All posts by Werner Mischke

About Werner Mischke

My passions are “Honor, Shame and the Gospel” … cross-cultural partnerships with great leaders in the majority world … adult learning theory and creative communications. I love integrating these passions to contribute my bit in sharing the transforming grace of Jesus Christ among the peoples of the world.

“One flock, one shepherd” … or … “sheep without a shepherd?”

Biblical basis for partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Global trends, Godly character
Jesus as the Good Shepherd from the early Christian catacomb of Domitilla/Domatilla (Crypt of Lucina, 200 AD). How does the idea of “one flock, one shepherd” impact your partnership?
Jesus as the Good Shepherd from the early Christian catacomb of Domitilla/Domatilla (Crypt of Lucina, 200 AD). How does the idea of “one flock, one shepherd” impact your partnership?

Jesus said:

“And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16 ESV).

Consider the words, “… one flock, one shepherd.” Imagine how this rang in the ears of the first disciples, who knew that likely thousands of shepherds were taking care of likely hundreds of thousands of sheep! How could just one shepherd lead and take care of all the sheep? It surely must have sounded like a radical idea.

What does Jesus mean by “one flock, one shepherd?” Later in John’s gospel, Jesus gives us insights into what he means concerning oneness among his followers.

John 17:20–23

20 I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

For the sake of the subject of this blog—cross-cultural partnership—and in light of the fact that life on our planet has become dominated by globalization, consider this:

On the one hand, the benefits of globalization represented by the Internet and inexpensive air travel can be a great help in aiding the church in its unity and practice of cross-cultural partnership; it is simply so much easier to communicate today than just ten years ago. On the other hand, there is a risk that modern methods become an end in themselves … that Christian leaders rely too heavily on such things as management systems and marketing communications. This, in turn, undermines dependence on God and ultimately, the goal of Christian unity. It can be summed up by the words, “Amplified opportunity, amplified threat.”[1]

Amplified opportunity: Church history has never had the enormous advantages of the powerful global communications tools which globalization and the Internet afford us today. This blog is one of a billion examples. Could it be that globalization has given us communication tools to facilitate this “one flock, one shepherd” ideal of Jesus Christ—so that Christ’s plan for unity amidst diversity can be more fully realized than ever before in human history?

Therefore, in the light of God’s global purpose to bless all peoples
through the gospel of Christ, could it be that to ignore cross-cultural partnership
as a key method for world evangelization is to fail in stewarding
one of the greatest advantages the church has ever known?

Amplified threat: The features of globalization consist of such things as extremely powerful global communications … inexpensive air travel … market-based economic systems … and international cooperation by individuals (not just nations and corporations). You may ask, How is globalization a threat? Simply, this: I believe many Christians, myself included, are often seduced into thinking that these powerful tools are a substitute for relying on the leadership and provision of our Shepherd. But the Bible says there is a relational depth—a beauty, wisdom and effectiveness—that is available solely from following our Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Could it be that those of us engaged in cross-cultural ministry partnerships
have to be extra intentional in listening to our Shepherd and to each other—
in order to guard against the default culture and inherent spiritual biases of self-reliance,
modern systems, and such practices as results-based management?

Consider the words of Mark 6:34: “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.” Could it be that when Jesus sees us relying primarily on our modern technologies, global communications tools, management systems and fund-raising strategies—he sees us being technologically rich but spiritually poor? Could it be he sees us as “sheep without a shepherd?”

=======================

1. The words “amplified opportunity, amplified threat” and related concepts are from an article by Os Guinness: “Mission modernity: Seven checkpoints on mission in the modern world” in Sampson, Samuel, and Sugden, Eds., Faith and Modernity (Oxford: Regnum Books, 1994).

