The Cost of a Soul

I’m sure most have heard by now about the sudden death of Hollywood actor, Heath Ledger. It was a surprise to be sure and a sorrow. A life lost is sad for the world. A soul lost is heart breaking for the Christian.

What’s sadder still is the number of Christians who will be indifferent and, more so, that it takes the death of someone famous to turn a head. How many people die in the streets of India daily without anyone to notice? Three thousand children die of malaria in Africa every day and no one blinks. It is a tragedy to be sure.

Why is there evidently greater concern for the death of an actor than a homeless person? The value of a life is equal isn’t it? Or is one soul more costly than another? Maybe that isn’t the issue. Perhaps the issue is the publicity. But it should make us think, shouldn’t it? If we can overlook something as important as the life of a human being, how many other things do we overlook on a daily basis? Where do we place value and why?

Let’s change the picture a little bit. Let’s say the comparison is between the death of a homeless person, wholly unconnected to us, and the death of Mother Theresa, who was an amazing woman and spent her life caring for those who would otherwise have remained unnoticed. Why do we weep more for the death of Mother Theresa who at least had access to the hope of the gospel but a man on the streets without hope is barely noticed let alone mourned over? I think that our priorities are a bit skewed.

As Christians we are called to be a light. Should our hearts be cold to those who are in need of that light? Heaven forbid! We need to be reminded that for us to view life apart from the lens of the Gospel is a problem. Our worldview is what shapes us. We must never lose sight of the Gospel, lest we ourselves become lost.

Former Soviet Nations Closing

I read recently, in one of the International Mission Board’s (IMB) newsletters, that those nations that were once soviet are slowly becoming closed once more to the Gospel. Of course, for a nation to close to the Gospel entirely is impossible. God can get in even if missionaries can’t. In the 1980s, Brother Andrew proved this by smuggling Bibles into the “closed” Soviet nations. The time maybe coming yet again for such exploits.

The article mentioned the thought that perhaps God had opened up those countries so that He could rebuild them and renew their resources and spirits. That may well be. Recently, after the Soviet reopened, Bibles belonging to families within the Russian nations were found in warehouses. These Bibles were distributed back into the hands of the people. In retrospect, the Soviets may well say they did themselves no justice by keeping instead of burning these Bibles but by the same token God knew that they would be needed. He opened up the region and allowed the Word of God to go forth unhindered.

It has been a decade and a half since the fall of the Soviet. The church in Russia is growing. Leadership training has been the focus in many churches. New Seminaries have been established and are sending out many pastors, teachers, and missionaries into the surrounding regions and across the world and the government is noticing. Slowly but surely, attention is turning back to religious freedom and questions are being raised as to its benefits.

In Kazakhstan, President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced a few days ago the intention to start tightening down on religious freedoms. Though Kazakhstan has no national religion, that does not mean that this country should become a religious dumping ground for all, he said. While I can understand the logic behind this, I believe that this is only beginning. I heard from a Ukrainian brother a week ago that things there are not looking good either. He fears it may lead to a war. And the accounts are growing.

How much longer will these nations remain open? There is no way to tell but we must remember that all is under God’s sovereign control and will occur according to His plan and timing. Now is not the time for fear but rather the time to take advantage of the freedoms that remain. Please join me in remembering our brothers and sisters abroad in prayer, and remember also to pray for the leadership of these nations.

A Change Clarified

In keeping with the previous topic of change, it has been brought to my attention that a clarification may be in order. While the intentions may seem the best and the heart may for a moment seem to feel something for the condition of this lost and fallen world, the most serious issue at hand is not one that anyone can, on thier own strength, attend to. The real need before us is a need for Jesus and the changes that are required in hearts of Christians and the world can only be accomplished by His Holy Spirit.

Often Christians miss the mark by demanding change from each other without first examining the center of the matter: the heart. How can demands be made for change apart from a work of the Holy Spirit? God must work by His Spirit to soften our own hearts so that we can in love attend the needs of the world. Jesus reminds us of this in John 15:5 and the apostle Paul himself said, “For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.” (Col 1:28) Any efforts on our own are in vain. We must all be working in the strength that He provides!

Finally, if our change is merely focused on providing temporal aid what good is it? Sure, food for those starving is a very necessary thing but feeding the body only to forget the soul must not be done! As Christians, our mission must be to meet the physical needs as a means of connecting with a person so as to care for their soul. Every man, woman, and child needs Jesus. They need a Saviour to rescue them and how can we, who have this hope, neglect to share with the world our Saviour? That is the most pressing issue.

A New Link

I just added a new link that I think would be well worth the viewing of the ladies who frequent my site (though it is not unsuitable for men and they may want to check it out as well). Solo Femininity is about what it means to be a true woman in our day and age. The following is an excerpt from her most recent post. I believe she hits the nail on the head.

"Feminism arose because women were being sinned against. I think that is a fair argument. But feminism also arose because women were sinning in response. That's a classic human problem--sinners tend to sin in response to being sinned against."

Please visit Carolyn McCulley's site: http://solofemininity.blogs.com .

Let's Begin Again

Here we are again. It’s the beginning of another year and life goes on. Truly, as the writer of Ecclesiastes writes, “There’s nothing new under the sun” (1:9). We still go to work every day to ensure that we can support our extravagant lifestyles. We still sit in classrooms allowing those with knowledge beyond our own to improve us. We still eat McDonalds even though we’re constantly reminded that it’s killing us slowly. We still watch movies and dream of playing opposite Denzel Washington or Katie Holmes, despite the fact we know it could never happen. We still waste our money in the Starbucks drive thru even though we could save by purchasing at the grocer. We still watch the news and thank God that’s not us, while out there, somewhere, there’s a family who has been through hell over this past year. And Life goes on.

We are not coasting in flying cars, we are not watching robots do our dirty work, we are not living in a more stable environment, nor is the world suddenly a better place. People are still dying, children are still starving, soldiers are still fighting, and politicians are still too self absorbed to be honest. And life goes on.

But wait! It is the New Year! A time to start over. A time for change. A time to regroup and remind ourselves why we are doing what we are doing. A time for resolutions, right? So, the guy next door is resolved to work harder so that he can land that deal. The girl upstairs is resolved to workout every day and get in shape so that she attract some cute guy. And the couple in the car next to us is resolved to save up for an exotic Caribbean cruise. Well now, there’s progress for you.

No, Lewis is right: “We are far too easily pleased.” We watch the world go by us and we live contentedly in our little bubble. It’s sad, the things that happen in this world, but there’s not really anything we can do about it, without inconveniencing ourselves. We think that we are happy where we are. We’re comfortable. How important is that comfort? We’ve spent our lives building it. Why would we want to give it up?

It’s funny, isn’t it? A house, some furniture, a car, some books, our music collection, a gym membership, Starbucks, and Macy’s – all the things that make us so comfortable – are the very things that condemn us. They point their fingers at us and proclaim that we are spoiled. We are gluttonous and selfish and we like it. We let the man next to us starve so we can be comfortable.

But there is a better way. While there is nothing inherently wrong with our stuff, I propose a change. This will look different from person to person. For some it may be cutting down the daily Starbucks run so that the money saved can go to someone who needs it more. For others, that change might be more drastic – a change in job, to better help where help is needed, or a change in location, to better reach out to those who can’t reach back. For some, it might be a more permanent dedication to the Word, and for others it might look like the abandonment of all things banal so as to pursue the proclamation of the Gospel.

Life does go on. It presents to us further opportunity for change and growth. Let’s begin again.

(thanks to Josiah L. for proof reading)