...Of All Nations

The Bride of Christ?

2010-08-01T08:35:00.000-04:00

First off, let me clarify that the title of this post does not read as follows; "The Church. The Bride of Christ?". It should be read, "The church. The Bride of Christ?" I read the following article and had to scratch my head:

Anne Rice leaves Christianity
Legendary author Anne Rice has announced that she’s quitting Christianity.
The “Interview with a Vampire” author, who wrote a book about her spirituality titled "Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession" in 2008, said Wednesday that she refuses to be “anti-gay,” “anti-feminist," “anti-science” and “anti-Democrat.”

Rice wrote, “For those who care, and I understand if you don't: Today I quit being a Christian ... It's simply impossible for me to ‘belong’ to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I've tried. I've failed. I'm an outsider. My conscience will allow nothing else.”

Rice then added another post explaining her decision on Thursday:
“My faith in Christ is central to my life. My conversion from a pessimistic atheist lost in a world I didn't understand, to an optimistic believer in a universe created and sustained by a loving God is crucial to me," Rice wrote. "But following Christ does not mean following His followers. Christ is infinitely more important than Christianity and always will be, no matter what Christianity is, has been or might become.”

It's not that a famous author abandoned ship that got me. It's that someone spent 10 years in a church and found those around her so "quarrelsome" and "hostile" that she would rather choose to leave the organized religion of Christianity all together than continue on in their midst.

But what REALLY got my head spinning was the 1,500 comments to this article. Let me share with you what it appears the world thinks about our beloved Bride:

Grace
Whatever!!!! Religion is man made by controlling hypocrites. There are so many religions out there so which one was God talking about..Really come on. As long as we have good moral character and follow in God's ways we will be fine. Or should I just continue to follow a religion where the preachers spend their time molesting boys and girls and then covert it up...then tell me I'm going to hell because i denounce to practice or follow a denomination. WHATEVER!!!!

dave
Christianity is the worst thing to happen to Christ, 2000 years of history prove that!

Bill
Well said! The sort of ridiculous bickering, self-rightousness, and hypocritical behavior that comes from the Christian CHURCHES is what led me to Buddhism many years ago. I chose to follow God rather than his followers, and I've been very happy ever since.

Bob of West Virginia
I can understand Ms Rice's frustrations. I was raised fundamentalist Baptist. Christ was on the right path. It's the Christians that have screwed things up! They have become what Christ dispised most "Pharisees."

Richard Slater
Well put Anne Rice. Exactly why I also left going to church many years back. All the petty bickering and back stabbing and hypocritical people just drove me away.

Kirk
Good for her. Church is all about business, not religion.

Gena
I, too, know what she is talking about. American Christianity is a joke, merely an arrogant self-righteous social gathering. Compassion and acceptance have no place in the American Christian Church.

dejah_thoris, cambridge, ma
I understand what she means. I left Christianity behind when it became clear that many of its followers cared more for hating their fellow persons than embracing human dignity. I left it when it became clear that people's money was more important to the churches than fostering a sense of loving community. I left it when it became clear that the simple teachings of Christ were no longer important to those who would kill, maim, torture, and hate based on what their Christian "leaders" told them to do. I left when it became clear that being a Christian meant surrendering the brain you were given to think for yourself, and instead letting someone else occupy your brain and tell you how to run your life. Today, I am a happy, fulfilled person, an atheist who finds love everywhere.

George
I quit Christianity 30 years ago and have never been happier. I am a happy atheist and all those hostile, divisive Christians could go to hell...if there was one.

Jim
I do not believe that some of their followers really know what it is like to love thy neighbor. I have not gone to church in years because of the negative aspects of the church, some of their leaders and the fanatics.

Sweetongeeks
Brilliantly put. She pretty much sums up what many of us who are spiritual feel. We believe in God and Jesus but chafe at the hostility, hatred and controlling tactics put forth by modern right wing Christianity.

Casey
I can identify with Ms. Rice. I have always loved Jesus but I have a hell of a time with Christianity and Christians. I'll just stick to the old New Age cliche-I'm not religious;I'm spiritual.

gunther tooty
FAVORITE QUOTE: When asked if he believed in Jesus Christ, Mahatma Ghandi replied, "Absolutely! It's Christians I don't believe in!!! FAVORITE BUMPER STICKER: "God, protect me from your followers!".

CS0210
Amen to that sister! Why stay with a group of people that are the exact opposite of what they say they are. They hate themselves, they hate anyone that is not like them, and they hate everyone that disagrees with them, in short they simply hate. Why one insists on calling themselves Christan but loathes all that Christ and God has given is beyond comprehension to me.

DianeRL
Certainly, Christianity has nothing to do with the Christ, most likely never did, and he was a devout Jew as we know from your scripture. But for all who believe Jesus is The Christ (Messiah), his excellent life should be emulated not worn on one's sleeve. . I have known all kinds of christians in my 70 years: protestants, catholics, pentacostal, baptist, mormon, etc, but not one of these individuals emulates the life of Jesus, NOT ONE.
I chose NOT to raise my kids as christians years ago and never regretted it for a minute and neither do they.

Carol
You go, girl! My own town of Williamsburg, VA is a perfect place to live; however, if you look under the bridges and in the corners of most buildings on any given night, you will see plenty of homeless people. Yet the churches here prefer to ignore this group of humanity.

Jonny K
I also left Christianity but to a greater extent and it doesn't really matter. I was brought up as a Protestant, and at first I was very religious and once even wanted to be like a Saint. But I became disenchanted due to blantant hypocrisies and contradictions and for many of the same reasons Anne Rice left, I also did. I am a happy and a very moral ex-Christian too but also a wise and good atheist. I am not lost and confused and I am not ever going back. Finally enlightened.

Gigi
Church is nothing more than a way to control the masses and make money.

THIS IS WHAT THE WORLD THINKS OF US! Within three hours of the article appearing on CNN.com there were almost 1,000 comments....90% of them saying the same thing; "I used to be a christian, too, but couldn't take the _______ of the other christians/church, so I left". I have heard it time and time again from the mouth of an unbeliever, "Why would I want to be a Christian? They are worse than I am!"

Unbelievers are watching us, Church. Why are they seeing how we live our lives and choosing atheism/buddhism/any-other-ism over the truth of the Gospel? Most of the comments on this article were from people who went to church looking for something. They sought out God. But what they found was apparently darker than the darkness they walked out of.

I read those comments for over an hour. When I finally pulled myself from the computer, I was challenged to look in the mirror and pray that God would make me like salt (Luke 14:34-35). The lives of unbelievers we come in contact with should be improved by us simply being around them. And the love generated when a body of believers comes together should be the most incredible experience for an unbeliever who walks into Church for the first time.

Church member, I challenge you to examine yourself. Do you display the love of Christ to those around you? Would someone who crosses paths with you write something similar to the comments above? We are not perfect, Church, but what the world is seeing is so far from the standard that Christ set. We must do better than this.

Joy and Sadness

2010-07-08T11:32:00.000-04:00

While enjoying one of our favorite rites of passage here in the West (a weeks vacation at the beach in the middle of a beautiful summer) I received a reality check....an email update on our dear friend and servant of Christ, Aisatu.

Dear friends and family,
We are sad to tell you that our precious Aisatu went to be with Jesus
this morning at 7:00. We are glad to tell you that she is not in pain any
more and that she is praising her Lord and Saviour with her daughter and her
granddaughter that passed before her. She will be buried on the Jericho
Property with her family. She left behind 3 children who are all in their
20's. Thank you for your continued prayers

I can't help but wonder, in this instance in particular, "why". God knows how much the people of Gabu and Buruntuma and countless other villages in Guinea Bissau need a person like Aisatu working as His hands and feet. But again, I have to reiterate the feelings I had last week when my grandmother passed; God is sovereign and His will is perfect. We rejoice when someone we love goes home to be with Him. Yes, we miss them and may even think, in our own finite, narrow perspective, that they could be more effective here on earth sharing the Gospel to the lost than in heaven. But when the shock of death wears off, we as believers can hold fast to the rock solid promise that God is in control and His name WILL be glorified in all things. How awesome it is to know that and to believe that and to be able to share that with others. God's name will be glorified in all things.

Where O Death Is Your Sting

2010-06-28T07:11:00.002-04:00

There recently was a death in the family (the reason why I have been away from blog posts). Seeing death actually happen right in front of my eyes was a very....(still trying to find the right word). God, in His great mercy, allowed my family 4 or 5 days with my grandmother before He took her home. Those last days and moments with her showed me what is important in life and, ultimately, death. The reality of death, filled with all of its finality and power and authority, was something I have never experienced before. And because of this, certain passages of Scripture could not resonate with me like they do now. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians,

"Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is in the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 15:54-57)

God told Adam and Eve if they disobeyed Him, the penalty was death. The penalty for our sin is death. Having now seen the "sting of death", I can truly worship Christ for overcoming it. To think that death could not contain Christ, that He has defeated death, is indescribable. We worship a God who was pleased to crush His Son in death to atone for the sins of you and I. My sin was paid for when Christ was put to death....those are no longer simply words on a page, that is a reality that has skin on it. It is a tangible image that I can feel the weight of. And the weight of death is the heaviest of all. How wonderful it is that the sting of death is not for those who profess and walk in the ways of Christ.

