Day 199/Catchup 14: Interview with Dr. Kris Yeomans on World Evangelization

July 18
Scripture For Today is Acts 21:27 to 26:32

The podcast is an interview with Dr. Kris Yeomans on how the church can mobilize and support missionaries around the world. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Welcome to the Canon Connected, where we read the connections, see the connections, and study the connections of the Bible. Thank you so much for joining us here on day number 199 of the Canon Connected. And we just did a study on what is right in their own eyes from the book of Judges, but also as we saw through connected passages, that idea is all over the Bible. And today what we're going to talk about with a special guest I have with me on this catch up day number 14 is uh the pretty much the opposite of that. The spirit leading us to advance the gospel and the original commission by Jesus to his followers was globally, you know, starting in Jerusalem but then going to the ends of the earth. And so there's nobody I know in the world that's more qualified to speak on this than Dr. Calvin Christopher Yeomans, and he has graciously decided or agreed to join me today. So beyond his name and his title, uh Chris, would you like to introduce yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:11

Yes, yes. That's actually Reverend Dr. Calvin Christopher Yeomans. Not to not to correct the host here, but um but yeah. Um but my name is Chris Yeomans. I am currently the pastor of missions and outreach at St. Andrew Church in Plano, Texas, which is about three miles north of Dallas. And I've been in this position now for about seven months.

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Yes, and uh like as I as I said, nobody really I think understands this, at least that I know the way that Yeomans does, that Chris does, that Dr. Reverend Calvin Christopher Yeomans does. Um he's been all over the world. It was obvious from the time we met at Welch College in the 1999 or whatever it was, that this was his passion, it was his calling. He's never let anything stop him. He has done so many things. And I am very proud of him, and I'm proud to call him a friend. But I I I also know that, you know, even uh as he and I were discussing earlier, sometimes even in good churches and even with mature Christians, sometimes this is a topic that's not um understood that well. And so I really want to just kind of delve into the idea of because we the readings today were from Paul and Acts and how he stood trial for advancing the gospel and and how again that's the that's the uh the mission. It's all it's always been the mission. And so I really wanted to just kind of you know pig yeoman's brain a little bit because uh um I I want people to understand this topic. And so um the first thing that I told I told him that I was gonna ask him was about we read the book of Acts and we see all these missionary journeys and we see Paul testifying, you know, and over and over again. And I just asked, what are things that we can do, you know, Christians can and should do today that are that are a blueprint straight from Acts, that it doesn't need a lot of culture and time changes. It's just we we can do what they did.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