A model for cross-cultural partnership—inside of God’s grace

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Organizational competence
A model for cross-cultural partnership inside of God’s grace
A model for cross-cultural partnership inside of God’s grace

THE CROSS-CULTURAL PARTNERSHIP

  • A, B, and C are partners in a partnership—and represent any organization or ministry entity; for example, a western mission agency, an indigenous majority-world ministry, and a local church.
  • God’s grace—each ministry partner operates inside of the sphere of God’s grace (the large light green circle)—secured through the finished work of Jesus Christ.
  • The vision—is central to the partnership; it’s what has brought the partners together, and is far greater than what any partner can do alone. Each partner brings unique resources to work together toward  the vision.
  • The Cross—represents the finished work of Jesus Christ, and God’s passion to gather worshipers from among all peoples; this is what ultimately holds the partnership together.
  • The advocate—is an individual from one of the partner organizations who serves as a “champion” or ambassador for the partnership, and applies cultural intelligence as he/she serves the partnership toward the vision.

THE PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

  • Character: Each partner has leaders with godly character (represented by the yellow circle) who live as followers of Jesus Christ. The principal thing is humility.
  • Culture: Each partner devotes resources to acquiring cultural intelligence (represented by the smaller green circle) in order to develop cultural awareness of self and others along with the ability to adjust behavior and attitudes. The principal thing is deep understanding.
  • Competence: Each partner has developed organizational competence (represented by the blue circle) with appropriate systems and accountability. The principal thing is wise practice.

If you are interested in developing godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence for your cross-cultural partnership, consider joining The Beauty of Partnership learning journey. Or contact me, Werner Mischke at werner@mission1.org.

Risk in cross-cultural partnership, part 3 of 3: Navigating risk

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Indigenous ministries, Organizational competence, Short-term missions
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?

The first post in this series looked at avoiding risk; the second looked at underestimating risk. This blog post considers a third option—navigating risk—as an act of wise obedience to our Lord’s Great Commission.

3) Navigating risk: Wise entrepreneurial leaders are skilled at assessing risk. They have a knack for ‘knowing that they don’t know,’ and then investing in the knowledge, skills and attitudes to overcome the gaps in their knowledge and experience. Wise leaders know that Jesus Christ commands us to assess the risk and count the cost in following him:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? –Luke 14:26–28 ESV

Likewise, when western leaders who are following Christ realize their journey is leading them into partnership with an indigenous ministry in the majority world, wise leaders know that they don’t know. The wise leader knows there are risks involved and says,

  • Let’s slow down and assess both the opportunity and the risk.
  • Let’s listen to God, and seek the wisdom of his Word for these matters.
  • Let’s go on an exploratory search do discover what we don’t know about cross-cultural partnership.
  • Let’s listen to other leaders who have been down this road before and have been successful.
  • Let’s navigate the risk, knowing that the opportunity for reward is tremendous, while recognizing that the risk for disappointment is just as real.

The wise leader invests in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are necessary for a healthy cross-cultural partnership. He or she knows that developing these KSAs is not just a matter of information; it is rather, the result of a journey that will take time. The wise leader knows that there are many varying cultures in the world—and navigating the vast differences between cultures, worldviews, and social values may be as difficult as navigating across an ocean.

The wise leader invests in the journey to gain wisdom in the practice of healthy cross-cultural partnerships—and once having done so, he or she can truly begin to think big and responsibly pursue significant risk-laden dreams for the kingdom of God. The wise leader is thrilled to be a part of God’s Story, and knows that the impact of their decisions and actions in serving a cross-cultural partnership could ripple across the globe and throughout eternity to the glory of Christ.

To see a video about risk and cross-cultural partnership, go to this page—Week 3: Risk.

If you are interested in developing the knowledge, skills and attitudes
to wisely navigate a cross-cultural partnership,
then you may be ready for The Beauty of Partnership learning journey.
Click here to learn more, or simply write to me,
Werner Mischke, at werner@mission1.org.

Risk in cross-cultural partnership, part 2 of 3: Underestimating risk

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Indigenous ministries, Organizational competence, Short-term missions
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?

The first post in this series looked at avoiding risk. This post considers a second option: underestimating risk.

2) Underestimating risk: One of the common blessings of going on a mission trip or serving cross-culturally is to discover that the person who I’m getting to know is so different from me, and yet, because we have a common faith in Jesus Christ, we are part of the same family and have a built-in sense of deep spiritual connection. We discover just how true the Bible really is: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Eph. 4:4–6).

How wonderful! With this knowledge, many Christians believe it is easy to begin a cross-cultural partnership, confident that whatever obstacles there may be, their common faith in Jesus will enable them to overcome any problems.

