“How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” (Romans 10:15)
Four years ago I’d never left the US; I’d never been on a plane. But I made up for the late start by witnessing 3 sunrises during 30 hours of air time on the way from Little Rock to Singapore. In Singapore our team of five college students taught conversational English using the book of Luke to people the local church had recruited.
After three weeks I came home to plenty of questions: “How many readers did you have? How many people did you convert? Did you get the see any baptisms?”
I remember feeling a little ashamed to say that I didn’t know of anyone who came to a relationship with Christ because of my presence in Singapore. It got me thinking: “What, if anything, did I accomplish over those three weeks and thousands of miles?”
Well…
— I had an excited student come in for her second lesson and inform me that she’d already read half the book of Luke two days after our first lesson!
— I spent 6-8 hours a week with a woman who was studying for an English exam. During one of our conversations she said, “I think God sent you here to teach me about Jesus.”
— I discussed some of the best questions about God and the Gospel I’ve ever heard from a Chinese student who had been taught a general disdain for religion. Even so, he was always excited to be with us, to talk with us, to spend time with us, and even to leisurely beat me at ping pong again! Oh, and he was 10 years old!
God and his Word accomplished a lot. I didn’t do anything special. I just loved people and shared my love for God and his love for me. Like the church in Acts 2, I think we “enjoyed the goodwill of all the people” we were able to spend time with.
Now you might say, “I could never go on a trip like that. I have a job; I have to take care of my family.” You may not have to! BUT as you go you do have to seek out opportunities to love and invest in the people God has placed around you.
One of the students I have been blessed to disciple here at Genesis has been sharing his relationship with God with a friend who is studying here from another country. Through genuine friendship she has seen his love for God and the deep relationship he has with God. Through one-on-one conversations about faith, she recently surrendered her life to Christ! Wherever we go we are to bring good news!
If we love God, we love all people. And if we love people, we invest in them. And as the love of Christ overflows, HE adds to our number daily those who are being saved.
Morgan Hines
growinggodskingdomdotlive 