I have just returned from a 3-week trip to China where I served alongside a group of college students in sharing the true meaning of Christmas with Chinese college students. This trip is becoming a Christmas tradition for me as it was my second consecutive year to travel to the other side of the world for the holidays. Words cannot portray the beauty of sharing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who have never heard.
During our tenure in China, we hosted Christmas parties for Chinese college students at which we played games, taught Christmas carols, and shared the true meaning of Christmas along with the Gospel. All in all, more than 300 students heard the Gospel--many hearing for the first time. In the days following, we were able to follow up with close to 40 of those students by further explaining the Gospel they had heard and giving them copies of the Bible in their language.
Although we saw no student place their faith in Jesus Christ, we repeatedly heard them say, "Tell me more. Tell me more." So, we put our trust in God's Word, "Faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the message about Christ" (Romans 10:17, HCSB). Many have heard the message--some for the first time. We now trust the Author of salvation to perform His work in bringing His creations to faith.
Looking back over the past 3 weeks, I am reminded of a central truth I shared with a group of Christian students in Hong Kong while in China--As followers of Jesus Christ, we are a global people. The governments of nations around the world may choose an isolationist path, but followers of Jesus do not have that luxury. We are followers of Jesus first and Americans second. So, we do not take American cultural Christianity to the ends of the earth--we take Christ.
As followers of Jesus Christ living in America, we are one of the most blessed generations in the history of God's Church. Many people know Psalm 67:1 and pray it often for their lives as well as for their loved ones: May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor... But, there is so much more to this passage. With that blessing comes much responsibility. Allow me to complete the sentence: May God be gracious to us and bless us; look on us with favor SO THAT YOUR WAY MAY BE KNOWN ON EARTH, YOUR SALVATION AMONG ALL NATIONS.
You and I are blessed by God for one primary reason--to make His name and salvation known throughout all the earth. This is why we sacrificially give and sacrificially go all over the globe preaching Christ. The past 3 weeks has again reminded me of God's heart for His glory to be globally known. I cannot wait until next Christmas.
