I Have a Dream, too . . .

Martin Luther King, whose memory we rightly esteem in this country, and whose sacrifice improved the lives of millions of black Americans, gave his stirring, ‘I have a dream’ speech just over 50 years ago.  As we know, it was not just the words he said, nor the rhythm and cadence with which they were delivered—it was the man and his context. He had already suffered before for his people’s cause, and he, his family, and his friends would go on to endure much, much more.  

I am not nearly as eloquent as King, but please allow me to attempt to express another, similar kind of dream for  a cause that may be even more crucial:

I have a Dream . . .

• That one day, firmly rooted in the Scriptures, and in the command of Jesus, American Christians will so grasp the truth of God’s Word and the significance of the Christ who lives in them, that they will be salt and light in a dark world that so desperately needs to see Jesus demonstrated in practice.
• That one day, we will set aside the colonialism that has distorted our views of the world, the paternalism that has dominated our attitudes, and the materialism that has paralyzed our obedience, and together with our partner believers from every nation and country, we will without regard for risk or fear, send our young and our old to the unreached peoples of this earth.
  
  
• That one day, the young people of this land will not get their identity from their class in society, or how much education they have, or the extent of their wealth or success, or the abilities with which God has endowed them, but will find their lives by losing them in the service of the Lord of history, paying the price necessary to serve those in need, those sick and in prison—in a word, those who are powerless to help themselves.
  
  
• That one day, the resources of the church will not be used primarily for programs designed primarily to bolster our feelings about ourselves, but will increasingly empower others around the globe to glorify Jesus.
  
  
• That one day our true wealth—our own lives, and those of our children and grandchildren—will be invested sacrificially and strategically in coming alongside those condemned to an eternity without God, through learning their languages, understanding their longings, and identifying with their true needs.
  
  
• That one day, Christians of this land will join hands with believers from every country, partnering, not in a spirit of superiority, but of recognition that without Jesus we can accomplish nothing, and without the wisdom and help of brothers and sisters from every people group, we can accomplish too little.
• That one day, we will once again follow in the Spirit of Him who energized countrymen like Lottie Moon, William Borden, Jim Elliot, Martha Myers, and a host of others who gave their lives with joy to the work of making disciples of all peoples, paying the ultimate price, as our Master did.

A Bigger Vision

I have a dream, and I believe that it is part of God's bigger vision, revealed step by step throughout human history:

Isaiah’s dream (Isa. 11:9), that the earth shall be full of the knowledge and experience of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

Daniel’s dream (Dan. 2:44-45), that the little Rock will bring down all the massive, powerful systems of human evil arrayed against the Lord and His Own.

Ezekiel’s dream (Ezek. 47:12; 48:35), that the Church will live out the abundant resources of Jehovah Shammah, ('the Lord is there') flowing out of its great community, the Temple of the Living God.

Solomon’s dream (1 Kings 3:10-14), that the one true God will give wisdom and inspire leadership willing to learn to incorporate the gifts and resources of all nations of the world to build His dwelling place,

The Apostle Peter’s dream (Acts 10:17-28), that no people or culture will be excluded because their skin color is different, their customs too strange, their food deemed unpalatable, all because of traditional Christians carrying, largely unaware, an innate, proud sense of superiority.

The Apostle John’s dream (Rev.4:9-11), that people from every nation, tribe, clan, political party or religious background will be so consumed with love for Jesus alone that they will one throw down at His feet every sense of personal identity and accomplishment, lost in wonder, love and praise.

In light of the corruption of human nature, it is a totally absurd and unrealistic vision and yet, because it expresses His heart’s desire, will absolutely and most assuredly one day be fulfilled.

U.S. Director

Caring for the Disabled in the Middle East

from the ReachAcross U.S. Director

For some years now, Gene and Rochelle have been working among disabled people in a Middle Eastern country, bringing grace and the Good News to some of the most neglected inhabitants of a largely unreached area. The English language and computer classes have been supplemented in the last two years through a program that provides for physiotherapists and other specialists to visit these people in their homes. Gene and Rochelle were evacuated recently with other personnel—much too soon to be able to turn this work over to nationals. We don’t know what will become of their labor, but we do know that we have a God who cares for the poor, and He will not forget about them.

