Excitement
Matthew 4:12-17
The disciples got excited. They were swept up in Jesus' dream. They believed such a world was possible and they gave their lives to see it become a reality. And that brings us to a third truth" THE DISCIPLES GOT EXCITED ABOUT THE ROLE THEY WOULD PLAY IN BRINGING ABOUT THE REALIZATION OF JESUS '
Dream. Jesus said to them, "I will make you fishers of men. They knew all about fishing for fish, but Jesus was calling them to something far more significant. He was calling them to introduce men and women to this kingdom of love, this kingdom of power, this kingdom of heaven on earth. They would not be passive spectators of this coming kingdom but active participants. And they would make a difference, a lasting difference in their world and in individual lives. No wonder they were excited. They were going to help change the world.
When the missionaries were forced to leave China in 1957 and Christians began to be oppressed by the Communist government, the future of the church seemed bleak. In the preceding decades of western missions work, many of the approximately one million Protestant communicants had become "rice christians," accepting the forms of Christianity more for personal gain than genuine conviction. When the pressures began to mount, they soon fell away. With the coming of the Cultural Revolution and the suppression of all institutional religious functions, it seemed that Christianity in China was doomed.
Yet during the period of terrible persecution, committed Christians, not afraid to defy the principalities of this world, began to meet secretly in their homes. When regular members of the laity came forward to provide leadership. Women especially took an active role. When their houses were searched by the Red Guards, and all Bibles and Christian literature destroyed, the people drew upon their memory of Scripture and shared experiences to build up one another in the faith.
As the Christians in these small groups displayed extraordinary courage, zeal, and love, the gospel spread to their neighbors and fellow workers. Freely they gave their own food and clothing to the needy and poor "especially to those whose breadwinners had been killed or thrown into prison." They visited the bereaved and prayed for the sick, often seeing God miraculously heal.
Typical was the way some believers cared for a Communist school teacher who became seriously ill. So genuine was their compassion, that upon her recovery she, too, accepted Christ, only to suffer public ridicule on return to her work. Required to appear at a public "confession" meeting, she protested: "When I was ill, you did nothing to help me. It was the Christians who did everything!" That fact shamed her critics into silence. Today the church of Jesus Christ in Communist China is alive and growing because individual Christians did their part to be fishers of men.
What we need to see is that the kingdom of heaven is still at hand in this world. It remains a very real possibility wherever there are followers of Jesus who are willing to live out that which they believe. There is something very special about his dream. It is a dream of the rule of God in every heart. It is a dream of a world freed from the grip of man's inhumanity to man. And Christ is still looking for co-workers "men and women who will be fishers of men" who will seek to introduce their friends and neighbors to this kingdom of heaven. CAN HE COUNT ON YOU?
Questions to Ponder
What excitement have you had lately?
What role are you playing in the fulfillment of Christ's dream?
Are you willing to live out that which you believe?
In His Service,
Terry Phillips
