I have been living in Southeast Asia for the past four months. As I have entered into my fifth and final month in Asia, specifically Vietnam, my heart can’t help but break. My heart breaks for the emptiness within these countries. My heart aches for the meaningless worship and sacrifice millions of people are making to these empty, fake, and hopeless gods. My heart aches because they strive so much, yet receive so little.
Hinduism is defined as a conglomeration of religious, philosophical, and cultural ideas characterized by a belief in reincarnation and the pursuit of liberation from the cycle of reincarnation.
Buddhism is defined as the belief system of those who follow Buddha, whereby saving oneself comes by following a regimen (path or ritual) marked by meditation and mantras.
Together these two religions contain a population of approximately 1,165 million people, in over 62 countries. That is 1,165 million people who DO NOT KNOW THE TRUTH. And these aren’t the only two other religions in the world.
Animism an overarching theme throughout these religions which claims non-human entities possess a spiritual essence of soul makes up 40% of the entire worlds population.
These numbers break my heart.
The ONE THING that keeps me going is Jesus. So what is Christianity? What is the Gospel? How is Christianity defined? Let’s break it down letter by letter. First of all, the gospel is the good news; the story of Jesus.
G: God’s Character
The Gospel is rooted in the holiness of God and His righteous hatred against sin, and the love of God and His undeserved grace and mercy toward sinners.
” For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16
O: Offense of sin
The problem the Gospel addresses is humanity’s sinful rebellion against God.
We are guilty before God.
“… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Romans 3:23
S: Sufficiency of Christ
It is good news that Jesus lived a life of perfect, sinless obedience- the life we have not lived- and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and to bear the wrath we deserve for our rebellion against God. Both in His life and in His death, Jesus traded places with us and served as our substitute.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
P: Personal Response
The Gospel is a call to repentance and faith.
“Repent, therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out…” Acts 3:19
The Gospel clearly declares that there is NO other way for sinners to be saved, and it categorically denies that sinners can earn their salvation by anything they do themselves.
“For by Grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…” Ephesians 2:8
E: Eternal Urgency
Heaven is a glorious reality for everyone who believes.
Hell is a dreadful reality for everyone who does not believe the Gospel.
L: Life Transformation
All who believe the Gospel are forgiven, and they stand before God completely justified in His sight, clothed in the very righteousness of Christ.
All who believe in the Gospel have been reconciled to God.
So, the Gospel is good news. The Gospel is the news that there is an eternal hope.
You see, God created man out of the overflow of His love, to receive His love. He loved just for the potential of us to receive His love.
God= LOVE
God relentlessly pursues us… ALL of us.
” Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I go from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle in the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalm 139:7-10
I say all of this to say that I am amazed by God. I am amazed that He loves me SO much. I am amazed that He pursues me. I am amazed that no matter what, He will always love me. I am amazed that He goes before and behind me and guides every step I take. While in these five Asian countries where Christianity is not popular, He has guided my steps and opened up opportunities for me to share His love with others. Through the following stories I have truly realized just how BIG God is and how much He is capable of.
The Kevin story
This isn’t my story to tell, it’s my teammates’. So here it is:( http://kamirenpassavanti.theworldrace.org/post/kevin)
This story amazed me because this little boy was BOLD. He spoke of Jesus in a Buddhist school. God used him to affirm Kamiren and speak life into his classmates. How much more will God continue to use this sweet little boy as he grows up. GOD IS BIG.
Library Scripture
Not only did God plant Kevin in this Buddhist school, but God also planted Lena. Lena is a Christain woman who runs the school. Yes, a Christain woman runs a Buddhist school. How can you doubt God’s bigness in that?? Just wait, it’s gets better. Lena tasked me and a squad mate, Diane, to paint a mural in the school’s library to promote reading. We planned and decided on a forest/adventure themed mural and it turned out beautiful! We added a few quotes and with permission these quotes just happened to be SCRIPTURE. Yes, I painted scripture on the walls of a Buddhist school. My prayer for this library and these quotes is that children come and read and that little seeds get planted on their hearts through the scriptures and maybe, just maybe they find Jesus through that beautiful Wonder Library in their Buddhist school.
Fast forward to Vietnam.
We arrived in Vietnam just a few days ago and man is Jesus at work. As you all know Vietnam is a closed country. Evangelism is illegal. Well … I’ve shared the gospel over 4 times in 4 days. On Sunday my team and I, along with our host, attended a Vietnamese Christmas pageant. This pageant was approved by the government as a cultural exchange performance, relaying how Christmas is celebrated all over the world. The Gospel was shared approximately 7 times throughout the performance.
All of these stories plus many more have shown me just how BIG God is. If God can use a little boy to share the Gospel, can allow me to paint scripture on the walls of a Buddhist school, and can allow the Gospel to be shared in front of 1,000 people at a Christmas pageant in communist Vietnam, then what more can and WILL He do???
So my question to you is,” Will the Gospel be stopped by you, or shared by you?” – David Platt
Will you allow God to use you for BIG things? Will you allow God to overwhelm you with His love? Will you say yes? Or will you say no, in fear?
One of my favorite quotes is, “God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called.”
I can assure you that you will not be able to do what God calls you to do on your own. But with Him, all things are possible. Where He calls you, He will equip you. He will provide everything you need.
So I challenge all of you, do you have a yes in your spirit? Will you step out and follow God regardless of where He calls you? Will you allow Him to show His BIGNESS through you??
I beg you to do so! Saying Yes to God is the best thing you could ever do!!
After all, our worship to Him is not hopeless. He is the one true God that doesn’t expect anything from us other than to believe in Him and love Him. We don’t have to sacrifice, burn incense, or meditate. All other religions require that you climb up the mountain and strive to reach god, when Christianity says Jesus came down the mountain, picked us up and carried us up the mountain to God.
Thank you Jesus for your substitution. Thank you Jesus that you love me and choose me!
I know this blog talks about a lot. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me: [email protected]
Questions are great! God is great!
Thank you for reading!
Love,
Gabbie
All information taken from: A Global Gospel In A World Of Religions with David Platt