A year goes by; so far so good … Another year, and questions emerge … Over time, mistrust develops, and sure enough, obstacles arise along with misunderstandings. From one side are accusations of mismanagement; from the other side, accusations of colonialism or arrogance. It is discovered that expectations for the partnership are radically different, and what seemed at first to be an exciting “can’t-lose enterprise for the kingdom” becomes mired in disappointment and cross-cultural conflict.

What happened? They underestimated the risks. They underestimated the need for developing new knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSAs); they did not know that you must develop godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence for healthy cross-cultural partnership.

Risk in cross-cultural partnership, part 1 of 3: Avoiding risk

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Indigenous ministries, Organizational competence
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk in your cross-cultural partnership?
Are you avoiding risk, underestimating risk, or wisely navigating risk relative to cross-cultural partnership?

I believe there are three basic ways to think about risk relative to cross-cultural partnerships—or partnership with indigenous ministries. They are: Avoiding risk, underestimating risk, and navigating risk. This blog post considers the first option:

1) Avoiding risk: People who avoid risk relative to partnership with indigenous ministries do so for various reasons—perhaps because they have heard someone say, “You can’t trust the nationals”—or they tried a cross-cultural partnership and had a bad experience. So they simply conclude, “No way” or “Never again.”

They resist learning lessons of how to adjust their approach; they don’t know about the need to learn new skills. Maybe they are unaware that there is a specific skill set necessary for someone to be a partnership ambassador. So they never consider developing the Christlike servanthood, the listening skills, the cultural intelligence, the organizational systems that are necessary to succeed. They give up, thinking that partnership ought to be easy, or that partnership just doesn’t work. They may still have a nagging sense that the body of Christ really is supposed to work together around the world (the Bible surely seems to say that it’s possible), but they see no way to get there.

Sadly, their default response to the possibility of cross-cultural partnership is to avoid the risk, and thus, to forgo the enormous potential for greater blessing for the peoples of the world. They also forgo the privilege of a deep cross-cultural friendship, not to mention the opportunity to better know the Lord Jesus Christ through the journey of working with Christian leaders from other cultures.

Tomorrow’s post: Part 2 of 3—Underestimating risk

What is your goal—results or faithfulness?

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Godly character

“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything,
but only God who gives the growth.” (1 Corinthians 3:6–7 ESV)

The Bible teaches that when it comes to spiritual fruit, “God gives the growth.” But with our modern management orientation in Christian ministry, we often think we can control outcomes. This is understandable because of the secular environment in which we live in the west; but is it biblical?

Last week I attended a small gathering of mission leaders for a “Sailboat Retreat” during which we compared the powerboat mindset with the sailboat mindset—and what it could mean for Christian mission ministry. (Note: If you want to understand the difference between the powerboat and sailboat mindsets, click here.)  One of the things we discussed is that money is very often a controlling force in ministry. As a result, fundraising is what often shapes ministry. This can be quite unhealthy, an example of “the tail wagging the dog.”

In keeping with the sailboat theme of “catching the wind of God”—one of the things we considered in our sailboat retreat is this idea: Instead of having money as the single greatest catalyst for ministry, what if that catalyst was simply listening—listening to God and listening to people?

To make this contrast clear, take a look at two “formulas” for ministry. With the “powerboat” formula for Christian mission, the catalyst is money:

Money drives ministry for results
Money drives ministry for results
  • Money drives the process; no funding = no ministry = no results.
  • Money comes first; listening is almost optional and comes last.
  • Primary emphasis on fundraising and methods to raise money.
  • Western nations have more funds, therefore wealthy nations tend to control ministry.
  • Implies reliance on expensive structures, technology, “missions machinery.”
  • Money makes “mission” go fast.
  • Tremendous pressure on people for results—measurement of outcomes—in order to maintain funding. This shapes ministry strategy and reporting protocol.

With the “sailboat” formula for Christian mission, things are very different. The variables are the same, but the priorities are different. The catalyst is listening—to God and people.

