A friend of mine works for a company that has a military contract in one of those jobs containing a need-to-know clause…and I clearly do not need to know. Details are sketchy at best, but occasionally something pops up in the news that we’re able to discuss. Recently, events in Egypt prompted a conversation about Africa, Islam, and Christianity. My friend brought up the fact that in some African countries, it is against the law to proselytize. Christian missionaries know the law, agree to abide by it, and then enter the country to do exactly that. It had made an impression…a very negative impression. If anyone should abide by laws, it should be Christian missionaries!
I pointed out that the organization we had worked with many years ago took a more respectful approach. In countries that prohibited the preaching of the gospel, workers would enter the country and set up housekeeping, rather than an overt ministry. As they befriended nationals, questions would be asked and answered. In that way, they were able to stay under the radar while still sharing biblical truth.
Despite this approach, however, workers in the organization have been arrested. In fact, some of the staff we worked with in India had been arrested in Nepal and were required to periodically appear in court—as much a way of generating revenue from the seemingly endless fines as making a religious stand. They had shared the gospel in some way that had brought the law upon them, and they faced the consequences with neither regret nor self-righteous anger.
Religions are, by their very nature, intolerant. A devout Buddhist believes that Buddhism is The Way. A devout Hindu believes Krishna holds the answers to life. Animists, Muslims, Christians…if a person is sincerely convinced of the truth of a particular belief system, it is understandable that there would be no room for entertaining dialogue or discussion in which differing belief systems are placed on the same level playing field. But if we truly believe that our way is The Way, what is intimidating about listening while others share their own beliefs? At the worst, we are more convinced of our own beliefs in light of the error we hear. At best, our sharing sparks a desire in others to find out more about this Jesus person.
How does a committed Christian share the teachings of Jesus in a nation that outlaws them, or with people who are skeptical? In my friend’s case, the missionaries who chose to break the law of the land welcoming them across its borders were poor testimony to the gospel. Perhaps they were. Or perhaps they had such a genuine desire to see lives saved spiritually that they felt breaking man’s law was worth it for the sake of following God’s law of love. It is not for me to judge, even when I might have gone about things differently. Motivation is the key, and one person’s motivation can be completely different than another’s.
A conflicted young man confessed to me some years ago that he had contemplated suicide at one point. Only the fact that this would be a poor witness to his loved ones prevented him from following through. He felt it would have communicated that God was somehow powerless to help him in his situation. He didn’t believe that—he was mostly just tired of the struggle—but he didn’t want to be the reason others gave up on seeking the Lord.
The desire to be a “good witness” routinely offers certain guidelines and boundaries to our behavior. Missionaries faced with laws in other lands may well decide that breaking them would be a “poor witness.” Still, there are times when it may be more spiritual to “color outside the lines.” Some Christians would never consider entering a bar, or talking to a prostitute, or any number of other “worldly” activities…and yet, Jesus neither placed such restrictions on us nor lived by them himself. The religious people of his day repeatedly condemned him for being a friend of sinners, hanging out with the ungodly…yet without sin. Peter was told not to preach by those in charge, but went ahead boldly, aware that he was putting himself in harm’s way by doing so.
Personally, I believe that we should never try to put God into a box. We shouldn’t present God with our own agendas and demand that he make them work. Send me anywhere but there, Lord. I’ll follow you, but not to a place that isn’t safe and clean. I will show love to the non-believer, but only the ones that smell nice and belong to my own social strata. I would never do THAT…that couldn’t be the Holy Spirit! Get behind me, Satan.
Our agendas must be a constant source of entertainment in heaven. The best laid plans of mice and men will always go astray, while the Holy Spirit uses even our ridiculous ideas for his ultimate purposes. The “I would never do that”s and the “God would never tell me to go there”s don’t even register as blips on the screen of eternity. We are neither important nor powerful enough to foil his plans, even when we think we are doing it all for God.
Does that mean we should throw caution to the wind and do whatever we wish, trusting that God will work it all out eventually? Of course not. The laws of God are pure and righteous, and we are always on better, more solid, ground, when we obey them. However, when we substitute man’s laws for God’s and try to label them anew, we are in no better shape than when we blatantly disobey. And when we fail and fall and take wrong turns and go out of our way to do the wrong things for the right reasons and the right things for the wrong reasons and the wrong things for the wrong reasons…we really CAN trust God to make it right and to use our weaknesses and folly for his glory.
I pointed out that the organization we had worked with many years ago took a more respectful approach. In countries that prohibited the preaching of the gospel, workers would enter the country and set up housekeeping, rather than an overt ministry. As they befriended nationals, questions would be asked and answered. In that way, they were able to stay under the radar while still sharing biblical truth.
Despite this approach, however, workers in the organization have been arrested. In fact, some of the staff we worked with in India had been arrested in Nepal and were required to periodically appear in court—as much a way of generating revenue from the seemingly endless fines as making a religious stand. They had shared the gospel in some way that had brought the law upon them, and they faced the consequences with neither regret nor self-righteous anger.
Religions are, by their very nature, intolerant. A devout Buddhist believes that Buddhism is The Way. A devout Hindu believes Krishna holds the answers to life. Animists, Muslims, Christians…if a person is sincerely convinced of the truth of a particular belief system, it is understandable that there would be no room for entertaining dialogue or discussion in which differing belief systems are placed on the same level playing field. But if we truly believe that our way is The Way, what is intimidating about listening while others share their own beliefs? At the worst, we are more convinced of our own beliefs in light of the error we hear. At best, our sharing sparks a desire in others to find out more about this Jesus person.
How does a committed Christian share the teachings of Jesus in a nation that outlaws them, or with people who are skeptical? In my friend’s case, the missionaries who chose to break the law of the land welcoming them across its borders were poor testimony to the gospel. Perhaps they were. Or perhaps they had such a genuine desire to see lives saved spiritually that they felt breaking man’s law was worth it for the sake of following God’s law of love. It is not for me to judge, even when I might have gone about things differently. Motivation is the key, and one person’s motivation can be completely different than another’s.
A conflicted young man confessed to me some years ago that he had contemplated suicide at one point. Only the fact that this would be a poor witness to his loved ones prevented him from following through. He felt it would have communicated that God was somehow powerless to help him in his situation. He didn’t believe that—he was mostly just tired of the struggle—but he didn’t want to be the reason others gave up on seeking the Lord.
The desire to be a “good witness” routinely offers certain guidelines and boundaries to our behavior. Missionaries faced with laws in other lands may well decide that breaking them would be a “poor witness.” Still, there are times when it may be more spiritual to “color outside the lines.” Some Christians would never consider entering a bar, or talking to a prostitute, or any number of other “worldly” activities…and yet, Jesus neither placed such restrictions on us nor lived by them himself. The religious people of his day repeatedly condemned him for being a friend of sinners, hanging out with the ungodly…yet without sin. Peter was told not to preach by those in charge, but went ahead boldly, aware that he was putting himself in harm’s way by doing so.
Personally, I believe that we should never try to put God into a box. We shouldn’t present God with our own agendas and demand that he make them work. Send me anywhere but there, Lord. I’ll follow you, but not to a place that isn’t safe and clean. I will show love to the non-believer, but only the ones that smell nice and belong to my own social strata. I would never do THAT…that couldn’t be the Holy Spirit! Get behind me, Satan.
Our agendas must be a constant source of entertainment in heaven. The best laid plans of mice and men will always go astray, while the Holy Spirit uses even our ridiculous ideas for his ultimate purposes. The “I would never do that”s and the “God would never tell me to go there”s don’t even register as blips on the screen of eternity. We are neither important nor powerful enough to foil his plans, even when we think we are doing it all for God.
Does that mean we should throw caution to the wind and do whatever we wish, trusting that God will work it all out eventually? Of course not. The laws of God are pure and righteous, and we are always on better, more solid, ground, when we obey them. However, when we substitute man’s laws for God’s and try to label them anew, we are in no better shape than when we blatantly disobey. And when we fail and fall and take wrong turns and go out of our way to do the wrong things for the right reasons and the right things for the wrong reasons and the wrong things for the wrong reasons…we really CAN trust God to make it right and to use our weaknesses and folly for his glory.
Permission to reprint with acknowledgement of source. ellenofgillette1@aol.com
