Our Lord's command
This week, I made a trip to batam with a friend to visit an orphanage and a few island villages. It was a big eye opener for me. God, in His grace and wisdom, taught me alot of things through the people and environment. I was greatly blessed and ministered to just by meeting the people running the orphanage and the village school where I stayed for one night. Their faith and their commitment to the children and the villagers just puts me to shame of how I can complicate and drag my faith through mud at times. Unfruitful debates of theology ,"holier than thou" judgements of other christians, complains and rantings about what I have not etc. God can be so displeased with me and yet how patient He is with me......
Did not Jesus command us to serve, to love thy neighbour as we love ourselves, to make disciples of all men? This brothers and sisters in Christ, were willing to let go of their comfortable life, all of them city folks, to serve and to reach total strangers, to love them enough, to be use by God for His kingdom and His glory. Such simple but powerful faith! There were 2 women who are from the village school/church, one a teacher and the other a pastor,who related how difficult it was for them the first few weeks they were there. Overcome with lonliness, both related how they cry themselves to sleep those nights...but here they are, still serving the Lord, loving the people and children who they come into contact daily. Simple awe inspiring.
I have always thought that it takes a special kind of christian with a certain kind of character and personality to do foriegn mission work. Well, through this trip, I have learnt that Im only half right. Yes, it does take a "special" kind of christian to live, work, play, evangelise and minister on foreign soil as it is often a difficult way of life ( I think ), BUT God brought to my mind, of how He can and will, transform any of us (yes, that means you and me) to have that special kind of character and personality ( Christlikeness ) to be a bringer of good news, speaker of truth to all the nations.....
On God's part, a promise to transform and equip us through the power of the Holy Spirit [ Acts 1:8 ] , on our part, a sincere seeking of His will for our lifes( of course, NOT ALL of us are called to foriegn lands ), a surrendered life and an obedient & faithful heart. Thing is, are we ready to go for all the way with God? Do we really want His will to be done at whatever costs? Truth is, there was a time I could not care less about the great comission [ Mark16:15 ] and I did not want God's will to be done in my life. Yet, at this point in time, I cannot escape from this fact: Gods heart and will is really for ALL the nations of the earth to come to a saving knowledge of His good news of forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Do we, as His children, have the same heartbeat?
Did not Jesus command us to serve, to love thy neighbour as we love ourselves, to make disciples of all men? This brothers and sisters in Christ, were willing to let go of their comfortable life, all of them city folks, to serve and to reach total strangers, to love them enough, to be use by God for His kingdom and His glory. Such simple but powerful faith! There were 2 women who are from the village school/church, one a teacher and the other a pastor,who related how difficult it was for them the first few weeks they were there. Overcome with lonliness, both related how they cry themselves to sleep those nights...but here they are, still serving the Lord, loving the people and children who they come into contact daily. Simple awe inspiring.
I have always thought that it takes a special kind of christian with a certain kind of character and personality to do foriegn mission work. Well, through this trip, I have learnt that Im only half right. Yes, it does take a "special" kind of christian to live, work, play, evangelise and minister on foreign soil as it is often a difficult way of life ( I think ), BUT God brought to my mind, of how He can and will, transform any of us (yes, that means you and me) to have that special kind of character and personality ( Christlikeness ) to be a bringer of good news, speaker of truth to all the nations.....
On God's part, a promise to transform and equip us through the power of the Holy Spirit [ Acts 1:8 ] , on our part, a sincere seeking of His will for our lifes( of course, NOT ALL of us are called to foriegn lands ), a surrendered life and an obedient & faithful heart. Thing is, are we ready to go for all the way with God? Do we really want His will to be done at whatever costs? Truth is, there was a time I could not care less about the great comission [ Mark16:15 ] and I did not want God's will to be done in my life. Yet, at this point in time, I cannot escape from this fact: Gods heart and will is really for ALL the nations of the earth to come to a saving knowledge of His good news of forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Do we, as His children, have the same heartbeat?
posted by Cal at 5:20 PM
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