Listening shapes ministry for faithfulness
Listening shapes ministry for faithfulness
  • Listening replaces money as the catalyst for global missions.
  • Listening comes first; money is almost optional and comes last.
  • Primary emphasis on—listening to God—catching the wind of the Holy Spirit.
  • Implies a quantum leap by Christian mission leaders in the west relative to listening to Christian mission leaders in the global south—while at the same time adopting more of a servant role rather than a leadership role in missions.
  • Ministry can go forward without excessive reliance on funding.
  • Sometimes fast, sometimes slow; it depends on the wind of God.
  • Results are up to God, and can greatly exceed the plans of people, or not. Either one is okay, because God is in control. What is required is that God’s people be found faithful.

Obviously, there are generalizations involved in making formulas and it would be easy to critique specific pieces of the formulas above. Nevertheless, the point of this is to imagine: What would be different in your cross-cultural partnership, if you put listening ahead of funding? What if listening to God and to people was by far the most important, the most catalytic practice, in your cross-cultural partnership ministry—or any ministry, for that matter?

“…this material is just down right impressive”

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Global Christian mission, Godly character, Training

I received this email note today from Marilyn Nasman, a fellow-learner in The Beauty of Partnership. Marilyn has been involved in a cross-cultural partnership in Kenya for several years. Her email was a real blessing to me. God is faithful and God is good!

Dear Werner,

Thank you for your note. I am just finishing the “Listening” section. My, the richness of this material is just down right impressive. It couldn’t be more appropriate for me and the current project in Kenya. Kitty does not return until October 4th. Our team here in Friday Harbor meets each week to pray for her as a group and ask for God’s guidance as we go forward. Every week I am able to use some part of The Beauty of Partnership material as we tackle issues that come up or gain insights into the dynamics of what is occurring.

When I taught Aviation Ground School years ago one of the FAA manuals contained a phrase that said, “… there must be time and opportunity for perceptions to occur.” That is what I am finding with my slower progress, I need time and opportunity for perceptions to occur. I don’t think this material would be nearly as dynamic and powerful for me if I wasn’t knee deep in the practical application! It is just perfect timing and dead on target!

In re-reading Elmer’s book this morning he talks about tolerating ambiguity as one of the skills of Openness. I thought again of the sailboat caught in mixed currents with no clear cut wind or direction. We just go back, forth, and sideways for awhile. Eventually forces outside the boat take command and a course can be plotted but there are many times when confusion and ambiguity just exist. “Wait upon the Lord” comes to mind. This study is recalibrating my spiritual walk … and that is a very good thing.

Thank you again for the dedication, passion and experience that brought this material into reality.

Marilyn Nasman
Friday Harbor, Washington

Thanks, Marilyn, for your encouraging words! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! -Werner

Three categories of competence for cross-cultural partnerships

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Godly character, Organizational competence, , ,

Inter-related competencies for cross-cultural partnershipGodly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence are the three inter-related categories of competence for people and ministries to have healthy cross-cultural partnerships. Growth in one arena usually impacts growth in the others. Likewise, deficits in one arena can also affect the others.

Here’s how we define these three categories or arenas:

1. GODLY CHARACTER means … following humbly our Lord Jesus Christ for the glory of God. At its core, godly character is—humility.

2. CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE (CQ) means … understanding deeply our diversity and unity 
for the glory of God. At its core, cultural intelligence is—deep understanding.

3. ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCE means … practicing wisely the art and science of 
partnership for the glory of God. At its core, organizational competence is—wise practice.

You can evaluate the health of a cross-cultural partnership by considering the three-legged stool. You need strength in all three “legs”—godly character, cultural intelligence, and organizational competence—for a healthy partnership. If the partnership is wobbly, at least one of the legs of the stool is weak or broken.

Evaluations are often made by asking questions; here are a few suggestions to help you get started:

  • GODLY CHARACTER: Does a lack of humility—a lack of Christlike servanthood—characterize the relationship or the key leaders on either side of the partnership? How much time are you devoting to slow, deliberate, empathic listening inside of the partnership? Note: Pride can be easy to recognize in others; it is harder to see in yourself.
  • CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE: Is there a lack of cultural intelligence—a deficit in awareness of the worldview or cultural values of the other party, or of the key leaders on either side of the partnership? Does this contribute to a lack of trust—or an unwillingness to make necessary adjustments in expectations or behavior? Note: Without training in cultural intelligence, this is very difficult to answer.
  • ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCE: Is there a vision for this partnership? Is there an alliance champion or ambassador with true collaboration skills? Is there a clear understanding of what is expected regarding reports, accountability, and protocol—from all sides of the partnership? Note: As with godly character and cultural intelligence, the wise practices that comprise organizational competence are, ideally, an ever-evolving process of growth on all sides of the partnership.

