Who Needs Normal?

As Christ-Followers, We Must Expect More after COVID-19

By: Jim Shannon

For most of us, it is natural to long for a return to some form of normality following the disruptions of the last few months. Our lives have been turned upside down. Our daily rhythms have been shattered. But this thinking implies that the old “normal” was acceptable. As believers, can we really say this?

The old normal leaves over 3.1 billion people with little to no access to the gospel. Consider the following from the Barna Group¹:

Only 2% of evangelical Christians regularly share their faith;
Only 18% of American Christians are familiar with the term “Great Commission”;
Successive generations of American young people identify as less religious than previous generations; and
49% of American millennial evangelicals believe evangelism is wrong.

Is this the “normal” to which we long to return? We must expect more!

COVID-19 and the ensuing lockdowns have opened a door of opportunity for those who long to see the fulfillment of Matthew 24:14—“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” If history is any indication, God is preparing the spiritual soil for a great harvest. The early Church saw explosive growth following successive plagues in the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The resulting expansion eclipsed even the work of the Apostle Paul in the 1st century and catapulted the Christian Church from a persecuted minority to the official religion of the Roman Empire. We are already seeing the signs of a new spiritual openness. Stories are pouring in from near and far. Friends and family who previously had no interest in discussing spiritual matters are eager to study the Bible. Others who were unavailable due to severe time constraints are now free to learn more about the claims of Christianity. The global Church is responding in love, with innumerable acts of kindness and service and untold numbers are turning to Jesus.

But, how long will this continue if we are satisfied with drifting back into “normal”?

Here are four key commitments that I believe we must embrace as followers of Jesus in order to join God in what He is doing now and in the coming days²:

1. Commitment #1 – Develop and maintain an extraordinary focus on prayer and fasting
If ever there was a person who could successfully minister to others in his own power, it would have been Jesus. However, He modeled something altogether different for us. He was consistently going off to be alone with the Father. Moreover, when His disciples were unable to cast out a particular demon in a young boy, Jesus told them in Mark 9:29 “…’This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.’” In other words, when you are facing this level of spiritual opposition, your only effective resource is prayer and fasting.

When I used to think of prayer and fasting, I equated it with a daily quiet time. And don’t get me wrong. That is important. But the kind of prayer and fasting I am talking about goes way beyond this. The daily quiet time is only the starting place.

A couple of years ago, some friends and I had been doing door-to-door evangelism in Dallas and we had gotten into the habit of doing two or three prayer walks around a neighborhood or apartment complex before we started knocking on doors. I believed our process was adequate for the task. Why then were the results so unsatisfactory? I asked one of the highly successful church planters in South Asia what they did when entering a new place. He replied, “We don’t enter a new place until we have prayer walked it for six months.” He also described to me all-night prayer sessions with his church leaders and month-long fasts. In fact, in January 2020, several hundred movement leaders from around the world fasted the entire month. They were asking God for two things: 1) That He would raise up indigenous leaders among every remaining unreached people group in the world and 2) that a church planting team would begin working in each of those people groups by the end of 2025.

If we want to change the world, we must humble ourselves and ask the one who can bring it about. In other words, instead of praying for the work, we must begin to look at prayer as an integral part of the work.

2. Commitment #2 – Develop a Biblical view and acceptance of sacrifice and suffering as an ordinary part of the Christian life
We all have a filter through which we evaluate our commitments. How much time will it take? How much will it cost? Will it be difficult? Will I enjoy it? Much of our concern is whether it will create “discomfort” for us or our loved ones. Jesus never gave His disciples any illusions about the fact that true discipleship requires sacrifice. Luke 9:23 tells us: “And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Not the most appealing sales pitch I’ve ever heard.

In Luke 15:18-20a He tells His disciples – “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you…”

As followers of Christ we should expect persecution, hardship, and sacrifice. How then have we fallen into the deception that God’s blessing can be measured by our level of personal safety and material comfort? By doing so we position the voluntary relinquishment of those things as undesirable when everything in Scripture screams otherwise! In a sense we have spiritualized our materialism and by doing so have distorted it into a virtue.

If we would join God in what He is doing, we must cast off our “comfort filters” and be willing to embrace sacrifice and suffering.

