LCMS Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 2001, Page 109

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CONVENTION ESSAYS AND REACTIONS
building roads in the jungle that could handle our heavy
equipment—like very large generators.
The area he needed to go to for the research project was
deep in enemy-controlled territory. But the problem was
more complicated than just a patrol into enemy territory.
The student body of this professor’s university had staged
some demonstrations against our involvement in Vietnam.
The enemy had attacked us in concert with these demonstrations. We lost some soldiers during these attacks. The
enemy also repeatedly reminded us of their partnership with
the American students in a campaign to lower our morale.
The commander was afraid of two things. One, that the
enemy would kill the professor or, two, one of our soldiers
would kill the professor once he was out of the base camp in
reprisal for the student protests. This reprisal from some
of our soldiers was a very real threat.
The battalion commander’s request was simple. Would I
be willing to take this professor in and out of enemy territory and, if necessary, give my life for his safe return? He
said he trusted me with the man’s life. You realize, of
course, that the commander could have ordered me, but he
said he preferred that I volunteer. I said “yes” to the commander’s request. Five other soldiers volunteered to help
accomplish this mission. The six of us, all volunteers,
formed a combat team. My job was to be the bodyguard for
the professor. Each of the other five soldiers accepted a position on the team. Each soldier knew what his role was
and the exact expectations of the other members of the
team. Being a Lone Ranger under these conditions was
never considered.
I am pleased to report that the geologist was delivered to
where he needed to go for his research. In spite of some
complications with the enemy, by God’s providential care
and some excellent soldiering, he was returned safely to the
base camp. A few days later, the good professor returned to
the university in California with a slightly different view
of the Vietnam conflict and American soldiers.
There are two learnings from this war experience that I
believe have value for us assembled here this morning. One
learning is in regard to teamwork. The military accomplishes its mission through teams. The military blends people with different specialized training into well-balanced
teams. All army personnel, for example, have what is called
an m.o.s.—military occupational specialty. This indicates
what their primary role is in the armed forces. There is an
m.o.s. for a rifleman, a medic, a truck driver, a chaplain,
etc. Effective combat teams are those with the right number and combination of military occupational specialties.
The outreach emphasis “Tell the Good News about
Jesus” has been greatly blessed by teams at the national
and District level. Part of the strategy for this emphasis,
following the convention, will be “Tell the Good News” congregational outreach teams. We hope that everyone will actually verbalize the Good News about Jesus to those around
them, but we know there are outreach roles in addition to
this. Every member of the LCMS can be part of an outreach
team in their congregation.
A “Tell the Good the News” congregational outreach
team is composed of five or more members with a blend of
outreach opportunity disciples. The five outreach opportu-

109

nity disciples are tellers, encouragers, inviters, welcomers,
and disciplers. The titles are almost self-explanatory. The
tellers would be those who tell the Good News about Jesus
to those around them. The encouragers would be those who
encourage those who tell the Good News. The inviters
would be those who invite those around them to come and
hear the Good News at their congregation. The welcomers,
would be those who welcome those who respond to the invitation to visit, and the last member of the team would be
the disciplers who help catechize those who respond to the
Good News message. This teamwork enables everyone in
the congregation to play a critical role in reaching out and
bringing in those for whom Christ died.
The second learning involves the motivation to be part of
telling the Good News about Jesus to those around you.
The answer to the question of why I volunteered to go on
the mission into enemy territory is very similar to the question of why would you go home from this convention and
volunteer for, become trained as, and serve on a “Tell the
Good News” congregational outreach team.
First, I said “yes” because we were at war and I was very
tired of all the deaths. I was willing to go on a dangerous
mission if it would help, in some small way, to stop the
killing of Americans and Vietnamese.
Second, I said “yes” because I knew and completely
trusted the other volunteers on the team. I knew that they
would do everything possible to accomplish the mission and
to do so without loss of life—God willing.
Third, I said “yes” because my military training had prepared me to follow direct orders and/or the expectations of
my superiors. Good soldiers strive to accomplish the mission of their team or unit to the best of their ability, with or
without direct orders.
And fourth, because this man who asked me to volunteer was the same man who had left his safe place to come
to the village of Da Minh and bring me home.
Fellow Christian soldiers, I would suggest that we have
four very similar motivations to be part of telling the Good
News about Jesus to those around us.
First, to stop the deaths. Eze. 18:32: “For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!” Nor do we take any pleasure in the fact that
people are dying every day without faith in Christ. We have
the opportunity to do something about that. We have a
message of life and salvation. We can tell the Good News
about Jesus to those around us, not in order to be saved,
but because we have been saved by grace through faith.
Secondly, our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus
Christ, trusts people like you and me with His Gospel. In the
Great Commission, Jesus said to 11 quite ordinary people,
including some who doubted, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to
obey everything I have commanded you.” I pray that we
would understand this great command to be given to all of
us in the church. I pray also that we would be committed to
teaching all that He has commanded, and, finally, I pray that
we would recognize the great blessing of teamwork to accomplish our Lord’s desire for Kingdom expansion.
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