So yeah, and that's a great question. Um, I think the first thing that actually comes to mind with that question of what we can do today, like they did as missionaries in the book of Acts, um, is follow the Holy Spirit's leading. Um, I get that question a lot about how we were we were missionaries in Niger in West Africa for several years, and I get that question a lot about how I ended up there, um, how I convinced my wife to go there. And um, we get the question a lot too about our kids. You know, did you take your children with you? You know, things like that. Um, but um that first point of just letting the Holy Spirit lead is really key, I think. Um, because had He not let us there or the Holy Spirit not let us there, we uh would not have gone. I mean, it's not a place that's desirable, it's not a touristy destination. Um, it's very, very hot, very challenging um environment, uh, physically, spiritually, and really in every way you can imagine. Um, but um when you are praying through, like we did, we just prayed through various countries, various locations, and just relied on the Holy Spirit's leading. Um, you end up going to some pretty incredible places and doing some um really interesting things. Um, and there's a comfort in that, you know, we get that question a lot with the security situation there. You know, you live there for so many years and it's it's not a safe place. There's a lot of terrorism, you know, and things like that. It's unpoliced in a lot of ways out in the desert. Yeah. Um, but we never, I can say confidently, the all the years we lived there, we never felt um really unsafe. There were times of uneasiness, but we never really felt unsafe or um never lacked peace because we let the Holy Spirit lead us. And so we knew we were right where he wanted us to be. Um, so that's one point. Um, I think of others, um, you know, in the book of Acts, they proclaimed the gospel wherever people gathered. Um, I get that, in fact, just this past week at the church, I got that question about, you know, oh, when you went out to a village, you know, and you were preaching, um, you know, how did that work? Did you have a script? Did you, you know, what'd you do? You know, was it a planned thing? And, you know, to be honest, it was not. A lot of times we would just drive out um to a village, um, usually anywhere from 50 to 400 people would come out and surround us under a tree or um whatever, and I would just preach. Um, you know, it was just sharing the gospel um and and seeing, you know, where it would take root, really. Um so I think it's important the church do that today as well, you know, proclaim the gospel where people are gathered and share that message. It's not our job to save them, but it is our job to share. And so that's what we did. Um, that's what we try to do, you know, every day in our lives. Um couple of other things, um, plan it, you know, again, planted churches. That's the the goal, right? Is just establish. They had a lot of house churches. Um, it doesn't have to be a church with a building and electricity, I know from experience. Um it can just be under a tree or under an awning and you can have church. So um they established churches and then um really perseverance through hardship, I think was the the fourth point I was thinking through in that. Um, you know, people, you know, we read in Acts and even Paul, you know, people imprisoned um for sharing um just really suffered persecution, and that still goes on today, obviously, in a lot of a lot of places in the world. Um, but that's something we can do, again, even even in the midst of trials, is to continue pressing forward and persevering in sharing our faith.

SPEAKER_01 6:32

