A mission conference several years ago greatly impacted my life. The key speaker made a passionate appeal, by calling for a commitment to missions. This plea moved me to lead our church, in answering the call to partner in Tanzania. On that day, I was reminded how awesome it is for believers to hear and respond to God’s call, by taking the Gospel into all the world.
Christ continues to call front-line warriors of our faith to mission fields across the globe. Yet, I agree with Bob Briner in his book, “Roaring Lambs,” when he says that the same spirit should propel us to send our children into culture-shaping professions, such as entertainment, journalism, education, and politics.
Too often today, our culture views the church as negative and condemning, rather than positive and life-changing. Believers need to stop criticizing the lifestyles of our neighbors, and, instead, push back the darkness by sharing the light.
We will not impact Kentucky, for Christ, by hurling stones or by gathering with other Christians to march with picket signs held high. But, to impact Kentucky, for the Gospel, we need to be courageous enough, to enter the market places and public arenas of our culture.
This is not for the faint of heart, and it will not come without risk. But, why does this surprise us? Faith has always required risk; God continually demands His followers to venture out by faith, trusting that He who is with us, is stronger than, he who is in the world. Abraham set out for an unknown land. The Hebrew priests stepped into the Jordan to lead God’s people into the land of promise. David marched onto the battlefield to face the giant Goliath. Peter climbed out of the boat when Jesus called in the storm. These men of faith did not know what was before them, but they answered the call to boldly go forth for His glory
We desperately need the church to rise up and be the church in our culture. We need the people of God to step out with courageous conviction. We need the people of God to be ignited again by the Great Commission of our Lord, “Go therefore…” We need the best of God’s people to be willing to go into the public arenas and compete for the Kingdom.
There is an obscure passage in 1 Chronicles 12:32 that offers wisdom to us today:
“From Issachar, there were 200 leaders and all their relatives at their command—they understood the times and knew what Israel should do.”
A lost culture desperately awaits those who understand the times in which we live, and who know what to do for the sake of our Lord.
Leave a Reply