One of the things that I think about on The World Race is “what are we doing here?”. I don’t think about it in a the sense that I don’t know – because I know it in part, but I want to dig deeper into that question. “What are we really doing here?” Why are we in Thailand or Cambodia or, wherever, working with people who have a different native tongue, people that don’t look like us. Why are we here with these people that think so differently as a culture; “What are we really trying to accomplish?”
One simple way to break it down is with Math and Art. When I was in a math class everything was very straight forward. Every question had 1 answer and all the other answers were wrong. 6+11 is 17, 5×5 is 25. I would have no hope arguing that 5×5 is 12 because its simply not true. I can believe that 5×5 is 12, but I will be wrong every time.
Art class on the other hand was very different. In art class, I was really never wrong as long as I followed the basic criteria of what the assignment was. If the assignment was to make something out of clay, I could make anything I wanted. I remember making a mug to drink out of, I made a huge decoration for my room that really had no purpose at all, another time I even made a “Mar Bar” for Marin. I still got graded on these things but the grade was more based on my effort and if I had used skill on the project, but I was never flat out wrong. I never had an art teacher tell me that a project was incorrect (although as those who have seen my drawing skills can attest to, they might have told me it wasn’t very good).
Doing ministry on the World Race is like doing a math problem and an art project at the same time. One of my main goals on The World Race is to embrace the art in each country we go to. By saying that I don’t mean the literal art, although I may do that at times, but what I really mean is undertaking the project of embracing the people and what makes them unique. I want to embrace the language and learn about it. I want to experience the food. I want to know the sports and games that are played. I want to hear about the clothes, the traditions, the values and the music. I can love people and learn from people in a variety of ways. Like in completing an art project, there is no one right answer in how to do that.
Perhaps some countries will have “better” art than others. The history of one country may be much richer than another. The food in another country may be much more diverse than another. Whatever the case may be, I am here to embrace the “art” that each country has, because everyone has something to offer. Revelation 21:24 and 21:26 talk about what the New Jerusalem will look like after Jesus’ second coming. It says “…the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it.” What this says to me is that in eternity, every nation and people group will have something to offer from their unique culture.
On the flip side is math which is full of things that are true and things that are false. I want to teach math on The World Race and therefore teach truth. Jesus says in John 14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me.” Similarly, in John 3 starting at verse 17 it reads “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
These verses are difficult and they are difficult because they are math. They give only one answer and being close to that answer is not enough, only having it exactly right is enough. So why is Jesus the way and the only way? Why is their no wiggle room there? Check out my previous blog on atonement to see:
The math that we are spreading on The World Race is the same thing that is found in Acts 3:19 “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.” “For whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him. John 3:36” We are not looking to spread any other message, but only this message of hope. We do not want to Americanize other cultures. We don’t want to spread our habits or preferences or change other countries’ culture. We simply want to proclaim the truth of Jesus sacrifice and the atonement for sin that he freely offers to those who believe in him.
Lastly, I will end by talking about what I find to be the best part of being a follower of Jesus on The World Race which is this: I get to love everybody. I get to talk to people and love them. I get to love them through my actions. I get to love people I agree with and people I disagree with. I have the opportunity to show them the love that Jesus has for them through my actions towards them. Jesus is very clear about who he is. He says that he is the way to God, and the gate to God and that there is no other. He points us to the God of the Bible and is clear that Allah is not the true God, that Buddha is not to be prayed too, and that God’s creation is simply that, creation, and is not worthy of worship; only the creator is worthy of worship. With this truth however comes the amazing art of love. Jesus himself said of those that murdered him on a cross, “Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do”. In the same way I get to follow Jesus example of true love for others. I don’t simply get to tolerate others, I get to love them and that is a wonderful thing. The art of love and the truth of math is what The World Race is about and what the entire gospel is about. It starts with God’s love for us and then goes to our response of loving God back and loving others.
So what am I doing here? I’m learning the “art” of loving others well. I’m also learning how to share the “mathematical” truths revealed to us in the word of God. There is such richness when the “art” and the “math” of ministry are combined. It has been a great joy in being able to clothe myself with love for others every day and in making God’s truths known.