Yeah, that that's really good. That's golden. And uh we we definitely uh uh uh can see that in the scripture or the passage from today, because it was Paul again being I mean in prison simply for sharing his faith. And and it it is definitely something that didn't stop in the first century, it didn't stop, you know, in the early Christian history, it continues on, and uh, and uh those reminders are very good for us, especially in a land where we do have freedom of religion. Um so another question I ask uh Chris is because and now he's he's been on the he's been on the field, um, and he's been not even even just beyond West Africa, he's been a lot of other places, and he's he's definitely lived it and he's definitely you know done it in 3D in the in the real world. But now he's serving on staff, you know, at a church and trying to help mobilize, you know, this sort of thing and educate people. So um what are some things that you think that the good churches do and the churches should do if they're not doing them to really mobilize missionaries, mobilize missions, you know, educate their people, train them up, disciple them on how important this is.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

So actually, yeah, it's it's it's ironic. So, you know, that a lot of these questions we're talking about now have just come up just in sort of um different conversations in the past week or two with friends at the church. But um I think um one thing the church cannot do, I just brought this point up actually, maybe today um in a meeting, um, we should not let our our take our feet off the gas pedal when it comes to identifying, discipling, and um preparing missionaries. Um there is a um there's an idea, I won't say an idea. There's there's definitely a trend in some in some churches and in some areas where uh people are saying, oh, well, the world's coming to us. And that is absolutely true, they are. Um and but they're using that as a as a I don't want to maybe as an excuse, not to send missionaries anymore. They're saying we can let our kind of take our foot off the gas here, we don't have to send people anymore because they can literally go, you know, pick an urban area in the country and go to it. And while I certainly agree with that, there are definitely, you know, thousands of people groups that are coming in into the country and they're they're scattered all over the United States. That doesn't take away our responsibility to send out people to other countries, still where there are unreached people who don't do not have the um the gospel, you know, available to them. Um I was meeting with a group of college students actually earlier this morning, and we were talking about that very thing. And um something new at our church is that they have not historically um supported or sent uh long-term missionaries. Um they will, you know, um obviously give financially to organizations that are doing that, but they have not um historically supported them. Um, and there are a lot of churches that don't do that, or they don't um, I don't want to say recruit, they don't encourage people who may be called to it. Um and one of the college students I was talking to actually is from Africa. She's from the she was born in the uh Democratic Republic of the Congo and she grew up in South Africa. But she asked me, she said, Chris, do you think that um that missionaries are called? Do you think that it's a calling, or is it the responsibility of the church to serve, you know, where they're at, kind of thing? And I gave her the uh I told her, I said, honestly, I know this answer may not be what you're looking for. I said, but I honestly think it's both. I think there are people, I think as the church, we all have a responsibility to be a missionary in our communities, in our neighborhoods, everywhere we live, um, it is our job to be a missionary. I said, but I do think there is a um a calling on people who are meant to be missionaries that serve in cross-cultural contexts. And I said, because there are some people who are not gifted in that. And if they go, if they force it, then they could really create a mess or a disaster for themselves, for the people. It could be um historical work that's destroyed because they don't know what they're doing in a cross-cultural context. But um, certainly from a Christian standpoint, every one of us are missionaries and we're to be sharing the gospel and helping others and and and being a light to everybody that we're around. Um, so I really do think it's both. I think that there are everybody's called to be a to be a servant of the Lord and to serve others, but I think there are people who are called specifically to cross-cultural missions as well.

