Month: November 2014

So where does all this living strategically end?

Consider the last phrase of Jesus’ last statement to His followers before ascending back to heaven and being seated at the Father’s right hand: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

Think of that! With His last words Jesus told us this doesn’t end until the gospel has reached “to the end of the earth.”

But just what did Jesus mean by “the end of the earth”?

Like the other steps along this journey it must be understood both culturally and geographically. For the first century Jew, the landmass upon which I set as I write this (and upon which you probably sit as you read this) and the people who populated it would have been “the ends of the earth.” It is not likely they could have imagined that this part of the world existed; nor could they have comprehended the culture in which we now live.

So how do we (or any other Christ-follower at any other time and in any other place) identify what gospel-faithfulness “to the end of the earth” looks like?

The people living at “the end of the earth” are those who are far from you geographically and unlike you culturally. They are not near or even in proximity to you. You will have to “go” to them (Matthew 28:19-20) or you’ll never get the gospel to them. This will involve crossing barriers—and not only physical/geographical ones. Those will prove the easiest of the barriers to cross. The folks at “the end of the earth” probably won’t be speaking English, so you’ll face a linguistic barrier. They will likely don clothing that you wouldn’t be immediately comfortable wearing. They will think differently than you’ve been raised to think—looking at the world through internal eyes that begin from a different starting point than you do. What they value you may not; what you value they may devalue.

The people at “the end of the earth” are different than you. And you—as a gospel-carrier—are responsible to initiate crossing those divides. Which may lay bare the greatest barrier of all—the one that exists within your heart.

With the shrinking of our world and the instantaneous nature of communication these days, you may be wondering “Why not just do an email blitz?” Or “Let’s just get a satellite link-up and get this thing over!” Or “Just reduce the gospel to 144 characters and tweet it out!”

I don’t underestimate the potential of harnessing technology for the advance of the gospel, but I must underscore that this is a people-to-people transaction, a life-to-life transference. That can be enhanced by technology, but it cannot be replaced by it. If we ask technology to do for us what God tells us to do, we are not being faithful to the God who has saved and is sending us. We must beware of the very real possibility of hiding behind our technology—protecting our comforts and hiding our fears, rather than giving them all up to Jesus in sacrificial obedience to Jesus’ call.

So how do we all—each and every one of us as followers of Christ—faithfully fulfill the call of Christ to get the gospel to the peoples at “the end of the earth”?

The formula is old, but it still captures the options and provides footprints in which to walk and live strategically.

PRAY – First, pray, determining just what part in this gospel advance God is calling you to fulfill. That is a whole other series of articles for me to write and I can’t do that here. But pray, first, to determine your God-appointed place in this God-given strategy. Then, whatever God’s part for you, pray for those involved at every part of this strategic gospel advance.

GIVE – “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations” (Psalm 67:1-2). Fund the gospel forward. Connect with a missionary. Give. Regularly. Systematically.

GO – Some of us must add to our praying and giving the life-altering reality of going. Not just on a short-term mission trip. There must be some—and I mean significant percentages of our SAF people—who change the direction of their lives and spend the rest of their earthly existence living among lost peoples at “the end of the earth.”

SEND – Those who remain must send the ones going. This means more than having a nice commissioning service when they leave. It means the ongoing disciplines and sacrifices of giving and praying … and all the other practical necessities that are required to keep them healthy, well and fruitful in places and among peoples at “the end of the earth.”

Henry Martyn once said, “The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions, and the nearer we get to him, the more intensely missionary we must become.”

Henry was in agreement with the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, who, just before ascending back to His Father’s side, said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

If you love Jesus you’ll love whom He loves. And He has told us that He loves people in “Samaria.” That was a cultural and geographical designation for the first century Jews to whom originally He spoke these words. But you and I have a “Samaria” full of people Jesus loves as well.

How do you identify your Samaria and the people who fill it? They are the folks who are near or at least within proximity of you geographically—maybe right next door or within proximity of your neighborhood, work or school circles, social circles, etc. While they are near to you geographically you probably don’t naturally know them on a personal basis because they are different from you culturally. Their first language may be something other than English. They may wear clothing that looks foreign to you. They may seem to have different standards of personal hygiene. They value things differently than you. You know they are there. But they are different. There is no visible line between you, but there is a cultural line that takes intention to cross.

That is how the Samaritans seemed to the Jews who lived in Jerusalem and Judea. They were different. They had a mixed cultural and ethnic background. They had a different religion. They were distinct politically. But they were just beyond the natural and social circle of the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea. The geographical distance wasn’t the real barrier to reaching these people for Jesus—fear, pride, prejudice, and comfort were.

The same barriers may exist in your heart today. They not only separate you from these people, they distance you from Jesus.

Take a few moments and ask God to help you answer this question: Who are some people within my community that fit this description? Write down something that helps you identify them.

Now, ask God to give you an opportunity to have a simple conversation or interaction with someone who qualifies as a part of your Samaria. When that prayer is answered by an opportunity that stands before you, write down when and how it came about. At this stage it isn’t necessarily about bearing witness to them necessarily, but about simply overcoming the fear of interacting with them.

Here are some hints:

• Is there a university or college near you? Do they have a population of international students? Is there an office that oversees their experience in America? Are there programs to help them during their time here?
• Are there places within your community or one near you that has an influx of refugees arriving from other parts of the world? Can you name what countries they originate from? Are there ethnic groceries or shops you could visit to converse with one or two of them?
• Do you have ethnic restaurants that provide authentic (not Americanized) ethnic foods? Have you taken the time to talk with the owners and workers? To ask about their story and lives? To complement them on their food and service
• Are there TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) programs in your area? They are always looking for native English speakers to have conversation with their students. Can you volunteer?