The Burden for the Lost

In this chapter we have confronted two factors, frustration and guilt, that often hinder a Christian's participation in Great Commission activities. I hope the foregoing discussions have caused these obstacles to dwindle in size. Perhaps a chat with a pastor or some other Christian will help you deal with whatever difficulties remain.

However, many readers will probably have one more concern that weighs heavily on them. "Okay," they may say, "I understand now that I don't have to be frustrated by the Great Commission, because God only expects me to do a me-sized part of the work. And even though I have not done as much as I could have in the past, I thank God for giving me a new start in Christ. But still there is a burden that remains: the responsibility that I have (along with all other Christians) to see that Christ is shared with people who do not know His glorious, saving name. That knowledge weighs me down."

If that is how you feel, you have a point. The burden of world evangelization is still there, resting squarely on the shoulders of every redeemed child of God. I congratulate you for recognizing its presence. Many Christians do not. You see clearly the duty and charge that the Lord of glory has given us. You can relate fully to the feelings of Marilyn Laszlo, a Wycliffe Bible translator in the village of Hauna, Papua New Guinea. As she translated and taught the people to read and write their own language, she grew burdened for the hundreds of untouched villages around Hauna.

One day Marilyn was visited by a group of sickly people who, to reach Hauna, had paddled through the swamp four days. While these folks were being treated for their illness, they observed that people were going to school to learn how to read and write their own language. The Word of God was being proclaimed by local pastors. When the time came for the visitors to return home, the leader begged Marilyn to come to their village and write down their language so that God might speak to them too. Several weeks later Marilyn made the arduous journey and received a warm welcome from the leader. Marilyn relates the conversation that ensued:

As we were walking through the village, I noticed in the center a new building, very different from their regular houses. I knew it had just been built and I asked, "What is that building there in the center of the village?"

He said, "Oh, that is God's house--that's our church."

"Your church? Do you have a mission here?"

"Oh, no, we have never had a mission here."

"Well, do you have a pastor here--you know, someone that comes to preach God's Word?"

"Oh, no, we've never had a pastor here."

"Well, is there someone here in the village that can read and write Pidgin English who holds services in your church?"

"Oh, no! There is no one here that can read or write. And we have no books. "

I looked at him and said, "Then what is that building for?"

He said, "Well, we saw the little church in your village and our people decided to build a church too. Now we're waiting. We're waiting for someone to come and tell us about God in our own talk, in our language."

I turned and started crying. I have never seen that kind of faith. Friends, out in the middle of the jungle stands that little church and today they are still waiting--waiting for someone to come and tell them in their own language about Jesus (Laszlo, Pioneering for Christ, in Confessing Christ as Lord 1982, 214-15).

If we have learned the lessons taught in this chapter, this story should not frustrate us. Nor should it make us feel guilty. But it will leave us burdened. Marilyn Laszlo wept. We world Christians can weep too, or at least feel sorrow and anguish. These are altogether wholesome and proper responses of the Christian's heart.

Paul was sensing the very same burden when he wrote:

I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel (Rom. 9:2-4).

Paul's mournful words follow perhaps the most majestic words in the Bible:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 8:38-39).

After these triumphant words, the contrast is shocking when Paul says, "I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart" (Rom. 9:2). What concern causes this constant flow of deep emotions? Paul's heart is wrenched by the fact that the majority of the Jews do not believe. All world Christians bear a similar burden. The sorrow and anguish you bear is your concern for the lost, whether Jew or Gentile.

Bending under this weight, we may complain, "So how do I get rid of it!" The answer is simple. We don't ,if we wish to be Christ's disciples. We cannot shrug off the burden, because Jesus Himself gave it to us. To all His disciples He said, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Matt. 16:24).

Often we refer to illness or tragedies as crosses that people must bear. The Bible does not use the term in that way. Cross in the New Testament means the personal sacrifice and even persecution that believers endure in order that they may witness faithfully about Christ. Bearing the cross, Jesus says, entails denying ourselves, even losing our lives for the sake of the gospel.

Paul gives us a marvelous example of this sacrificial attitude in the impassioned words quoted earlier: "For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel"(Rom. 9:3). Paul knew, of course, that he could not really die to save the unbelieving Jews. So instead he chose to die for them day by day, bit by bit, by bringing the message of Christ to Jew and Gentile alike, as God gave him opportunity. On another occasion, Paul described his burden-cross as his very reason for living: "I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:24).

Today, God calls us to bear our crosses in a variety of innovative ways.

• Some do so by dedicating twenty minutes a day to pray for missionaries and national believers in a particular country.
• Others assume the challenge of giving 10 percent of their income to finance the many demands of world missions.
• Some are led by the Holy Spirit to take up the task of serving Christ in a distant land.
• Others learn Spanish or another language, in order to serve the ethnic elements in their own neighborhood.

Perhaps you feel unequal to the task. Perhaps you fear that you will buckle beneath the burden of world evangelization. Fear not! You carry none of these responsibilities alone. God makes the burden light. Jesus said so: "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matt. 11:29-30). Perhaps you have cherished this promise when you faced some difficulty. Now recognize how it provides the undergirding strength you need to bear the burden-cross of world evangelization. "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens" (Ps. 68:19).

In this chapter we have learned that God gladly lifts mission frustrations and guilt from our weary backs. But the cross He will not remove. The Lord wants to bless you with great sorrow and unceasing anguish for the lost. That sounds crazy, doesn't it? In our look-out-for-Number-One society, great sorrow and unceasing anguish are not sought-after experiences.

For us to shoulder this burden willingly, we need to recognize what sorrow and anguish are. They are love, sacrificial love, Christ-like love. The world Christian only takes up his cross of great sorrow and unceasing anguish because by faith he knows that his Savior came to earth motivated by His own sorrow and anguish over our lost condition. Jesus expressed these profound emotions in Gethsemane the night before He died: "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me" (Matt. 26:38). By bearing the same sorrow (though on a far smaller scale), we continue to "keep watch" with Him. We bear our crosses because He bore His. We lay down our lives because He laid down His.

We are not the first ones to bear the cross of mission work. Previous generations of world Christians provide us with inspiring examples. We shall be cheered and emboldened by their example in the next chapter.

Do Something Now

1. Search Scripture. Read the book of Jonah as though you had never heard it before. On a sheet of paper make two columns: one to jot down words and actions that reveal Jonah's attitude toward the heathen, another to record God's words and actions. Compare the two columns. Compare your words and actions regarding world evangelization to those of Jonah and the Lord.

2. Read. Obtain the book Outreach Promises. You will learn that God has promised us His mission is possible and He can use even you to accomplish His purposes.

3. Listen to the song "Asleep in the Light" by Keith Green. Ponder the Iyrics. How applicable is this song to you and to your church? Have you been asleep in the light? Don't overlook the closing lines. Who is speaking these words? In contrast to the strong Law emphasis of the rest of the song, what Gospel hope do the closing lines give to those who wish to awake from their slumber?

4. Look. The next time you view a mission-related movie, filmstrip, or slide show, ask yourself: How did this presentation leave me feeling? Was I only accused by the Law or also motivated by the Gospel of Christ? Was I encouraged to seek the Holy Spirit's strength to meet the mission challenges before me?

5. Converse. Share your honest feelings about missions with someone you trust. Include the negative feelings as well as positive ones. Allow others opportunity to speak in return, and listen with care.

6. Pray. For seven days use Romans 9:1-3 and 10:1 as a guide during your private prayer time. Ponder why Paul used such strong terms as "great sorrow," "unceasing anguish," and "heart's desire." Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the full meaning of these phrases.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.