Thursday Theology: Show and Tell

"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."
Matthew 28: 19-20

For too many today, the Christian faith is little more than 'fire insurance.' But for those who internalize the Truth, benchwarming is not an option. Shortly before 9/11, two American missionaries were taken captive by the Taliban, a group violently hostile to the spread of any other message but its own. The captives were later released... and announced their intention to return to the people of Afghanistan as soon as military events there would allow.

A coworker of mine, who professed faith in Christ, wondered aloud why anyone would return under such circumstances. "There are dozens of countries in the world," she said, "why go where you are least wanted?"

My response surprised even me: "because that's where you are most needed." Hostility to the Gospel takes many forms, from persecution to mere social disfavor. None of those forms relieve us of Christ's Commission. Faith pulls back the veil that is our mundane, everyday life...and reveals a reality that is not only stranger than we imagine, but stranger than we COULD imagine. If we really believe this universe is locked in a death struggle with sin, and there is only one hope to be had, are we not obliged to share that information? We're not responsible for how it is received--only to provide it when given the opportunity, whether that's in Tennessee or Tibet.

We each struggle with our own failures to live up to the perfect standard we proclaim. And yet, that is to our good as well--it reminds us of our own powerlessness. We do not save ourselves, nor do we afterwards have the power to 'save others.' Christ said to "go." But he also said He would be with us always...and only through His presence in our lives does anything worthwhile happen. What we try on our own will usually blow up in our faces.

I've been blessed to watch God's work in my sister's family. Having committed to Christ, they're now following His call to travel abroad with the Gospel, and it's an awesome thing to see His will unfold for them. For me, for now, I'd like to see more disciples out of this nation...