The great suggestion?

These past few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind of just go, go, going! But I would love to update you on all the wonderful ways God is working in and around me! I am really going to make an effort to at least share with you a newsletter type post bi-weekly if not weekly. I want to encourage you to come to me with prayer requests, because not only do I want to be prayed for, but I want to pray for my supporters and friends. You all are so near and dear to my heart, and while living abroad I see how crucial communications is. I will dedicating my blog strictly to updating my supporters about my the ways God is working, what is happening in my area of YWAM, and the local joys of living in Norway.

So let me start off with the last week called Kairos! Kairos is a course that is all about "God, the Church, and the World." It is an 8 chapter notebook sized booklet full of articles and information that we must read in
one weeks time.  This week was really influential for me, and there is so much I could talk about, but I think for the sake of time and space I will stick to one or two things that really stood out to me.

We have all heard of the Great Commission, it's what concludes both Matthew and Mark. But what struck me this week is how much us as Christians, we think that what Jesus is saying is a suggestion. If you feel "called" to go out among nations and preach the gospel, if you are "called" to be a missionary.  What I really learned though, is that this is not a suggestion at all. It is a commandment. It's not called the Great Suggestion, is it? Just like we should obey our parents, love our neighbors, we should also preach the gospel to all nations. We also need to look at the right question, ask God 'what is my part in the mission field?' and I guarantee He will lay something on your heart. He may call you to be a trail blazer in the unreached tribes of the amazon, or He could call you to simply pray for a nation, or support a local missionary.  All of those are ways how you can help fulfill the Great Commission.  You are consciously aware of what is going on in the world, you are actively doing something. Not all of us are called to the front lines, and that is okay. But once we realize that this is something we need to be unified in in the Body of Christ, then big changes will start to happen.

At the heart of any Church should be God's heart for the nations. It is estimated that we now have access to countries and people groups representing over a billion people that we couldn't reach ten years ago. "The Church has the people, money, prayer, resources, and technology to fulfill the Great Commission in our age. But it will not be fulfilled by chance. It can only be fulfilled through godly unity and cooperation."  And if any commandment, isn't this the one to be on the forefront of our hearts?  The staggering fact is, God has entrusted to people like us, redeemed sinners, the responsibility of carrying out the divine purpose in history.  "God has entrusted to us this mission; and unless we do it, it will not get done."  Christ will come when every nation, every people, every tribe, and every tongue are represented in the Kingdom of Heaven. So why do we put off the coming of our Savior? When I read this my heart jumps!  I want to canoe into the remote tribes of Papa New Guinea, and tell these lost people about the love of my Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ. I want to shout it from the Himalayan Mountains, that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of each and every person. He took all the weight of the world so that we may have eternal life with Him in Heaven! Doesn't that excite you?! The gospel is good news, it's great news! It is something we shouldn't want to keep to ourselves, it should spring out of us, and flow from our mouths so that others can drink from the living water! When I think about the fact that I am withholding the chance of everlasting life from people because I am to busy, or I am not called to be a missionary, none of that matters, the only thing that should matter to us is knowing God but also making God known! Throughout the ends of the earth! It is our duty! Our commandment! Our reason we are placed on this earth! So why is it so hard then for the Christian community to do just that? Why is it so hard for us to reach out to the Muslim community in our city, or the illegal immigrants? Don't they deserve to hear of God's sacrifice for us, and Jesus's love for them? Jesus loves them exactly the same amount as He loves you and me, so shouldn't we share His love with them so they can start to walk in right relationship with Him?

Did you know there are still over 6,900 least reached people groups yet to experience the good news?! Millions of people in these least reached people groups will live and die without ever interacting with a believer or hearing the way of salvation. Don't we want to see the love of Jesus spread across the globe like a forest fire? Don't we want to be carriers of that fire? We need to have that burning desire that the gospel is something so great that we cannot contain it, we cannot control who we share it with because it is so life changing!

If we are all one in Christ Jesus and God desires that the nations be discipled, then what is stopping us? Let us be unified in the Body of Christ, and start supporting each other and encouraging each other in the journey of reaching all nations.

We need to surrender all to Jesus, and make Him Lord of our lives. Aren't we always taught and telling others that God has a plan for our life, and His plan is the best plan. So why don't we start living that way? Living in faith, going where God leads, and taking part of the greatest commandment of them all. "Go and make disciples of ALL nations."