Iris is first and foremost about sharing the good news of Jesus and His love. We are not a faith-based humanitarian charity, rather we are a missions movement committed to a tangible expression of love. Our call, in particular, is to serve the destitute, the lost, the broken, and the forgotten.

Heidi & Rolland Baker didn’t set out to start an organization – they didn’t survey the landscape and choose a social problem to tackle.  Instead, they embarked on a life-mission to reach the lost with the soul-saving truth of Jesus.

In Rolland’s book, Keeping the Fire, he explores how Iris approaches ministry and uses the Core Values as a guide.  Our first value is to know Him in a passionate relationship with a love that is stronger than death. We major first of all not on mission strategy, methods, projects, and fundraising, but on encountering the love that a love-starved world craves and needs. This does not mean we are attracted to mindless, impersonal mysticism – to “experience” without content or relationship. No – Jesus is our heart’s desire. We relate to Him with both our minds and hearts; we engage with Him and find life and joy in our interaction. When we find Him we find and gain everything. Without Him we can do nothing of real value. Therefore we start by finding God and relying on Him! And as Heidi succinctly puts it, “All fruitfulness flows from intimacy.”

Our priority is prayer and worship, and the interesting thing is this: the more we pray, the more we want to go out on the streets. The more we dedicate ourselves to seeking the Father, the more we want to minister to the lost.  It is a natural overflow to progress from loving God with heart, soul, mind, and strength to loving our neighbor. The results of that overflow are the projects and programs Iris has to stop for the one in need.

We are confident in the part God has called us to play and we want to carry that call on faithfully to the end. It is with that confidence we humbly and earnestly cheer on others who are also part of God’s grand plan to show the world how much He loves it. Heidi has often explained this idea with an image of a fishing net. In her description, Iris is just one little piece of the net with other groups and individuals making up the rest. If we were all separate, no one would catch any fish, but it is through connection and support that many fish are caught.  The strength that Iris brings to the net is this: When you are filled with Love and grasp His beautiful pursuit of the ones He loves, you will take every opportunity to stop for the one in front of you.

It has been an unusually challenging few years for our teams in Mozambique with instability, unprecedented natural disasters, and now extremist violence impacting the northern province of Cabo Delgado. And yet — God. We marvel at His kindness and faithfulness and divine capacity to use all things for His glory.

In 2019, Cyclone Kenneth ravaged the northern coast of Mozambique a mere two months after Cyclone Idai broke records for flooding, damage, and lives lost in central Mozambique. We mobilized our relief efforts immediately and started by literally rescuing people out of trees. Cyclone Kenneth hit a region sparsely populated, difficult to reach, and already simmering with a violent insurgency — to an extent that international relief agencies refused to bring aid there. When our team based in Pemba found out no one would go there and that it was the very area we had been trying to bring the Gospel to, but had been repeatedly rebuffed, we volunteered to go. An official with one of the international agencies said if we went we would be on our own because of the danger. He told one of our missionaries, “You don’t care about your own lives enough and you’re all about Jesus.” What he thought might dissuade us only galvanized our conviction that we needed to go.

The only way to access these villages was by the ocean, so we loaded up a wooden fishing boat with food and supplies. As we approached, the people gathered to see what was happening. It had been three weeks since the cyclone and we were the first ones to bring relief. This same village that had refused us in the past now welcomed us with open arms and heartfelt gratitude. They happily accepted the supplies and were even more accepting to hear about Jesus and how much He loves them.

In November 2020, a man showed up at our church in Mieze (a small village near Pemba). He stood up on Sunday morning and gave an unexpected testimony. He began by saying he was from Nambo —the very first village we brought relief supplies to. He said after the cyclone, Iris came into his village and were the first people to make contact with them.

“…they gave us food, and then they came back and gave us tarps, and then they kept coming back to give us food. We didn’t understand why they did this. We were of another faith. They were Christians. Last month, the violent insurgents came back and attacked yet again completely destroying our village and burning everything. I ran with my family and told them wherever we ended up we’re going to go find a church. So I am here today to become a Christian and I want to find Jesus because of the help we received after the cyclone.”

