GlobalView

By Bishop Bill Atwood

From the magnificence of Creation through the devastation of The Fall, the most important thing that has happened in human history is the Gospel manifest in the Incarnation, Ministry, Suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ. It is magnificent in many ways.

First of all, it is magnificent in scope. The devastation of sin is so terrible, it defies human efforts to address sin’s curse. Only God can adequately deal with the devastation of sin and He does in Christ. Other attempts garner only a harvest of fruitless religion.

Second, it is magnificent in method. John wrote, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth.” That refers to the Incarnation in which God the Son (Who is the Word of God) took on flesh in the Virgin Mary. Whatever the need that must be addressed by the Fall, God taking the initiative to come into the world is adequate to the task.

Third, it is magnificent in efficacy. On the Cross, through the shedding of His blood and death, Jesus Christ wins for us forgiveness for our sins. Unlike the Temple system of sacrifice that had to be repeated time and time again, when Jesus, the Great High Priest, goes into the Holy of Holies and serves as both Priest and Victim. Because He is man, HIS fidelity as A man establishes it in our midst. Because He is God, its scope is complete. What Jesus has done has fully addressed the need.

Fourth, it is magnificent in availability. Because of the complete sufficiency of what God has done in Christ, the work is complete in Him. We don’t have to add anything to His work. It is his free gift to us, reliant on His saving work rather than relying on human endeavor. The wonderful news is that salvation and transformation are available to us, freely given. The message is so amazing, it can almost sound unbelievable. Surely there is something I must do in order to win my salvation, cries my flesh, but the Spirit replies, “No it is Christ and His work.” We just receive it by faith.

Once we have been kissed by this heavenly grace, and embraced its transformation, our lives are revolutionized. Rightly received, the Gospel will change our behavior and shapes our voice. As I’ve traveled, I’ve heard wonderful examples of this. Let me share some examples:

Iran
The night that he told his parents that he had come to faith in Christ, he told me he was awakened by a scream from his mother. When he opened his eyes, he saw his father’s arm swinging toward him with a knife seeking to kill him for his conversion. He rolled out the window to escape, and fled with only his night shirt. What was amazing was what he said to me, “My faith in Jesus has cost me a lot. I have lost my family, but I have gained more. I have received Christ. I would do it again.”

Kurdistan
I stood with a Kurdish lady in front of her home. “There,” she said, “Over there. That’s where I held my son while he died. Saddam’s army fired mortars on us. One of the shells landed here while my son played in the yard. The explosion took both his legs. There was nothing we could do. I held him while he died – bled to death.” It was very dangerous to speak publicly about Christ, but she said, “Only He can give peace in something like that.”

Sudan
“These are my Gospel tool,” the young man said as he pointed to his feet. “I don’t have any money, but these feet walk like Jesus walked. I can walk to people and tell them about Him. We have had a lot of fighting for a long time. Many of my family and friends have been killed. But if you have Jesus you still have everything even if people look at you and think you have nothing.”

Philippines
“My father and mother were witch doctors, but they wanted me to go to the Mission School. When I went there, I learned to read, but I also heard about Jesus. He has loved me and walked with me all through my life. When my wife died, the people in the village were watching me. I knew they were thinking, ‘If what he says about Jesus is true, then he will not be sad at his wife’s burial, because he says he believes in the Resurrection.’ I resolved to focus on the hope Jesus gives. When I went to the grave, I had to put the dirt in on my wife’s coffin. I was afraid I would weep as the people in the village were watching. I was surprised! As I shoveled the dirt, somehow the Lord touched my heart and I was filled with the joy of resurrection. That joy was greater than my grief. Only Jesus could do something like that.”

Rwanda
“I was a Christian but not strong. When the genocide came, I lost many family members and friends. The day came when I was visiting the prison, one of the people said to me, ‘I killed them. I killed people in your family. I will have to pay the price for that. I have asked Jesus Christ to forgive me. I have no right to ask for your forgiveness, but I am asking. Will you forgive me?’ I knew right then that my own salvation was at stake. If I refused to forgive it would be at the risk of my soul. When I said, ‘I forgive you.’ I felt the freedom and joy of Christ as I wept and embraced the man who had killed family members of mine.”

Kenya
She was old, weathered, and bent with the weight of the large bundle of sticks she was carrying to market to sell. She was hoping to make a few Shillings in order to buy food. She smiled a crooked smile with half her teeth missing. She said, “I am very poor, but because I have Jesus I have all I need.” She was more poor than most of us can even imagine, yet she was free. Though she lived in poverty, she did not have a spirit of poverty. She had experienced the fullness of Gospel life and it gave her peace.

China
“We are not allowed to have Bibles where I live. If people are found with a Bible, they are beaten terribly. So, when we got a Bible, we took it apart. Each one of the believers in our group took one page. We kept our page in secret and memorized it. I am the second chapter of John. My brother is the third chapter! We are willing to lay our lives down to bring the Word of God to the people because it is life itself. It is how we heard the Gospel.”

Pakistan
The phone rang and I heard the Bishop’s assistant speaking Urdu. I didn’t understand a word of it, but I could tell he was very concerned. When the call finished, he came over to the Bishop with a page of notes he had taken down from the call. “It’s about tonight. Death threats for the service tonight.” (We were having an outdoor service that amazingly, the government had given permission to hold.)

“What shall we do?” I asked.

“We will worship and preach well. Jesus died for us and given us new life. Even if we lose our lives, he has given us more than any price we could pay. We must be faithful to Him. He has given us everything.”

Nepal
“They took one of the people from our church when they found out people were coming to Christ. In our country it is against the law to change religion. They took him into the street and poured gasoline on him and set him on fire. They thought it would discourage people from converting to Christianity. That is not what happened. People heard about it and asked why in the face of persecution would people convert. His death has made us more bold. Even if it costs us our lives, we will not deny Him.” In the wake of the burning of that man, many people are coming to Christ.

There are many, many, more examples, but those are a few. We can learn from those who are paying such a high price. Perhaps as much will not be required of us, but many of them did not expect such a price. No matter what, Jesus Christ is sufficient to whatever life’s circumstances are.

Our own testimony
We are always going to have to deal with costly discipleship. Some of us will pay life’s ultimate price, others less, but it is not possible to follow Jesus faithfully without rubbing the world, the flesh, and the devil the wrong way. Seeking to plumb the depths of the Gospel’s good news for our lives is a wonderful way to produce a harvest of the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit that will endure no matter what the venue; no matter what the circumstance. As Africans often say, “God is good, all the time.”