“How was outreach” part 4

Posted on September 16, 2015 by cookiemate

We spent a lot of time at shopping centres (“the mall”) in the Philippines, and we found several cool opportunities to share God’s love with people there. While customers are hurrying around to collect what they need and then escape the busyness, shop clerks and vendors often have more time for you…

During one such “mall evangelism”, I was approached by some friendly locals at a large shopping complex in downtown Manila. They were offering me some exciting opportunities to invest in new property developments in the city. I thought this may be an opportunity to invest in something much greater – their lives. (Too cheesy?)

I asked them a very simple questions, “How do you know the value of a property?”. They weren’t really sure how to answer that, so I let them know the answer I had in mind, “The value of a property is however much someone is willing to pay for it”. I explained that if the asking price of a property is too high, no one will make an offer and you will need to adjust your price until you get some interest. With that in mind, I went on to explain that the value of a human life is determined in the same way- the price someone is willing to pay for it.

God demonstrates that our lives are very valuable to Him in that He allowed Jesus to pay the price for our wrongdoings and to carry the consequence of our sin. God’s not really in the business of empty words, but he demonstrated his great love for us by doing this.

I was able to pray for these two, and encourage their desire to pursue a relationship with Jesus.

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“How was outreach” part 3

Posted on September 15, 2015 by cookiemate

One evening in Manila, we hit the streets to share the love of God with the locals. Before we left, we caught a moment to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance. The only thing I felt God saying was “Michael, you be you”. From my experience of evangelism, there’s often a pressure to pretend (to be confident, to have all the answers etc) and that feeling can be a big barrier to connecting with people. So, God lifted that pressure off my shoulders.

We walked to the end of the street, where there was a bunch of people hanging out on a roundabout. There were several couples sitting around, and a few small groups. I didn’t feel Holy Spirit leading to one group in particular, but I approached a group of late-teens who were sitting there. It was easy enough to start a conversation with them, as they seemed fairly interested in us as foreigners (I was with two other people). Like many others in the Philippines, they identified themselves as Catholics, but admitted they didn’t think a lot about spiritual stuff. We shared some thoughts on hearing God’s voice, and prayed that God would reveal himself to them.

I walked over to the other side of the roundabout, and found four twenty-something guys. My opening line to these gentlemen was “If I told you that God had a message for you, would you want to hear it?”. In a rather strange turn of events, three of them spoke strong English and were very open to hearing our thoughts on who God was. I took time to hear God for each of them, and share those things with them. The Lord had a very personal message for each, and they were deeply encouraged when I prayed for them.

The most refreshing thing about this time was that God used me (including my goofiness and love for “the boys”) to strengthen the faith of two groups of young people at the perfect time for them.

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“How was outreach” part 2

Posted on September 14, 2015 by cookiemate

There were two occasions in the Philippines that we were invited to do evangelism at local high schools. Both times we were unsure what to expect. Both times chaos ensued.

The first time, our team walked through the front gates entirely clueless as to what the ministry would look like. As it turned out, there was a crowd of 500 teens waiting for us. Instead of running a “normal” ministry (of games, testimonies and a sermonette), our ministry contact was planning a one-to-one evangelism time at the school, where each of our team would sit down and share with one of the school students. We quickly realised that this would be impossible, as we were mobbed by countless crazed Filipinos.

I felt like a superstar walking into that first high school, but I knew that God had a purpose for us there. Among answering the student’s questions (“How tall are you?”, “Do you speak any Tagalog?” etc), we were able to share the truth of the Gospel with the students, and bring correction to some of their confused ideas about God. One of the main things we felt to highlight was the conversational aspect of prayer (hearing God’s voice), and I was able to share several examples of what that looked like from my life. We also prayed for around 150 students, many of whom were interested in hearing God’s voice for the first time.

At the second school, things looked quite different. We weren’t permitted to enter the school to share with the students, so we waited outside to meet and greet as they left. The atmosphere outside the school felt quite uncomfortable, and many of the girls felt they were being ‘oggled’. I chatted with a couple of people, seeking to see where God was opening a door. I gathered together a group of 10 (or so) students that seemed willing to hear what I had to say. I drew pictures for them in the notebook I’d brought (at the Holy Spirit’s instruction), helping to explain the binding nature of sin (represented by a ball and chain) and the liberation that comes with salvation. After hearing (and understanding) that Jesus is the only one that can break those chains and release us from our slavery to sin, six of these young people prayed to receive Christ’s gift of salvation.

