We had the opportunity a few weeks ago to have Dr. Sam George teach at our Missions conference. We also got to hear from Aaron and Rachel and their ministry with Global Gates. We received many great insights and exhortations. Our church is providentially located in a unique place both in our own country and the world at large. We live, work and interact with people from many parts of the world.
We gather every Sunday as the local body (Ekklesia- the Greek word for “gathering”) of Christ to worship our Lord and Savior. The rest of the week we scatter (Diaspora- the Greek word for “scattering or “dispersion”) to our personal lives, families, raising children, neighborhoods, vocational work, etc. We spend the overwhelming majority of our time outside the gathered body of Christ. We are all called to be ambassadors for Christ wherever He has placed us. Just as Grace Redeemer Church providentially gathers in Glen Rock, New Jersey, the Lord has placed each of us in a specific place where we get to interact with specific people (whether on our street, at a gas station, supermarket, sports field, on public transportation, or at a place of work).
Most of those people are “dead in the trespasses and sins” in which “we all once walked,” “following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-2), “among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind and were by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind.” (Ephesians 2:3). Such were all of us before we were rescued from the power of sin and death as well as from the deserved wrath of God. We were dead, blind, lost and without hope as are so many people from all over the world whom the Lord has purposefully placed in the places where we do daily life. “But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4). As a result, we are to earnestly desire to see Christ glorified in as many people as possible. A significant part of how Christ is glorified is when He is Lord and ruler over a new believer’s life.
One of our five values at GRC is kingdom reproduction. “We (all of us- not just the pastors or church leaders) join God in His mission to make disciples through evangelism, facilitating spiritual growth, developing leaders, planting churches and participating in cross-cultural and global missions.” The task is daunting and is not something we can do in our own strength, but it is a calling we all get to pursue together (as an authentic, worshiping, ethnically diverse community-another GRC value) by the power of the Holy Spirit in dependent prayer (GRC value). At the same time, a core part of being a disciple of Christ is personally engaging in evangelism by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the new birth that we have personally experienced in our own life.
Pray that the Lord would put specific people on your heart and mind. Begin intentionally and regularly praying for opportunities to have meaningful spiritual conversations with those people. Be curious and learn about people from different backgrounds and other faiths. Ask them lots of questions to understand their perspectives and spiritual needs. This takes time, patience and a genuinely caring, humble and loving posture. It is not within our power to open blind eyes or make someone come to faith in Christ. This is both humbling and reassuring, yet we are called to be faithful in sharing the life-saving Good news of the life, death, resurrection and glorification of Jesus Christ-the greatest news ever.
Mohab Hanna serves as an Elder at GRC.