Your Brother Living for His Glory

"Alex"
August 22, 2017

It was only after inviting the lads around to my place for Christmas dinner that it suddenly dawned on me….

They didn’t know how to use a knife and fork! I looked on with a mixture of horror and disbelief as this scene like something from Edward Scissorshands played out in front of me and then came a sobering realisation. They really do eat with their hands here! I had been playing at it, but for them it was real life. It’s a silly little example, I know, but it was a clarifying moment for me as I shared life with these guys who were so similar to me in so many ways…

We were from different worlds.

The world you and I know in the west is a world of choices. We’re born, grow up and live in a world where we can choose what clothes to wear, what food to eat and whether we want to follow Christ or not.

Our freedom of choice is our right and it was this “cultural tunnel vision” which almost stopped me from coming out here to do ministry in the Arab world. My thinking at the time went something like this: If Gulf Arabs have access to internet, then they can google all they want to know about Jesus and make a decision to follow him from something they see on YouTube. I cut and pasted my thinking onto theirs and came up with a solution to their problem. I now realise that I got it completely wrong and I’m learning just how different my friends’ world is to mine.

Let’s contrast their world with what’s above… Islam is the only world they have ever known.

In their world, women wear black and men white, you don’t eat pork, you pray five times a day and you go to hell if you believe that Jesus is the son of God.  From cradle to grave huge parts of their lives are set in stone, there is no presentation of options, no choosing. That’s why there is no indigenous church here. Did you know that amongst a population in the tens of millions in this region you can literally count the  number of believers on your fingers and toes? Christianity is not an option, and why would they ever explore it if they could. All they know of Christianity is evil. Christians like George Bush invaded Iraq and caused IS. Christian movies pour out from Hollywood and pollute the minds of the youth. Christians get drunk, sleep around and even sing rap music in church. You see, this cultural confusion works both ways.

This is why Jesus told us to “go” and make disciples of all nations. Clever videos on  the internet will not get the job done. The unreached peoples of the world need to see living breathing examples of what Christ does in a person’s life. They need to be challenged by lives of love and words of truth. Crossing a culture, starting a new life, learning a new language is not easy but I rejoice that we are a network that takes the Great Commission seriously and believes that Christ is worthy of not just London’s worship but the worship of the whole world and what greater privilege than to be the beautiful feet bringing good news.

-Alex (not his real name) was formerly at a Co-Mission church and is one of our mission partners. He has been working overseas and learning Arabic for a few years and we are delighted to have him back in London this summer.

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