“We must decrease, Christ must increase” is the theme for the men of F-Squad. It is our war chant. Whenever we are all together we all put our hands in the middle and yell it loud as we can 5 times.
We must decrease, Christ must increase, what being a Christian is all about. Dying to self, and bringing glory to the father. (Philipenas 2:5-11) (my favorite passage in the Bible)
The city we are in is not touristy at all. The only white people who come here are with our organization, and that is not very often. When we drive down the street, many people in the market stop what they are doing and just stair at us while we drive by. I think many places we go, we are likely the first white people they have seen in person. If you have ever been to a third world country, you would know the hospitality these people have for their guests, especially American guests. This is even intensified here in India since it is such a rarity.
This has been something difficult for me. I feel like we as missionaries should be the ones serving them. We should be sitting on the floor while they get the best seats. We are called in the bible to humble ourselves. Jesus was the greatest example of this. However, the Indian people, whether they be Hindu or Christian are the ones always serving us. Always giving us the best seat. Many times when we go to a very poor village they will buy all of us cokes or treat us to a meal. Which usually means we are eating the meal they were going to eat that night.
Anyone who has gone on a mission trip knows this feeling. It is a very humbling and difficult gift to receive.
I have been noticing thought how the enemy tries to use this against us. I have been catching myself expecting these things. Expecting the best seats. Expecting not to have to share taxis with strangers. Expecting my right to the house we are staying at. Expecting to be left alone on my free days.
It has just been something that has gotten to me a little. It is not just the people we are serving. The pastors house we are staying at slaves themselves taking care of us. Seeing people who have so little, give so much, while we already have so much can get a little over whelming. We came to serve. To show the love of Jesus to these people, but they are often the ones serving us. The other day we were at ministry, and a villager bought all of us including our translators cokes. I wanted to open it up and share it with all the Indian people sitting down. They were all Hindi, and I wanted to show Christ’s love in every way I could. But to do so would be very offensive to the people who bought us the drinks. Hindi people we were also ministering to.
God kind of spoke to me then that these peoples gift to us is like His gift to us. How different was it from what Jesus did for us? We didn’t do anything to deserve it, but He died on the cross for what we did wrong. He gave everything for a bunch of ungrateful spoiled people. We just sat there drinking our sprite nailing Him to the cross. But it is okay, He loves us, and that is who he designed it to be.
I was reading the Sermon On The Mount and this passage spoke to me.
Matthew 6:1-4
Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
2 “So when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you [b]give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your [c]giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
