Ordinary? Or extraordinary? I can't decide.

It was a great privilege to do a bit of walk-up evangelism around Sydney Uni last Thursday. I went with a fellow college student, who I knew had a Jewish background. In the course of our conversations with people, someone asked what denomination he was from. My friend answered, “I’m a Jesus-man.” I’m a Christian too. So, telling people on the streets about Jesus Christ is I guess what is expected of us two. An ordinary thing to do. But I can’t stop thinking about that one hour spent together trying to talk to people about Jesus.

Below is a basic summary of what people said as we asked them what they thought about Jesus.

“Nah… not interested.”

“No, thanks.”

“I used to go to a Presbyterian church… I’m looking for a better preaching… a minister I used to know went and did something something something…, my wife has a Catholic church background, something something something… No, I don’t go to church at the moment. No, there are some difficulties with believing things about Jesus, his resurrection and oh, the virgin birth… although that’s a bit easier, maybe something happened with y-chromosome, but then, why… yeah, well, I now gotta go and teach a tutorial, so… thanks.”

“What’s your story? Nah, I’ve (you’ve? He was mumbling.) got something better to do.”

“Err… I dunno. I dunno. Something something something… I dunno. I went to a Catholic school, so I went to the mass and heard all that. No, I dunno. I dunno. I dunno. Basically if you do good, you will have a good life. I’m a Buddhist. I dunno. Ok… so what do you believe? So let me get it straight. You mean, even murderers and thieves, just by believing in Jesus can go to heaven? How is that just? What about sick children? Why didn’t God make things better than this? I dunno, I dunno. Something something something. I dunno. Nah, I haven’t read the Bible as an adult. Nah, I have a Bible at home. I went to a Catholic school. I dunno. Nah, see ya.”

“Huh. You don’t want to talk to me, ‘cause Christians hate homosexuals like me, right? No? Yeah? Fair? (walks off)”

These were people who needed to hear that Son of God came and died for us and rose back to life to be King over us. And there I was, a gentile, trying to tell people about Jesus, side-by-side with a Jesus-man who has a Jewish background. Reflecting back on it, I think I can decide. It was extraordinary.

“The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:6)”

Not assuming the gospel

Could you have preached that sermon if Christ had not died on the cross? Could you have developed that Christian leadership principle had Christ not been crucified? I’m not saying be impractical—the Bible has much to say about being practical—but make sure that the practical is tied to the message of Jesus. Otherwise we are on the road to an assumption that will lose the gospel.
   – p. 41, Marks of the Messenger by Mack Stiles

I've never been to a mission before... or, have I?

Here's an excerpt from my latest prayer letter. See the whole thing, including pictures here!


Thank you for your prayers as I went on to my first College Mission. I had a great time with other college students and the local Christians at Gymea Anglican Church. I was able to participate in many evangelistic efforts with the church, and also learnt a few lessons I will remember for a long time.

I could tell you many things, but there is one lesson I really want to share with you. Before I went on the college mission, I was thinking that I had never been on any kind of mission and that made me feel quite nervous about the whole thing. Although I conceptually understood that the whole world was the mission field, for me, mission happened only in places like Pakistan, Peru, or at least somewhere in the Northern Territory. However, as I listened to many Christians at Gymea sharing their own experience of being marginalised at work or among friends because of their faith in Jesus, it dawned on me that Sydney was a mission field in a very real way. Sydney is a place where Jesus is not honoured and worshipped by many people, and there are plenty of people who are willing and capable of making evangelism difficult. I do not wish to minimise the unique challenges and greater difficulties overseas missionaries face. But it would be also wrong to think that Sydney is not a mission field. It is just a different mission field compared to one in Pakistan. It was as though the mission field has come home, rather than me going to a mission field.

One practical implication I realised is this. I should never assume a friendly reception of Christian message by the society in general. And they would not always warmly welcome the Christian living (of which evangelism is a part) that is a necessary consequence of the Christian message. Sometimes they may welcome our message and us, but by and large, the gospel message will be rejected and the gospel living will be scorned. And, that's okay. We are on a mission field! Oppositions are to be expected. In fact, it's only natural for people to reject the gospel. But the gospel is still powerful and saves everyone who believes. There is no other hope for the lost and dying people of Sydney than to hear that Jesus died and rose again to bring people home.

So, then. Shall we continue proclaiming that one Name that can save?