FAQs from Parents

Support Raising FAQs

A Letter on the 6 Signposts God Uses To Guide Us

Dear Friend,

Like all of us, you are going to face an ever-increasing number of decisions. Life is full of decisions. Some are trivial and will be merely a matter of preference. Others will be moral and will test your character. But you will also face an increasing number of directional decisions that will determine what you will do in life, where you will go and even who you will do it with.

Your starting point will make all the difference. Approaching these decisions apart from God leaves you to rely on your own limited ability to gather the information, to consider the options and make your best guess at the outcomes. In a real sense, it is just that, a guess. For no one can know future or all the factors that will matter.

But when you trust God, there is a different path. It involves less deciding and more following – following the one who is all-knowing, all-loving, and all-powerful. According to Romans 12:2, his plan for us is “good” (there is no evil intent toward us), “pleasing” (we would genuinely desire it if we really understood it) and “perfect” (we could not improve on it if we tried).

In one sense, this beginning point is really the hardest decision you will have to make. Will you trust yourself and what you can discern and achieve (despite your obvious limitations)? Or, will you trust God for all that he has for you, with his infinite love and wisdom? (Mark 8:34-38)

But how do you follow unseen footsteps? How do you hear a silent voice? How do you know the guidance of God? There are six signposts in the Bible that God has consistently used to guide his people. I will pose them as questions that may prove helpful to you.

1. What does God’s Word say about the decision?
   This is not a search for some mysterious answer taken from a verse out of context. Rather, it is an attempt to view a decision through the lens of truth, seeing the issue from God’s perspective (Psalm 119:105). I will often write down a series of verses that help me think biblically about a decision.
2. What do I sense the Spirit impress on me while in intimate prayer regarding the decision?
   Again, there is a danger that I may misinterpret my thoughts for the Spirit’s prompting. So I never act solely on this basis. But I do pay attention to it, for this is where we enjoy the intimacy of our relationship with God. (1 Samuel 23:1-4)
3. What insights do I gain from the counsel of others?
   There are three kinds of counselors that I seek:
   1. Those who know me and can help me understand myself.
   2. Those who know the situation and can give me valuable insight into what will be involved in the decision.
   3. Those who know God and will listen to me share the issues and provide me with a godly perspective. (Proverbs 15:22)
4. How has God been at work in the circumstances?
   As we follow God, he orchestrates the details of our lives, opening and closing doors, bringing about opportunities, and preparing us for the road ahead. I try to pay attention for the evidence of God at work in my circumstances. (Romans 1:10-13)
5. What is my deepest desire regarding this?
   On the surface, I will have many different wants. But as I dig down, I find out what is really important to me. Most of the time, I have found that I ultimately desired what I later discovered to be God’s will. I am certain that this is because he is at work within, shaping the desires of our hearts (Philippians 2:13). But there will be those moments when, like Jesus in the garden, we must pray “not my will, but your will be done.” The path to God’s best will at times lead through pain and sacrifice.
6. What is the view of wisdom on this decision?
   Here I normally write out the pros and cons of each option. Then I ask, “Which of these factors are the most important?” (Proverbs 14:8, 15)

Through the years I have asked these questions over countless decisions. Normally I jot down my answers on paper or in a journal. I have found this important for at least two reasons. By writing them down, it protects me from “the tyranny of the most recent thought.” Too often our most recent thought will dominate our thinking and have the most influence (whether or not it merits that privilege). By writing things down, I see the whole picture at once and can make an informed decision after looking at all the signposts together. This also gives me a record that I refer back to later. This can be especially helpful when the path gets difficult and I begin to wonder how I got here and why. I have often found great encouragement by looking back at the signposts of God’s guidance in the past.

Through the years, I have shared these principles with literally hundreds of students. I would be less than honest to say that there haven’t been those who have struggled deeply with their direction after seeking God’s guidance. But they have been relatively few and for a variety of reasons. On the other hand, I have known countless individuals who have expressed deep regret over decisions they have made while operating independent of God’s leading.

It only makes sense when you think about it-if there is a God who is all-knowing (thus knows what is best for us), all-loving (wants what is best for us) and all-powerful (able to lead us into what is best for us), then shouldn’t we trust him with all our hearts and seek his ways? That is my prayer for you as you begin the next chapter of your life.

Sincerely,

Keith A. Davy
Director of Research & Development
Campus Crusade for Christ

(This letter has been modified from an actual letter to a recent graduate. I hope it is helpful for you as well, as you seek to follow God’s guidance in your life.)

How to be Sure of God’s Will for Your Life

This is probably the most common question believers ask. Any sincere, Spirit-filled Christian who wants to know the will of God concerning his life can know it, but this is typically a process, not a dramatic revelation.