Father, you have been so good to me. You graciously provide everything that I need, you led me through some very tough times, and you use me to contribute to the expansion of your kingdom. I love you so much, and I am so glad to be yours.

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“How was outreach” part 1

Posted on September 13, 2015 by cookiemate

While working with YWAM in the Philippines, we had the opportunity to partner with an outreach to a community living on/around an old rubbish dump; known as Smokey Mountain. For around three weeks we led programs for children, students, and families, seeking to bring the restoring hope of the Gospel to the people in the community.

A personal highlight took place one sunny afternoon, when we were welcomed into a home on top of the mountain. The mother of the house had recently come to faith in Jesus, and we were glad to be able to encourage her in her journey. We shared that Jesus didn’t come only to win us entry into heaven, but to give us hope during our time on Earth. The conversation was very much one-sided, with her seemingly unwilling to share her thoughts with us. After a few minutes we ran out of things to say and I honestly wondered what else we could offer this family.

One of the girls on my team asked “Is there anything you would like prayer for?”. It turned out that this particular lady had been suffering from a terrible tooth ache, and she felt her tooth was ‘crumbling’ in her mouth. She also stated that her niece, in the house next-door, was troubled by a fever. Having prayed for them we made our way back down the mountain.

Several days later, we were running a churchy program for the mothers and families of Smokey Mountain. As I walked in to the ministry centre, I locked eyes with the woman we had prayed for on the mountain. She gladly shared that her tooth felt much better. She also told us that the niece’s fever had broken, and that she was well on the road to recovery.

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What you need to know about ‘missions’

Posted on July 21, 2015 by cookiemate

Over the last few weeks, God has been softening my heart to the idea of long term missions. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the topic of “missions” actually. Here are a few things that you need to know about missions:

Missions is simple.
You don’t need to go trekking off through the jungles of Borneo or weed-whack through to some isolated village in Sudan. I’ve found that some people’s ideas of missions are over-exaggerated, which leads them to think “that’s not possible for me”. Here’s my three step guide to launch into missions:

  1. Learn to hear God’s voice, to see God’s visions, or to feel God’s heartbeat:
    God doesn’t interact with ever person through a big booming voice. Don’t expect God to shout like that, but listen for his whisper. His guidance often starts with a small whisper, or a growing desire in your heart.
  2. Take up a “God has the best plan” mentality.
    If you hate the idea of being a missionary in the Sahara desert in Africa, it’s unlikely that God’s going to call you there. God will most likely call you to a place you can nurture your talents and abilities, learn from strong Godly role models and learn to love God more. If you assume He’s going to tell you to do things you REAALLLY hate, you’re going to say “no” before He even asks. It may be time to question why your worldview tells you that God would act like that…
  3. Start stepping.
    God loves it when we do our best to obey Him! When babies are learning to walk, they make mistakes. Those mistakes help them figure out what not to do next time. Learning to walk by faith is the same way… Don’t expect to have all the answers, or to get things perfect straight away. Making mistakes is a part of the process, so don’t be afraid to goof up.


You don’t need to stress about the supply.
Seeking the Supplier (ie the Lord) is the answer to finding the supply. Don’t give into the temptation of trying to stand on your own independence in missions … that doesn’t last very long. You may need to change your question from “Does God want to meet my needs” to “How does God want to provide for me?”. Some times He’ll give you a strategy, some times He’ll tell you to rest. It differs from person to person, and from situation to situation. Seeking God and learning to recognise his ‘voice’/’visions’/’heartbeat’ is key in the process.

You don’t need to know the end destination.
When you’re starting out in missions, don’t spend too much time worrying about the exact details (location, timing, language) of your life ministry. God will often have you serve someone else’s vision before He releases you into your own. Put yourself in a missions context where you can be discipled and learn from people. As your serving, God will highlight things in your heart that will be fulfilled later in your life. Relax a little – you have the rest of your life to think about the rest of your life.

