I was one of those adventurers who claimed their "adventures" and still pretty much kept to the safest and most familiar. South Asia never quite made it to my list of ideal destinations. Not for lack of seeing beautiful pictures or hearing captivating stories. Friends served over there. Their blogs were filled with well written pieces of how God was at work in their midst. Still, somehow the map I looked at excluded South Asia. Too many stories of real suffering and too much fear...not enough love. Let's be real. There was NO love.
Fascination with cultural differences does not equate to real, authentic GOSPEL LOVE. Fascination with another culture is not enough to thrust me out of my comfort zone into places with out control and with out "safety."
Gospel Love knows the grace of salvific love found in CHRIST and out of that love is compelled to see that all would know Christ no matter the personal cost for a two-fold purpose: 1. for Christ to be exalted and praised from every tribe tongue and nation. and 2. because we know the love we've received, we should hope that all would know that same love.
I don't stand alone in this. I'm not the only Christian in the world...in America...in Northern Virginia...who has chosen safe routes and made excuses for not even sharing the gospel with my neighbors.
The up-to-date news has come about once a month since October and who (but God) knew reading some emails would come to this. This change in heart, this shift of focus... To sitting 3 weeks away from boarding a plane to meet a world 9hours & 45minutes in the future. To take a minuscule part, with 3 others from my home church, in God's BIG PICTURE purpose of seeing no place left. No place left where the gospel has not been heard, no place left where the people have not had even the opportunity to have access to the gospel.
Fascination with cultural differences does not equate to real, authentic GOSPEL LOVE. Fascination with another culture is not enough to thrust me out of my comfort zone into places with out control and with out "safety."
Gospel Love knows the grace of salvific love found in CHRIST and out of that love is compelled to see that all would know Christ no matter the personal cost for a two-fold purpose: 1. for Christ to be exalted and praised from every tribe tongue and nation. and 2. because we know the love we've received, we should hope that all would know that same love.
I don't stand alone in this. I'm not the only Christian in the world...in America...in Northern Virginia...who has chosen safe routes and made excuses for not even sharing the gospel with my neighbors.
The up-to-date news has come about once a month since October and who (but God) knew reading some emails would come to this. This change in heart, this shift of focus... To sitting 3 weeks away from boarding a plane to meet a world 9hours & 45minutes in the future. To take a minuscule part, with 3 others from my home church, in God's BIG PICTURE purpose of seeing no place left. No place left where the gospel has not been heard, no place left where the people have not had even the opportunity to have access to the gospel.
God knew. He knew, and has a plan to reform each of our minds. That what is important to His heart would be important to ours. His gospel proclaimed. His name the fame of every tribe, tongue, and nation.
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