You’re not going to believe it. I read another book in Quito, Ecuador that completely changed my perspective. And unfortunately, it was one of the grossest, yuckiest books I’ve ever read. I can’t tell you how many times I literally cringed at how right the author was and how convicted I felt. Yet at the same time, I would highly recommend you all read it, ESPECIALLY if you claim to be a Christian in the United States. You know, I’ve read books or watched videos before that show poverty in other countries and how we should help. Yes, those move me, but this book not only points out the poverty in other countries, but it talks a ton about the church in America, and it’s pretty….. um, well, gross. The book? Revolution in World Missions by K.P. Yohannan.
Since reading that book, I’ve been doing a TON of thinking about how I’ve lived my life this year on the Race and how I’ve lived it at home, and I’m just a tiny bit disgusted. Maybe a lot disgusted. How completely entangled am I in the sin of materialism?!? And aren’t most of us? I know you’ve probably heard similar messages, but we really don’t realize how much we have. We have absolutely no clue. We worry about which shoes to wear with which coat and how well our retirement fund is doing and what concert we are going to next weekend. And people are dying and going to hell and we could care less. The way we live our lives shows how little we care. Don’t like that statement? The author talks a lot about how much we actually believe the Bible. Do we truly believe the WHOLE Bible is truth? If we did, we would believe in hell. We would believe that people whom Jesus thought of, loved, and died for all around the world are dying every single day without even knowing they have a Savior who gave up everything for them to save them. And those people are going to an eternity of hell while we eat too many dinner rolls at Texas Roadhouse. And even this year on the World Race, I’ve still been very blessed. Yes, I have had to deal with minor annoyances such as bumpy, loud buses that break down in the middle of nowhere or eating way more rice than I would hope to, but at the end of the day, I am so blessed and often still very selfish and entitled.
If we believed the whole Bible was truth, wouldn’t we be living our lives just a tad differently like he said? Wouldn’t we be giving more money to missions focused on bringing the Gospel to people? Caring less about our own needs and wants when others are suffering around the world without hope? Thinking less about how entitled we are to a life of comfort and blessings? Praying every day for opportunities to share the Gospel with people around us and praying for the people all around the world who don’t know Jesus? Spending more time with the Lord every day and digging into His Word? Making sacrifices with our belongings instead of just giving the extra away? Giving people the Gospel and the person of Jesus instead of just filling their stomach and patting ourselves on the back for completing our good deed for the day?
The author also talks a lot about how focused our churches are on social reform without ever preaching the Gospel. They feed the hungry but never share the Gospel. How many of our church ministries are doing just that – leaving out the Gospel and replacing it with a cheap imitation that looks good on the outside but is actually spiritually empty. So the hungry people are just made physically comfortable for this life with an eternity of hell in their future. And the Gospel is what actually transforms this life. Regardless of how many material things a person has, the Gospel brings joy and peace and life into a person that transcends their physical circumstance. And now that person who accepts Jesus is able to ask God to provide for their physical needs. Based on the sheer amounts of missionary books where I’ve read about God always providing what is needed just in time, I believe God provides a person’s NEEDS (NOT their wants) just in time and just enough. Just like the manna he gave to the Israelites each day. They collected enough for one day and never for days in advance. It was always enough to satisfy but never more than they needed. If they took more than they needed for one day, it would rot. I’m not saying you can never have extra, but for the sake of an illustration, how often do we become greedy and take far more than one day’s worth of ‘manna’ because we are scared we are going to run out?
Are we all just a bunch of rich young rulers? (Matthew 19:16-26) I always used to read this story and not feel a thing. There’s no way I wouldn’t be willing to give up everything for the Kingdom of God, right? I’m not like this man!! I feel like it’s so easy for me to say I’d give up everything for the Lord, but when I start thinking about what that truly looks like, I do get sad. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW. I hate that so much. I question if I really NEED to get rid of my stuff. It’s harmless right? It’s totally fine to have a savings account and a retirement account and a good job, right? Well, I do think those things are okay IF and ONLY IF you are 100% ready to give those things up whenever the Lord asks you to.
I think the real question is whether or not we are truly WILLING. And I want to challenge you to question yourself a little bit. Do you just SAY you are willing but would actually be a lot more reluctant in giving up those things if you felt like God was asking you to? Or would you obey immediately with no second thought? Now, I want you to hear me say that some things are much easier said than done. Maybe you’re reading this blog and thinking, “Hmmm well I don’t see Jessica truly giving up everything.” You’re right. I haven’t. That’s the really gross part that convicts me and has made me realize I need to work through some things with the Lord. Especially since I’m coming home TODAY and am going to be thrown right back into the deceitful web of materialism and condoned indulgence. I want to give up EVERYTHING for God. I’ve always wanted to be all in and holding back nothing in my faith. But as I work out my faith, I realize it’s not always so simple. I don’t know what it will look like for me going home. I know I have to ask the Lord about a lot of things, and I’m going to mess up many times no matter how obedient I try to be. Our society and culture has taught us so many half-lies that we need to untangle and begin to replace with God’s truth. It starts with the Bible. Does every aspect of our lives line up with the Bible? The answer is likely no, which is why we need God to help us. It is a lifelong process, but I hope we are always moving forward in that process as fast and as far as we can each day. I hope none of us who claim the name of Christ sit back and say we will follow everything the Bible says later in our lives. We don’t have time for that!
I came up with a list of things I want to start doing in my own life based on this book. Some of them are really small things but sometimes you have to start small! We will have so much impact on this world if we choose to dive a little deeper in our faith each day and trust God with more. Think of your own ideas for how you can be better stewards of your money and possessions and how you can give the Gospel to people more intentionally. What really matters in your life at the end of the day? I hope we all come to the conclusion that it’s God and His people and not our things.