My prayer is that this worship leads to action...that my faith leads to deed. So many still live in fear of the sting of death. It should not be.

5 Marks of True Conversion Pt. 1

2010-06-18T08:04:00.000-04:00

I'm just wrapping up a book on Jonathan Edwards' view of true Christianity. It's amazing (and refreshing) to see him come down so hard on nominal christianity. Nominal christianity seems to be "normal christianity" today. The problems that Edwards faced in his congregation in the 18th century are the same ones that we face today. For instance, the members of his church felt it important to arrange the seating according to social status (the wealthier members sat up front while the poor members were relegated to the back pews). This was a "major" issue that the congregation devoted much energy and attention to...kind of makes me think about congregations today devoting so much energy and attention (and resources!) to which flashy sign they should put in front of their church. Edwards constantly challenged his flock to examine their salvation. He reasoned that you can not claim the saving grace of God in your life and not see a marked difference. He laid out his "marks of true conversion" to serve as examples (and tests) for his congregation. It would serve us well to examine these against our own lives. Over the next few days I will list out the five marks of true conversion according to Edwards.

A Love For Christ

The first mark of true conversion is a love for Christ. Edwards claimed that "when the Spirit moves in a person's heart and awakens them to faith and repentance, their view of Jesus changes. The Spirit raises their esteem of Jesus and causes them to see that He is the Christ, the Anointed of God to be Lord and Savior." In contrast, the "nominal believer respects Jesus, but does not reverence or exalt Him." The true Christian takes delight in Jesus, a delight that is often palpable and contagious.

Isn't it interesting how divisive that name is. Talk to a random person about God and you will probably have a pleasant conversation. Inject the name of Jesus into the same conversation and things become different. The name of Jesus Christ divides and separates. Jesus says in Luke 12 (starting in verse 49),

"I have come to cast fire upon the earth...for from now on members of one household will be divided...father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother."

How true that is. I've heard story after story of new believers being ostracized from their family for proclaiming the name of Jesus Christ. One story told to me in Guinea Bissau is seared into my memory. A Muslim woman converted to Christianity against the wishes of her Muslim husband. When she would not renounce the name of Jesus, he killed her. When he threw her in the shallow grave, he also buried with her their two daughters....alive. This woman was not a nominal Christian. She knew the cost of being a follower of Christ.

We don't face that sort of cost here in the West. We can inwardly claim the saving grace of Jesus, stop into church every once in a while and be told by everyone around us that we are "good christians" bound for heaven. But are we really? This is what Edwards asked his congregation. Nowadays, we can't even look at that question without being uneasy. Let's be honest, questioning someone's salvation is not the most polite thing to do. But if we truly love those around us, it's the most loving thing that we could do. Edwards pressed his flock not because he was pious, but because he loved them so much. He did not want them to fool themselves into thinking they were something they were not. He challenged them to search the Scripture and then search their heart. The question was "do the two line up?"

Here is some application to try with this particular "mark of true Christianity"; use the name of Jesus in your everyday conversations. Instead of telling your neighbor that "God has provided in these tough times", tell him that Jesus has promised in Matthew chapter 6 (vs 25-34) to provide for His people, "and that same Jesus has surely provided for us this year". Instead of asking "do you believe in God" and ending the conversation at that, ask if a person believes that Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. If we truly have a "raised esteem and reverence" for Jesus, His name should be the most beautiful sound that comes out of our mouth.

And then thank Him that we live in a place where the sound of His name does not come with the threat of death.

Joseph the Masai Warrior

2010-06-11T10:12:00.000-04:00

The video below is a 3 minute clip of John Piper telling the story of a Masai Warrior who accepted Christ. What happened after his conversion is the amazing part of the story.

Joseph the Masai Warrior - John Piper from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

I Sleep Like a Calvinist

2010-06-11T08:21:00.001-04:00

I stumbled on this quote from C.H. Spurgeon:

“The gospel is preached in the ears of all men; it only comes with power to some. The power that is in the gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher otherwise MEN would be converters of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning; otherwise it would consist of the wisdom of men. We might preach till our tongues rotted, till we should exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless there were mysterious power going with it – the Holy Ghost changing the will of man. O Sirs! We might as well preach to stone walls as preach to humanity unless the Holy Ghost be with the word, to give it power to convert the soul.”

This quote lines up very much with something I also heard recently from a new friend called to plant a church in the area. We were talking about Calvinism/Arminianism and I asked where he stood on the matter. The response was, "I preach like an Arminianist but I sleep like a Calvinist." I love that mindset. Approach the unbeliever as if their eternal salvation will be determined by your knowledge and presentation of the Gospel. But, rest on the assurance that we worship a sovereign God who knows those who are called "according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His son...and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified." (Romans 8:28-30) Nothing we can do or say can move the hand of the almighty God. His people know His voice. The power of His voice is what calls us to Him. The power of the Holy Ghost changes the will of man.

Rest easy, Calvinist, tomorrow you wake to more work of an Arminianist.

Paul Washer Video on Watered Down Teaching

2010-06-10T19:04:00.000-04:00

Food for thought from Paul Washer....

The Church Is One. False Prophets Will Pay - Paul Washer from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

Don't Worry, I Am With You

2010-06-10T08:28:00.003-04:00

The Bible is full of consistent promises. We know that God is the same "yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8), but it is always so awesome to see that consistency play out in between the covers of God's word. One example is the phrase "I am with you".

    "The Lord appeared to him (Isaac) and said, 'Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and your descendants I will give all these lands."     Genesis 26:2-3 spoken to Isaac

    "Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go"     Genesis 28:15 spoken to Jacob

    "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that is is I who have sent you"     Exodus 3:12 spoken to Moses

    "Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you."     Joshua 1:5 spoken to Joshua

    "Surely I will be with you and you shall defeat Midian as one man."     Judges 6:16 spoken to Gideon

    "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."     Isaiah 41:10 spoken to the nation of Israel

    "Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you."     Jeremiah 1:8 spoken to Jeremiah

    "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."     Matthew 28:20 spoken to the Church

    "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you, so that we confidently say, 'the Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?'"     Hebrews 13:5-6 spoken to the Church

To think that the God of all creation desires to intimately be involved in our lives is mind blowing. He did not set life into motion and then stand back to watch it unfold. God is with us!

This should motivate us to step out in faith to serve and to battle for Him. The promise of God does come with a qualification. It is usually preceded by a command; go there, stay here, tell these people, fight this battle, don't fight that battle. God gives us the confidence to believe His word and the encouragement to obey His commands. "Do this, and don't worry, I am with you."

I heard a great analogy at church Sunday. Our pastor was using the example of catching his 2-year-old daughter as she jumped off the edge of the swimming pool. As he sat in the pool encouraging her to jump, he told her, "Don't worry, I will catch you.   Jump!". That's what God does. He assures us that if He calls us, He will catch us. "Don't worry. I am with you." We have an entire book explaining in perfect detail what God desires from us, and it is consistent in its message; "Don't worry, I am with you."

"God, do you really want me to go and tell the lost in China about you?" "Don't worry. I am with you."

"God, do you really want me to go and tell the lost at my job about you?" "Don't worry. I am with you."

"God, do you really want me to sell my house and move to another state to serve you?" "Don't worry. I am with you."

"God, do you really want me to end this relationship because it does not glorify you?" "Don't worry. I am with you."

"What if they laugh at me?" "Don't worry."

"What if my family turns against me?" "Don't worry."

"What it I fail?" "Don't worry."

"What if they threaten me?" "Don't worry."

"I am scared." "Don't worry. I am with you."

Is God calling you to jump? Then you have an ironclad promise from Him. "Don't worry. I am with you."

I Used to Kill Christians

2010-06-09T05:46:00.000-04:00

Once a month the mailman brings me an oversized white envelope. I still don't know why or how these envelopes end up in my mailbox, but each time they do I am sent into a bit of a daze after reading through their contents. The envelope is from the Voice of the Martyrs, and it contains a monthly publication with stories of persecution and suffering happening to Christians around the world. Most of them sound straight out of the New Testament, only these stories are current and happening to our brothers and sisters today. There is no way to brush these off. They are as tangible as the evening news...but you will never hear these stories on the evening news.

That's why I wanted to share this story. It's incredible.

Given away by his family to a local imam at a very young age, Abdulmasi was raised on a steady diet of Islam and hatred for Christianity. His story is like that of millions of young Islamic boys who are currently being educated in Quranic schools around the world, especially in Nigeria and other West African countries. Many of those schools are training grounds for Islamic militants. but as Abdulmasi's story shows, God can use anyone for his plan, and Abdulmasi was no exception. he ecsaped the darkness of radical Islam to become a witness for Christ to the Muslim world.

