Where Are the Christians?

“In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” (Isaiah 2:2)

All nations is one of my favorite phrases in the Bible. God is an inclusive God.  When He established a foothold in our fallen world by starting a diminutive nation called Israel, He was already thinking big.  God’s plan was to reach out through Israel to call all nations to Himself.

As never before, God’s purpose is being fulfilled.  Today nearly one-third or 31.2% of the world's population is considered to be Christian. [1]

God’s promise of a gospel that reaches “…to the ends of the earth.” is being realized. (See Acts 1:8) All nations are streaming toward the mountain of the Lord’s temple, not by pilgrimage to a physical temple in Jerusalem, but by coming to Jesus, the one who fulfills the temple’s deepest meaning of God’s presence among us.

Unfortunately many of us haven’t kept up on what God is doing to fulfill His global plans.  We still think of the church as strong in Europe and North America but in its infancy in the rest of the world. The truth is far different.

Praise God for the amazing things He is doing in our world.  I thank Him that in a world growing smaller every day we can experience community with fellow believers from across all cultures and nations.

[1] https://www.learnreligions.com/christianity-statistics-700533

Come, Follow Me

“One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)

Jesus’ words here about selling everything raise a storm of static in our minds.  It’s hard to hear what He is saying. We wonder, “How can I live without a place to hang my hat, or a bed to sleep in, or shoes on my feet, or clothes on my back? Must I sell everything?”

Frantically searching for some purpose to Jesus’ command, we might remember His call to Simon and Andrew, James and John, who were all fishermen, “Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men.” (Mark 1:17)  And “at once” they left their fishing nets, boats, their homes and families.  

I remember when God called Alice and me to go to Alaska to plant a new church and to share Jesus’ message with others.  We were on a tight budget, and we were only able to bring along some basic clothes, a medical kit, a few other necessities, and of course my books.  A friend of ours even loaned us a vehicle to drive there.  We had to trim down and travel light to follow this calling.  We had to entrust the care of my aging parents to my sister.  In the process, we gained a much larger family in Alaska.

Wherever we are called, whatever the cost, we must listen to Jesus and share His good news with the lost and hurting.