Should we AIM lower than what God wants?

AIM stands for Apprenticeship In Mission. As Sharon and I begin to head up this program in Spain under Operation Mobilization we want to operate as closely as possible to how Jesus operated. We will take a limited number of apprentices (starting around October 2015) and share life together as we share the gospel in the towns around us. Jesus, with his 6 teams of 2, took the Gospel of the Kingdom to the 200 Jewish towns of Galilee in about a year’s time. I don’t have quite that many towns on my list. But we have a big job here between the mountains and the river.

How do we go about this? Not by doing anything new. From our earliest days in Spain we have worked with children, engaging young people as helpers and leaders. We have learned to let people offer their homes, and gather small groups of children who participate in activities based on the video teaching that they receive. We connect with parents so they know what their children are learning. We also have included picnics and camps.

Who do we work with? I guess there is a new factor here. In the past all our volunteers have been from our church. Now we want to give the opportunity to anyone who wants to help in a Christian venture. If they are not clear about the faith they will begin to understand as we have retreats together to show them how to minister to children.

One thing we need to learn from Jesus is to go to the synagogues (Matthew 4:23 and 9:35). The reason for this, of course, is that this is where the godly Jews met. And also, outside of Israel, the Gentile seekers, which was why Paul visited synagogues. What represents the synagogues in Spain? It’s Catholic parishes. That’s where people look for God. We want to be more direct than in the past, and offer the gospel in a very straightforward way.

Of course, Jesus warned that the synagogues would be a source of persecution. Paul discovered this also. But we want to give it a try.

What part will the apprentices play? One of the first things we must do when they arrive is to see where each one is: their level of Spanish, their experience and their gifts. Then we want to find the exact place where they fit in. They will also be doing studies in discipleship and missions, perhaps linking up with some of the missionaries around here who work with Muslim immigrants. Some key areas of need would be to work with the logistics of our outreach, preparation of new videos and being friends with people their age.

This is not a new idea. Over 20 years ago I started writing out the Galilee Plan. With God’s leading it can catch on like a brush fire. We are ready to commit ourselves to the apprentices. If you know of someone who might fit, put them in touch with us.

Video on AIM in Spain