Our Burden

I recently had a conversation with a girl in high school who had to cancel her mission trip to Mexico on two different occasions: the first trip was to Tijiuana due to all the gang violence as of late. The second was to Mexicali because of the Swine Flu. Her church was finally able to find of a hole in the curtain separating the US from the world in Jamaica.

I think it's great that these Christ followers are willing to relentlessly seek to do the work of the Kingdom. Even when it's inconvenient.

But why is it that we refuse to send missionaries to dangerous places?

Are we afraid of what might happen to us?

Is the risk of losing our lives to great?

I even see this at my school. They will not send students to India because of the danger. Why don't we just sign a reliability release form?

Jesus took the biggest risk. He knew He would be murdered on Calvary. He knew, yet He went. And it turned out to be the mission trip that brought Salvation to this world. His blood washed sinners clean. It is my prayer that we do not back down as Disciples. That we take off the burden of fear and put on the burden of the Cross.

Martyrs in Iraq

Voice of the Martyrs 

Doing Missions when dying is gain.

Uh Oh

I'm getting ready to go to the Middle East next week and I stumbled upon this from George Otis Jr.'s book The Last of the Giants: Lifting the Veil on Islam and the End Times

"Should the Church in politically or socially trying circumstances remain covert to avoid potential eradication by forces hostile to Christianity? Or would more open confrontation with prevailing spiritual ignorance and deprivation--even if it produced Christian martyrs- -be more likely to lead to evangelistic breakthroughs? Islamic fundamentalists claim that their spiritual revolution is fueled by the blood of martyrs. Is it conceivable that Christianity's failure to thrive in the Muslim world is due to the notable absence of Christian martyrs? And can the Muslim community take seriously the claims of a Church in hiding? . . .The question is not whether it is wise at times to keep worship and witness discreet, but rather how long this may continue before we are guilty of "hiding our light under a bushel. . . . The record shows that from Jerusalem and Damascus to Ephesus and Rome, the apostles were beaten, stoned, conspired against and imprisoned for their witness. Invitations were rare, and never the basis for their missions."

The part of the ME where I'm going is a pretty safe place to be. Probably safer than LA. But still...makes me think a little bit.