It has been almost a month since my last post. Again, I needed to wait for the Lord to release me to share. If you read my last post, you know that I left a situation (not our ministry with CEF, nor my job at the Christian school) due to differences in views on evangelism. At one point, in essence, I was told that I talk too much about Jesus and salvation when I should be teaching students about missionaries. This bothered me so much, because what is the point of missions it if isn't the Gospel?
I know missionaries often do many things, such as helping communities, building houses, providing food and clean water, etc. All of that is important work we can do in Jesus' name. Most godly organizations who do these things also share the Gospel with the people they serve. I have no idea why I was expected to teach students about missions work without including the message missionaries teach.
I continued sharing the Gospel anyway, continuing to see children saved. When we left in April (there was a last straw), I felt like telling this person, "Try not to be too disappointed when you get to Heaven and see people there I led to Christ after you said not to!" That would have been petty, but it's satisfying to at least imagine I said it.
All of this has led me to a deep realization: Some people would rather send a missionary to the furthest point on earth than witness to their neighbor, or to person who comes through the door of their church. This is especially dangerous here in the South, where there is a false sense of security that "everyone is a Christian here" (spoiler alert: not true!).
The missions curriculum I was asked to teach wasn't even quality missions information. It was always giving very false stats about how godly everyone in our state is, while the people they were sending missionaries to (whether in non-Bible-belt states in the US or other nations) were ungodly and bad and needed our help to become good like us. Here is my first critique on that: Missions should always be about love for God and love for people, not about comparisons. It should not be condescending or conceited. First Corinthians 13:4b-5a reminds us, that love does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking... And yet this curriculum was all of those things--boastful, proud, dishonoring others, and self-seeking.
The curriculum always said 90% of the people in our state were following Jesus (note: they can't possibly determine who is really following Jesus, only basic stats of what religion people claim). Pew Research, an unbiased and reliable source, actually says that 79% of our state's residents claim to be Christian--not 90%. Also, breaking that down, only 50% of our state's residents say they are evangelical Christians (those who have most likely had a salvation experience--while not all claiming to be evangelical have, and there are mainline and other groups of Christians who likely have been saved, so we can't possibly know). Pew research's figure was much smaller than the curriculum's inflated view.
The curriculum also made comments to imply that only 10% of New Yorkers believe God exists (which implies 90% of New Yorkers are atheists). Again, according to Pew Research, this is untrue. Fifty-seven precent of New Yorkers claim to be Christians. As with our state, though, I am certain not every person who claims it really is saved. But if 57% at least claim to be Christian, they aren't atheists. This also doesn't count other religious groups who believe in God. I say all this to assert that their claim that 90% of the good people of New York are atheists is an unfounded assertion.
Depending on which research you go by, all US states have at least 50% of the residents claiming to be Christians, but I am certain true believers are a minority anywhere. Jesus said it would be that way. (Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. -Matthew 7:14). Christian culture isn't a virtue in itself. It is only good inasmuch as it facilitates people coming to salvation. If this does not happen, there is little benefit to living in a more wholesome, God-fearing culture. What shall we as Christians profit if we teach people to be moral and nice, yet lose them for all eternity?
When I shared my statistical findings and the errors in the curriculum with those over me, almost nobody wanted to hear it, and they refused to believe the statistics I was showing them in black and white. They wanted to keep believing people in our state were just more godly and Christian and morally superior to those heathens in Oregon, New York, or (gulp) New England. That is pride, and God hates pride. (God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. -James 4:6).
Some of the finest Christians I have ever known are from places with a much lower Christian presence. These people have looked to their faith and known it is worth living for, even dying for in some cases. I can't make a total judgment, but the Christians I have met from New Jersey (a state where 59% of the population claim to be Christians) have known the Bible better than any other Christians I have known. I grew up in a more Conservative area of California, and I remember going to camp each year. Kids from all over the state would be there, and there was always a group from San Francisco (a city known for non-Christian values, with 46% of the population claiming to be Christians). These San Francisco church kids were some of the most godly, spiritually-mature, and biblically-literate of anyone else at camp. They won sword drills. They memorized scriptures. They treated others with a Christlikeness I seldom see. Coincidence? Maybe. But my point here isn't really comparison. It's to illustrate my frustration with the missions curriculum I was given.
Part of the reason I got in trouble for sharing the Gospel was because it implied I thought people in our perfect community, coming through our perfect doors, weren't saved, and how dare I think that? Who did I think I was? Well, the Bible tells me exactly who I am. Second Corinthians 5:20 says, We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. I was told that sharing the Gospel brings confusion! And yet the God who is not the author of confusion (First Corinthians 14:33) told us to preach the Gospel to the whole of creation (Mark 16:15). Is God confused? Of course not. During this confrontation, I told the person addressing me that this was unbiblical. I was very polite, but never caved. I knew that this wasn't necessarily the entire ministry's belief or ideal. But the fact that someone in leadership would say this was a huge problem to me.