Our Pastor Martinho and elders prayed with the man and his family and they all have received Jesus and the hope of eternity. To God be the glory!

Before you were conceived in your mother’s womb you were a thought in the heart of Papa God, according to Jeremiah 1:4. 

Think about that for a second. Papa God knew you. 

This begs the question, who were you before you were in your mother’s womb? 

It is important for us to come back to our original intention that the Father created us with. Therein, we find the glory we were created for; there we can move towards our destiny. Like the eagle’s home is in the sky, you were created to live within the ocean of God’s love. Living in the fullness of who God created us to be is the place where we become fully alive in Jesus. 

Who are you? 

This question is more important than “What do you do?” I’m not talking about your title, but your identity. If you cannot answer this question, I believe that today you have a sweet invitation from the Father to discover who you were in Him before time began.

The truth is, you were made in God’s image. While there are things about you that may be true, they are not THE TRUTH. What God says and thinks about you is the whole truth.

You were created to reflect an aspect of the beauty and the glory of God uniquely that those around you are able to experience the goodness, the kindness and the glory of who God is, through you, His beloved. 

One of my favorite quotes is this, “I dare say we have heard a bit about original sin, but not nearly enough about original glory, which comes before sin and is deeper to our nature. We were crowned with glory and honor.” 

– John Eldredge

How has the Father crowned you?

I want to challenge you to answer this important question today — Who does Papa God say that you are? Make a list of ten things that you hear Papa God saying and declare them over yourself for the next 30 days.

 

More than two thousand years after Jesus commissioned his first disciples to go to the ends of the earth, billions of people around the world still have not heard His name. These unreached people groups need access to the Word of God in a way that they can understand.

My wife Stephanie and I came face to face with this reality in 1998, when we traveled to the jungles of the Amazon, seeking to make contact with a remote unreached tribe. But when we got there, I realized we had no effective way to communicate the Gospel to them. We found an amazing resource called the “JESUS” film, which visually depicts the story of Jesus, and began translating it into their language. But how would we show the film in remote villages without electricity? And how would we bring all the bulky equipment required for a movie showing up the river with just a small canoe?

Those crucial questions sparked an idea that led to what became Renew World Outreach. At Renew, we develop digital technology and strategies that empower missionaries to overcome the physical and cultural barriers to presenting the Gospel and multiply their field impact. We’re constantly innovating new strategies and tools to get God’s word distributed around the world, including portable video projector systems, solar-powered audio Bible players, microSD cardscontaining a digital library of Gospel media, and WiFi hotspots that distribute Gospel resources.

These tools and strategies, in the hands of local indigenous field workers, loaded with media resources like the “JESUS” film and audio Bible recordings in local languages, have been transforming the landscape of the mission field, helping church-planting movements that are exploding across regions that were previously difficult to penetrate.

From the rural villages of Zambia, where hundreds gather in below-freezing temperatures to watch the “JESUS” film; to Sudanese refugee camps, where dozens listen together to the Bible in their language on an audio Bible player; to a bus in Southeast Asia, where commuting passengers connect to a Lightstream WiFi hotspot to watch the story of Jesus on their phones, these tools and strategies are helping missionaries across the world introduce people to Jesus and disciple new believers in unreached areas.

One of our field partners in South Sudan uses audio Bible players to form Bible listening groups that gather regularly to listen to and discuss the Bible. In one group, a 104-year-old woman heard the Gospel proclaimed in her language for the first time in her life. She was overjoyed, saying, “I am so thankful God kept me alive long enough to hear this in my language!”

It is a great injustice that she waited 104 years to hear God’s word in her own language. No one should have to wait so long, yet there are still billions waiting to hear. Join us as we all team up to make Jesus famous among the nations where He’s not yet known.

Written by David Palusky, Renew World Outreach

Missions strategies that multiply your impact

Are you called to re-present Heaven on earth?