Start now.
We already know that God wants us to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matthew 28:18-20). That means you can start wherever you are! You can share Christ with your classmates. You can pray with people while you’re doing your shopping. You can represent Jesus wherever you are. God will work with whatever you’re willing to give Him.

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Hillsong Conference 2015

Posted on July 3, 2015 by cookiemate

I spent the week serving at Hillsong Conference in Sydney. Now, I don’t attend Hillsong Church, and have no particular allegiance to them, but here are some things that I learnt about Hillsong Church as I was working with them this week…

1. Through their various conferences and conventions, Hillsong church-goers have sponsored 40,000 children worldwide through @Compassion partnerships. No matter which way you slice it, that’s a huge global impact.

2. Hillsong conference runs at a $1.3 million loss (they’re not in this to make money). That’s not bad financial management, either, because they have the money to back that up. The church does everything it can to keep the ticket costs down, to make the conference accessible to people from all backgrounds and social standings.

3. Their messages about giving are not “Give money to God and He will give more money back to you”. They are more like ‘God cares about every area of your life, including your finances”, “Giving generously says that you trust God as your source”, and “God wants to teach you how to become successful in dealing with money. Giving/generosity is one way He does that’.

4. There were 4,500 unpaid volunteers (mostly “Hillsongers” – is that a phrase?) working to make the conference run smoothly. Each one was incredibly gracious, patient, and willing to work hard to serve the Lord. They smiled while they did it, too!

5. People from this church really care about you, and will take time to get to know you better and goof around with you. I like that people don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s also amazing how many people remember your name, especially in a conference of 30,000 people!

6. The pastors/worship leaders don’t exalt themselves above others. They realise their brokenness before God and before others. The people that lead and attend the conference are real-life people. That means some times they make mistakes or they’re tired or upset. They don’t pretend to be perfect. They are in the process of getting closer to God, and they’re trying their best to point others to Jesus.

7. Their times of worship do ‘seem’ showy, but at the end of the day, there were 30,000 people worshipping Jesus! If it takes a ‘concert’ to allow for that happen, then I’m okay with a concert.

The moral of the story? The church isn’t perfect, but it’s beautiful.

We were serving as hosts (greeters, ushers etc) on the upper concourse. This was the view of the people gathered together during one of the evening rallies.

We were serving as hosts (greeters, ushers etc) on the upper concourse. This was the view of the people gathered together during one of the evening rallies.

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In a (Brazil) nutshell, part 6

Posted on July 12, 2014 by cookiemate

While we were handing out tracts at Paulista, I happened upon 4 big and handsome Dutch men — on holidays and pleasantly lost in the big city of Sao Paulo. I gestured to them with our Portugese church fliers, but they didn’t have much time to chat.

6 hours later, in another part of the city, we found time to do evangelism at a large music festival. There were thousands of people jostling about the stage, as vendors sold liquor from street-side coolers, and rock music rang through the fresh night air. It was difficult to find a place to share among the publicly-affectionate couples and drug-dealers, so we walked around the crowd for a while.

“This is stupid”, I thought “there are SO many people… let’s just find some people and share the love of Jesus with them”. I asked our team to pray that God would open a door to share. Two seconds later who happened to walk by? Well, the four dutch boys, of course! In a city of 12 million, can you believe it?!

One of the girls on my team stopped the boys as I freaked out. I walked over to the guy that I had spoken to really briefly earlier in the day. The heart of the message? Love and purpose and value and brilliance in Christ. “One day the alcohol and the partying will become empty. On that day, give your life to Jesus and see what He has for you”. The dude heard the words and drunk them up, while another few people on my team shared with his mates.

Another example of God doing amazing things to prepare and speak in to the hearts of His children.

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In a (Brazil) nutshell, part 5

Posted on July 11, 2014 by cookiemate

After boldly preaching on the street-side at Paulista Avenue (see part 4), a number of opportunities opened up to share Christ with smaller groups. “What are you doing here in Brasil” created a number of really opportunities to share the love of Jesus.

