faith

I just read 2 newsletters from friends that are missionaries in China. One works in Beijing, the other in a remote part of western China. But both had a similar theme: they're committed to something they can't see.

One friend recounted how a person he is working with quoted Rom. 1:17 to him: "The righteous will live by faith." This from a person who's given up job, status, material possessions and even his freedom (he's been thrown in prison) so that he can spread the Good News that Jesus offers freedom and abundant life.

I was talking with Larry yesterday and he gave me a term: "recreational Christian". It really challenged me: am I a Christian because it's a fun thing to do with my time? Or am I committed to something that I can't see completely right now but that I know is real because of the revelation of God in His Word, because of the testimony of God's Spirit within me, and because of the glimpses of the Kingdom that break through in so many different ways around me if I'd just open my eyes? Those are the evidences that Christians in China are staking their lives on. And God is asking the same of me.