God recently placed it on my heart to invest in 400 people who are called to be ambassadors of love.

Love is the culture of heaven and honor is what love looks like expressed on earth. Are you willing to become fluent in the language of love?

Not everyone is called to represent a country, but everyone is called to represent King Jesus and extend the kingdom. Every believer is commissioned to make the earth look like heaven.

In order to represent the Kingdom of heaven, you need to go on a journey into maturity which includes getting to know yourself and becoming familiar with Papa God’s character and heart.

What are you seeing? Where are you seeing? Are you seeing the size of the problem or are you seeing how big Papa God is?

When we grow in maturity and the wisdom of stewarding favor with God and man, uncommon favor is the result. God is looking for someone who can let go of what they trusted in previously and will recognize the glory of God, and see Him as He truly is.

We need to position ourselves to receive the cleansing message from heaven and we can present ourselves.

If you’d like to learn more about becoming an ambassador of love, click here to watch a special video.

Your alignment is critical to your life assignment because if your heart is not fully connected to God’s heart, you will strive to perform in order to connect with God, rather than living from the connection you already have. Many believers have trouble hearing the Father’s voice because they are sitting in the wrong chair. They are out of alignment, living from Chair 2 when they need to be in Chair 1.

‘Chair One’ represents the Kingdom of God with the Holy Spirit resting on sons and daughters who see the face and hear the voice of their Father. When we are in alignment, our ears are tuned to hear Him. Open heavens are received between the ears.

‘Chair Two’ represents the kingdom of self, in which we are controlled by what we feel and think. In Chair 2, the soul is the dominant force, Papa God’s voice is filtered through our mind, will, and emotions before getting to the spirit. Our minds, will, and emotions are nothing to be afraid of when we are in alignment because our spirit is taking the lead.

Consider this: What areas of your life might be out of alignment with God? How can you step back into alignment?

Click here to watch a video on this topic <<<

For most of my life, I’ve lived with a fear of flying. I would medicate before traveling because I had trouble breathing during the flight. This fear is problematic for an itinerant speaker! If you experience aerophobia, you know what I’m talking about here. It’s a miserable and crippling experience. On one of my flights, I was sitting next to a young girl when we started to experience intense turbulence. I clenched my fists and held on to my seat. I was so nervous! I looked over at this young girl and saw that she was smiling, laughing, and full of joy. I finally asked her, “Were you not nervous?” She quickly responded, “Oh no, this was so much fun! My dad is the pilot. I’m on a trip with my dad!”

The young girl’s response struck me. The turbulence didn’t bother her because she knew her dad’s skillset and was confident in his ability to fly the plane, no matter how bumpy it got! The young girl knew that her dad was going to take care of her. My healing journey started soon after this experience. For the past ten years, I have been able to fly without fear of heights or turbulence because I changed my perspective.

For many years, I had a view of God that didn’t look like Jesus. When there was a sin issue in my life or I did something wrong, I experienced a God who turned away from me because He was Holy and couldn’t be near me in my unholiness. I want to challenge you to take a moment and journal the following questions:

What is your perspective of God? What we see shapes who we are, and often, how we see God is how we view ourselves. Do you trust Him? Does He love you unconditionally? Write down the things you believe to be true about God and His nature.

Is there anything on your list that does not look like Jesus? Jesus is perfect theology. In John 14:9, Jesus speaks to Phillip, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” Jesus came to give us a proper perspective of God and what He is like. Jesus is the best example for our identity journeys. Whether it’s fear, unforgiveness, bitterness, or anything else, God isn’t judging you. He’s looking at you with the most loving eyes, waiting to take those things from you and destroy them once and for all.

Once I identified my improper perspectives, I repented from thinking in a way that didn’t glorify God. We often spend time fearing a future that will never happen. Reflect on what God says. Start visualizing positive outcomes. Identify what’s causing the fear, and spend time discovering the truth. Perhaps you’ve had things spoken over you—by yourself or others—that have skewed your way of thinking. Identify and renounce the lie, and prophesy the truth about your vision.

In my daily routine these days, I spend a short time watching the news and focus my efforts on Kingdom realities and solutions. If your primary input is fear, it’s difficult to see things from a higher point of view. God’s lens is never fearful (2 Tim 1:7).

What if the endemic problem in the world is not the problem itself–persecution, terrorism, poverty–but rather that people need to step into their truest identities as sons and daughters of glory. People who unabashedly, unapologetically walk in their destinies, master their skillset, and flow in a convergence of love, power, and wisdom.

In the wilderness, God’s people asked for manna, but the next day they wanted fresh bread again. They lived day-by-day dependency because that was how they received in that season. When they moved into the Promised Land, they planted. They created gardens. They were still dependent, but they received a seed that would become a lifestyle.

We have to see how the sower and soil work together—to sow the right seed in the right soil, the right environment, the right heart. Instead of a one-time encounter with joy, peace, or love, they get access to fruitful trees of joy, peace, and love. They don’t need to come back the next day asking for the same thing because they can eat the fruit anytime.

People often tell me they are waiting for a baptism of love, hoping for it as a single encounter. I would rather give them a process for full-time access. If they can stick with the process for 30 days, then they get an upgrade. Here’s the process I follow:

First, think what God thinks.

Second, feel what God feels.

Third, hear what God hears.

Fourth, and then say what He thinks, feels and says—even when it is very often the opposite of your own thoughts, feelings, and words.

The seeds that God plants in your heart during this time will grow up into beautiful trees that bear fruit. If our relationship with the Lord is moving from one encounter to the next, we will find ourselves looking for something new every couple of weeks to keep us going. But God wants to plant in you a seed of love that can grow deep roots in the soil of love so that you can have a tree of love that feeds you continually.

Don’t live just for key moments and experiences. Start seeing yourself the way He sees you. Let your roots grow deeper in love so that you can receive more love and your spirit will tune in to His voice. Rest, receive, and be.

God’s deepest desire for us is that we would be rooted and grounded in love, that we would know the height and depth and width and breadth of the love of Christ, which surpasses understanding. The Bible says God is love, so we can never be comfortable with God if we don’t also get comfortable with love.

If we are rooted and grounded in love and experience every dimension of God’s love, then we are filled with God’s fullness. That’s where our intimacy with Him thrives. When you’re living from fullness, you’re no longer living from measure. Your supply is beyond sufficient; it’s abundant.

 

Experiencing God’s Fullness

Once, as I was walking through the Oslo airport, a verse came to mind in the form of a rap. I normally don’t think that way, but in Norwegian, this verse about being rooted and grounded in love (Ephesians 3:17) just came in perfect rhythm. (In English it would have been something like, “Rooted and grounded in love, hey! How high, how deep, how long, how wise…” and so on like that.) As I was singing this to myself, I started to feel waves of being rooted and grounded in love.

When I arrived at the city where I was speaking, I discovered that this was the verse my host was reading for the event. Later, I met different people who express this same verse— an Egyptian mother, then back in Oslo a former Muslim from Afghanistan who used to abuse his wife. Each one explained that waves of love had been touching them, and I could see the transformation on their faces. They had glowing expressions.

Love is the center of life that holds all things together. While everyone in Chairs 2 and 3 live in fear and restlessness, we know that “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).

 

Becoming What We Behold

As we have seen again and again, intimacy is about loving God for who He is. That’s the invitation of Chair 1. By just being with Him, we learn how to see His face and hear His voice. We become what we behold, just as in the garden Adam and Eve saw, heard, felt, experienced, and encountered the Father as those made in His image. They gazed at Him and were like Him. They were one with Him in intimacy.

Whatever you’re facing today, I want to encourage you to take a moment to receive God’s love. His good thoughts toward you outnumber the sand on the seashore. Ask, “Papa, what do You see when You see me? What do You think about when You think of me?” When we enter into a process with what God speaks over us, we get more than an encounter; we get a lifestyle of love.