A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day – May 6, 2019
And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15)
New Life Network is a “Ministry to the Marketplace”. We adopted that ministry description some 30 years ago because we thought it best described what we were trying to do. We were taking our Christian faith into business arenas and serving as Chaplains in worldly environments. We just felt like Jesus was serious when He said for us to “go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).
We were recently in a business function in Lake Mary, FL where we met a former missionary couple named Ken and Renee Dew. They spent many years in New Zealand and Australia planting churches. Ken authored a book entitled “Engaging the Culture” which I just finished reading which probably better describes what we have been doing for the last 30 years.
Most Christians would probably look at our culture in the United States today and consider it a lost cause. They would most likely say that our culture is going downhill fast and there is nothing we can do about it. In his book, Ken Dew looks at our situation and suggests that we have three options:
Isolation: Isolating ourselves from engaging the lost and retreating into our holy huddles and religious activities.
Peace Treaty: Making a peace treaty with the world by trying our best to accommodate, tolerate and understand them and be tolerated and understood by them.
Engagement: Engaging the world with the radical, redemptive claims of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and thereby extending the Kingdom of God’s amazing power in and through our lives and relationships.
I also recently watched an interview with Dr. Charles Mully from Kenya. This man was an orphan and living on the streets at 6 years of age. He was eventually taken in by a lady to help tend her garden and do odd jobs in her home at the age of 16.
Mully later became involved in several businesses and made millions of dollars. At a point in life when he was very successful God used an encounter Mully had with some street kids to turn his whole life around. These kids tried to get Mully to pay them money to wash his car and he refused. Mully parked his car and went to a business meeting. While he was gone these street kids stole his car.
On his way back home from that ordeal God reminded Mully that he was once just like those kids and God wanted Mully to minister to the lost children of Kenya. Mully said this encounter was so intense that he could not drive so he pulled over and argued with God for 4 hours. It was like a Damascus road encounter. Mully finally relented and agreed to do what God called him to do.
Mully went home and met with his wife and four kids and told them he was through making money. They thought he was crazy at first but he kept his promises to God. In the next two days he brought his first child home from the streets. That kept growing over the next few years until they now have 15,000 children that they raise and educate. They have now made a movie about this man’s life!!!
One man’s surrender to God can change a nation!!! We just need to be willing to engage our culture. Are you willing? We can make a difference with God’s help.
