the country that so many people dream about visiting someday, is my
mission field. But I’ve never even wanted to go to Italy, in fact, it was
one of the last places on my radar. Why? Because it scares me.
Amidst one of the most beautiful
settings in the world lies one of the biggest strongholds of the enemy.
Millions of people wake up every day and go through the motions of what seems
to be a life devoted to God, when in fact they are heavily draped with the
chains of religion and in desperate need of freedom. Freedom that only
our God can give.
When Jesus came to earth and began
His ministry, He proclaimed freedom for the captives, sight for the blind, and
the good news to the poor. His life and teachings were so contrary to
what the Jews had been taught that many refused to see who He was.
Throughout all of that though, He was only violently opposed by one group of
people… the religious leaders. But the thing is, these were not the
leaders of other religions, one
s who opposed a messiah coming, these were the
leaders of the Jewish faith, the ones who were supposed to be worshiping the I
AM, the one true God, looking hopefully for the Messiah, and leading the people
in the truth. Yet when Jesus came among them, they discovered that their
lives were actually fundamentally at odds with the truth, all about the work of
their own hands rather than the Lord, so they rejected it completely and
crucified the Lord of glory.
2 Timothy 3 says that in the last
days people will come, “having a form of godliness, but denying its
power.” I believe this is us. I went through most of my
life believing in a savior, believing Jesus had died for me, yet reading about
it in the Bible abstractly. It was like following a list of instructions
someone gives you. If you want to make soup, this is how you do it: step 1, step 2, etc. If you say you believe, then this is how you be a good
Christian: step 1, step 2, etc. How is that any different than the
Pharisees? I didn’t see it, I didn’t get it. I talked about it being
a relationship and not just religion, yet the way I went about doing things was
just as ritualistic as any religion.
Italy? Because that is why I was afraid. Although many in Italy
have forsaken religion in everything but name, so many are bound by the
shackles of using religious ritual to be right with God. I know that they
all need freedom, and that I can bring the good news, but I also know how hard
it is. The hardest mission fields are not the ones where people have
never heard the
Gospel. The hardest ones are where people believe thatthey know it. How can you convince someone that they need a Savior they
believe they already have? Simple, you can’t. I will never be able
to convince them.
For me it is, but not for the Lord. It’s not my job to convince anyone of
the truth. My job is to tell them, and to show them the Savior. To
be Jesus to them; to genuinely shine a light into the darkness encased about
them until they recognize the touch of the Lord. This is not a field that
will be won over with the right words and the right arguments; this is a field
that will be won over by the touch of the Lord in their lives. It’s not
up to me, all I can do is say, where you go I’ll go Lord, what you say I’ll
say, what you want me to do I’ll do. And the Lord has said, “Christiana, be My light in Italia.”
Dear Christiana – I am so happy to report that the entire Prayer Calendar is full and overflowing with prayer partners for you. After this mornings services you will have someone from Cog Hill Baptist Church praying for you everyday, for a total of 114+ hours every week. The reason I say “+” is because some folks said they signed their name once, but will pray at that time of the day EVERYDAY! Isn’t that amazing?! And they have started pray for you, already. Pastor told me the Deacon Board have voted, unanimously, to send monthly support for you, too. =D God is moving in the hearts of the people in our little church. They are determined to “go with you to Italy”! I will mail a copy of the Calendar to your home address tomorrow. {{HUGS}}