In the 1970's, when Muslims wanted to get rid of Christians, they usually called on man - Abdulmasi. An expert in car bombs, riot planning and infiltrating Christian organizations, Abdulmasi was the James Bond of Islamic terrorism.

"I was called Mr. Insecticide," he says. "I was the only one who could organize the killing of insects, the killing of Christians. When you are looking for someone to get rid of insects, then you call me, then I arrange and plan an attack against Christians. This was my life."

Abdulmasi is among the thousands of Muslims around the word raised to be enemies of Christians. At age 5, Abdulmasi was forced into almajiri, an antiquated Islamic practice popular in West Africa of sending you boys away from their families to a local imam, or Muslim teacher. A boy doing almajiri may join 40 or 50 other young boys in the imam's care. Their days are as rigid as those of prisoners.

In the morning, the boys recite the Quran. It is in Arabic, a language they do not understand. They recite for hours, for years, until they memorize the Quran. Imagine going to school every day and being forced to recite the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in Chinese, never having read it in English. Couple that with intense poverty, hunger, thirst and no parental love or guidance, and you have some idea of what the life of an almajiri boy is like.

Around 1 p.m. each day, the boys walk the streets and beg for food. Whatever food or money they get they must share first with the imam. By 2 p.m., they are back reciting and learning the Hadith.

If the Quran is the instruction manual for Muslims, the Hadith are the rule books. The Hadith are a collection of sayings ascribed to the Prophet Mohammed written by Islamic scholars starting in the ninth century. In fundamentalist sectors around the world, the Hadith is where young boys learn the concepts of jihad, paradise and killing enemies of Allah.

Though the Quran tells of Jesus Christ's virgin birth, death and ascension into heaven, it was in the Hadith that Abdulmasi first heard the words "Christian" and "infidel" together. Neither word appears in the Quran.

"It's teaching of hatred, and hatred and nothing more than hatred," Abdulmasi said. "If there is any evil in society...they will relate is as a result of the Christians."

For more than 10 years, Abdulmasi lived on a steady diet of hatred for Christians. This nutrition of hate was his only consistency in a world filled with poverty, illiteracy and child abuse. His only solace was the hope of someday achieving a concept he could not fully grasp called paradise.

The Hadith presents paradise as a place where you get everything you could not get on earth. If you were hungry, paradise is a buffet. If you were thirsty, paradise is a place with wine. So the vision of paradise changes depending upon what you desire. But the way to paradise always remains consistent: "If I can kill the enemy of Allah, then definitely I'm going to paradise," Abdulmasi says.

So at age 17, seeking desperately to escape his life of poverty and see some type of paradise, Abdulmasi participated in his first jihad against Christians near the city of Bauchi. The jihadists did not touch the women or children, but beat and slashed the men.

Abdulmasi recalls one of his victims in Bauchi, "I began beating his legs so he couldn't run away. He fell down and my boys, they attacked him, trying to kill him. I'm sorry to say, but a seven-year-old boy was the one that slaughtered...the man with a knife. Pressing down on his neck, he cut him. They called the boy...Chief Slaughterer."

After the killing, Abdulmasi rejoiced. "You see when you do this," he says clapping his hands together, "and you kill a mosquito, you have achieved something. You smile even though you see blood on your hands. This is the same way of expressing how I felt that time. I felt that I had gotten rid of the enemy of God, my enemy too."

Years of Hadith convinced Abdulmasi that a Christian life is no more valuable than a mosquito's. He continued to participate in riots. The more he participated, the more praise he received. He joined Jama'atu Nasril Islam (JNI) which he calls a fanatical group. When Muslims felt the Christians encroached on Muslim land in northern Nigeria, Abdulmasi would get a phone call.

After bombing a church, Abdulmasi liked to go back to the church to see the effect of his handiwork. On one visit, he found the church members worshipping in the ashes of the destroyed building. "This made my mind bitter!" he says. "I would go back to the mosque and say these people are terrible, you think they are regretting but they are not. They are rejoicing! They are happier."

Abdulmasi was frustrated that the Christians would not leave. He decided the only way to eradicate Christians was to infiltrate a church. It was then that he became aware of the Holy Spirit and the Lord's grace - and his life's story changed.

Abdulmasi approached a church and told the pastor the magic words: "I'm a Muslim but I want to become a Christian." "They loved me," Abdulmasi says. "They really embraced me so much. The love I was shown surprised me."

After that day, Abdulmasi began to attend church like a true believer. He joined the young adult group and went to baptism class. Although he went through with baptism, he was still secretly going to the mosque to pray and fast.

For six years Abdulmasi lived this double life, a life that left little time for anything more than pursuing jihad. He had no wife. He had no children. He had no education. He had family, but he remained cut off from them.

"I was blinded," he says. "I didn't really feel anything because all my sense of feeling was gone, my conscience was sealed. This is before I understood my relationship with my Creator. I took God as a man. I didn't know much about God. I was thinking He could never forgive me or forget what I had done."

The church planned a huge conference and invited a prominent speaker. Abdulmasi went and sat among 2,000 other young adults listening to the pastor speak. For three days he listened. On the last day of the conference, the pastor spoke from 1 Kings 18, on Elijah's challenge to the prophets of Ba'al.

"How long are you going to waver between two opinions?" the pastor thundered. "If God is God, worship Him. If Ba'al is god, worship him." Abdulmasi's ears perked up. He looked at the speaker's face. "Waver between two opinions," he thought. He shook his head.

"Who are you deceiving?" the pastor shouted. "How long now since that day you said you have accepted Christ and you have not been serious? Look, if Ba'al is god, worship Ba'al. But if God is God, worship God. Why are you playing a double game?"

Abdulmasi began to panic. "This man knows about me," he thought. "Who told him about me? Soon he will call my name."

The pastor continued. "Just humble yourself," he said. "Just stand up, let me pray for you and the Lord will forgive you all you have been doing...forget that you are an armed robber, forget you are a killer, forget all those things...Stand up!"

"Is it possible?" Abdulmasi asked himself. Could the Lord forgive all that he had done, all the deception he had made?

He does not remember walking up to the pastor, but he does remember kneeling down. For six years Abdulmasi had been pretending to be a Christian, and in one moment God changed his heart and he actually became one.

The instant he left the conference, one of the almajiri boys, one of his former spies, met him outside. "Don't go near the mosque," the boy said. "We have heard the planning they are doing." They were ready to treat Abdulmasi as he had treated so many other Christians - they were ready to kill him.

"The minute my heart changed, something happened," Abdulmasi says. "The persecution started that very day."

Abdulmasi went to the church elders and confessed that he had been living a lie. He sat among those nine men and told his true story. They could not believe a man they had loved and taken in had deceived them so. They prayed for three days. On the third day they told Abdulmasi they would hide him to save his life.

"My son," the pastor said, "God is going to use you mightily."

Abdulmasi went to live with another pastor miles away. Even though he was in hiding, Abdulmasi found he could not stop preaching to Muslims about Jesus.

"I couldn't hold my peace," he says. "People are seeing me share my real heart now. I would say to them, 'Look I have killed. If it were not for the grace of God, I would not be who I am now."

Abdulmasi became an expert at witnessing to Muslims about Christ. He also became a persecuted man. He is still persecuted to this day, 30 years after beginning his ministry.

On Feb. 9, 2004, a mob of 2,000 Muslims surrounded his home. They began throwing stones at the iron gates guarding the home's entrance. They showered the home with rocks and smashed all the windows. When Abdulmasi ran out to lock the gate, they screamed, "Kill him! Even flies in the house should not go alive."

Abdulmasi's downstairs neighbor walked outside the gate to restore peace, and they struck him with a machete, killing him. The man's wife shouted and ran to her husband. They caught her and killed her, too. Then they put the two bodies on a pile of tires and doused them with fuel, burning them both.

Abdulmasi's children screamed, "Daddy, daddy, see what they're doing!"

"This is what they do," he told them. "Out turn is coming, so just be prepared for the worst."

Abdulmasi's wife motioned to their children and whispered to them, "If they are killing you, hold you Bibles like this, around your chest. You know it's difficult for you to claim Jesus as they are beating you. When they're killing you, just hold your Bible; that is a sign you are telling them we have never changed."

Someone shouted, "They have gone out the back." When the mob shifted to the back of the house, Abdulmasi grabbed his family and ran to the car. They drove through the gate and went straight to the state governor's home, narrowly escaping death.

But three years late, in 2007, Abdulmasi's oldest son was attending classes at his university when three Muslim men armed with machetes approached him. They called out his name. "We have not come to rob you," they said. "We have come to kill you because you are your father's son." The men killed him by slitting his throat.

"It was very difficult," Abdulmasi says. "But there is no sacrifice that is too big for God."

Abdulmasi continues to minister to Muslims. He secretly counsels Quranic teachers, Mullahs and sheiks who want to become Christians. He is a lamb among wolves who has intimate knowledge of the wolf's lair. Many me in Muslim villages tell him they are Christian because of him. A major focus of Abdulmasi's ministry is witnessing to persecutors. He even visited the man who planned his son's killing, offering him forgiveness. The man rebuffed Abdulmasi. However, the man's son heard about the exchange on a radio program and later showed up at Abdulmasi's home seeking to accept Christ.