On the subway earlier, we had crossed with a group of young people fascinated by the fact I was wearing a *Brasil* supporter shirt. (I suppose normally white people wear the national shirts of their own football team, so I was weird and interesting to them). I wanted to chat with them, but we lost track of them in the busy subway.

After I preached, this same group of people came up and started talking to me. (I hope you appreciate that the odds of this are quite slim in a city of 12 million). I told them I was in Brasil to share the love of Jesus with people, which drew an interesting reaction. One girl had the experience that “Christians hate homosexuals”. She was shocked when I apologized that the church had given her that impression,  and I was able to share the truth of Christ’s UNCONDITIONAL LOVE with her — Jesus LOVES homosexuals, just as He loves everyone.

After our conversation came to an end, one of the young girls took me aside. With tears in her eyes, she shared that she had been praying for her friends for a number of years. She had tried witnessing to them, but they were tired of hearing about it, and she was asking God to send someone else to share with them.

The Lord used me as the answer to this beautiful young girls prayers, as the answer to her desperate heart, as I found the right answer to the Lord’s calling to preach on the side of the street. Say “Yes” to Jesus, and He will open incredible doors. That’s just what He does.

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In a (Brazil) nutshell, part 4

Posted on July 11, 2014 by cookiemate

We headed to Paulista Avenue- the centre of Sao Paulo’s trade and business. It’s kind of like Wall Street in New York, or George Street in Sydney. Tons of huge buildings with people in expensive suits mixed with homeless people and street performers. Our job? Share Christ in any way possible.

We prayed. Some people saw visions of the people they were going to share Christ with, and set about finding that person. Others handed out Portugese gospel tracts, with their best “Deus te abençoe”s. Others sat down with homeless people, and shared with the street performers. I didn’t know what to do, really, and was anxious to share something with someone…

Our translator, Marcelo, turns to me and says “Hey, you should preach!”. I look to the footpath, and there are people constantly streaming past. “Flip. Why not?”. I found a little place, and started shouting at the people passing by (I’m really good at shouting in public places, I’ve noticed). I didn’t really have a plan of what to say, but I just shared the things I had been learning in my ‘quiet times’ (daily bible reading/devotions).

What was that message? God humbles those that are exalted, and exalts those who are humble. When He does this, His desire is that people would realize that He is God, and would bow down to worship Him. Tons of examples of this in scriptures; Pharaoh in Egypt, the Assyrians in Ninevah, and the Israelites in Jerusalem. More specifically, God desired to exalt the righteous men and women in Brazil, so that people would give praise to God. That also means that the wicked will be humbled, so I called the people to repent in the street right there and then. One man did, and gave his heart to Jesus.

Again, God stirred me with confidence to take the opportunity that was there in front of me. As a result, this man heard God’s word and gave his heart to Jesus. It’s really that simple.

Our group staying stylish at Paulista Avenue
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In a (Brazil) nutshell, part 3

Posted on July 10, 2014 by cookiemate

We were given the opportunity to partner with a ministry in a small town, Sao Miguel, about an hour and a half away in Sao Paulo. I was feeling like death; a combination of food, tiredness and the weight of leading the outreach team.

When we arrived, there was a biiiig group of kids from the neighborhood. They were dancing. Haha. Dancing. Some of the older kids at the back weren’t really getting into it, but the atmosphere was pretty hilarious. The group gathered around, and the contact said “Does anyone want to share something with the children?”. My first thought was “Yes. Yes I do”, so I volunteered. Then I remembered that I felt terrible, and there was no strength in my bones. Ooft.

What do you share in a time like this — to a group of kids that seem forgotten by the world, when your bones feel crushed and you feel so empty? God. Cares. You see if we believe in God, we believe that He cares about mankind — and we have the sacrifice of Jesus to show us that — but we can miss the fact that He cares about me… And if God cares about me, everything changes; the way I view the world, the way I treat other people, the way I live my life; everything.

On this day there were no ‘salvations’, there were no ’emotional healings’, there were no statistics to be recorded. I was, however, able to plant a seed of hope in the hearts of these young people. Who knows … perhaps God will water this seed, and allow it to produce fruit in them.

It was the coolest little town…
All these kids heard about HOPE
These are the guys from the church/ministry we worked with
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