SPEAKER_01 11:00

Yeah, and I think we both can testify to that just from having seen that, you know, that yeah, the wrong person goes or with the wrong motivation or whatever, it can definitely do more damage than than I think good for a particular work or ministry or whatever. And so that's yeah, I think I definitely agree with that. So here's another question, too, then on the heels of that, because um you've again you've served and now you're mobilizing more and teaching and training and all that, and uh and having a chance a chance to see both of those those angles of it. I I'm really interested, and especially because I know a lot of the people that listen to Canon Connected are just you know regular church people, sometimes church leaders. Uh, we have a few missionaries that tune in. But for those who are not missionaries, you know, who are again people that attend church, they're they're involved members, or or you know, or even in the few of the few of the people listed are pastors, what are some very practical things you think, other than giving? I know every missionary to, I mean, traditionally, every missionary needs finances to go. And I know they they often go to church to church and raise money, or some groups may have different strategies on that. But giving, I think, is you know, uh is a is a is a is a given to avoid a play on words. But uh, what are things you you you would advise, you know, church people to do practically to encourage missionaries that they know?

SPEAKER_00 12:20

Oh, yeah, there's a a good list of things they can do for sure. Um, I know just from experience of being on the field, um, of course, one of the biggest ones is to pray, pray consistently and pray specifically. Um and and and follow through on that as well. You know, whenever you say you're gonna be praying, actually pray and not just say, oh, well, prayers or sending prayers up or whatever, make sure you're actually doing that. And I I specify that because there's been, I mean, countless stories, not just from us as a family, but I know a lot of other missionaries who um have been literally rescued from situations of life or death where, you know, it is absolutely um clear that prayer actually made a difference in that moment. Um, so prayer is powerful, it's important, it's needed, and and the work. Um I mean, I just don't even imagine it going on without people praying for missionaries who are on the field. Um I think another thing is sending encouraging letters, emails, um, things like that on a regular basis. Um it's um it's it's definitely more challenging when you're living day to day, you know, and you're with social media today, you can look back home and see what's happening around holidays or birthdays, things like that, and families that are out on the field, especially in remote areas, but really everywhere, you know, when they're in a different culture. Um they um, you know, homesickness is real, it's it's um valid, it's it's uh, it's it's you know, it can be powerful, it can move people home. You know, unfortunately, sometimes people just give up because of that. So I think it's important that missionaries hear from people at home so that they know they're being thought about, they know that they're being prayed for, and they know they haven't been forgotten. Um again, there's times where almost in waves, you know, if a church is having a missions conference at home, you may get a, you know, an influx of messages from people at church because they're, oh, we're talking about missions this week, so we should check in with them. But then there's other times of the year where there may be, you know, months of silence where you don't hear from anybody and you think, well, you know, nobody even remembers I'm here. Um, so I think that's important to continue encouraging them regularly. Um, of course, phone calls can go right along with that, video calls, things like that are all very helpful. Um, you know, one of the favorite things we um experienced on the field was when we had visitors. Now it didn't happen often because of where we were, but if you can go and visit missionaries on the field to encourage them, um that's exceptional. I mean, it really is great to not only have people bring you your favorite candy from the States, but um it's it's just great to be able to have a familiar face, see a familiar face and have people around you that you know well and that kind of thing. Um, even if it's um not going there to work, you know, there are a lot of times people say, well, I'll go and visit because I'm gonna bring a team over and we're gonna work. Well, a lot of times the missionary doesn't even get a chance to really visit with the people who are who are there because of the work going on. So aside from taking teams or doing a mission trip from the church, I think it's important and helpful to missionaries to have just visitors come and say, you know what, I'm gonna come for the weekend. I'm gonna, you know, I'm gonna help you go to the well and get the water if you have to, you know, if that's where you're at and you have to do that. I'll help do your dishes, your laundry, um, you know, think just help around the house and be there to to visit with them. Um and then um the last thing on that I was thinking about is just um advocating for the ministry that's going on there. Um, you know, really um encourage the church to be more involved in the ministry that's going on on the field. It's sort of a um, you know, an arm of the church or it's connected in a lot of ways. So not treat it like a separate ministry, but as part of the church. Um so advocating for that in the pew every Sunday, reminding people, hey, we've got missionaries over here that are doing this, and we can be praying for them and helping that. I think all of those things are really helpful. Um and then um one other thing I wanted to add was just be a faithful friend who asks about um the spiritual and emotional health of the person. Um, take away the um the work side of it, you know. Oh, as a person on the field, as a missionary on the field, um, you know, a lot of times people in their minds they're working 24-7. All they're thinking about is the work and and what I have to do, and I need to be doing this, or there may be questions. People may wonder, am I not working hard enough? Am I not doing enough? Um, that kind of thing. That can become obviously very taxing on a person. So just checking in on them as a person, how are you doing emotionally? How did you handle this situation, that situation? How are how is your family? You know, when we were in Africa during COVID, uh, we did thankfully get a lot of questions about that. You know, people checked on us, and how is it going there? How is uh, you know, just knowing that people are thinking, hey, it's not just America, you know, where this was affecting people, but even there was very encouraging. So um I think just remembering those types of things for um missionaries, and it doesn't have to be missionaries from your home church, it can be people, again, that you're supporting that maybe from a different church, but are are doing a ministry you fully support or uh you know are involved in.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

Yeah, and one thing that I I just took from what you said that I think was probably a good reminder, and you can speak to this if you would like. This wasn't one of our our preset questions, but um it is very easy to see missionaries as super spiritual, I mean, almost like superheroes. And I think that's good, you know, to a to a just to an extent though, because I do think it's easy to forget that they are just human beings. I mean, they they are, you know, they have the same sin nature that we do, and and they they have the same, you know, hangups and the same conflicts. That's something that's hard for me to remember too, is that mission teams, you know, over overseas have the same kind of you know, you know, temptations to have conflicts and dysfunction, just like we do in churches here. And and I think it's very easy to forget, you know, that they're they're living, even though it's cross-culturally, and there is a spiritual dynamic to that, that it's it's very, it's very much like, I mean, they're they're people, you know.