There are two issues that swirl around this question of God’s will. The first is how one looks for affirmation when they are sensing God’s leading. Insight into this question can be found by reading through the Keith Davy letter, where he outlines the process by which we confirm God’s direction: through alignment of circumstances; prayerful impressions by the Holy Spirit; the counsel of others; reflecting upon our deepest desires; analyzing the pros and cons of the decisions/options (wisdom); and through insight from the Scriptures.

The second issue is what exactly it means to be “called” or receive a “calling” from God to ministry. What seems to paralyze most people is that they are expecting an unusual or spectacular sign-perhaps a cloud formation rolling by with their name on it? Here’s a more helpful way to see things: If you read through the Scriptures, you’ll notice that a person’s coming to Christ is also referred to as a “calling” or being “called.”

So how does God call us into a relationship? A variety of ways: sometimes the calling is more cognitive (the gospel just seems to make sense); sometimes we see a great need in our life and reckon that Jesus is the answer; sometimes it’s an emotional experience; or the example of a Christian friend that convinces us the gospel is true. But make no mistake, the Holy Spirit is doing the calling; He simply uses a variety of microphones to get our attention.

Likewise, your calling to ministry can come through a variety of channels: you may logically conclude ministry to be a good stewardship of your life; you may be compelled by the great need of those who haven’t heard the gospel; it might be your experience of God using you in ministry; or simply an intense desire to serve God. There’s an assortment of means by which God calls us into the ministry, most of which are not in the category of the miraculous.

There’s something else we should probably clarify about the idea of “calling.” The call to be a vocational Christian worker is really no different from the call to be a doctor, a homemaker, or a construction worker. You can glorify God in any vocation to which He directs you, and you should feel called and led to whatever is your chosen occupation.

Being called primarily means being obedient to the ongoing direction of the Lord’s leading in your life. God is calling every Christian to submit his whole life to Him and thereby bring glory to His name. “Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Finally, lest our “calling” become too subjective, the Scriptures affirm a community component of our calling. Meaning that those within the ministry to which you belong, should be able to affirm that God is indeed leading you into ministry. Others in the body of Christ should recognize your call.

The Biblical Perspective on Raising Support

God provided for the people He had set apart to serve Him through others. (Numbers 18:8-14, 21, 24)

John tells them to support those who went out for the sake of the Name. They should be supported by the believers, not the unbelievers, and the result is that the supporters become fellow workers with them in the ministry. (3 John 5-8)

Paul compares full-time Christian workers a soldier, vineyard planter, shepherd, ox, plowman and thresher because all of these work with the hope of being sustained by their labor, and God has directed those who preach the gospel to get their living from it. (I Corinthians 9:3-14)

Why did Paul make tents? (1 Corinthians 9:12 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12)

The apostle Paul writes in I Corinthians 9:14, “so also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.” He explains that God set up a system of financial support for His workers. He also writes that even though he had the right to be supported by the Corinthians, he chose to make tents. This was an exception, however, to Paul’s normal method of ministry.

Paul wanted to make sure that the Corinthians to whom he preached had no reason to question his motives. He chose to live on a smaller salary and take less from the Corinthians in order to validate his character, his faith and his ministry. With the Corinthian church Paul may have supplemented his income by sewing canvas, but he did rely on gifts from supporters.

Many times in the New Testament (Philippians 4:10-16; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5) we see that the churches gave sacrificially to support Paul’s work. He commended them for their support and reminded them of the eternal profit of their gifts. “Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account” (Philippians 4:17).

This great missionary willingly received financial support from other Christians and churches, and he asked for support. “When I go to Spain…I hope to have you assist me on my journey” (Romans 15:24). The original language in this verse confirms Paul’s request for money. John also made reference to support: “For they went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth” (3 John 7,8).

In examining Scripture it is clear that Paul was a support- raising missionary, and his part-time job in Corinth was a special exception to God’s financial plan for His full-time workers. The lifestyle of supported ministry that he was called to was little different than the models followed by both Levites of the Old Testament and Jesus Himself.

Other scriptures that address support raising:

Workers are worthy of their wages. (Matthew 10:10)

The people of Jesus’ time gave to support Him and His disciples. (Luke 8:3)

There is eternal profit for those who support Christian workers. (Philippians 4:14-17)

What To Do When Parents Say No

Here are some pointers on what to do when parents say no.

1. Ask them why they feel as they do. And listen carefully! They may be right! As your parents, they know you better than you know yourself. Let them know you really want to know why they are so strongly opposed. Then question yourself quite carefully.
2. Introduce them to someone senior in the mission agency. Give them time to talk to the mission representative alone so they can gain greater understanding of the mission and possibly give important information about you that the mission needs to know.
3. Let them know you haven’t just dismissed their objections.
4. Bear in mind the criticisms your parents may face from friends. Sometimes the comments they express most stridently are not what they feel, but are reflections of the unkind things other people have said to them that they couldn’t answer. Confronting you may be their way of looking for answers.

Express your gratitude for their past provisions for you.