It
sometimes seems as if there are few, if any godly people left in our planet. Communities
are becoming more secular every day and attending church is not as common as it
used to be in America. But God is working around the world!
I
heard a statistic that almost 5,000-8,000 churches in America are closing every
year! It is true that bad news travel faster than good news. We hear all about
crime, drug dealing, violence and terrorism but the secular media seldom
carries news of God’s doing here in America or around the world.
Just
because we don’t get it in the mainstream media, doesn’t mean, God is not
working. A few months ago I met a young couple. He was a member of a Satanist
Church right here in DFW and she was a staunch Mormon. First, he got saved then
he began to share Christ with her. She became a believer and then they got
married! Recently, I was ministering in a high security prison in Texas and the
Chaplain pointed to a Satan worshipper who had come down to the altar to accept
Christ. Religion may be on the decline, but God is well and alive in America
and around the world!
You
may not know this, but in communist China, 25,000 people are accepting Christ
every day. Researchers estimate more than one million followers of Christ in China!
This is happening in spite of severe persecution, torture and even death! In
India, a new church is planted every three minutes! The believers meet in
homes, marketplace and even under the tree. A recent report states that 20% of
Russia’s population converted from atheism to Christianity over the last
decade. In the big picture, there is no doubt that God is working around the
world.
Why
then is Christianity on the decline in Europe and America? One of the reasons
is we’re emphasizing on the wrong thing. Modern church is investing far more on
building and real estate than building the lives of men, women and children. Most
of the churches are not involved in world missions anymore. Believe me I’m not
against building or reaching our local communities. But when we shift our focus
from eternal to what is temporary we are being ineffective.
Everything
about Jesus’ life pointed people to the Father and eternal life to come. We are
missing the message of discipleship in the church. It is good to minister to
the people’s need and talk about the good life here on earth but if we’re not
challenging people to live beyond themselves and become a world Christian then
we are doing us a disservice. John Wesley said, “Go not to those who want you, but to those who want you the most.” Jesus
said, “Go into all the world and preach
the Gospel.” I believe the cheapest way we can fight terrorism is to export
the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world once again!
During
the Second World War, South Korea was devastated. There were hardly any
believers there. But due to the American servicemen on the ground the Gospel
spread. Today, almost 30% of Korea professes to be Christian. It also has the
largest church in the world with over a million members. In the 1960s, Korea
was one of the poorest countries in the world, with an annual per capita income
of about $60. Today, it’s around $30,000. Wherever the Gospel goes, a
transformation takes place.
At
Build International Ministries, our goal is to spread the message of Hope and
Healing to the most unreached. This year, our goal is to reach 500,000 people. From
February 3-17, we are going over to minister in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia.
We urge you to consider getting involved in world missions this year. It is God’s
dream that none should perish but come to the saving knowledge of Jesus. Will
you please pray? May be you can go or give to reach the nations? We will be delighted
to represent you on the mission field. Together, we can win the world for
Jesus!
“Ask of Me,
and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, and the uttermost parts of
the earth as your possession” (Psalm 2:8 AMP).
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