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ByFaith TV Questions and Answers with Paul Backholer and Mathew Backholer Mathew, what is the call to discipleship? “The call to discipleship in its most basic sense is to be in the centre of God’s will, to live for Jesus Christ and to be obedient to His commands. It has been said that Christianity is looking at the cross, but discipleship is getting on the cross- Jesus said that we need to take up our cross daily and follow Him.” Paul, every episode has a biblical theme. Did you write scripts before you left? “This really is reality TV. We wrote no scripts, we just went and put our faith in God. In the editing stage, it was clear that each mission had a unique theme, so we included them into the series and wrote some Bible studies for cell/youth groups to use with the DVDs.” Mathew, how effective is tract evangelism? Do you always use English tracts? “I believe that is a very successful way of sowing the seed of the gospel. Not everybody has time to stop and talk to a stranger, but many are willing to take a tract and read it at their leisure. They are also good as a follow up to a meaningful conversation or even as an icebreaker. When I worked as an engineer in a factory, I started to give them out to my colleagues; leave quality tracts or pamphlets in strategic places - curiosity always gets the better of people. In answer to your second question, we use tracts in the language of the local people.” Paul, as the message is discipleship, what about long-term follow up? “Excellent point to make; we love to work with pastors, missionaries etc., to make sure that the work is on-going. We want people to know about all the amazing Christian work around the world. That is why we have included testimonies, a lifetime missionary in France and several Asian Pastors. It is a window into their world.” Mathew, do you have to be a missionary or pastor to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? “No, but you may be the evangelist and missionary in your place of work - we are all called to be salt and light. A disciple is a follower of Jesus Christ. Each individual must be doing what God has called them to do. You can be a disciple of Jesus at college, in the factory, at the office and at home looking after your children. Be faithful in that which has been entrusted to you.” Paul, why did you go to so many countries? “We did not plan to visit them all. We just took one mission at a time and when we got home we prayed about the future. In one prayer meeting the door to North Africa was opened to us; in another, many months later, the Lord confirmed that He wanted us to go to Asia for several months.” Mathew, in Episode 2, the theme is revival. Do you really believe a great revival is coming to the West? “Why just the West? God is the Creator of the entire earth! We need to ask God for our inheritance - the nations (Psalm 2:8). God was concerned about the great city of Nineveh (Jonah 4:11); He’s just as much concerned over London, Paris and New York, as He is over Delhi, Tokyo and Sydney. It would not be the first time a great revival has swept across the globe - God does not change. We have the same Bible as Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, John Wesley, Evan Roberts etc. Virtually all of God’s promises are conditional. As long as we do our part, God will never fail to do His- “If My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive your sin and come and heal your land” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Paul, what about the practical side of missions? Do you have to be a linguist? Do you need lots of money? How do you stay healthy? “If you are working with local Christian leaders, they can do the translation for you. So you don’t have to speak many languages; however it would help. There are many ways to keep the cost of the mission low. We flew into Europe on a £25 return flight and stayed in a youth hostel. In Africa and Asia, hotels can be as cheap as £1.50 each per night. We took a kettle with us, so we could eat noodles in the evening. That way, we only had to eat out once a day. You have to be careful. In an effort to save money, you can compromise your health. It’s important to be wise and consult your doctor before any mission. Before I left, I had so many vaccinations, it seemed never ending!” Mathew, you have both worked in youth groups, been itinerant preachers and led youth camps. Did that help you prepare the cell/youth group Bible Studies for the DVDs? “Yes it did; experience is worth a ton of theory. The more you spend time with people, the more you begin to understand and come to know the areas in which they struggle. Having read the Holy Bible for over two decades, it does make it easier to find and explain biblical truth in a relevant way.” Paul, how is a mission in Europe challenging? “In Europe, you may have a nice hotel, but many people’s hearts have grown hard. In Asia, the travel may be hard, some hotels may be ugly – but the people’s hearts are softer. In Europe, we usually give out tracts (in their languages) and then see what the Lord does. Once we were going out for an ice cream and a young man invited himself along. We spent an hour talking with him about the Lord; it was amazing! It was a divine appointment where the person asked if he could join us!” Mathew, in the episode in France, you share the testimony of a missionary’s life’s work. Is it important to tell the story of long-term missionaries? “Yes, totally. These are the people who have gone before us and have done so much in fulfilling the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Imagine if the history from the Old and New Testaments had not been written down. We have the Bible stories as our examples; they were written for our admonition so that we would not make the same mistakes as some characters did (1 Corinthians 10:11). We can all learn from the mistakes of others (and rejoice in what they have done) as we cannot live long enough to make them all ourselves! The Bible does commend us to honour those who labour in the truth (Philippians 2:25-30 and 1 Timothy 5:17), and even though they may be dead, they still speak (Hebrews 11:4). Even though our work is short-term, the nations need long-term missionaries as well.” Paul, tell us about the ByFaith website “The ByFaith website (www.byfaith.co.uk) is updated monthly, and has around one thousand pages. People can find answers to their spiritual and practical questions. Every month people visit the site and it helps them on their journey of discipleship - in everyday life.” Mathew, can a website be a tool, which the Lord uses? “Yes, it is another medium which can be used to share your faith, to encourage, to build up, to inform or to correct wrong mindsets etc. Good websites need to be promoted, by email or word of mouth etc. You may not be an evangelist, but we are all called to witness. You may not be a pastor, but all disciples should be helping mentor others, teaching them the whole counsel of God. Christians need to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why not use a website to help disciple people across the world? The ByFaith website (www.byfaith.co.uk) has reached more people in one year than I have spoken to in thirty years! When I sleep, the website does not - its 24/7 every week, all year long.” Paul, how can we help disciple people online? “There are now millions of people who can read English in the developing world and have access to the Internet. We get emails from people in many nations thanking us for our website (www.byfaith.co.uk) which is helping them in their walk of discipleship. Also in the West, people have many questions about life, and can visit a website like ours and seek out an answer; being empowered, they can take that message and help others in their local church or youth group.” Mathew, how can people get involved with missions? “Everyone can pray. Most people can give. If you want to go, or feel God prompting you, speak with a Christian leader in your local church and ask for advice. There are many well-known organisations that help people to go out for their first short-term mission – do a search online and ask around. I have also written a book called 'Mission Preparation Training', which covers 29 topics (35 lessons) to help people prepare for the mission field and we recommend studying missions before you leave home.” Paul, how can study help people become disciples? It’s important to understand the foundational doctrines of Christianity and to be able to give a defence for that which we believe in. However, we don’t become a disciple of Jesus by completing a course and receiving a certificate which says, ‘You are now a disciple of Jesus Christ!’ We need to study, we need discipleship courses…however, discipleship is not a course that we complete; it is the life we live! It is putting Jesus Christ first in your life and letting His will be your first priority. ByFaith TV Premier Radio Interview |
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