3. Commitment #3 – Make obedience a priority
Jesus was big on obedience, wasn’t He? Not only did He practice it, but He expected it from those who would be His followers. In John 14:15 He said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Seems pretty clear doesn’t it? James tells us in James 4:17 “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” I think we all understand and believe this. But if that’s the case, why does the church in America look so much like the world? For many of us, the pursuit of religion has become merely an intellectual pursuit. In this mindset, the accumulation of spiritual knowledge becomes an end in itself. We go to church, we hear a sermon, we get convicted, and by the end of lunch we have forgotten what the sermon was about. We have a vague understanding of the major doctrines of the faith but do they impact the way we live?

I will give you an example from my own life. I remember when I first read Luke 10 with a real effort to understand exactly what it meant. You know the story—Jesus sent His disciples out into the villages that He was intending to visit. He told them to go out two-by-two, take no money, no extra clothing or shoes, etc. etc. I remember scratching my head and wondering, “Why did He tell them to do it that way? It seems like a pretty flimsy plan.” I finally decided that He must have been teaching them dependence. “Oh, I get it. He wants us to be dependent on Him and on the power of the Holy Spirit.” I went away feeling good that God had revealed a new truth to me. I filed it away in my mind and didn’t do anything differently.

Now, compare that with a former Hindu friend of mine in South Asia who, as a new believer, read the same passage. What did he do? He gathered up some fellow new believers, they prayed about it, and felt the Lord was speaking to them. No one had yet taught them how to share their faith so they bought some evangelistic tracts in the local language, borrowed some bicycles, and set out—taking no money, no extra clothes, no extra shoes.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Nothing. We rode 90 kilometers, one-way. We went hungry a couple of nights, slept in the open a couple of nights, and handed out all of our tracts.”

“Did anyone come to Christ?”

“No.”

“So what did you do?”

“We did it again.”

They did it five times. That was nearly twenty years ago. If you ride with him now up that same road, there are over 700 churches that he has helped plant. Do you see the difference? My idea of obedience was theoretical, intellectual. His was literal.

Obedience is not optional if our desire is to finish the task.

4. Commitment #4 – Be intentional about evangelism and discipleship
The United States Marines have a saying—“Every Marine a rifleman.” What they mean by this is that no matter what other specialized role you may fill, first and foremost you are a rifleman. A similar statement can be made about followers of Christ—“Every disciple a disciple-maker.” In effect, this is simply a restatement of the long-held Protestant doctrine of the priesthood of the believer. We tend to give it lip service when it suits us but then choose to delegate to the “professionals” when it becomes inconvenient. In this paradigm, our commitment to evangelism can be met by simply inviting people to church to be evangelized by the specialists who have been trained (and paid) for this sort of thing. But the Apostle Paul, in 2 Cor. 5:17-20, informs the Corinthian congregation,

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”

If this isn’t clear enough, listen to these chilling words from Christ Himself. In Matthew 12:30 He says, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” He seems to be saying, “If you won’t be part of the solution, you are part of the problem.”

Therefore, if we want to join God in what He is doing, we must reclaim our identity as His ambassadors and become highly intentional about evangelism and discipleship.

So, I ask you, what do you think would happen if we, collectively, were to embrace these four principles?
1) Develop and maintain an extraordinary focus on prayer and fasting.
2) Develop a Biblical view and acceptance of sacrifice and suffering as an ordinary part of the Christian life.
3) Make obedience a priority.
4) Be intentional about evangelism and discipleship.

God is doing an astonishing work in our own generation—even more so in recent days. And He is using those who have committed to live according to a radical pattern of obedience. Will you be prepared to make the necessary adjustments to join Him or are you more committed to getting back to normal?

If the former, we want to give you opportunities to live according to this radical pattern of obedience. Three of these opportunities are new initiatives from e3 Partners, including Virtual Trips, Live Second Groups and Bible Stories of Hope. Scroll down to learn more about each one.

¹(The Barna Group is a US-based company, widely considered to be the leading research organization focused on the intersection of faith and culture.)
²(These are based upon observations of successful movement leaders who are shepherding large, multiplying movements of disciples and churches—many in some of the most unreached parts of the world.)

Virtual Trips

Live Second Groups

Bible Stories of Hope

Virtual Trips

Live Second Groups

Bible Stories of Hope

Go on a Virtual Trip

e3’s virtual mission trips allow you to go and make disciples across the world through the use of digital media.

