God Goes Where He's Wanted

The face of the church is changing.  That reality struck me recently as I read a book titled The Next Christendom by Philip Jenkins.

Do you realize that in this century, instead of the stereotypical image of America and Europe sending missionaries to Africa and the third world, these countries are now sending missionaries to us?  Africa is evangelizing England, the rest of Western Europe and the United States.  There are more Christians in the People's Republic of China, where persecution has been an opposing force for decades, than there are in France and Great Britain. Today, the largest Christian communities on our planet are found in African and Latin America!  While this may not be news to some of you, to a lot of us, it changes the way we perceive the Church and our mental image of believers. According to Philip Jenkins, "If we want to visualize a 'typical' contemporary Christian church, we should think of a woman living in a village in Nigeria or in a Brazilian favela."

Philip Yancey described this phenomenon this way:  "As I travel, I have observed a pattern, a strange historical phenomenon of God 'moving' geographically from the Middle East, to Europe to North America to the developing world.  My theory is this:  God goes where He's wanted".

I know that God pursues us and allows circumstances into our lives to show us His love.  But then ultimately, our hearts need to recognize our spiritual poverty and long to have Him. So, the big question is, how do we, human beings, come to a place where we want God so much that He is finally allowed into our lives?

This book also makes the point that, "Christianity is flourishing wonderfully among the poor and persecuted, while it atrophies among the rich and secure."  This isn't news.  We've watched this happen throughout church history. But it's a hard issue to wrestle with.  Can we want God when we are rich and comfortable?  Do we have to experience poverty and struggle with life to truly need Him?

For the past few years, the Lord has given me a word for the New Year; words like faith, maturity, intimacy, which have helped set the tone for the year. This year He gave me an entire verse, Jeremiah 48:11-12: "Moab had been at ease from his youth; he had settled on his dregs, and he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into captivity·behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, that I will send him wine-workers who will tip him over and empty his vessels, and break his bottles."

This has been a year, for me personally, and for many of my friends and co-workers, of being poured "from vessel to vessel."  It is a time of dealing with the "dregs" in our lives and no longer allowing those things that are not pleasing to God to settle in.  It has been a time for God to purify and cleanse His church.  It is these kinds of times that cause our hearts to want God, and all that He wants for us. So I believe the answer to the question I raised above, is yes, we do need to recognize our poverty, whether it be physical or spiritual, to truly want God.  "Blessed are the poor in spirit," Jesus said, "for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3).

We have indeed been "poured from vessel to vessel."  We ask God to continue His work in all of our lives, that we will never settle for dregs, but will continue to follow His leading, His calling, and His will. It is exciting to see what the Lord is doing around the world and in our personal lives.

May He continue to bless us all as we serve Him together.

Pastor Ray Bentley