Global Kingdom worker: David Eubank
Role in The Mind of a Missionary: He appears in section two: Expectations, chapter six: A Posture of Expectancy.
Dates: 1959—present
Location of missions work: Myanmar (formerly Burma), Iraq, and Sudan
Known for: David Eubank is the director and founder of Free Burma Rangers, a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement working to bring help, hope, and love to people in the conflict zones of Burma, Iraq, and Sudan. He is a former commander in the U. S. Military who now serves as a missionary in war-torn regions of the earth.
In The Mind of a Missionary, section two: Expectations, chapter six: A Posture of Expectancy, you will learn the difference between an “expectation” and “expectancy”—seemingly similar words with strikingly contrasted definitions. David Eubank is a prime example of a posture of expectancy. He and his family, the founders of Free Burma Rangers, live on the edge; they serve in war-torn conflict areas around the world. But despite the great stress and difficulty, they posture on the promises of God. In this way, they have come to experience “a new normalcy” in missional service. You are God’s first and only choice to make His name known in the nations; He has no backup plan. He chooses to use weak and unassuming vessels to display His glory. For, as Paul writes, “when I am weak, then I am strong.”1
Expectancy is full of hope. It trusts the results to God. It requires an open mind and gives room for the Holy Spirit to accomplish His purposes as He sees fit. When we posture ourselves in expectancy, rather than cling to expectations, we set ourselves up for unlimited possibility.2
David Eubank’s jaw was chiseled for military service. Cut square and clean-shaven in the manner Hollywood depicts soldiers or war, symmetrical lines crease his cheeks when pulled back in half smile. His cunning grin reveals a youthful mirth; his hazel pupils glint with pleasure. His favorite, army-green Free Burma Rangers cap covers his receding hairline, shading the wrinkles on his brow. He appears both pensive and playful. The God-fearing military man exudes optimism. His presence is commanding, but not in a conceited, militant manner. Eubank’s personality is the perfect mix of masculinity and modesty.
Are we truly sold out and radically committed to God’s global plan? Do we actively seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness? Are we willing to allow God access to every part of our hearts and minds? If we really want to thrive on mission, we must allow God to redefine our definition of the normal Christian life.3
On January 16, 2018, my family and I ran into Eubank at the United States consulate in Chiang Mai, Thailand. For thirty minutes, I stood speechless as David relayed the details of their work in Iraq. His account filled with words like “AK-47s” and “RPGs,” “enemy fire,” “dead bodies,” and “near-death escapes.” He told me about his rescue of a five-year-old girl with pink pigtails. “I saw about seventy dead bodies strewn all over the ground,” he said, “women, children, guys in wheelchairs—all shot dead.” In the center of the horrific scene, he saw movement. A little girl peeked out from underneath a black burqa. “‘Jesus, help me,’ I whispered under my breath,” he told me, and he ran headfirst into ISIS gunfire. Smoke dropped by Allied Forces and firepower from Iraqi soldiers gave him the cover he needed. Buried in rubble, the little girl hid under her dead mother’s burqa for two days until her rescue on June 2, 2017. “As I began to run, I thought, ‘If I die today trying to save this child, my wife and kids will understand.’” He said he did it simply for love. “I remembered the scripture that says, ‘Greater love…’” David closed his eyes, paused, and choked back his tears. “‘…has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’”
The missionary mind brims with ambition, is built based on belief, and resides in the realm of reliance. It hopes to make headway among the bruised and broken and witness God’s rule and reign in the earth. The catch is that Kingdom workers must cast aside conjecture and relinquish assumed notions of success. Our vision is finite; God’s perspective is eternal. We perceive a small part of the puzzle; God fits each piece into perfect harmony. We are bound by space and time; God sees the entire panorama from beginning to end.4
Dangerous territory called for extreme measures. But Eubank made his intentions clear: “We exist to free the oppressed,” he said. “We stand for human dignity, justice, and reconciliation. We bring help, hope, and love to people of all faiths and ethnicities in the conflict areas.5 I’d rather do something than just talk about it.”6
God’s global plan will be accomplished. Every knee will one day bow before His breathtaking might, but most likely not in the manner we presently imagine.7
In chapter six of The Mind of a Missionary you will be encouraged to rest in the promises of God despite your circumstances. David Eubank and his family are an incredible example of people postured in expectancy on the truth of God’s word. His Kingdom will be established on the earth and He desires to use you to accomplish His glorious global plan.
Your circumstances may look different on the exterior, but the crux of the matter remains the same: when you are weak, then you are strong. This notion runs counter to human comprehension. Nevertheless, God rigged the world in such a way that His might manifests through human deficiency.8
The Mind of a Missionary: What Global Kingdom Workers Tell Us About Thriving on Mission Today by David Joannes
Books/resources:
Books/resources referenced in chapter six of The Mind of a Missionary:
The Trouser People: Burma in the Shadows of the Empire by Andrew Marshall
The Global Day of Prayer for Burma
Visions Beyond the Veil by H. A. Baker
- 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, New International Version
- David Joannes, The Mind of a Missionary: What Global Kingdom Workers Tell Us About Thriving on Mission Today, chapter six: A Posture of Expectancy
- David Joannes, The Mind of a Missionary: What Global Kingdom Workers Tell Us About Thriving on Mission Today, chapter six: A Posture of Expectancy
- David Joannes, The Mind of a Missionary: What Global Kingdom Workers Tell Us About Thriving on Mission Today, chapter six: A Posture of Expectancy
- David Eubank, Free Burma Rangers vision and mission http://www.freeburmarangers.org/who-we-are/
- Tegan Taylor, The Man Who Willingly Takes His Family to War, ABC Australia, September 4, 2017 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-04/david-eubank-man-who-willingly-takes-his-family-to-war/8867792
- David Joannes, The Mind of a Missionary: What Global Kingdom Workers Tell Us About Thriving on Mission Today, chapter six: A Posture of Expectancy
- David Joannes, The Mind of a Missionary: What Global Kingdom Workers Tell Us About Thriving on Mission Today, chapter six: A Posture of Expectancy
