Go, Send, or Disobey

I just finished rereading Bruchko by Bruce Olson. I think it's one of my all-time favorite missionary stories.

An excerpt (pp.38-39):

The church was full. I had been reading about New Guinea and was looking forward to a firsthand report.

Mr. Rayburn showed movies that he had taken. In one scene, a man was eating a rat. You could see the tail hanging out of the man's mouth - then, phht, it was gone.

"That fellow eating the rat there. He's not a Christian," Mr. Rayburn said.

Poor fellow, I thought, remembering how miserable I had been before becoming a Christian.

There were other pictures: some of extreme poverty in the midst of modern cities, some of "natives" and their odd clothes, houses and eating habits. Then Mr. Rayburn made his appeal.

"These people are starving, dying of disease, living in ignorance, eating rats. But most of all they are starving for the knowledge of Jesus Christ. They are dying lost, without knowing how Jesus Christ can save them from their sins. Can you sit comfortably in your seats and accept that? They're dying, damned to eternal condemnation! And what do you do? Maybe if you're really virtuous you put a little money in the collection plate on Sunday morning. Maybe you put in a dollar to reach these people starving for the gospel.

"But Jesus wants more of you. He wants more than your lip service to the great cause of missions. It's your responsibility to take the gospel of Christ to these people. Otherwise their blood will be required of you."

That is exactly how I feel.

John Piper put it this way, "Go, send, or disobey."

And my heart resounds in agreement with Amanda Berry Smith: "To stay here and disobey God — I can't afford to take the consequence. I would rather go and obey God than to stay here and know that I disobeyed."

:)