The Blog
1.11 Stuck in the Middle
“I am going into ministry too!” the college senior beamed. “I am taking my sports ministry degree and will operate a sports camp for kids.”
We were sitting at a lunch table on a college visit this past spring with my son. While chatting with some faculty, this young senior had walked up, greeted the professor at our table, and introduced himself to us. When he heard that we were missionaries, he got inspired to share his vision for ministry. I engaged him with a question I took to be totally normal. “In what country are you going to open up a new camp?”
There was a long pause and his perplexed expression made me think I must have spoken in Japanese by mistake. “Uh, here in Michigan” he responded. Without questioning the credentials of his middle school geography teacher, I pressed on. “Let’s say I am a 12 year old boy in Michigan. I want to go to camp this summer. Let’s see…” and I held up my hands with my fingers spread wide, “…I have at least 10 choices.” (I actually looked this up later, and according to the Christian Camp and Conference Association, there are 54 registered Christian camps in Michigan!) I continued, “Now let’s pretend I’m a 12 year old in, say, Kosova.” I held up my hands, fists closed. “I’ve got no options. There are no Christian sports camps in Kosova. There is only one Christian camp, and it is just getting off the ground.” Then I peered right into his eyes. “Where do you think you should take this great education and passion for sports and camping?”
Isn’t any Christian service great service? Shouldn’t we be grateful that followers of Jesus are willing to do anything? I want you to think about that for a moment. Would we be satisfied if our church had 98 people willing to be ushers and only 2 people willing to run the children’s program? That is the situation we find ourselves in when looking at how many missionaries are engaging the unreached – those with little or no access to the gospel (according to Jason Mandrik, Operation World).
Is any service great service, when Jesus has clearly called us to be his witnesses to the ENDS of the earth (Acts 1:8)? Is it enough to just get involved where we are comfortable? What does it really mean to heed Christ’s command to go into ALL the world and preach the gospel to ALL creation (Mark 16:15)?
If God has sent us to the ends, why are so many of us huddled in the middle?
RememberThePoor
Warren, I love that title, stuck in the middle. It is stuck in my mind! Your post reminds me of another phrase we often hear - charity begins at home - to which my response is always, yes, but it doesn't stop there. Same wth evangelism. Spreading the gospel consists of doing good deeds and bringing good news. The need for both is far greater in some areas than others. There is far more poverty and injustice in undeveloped and developing areas where Christ has never been heard of, or where Christianity has not yet had time to influence the culture, and there are far fewer disciples there "doing good deeds and bringing good news." Maybe a lot of people make the decision to stay where they are without ever really thinking and praying about possibilities elsewhere? Maybe some of our churches could do a better job exposing them to the possibilities, through short term mission trips and other exposure to the global need? Thanks for your thought-provoking post!
Troy Roberts
Thanks Warren, and Thank you Father for Mobilizers. In my experience, it is just as difficult to engage and persuade saints with the urgency of the gospel as it is to engage and persuade sinners with the gospel itself. I wonder if the fundamental flaw in modern discipleship lies in the lack of consistent and increasing giving to the Lord. It seems that people who have never given an evening, a day, a weekend, a week, or more to the Lord have a much harder time giving their lives. Perhaps the grip of ownership that we place on our lives must be pried away finger by finger. I'd be excited to see where this excited college senior ends up when God is done moving him into ministry. If God has His way, maybe we'll have a sports camp in Kosovo? =o) Thanks for challenging us to the great call, and planting a "mind bomb" in this guy's life. You rock Warren!
About This Blog
Welcome to the official SEND blog. Here you will find updates from contributers serving in a variety of fields around the world.
Reagan
I had just been thinking on this subject today when I read this. A friend of mine just tweeted a quote that said "Your city is just as valid a mission field as any foreign country." And I was pondering the validity of that statement and its assumptions. I think we want to compromise and tell God that we'll serve him as long as we can do it on our terms. Seems a little off to think that the US needs me to be yet another "missionary" when there are unreached millions across the globe. Your analogy makes the truth of the matter painfully convicting for me. Thanks, Keep up the good work!