Coconut Apostles: Principle #3
We are the visitor. Each time we enter the world and each time we venture into a new context or situation, we do not go as a person in control. We go in as a person in need of food or rest and we look for a person of peace.
Who are God’s people in this new place? Who welcomes me and the good news that I am bringing? Can I receive their help and hospitality and am I willing to be the one who is out of their natural habitat?
Photography courtesy of Tim Marshall on Unsplash
To enter the world of another person we will normally leave our own world. Instead of them stepping into a church or a group where they are the guest and stranger, Jesus more often sends us out like lambs among wolves. He sends us with the Gospel of peace and those who welcome us become a carrier of that peace to their whole community. As we pack to participate in God’s mission, rather than focusing on all the things we need to pack just in case, let’s give proper attention to the opportunity provided to us to demonstrate the goodness of God and our trust in him when we have real needs. Let us be the stranger. Let us be the guest. Let us be the hungry one or the one in need of a bed. The Gospel travels faster when it is not hindered by our oversupplied lifestyle.