Learn More About Virtual Trips

Join a Live Second Group

e3’s online Christian community strategy connects you with other believers and provides you with Biblical content and coaching.

Learn More About Live Second Groups

Learn How You Can Share Bible Stories of Hope with Others

People are searching for hope right now, and as Christians, we have an opportunity to share the one true source of hope with them. This discovery Bible study series shows you a simple way to do that.

Watch the Series

Dennis Larkin Staff Support Fundraiser

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Friends,

I want to personally thank you for your continued prayer and support of my ministry with e3 Partners. We are constantly amazed by everything God is accomplishing in Nigeria and you have been a part of it.

On Thursday, September 8, we are celebrating e3 Giving Day. Every online donation completed on this very special day will be enhanced by a bonus pool offered by several generous contributors. This means that if you make an additional gift on e3 Giving Day, a percentage of this bonus pool will be added to it, making it go farther!

So how can you participate?

1. Follow e3 Partners on Facebook. This is a great opportunity to connect with others who are supporting me and other field staff on September 8. You can also learn about the exciting things God is doing through us!

2. Pray about how you might participate. As September 8 approaches, prayerfully consider how you could support my ministry with an additional gift.

3. Visit my online fundraising page. On September 8, go online and make a donation of any amount by visiting: https://www.purecharity.com/fundraisers/5758/fund

Your donation will be credited to my support account, along with a percentage of the bonus pool.I can’t thank you enough for your support. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at Dennis.Larkin@e3partners.org or (909) 815-5471.

Until the whole world hears,

Dennis Larkin
e3 Nigeria

Today is E3 Partners annual Giving Day.

Posted a week ago

Today is the day that your donation is enhanced to make an even bigger difference in our partnering with our Nigerian partners in evangelism, discipleship and Church Planting. Thank you for helping us to continue this vital ministry. God bless you

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Dennis Larkin
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E3Partners Giving Day 2019 is coming soon

Posted a week ago

Habakkuk 2:14 tells us, “For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea,” and that’s what we’ve been working towards since e3 Partners began in 1987 – filling the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Last year alone, through God’s immeasureable power, we saw over 500,000 people come to know Christ and over 46,000 churches planted.

The word “partners” is in our name for a reason. The work God does through this ministry could not be done without all the people who partner with us on trips, at trainings, financially, through prayer, and by other means. That includes you. You have made an immense impact for the Kingdom of God, and I am grateful for you.

We’re seeing the gospel spread at rapidly increasing rates, but there is still work to be done. Across the world, there are 3.1 billion people who are far from God. That’s the entire U.S. population times ten!

Hearing that makes you want to do something, right? It motivates us every day at e3. It pushes us to continue raising up disciples and planting churches so that the gospel may spread like wildfire throughout the earth, and this September, there’s an opportunity for you to help us add more fuel to that “fire”. – e3 Giving Day!

What is e3 Giving Day?

e3 Giving Day is an event from 6AM to midnight on Thursday, September 12th to help raise awareness and support for e3 Partners. Every donation made to a staff support account that day will be enhanced by a pool of bonus funds. That means on September 12th, every dollar is worth more than $1!

This is an opportunity to go above and beyond, to help us do more. More churches planted. More baptisms. More disciples of Christ! So how can you participate?
- Mark September 12, 2019 on your calendar! Remember this date!
- Spread the word! Share e3 Partners’ Giving Day posts on Facebook & Twitter, and tell your friends and family about it. Help get others involved!
- Pray about participation.
- Visit my online fundraising page. On September 12, to make a donation by visiting: https://purecharity.com/fundraisers/5758/fund or visit www.e3partners.org/givingday. You can also make a donation via check by following these instructions:
1. The mailing envelope containing the check MUST be postmarked on September 12, 2019
2. The check must be mailed directly to the e3 Partners Plano Office: 2001 W Plano Parkway, Suite 2600 Plano, TX 75075

3. The mailing envelope MUST also contain a note that indicates the check is for e3 Giving Day and the specific staff support account
*This note can be handwritten
Your donation will be credited to my support account, along with a portion of the bonus funds.

Again, I am so grateful for you. Your generosity and partnership with e3 Partners have made a significant impact for the Kingdom of God and for me personally.

