God gave me the purpose for my mission on a slow boat to China. On an overnight ferry from Hong Kong to Guangzhou to be precise! My Bible open, I asked the Lord to give me a Scripture to stand on for the mission that was about to begin.
“God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’” [1]
My mission was to lead the people out of bondage to a place of worship to God.
On our first Sunday in Guangzhou, a knock came at our door. A man and his sister asked if they could visit. We were about to worship God and I told them so. The man replied, “That is why we are here.” From week one, worship began. Our mission purpose was to lead people to worship God.
Jesus taught me about commitment to the mission while attending a lecture at the San Yu Hotel. An American pastor was holding a Bible Study in a hotel meeting room under the guise of a free English class. About 80 college-aged people were in attendance.
The People’s Liberation Army owned the hotel. I was amazed and terrified at the same time. Amazed that we were talking about Jesus freely and boldly inside the Lion’s Den! Terrified that we were going to be arrested!
Then, the Holy Spirit said to me, “The God of heaven, will set-up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” [2] “You may or may not have to stand before earthly authorities, but everyone will stand before ME.” Knowing that every knee will bow, and tongue confess Jesus Christ as Lord, strengthened my commitment to the mission.
As I drank a soda, a dirty boy, wearing rags for clothing, came up and pointed to the can in my hand. He was mute. I poured the last drop of drink into my mouth and gave him the can. I assumed that he was collecting cans for recycling, but to my surprise, he took the can and held it above his mouth and waited for a drip. He was thirsty. He needed a drink.
Then, God spoke to my heart and said, “This is why you risk imprisonment and death. It is for children like him.” “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear.” [3] God’s love for people fueled the mission.
One day, I got off a bus too soon. Rather than wait for another bus, I walked. As I did, I saw a building boarded up. It caught my attention. I stopped and stared at it. It had been a church. Then, it came to me that while in high school I had wrote a long story about a crusader whose goal was to open a condemned church building in a city that lacked a church. Two years into our mission and seven years after writing that story, God had me doing what I wrote about. I never pictured it happening in China. God inspired me to write a story in my teens to prepare me for what happened in my twenties.
God confirmed that my mission originated with Him.
[1] Exodus 3:12
[2] Daniel 2:44
[3] 1 John 4:18
“Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” [1]
The Corinthians struggled with the concept of ministry. “When one says, 'I am of Paul,' and another, ‘I am of Apollos,’ are you not carnal?” [2] Paul urged them to think of leaders as servants of Christ and stewards of God’s mysteries. Our goal is not to impress you. Our goal is to serve Christ and be faithful stewards of God’s Word.
Paul urged the Corinthians not to be quick to judge. “Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.” [3] In due time the Lord will bring to light what is dark to you. He will reveal the hearts of people. A servant of Christ may be spot on in his teaching and practice, and yet incur many trials...
“We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.” [4]
My own experience has been that the more effectively that I witness for Christ, the more apt I am to experience trials of various kinds that lead to a loss of respect among those who are proud and competitive. I can’t change that. However, by leaning on the Lord and by having a good relationship with Jesus, I can continue to work hard, bless people, and be kind to them.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” [5]
One sign of God’s kingdom at work is the power to love when love it not easy. God’s power is revealed through those who faithfully serve Christ and keep sharing His Word, the Bible, no matter what trials come their way.
“Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your faithful stewards who humbled themselves to serve Your Word. Please bless the faithful servants and stewards of Christ who are teaching, preaching, praying, and serving people today. In Jesus’ Name, I pray. Amen.”
[1] 1 Corinthians 4:1
[2] 1 Corinthians 3:4
[3] 1 Corinthians 4:5
[4] 1 Corinthians 4:12-13
[5] 1 Corinthians 4:20
“Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.’” [1]
During a preaching class at Trevecca Nazarene University, there was a discussion about Triumphalism. Triumphalism is a belief that he who does right always wins. The teacher warned us against trying to make a Bible text say what the world says and believes.
For example, the Lord says in His Word to please our neighbor for their good. Build them up! This is what He did. But then, He laments because those who hate him are more than the hairs on his head. Why would a good neighbor be insulted and hated?
I liken this situation to Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are often hated while ice cream, cakes and cookies are greatly beloved. Neighbors who care for the spiritual well-being of those around them are often treated like Brussels sprouts. They are not about pleasing themselves. They are about doing what is best for people.
Jesus Christ gave His best for the people of Jerusalem, but they hated Him, bruised Him, shredded His flesh, insulted Him, and nailed Him in naked fashion to a tree. Did He fail? No, He was a very good neighbor. So, why didn’t He triumph?
After His death on the cross, two of His disciples went walking towards Emmaus. They were sad. Jesus had told them beforehand that He would resurrect from the dead, but they did not believe Him. It seemed to them that goodness had failed.
However, after Jesus revealed to them that He was alive, they were excited. Jesus did conquer sin, Satan, and death. He did win, but only after a seeming defeat.
After His victory, Jesus told us to go and preach His Gospel to the whole world. He told us that we too would experience setbacks, but that He would be with us. Jesus helps us to forgive and love those who mistreat us. This kind of love tastes bad to the self-serving people around us, but it is good for them.
What did Jesus say to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus? After Saul fell off his high horse, Jesus said to him, “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of Me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” [2]
Jesus gave Saul the mission of rescuing neighbors from darkness and from the power of Satan and turning them to Christ. And guess what? Darkness and Satan do not give up people without a fight.
God’s faithful servants have been misunderstood and mistreated throughout the ages. Take the prophets! They are often portrayed as poorly dressed cranky men, but they were bright and selfless people. They were good neighbors to duped people. Despite having few friends, they kindly told others how to enjoy a good relationship with God. They refused to play the part of neighbors who acted as though nothing was wrong when in fact very much was horribly wrong.
Perhaps, some non-Christians agree that we should be good neighbors, but what about the second part? The part about responding to insults as Jesus did? Are we ready for that?
If our neighbors are under Satan’s power, they will throw our proverbial Brussels sprouts back at us. They will demand from us chocolate. They will hurt our feelings. We made ourselves vulnerable to them. We did our best for them. They gave us hatred in return for our love.
To love our neighbor as Jesus does requires prayer, commitment, and of course His Spirit of love fueling us. Despite our best efforts to love them and do them good, they may still reject Christ and us. Should we change our flavor? Should we stop being Brussels sprouts for Jesus and join the dark side of candy and cakes?
I can’t answer for you, but as for me, I never want to go back to the dark side. I want to be the kind of neighbor Jesus has been for me. He loved me in spite of my unfair treatment of Him. He never gave up on me.
“Heavenly Father, please forgive me for failing to love my neighbors as I should. Please help me to love them even as Your Son showed me to do. Please fill me afresh with love for You and my neighbor. For the glory and honor of You God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!”
[1] Romans 15:2-3
[2] Acts 26:16-18
