At Our Lunch Table

“Isn’t Easter just an American holiday?” asked Lee, an international  student here at school. My heart started racing, ears ringing, my mind screaming, “Is she serious?!?!"

Each Monday over our favorite, Chinese food, a friend and i learn about who Jesus is and the need we have for Him. We’ve developed an incredible friendship, which has provided for the chance to share the Gospel.

This last Monday however, following Easter, i couldn’t believe the reality that Lee was opening my eyes to. She isn’t alone in thinking that Easter is similar to Thanksgiving, Presidents’ Day, or Labor Day. In fact, not one of her friends knew there was anything more to Easter than egg hunts and the fictional character the Easter Bunny.

Here at K-State in Fall 2010:

 1812 International students enrolled in classes from 59 different countries.

Including: Afghanistan, China, Colombia, Hong Kong, India, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Japan, Pakistan, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Venezuela

They are being training as Agronomist, Chemist, Educators, Engineers, Financial Advisors, Journalists, Lawyers, Musicians, and Psychologists.

Yet, the question begs to be asked:

“How many leave K-State not knowing Jesus died on the cross for their sins?”

An even bigger question:

“How many people leave earth without hearing the Gospel?”

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After spending some time with the Traveling Team campus ministry, our group of ladies learned

• 50,000 people die each day without hearing the gospel
• 2.6 Billion people have yet to hear of Jesus
• 88% of the unreached people live in the 10/40 window
• A region of the world between 10 and 40 degrees latitude. (aka from Western Africa to Eastern Asia)
• Less than 1% of people who live in this window are Christians
• Yet, only 4% of missionaries go to the 10/40 window!

What Can We Do?

*Learn—We can’t act upon knowledge we don’t know about.

*Start Praying—Youtube “Operation World prayercast” to get your heart praying for the same things God’s heart is praying for!

*Reach Out to Internationals---They like us are looking for friendships!

*Check Out Ways to Go—It’s a reality. A reality we must act upon. Check out short-term, long-term, and mobilizing opportunities.

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Jesus told us generations ago that the harvest was plentiful and the workers few. It’s just as true still to this day. My friend Lee showed me this week that the harvest has literally come and sat down at our lunch table.

Jesus said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest that He may send laborers into His harvest.”  ~Matthew 9:37-38

Daydreaming…

Daydream-(n) a visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake.

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If daydreaming were a real class at school, i’d pass. If a grade were given for how much time i spent thinking about hopes, dreams, and ambitions…college would be a  breeze. In the world of school, daydreaming has kind of gotten a bad rap, but is it really that bad?

As much as i love being a student and learning new things, there is something so much greater at stake than my latest lecture class. (Mom Moment: make the grades you need to stay in school) It’s my life mission…

Maybe we should break the rules on daydreaming. Especially if we’re daydreaming about one thing…making Jesus famous! There is one BIG question about our life purpose that causes my mind to shift from the economic policies and theories up on the Powerpoint to dreaming beyond this lifetime.

The BIG Question: How is this accomplished?  

Big Answer:  Discipleship.

i feel like this is a word we may hear quite a bit, or at least in reference to Jesus and the disciples…but let’s do a little Discipleship 101.

What is Discipleship?

Basic Terms: Training people to reach other people with the gospel.

It all started with Jesus calling a few men to follow Him. His concern wasn’t creating programs or bibles studies, but with men who people would follow. Jesus’ objective was to win and enlist people who could witness to His life and carry on His work after  He returned to the Father.

I will make you fishers of men. ~Matthew 4:19

In preparing to be a group leader this summer we’re reading “The Master Plan of Evangelism” by Robert E. Coleman. Here’s an excerpt:

Christ is the perfect example. His objective was clear: He intended to save out of the world a people for Himself and to build a church of the Spirit which would never perish. No one was excluded from His gracious purpose. His love was universal - He died for all sins and all people; to him there was no distinction between home and foreign. To Jesus it was all world evangelism. He planned to win! His life was ordered by His objective. Everything He did and said was a part of the whole pattern. He never lost sight of His goal - to redeem the world for God. We must carefully consider His strategies, for He designed a plan that wouldn’t fail.

Why Discipleship?

The simple answer, it’s how Jesus did it. But more directly, this was the plan that God chose to use to reach the multitudes of people He created.

I have given you an example. ~John 13:1.

Knowing that time is always a factor, we have to use our time strategically and with purpose.  Discipleship is strategic.

For the math geek in me, check out these #s.

• In Year 1 of making disciples, 1 person is won to Christ and a vision is trained and equipped into Him.
• In Year 2, both you and your disciple win and train a person.
• In Year 3, each of the four of you win and train a person.
• In Year 4, each of the 8 of you win and train a person.
• At the end of 30 years, 1 billion people will know Christ and be trained to teach others.

Is there another option?

--David Platt in the book ‘Radical’ puts it best. 

“We are plan A, and there is no Plan B.”

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Everything starts as somebody's daydream. So dream away friends, dream away!

                                      ~Larry Niven