Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- October 19, 2010
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here I am send me!’” Isaiah 6:8
Bold going responds to God’s invitation to join Him in going to unlikely places. These are countries that need the love of Christ—where people smell different, look different, talk different and act different. But they all have the same need for a Savior. Their hearts are hungry for God. Some do not even realize why their thirsty soul longs for heaven.
They are waiting for someone to tell them the truth about Jesus. These cross-cultural encounters are not always romantic or noble. Sometimes they are hard and grueling. It becomes difficult when our body rejects the foreign food and water. However, a little bit of discomfort is well worth the salvation of souls who are lost and undone.
The joy of seeing others come to faith in Christ and grow in their faith causes us to forget any temporary ailments we may suffer. The satisfaction of exposing Jesus to a Christ-less culture is priceless. The beauty is they become like Christ in the context of their world. We are not there to make them like us—but we are there to lead them to be like Jesus.
Your position as a follower of Jesus Christ is availability. Be available to the world on behalf of God. With 95% of the globe’s population outside of the boarders of America, how can we only share the gospel here? When Jesus instructs us to make disciples we have to engage with the world. It may be a short-term or long-term mission trip overseas. Either way, join God in this great adventure. Do not be afraid to travel—trust the Lord.
Yes, give money to missions, but this is just a start. Move way beyond your money to showing up on the ground with the Holy Spirit in your heart and the Word of God on your breath. Show up to serve. Show up to learn. Show up to give. Find those who are teachable and teach them the Word of God. Find those who want to lead—then train them to be servant leaders. Seek out the gifted evangelists and help them to evangelize.
Build buildings, create jobs, birth businesses, start ministries, feed the hungry, clothe the orphans and love the widows. Do what ever it takes to bridge the cultural gap to Christ. Just be available. Do not feel like you have to have all the answers. Do not be fearful of the unknown or of illness. This is God’s opportunity to grow your faith, love and joy.
Your investment in going will make you a much better husband, wife, employer, employee and Christian. Your theology becomes more balanced and robust. You discover that some of your beliefs have become westernized and unbiblical. You have inadvertently limited God, because of your own cultural restraints and conceit.
God wants you to partner with Him to unleash your faith and the faith of others. Let Him send you to a nation temporarily, or for a lifetime of relational investment. Do not be shy, but be brave in the power of the Holy Spirit. Partner with God and watch Him work. Believe and go boldly! Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19a).
Am I willing to get out of my cultural comfort zone for Christ and a lost world?
Related Readings: Jonah 1:1-17; Acts 10:1-48; 13:1-52; Revelation 5:9
Boyd Bailey is the author of Wisdom Hunters daily devotional and two devotional books, Infusion and Seeking Daily the Heart of God