At Mission ONE, we have developed The Beauty of Partnership to equip Christian entrepreneurial leaders for a learning journey by which they not only gain much new knowledge, but also gain the skills and attitudes that are simply vital for healthy cross-cultural partnership. A weekend seminar will not give you the deep understanding and behavioral change necessary. That’s why it is a twelve-week missional learning journey.

At Mission ONE, we have a passion for equipping Christian entrepreneurial leaders for cross-cultural partnership. That is the main reason why this site exists. Would you like to join the journey? Write to me, Werner Mischke, at werner@mission1.org.

How does a partnership facilitator listen?

Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Cultural intelligence, Global Christian mission, Godly character
Empathic listening is “hearing with your heart”
Empathic listening is “hearing with your heart”

How does a partnership facilitator listen? Here are twelve things to look for in a cross-cultural partnership facilitator relative to listening.

1. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators pray much before engaging in conversation with their indigenous ministry partners; they have a habit of asking God to give them “ears to hear.” Because of this habit, they have a lifestyle of listening. This may also be called “walking with God.”

2. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are comfortable listening to others; they’re skilled at asking questions—to learn, understand, and build trust. They are able to hear with their heart.

3. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are generally quiet; they’re not talkative people who need to get recognition for their every point of view. Beware of talkative people; they make bad partnership facilitators for one reason: they are not good at listening. Loud Americans and westerners are unsightly and ineffective in cross-cultural partnership settings.

4. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are skilled at “drawing out” and listening to the dreams of others, then reflecting back to them what they heard to make sure everyone understands.

5. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators enjoy helping their indigenous ministry partner’s dreams come true. They are happy when others get credit for ministry accomplishments. This joy fuels their interest in others and their ability to truly listen.

6. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are able to suspend judgment when faced with thorny situations; they do not rush to judgment; they are not rash. They are willing to give the benefit of the doubt, especially because significant cultural distance can so easily create misunderstanding. At the same time, they are able to wisely and lovingly ask difficult questions when a situation requires it.

7. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are generous about their time—they’re willing to take the time to sort through all the issues and gain a hearing from all sides. Good listening requires patience.

8. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators have invested in cultivating their own cultural intelligence (CQ). They are comfortable with various cultural dynamics such as direct versus indirect communications styles and can adjust accordingly. This makes them at ease; they are able to listen and converse skillfully in diverse settings.

9. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are effective at networking and mobilizing resources to pursue an agreed-upon vision. They also know that financial resources are not nearly as valuable as human resources.

10. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are able to recognize the value of modern business principles, while never making them idols that drive Christian mission. They see modern management methods as helpful, but not nearly as vital and catalytic as listening to God and to others, “hearing with your heart.”

11. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators are Christ-centered. They live out an “abiding-in-Christ lifestyle” that allows them to value all people as sacred, and are committed to relational integrity above task-driven, numbers-oriented objectives. Christ himself is at the heart of their listening skills.

12. Good cross-cultural partnership facilitators know that partnership is not so much a rational enterprise as a heart-to-heart community in the body of Christ; nevertheless, their “listening lifestyle” is in balance with a strong work ethic by which they pursue a partnership ministry vision of great deeds for the glory of God.

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear”

Biblical basis for partnership, Competencies for cross-cultural partnership, Cross-cultural partnership, Godly character
Empathic listening is “hearing with your heart”
Empathic listening is “hearing with your heart”

This is a third post about the value of listening skills in cross-cultural partnerships. The first was Slow down: listen with your heart, featuring the video “Alan & Pauly Heller: On Listening.” Yesterday’s post was “Thank you, Mission ONE team, that you have blessed us”—these two posts are connected by the fact that Alan & Pauly Heller taught their listening workshop at the Mission ONE-sponsored marriage retreat in Thailand in March.

