Gamblers for the Greatest God

“Are gamblers for gold so many and gamblers for God so few?” CT. Studd, British missionary to Africa in the 1800s at the onset of a gold rush in the Congo.

After the recent presidential elections I was very emotional. I scribbled down a lot of thoughts. Yet I wanted to wait until my emotions subsided before I circulated my observations. Two weeks post-election, here are some thoughts that still remain.

America’s presidential elections put on display to the rest of the world what is right about America. The politics leading up to the election are almost always ugly. But the actual election and transfer of power are an example to the rest of the world. It is a blessed country whose citizens can choose its own leaders. Many Americans stood in line for hours in order to vote. For my wife EB, and our daughter Liz (who turned 18 just two months ago), and me it was both a joy and an obligation to vote, even while living outside of the States. We had to do a lot of communication with our local US embassy and there was a lot of back and forth faxing with the State of Kansas of voter registrations and ballots in order for us to vote. And come January there will be a peaceful transfer of power when Obama takes office, which is something that speaks to the character of America. There will be no seizing of the military or throwing the losing candidate in jail or mass arrests (even executions) of political opponents, as frequently happens in other countries merely trying to put on a façade of democracy.

Several sources I read (for example: www.opensecrets.org) mentioned that $1 billion was raised by the candidates on this campaign! Wow! That is a lot of money for the pursuit of an earthly kingdom! Countless volunteer man hours and prayers went up in the pursuit of our next president. And here is where I want to challenge us, as American Christians, in our thinking.

Are we willing to put out the same kind of investment and effort to advance our heavenly kingdom?

Do you know what $1 billion would do for the cause of the gospel in Eastern Europe? India? China? The Muslim world? Are we willing to knock on doors, forward emails, engage in debate, cry out to God, in order to advance His kingdom? Imagine the pastors that would be trained, the missionaries funded, the evangelism done, the churches planted, the justice achieved, the suffering alleviated. Yet now is a difficult time for the work of missions. Now more of our American missionary friends are back in their home bases raising support than at any time since we moved to Budapest in 2002. And we have learned that some of them will not be coming back due to inability to secure funding. Other non-American missionaries have also given up and gone home, “back to their nets,” so to speak. This should not be so! The cause of missions world-wide is crying out for passionate laborers who come along side our missionaries and mission endeavors with the same zeal by which we promote our favorite candidate.

The Greatest God has given us the Greatest Cause. The Lord commissioned us before He ascended to “be My witnesses…even to the remotest ends of the earth, (Acts 1:8)” and “go and make disciples of all nations, (Matthew 28:18-20).” He “gave to us the ministry of reconciliation, (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).” After all, “our citizenship is in heaven” and not of this world (Philippians 3:20).

We will spend $1 billion on a presidential campaign but how much are we willing to invest in the advancement of a far greater, more permanent kingdom: His kingdom? I have a framed article here in my office from World Magazine that says the average Christian gives only 3% of their income back to Christian causes, including their church. (Some well-informed Christians have told me that figure is too generous.) And of the money that is given, less than 3% makes it beyond the borders of the USA. Statistically speaking, the average Christian does more financially to promote Starbucks than Christianity! And a simple Google search will reveal what sort of causes Starbucks is involved in!

Even though the Greatest God gave us the Greatest Cause, each of us must examine our own commitment to that Cause. There are many, many generous Christians out there. My family and others with whom we work could not even consider going to the mission field if it wasn’t for the commitment to missions of the American church. But if we run the stats of the previous paragraph, we learn that of every $1000 a Christian in America receives in a paycheck, less than $1 goes to fund the proclamation of Jesus Christ beyond USA borders. Yet getting the gospel to the remotest ends of the earth is exactly what we are commanded to do; it is the Greatest Cause of the Greatest God! All other earthly pursuits fall short!

The world is crying for a messiah. Yet much of the world has rejected the True Messiah and is projecting many of its messianic hopes onto a mere man. Christians, too, cannot pin their hopes for a Christian kingdom based on who occupies the Oval Office. For example, under Bill Clinton, who was not the choice of most evangelicals, international Christian missions that were rooted financially in the US dollar thrived. Under George Bush those same missions suffered. The value of the US dollar plummeted under Bush creating hyper-inflation for those being paid in dollars while living abroad. Countries that recently had embraced American missionaries suddenly became suspicious of a USA passport. Our hope as Christians cannot be on any one person, political party, currency or country.

This life is only temporal. And the path of this life will be a path of suffering. It will not, should not, be a path of comfort. After all, our heavenly glory is forever while earthly glory is for 4 years. Maybe 8. Christian, seek not a comfortable life rather a Christ-centered life. Take risks. Gamble. But not for an earthly kingdom. But for our Lord. Lets be the gamblers for God that C.T. Studd cried out for. Live as if you know that you have “obtained an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, (1 Peter 1:4).” What earthly kingdom or promise can make that same claim? What earthly god is more worthy of our allegiance than the Lord God, who created us, loves us and died for us?

Christian, soon and very soon, we will be at home with our Lord! Glory, unthinkable and unceasing glory, awaits us soon! We will experience glory and be glorified in ways that our finite minds cannot even begin to comprehend (Romans 8:18). And one day, before the throne, there will be one from every tribe, nation and tongue praising our Lord Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:9-10) and the Lamb will guide us to the springs of the water of life and He will wipe every tear from our eyes (Revelation 7:17). What a day of rejoicing that will be! Meet me there. Please.