The neediest patients often come from long distances. One morning a crippled child was brought from a village about two hours drive into the mountains. A caring relative in the city had given the family hope that they might be able to get help from a foreigner who actually loved and cared for handicapped people! Since the birth of their crippled child, the family had struggled in to know how to care for her. In the clinic a doctor did a medical examination and they got advice from a physiotherapist. We could see that it would be very helpful for the family to have a wheelchair to taking the growing child out of the house occasionally.

Thankfully, after a gift from a friend, we arranged a family outing to that village 2 hours away, and were able to deliver the wheelchair to the grateful family! We emphasized to them that God had provided for their need through generous Christian friends. They were so excited!

A qualified occupational therapist came along with us and was asked to look at two physically and mentally disabled boys. In her gentle way she showed the mothers how to do some simple exercises with their sons to help their muscles develop. Now they also felt some hope for their children.

The village is dusty and windswept with very little to employ people. The poverty drives the young men to leave the village to go to the cities in search of work. There are schools in the village and a small but active regional health centre. We long that centers like this will bring Christ's compassion and practical help to more people.

The end of the trip was very encouraging because after a generous lunch I had a good chat with our hosts about the Gospel. Gene

Moved with Compassion

from the Reach Across U.S. Director

Someone recently wrote that the Western media's portrayal of Islam is generally neither fair nor balanced. It's either "why can't we all get along" or "shoot ‘em and let God sort ‘em out." These ignorant assumptions lead us astray and may keep us from engaging with whole people groups that God has called His church to understand and love.

Jerry Trousdale has written some very encouraging works in his recent volume, Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus (description at the bottom of the blog). This excerpt is from pages 71 and 72:

“When most Christians look at Muslims, they see a monolithic mass of humanity, staunch in their beliefs, ready to fight for their religion, and aggressively seeking to extend the rule of Sharia law into all the world. That is not a complete or accurate picture! Most Christians cannot imagine what is really going on inside mosques, as more and more Muslims are doubting the teachings and worldview of the Islam that they inherited from their parents, a rigid belief system about which they are not supposed to ask questions.

Actually, we are discovering that shockingly high percentage of Muslim leaders are discouraged and disillusioned because they struggle to meet deep spiritual needs in a system built around a very different view of God than the loving God of the Bible. . . . A personal, loving relationship with God is not only impossible in Islam, it is not even a desired goal.

Muslims living in Christian-heritage countries, like the United States, find that it takes some courage to face each day in public. Despite a hefty dose of political correctness, in dozens of ways a message is transmitted clearly to Muslims every day: “Since you choose a religion of intimidation and violence, you are unwelcome here.” But many peaceful Muslims worry privately that something is terribly wrong with a violent Islamic worldview.

Unfortunately, most Christians have difficulty looking beyond the perplexities of today’s news from the Islamic world to imagine what can happen when a Muslim family discovers and obeys truth in the Bible. No devout Muslim anywhere has any concept of what it means to call God ‘Father,’ never mind something as intimate as ‘Abba’ (Daddy). . . . These core principles of Christianity are far outside the thinking of Muslims, but when they discover and obey these truths, their lives are transformed in unimaginable ways.

Recall some of the words and phrases describing Jesus’ view of the people around Him: “moved with compassion,’ “weary,” “scattered,” “without a shepherd.” If we are to follow the example of Jesus, we would do well to learn similar responses to the Muslims who live in our own communities, learning to be moved with compassion toward those who lack godly leadership, who are trapped in bondage to a religion that warps and despises human individuality, who are exhausted with their endless pursuit of good works that cannot lead to salvation.

We should be moved with compassion toward those who are lost.”

Are we?

---

We recommend this book to encourage us all with the fact that the Holy Spirit is reaching Muslims today. While Trousdale’s descriptions of great openness to the Gospel among Muslims today have largely to do with specific locations in Africa, they give us hope that Muslims in other areas of the world will respond to His call, and remind us that no one is beyond His reach!

Link: http://www.amazon.com/Miraculous-Movement-PB-Trousdale-Masih/dp/141854728X