SPEAKER_00 18:31

Right. Yeah, for sure. I mean, same it because of the different context you're living in or culture, um, it may be, it may come about in a different way. There may be various, you know, trials, temptations, whatever. Um, but it's the same type of same type of situation everybody's experiencing around the world. Um, you know, Satan is going to go after those weak points to try to attempt and and and lead people astray. And that happens on the mission field, even when you are constantly working, you know, working to try to plant churches or share the gospel and evangelize. It absolutely happens. So just a just a good check-in. You know, how's it going? How are you feeling? What's you know, what's the latest, um, you know, you know, the experiences they may share are going to be probably in some place, some cases very, very different than what you're experiencing in southern Illinois. But, you know, it's um, you know, but it's the same type of stuff. You know, it's they're living life there just like you know, we're living life here.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

So yeah, and since I know most of my audience, I would say that most of the people listening to this can think off the top of their head, these are the missionaries my church's church supports. And we have opportunities to give, you know, um financially, and maybe there's things that that Chris has said that uh that are that can turn over in your mind, you know, and think, oh, I need to be doing this. Um and I hope that happens. I hope this definitely produces fruit and people do make practical changes. But if you're listening and you don't know what your church's missionaries are, maybe they don't have any, whatever, don't hesitate to reach out to me. I'll be glad to try to, you know, to help you to be connected with, you know, with ways to put this into practice because this is a real, like Chris said, it's a it's a calling and it's a real thing. People are, you know, are are they sometimes give their entire lives to you know a foreign field, and uh, and it's it's it's the kind of thing that needs our support. And so if you're if you're if you're listening to this and struggling, think I can't think of a practical way, or or I don't know of anybody, then I'll be glad to try to help you, you know, to have some some uh some some means to be by which to to to to support a missionary, whether it's through an email or whether it's through finances or whatever.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

So absolutely, yeah, that's great.

SPEAKER_01 20:37

And I will I didn't want to I didn't want to feel I know we've had a very professional interview here. You could probably tell, and I know some of my listeners know both of us, and we go way back and we have a thousand inside jokes. It really is a goal of yeomans and I to have a Facebook memory where we communicate with each other, usually in some inside joke every single day of the year, because we have probably at least 300 at this point. But I wanted to show Yeomans the shirt I was wearing today.

SPEAKER_00 21:03

All right.

SPEAKER_01 21:17

You know, yeoman's was not a rival to me. He was there for me through everything. And he is he has been uh a counselor and a confidant. And I probably would have been in a menstrual institution without Yeomans's you know friendship.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

And I've almost been in one because of you, yes. We can certainly agree on that as well. But no, I was I will say this the uh the the the Hello Yeomans thing, like you you, I mean, you pegged it because um there I cannot tell you literally. I mean, I've lived around the world, like you said, and there are people I will meet, and it just comes to them. Like I don't have to tell them the history, I don't have to mention, and there's even like so I've been at this church I mentioned for seven months now, and um one of the directors there, I mean, after the first three days, I see him in the hall, yeomans. And it just it just you know catches on. And so now that's all he said. Hello, yeomans, you know, or he'll pass and it's nothing I said or did, it's like he just meets me and he knows.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

Oh, yeah. So we we uh we have had a good time for sure. And I again I I am I am super proud of yeomans, I really am, because we we are way more than friends. I feel like even at this point, you know, like one of the podcasts we talked about with David and Jonathan, they were more than even brothers because they had a covenant relationship. That you know, like that's how I feel about Chris, and I'm very proud of him for all the stuff that he's done. I'm I'm blown away by by his by his current circumstances because even as he and I were talking before off the record, um, it's just the the way where where he hasn't is now doing what he's doing is such a God thing, and I'm very thankful because even though we say it's a god thing and that's true, it does require human obedience and it requires human faithfulness. So, yeomans, I say thank you for real, though. Well, thank you very much, and I appreciate the and I do apologize for how unprofessional I've been a little bit here at the end, but I appreciate the accolades. But we we will we will definitely probably have an yeoman's back on again, maybe in 2027, because there's there's so many things that he could he could add to a conversation like this. But absolutely thank you for joining me, Chris, for real though. Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 23:34

Yeah, thank you. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER_01 23:36

And uh tomorrow we'll go move on to day 200 and 201. The next two days are going to be on unequally, being unequally yoked, a new a new topic. And uh, so I hope you'll come back and be with us again tomorrow as we continue to read the connections, see the connections, and stay the connections. Thank you.