When I went home that evening, my husband shared he didn't feel we were led to leave that situation just yet, and I knew I would need God to get through this. I begged God for a scripture to encourage me, and He immediately led me to Second Timothy 4:5, which states: As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. I knew that God was leading me to continue sharing, against all odds. This has been my lot in life. Many, many times, I've been called to share the Gospel in so-called Christian settings where it wasn't welcomed. I had learned when to obey God over human authority.
In the book of Acts, not one person who tried to silence Peter, Paul or other apostles was ever one of the "good guys." They weren't even usually the godless Romans. They were usually the religious leaders. They saw themselves as their own personal Bible belt. But they were wrong. In Acts 5, a very wise Pharisee named Gamaliel advised the others, Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God. (Verses 38-39). Gamaliel wasn't even a believer in Jesus himself, but he had more wisdom than the other religious leaders. He knew that if God was behind the apostle's ministry, it couldn't be thwarted. The same is true in the situation I left. I know God was behind those who were saved in my class, so the leader who wanted me to stop was really in opposition to the will of God, according to the Bible. It makes me angry that this person would rather teach these children about the heathens in Wyoming (yes, Wyoming was another state they deemed as inferior) than tell these children about Jesus, and what He has done for us to be saved, and actually inspire them to share Jesus with others (rather than make unfair comparisons).
Many years ago, in Norco, California, there was a man named Mike. This man was a janitor at a church, and this church had a day care center for elementary kids after school each day. Mike shared the Gospel with these kids, gave them gospel tracts, and was always sharing the Bible with them, and asking the staff how he could pray for them. He was viewed as odd, but he didn't care. He was kind and good and beloved by the kids. But he ended up changing jobs, but he promised he would keep praying for them all.
Not knowing any of this, I began working at this day care center in 1999, shortly after Mike left. My first day on the job, I was asked to do Bible with a roomful of kindergarten-sixth graders. I wasn't given any plan or agenda, so I just shared the Romans Road with them. Before I even finished, a second-grader named Michaela asked, "How can we be saved? I want to do that right now!" That day, 12 children received Christ. They were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, and they began leading others to the Lord. It was a mini-revival. It reminded me of Acts 2:47, And the Lord added to their numbers daily those who were being saved. Those who were being saved were hungry for the word, and concerned for the lost. I saw that evidence of their salvation.
You guessed it, though, I got in trouble. I was confronted, and told to stop. I was told about Mike, the janitor who was just as odd as me, always talking about Jesus and salvation. I knew in that moment that I was an answer to this man's prayer and burden, and I couldn't let him or God down! I kept evangelizing anyway, even though I wasn't supposed to. I felt like a spy in the Soviet Union! I learned a lot of tricks, but every day, I prayed that God would keep what I was doing a secret until the day it needed to be known. I knew my reckoning was coming. And it did.
That morning, I had just read in my Bible about the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7. As I read it, I felt a nudge from the Lord, Today, there will be a battle, but if you look to Me, you won't feel the stones! That very day, I was caught evangelizing and confronted for it. I had a little speech prepared, but instead, as I opened my mouth, the Holy Spirit, who knew the heart of this individual and what they needed to hear, put His words in my mouth, and at the end of the conversation, I was not only told I was allowed to keep evangelizing, but I was asked to lead Bible classes with the Gospel specifically for the kids! I did that for many years there! From 1999-2002, over eighty children at that center gave their lives to the Lord. I ran into some of them many years later, and they were still following Christ.
We can't fight God. We are the answer to other people's prayers. We can't let them or Jesus down! The Gospel came to us through sacrifice. We can't drop the ball! Much of this has been festering within me for a very long time. No one who asks you not to share the Gospel is on God's side. This isn't to say a leader can't ask you to share it in a specific way their ministry prefers. But asking you not to tell others of the life-giving message of Jesus is actualy hatred. It is contrary to everything we are commanded to do as Christians.
I am still healing up from my recent situation. I still have troubling dreams. I could still use your prayers. But in the meantime, our ministry has seen seven come to the Lord this month alone! In 1000 years, that will matter a lot more than stress or hurt feelings I might be struggling with. I choose joy in the Lord, but wanted to interact with these things. Your insights are welcome.
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Jaclyn and Matthew, two cousins who received Christ last week! Photo used with permission. |