Me in Mombasa Kenya

The great commission the Lord gives to His people is to “go”. To go forth throughout the world sharing the gospel. For a Christian, going to people of a different race and different culture in order to minister the gospel is a very rewarding and fulfilling experience. Yet, many Christians have never even remotely considered doing so, particularly Christians in America.

It is time for some straight talk about the general attitude of the Body of Christ toward this matter. In particular, I am speaking about the Body of Christ in the United States of America. Most Christians in America rarely give any thought to their brothers and sisters in the Lord who live in distant lands and other cultures. The idea of “suffering for Christ’s sake” is something that they cannot even imagine, let alone show any empathy for. Instead, many Christians in America are preoccupied with a continuous graduation of and improvement of their standard of living. The reality is that Christians in this frame of mind will never give any thought about the struggles of other fellow Christians in less fortunate circumstances.

For many Christians in America, persecution is defined as not being able to buy the latest computer or not being able to drive a luxury automobile. Essentially, to many American Christians the function and measure of one’s faith has become that of obtaining material wealth and an endless cycle of “bigger and better”. At this point let me say that there is nothing wrong with living in a nice home or driving a nice car. However, if your life has become consumed with the desire for things, then you have a serious spiritual deficit.

To put it bluntly, many Christians have become disinterested in anything outside of their own experience or their own existence. They are unwilling to take even a small step of faith for fear that they might be perceived as too radical in the eyes of their friends or family. All the while, playing it safe and having every aspect of their lives in a perfect state of existence, but going nowhere. They exist in a state of “spiritual inertia” while at the same time claiming to be experts on the subject of faith!

It is time for Christians to start seeing the possibilities that are there for them to minister to those of other cultures and other nations. We are one body and we serve the same Lord. Therefore, it is time to develop a ministerial world-view. It’s time to understand that the move of the Holy Spirit is not limited to or specific to cultural or geographic boundaries.

Original Publish Date: May 25, 2005