Today, I want to make some observations about the words of Jesus used in the title of this post. I recognize that in the context of Matthew 11:15, Jesus is referencing the need of the people in his immediate context to hear—specifically to hear his teachings in that setting. At the same time, I believe that in this short verse, Jesus is teaching something universal about our nature as human beings concerning our basic ability to hear God; Jesus is addressing our usually ironclad disposition of being hard of hearing. Below is my meditation on these words of our Lord Jesus Christ …

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 11:15)

1. Hearing comes from within. Hearing with your heart is a self-motivated behavior. A person can look like he or she is listening—despite the fact that their heart is far away. We all know when someone is physically present, but emotionally and spiritually distant. Jesus recognizes the freedom of conscience in the act of listening; he realizes that the turning of one’s attention away from self to another person is a free, deliberate action of one’s interior mind, heart and soul. It’s as though Jesus is saying to me: “Hey, Werner, you have two ears, yes? Well then, why don’t you let Werner know—the Werner deep inside—that he can go ahead and begin to truly listen.” Could it be that Jesus is telling me, that I must tell myself in an act of deep self-awareness, “Hey me … Stop being distracted by empty activity and superficiality. Slow down. You have two ears; reconnect your ears to your heart. Just … listen. Listen to God. Listen to His Word. Listen to the Spirit dwelling within. Listen to your spouse. Listen to your children, your neighbor, your co-worker. Listen to your conscience. Embrace silence, and hear. Be present to The Person and the persons around you. Honor their sacred lives by being completely present in their presence.”

2. Being hard of hearing is part of the sin nature. Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”  Jesus is using sarcasm to point out the reality that even though everyone has two ears, no one is truly listening! This speaks of the depravity of man, “as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10) … “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Could it be that one great result of the Fall is the refusal to listen to God along with the chronic disease of being hard of hearing?

3. By God’s grace, everyone has the possibility of keen hearing. Jesus said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Everyone has two ears … but practically no one is truly listening. Nevertheless, anyone CAN hear because they do have two ears! This speaks of the wideness of God’s grace and mercy: “And the Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires [whoever!], let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17 NKJV). Could it be that one of the confirmations of our new life in Christ is the ability to listen to God along with the desire to truly listen to the people around us?

4. Everyone is fully designed to be able to hear well. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” What? Do only some people have ears? No! Everyone has ears. Everyone has the necessary “equipment” to truly hear the Lord and to truly hear people. And through Christ, what once was burdensome (hearing God and obeying Him) now may become light and easy. With His spirit inside of us, we truly can listen to God, we truly can hear our Shepherd’s voice. With the nature of Christ merged with our own, we can be present to others with sincere love and a hearing heart. Why is this? God designed us fully equipped with two ears, a keen mind, and a heart that was designed for fellowship, for hearing the Lord. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

5. My spirit desires to hear God, but needs permission from my will. This goes back to the phrase in the verse, “let him hear.” I am connecting the word “let” with the idea of permission, and it’s consistent with the fact that we often have an ongoing inner dialog, or silent conversation, with ourselves. Here’s the idea: In our inner dialog with ourselves, the will gives permission to the spirit—to hear. If this idea of permission is correct, it appears that Jesus assumes that the inner spirit of the individual wants to hear God. So for me to apply this verse, my will says to my spirit, “Go ahead, I give in, I give you permission: Listen to the Lord.” In effect, I (my will) say to my inner self (my spirit), “let him hear.” This is an act of deep intentional hearing, a key to opening the door of my heart with intent to obey. This is real soul-work, I believe. It takes self-awareness, a disciplined prayer life, and lots of practice. And it takes faith to do this. Faith that God is speaking, faith that his Word is reliable, faith that he is for me, faith that I can discern and distinguish his voice from strangers.

I admit, as I continue exploring this meditation on hearing, I feel like a novice. Lord, help me.

*********************

“He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” Obviously, this applies to all of life, but what does it mean for cross-cultural partnership? For now, I’ll mention just this: Cross-cultural partnership is more about building relationships—serving and knowing one another in love, respect and humility—than about getting stuff done. What do you think?