Back To Africa

“It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known…”

                                                The Apostle Paul  (Rom. 15:20)

I must admit it is hard to focus this week.  Even as I try to write this post, I am having a difficult time keeping my mind from imagining the upcoming events of our trip to Tanzania; scheduled to leave this Sunday afternoon.  Daydreaming has always been a favorite pastime of mine, especially when I have something coming up that grabs and holds my imagination.  Over these next several days it will grow increasingly more difficult to stay in the moment because Africa awaits!  Please pray earnestly for our team of twelve as we make the final preparations and then embark together on this much anticipated mission.  While there, we will be engaged in sharing the gospel with those who have not heard and teaching new believers as they seek to grow in their faith.  Our target group will be the Maasai Tribe in the northern most part of Tanzania.

I am sometimes asked why we spend so much time, energy and resources going halfway around the world to share the gospel when there are so many unsaved people right here in our own nation and community. Admittedly, this is a fair question.  Truly, our own community is lost and indifferent to the Truth of the Gospel message that we proclaim.  As a matter of fact, the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention has identified many of our own cities as being “unreached” by the gospel; meaning that less than 2% are evangelical Christians.  Clearly, the NEED is just as great here as anywhere.

However, while the need is great here in the USA, so too is the opportunity.  Since the inception of our great country, the Gospel message has been welcomed and presented here.  Not only do we have Christian churches on almost every corner (even though many of them are weak and negligent to share the truth), we also have Christian radio and television, Christian schools, Christian businesses, etc.  In short, the opportunity is here.  Again, I am not making light of the depth of lostness here in America.  Keep in mind that I serve here as the pastor of a local church, dedicating my life to winning the lost to Christ in this particular community. What we spend a few weeks a year doing in some remote area of the world, we spend every week doing essentially the same thing here in Summerville, SC. 

As we travel around the world to share the good news of Jesus Christ, we see almost immediately that where the need is just as great, the opportunity for the lost to hear and respond to the Gospel is at best limited and at worst unavailable.  Many people around the world have limited if any access to the truth of the Gospel.  When the early church was being formed back in the first century, the Apostle Paul dedicated his life to sharing the truth of Jesus Christ.  While he spent a great deal of time in Jerusalem, and Judea (places where the early church spread and grew quickly) his heart was bent on preaching the truth in those remote places “where Christ was not known.”  Intentionally he chose places where the need was great but the opportunity was small and there he preached the truth of Jesus Christ. 

I would guess that Paul was a daydreamer as well.  Always dreaming of his next opportunity to step out in faith and follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit to the next place, the next people, the next mission.  God has called us as a church to serve him here in this particular community.  However, ever so often He lets us step out and go with Him to those places where He desires His word to be preached; places where “Christ was not known.”  I may not sleep at all this week!  Thanks for reading.