Armadillos and People Groups

-

It’s late.  Middle of the night in fact.  I’m hunting a critter and at the moment a little bored.  OK, good time to write the blog for this month.  Isn’t that what everyone does when they’re hunting Armadillos; write a blog?
Let me back up for a minute and explain why I am hunting an Armadillo.  Not just any Armadillo.  No, a specific one.  The little dude that’s been trashing my yard every night for the last two weeks.  You DO remember from my last blog how I feel about my well groomed lawn, right?  Well you would be amazed at how much damage this small little animal can inflict on a yard in the middle of the night.  It’s like a pack of wild hogs went through my grass digging up every grub worm on the planet.  OK, that’s an exaggeration, but only a small one.  This Armadillo is doing serious damage and it’s either going to be me or him.  “This yard ain’t big enough for the two of us!”  The all night hunt is on (cue Mission Impossible theme song)…..                           


In the meantime, while I sit in the living room waiting on any movement in the yard to catch my attention, let me tell you a little about the conference in Dallas I just attended.  Among the many really excellent speakers, two really stand out; David Platt and Fancis Chan.  Platt is the author of Radical, a recent best seller.  And Chan is the author of Crazy Love, another recent best seller.  I’ve heard Platt before but this was my first for Chan.  Both are great authors and fantastic speakers.
Platt spoke on the need for suffering.  Chan spoke on the need for endurance. I could go on and on about everything they had to say, but I want to especially focus on something Platt said: the whole concept of suffering being required to complete the Great Commission. He started out by describing the current state of world missions. According to The Joshua Project, there are 16,804 different people groups on planet earth.  Of those 7,289 (43%) are unreached. This is a conference for professional missionaries.  OK, we know these stats.  You’re preaching to the choir.
He then said something that completely shocked the entire room into total silence.  He basically said, “Hey people, all the easy groups are reached.  The only ones left are the hard ones.  So some of you in this room are going to have to DIE to accomplish the Great Commission.  Who will it be?”
Silence.
Wow Mr. Platt, great way to win friends and influence conference goers.  After delivering that zinger he went on to deliver a marvelously passionate exposition of the scriptures and showed us how it’s always been this way. Here’s a few more quotes I can recall from his talk:  “The news of a suffering Savior is spread by suffering Saints.”  “God ordained martyrdom in the church for the multiplication of the church.”  “The completion of the Great Commission will require great suffering. And eternity will prove it was worth it!”   It took about an hour of Platt cajoling me to be cleansed of my tendencies toward satiating my wicked heart. By the end of it, I realized that God’s plan was good.  And in truth I also realized I don’t like this part of God’s plan very much.
I’m sorry if that doesn’t sound very spiritual.  It is however very true.  Because the reality is my heart is about as sinful and pain averse as it gets.  While the idea of suffering for Jesus sounds theologically fulfilling, the practice of suffering for Jesus is altogether another thing. The only thing that makes the practice of suffering for Jesus palatable is the assurance that it does in fact serve a purpose greater than me (His Glory) and that at some point in my future there would be a reward freely given me.

So would I be willing to go off to a certain death if it meant reaching an unreached people group with the Gospel?  Would I be willing if I was given no assurances my sacrifice would result in the group being reached?  Would I bewilling to let one of my daughters make this sacrifice? Or more realistically would I be willing to eat less, dress more humbly, drive an older vehicle, live in a smaller house, or have my worst sin exposed so that it would improve Christ’s image to those around me? I would like to say that I would.  But as I sit here pondering
these things I’m aware that I've done none of them. So what does that say?  I’m not sure.  But it’s something to muse on during the night watch.



Humbled,
wayne

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Will you drink?

-
Image
     Standing before their relatives who where to be witnesses to this covenant, the young man poured a glass of wine and handed it to the young woman standing beside him saying, " This is my covenant with you." All waited on the edge of their seats. Would she accept it and drink or would she refuse? The young woman reached out with a grand smile and took the cup from his hands then raised it to her lips and drank. She said yes!  So vowing to be faithful, the groom returns to his father's house. There he would prepare a place for his bride to be not knowing the day nor hour his father would say, "Go. Now is the time. Your task has been completed. Meanwhile, the groom sends his groom's-man to be the intercessor between him and his bride. Though, she has not seen him, her heart knows him well. Becoming more like him everyday. She prepares her garment and herself for his coming with great anticipation. At last the father gives his consent and orders his son away...
Read more

No More Plan-B's

-
I've been pondering the life of Abraham. A man whom God calls to leave everything, yet he brings along his "plan-b's". God promises the impossible...And as we often do in our hearts, he laughs at God seeing only through the lens of a man. Over and over he takes the situations into his own hands and often listens to the advice of his closet relationships above God's. Yet God continues to remind Abram of his promise and blessing. He even changes his name to Abraham, meaning the father of nations, before He had fulfilled the promise of one! Finally, after a decade of waiting yet not waiting and suffering the consequences of his "plan-b's", Abraham is given his promise. Had he deserved it? No, but God wanted to show Abraham who He was. Fast forward several years...Isaac now a grown man. God tells Abraham to offer his one-and-only son, who he loved so dearly, as a sacrifice of worship to the Lord. For the first time we see Abraham surrenders his will an...
Read more
-
A ugust began a new chapter for me here in Leticia. I began alternating teaching English one week with teaching a physical activity such as art, embroidery, sewing, exercise, etc. the next. For the most part my weekly schedule is teaching the tutors Monday morning and planning me week's lesson for the kids; On Tuesday I do my grocery shopping, work on updating the info for the each child's sponsor, and doing whatever else there is to do. Wednesday I teach Group 1 with ages ranging from kinder garden to third grade; Thursday I teach Group 2(4th-5th grade) and Group 3 and 4(middle and high schoolers) on Friday. On Wednesday nights I sometimes attend a small Bible study in a home with people from my church, otherwise I head home by 5pm to make dinner, read, and watch the news. Friday and Sunday night I gather with the church for a time of prayer, worship, and study....I so look forward to this time during the week! I love ending my week in worship a...
Read more