If you have any questions, feel free to send me an email at dennis.larkin@e3partners.org or give me a call at 909-815-5471.
Until the whole world hears,

Dennis Larkin

Nigeria Strategy Director

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Dennis Larkin
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Nigeria and Greece in One trip

Posted a week ago

I am so privileged to be leading a trip to Nigeria June 28-May 20. We will be training about 30 Reproducing Disciple Makers at each of 15 individual training days. They will be equipped to: share their salvation story, the Gospel, Prayer walking/knocking, discipleship and much more. Please join me in prayerfully supporting these newly trained evangelist and disciple makers as they begin a new ministry of presenting the Gospel to every Nigerian.

I will then join an e3 medical team in Greece to bring medical aid and compassion to the Syrian refugees in Greece and to share with them the love of God and the Gospel to begin a church planting movement in Greece and beyond.

Please pray for me and my partners as we serve HIM by serving them.

Posted by:
Dennis Larkin
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Giving Day 2016 Update

Posted a week ago

Tuesday was a very good day for our ministry efforts
You all made a huge impact for HIS Kingdom.

You all donated $5,550 on Tuesday to my account.

You also committed an additional monthly increase of $300 per month

Personally I know of some who tried to make donations and were unable. I have some good news about that too.

I received a message late Tuesday night from our president of e3:
Pure Charity’s third-party server company experienced a severe problem that negatively impacted the performance of their platform and caused some donors to experience delays and other errors. We are terribly sorry and we apologize to you and to your donors, though it was something beyond both e3 and Pure Charity.

To help make up for today’s glitch, we are working with Pure Charity and the server provider to make sure their servers are stabilized and up for another go at it. Therefore, we will have an e3 Giving Day Part Two…

The next day we learned that they are extending the Giving Day from now until September 30.

That means if you know someone who missed out or had trouble please let them know of this amazing opportunity.

Thank you so much for giving of your hard earned resources and thank you for encouraging me so wonderfully.

God bless you

Dennis Larkin

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Dennis Larkin
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November Nigeria Training Trip

Posted a week ago

In just a little over 2 months I will be in Nigeria, training trainers, church planters and disciple makers from virtually every denomination in Nigeria. This is our first official trip and I am blown away by what God is already doing. This is truly the beginning steps of a new church planting movement and I have a front row seat and I want you to sit next to me and see what God does. I will also be training these leaders and future leaders are ways to prevent Human Trafficking.

e3partners' annual Giving Day is Tuesday September 20. It is a 24 hour event to raise funds for the work of God is specific places. My fund is for my work in Nigeria. It is also a way to increase awareness of e3partners. You can be a huge help by both giving financially on Giving Day and also promote Giving Day to others. I want to encourage you to do both. Would you also pray for this day to raise the needed resources.

Thanks for you involvement in advancing HIS Kingdom.

God bless you

Dennis Larkin

Please donate here
https://www.purecharity.com/fundraisers/5758/fund

Posted by:
Dennis Larkin
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The Adventure begins

Posted a week ago

I love adventure and a good challenge especially when it involves others. I am starting to take the first steps in a new adventure that is taking me nearly halfway around the world. I’m headed to Nigeria to influence the country for His kingdom.

Here are a few facts you may not know about Nigeria. Nigeria is twice the size of California and has half the population of the entire USA. Nigeria is the 3 largest English speaking nation in the world, after India and the USA. Nigeria is the 8th most populous country in the world. The vast majority of people in Nigeria do not have a real relationship with the God who created them.

e3 is partnering in this adventure wth local church leaders and other ministries first in Lokoja Nigeria. We’re training trainers who will train church planters. This is 2 Timothy 2:2 in action.

Nigeria is a country that has nearly been torn in two by the Boko Haram. Our God is a God of salvation and redemption and restoration. Pray for the people of Nigeria to seek after God and that God would rescue them by His mighty hand.

Here is a little background about e3partners
In 29 years e3partners has:
Planted 104,000 Churches
Trained 500,000 Nationals
Presented the gospel 5.4 Million times
Recorded 2.4 Million Professions of Faith
Currently in 50 Countries
Goal is to plant 1 Million reproducing churches by 2020

I want to invite you to partner with me.
Will you financially support this ministry monthly
Will you prayerful support this ministry
Will you join me on a Church Planting Trip
Will you recommend to me others that may desire to partner with me

Thanks for taking the time to visit my page.

Until the Whole World Knows HIM

Dennis Larkin

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Dennis Larkin
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