What would you do to gain something that you deem valuable? How about the opposite? What are you willing to give up? The average financial savings rate in the U.S. is about 4% of disposable income. While savings aren’t a loss, you are giving something up to have access to it later. Recently, our congregation commissioned and sent a young couple to a distant part of the world as long-term workers to share the gospel. They have sacrificed much over the last few years as they have prepared. They were excited that their airline ticket was one-way. They are anticipating that through language and culture learning over the next few years, they will have the opportunity to share the gospel with this unreached people group. Caleb and Maria shared 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 as a way of expressing how they intended to begin to engage with this people group.
How can we, as churches and individuals of Rosedale Network, bridge this widening chasm of perspective?
We were all encouraged by this young couple’s willingness to live out what the apostle Paul describes as his ministry of servanthood. The passage they shared summarizes Paul’s willingness to do anything he could for the sake of the gospel, even giving up many of his freedoms. Caleb and Maria are committed to learning the culture and language so they can be effective in bringing the hope of the gospel to this people group.
“Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible” (1 Cor. 9:19 NIV).
This text, in 1 Corinthians, is one of the guiding texts in Rosedale Networks’ value statements, which underpin our mature and multiply mission. Rosedale Network values submission to the Trinity, the Word of God, and each other. We believe there is an urgency to the gospel because there are many who live and die never knowing Jesus. We are committed to discovering ways of learning and adapting to better engage in our world. In essence, we want to encourage each other to become servants of the gospel in order to save some (1 Cor. 9:22-23).
“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some” (1 Cor. 9:22b).
I realized recently that part of the challenge of our mission is that the world we live in really has little concept or acknowledgment of a need for this kind of good news. I did a quick search of the top five worries or challenges of our world. The lists were diverse and reflected the perspectives of those conducting the surveys—from climate change and conflict to inflation and corruption, many global issues consume our thoughts. What was missing was any understanding or influence of an eternal perspective.
How can we, as churches and individuals of Rosedale Network, bridge this widening chasm of perspective? If we follow the apostle Paul’s example of engaging people in their culture for the sake of the gospel, we often find ourselves willingly laying down our perspectives, our preferences, and sometimes even our traditions. This may look a bit different for every church or individual, but it is not a new concept. The apostles lived this as they learned it from Christ. Motivated by the urgency of the gospel, we can no longer afford to isolate ourselves from the world but should be looking for ways to engage people where they are.
I commissioned Caleb and Maria with tears of joy in my eyes, grateful for their love of Jesus that motivated them to take this step. I was challenged once again, personally, to continue to do whatever I can for the sake of the gospel. I invite you to join me in engaging in our neighborhoods through different means so that many people may come to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Let’s encourage each other with the stories that many of us have of engaging with our neighbors, so that together, we can more effectively mature and multiply churches locally and globally.
Names have been changed
Photo credit: commons.wikimedia.org
