I never leave the country and return the same.
On a basic, anthropological level, travel changes us. New people, new cultures, and new ideas confront us in profound ways when we leave the safe confines of familiarity.
But the Lord has repeatedly used cross-cultural experiences in my life to do more than broaden my cultural horizons. This afternoon, exhausted from a jaunt around the globe and a bit overwhelmed at all the work to catch up on, he reminds me that the world is so much bigger than the small bubble I inhabit on a daily basis. My problems, fears, and frustrations are graciously given eternal context. He reminds me that his plan of redemption is broader, and more far-reaching, than I could ever dream. He reminds me that he’s worth leveraging everything we have to get the good news of Jesus to every nook and cranny of his big, beautiful world.
And, quite frankly, he reminds me that he’s winning.
Every day, the people of God are taking the good news of Jesus into towns and villages where it has never gone. Without fanfare, sponsored Facebook posts, celebrity Christians, or top-notch branding, everyday people, transformed by the Spirit of God, are sharing the gospel with their friends and family members. And many are believing. There are fourth-generation churches in districts where, not long ago, there was no Christian presence. God is gathering a vast multitude of people to himself, and he’s using people like us, empowered by his Spirit, to bring it to pass.
After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Revelation 7:9-10
I’m speaking to myself as much as anyone when I say – don’t miss this. Don’t neglect the exclusivity the gospel. Don’t cloak the clarity of the gospel. And don’t forget the urgency of the gospel.
Until the Eastern sky breaks open.
MB
