no value to this life...but for one

Has it ever dawned on you that you are responsible spiritually to God for other people?  

For instance, if I allow any turning away from God in my private life, everyone around me suffers.  We "sit together in the heavenly places..."(Ephesians 2:6). "If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it..."(1 Corinthians 12:26). 

If we allow physical selfishness, mental carelessness, moral insensitivity or spiritual weakness in our lives, everyone in contact with us will suffer.

How many of us are willing?

Willing to spend every bit of our nervous, mental, moral, and spiritual energy for Jesus Christ?

THAT is what God means when He uses the word witness.  "You shall be witnesses to Me..." (Acts 1:8).

Why has God left us here on earth?  Is it simply to be saved and sanctified?  

NO.  It is to be at work in service to Him.  Am I willing to be broken bread and poured out wine for Him?  

Am I willing to be of no value to this age or to this life except for one purpose and one alone--to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ?

When I read this from Oswalt Chambers this morning, these pictures immediately came back to my mind from Sunday evening.  

When I saw how the guys of EBS hiked, saw how they lived for the weekend, saw how they ate, and saw who they ministered to--a completely remote, widespread, poor group of people who could do or offer NOTHING to them--this concept that O. Chambers is talking about took flesh.

A willingness to be of NO value to this present age or life, except for being used for the purpose of discipling others in Christ.  

Being willing to spend all that we are and have for Jesus Christ.  Acknowledging that we are responsible spiritually to God for others.  

Not giving ourselves permission to be selfish, to be spiritually weak, to be careless or to be morally insensitive.  EVER.  So that others do not suffer. 

It took Belo, Daniel, Brave, Jodenel, Augustin, Salnave and Noel so long to get to the indicated "drop-off" point that Belony said their "ribs were shaking."  Three motorcycles finally dropped the 7 of them, and their gear, box of Bibles, sound system and projector, and it was nearing nightfall.  A man met them there, and they began to hike "up and down, up and down, through 7 rivers!" Belony said.  "We had NO idea it was so remote, or that there would actually be ANY people living so far off a tiny road."

When they finally arrived around 6:30 pm (following, of course, a full day of classes), they got settled in and had their first service.  Gathering people just from the nearby homes, they discussed what the weekend would hold, who they came to talk about, and invited any Christians to join them in evangelism for the next day.  They also spent time with all the families living around the little house where they stayed, making sure that everyone in their home area had heard the Gospel before they set out the next day.

Saturday proved to hold even more hiking than Friday did.  With several other believers guiding them, these seven guys split up and hiked from house to house, sometimes covering over a mile between homes.  They talked to hundreds of people about Jesus, prayed with many and preached when larger groups were gathered.

"TONS of witchdoctors" Belony told me.  "The areas were SO remote and so largely untouched by modernity and the outside world that almost everyone we met practiced ancient forms of Voodoo, just like generations before them."

"Terrible physical work," Daniel shared last night.  "Terrible physically!  It was rough!  But man, spiritually, we were working in a gold mine all weekend.  GREAT spiritual work.  SO many people had never heard about Jesus out there."

One of the most interesting conversations they shared with me was with one particular witchdoctor.  They talked to him about the truth, and they talked to him about Heaven.  

"Yeah, but I don't WANT that," he told Belony angrily.  "I don't WANT to be in Heaven, and I sure don't want to be with God.  I can't wait to go to hell...I've been living for it my whole life.  Satan is my master, and I WANT to spend eternity with him.  Don't act like being with God is something everyone wants.  I know who Satan is, and he's who I want."

Belony said he just gently invited the furious man to their movie that night, and moved on.  "That was one of those times," he said, "where I felt peace to wipe the dust off my feet.  There are always going to be people, I guess, who deliberately and willingly choose hell.  Once that decision has been made, all I can do is love them and pray on."

Everywhere these groups went, they invited everyone to come together that night to see "The Jesus Film", the story of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus.  

They finally came back together exhausted around 2, ate some lunch and prepared for a big evening service.  Despite the fact that only 12 people lived nearby, Belony joyfully shared that around 300 people came for the movie and service, many hiking the same miles that the guys had hiked that morning.  

Can you imagine what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it would be for people living out in complete wilderness like this with NO power, NO roads, NO water, NO politics, NO news...to gather for an outdoor movie??

The guys, of course, took full advantage of the huge crowds.  From 5-7 they held a service, preaching the whole gospel, sharing salvation, singing praises, answering questions, etc.  At 7 they started the film, and when it ended around 9, the crowds stayed until past 11 pm asking question after question about what they had seen.  (I wish I had pictures of this!  Belo said they were way too busy to be taking pictures, which I'm sure was true :)

The next morning, they led a Sunday morning church service in the school, geared towards young or new converts to try to direct them in the "what now".  Daniel (4th year) preached the message, sharing practical places in the Bible and advice to start growing in the Lord.  

Around noon they headed back, all anxious and urgent by the time they hit Emmaus for the many surrounding zones that they were unable, as only 7 in only 2 days, to speak to.  When I think of ALL the zones just like this one throughout Haiti and all of the people living in them...living and dying without knowing Christ...then think of how many zones like this in the world...

mh.

So thankful for what He did through these seven this weekend, and what He is doing in the hearts of many today that we will NEVER know about, because of seeds that were planted this weekend in previously untouched soil .

How AWESOME to know that all of the people who heard the Gospel this weekend actually SAW it first: men pouring themselves out as broken bread, as drink offerings for the sake of Love, and for NOTHING in return.  Those who had never once heard of what Jesus has done for us SAW their first example this weekend.

And as if you could price on it: $71.75.  

Why has God left us here on earth?  Is it simply to be saved and sanctified?  

NO.  It is to be at work in service to Him.  Am I willing to be broken bread and poured out wine for Him?  

Am I willing to be of no value to this age or to this life except for one purpose and one alone--to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ?