So I was talking to a buddy of mine last night, and in discussing other countries and such he was talking about other countries that he'd rather live in. What got me thinking.... was when, in passing, he said that he hated America and there was so many other better places. So naturally Aaron (being the attentive person he is) remembers that this was not the first time he's heard this recently..... and yes, he speaks in third person quite a bit whilst writing. So he thought to himself, "why is this?". Now one of the times he's heard someone say they had a distaste for 'murica recently was in a missions related context.... this pushed Aaron's inquisitive mind to the question "Why is this?"
I'm going to start this tirade off by saying that I am in NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM discounting the importance of foreign missions.... I want to make that EXTREMELY clear. If at any time in this post you feel I'm NOT making that clear.... come back and read this part again. Now down to business, as the dadgum freest (for now) and best country in the world it is our duty as Christians in America to take advantage of our religious freedoms and spread the Gospel to the places in the world that don't share our religious freedoms.
Matthew 28:19, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit".
So to reiterate I am NOT saying foreign missions is a bad thing, BUT this post is focusing on Christians and 'Murica.
*typing break because Alone by Heart just came on Pandora and I'm singing*
It's always kind of the.... trendy thing to talk about in Christian circles is going to foreign countries for Jesus which, don't get me wrong, is absolutely great. BUT riddle me this, how can we make disciples in other nations, when we don't even have them in our own? The United States of 'Murica is a nation too is it not? We need disciples as much as any other place in the world... maybe even more. We may be on a decline politically, morally, economically, you name it but we're still the baddest kid on the block. Most of the world still wants to be like us (in some ways). We are still the example most of the world follows... if they like it or not. And for us to maintain the religious freedom we have AND to maintain the ability for our Christians to be able to spread the Gospel to other nations as easily as we can, don't we need to focus on ourselves a little here?
America's not pretty. The moral foundation 'Murica has always stood on is rotting out from under it. And it's definitely not the sexiest mission field in the world. People aren't getting murdered in their homes on a daily basis for professing Jesus. The majority of Americans have all they could ever need to get by in life, as such they don't feel the need for God as they feel "self-reliant". That attitude makes 'Murica one of, if not THE, hardest mission field of them all. People with absolutely nothing have a much easier time accepting Jesus to fill their void then the typical 'Murican who feels he can/attempts to fill his Jesus-sized hole with the materialistic American dream of.... personal gain and satisfaction.
I love my 'Murica. It not only pays my bills (barely), but it supplys me with an endless supply of the best fried chicken, workout supplements, and country/80s rock I could ask for. It's not perfect. It's not pretty...... but we still need to love it. We still need to love our fellow 'Muricans and bring them back to Jesus, to bring our country as a whole to Jesus.
Matthew 18:20,"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
If God is with two or Christ-followers gathered together, what if an entire country could be brought back to Him? America was founded on Christian principles and for most of it's time since it's conception has identified itself as a "Christian nation". What kind of revival and blessing could be poured out on 'Murica if it were brought back to it's original focus as a "Christian nation". Looking at the history of the United States of America it's impossibru to say it hasn't been blessed in some way in it's few hundred years as the best dadgum country on this planet. America may not be pretty or the most worthy of our love, but we still need to nurse her back to health and raise up Christ-seeking disciples within her.
*This is about the 8th time in a row I've listened to Alone*
We don't though, the focus is always evangelizing other countries and the result is 'Murica gets forgotten by the side of the road. We can't forget the people in other countries who need Jesus...... but we can't forget ourselves either. We can't focus on our ministry to others be so much of a focus that we let our own little piece of heaven we call 'Murica fall to pieces.
Balance. The key is balance. YES, we need to go to everywhere we possibly can so we can tell everybody about Jesus. We can NOT, however, all pack up and leave. Some of us need to stay behind to look after the homefront and tend to it's spiritual needs. America needs to be as big of a mission field if not an ever bigger mission field to us then the rest of the world. Don't get me wrong... there's a myriad of places in the world that bringing Jesus to would just be all sorts of giggly, especially the places that no can haz Jesus period. BUT not at the expense of the biggest and most neglected mission field. The homefront.
I'm not by any means a writer.... this was all just kinda placed on my heart a bit and I just fired this all from the hip really. Just something I felt I needed to say...... on that note I'll let you experience the same giggles I am right now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYdGLu43ZTw
'MURICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aaron- this is a phenomenal post. Great job. Excellent points. You are absolutely correct, we often look at missions in America as less than going overseas. We cannot neglect the great commission right here in America. I appreciate Howard Hendricks' statement "In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering." Our country IS looking for answers, yet Christians are not offering answers/The Answer. We let Oprah or Dr. Phil handle it, or think that the pastor should do it, since "he gets paid for it".
ReplyDeleteAs we consider missions, we need to develop an Acts 1:8 approach "...you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and ot the end of the earth." Before we consider going overseas (ends of the earth), we need to be faithful in going across the street to our neighbors (Jerusalem), and then get involved in the local/regional level (Judea/Samaria) first. There is great opportunity in America. We cannot stop praying, living (in holiness/obedience) AND working toward a "spiritual revival" in this land. God can do a great work!