"I discovered that love is the ultimate," Abdulmasi says. "If you want to win Muslims to be on your side, you have to love them, not with human type of love, but the love you yourself have experienced through Christ."

"Instead of treating them as enemies, pity them, because it's not them, it's something that is motivating them. Because when I was there I did not know what I was doing. I was once a persecutor; now through His grace He has forgiven me. This is God's love. And though we have been persecuted, we are not crushed...we die so that other will live."
Excerpt from "God Will Use You Mightily" by: Patrice Johnson for Voice of The Martyrs June 2010

Jesus Is My Homeboy Pt. 3

2010-06-07T16:40:00.001-04:00

When you really boil it down, why do we spread this "needy Jesus" philosophy anyway? I think there are three reasons:

1) It is much easier to share a "soft gospel" with an unbeliever than it is to share a "fire and brimstone Gospel"
2) It is an excuse that we lean on to justify our sin
3) We don't know any better

I know first-hand how tempting it is to water down the Gospel when you are sharing it with an unbeliever (and even more so when it's a confrontational unbeliever). You want so bad for them to believe the truth of the Gospel. In the heat of the conversation it almost seems that winning an argument becomes superior to being factually correct. And it's much easier to do that when Jesus is portrayed as our buddy than when He is, you know, lumped in with all that judgement and wrath and sending "innocent people who have never heard of Him to hell" (as the confrontational unbeliever says). We run into some serious problems when the goal is to get someone to "pray the prayer" as opposed to repent and turn their life over to Christ.

The "soft gospel" does not stick. It may win an argument (with mis-information) and it may even lead someone to "pray the prayer" but when the warm fuzzy has worn off and something goes sideways in the person's life, will the "best buddy Jesus" be the Savior that they can cry out to? Is "needy Jesus" going to be enough when the enemy starts heaping on coals, when suffering is encountered, when trials come? If a soft Gospel is used to convert an unbeliever, more than likely this new believer thinks they just entered into their best life now. "So what's up with all this suffering stuff? No one told me about this part of the deal?" 2Timothy 3:12 says, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." Hmmm....that one won't win many to our team. But it's the Gospel. It's in the book. Now I know that 2Timothy 3:12 is one of the last verses anyone would share with someone they are sharing the Gospel with. My point, though, is Jesus tells us to count the cost (Luke 14:26-35). The Bible is clear on what that cost is. Nowhere (outside of the gift of salvation) does it bring Christ down to our level to make things comfortable for us.

A paraphrase of something David Platt said goes like this: If the essence of Christianity is "God loves me" and "Jesus died for me" than what is the OBJECT of Christianity? Me! While both statements are true, the equation MUST go a step further; "Jesus died for me SO THAT His glory can be witnessed by all people groups". God is the object, not man. God does not bless us (Ezekiel 36:22-23) or even forgive us (Isaiah 43:25) for our sake....it's for the glory of His name (Psalm 23:3).

The "needy Jesus" gospel is an excuse to justify our sin. Sin, in the "soft gospel", is not an abomination against a holy and righteous God, it's just something that holds us back from realizing our full potential. There is little incentive to turn from our former lives and live for Christ. Why would you when your savior likes the same movies you do, talks the same slang you do, and totally understands that you and your girlfriend will get married someday? The "soft gospel" christian has little conviction to join a church and serve because that's lumped in with all of that "religious" stuff that "my Jesus" hates, too. This quote by John MacArthur seems fitting:
"According to Scripture, the Spirit-filled person pursues righteousness with a burning sense of conviction and with a deep awareness of his own sin. No one who has God's Spirit can walk through our world without deep groanings of sorrow and distress."

As for the third point, it seems sad but true; sometimes we just don't know any better. This is where truth and love combined become such a beautiful thing. Some well-intentioned Christians, who love the Lord deeply, just don't know any better. Maybe they go to a church that preaches a watered down gospel. Maybe all they have been taught is soft gospel theology. Maybe they are still drinking milk and haven't moved onto the meat. If we're honest, most of us have been there at some point in our walk with Christ. Hebrews 5:14 tells us that "because of practice" one is ready for the solid food of righteousness and ready to discern good and evil. Practice. That means....discipline, work, striving (1Timothy 4:10). Practice means something doesn't fall in your lap. Practice means you start off not knowing anything and move to a place where you know a little bit more.

I thank God for His incredible patience with me when I looked at Him as my homeboy. I'm thankful for the trials that were sent my way to bring me to the mat so I could see what the Gospel really demands (the conversation was classic...it went something like this; "Jesus, I thought you were my buddy. Why do you have your foot on my throat going for a 3-count?"). I'm thankful for the godly men that discipled me by their commitment to the full Gospel.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God. Galatians 2:20

Aisatu

2010-06-06T17:35:00.000-04:00

I just received word that one of our good friends in Guinea Bissau is "very near death".

Aisatu (pronounced Ice-a-Too) accepted Christ 3 years ago. To say that God has used her mightily is an understatement. While we were in the village of Buruntuma in March, Aisatu went with us to help cook. Like a true servant of Christ, she allowed God to use her for His will while she was in the village of Buruntuma with us. She spent her days and nights sharing the Gospel with many women and children. I remember one man in particular who, because of Aisatu's faithfulness in sharing the Gospel, accepted Christ. I can still see him sitting in his plastic chair with tears in his eyes, and his infant daughter in his lap, telling Aisatu, "I want Jesus in my heart so bad". One night Aisatu took the portable DVD player that we brought with us and showed a hut full of women the "Jesus Film". She shared the Gospel with women who had no idea who this Jesus really was. Because of Aisatu, 6 of those women accepted Christ that night. This is all in a village that had zero Christians a year ago.

When we left at the end of March, Aisatu got very sick. Her face and shoulders broke out in painful boils. For weeks, she was bed-ridden. In a part of the world where the enemy is so present and so real, it seemed like he was attacking Aisatu. After some weeks, she seemed to be getting better, but the gains that were made in her health were temporary. The latest news is that she is bed-ridden again and in a lot of pain. She spends her days on a mattress on the floor in a village that experiences consistent 120 degree temperatures this time of year. She has a friend who spends the day fanning Aisatu and helping to roll her over. When her daughter visited, she could not recognize her.

It appears Satan may be "sifting her like wheat" (Luke 22:31-32). Please pray that Aisatu's faith would not fail and when she has returned, she may strengthen her brothers and sisters. Aisatu needs a miraculous healing that only comes through prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Here is a short video of Aisatu:

Aisatu from Black Daffodil Films on Vimeo.

Jesus Is My Homeboy Pt. 2

2010-06-05T07:15:00.000-04:00

One of the dangerous places that the "needy Jesus" theology leads to is ignorance of a very real enemy. A soft Gospel focuses on the individual and not Christ, the created and not the Creator. A very real and present spiritual enemy does not have much room in the "needy Jesus" theologian's life. It just doesn't fit. From experience, I know.

Let's be clear, our focus and our attention should be on Christ, not on the forces of the enemy. To focus on the enemy is just an inversion of the "needy Jesus" theology. Where one focuses on the individual the other focuses on the enemy. Neither one focuses on the only thing worthy of devotion, Christ.

But to ignore the spiritual battle that rages around us is so dangerous. I'm convinced one of the most effective tools of the enemy on the Western world is to convince us that he does not exist.

There is an amazing passage in Luke where Jesus gives us a glimpse into this spiritual battle:

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers." (Luke 22:31-32)

What is interesting about this passage is what Jesus did NOT pray. Absent is a prayer of "keep Simon from this, remove Simon from this situation, take away this trial, do not let Simon suffer." No. Jesus prayed that in the midst of the trial Simon's faith would not fail, and once the trial was over Simon would be able to strengthen his brothers from a position of experience.

And what was this trial? Verse 34 shows Jesus telling Simon (Peter) "the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me". The man who had walked on water with Jesus was going to deny him to a servant girl before sunrise. Satan petitioned at the throne of God to sift Simon like wheat, and he did. But our Lord and Savior petitioned as well, and faith did not fail and Simon would become the "rock" on which Christ built His Church (Matthew 16:18).

Does "needy Jesus" increase faith? Simon's faith was strengthened by trial (and the Holy Spirit), not by cute fire-side conversations about what makes him smile.

A similar instance takes place in Zechariah:

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?' Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, 'Remove the filthy garments from him.' Again he said to him, 'See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes.' Zechariah 3:1-4

The very real enemy stood before the throne of God pointing out the "filthy garments" (which represented the sin and iniquity of the nation of Israel). The accuser demanded punishment, but the Advocate (Jesus Christ) petitioned for grace. God cannot condemn sin for which His son paid the penalty. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).

