The World In Our Backyard
Movement #1: THE WORLD IS OUR MISSION FIELD
Isn’t that exciting, to see people seal their commitment to Christ by being baptized makes all the effort of witness worthwhile. It speaks powerfully that there is indescribable truth to Jesus statement, which brings the book of Matthew to a close.
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19)
Jumping off of our theme verse of the past, few weeks, …
“But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
… we have considered the principles for fishing in our own pond, reaching our own Jerusalem … that it begins with prayer, extends by loving the church family, expands by serving those outside of the church, demonstrates a transformed life, and finally speaks the truth.
Last week, we discussed how we can partner with the Church body in reaching Judea and Samaria, strengthening the impact of our personal witness.
Today, we want to focus on the last field of witness … the ends of the earth … reaching the rest of the world, For you see, the world is our mission field.
In Acts 1, the role of being a witness to the world is set in geographical terms as someplace far removed from where we are. We reach out to those who are immediately around us. We extend ourselves to those who are outside our present circle of relationships. We move closer to those who are different than us. And finally, we move out to reach those who are removed from us.
This last element, the moving out to reach those who are removed from us, is what we picture as the young pioneer blazing a trail through the virgin jungle in search of the next tribe who needs to hear about Christ. It is the life and death struggle to serve the cause of Christ in a foreign and often hostile land. It is packing up and moving to the heart of Africa, like Dave and Suzie Snyder, or Steve and Pat Zimmerman, or the thousands of others who have left house and home to build a new one in a new land.
Throughout the last five hundred years, moving out to reach those who are removed from us has served as the model for missions. Beginning in the 1500’s, and energized in the 1800’s with the fresh movement of modern missions, the church expanded from a declining European institution to a faith found flourishing on every continent of the world (save Antarctica).
Yet, most of us can’t even consider moving to a far off place to fulfill our mission. However, God has not given us an exemption from being involved in what God is doing in the world.
For starters, we can contribute to missions through the annual Faith-Promise campaign. These mission need our financial support in order to sustain themselves, however, we can do much more than simple send cash.
We can become involved. This morning I have asked a couple who are spending time in England over the next year to share with us how they are getting involved in what God is doing there. Geoff and Lois.
Movement #2: THE WORLD IS CHANGING
Now some of you might be thinking, “That’s fine for Geoff and Lois. It’s great that Pepsi could send him to England, and he could be involved there. But I don’t have a job that will send me overseas. If I did I might be involved in missions too.”
Yet the world is changing. Things are not the same as they used to be. Many of you have made that same observation yourself. And the shifts that we have experienced in this changing world have resulted in a change in opportunities.
Just think through some of the world changes that are relevant to what God is doing in our world.
The world population at the time of Christ was about 300 million. One thousand years later, the world population had barely changed.
Today the population is more than six billion. Of those people, more than one and a half billion have never even heard the name of Jesus.
In the year 1000, the world’s five largest cities were Cordova, Spain; Kaifeng, China; Constantinople, Turkey; Angkor, Cambodia; and Kyoto, Japan. The average Christian back then had never heard of most of these global centers, and could do little to influence them for Christ.
Today the world’s five largest cities are Tokyo, Japan; Mexico City, Mexico; Sao Paulo, Brazil; New York City; and Mumbai (Bombay), India. Chances are good that, within ½ hour from where you live there are residents or university exchange students from al least one (if not all five) of these places!
In the year 1000, the fastest spreading faith was Islam, especially in Hindu-dominated India.
Today it’s Christianity, especially evangelical varieties, but not in North America as a whole. Here Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism posted record growth well over 100%, while Christianity declined by 9% of the population.
In the year 1000, the center of Christianity was Constantinople, Turkey.
Yet, although the USA would have been considered the center of Christian growth early in the 20th century. The center of what God is doing is clearly now not North America. Today it’s south of the equator, either in Africa, Asia, or South America. Imagine what our society would be like if the Holy Spirit’s greatest movement began to occur here.
In his book, Lost In America, Tom Clegg shares the following story. He begins,
Picture me standing in line at the Holiday Inn near the airport in Phoenix, AZ. I strike up a conversation with the three men standing behind me. By accent and appearance they seem to be African, perhaps Nigerian (which they later confirm).
“First time to the States?” I ask.
They indicate yes.
“Hey, welcome!” I continue. “What brings you here?”
They say that they’re here for a training conference.
What line of work?” I ask.
They tell me that they’re Christian ministers.
“Great! What’s the conference all about? I ask.
They say that it’s a foreign missions field orientation.
“Missionaries – great! To where?” I probe.
I’m caught a bit off-guard when they indicate that their destination is the United States. One of the three explains: “He’s going to Los Angeles, he’s going to Chicago, and I’m going to New York.”
Then I think I have it figured out. “What a vision,” I say. “Coming all this way to reach expatriated Africans with the gospel! Praise God.”
That’s not what they have in mind. “Well, sir,” one of them explains, “our prayer is to reach anyone we can with the light and love of Jesus Christ.”
