And I am very Pleased with Them.
"People always want the easy path, they want to stay where they feel safe, they want to be with their loved ones, but these individuals left their comfort zones, their loved ones, and their safe places and came here for ME"
"And I am very pleased with them."
In the country where I live, unfortunately, Christians, especially foreigners, are looked upon quite suspiciously. Especially when the word 'missionary' is mentioned, non-Christians feel irritated, almost as if this is a big disgrace, they nearly hate this word...
The reasons for this are numerous but one of the most important ones is learned hatred (propagated by the media and others) and fear. Major powers do not like the possibility of people thinking differently or encountering a different reality, especially in my region where it is believed that Jesus Christ did not die on the cross and that the Gospel of Bible is not true, anyone who teaches the contrary is seen as a potential enemy.
In fact, there are individuals in many countries around the world who are there to propagate the Muslim faith, which is considered normal, but missionary work is very dangerous for them…
Because they are taught that missionaries are dangerous individuals who come to take over their governments.
So, the country's indigenous Christians and foreign Christians are in this not-so-loved group.
Actually, we are not surprised by this, as Jesus Christ had already foretold this would happen... (Luke 23:31, Mar. 13:9, Mat. 5:11-12)
In the place where I live, although not very many, there are men and women of God who have come from other countries to share God's love with this nation.
However, there are other unexpected difficulties associated with going from one country to another and staying there for longer than a certain period.
If you go somewhere and stay as a tourist for a year or two and then go somewhere else, you will likely have no high expectations from the place you're in since you're somewhat unfamiliar with their culture, don't have enough time to learn about them, and know that you're only living there temporarily.
But if a person lives among people whose language and culture they have learned later in life in a country that is not their birthplace, they will want to feel at home there, isn't that normal...
Doesn't everyone need that "home" excitement, that they get a whiff of a few kilometers away, and when they turn that corner and say "yes, I'm almost home"?
But the Holy Bible tells us that this world is not our home.
(John 17:16, 15:19, 18:36)
In this case, even though I live where I was born and raised, as a follower of Jesus Christ, I sometimes feel very foreign even in the place where I was born and raised...
Just think of those who go to other countries, to other worlds, cultures for God...
But...
What the Guest Preacher who came to our church this week shared was so beautiful...
A few weeks ago, while the brothers were praying in the Guest Preacher's church, God had spoken to one of them in this way...
"Look, people always want the easy path, they want to stay where they feel safe, they want to be with their loved ones, but these individuals left their comfort zones, their loved ones, and their safe places and came here..."
"And I am very pleased with them."
I truly believe that these words were from God.
I am grateful to God for those who chose this difficult path...
"God" is also pleased....
I will write more about these topics in the future..
Thank you for reading
Stay with Love
Vahan