Serbian student: “I would like everybody to know that God really changes lives and does amazing things.”

This is a picture from the street near the apartment of the team of missionaries we have in Novi Sad. This is Chuki (rhymes with cookie), one of our Serbian national staff. And that is a Yugo there on the left. They are still found in an abundance here in the former Yugoslavia.

If you do indeed read what I have posted over the past few years then you may remember that I have traveled at least once a year to come along side our ministries in either Belgrade or Novi Sad, the two largest cities in Serbia. In years past my work down there was always evangelistic. Yet this trip was different. I went down to teach on the Holy Spirit and what it means to walk with God. Even though there were only 15 gathered in the living room of a small apartment in Novi Sad, it was obvious to me that a corner has been turned. Instead of presenting the gospel to seekers, I was teaching young believers how to grow.

Serbia is a hard country. It is the remnant of the old Yugoslavia and is home to the “politically correct terrorist.” Whenever Hollywood needs a terrorist, they are too afraid to have that terrorist be Muslim or from the Middle East. So usually they choose a terrorist from Serbia. Too bad. The Serbs I know are all hospitable, friendly, great people with a hearty sense of humor who like America.

From left is Thea, ZZ, Cristina and Johanna. Thea’s and ZZ’s testimonies are posted below; please scroll down and read them. One word about Cristina. She is one of our full-time Romanian Campus Crusade staff who has crossed cultural, linguistic and political boundaries to be used by God to share Christ among Serbian students. Christendom needs more heroes like Cristina.

Serbia has a population of over 10 million. But there are only 10,000 born again believers in the country while Muslims number in the hundreds of thousands, mostly across the southern sections. Novi Sad is the principle city in the northern part of Serbia and with three small Bible-preaching fellowships among a population of 200,000, Novi Sad is referred to by the handful of missionaries there as the Bible Belt of Serbia.

You can also see more photos and captions by following this link to my Novi Sad photo album on my facebook page. I’ve also posted the testimonies found below on my facebook site. Please add me as a friend on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=177665&l=9fcfb&id=545260313

Thanks for all you do to keep our family in the mission field in Eastern Europe. There are some HUGE challenges ahead just for the survival of our ministries across Eastern Europe. But thanks to your faithful giving and persevering prayers, our family can be used by God in a small way to advance His kingdom in this part of the world.

This is me with Viktor and Meshu, both Novi Sad students involved in our ministry.

Novi Sad’s city hall is located in the middle of the town square with a very European feel to it.

Oh, I almost forgot… I also spoke recently at our ministry’s Budapest campus meeting. I love our Hungarian staff and EB and I have so many good friends on this team. This is Kálmán and his wife Julci (on the left) plus two of her disciples, Petra and Barbara.

This is me and Laci (“LOTS see”). Laci became a Christian when an American “tourist” in Hungary approached him in 1987, while Hungary was still Communist. The American took the initiative and shared the gospel with him. Today Laci is married with three kids and leads our university ministry in Hungary.

The Serbian students’ stories of faith I found fascinating. I wanted to share two of them with you. Their photos are earlier in this posting. Oh, each story below mentions Speak Up! camp, which is an evangelistic English language camp in Montenegro that EB and I have attended the past two summers.

This is ZZ’s (Aria) testimony.

I had problems with my parents so I was angry with God for giving me parents like that. I didn't want anything to do with God. In 2004 I went to a voluntary work camp in Germany and met my boyfriend who was raised in a Christian family that actually lives Christian life and is tightly involved with the evangelical church. I thought his parents were freaky but they and my boyfriend kept praying for me for like 2 or 3 years. I still didn't want to convert but at least I had heard the gospel and realized that I don't really know what I believe in. Last year I met the students from Campus Crusade at the faculty (university) in Novi Sad and they invited me to Speak Up! camp. I went because I wanted to practice English. I had great discussions with Ramona Acatrinei from Campus Crusade Romania, read “Mere Christianity” and the Book of Revelation and was finally convinced! So the God's loooong knocking finally gave fruit last year."

This is Thea’s testimony…

I heard the Gospel a year and a half ago at the Speak Up! camp, first time in its true shape. Before that, I had believed that God existed and that Jesus walked on Earth like 2000 years ago, but I had no clue what it had to do with me. I learned it at the camp. I honestly experienced God's love there. You might be interested in knowing that your presentation about the Bible was very influential, and that it really made me think. I got a little brochure with some Bible verses and "directions" how to become a Christian. I prayed shortly after the camp.
Then, the group of STINTers (one year mission) came and I connected with a girl name Courtney Cozadd, who is a really amazing woman of God, sometimes it's hard to believe. She started discipling me and I started really progressing in my relationship with God. I joined the Christian Baptist Church here in Novi Sad in October 2007. I got baptized on February 10, 2008 at my church.

I am having an amazing relationship with God through Christ, and I really know what the line "no turning back" means. I know that my life is never going to be the same again. I went from being a bitter, disappointed and confused person to knowing where exactly I am going; God is continually changing me. I have a lot of inner peace, I am becoming more patient and understanding. I really see how God is working in my life daily. It is really amazing...

I would like everybody to know that God really changes lives and does amazing things.