They’d attended a missionary conference a their church in Nigeria. Their Nigerian pastor, after showing slides depicting life in American urban centers, had pleaded, “Who will go to take the gospel to this dark land?”
What irony. Things have come full circle. Christians used to refer to Africa as the dark continent. Now, despite the fact that we’re the information capital of the world, the United States is in darkness. Americans tend to think of ourselves as the world’s primary sending nation. Now other nations are sending missionaries to help us: “Other Christians around the world send, collectively, more missionaries to the United States than are received by any other country in the world except Brazil.” (Kent R Hunter)
In the year 1000, the world leader in technology, industry and commerce was China.
Today it’s the United States. People have unprecedented access to every means possible for sharing and spreading the gospel.
Just think of these other changes that have happened in our world in the last 50 years. Travel across the Atlantic, which was measured in weeks, now has been reduced to hours. Telephones allow you to speak to people in the farthest corners of the world. And with the advent of the internet and satellite communication, you can carry on real-time written dialogues that would have taken months instantaneously.
How can you get involved? Without packing up the family for a move overseas, you could volunteer to be part of a short-term mission trip. Is it possible that God is calling you to serve for 7-10 days on a foreign mission field. The church is even willing to help with the expenses. The church has already assisted Al, Leslie, Ali, and Nathan White, Carmen, David, and Noe Mercado, Amelia, William and Alexis Garcia, Sean and Denise Lennon and Courtney and Alyciah Carr, and Fred Schmid, and even earlier Cesar Simeon.
But lets bring reaching the ends of the earth another step closer to home. Listen to these verses:
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19)
“With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.’ You are witnesses of all these things. (Luke 24:47-48)
In both of those verses circle the phrase “all the nations.” The emphasis in Matthew and Luke is not geographical like in Acts. The emphasis here is ethnic. These scriptures set out the goal of reaching each nationality, ethnic group or people group.
Perhaps what we need to hear more clearly is these verses call to reach all people. They don’t say anything about packing our bags and going overseas. They simply say reach everyone of every nationality everywhere. Listen in on Mark 16:15.
“Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. (Mark 16:15)
Underline the two words everyone and everywhere.
Finally, our mission to the world will culminate in the celebration described for us in the book of Revelation:
“After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God on the throne and from the Lamb!” (Rev 7:9-10)
Within the FCC fellowship we have no less than eight first generation foreign nations represented: Poland, Lithuania, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Nigeria, Belize, Jamaica, the Philippians, and Albania. Think about this. What if each one of our internationals were to intentionally become a living link witness to those back home? What if they were to build on the existing relationships they continue with friends and relatives the message of Christ’s transforming love? What kind of impact might that have? Without returning home, they can impact the world.
Movement #3: THE WORLD IS IN OUR BACKYARD
Yet the responsibility is not theirs alone.
Shortly, after we moved into the house on St. Louis our yard became flooded with children from the neighborhood. It was sort of a “Jesus Loves The Little Children” picture … red and yellow, black and white, and all the shades in between. It was at that moment Laira and I really began to understand our part in reaching the world. The world is in our backyard.
And not only is the world in our backyard, the world is each in of our backyards. No longer do we have to go out into all of the world. The world has come to us.
Today, the Church has an unprecedented opening to speak the Gospel to people of “every tongue and nation.” From the restaurant owner at the mall to the doctor down the street to the college student at the gym, the world is in our backyard.
Ray Bakke, an expert in urban missions, has said: “With half of the world’s six billion people in the cities, there is almost no end to the exciting challenges that await God’s people.”
And it tears at the heart of God when Christians and Churches race to relocate simply because the face of the community is changing.
Within the Ashburn neighborhood alone, we have the opportunity open to us to make an eternal impact on the nations of Poland, Lithuania, Ireland, Greece, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Nigeria, the Philippians, Albania, Belize, Jamaica, Chile, Peru, Jordan, and Palestine. We could begin to bridge the gospel to several of these nations by simply extending ourselves across the fence, or crossing over the street, beginning with friendship that builds a relationship of trust that earns us the right to share Christ’s story.
However, we do have to move out of our fortresses and into the streets.
Conclusion
How many of you are concerned that not all the members of your immediate family will be with you in heaven? Now think of the households to the immediate left and right of your front door. Is there anyone who has built strong enough relationships to ask about the spiritual well-being of both homes?
Warren Bird asked these questions of a group of church leaders from his church in Princeton, NJ. One hand went up. “It’s taken us years,” that person commented, “I’ve partnered with a Christian neighbor who lives fifteen houses away. We’ve held barbeques to get to know our neighbors, we’ve done Bible studies with some, and we’ve been intentional about inviting people to church. Three of the homes have had someone come to faith in Christ, and they’re all now active in a church.”
Imagine the world impact if every church took more seriously Jesus’ words about being his witness through the power of the Holy Spirit both locally and cross-culturally – and “to the ends of the earth”.
