Worship at a congregation in Matanzas
All right, it’s time to get this blog started again. My planned post about Christmas seems a little out of place now, so we’ll move on to another topic. How about a thought question? If you had to choose, would you opt to live in a country where you could practice your religion comfortably or live in a place where the church was growing by leaps and bounds?
Now don’t jump to conclusions, I’m not saying that everyone everywhere has to choose between those two. I was thinking about my friends in Matanzas, Cuba. In a lot of ways, their lives are nothing to envy. Many of them live in poverty. They don’t enjoy many of the freedoms we do. Opportunities for the future are limited. But on any given Sunday, they baptize 4-5 people at church. Over the last few years, the main congregation in the city of Matanzas has started 19 churches and has averaged 200 or so baptisms.
Would it be worth it to you? Would you give up personal comfort, civil rights, etc. for a chance to live in a place where the Kingdom is growing rapidly?
“Would it be worth it to you? Would you give up personal comfort, civil rights, etc. for a chance to live in a place where the Kingdom is growing rapidly?”
NO! why would I? It seems they are doing splendidly with out me.
If there were a place where I was needed for God’s kingdom to survive or grow, and I was a healthier younger man, I would give it great thought.
Hi Laymond. Welcome to the new blog site.
I obviously didn’t make myself clear. I’m not talking about moving somewhere else. I’m just asking if the trade-offs would be worth it to you. If you knew that you would be in poverty, live under a communist government, etc, but your congregation would be growing and growing, would you be willing to do that? Would you exchange your personal comfort and personal freedoms for the growth of the kingdom of God? That’s what I’m trying to ask in my obscure way.
Grace and peace,
Tim
I’d like to say, “In a heartbeat!”
But what if I couldn’t afford coffee every morning?
Or Tom Wright’s latest book?
What if I couldn’t check Sportscenter to see how my Yankees did last night?
You see the dilemma. The spirit IS willing. Abba, help my unbelief.
in HIS love,
nick
PS – When I first read today’s blog, I thought it was pretty clear that you meant regime change in the US.
I moved to the Northeast to help establish the church in a city without any known christians. It was hard because so many who lived there had no interest in learning about the Lord and what He had done for them (us), but there were some who were searching and excited about a new life. But I didn’t remain there for the rest of my life – only 28 years of it. I went on three “mission” trips to Vienna to teach English using the Bible, but the only difficulty I encountered there was in the language differences. However, my sister has gone three times to Guyana and when I heard of what the christians there endure, and what she went through for the three weeks each time, I told her I had really been on vacations, and she had gone “into the world” with the truth and could see some results of the efforts. I am thankful there are people in Cuba, as well as other parts of the world, who are willing to endure hardships, and still reach out to touch souls, and make a real difference, but I am too ingrained in “comforts,” sad to acknowledge.