We face a very real enemy that desires to destroy us. Peter (called "Simon" by Jesus) tells us that the devil "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour". I think the one who was sifted "like wheat" by the devil has a pretty good frame of reference on this matter. The man knows what he is talking about! To ignore the enemy is to ignore the petition that Jesus makes on our behalf before the Throne. And if Jesus prayed for an individual about to be tested by Satan, how much more should we be doing the same.

And what happens when "needy Jesus" gets shipped out to other parts of the world where evil is tangible? Try telling the woman in Nigeria whose muslim husband threatens to kill her if she accepts Christ that Jesus wants to "know all about her so that she can know all about herself". She needs "faith that will not fail" in that trial. She doesn't need a buddy, she needs a mighty Savior. She needs a Conqueror who is "at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us" (Romans 8:34).

How can this same Christ, who stands before the throne of God as the paid sacrifice of OUR sin, be reduced to such a level that we would look on Him as a buddy who is just like us? This Christ died so that we could have a relationship and fellowship with the Creator of the heavens and the earth. How could we twist that relationship to be about anything other than worship of Him?

Jesus Is My Homeboy Pt. 1

2010-06-05T07:07:00.001-04:00

I want you to meet my good buddy J.C. (I call him the Jizzle Sizzle sometimes when we get crazy). My boy J.C. rocks! He loves me big time all the time, and I love that about him. I talk to him just like he is one of my homeboys. My J.C. doesn't come down on me when I mess up, he totally understands. He misses me like crazy when I don't call for a while, and when I finally get back to him, he picks up on the first ring (it's like he has nothing else to do except wait on me!). I love my boy J.C. because he has done so much for me. That dude would give me the shirt off his back. One time I asked him to walk a mile, and that crazy cat walked 2! He is always giving me stuff and encouraging me to chase after the "desires of my heart". It's like I just think of some desire and he's all like, "yeah man, you can do it...I'll even help you!" What's not to love about the guy? He's just like me!

Do you recognize this J.C. character? It seems he is being touted all over the place these days. This "needy Jesus" has got to be one of the most destructive concepts being taught IN CHURCH today. When people create their own "needy Jesus" in their image, the holy and righteous God of Heaven is hacked up into pieces so that we can cram Him into our wallet like a credit card with no limit. God becomes our little play-thing that we pull out whenever we feel like it or, more importantly, whenever we need something. This "needy Jesus" exists exclusively for us. When we worship this "needy Jesus" we look at sin as something that is harmful to us, not harmful to a holy and righteous God. Thus, sin becomes something that just prevents us from "realizing our full potential".

This is where the "needy Jesus" theology leads:
    "My Jesus understands how hard it is to not (fill in the blank for whatever sin you struggle with)."
    "I worship my Jesus 7 days a week. I don't need to go to church to worship my Jesus."
    "My Jesus doesn't expect me to 'sell everything and give it to the poor'."
    "My Jesus wrote a book full of wonderful promises that tell me that he has a plan for me, wants me to be happy and have all of my heart's desires."

But what does the Bible actually say:
Absolutely, Jesus understands temptation and the difficulties of battling sin. Hebrews 4:15 says "we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." But Scripture is very clear, God hates wickedness and considers sin an "abomination" to Him (Proverbs 6:16-19). David writes in Psalm 7:11, "God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day."

Yes, we have the joy of worshiping a God whose Holy Spirit dwells in us, but Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us, "let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some."

As for the "sell everything/carry your cross" debate that only seems to be relegated to those "crazy missionaries", check out Luke 14:25-35. Five words: salt, useless, manure, thrown out.

The Bible is full of wonderful promises. Thing is, most of these promises are meant to either be kept in context or earned. Example: Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, "For I know the plans I have for you...plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope". Taken out of context, this verse tells us everything that our itching ears want to hear. But left in context we realize that Jeremiah was telling the Israelites that God will check back in with them after 70 years of exile and slavery in Babylon. THEN comes the "future and a hope". See, the Israelites were on the verge of some serious punishment. But we read that passage as "God just told me he wants me to be happy and prosper". I urge you to listen to Voddie Baucham's sermon on this passage. And as for the heart's desire thing, Psalm 10:3 says, "The wicked boasts of his heart's desire." God does want to grant us our heart's desire, but the question is where did the desire come from? Is it a fleshly desire that I come up with or is it a godly desire that the Holy Spirit wants to work in my life and bring to fruition for HIS glory?

So in response to this "Jesus is My Homeboy" theology, I thought the best thing would be to see what exactly the Scripture says.

"Let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things."     Jeremiah 9:24

"Make me know YOUR ways, O Lord; teach me YOUR paths. Lead me in YOUR truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; For YOU I wait all the day."     Psalm 25:4-5

"As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God?"     Psalm 42:1-2

"My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. On God my salvation and my glory rest; the rock of my strength, my refuge is in God."     Psalm 62:5-8

"But as for me, the nearness of God is my refuge; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all YOUR works."     Psalm 73:28

"How blessed are those who observe His testimonies, who seek Him with all their heart."     Psalm 119:2

"With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, that I may not sin against You."     Psalm 119:10-11

"Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it. Incline my heart to YOUR testimonies and not to dishonest gain. Turn away my eyes from looking at vanity, and revive me in YOUR ways."     Psalm 119:35-37

"I considered my ways and turned my feet to YOUR testimonies. I hastened and did not delay to keep Your commandments."     Psalm 119:59-60

"Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart."     Psalm 26:2

"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."     John 17:3

"For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, and in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."     Hosea 6:6

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow ME."     John 10:27

Its all about HIM. None of this has anything to do with us unless it involves us living for Him. God does not exist for us and our satisfaction. We exist to glorify Him and make His name known. We were created by Him and for Him. Even our salvation is for the glory of His name (Luke 24:45-47). God desires for us to know HIM, not for us to know us and for Him to know us (so we can sit around and talk more about us). We come to a knowledge of Him so that we can worship Him and tell others about Him so that someday "every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues....cry out with a loud voice saying, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne'." I love how David Platt put it, "We don't come to Christ to get stuff, we come to Christ to get God."

O, I can just hear it now, "That's harsh brother, I can't believe you would say that. My Jesus would never say those things."

God Saves or The Sinner’s Prayer Saves?

2010-06-04T15:38:00.003-04:00

This is an interesting testimony that I found on the "I'll Be Honest" site (Paul Washer and Tim Conway's group). If you have 15 minutes, this video might make you think a little bit.

God Saves - The Sinner's Prayer Only Hurts People from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

Fill the Earth and Subdue It

2010-06-04T13:03:00.001-04:00

Stewardship. That word usually makes us think about finances, giving and using what we have been blessed with to help those in need. But what about stewardship of God's creation? In all honesty, this is something I haven't given much thought to in my life. Sure, I went through a hippie phase in high school where it was cool to be all about the environment. But other than a killer pair of Birkenstocks, not much else came from that stint into the purple haze of hippie-dom. I didn't connect the dots of being a good steward of our rich blessings and taking care of God's creation. That's all changing the more I read about what is going on in the Gulf.

This one in particular struck a nerve:

"It's been five weeks since an oil rig exploded and sank, rupturing a pipeline 5,000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. Some clues about what so much oil - perhaps 22 million gallons of it - will do to the environment (let me insert "God's creation" here) have become obvious:

Dolphins have washed up dead. Endangered sea turtles have been found with oil stuck on their corneas. Lifeless brown pelicans, classified as endangered until recently, have been carried away in plastic bags. Beaches in Grand Isle, Louisiana, are spattered with gobs of sticky crude. And when the moon rises over the coast there, the oil-soaked ocean sparkles like cellophane under a spotlight."
-Excerpt from an article on CNN's webpage

Seriously, dolphins washing up on shore? Moonlight sparkling like cellophane on the oil-soaked ocean? This can not please the God who created all of this. In no way does this glorify His name. God tells us in Genesis 1:28, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Verse 31 says, "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

God saw all that He created and was pleased. Our God is creative. This world is His magnum opus, something that He apparently was proud to stand back and admire.

The article quoted above goes on to say, "This is all kind of like falling out a window," referring to the confusion over whether there will be catastrophic effects in the Gulf or if nature will just take care of itself. "We don't know how hard that ground is gonna be until we hit bottom. We don't know if we're going to land in soft shrubs and live - or if we're going to hit a rock."

There is just something plain wrong about all of this. God put us in charge of His creation to "rule over the fish of the sea...and over every living thing." When I was in construction, it was very clear how things worked when I was in charge of something. If all hell broke loose on a job site, the boss man came after me. If he found that there was negligence on my part that led to the disaster, I was out of a job. It just seems to make sense that someday we will have to answer for our negligence in managing God's job site.

What does this look like in practical terms? I don't know, man....turn off a light or something. The folks in charge tell us to ride the bus to work and not use as much toilet paper. But that just reminds me of people doing something just to make themselves FEEL like they're making a difference. Let's inject some Gospel into the conversation. Second Timothy 2:20-21 seems to be pretty applicable:

"Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work."

