As we drove down a dirt road littered with pot holes, we passed signs of all types of relief networks. Unicef, Red Cross, USAid, German crop projects, and so on. We have run into people all over the world in this small area to study and do research. However, the one people group I consistently see lacking is the American church.

This is not a pointing fingers blog, not at all, because I was one of those skipping the church mission trip because I didn’t have time, money, or a desire to go. Let’s be honest, in America we are busy, to busy to share the word of God. We have been learning as a team this year that life is so temporary. We like to place our labels and we have this idea that everything will last forever but the honest truth is that compared to eternity this time on earth is so short.

Recently I spoke at a church in Uganda and I was faced with some tough questions. I was asked if rebels came and asked me if I had faith what would I do. If I denied Christ I could live but if I said yes then I would be killed. I answered with I’m not sure because I have never been faced with such a question. Obviously my hope is that in that moment I would recognize that this life is temporary and my reward is in heaven.

 

I have been learning on this trip one of two things. First that the American church needs a change of heart; we are too focused on what we want and not what God wants. The second is we have to have a heart for the world. We need to not only love and encourage and build up those people that are in the church but we need to start reaching far past our doors. We should be reaching into our communities with boldness, our government, schools, old and young, with love and compassion but why stop there when we can reach the world.

Our God is a big God and I know that many people are being called to reach. Reach your church, your neighbor, community, PTA group, football team, Uganda, Thailand, and so on. Don’t be afraid to reach. Don’t for one second think that God isn’t with you and that he hasn’t equipped you in some way to serve his kingdom. When we start realizing and really grasping that this earth is temporary and that we are here to serve our king, we will begin to reach out to the lost. Our perspective and our hearts have to change.