been given. The other down in another village. So, after talking through the details of the houses, myself and one of the community members hiked down to the other village to meet with some of the community leaders down there to discuss a place where we could meet to start the other Bible Study. There is a Four Square church in the other village, so we proposed possibly meeting in the Four Square church. Seeing not all the community leaders were there, they proposed we set up a meeting on Monday when all of the community leaders would be able to meet with us to hear our proposal. So, we have set Monday afternoon at 5 PM for the time of this meeting. Here is what I would ask for you to pray for. 1. Pray for favor with the community leaders. 2. Pray they would understand that we aren’t here to start another church, but to help people come to a clear understanding of the truth. 3. Pray the pastor and leaders of the Four Square Church would have a desire to be taught as well. It would be so neat if the pastor and leaders of that church would really come on board and grasp what we are teaching and want the rest of their congregation to hear it too. 4. Pray the community would accept the teachers from the neighboring language group and that they would have free course for God’s Word to go forth. 5. Pray for wisdom for us for how to assist these families in the best possible way. These are very exciting days. We have prayed for many years for the gospel to go forth into the community in which we live. The nature of much of our work here at the HQ doesn’t allow for the freedom and time needed to do a “Church Plant” here. We are so thrilled these believers from the next language group has now gained a vision for reaching them. I am so thrilled to be able to assist them and facilitate seeing this get started. Praise the Lord for what He is doing here. Thanks ahead of time for praying. David and Robin Watters

Dear Friends, One more update before we leave Australia tomorrow. I went to the doctor yesterday for a follow up appointment. It didn’t end up being quite as straightforward as we had hoped for. There’s still no huge cause for concern, though. It appears that I developed an infection at the incision site. I had some drainage that started Saturday night, and now finally seems to be stopped. The doctor sent me to get a CT scan just to make sure that everything was ok. Then we went back to his office to look at the results. It appears that this infection caused one of the stitches inside to come apart. The doctor said it is very likely that this small 6 mm opening will heal on its own with no trouble. He gave me 2 different kinds of antibiotics to take, and David has decided that I definitely need to take the full 6 weeks to recover! I am feeling good otherwise… I’m able to get around well and have very little pain. But, please pray that this small tear will heal well. The doctor did say that the worst case scenario would be that I will develop another hernia sometime in the future. l So, we are praying that this will not be the case… I don’t really want to do this again anytime soon!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and notes of encouragement. We appreciate all of you so much.   David and Robin Watters