I really don't want to rip that passage out of context, and I don't think I am. Paul is telling Timothy, "Look, big houses have lots of stuff in them. This stuff can easily become an idol that will trip you up and consume you. Get rid of it so absolutely nothing stands in the way of you presenting yourself as useful for God's service." The main issue should always be serving and glorifying God. The Gospel seems to make it pretty clear, in numerous passages (Luke 14:26-27, 33-35, Matthew 19:16-26, Luke 12:33-34, Luke 16:9-31, Matthew 6:20-21), that the things of this world only get in the way of us serving the Lord.

With 6 billion people on this planet, we are bound to mess things up now and again. I just can't help but wonder if our impact would be drastically reduced if we lived out the Gospel in terms of our consumption and stewardship.

What Do I Need God For?

2010-06-04T07:20:00.001-04:00

I had an interesting conversation with my rock star wife this morning. We were comparing how Jesus asks us to be dependent on Him for everything compared with how the world says we should be dependent on ourselves. I had a conversation a while ago with someone who had pulled himself out of very tough family circumstances as a kid, put himself through college and grad school, started his own business and is now super successful. This guy flat out told me, "What do I need God for?" Hmmm. Good question.

To this person, God must look like a vending machine. Why would anyone want to put their money into the machine when they already have everything that they think the machine offers? Life is to consume and enjoy....right?. If Person "A" is already doing that to the fullest, what do they need God for? It's as if the goal in life is to insulate ourselves to the point where whatever harm may come our way, WE can take care of it. The economy tanks, no problem, that's why I've worked so hard on my bank account. I get sick, no problem, that's why I have the best medical insurance money can buy. My wife doesn't make me happy anymore, no problem, that's why I've surrounded myself with some close girlfriends. My kids are annoying, no problem, I've got millions of ways to keep them occupied. Oh, and if I start feeling a little guilty about all of this, no problem, there are more social programs I can donate to than there are stars in the sky (plus, its a nice right-off). And on and on.

This all reminds me of something I heard James MacDonald say. "You should live in such a way that if God were not real, you would fall flat on your face." I love that. Its so.....New Testament. Picture the disciples in Acts after Jesus had been crucified, resurrected and ascended back to Heaven. All that seemed to be left to show for their Messiah's time on earth was a measly 120 people. They hunker down in the upper room and cry out to God. What are they going to do? The only thing that they had, the one thing they put EVERYTHING into, just went up in the clouds. If the God that they cried out to was not faithful, they would be dead in the water (literally). And then Acts 2 happens:

"...Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit as the Spirit was giving them utterance." (Acts 2:2-4)

God showed up in a way that He had promised He would. The passage goes on to say that Peter stood up and, filled with the Holy Spirit of God, preached. That tiny pack of 120 people increased to over 3,000 that day. "The LORD was adding to their number day by day" (Acts 2:47). GOD was providing. GOD was their refuge and their strength. GOD was their comfort. GOD was their plan A, B, and Z. And the world was turned upside down because of it. A rag-tag band of low class fishermen changed the world forever. Why? Because they went "all in" when Jesus said "come, follow me". And because of this, they became the hands and feet for Him. It became so absolutely clear that God was leading and they were following that the world could not deny the power of God in His people.

I had to ask myself this morning after my conversation with Lindsey, "are we as Christians any different from the guy looking at God as a vending machine?" Just because we claim the saving grace of God in our lives does not exempt us from our flesh roaring its ugly head up. Its hard not to set your desires on something and cry out to God to deliver. He wants to give us the desires of our heart, right? I'm border-line beginning to rant on a whole 'nother topic, so I'll reign it in. The point I want to make, though, is one that I heard Voddie Baucham make. The first thing we do when we want something is run around and find 129 other people to pray with us. Then, when we've prayed for a couple days, and 129 other people have prayed with us, and we still don't have that thing that we want, we look to God and say, "God, what's going on? I put my money in and pushed A-12 and that thing I wanted didn't come out." Does this make us any different than the guy asking, "what do I need Jesus for?"

Psalm 127 should help wrap things up.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep." (Psalm 127:1-2)

Come on. Seriously? How can you not read that and just absolutely want to run around the house screaming for joy! The God of the universe, the one who created all of heaven and earth, the one who holds time and life in His hand, that same God is PROMISING to care for His beloved. Read the book, it is filled with ironclad promises that He will not "leave us or forsake us" (Joshua 1:5), He is a "refuge in the time of trouble" (Psalm 9:9), He will hold out His right hand and say, "fear not, I will help you" (Isaiah 41:13), He will feed His flock and "cause them to lie down" (Ezekiel 34:15), He will not leave us as orphans but will come to us (John 14:18), He will guide us "into all truth" (John 16:13), He will answer us "from His holy heaven, with the saving strength of His right hand" (Psalm 20:6). But, I would argue, these ironclad promises are spoken to those crazy "all in" types. And, just for clarification and full disclosure, there are also ironclad promises that use words like "suffering" (just check out 2 Timothy). All in? You bet.

So what do we need God for? The answer is EVERYTHING. The storm will come, either in the form of an insurmountable situation or in the form of judgement. Either way, the storm will come. Walls that we build to protect us will fall. And when they do, only the one true God of the universe can save us. And that salvation only comes through His son Jesus Christ, who died to pay the penalty for our sin. Go "all in". Don't settle for just enough God to get by. Do you see the same power in your life that Jesus promised would fill us in Acts 1:8? Or is that power sitting in the 401k right now being diversified?

"Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord, our God." (Psalm 20:7)

The Lion, the Witch and the Missionary

2010-06-03T14:46:00.000-04:00

I want to share an incredible story with you. I know it's hard for us in the West to believe stories like this to be true, but determine for yourself if the God you worship is still capable of such things....

"Over the years, Manjula had earned the reputation of a holy woman in her village. Many villagers became her followers and came to her for counsel. They would bring gifts and sacrifices to her because she was known for her spiritual powers. She had the reputation for doing many miracles, even causing sickness and death.

When Simon arrived in that area, people told him about Manjula and the powerful woman she was, with all her magical powers and her gods on her side. But then Simon heard that three years before, Manjula had become ill and now was totally paralyzed from the neck down. This young brother realized that this situation was God's appointed opportunity for him to preach the Gospel to her.

Despite the danger to his own life, Simon set out to visit Manjula and talk to her about the Lord Jesus Christ. It was only on his way that he learned more about her story. For weeks, many ritual prayers with sacrifices had been carried out for her healing. Hundreds of her followers obeyed her careful instructions to petition her favorite gods on her behalf, but nothing had healed her. Recognizing that she must be under attack from evil spirits more powerful than she could handle, she decided to approach even stronger witch doctors to conduct elaborate rituals for her healing. But again, there was no deliverance or hope.

It was at this time that Simon came to her area. When he arrived at her home, he began to witness to her about the Lord Jesus Christ. She listened carefully and told him, "For three years I have tried everything to appease these angry gods. But they don't answer. And now I am confused and terribly frightened."

Simon asked Manjula, "If Jesus would heal you and make you well, what would you do?" Without hesitating she replied, "If your Jesus Christ can heal me and make me well, I will serve Him the rest of my life." Simon further explained to her about the reality of God's love and how Jesus Christ, the only Savior, could set her free from sin and save her from eternal damnation.

God in His grace opened Manjula's eyes to see the truth. She decided to call upon Jesus to forgive her sin and save her. Simon knelt beside her and prayed for Jesus to heal her. As he prayed aloud, he also fervently prayed in his heart, "Lord Jesus, this may be my only opportunity to see this entire village come to You. Please, Lord, for Your kingdom's sake, touch her and heal her. You Word says that You will work with me, confirming Your Word, and that miracles would be a sign for these people to believe in You."

As brother Simon finished praying for Manjula, the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God instantly touched her, and she was delivered and healed immediately. Within a few hours she was running around, shouting with joy, "Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus! Thank you, Jesus!"

Hearing the commotion, a large crowd gathered in front of Manjula's house to see what was going on. There she was, a woman who had been paralyzed for three years, she was praising Jesus and shouting His name. Manjula became the first individual in her village to believe in Jesus.

The following week, more than 20 people gave their lives to Christ and were baptized. Manjula opened her house for these new believers to come regularly and worship the Lord Jesus Christ. Just like in Acts 19, when the Ephesian church had its beginning, all evil practices and rituals were completely eradicated; and there was a whole new beginning for this village."
-Excerpt from "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yahannan

An important part of this story is the person of Simon. Who was he? When he was studying in a local bible college in India, he would wake up early every morning and spend at least three hours with the Lord, on his knees in prayer and meditating on God's Word. When Simon graduated and went into the mission field, he did not cut back. Instead, the amount of time he spent in prayer increased. These two things, his devotion to the Lord in time spent with Him and the fruit of his ministry, are not exclusive from each other. Did Simon or his determination and devotion heal Manjula? Absolutely not. The Lord Jesus Christ healed Manjula. But Simon's obedience and devotion to the Lord put him in the position to be the Lord's "hands and feet".

Sir, What's That Stuffed In Your Trunk?

