So What?
We’ve been given
a glimpse into the persecuted church and we’ve been moved to compassion. Our eyes have been opened to the reality of immense
poverty and suffering around the world.
The faces have names and the need is real. We’ve found that children are the same
wherever you go; they all love to be loved and need to feel valued. How dangerous it would be to somehow feel
that because we have experienced these emotions we have something to hang our
hat on. After all, we have genuinely
prayed that God would help them. He
doesn’t really expect me to do more than that, does He?
“My biggest fear, even now, is that I
will hear Jesus' words and walk away, content to settle for less than radical
obedience to Him.” ~ David Platt,
Radical
So What Now?
We still
live in America. It’s not like we can
all sell our houses, quit our jobs, and move our family to a country in the
10/40 window. How can we follow Christ
in a first world, twenty-first century type of way?
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good and what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Some things never change. Through centuries and millennia, His Word remains. The Lord doesn't tell each of us to send x number of dollars each month or to never buy a Coach (or Vera Bradley, in some of our cases) bag again. He does, however, require that we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He does require us to seek justice for those that cannot speak for themselves, to be kind to our enemies, and to be a servant of Jesus Christ.
It may be that some of us will be called to a country that is presently persecuting Christians or to an area of the world that has never before heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Others will find that the Lord is using them in their own city where Christianity has a bad name. I don't think the point is necessarily where we go, as long as we all understand that we are commanded to go.
Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
Let's all go together.
Let's be a church that is unified at least on this one thing. If we have our faith in Christ in common, then we are all heirs in Christ. We are brothers and sisters with the same goal in mind. In Christ, there is neither male nor female, slave nor free, Baptist nor Pentecostal...Oh, wait! I think I added that last one. Anyway, you get the point. Let's all seek the Lord with our whole heart, meditate on His Word, and obey His commands. He is faithful to always be with us. He will never leave us or forsake us, even to the end of the age. Let's keep our minds set on things that are eternal, like the salvation of souls.
Something that really struck me in my conversations with Pastor Wilson was when he was surprised to hear that not all Americans that say they are Christians are really followers of Christ. He said, "Oh, here in India, if someone says they are a Christian, they are most likely a Christ follower! To follow Christ means one is willing to forsake their family, their homes, and even their own lives." May this be true for all of us.
Let’s get practical together.
Sharing the gospel is hard! I mean, like I would sometimes rather go to
the dentist than share the gospel with my neighbor. I’m just being honest. It makes us vulnerable and open to
ridicule. We all want to be liked. None of us want to be weird. I am incredibly shy and an extreme introvert. These are things I struggle with daily. But, the more time I spend in the Word of
God, the more I truly believe what it says.
The more I believe what it says, the more compelled I feel to tell
others. It is the answer they are
looking for. It is the Hope they
need. I would have to really hate them
to not tell them where they can find the answers to their problems. It’s the old, “What would you do if your
friend was heading into a burning building?” scenario. Wouldn’t you tell them of the danger and show
them the way to safety?! We aren’t any
better than they are. We just have the
One that can show them the way. Let’s
commit to doing this together.
If you are looking for direction, I
certainly have a few paths to share with you.
You all know that India is dear to my heart. You have heard my stories and seen hundreds
of pictures. I didn’t know going into
this whether it was a legitimate ministry or not. I hoped.
I believed, but I wasn’t certain.
Now, I can assure you that this is the closest thing I have ever
witnessed to the early church. They are
Christ centered and the Word of God is held as the final authority of all
things. They aren’t perfect and neither
are we, but their desire is to glorify God in all they do. They are actively reaching the lost with the
gospel of Jesus Christ and they are caring for those in need as the body of
Christ should. They understand that
their lives could be taken and that the sacrifice is great, but in light of
eternity, they are willing. Pastor
Wilson reminded me as the Hindus came into the church that day, “God is good
and His will is perfect. We can trust
Him.” These are words that have stuck in
my head and I hope I will never forget.
The Lord is sovereign over all.
His grace abounds and I am honored to be His servant.
There are many ways you can get
involved with the Zurishaddai Church and the Truth Children’s Home.
The church building is in need of a
roof. This is not like one of our
American multi-million dollar building programs. This is a village that is coming to know
Christ. Many are coming to hear the Word
of God. They have already expanded the
building, but they have not been able to afford a roof. They have palm branches covering it now,
which does provide shelter from the sun, but it does not provide shelter from
the rain. This is the same roof that
many of the children and workers sleep under at night.
There are still 26 children being
cared for at the orphanage that need sponsors. Sending $30 a month is a great way to help meet
their needs. They are given safe
shelter, food, education, and most importantly, they are taught about Jesus and
their need for Him. It also gives you a
wonderful opportunity to pour into a child’s life. There are also many one time needs. I know
the children currently need to purchase new school books. They also are in desperate need of new, clean
mats to sleep on. I know Pastor Wilson
would be happy to share with you some of the immediate needs that they
have. Feel free to contact him any time.
I am assuming here that you are
already connected to your own body of believers. That you are serving and giving to your own
church. That you are witnessing to those
in your own community. If not, why not
start now? I’m pretty sure you don’t
have to worry about being killed for attending your church service or for sharing
the gospel…at least not yet. Ask the
Lord where He wants you and be sensitive to His calling.
Let’s all use these new found emotions as a
beginning, not an ending, to live out the great commission. Let’s do this together. I’d love to be of any help I can. Feel free to ask me questions. Feel free to share this with your
church. I know that God is going to do
exceeding abundantly more than we could ever ask or think. To God be the glory great things He has done!
Zurishaddai Church
Truth Children Home
Pastor P. Wilson Babu
Door No. 3-69/1
A.P. Trayam, Kakinada
Andhra Padesh
INDIA 533006
You can also contact Pastor Wilson
through Facebook, at PastorWilson babu.
Follow this
link to find out what the 10/40 window is.
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