According to the evangelical publication Christianity Today, “Two out of three persons surveyed said that a person obtains peace with God by seeking God first, and then God responses with grace.” A few months ago I said the Gospel via modern media has spread to most of the world. I am going to have to take that back. I was wrong. It appears that we have yet to spread the Gospel to so called Christians.
Right from the beginning it has always been God seeking us. When Adam and Eve hid in Eden it was God who came in the evening seeking for them. Hungry to save, God is a hunter. Perhaps I should instead say wooer. It was God who came to Abram’s tent. It was God who drew Moses to the burning bush. It was God who was the cloud that led the Children of Israel and the rock that supplied them with water. When Jonah tried to run away God chased Jonah clear into the stomach of a huge fish. It was God who sent His only beloved Son to earth.
In the parables of Jesus it is the shepherd who goes in quest for his lost sheep. It is the wronged landlord who sends his son to the tenets. The story goes on and on. God first loved us and when we finally catch on we return the love.
I fear we are not as close to completing the proclamation of the Gospel as I thought. Having been a mission teacher in Uganda for six years I would not discourage the value of missions. But the truth seems to be we have a gigantic mission field among the “Christians” in our families. We haven’t done such a great job.
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 6, 2015
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org