2010-06-03T13:00:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, I was faced with a significant decision that would determine the course of my life and the life of my family for years to come. I desperately wanted to be in God's will in this decision. I remember almost feeling paralyzed. What if I made the wrong decision? If I had gone left and God wanted me to go right, I had this picture of God standing over there saying, "Oh boy, you're in trouble now. Best of luck to you." Some of the best advice I received was from a man who lived over one hundred years ago....George Muller.

Muller was an incredible man of faith. He was a pastor who started an orphanage in England. The reason he started the orphanage was not so much to care for children as it was to live out a biblical life of faith completely dependent on God for supply. Muller never asked for contributions. The extent of his "fundraising" efforts was a small box placed at the back of his congregation. Yet, throughout his life and ministry, God provided right on time every time. Muller truly relied on God in such a way that if God, and his promises, were not real then Muller and the children in his care would have failed miserably. This is exactly what God wants from all of us.

So when I stumbled on Muller's strategy for determining God's will for his life, I thought it would be sound advice. He outlined what he called a "6-point strategy for finding the will of God".

1) Get your own will out of the way - "I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own. 90% of the trouble with people generally is here."

2) Feelings are the sure path to delusions - "I do not leave the result to feeling. If so, I make myself liable to great delusions."

3) Seek the will of the Spirit in connection with the Word - "I seek the will of God through, or in connection with, the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If I look to the Spirit alone without the Word, I lay myself open to great delusions. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them."

4) Consider providential circumstances - "Next, I take into account what I call sanctified common sense."

5) Get on your knees - "I ask God in prayer to reveal His will for me aright."

6) Make a deliberate judgement and keep testing it with prayer - "Thus, I come to a deliberate judgement according to the best of my ability and knowledge; and if my mind is thus at peace, and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters, and in the most important issues, I have found this method always effective."

Not much need to elaborate on that. But I am struck at how contrary this is to the world's process of doing things. I mean just look at the first point....get what you want and desire out of the picture. Imagine if wall street operated this way. Shoot, imagine if every church operated this way! But I guess thats the point; we are called to be different from those around us. What better way to live that out than by approaching a crossroad with your will and desire stuffed in the trunk.

To Feed Them or To Teach Them

2010-06-03T08:44:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about our "social" responsibilities as Christians. Obviously, we are called to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39). In particular, I've been wrestling with this notion that "a hungry stomach can't hear anything"....meaning someone in need of the most basic necessities of life must be cared for first (ie; fed, clothed, etc.) before they are ready to hear/receive the Gospel. Something about this just doesn't seem to line up with Scripture. It lines up great with how we have done things for decades. But does it line up with Scripture?

Disclaimer: I am reading a book right now that is influencing my thoughts on this topic. Its called "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yahannan. I would very much recommend that you go to his organization's website (www.gfa.org) and ask to receive a copy for free. They are giving them away. Yahannan was born and raised in India. The man has first-hand experience of what it means to truly be hungry, poor, and hopeless. He didn't even know what shoes were until he was 17. God called him into the ministry and has done amazing things in his life. But its Yahannan's take on "social" responsibilities versus "Gospel" responsibilities that has me thinking a lot right now.

The problems in the world's poorest nations appear to be things like hunger, shelter, renewable resources, safety from rival tribes/groups, etc. The Western approach to these issues for decades has been to blanket the world in rice, build orphanages for the children, teach them to grow their own food, set up government organizations that are stable and peaceful, and on and on. These are all great things. But are they the Gospel? Not so much. They are effects and results OF the Gospel, but the Gospel they are not.

What causes hunger? Ask anyone in the Western world and that seems obvious. Lack of food. Travel to a place like India and the answer becomes a bit more difficult. If I said spiritual bondage caused hunger, what would you think? Don't take my word for it, lets see what the man who lived it says about it...

"Asian Christians know that these horrible conditions (starvation, disease, etc.) are only symptoms of the real problem - spiritual bondage. The key factor - and THE MOST NEGLECTED - in understanding India's hunger problem is how its belief system affects food production. Most people know of the 'sacred cows' that roam free, eating tons of grain while nearby people starve. But a lesser-known and more sinister culprit is another animal protected by religious belief - the rat.

According to those who believe in reincarnation, the rat must be protected as a likely recipient for a reincarnated soul on its way up the ladder of spiritual evolution to Nirvana.

Rats eat or spoil 20% of India's food grain every year. A recent survey in the wheat-growing district of of Hapur in North India revealed an average of 10 rats per house.

Of one harvest of cereals in India (wheat, rice, millet, etc.) this 20% loss from rats amounted to 26.8 million metric tons. The picture becomes more comprehensible by imagining a train of boxcars carrying 26.8 million metric tons of harvest. With each car holding about 82 metric tons, the train would contain 327,000 cars and stretch for 3,097 miles. The ANNUAL food grain loss in India would fill a train longer than the distance between New York and Los Angeles.

The devastating effects of the rat in India should make it an object of scorn. Instead, because of the spiritual blindness of the people, the rat is protected and in some places even worshiped.

Clearly, the agony we see in the faces of those starving children and beggars is actually caused by centuries of religious slavery. In my own beloved homeland of India, thousands of lives and BILLIONS of dollars go into SOCIAL PROGRAMS, education and medical and relief efforts every year. Yet despite all of these massive social programs, the problems of hunger, population and poverty continue to grow. The real culprit is not a person, a lack of natural resources or a system of government. It is spiritual darkness. It thwarts every effort to make progress.

The single most important social reform that can be brought to Asia is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. More than 400 million of my people have never heard the name of Jesus Christ. They need the hope and truth that only the Lord Jesus can provide."

K.P. Yahannan - Excerpt from "Revolution in World Missions"

The tactics of the enemy are so CLEARLY seen in places like India. What makes us think stepping onto that battlefield with bags of rice and social programs is going to accomplish anything? Sure, we see what appears to be results ("your contributions have fed this family for a whole year!"), but these are just temporary band-aids. We have gone into battle armed with our goods and our programs long enough....maybe it's time we try going to battle armed with the Gospel?

What about Jesus? Didn't he feed the 5,000? Look at the text (Mark 6:33-44). He taught them first....THEN He fed them.

When I Was Younger, So Much Younger Than Today

2010-06-03T08:38:00.000-04:00

I was asked the other week to be prepared on Sunday to read a passage of scripture to the congregation in our noon service. It was followed up with something like this; "you can also share some things about the passage, too". Hmm, that sounds like preaching to me. They went and made me a preacher! Just kidding, I know exactly what was meant, and I was honored. I also understood for the first time the heavy responsibility of standing in front of God's people and opening your mouth. Truth better come out. I had these flashbacks of the Old Testament practice of taking false prophets out in the street and stoning them if they led God's people astray. But thats another topic for another time.

It was mentioned to me that the sermon would be on spiritual maturity. I figured I should read something in line with that. But as the week wore on and Saturday rolled around, I still could not find the passage that I felt God wanted me to read on Sunday. Sunday morning shows up and I open the bible "looking" for just the right passage. Still nothing...until I stumble on a cross-reference note for Second Peter 1:3-11. After I read it I thought it was perfect. But for some reason I wanted to check out the passage in another translation. Now, side note for just one second; I read from the NASB. I love this translation, for reasons I'll probably write about later. My buddies and I have this little thing going between the ESV guys and the NASB guys (stupid guy stuff, I know). The other translations (NIV, NLT, the Message) aren't even really on the radar for me. So, when I had an inclination Sunday morning to look at this passage in the NIV, it was a very odd thing for me. The NIV that I keep on my shelf is a Bible that was given to me when I was 13. It was my workhorse Bible through middle school, high school, and college (OK, not many Bibles are "workhorse" Bibles in college...this one was no exception...but at least I had it with me). This Bible travelled with me across the country and on several mission trips around the world. What I found in the margin of this Bible written beside Second Peter 1:3-11 gave me more than enough to share with God's people.

This passage uses words like "add to" and "increase". Peter tells us that if our qualities of faith, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, and love (to name just a few) are increasing than we are rendered useful and fruitful to the Lord and will not stumble. This type of brother makes certain of God's calling in their life and confirms God's choosing of him into His kingdom (can I get an "unconditional election"?!). Verse 11 goes so far as to say that "the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." However, he who lacks these qualities has forgotten about his salvation.

So back to the old NIV Bible. In the margin beside this passage is written, "Venezuela - '93". When I was 15, I spent two weeks in Venezuela on a mission trip. This passage obviously spoke to me then. The problem is, this is not a passage about something static like the ten commandments or Jesus feeding the 5,000. This is a passage that teaches us to GROW, to INCREASE, to ADD TO so that we can make certain that we are called and chosen by God. When I look at the time between "Venezuela - '93" and "North Carolina - 2010" it is very hard to find much growing, increasing, and adding to, at least until recently. What happened?

This is what happened...that passage did speak to me when I was 15 years old. So much so that I highlighted it, underlined it, drew stars around it....you know the drill. But real evidence is not determined by bright colors in my bible, it is in God's word taking root in me and bearing fruit in my life. Did it abide in me? Did it transform me so that I did "increase" and "add to"?

See, what I realized when I read the margin was that we are called to mature in our faith, and there were way too many years when that was not the case. We are instructed to grow and increase, not to remain wherever we find ourselves. Highlighting bible verses is not "adding to". The highlighted verses should be studied and meditated on to the point that they take root and abide in us so that the Holy Spirit uses them to transform our lives.

Try it for yourself. Go grab the oldest bible you have and see the things that God revealed to you when you were younger. Its a humbling, and kind of embarrassing, exercise. The best part about it is that through God's grace and mercy we still have the opportunity to "increase" and "add to"....even if for the very first time.

A True Disciple?

2010-06-03T08:32:00.000-04:00

Certainty and proof. How to know something for certain and to be able to prove it is of absolute importance when you are talking about salvation. Right? So why is it that if you ask a roomful of Christians how they know that they are true followers of Christ you get answers across the spectrum? You know the standards; “When I was 4 I prayed this prayer....”, “I was raised in a Christian home....”, “I’m really a good person....”. I’m guilty of those same statements in my life (well, 2 out of the 3). This is why John 13:34-35 is so profound (and convicting) to me.

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Lets put things into context. Jesus is in the upper room with His disciples. This is mere hours before He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, tried, convicted and executed. These are the final moments Jesus will spend with the 12 men who He has loved, taught, and entrusted Himself to for 3 years. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus shows them true humility when he kneels before each one and washes their feet (v. 5-15). Jesus has told them that He will be with them only a little while longer and where He is going they cannot come (v. 33). Then, Jesus gives them a new commandment (v. 34). A new commandment? Can you imagine? The disciples must have been on the edge of their seats. Surely, they understood the importance of that moment. They all knew the story of God’s law, the original commandments, being given to Moses on Mount Sinai. Now, here was God Himself giving them a NEW commandment! “What incredible thing do you ask of us, God?”

Love one another.

“Huh? Thats it? Man thats easy. I’m stuffed, lets go hang out in the garden for awhile.”

To which Jesus would promptly add, “as I have loved you.”

These 5 words warrant a bit of a pause. I've glossed over this mountain of a statement for years. What is this “as-I-have-loved-you” love that Jesus is talking about? Well, we could unwrap every New Testament instance of Jesus' love for us and fill volumes, but here are just a couple nuggets; in verse 15 we see Jesus mentioning the “example” that He wants the disciples to follow (wash one another’s feet, which is to serve one another humbly). John writes in 1John 4:9-11 that Jesus even coming to earth in the first place is a display of His love. He humbled Himself by leaving His perfect heaven so that He could be the “propitiation for our sins”. Paul writes in Ephesians 5:2 that Jesus “gave Himself up for us” as an “offering and sacrifice to God”. And there it is.....”sacrifice”. That word sums up the “as-I-have-loved-you” love of Jesus. This love is sacrificial. It puts the needs of others above self. It comes with a price. It kneels down and washes the feet of others. It is raised up and crucified for others. This love BLEEDS!

“Love one another, even as I have loved you”

This new commandment becomes something so.....daunting. It seems even harder than the original commandments (combined!).

That would have been enough for the disciples to chew on for the rest of their lives. But Jesus wasn’t done there.

“By this all men will know that you are My disciples.” (v. 35)

Translation: “If you (who all claim to be followers of Me) love each other like I have loved you (sacrifice upon sacrifice) then the rest of the world (those who are not followers of Me) will rightly know that you really are Mine. Conversely, if you do not love one another like I have loved you, then the unbelieving world will rightly judge you as unbelievers also.”

Wow. I don’t know if I am capable of love like this. So what am I communicating to an unbelieving world? What am I communicating to the Church? What am I communicating to Christ?

And as if this passage was not enough, Jesus wraps up this casual conversation in the upper room by praying to God the Father that all believers be one (ie; love one another) “so that the world may believe that You (God) sent Me” (John 17:21). So, lets get this straight....if we believers do not have the sacrificial love for one another that Christ had for us, not only will the unbelieving world rightly judge that we are not followers of Christ, but they will also conclude that Jesus was not sent by God.

This is outrageous! I cannot love like this. No one I know can love like this. So where does this leave us....communicating daily to an unbelieving world that Jesus was a liar?

Look at the final words of this most amazing passage of Scripture:

“I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them” John 17:26

As in everything else, only by the power and grace of God are we capable. It is God’s love, made known to us by Jesus, that “may be” in us. The same love that the Father loved the Son with “may be” in us. What is impossible with man is made possible by God. We can love “as I have loved you”, if (and only if) the name of God is made known to us through Christ Jesus.

Are you a true disciple of Christ? Does your love communicate that to an unbelieving world? Yeah, I thought I was, too. Then I read John 13. But then oh how thankful I was when God reminded me of chapter 17. He is so good and so worthy to be praised.

The Dangerous Christian

2010-06-03T08:24:00.000-04:00

I can still see the look on his face. ”Why would you go all the way to Africa to bring them something they don’t want or need? Are you on some sort of crusade or something?” I heard in his voice and saw on his face….contempt.

I had been talking to a non-Christian about my upcoming trip to Guinea Bissau. I was not going to Western Africa to dig a well or bring shoes to children. I was going to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a village that had never heard it.

For someone who had been raised in the church, I had never looked at it from an unbeliever’s point of view. The logic goes something like this; good people minding their business in Africa, living a good life believing in something that their ancestors have believed in for generations, content to live out their days in peace and harmony and eventually arriving at their own afterlife only to have some pious Christian come 3,500 miles to divide people because he thinks he knows everything and wants to “save the world”. My answer to my unbelieving friend was simple, “There is no darkness darker than the absence of Jesus Christ. See for yourself the kind of evil man invents when left to his own devices and desires.”

I can not imagine a life lived in complete ignorance of the saving grace of God. It is one thing to live a life in complete separation from God….that is what millions of people in the West choose to do. CHOOSE to do. My heart breaks for the 2 billion (with a “B”) people who do not have this choice because they have never even heard the name of Jesus. This is why I went to Guinea Bissau. Because there are still people who have never heard the name of Jesus Christ.

The people of Western Africa, and untold millions of others like them, are filling the void of the Gospel with the most evil acts and practices imaginable. The lost are not living in a utopia of peace and brotherly understanding, like my misguided friend had pictured. They are sacrificing infants to demons, grinding them up and stuffing them into cow horns. They are burying boys and girls, and every type of animal, as offerings to the spirits. Oh, I forgot to mention that the boys and girls were buried alive. Evil is real. And in some places it is so real it becomes tangible. This is what happens when man decides for himself what is right and what is wrong. Man becomes god and power becomes his religion.

The funny thing about evil is it holds no authority over the precious blood of Christ that was shed on the cross for everyone who would profess the name of Jesus. For every story of evil, I heard a story of God’s might. Stories like witch-doctors seeing two bright white figures on either side of a pastor everywhere he goes. They know they have no power over this Christian man (or his two friends!). Stories like people dying if they walk on a certain path that leads to the ceremonial site of human sacrifice. But a Christian will walk on this same path unharmed. God desires for all of mankind to experience His grace and receive His salvation. Even in, what seems like, a total absence of God in so many places, His name is being glorified and people are being brought into His kingdom. People in these dark places are seeing that the powers they have worshipped for centuries are proving to be false idols in the presence of the one true God. God is moving in these places in mighty ways.

What I found in Guinea Bissau is that people are so hungry for truth. When they finally hear the story of Jesus and what God has done for us by sending His son to die for our sins, they recognize this as the truth. They just needed someone to bring it to them. Romans 10:13-17 says “whoever will call on the Name of the Lord will be saved. How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!” God’s good news is being sent. And it is being received as truth. We told one man about Jesus and what He had done for us. He sat with his infant daughter in his lap crying, “I want Jesus in my heart so bad”. This man is now one of 58 Christians in his village. Another village we preached at now has two Christians. This village is 1,000 years old. These are the first two Christians in the thousand year history of the village.

I think back about the conversation with my unbelieving friend. Perhaps what he was used to experiencing was safe, ineffective Christians. He easily looked down his nose at these “silly Christians” who keep to their Christian circles and do their little Christian things at church with their other little Christian friends. These Christians are harmless. But what he wasn’t used to seeing was a Christian who believed in his God so much that it was intolerable to think that there are people today who have never heard the name Jesus Christ. This type of Christian is dangerous. After all, no one gets hurt as long as the bulls are kept in the fences. I think he looked at me like a bull on the loose.

What matters, though, is how does Jesus look at the situation. Matthew 9:37 tells us that Jesus looked out across a large crowd of people. What he saw was distress and hopelessness on their faces….”like sheep with no shepherd”. Jesus then said, “the harvest is plenty but the workers are few”. I know that Jesus is standing in small villages across the globe saying the same thing today. His people are hungry for truth, but who will take it to them? We need more bulls to break through the fences.