Opportunity

In a kind of rambling conversation with a friend who, along with his wife, serves in a very difficult part of the earth, I was asking about some of the natural disasters that had occurred where he serves in the past few years. It seemed to me like such challenges were occurring on a regular basis and when I hear about them, I always wondered if my friends were okay.

My question to him in this conversation was how these disasters affected their ministry and the believers who serve with them. His reply was interesting – not exactly what I expected. He first said that such disasters provided unparalleled opportunities for Christians to serve in a context where Christians are often viewed as outcasts. Two things immediately came to mind – one was that deep need often trumps previously held attitudes and the other was how amazing it was that Christians who had been made to be outcasts in their culture would turn around and serve the very people who wanted to exclude them. That makes me think about the offering Paul was collecting among Gentile believers to help the famine-stricken Jewish Christians in Judea. It reminds me of Paul’s comments in 2 Corinthians 8 about the Macedonian believers, who “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.” (2 Corinthians 8:3-4, NIV)

The second thing my friend said, in a bit of a light-hearted manner, was, “It makes you want to pray that God would keep sending disasters!” He really didn’t mean that, of course, and followed it up with comments that made it clear. But he did say that believers had learned in his part of the world – a part of the world where they are so often excluded from life – that they could take advantage of such moments and serve in the name of Christ.

Since Thursday evening of last week, our news has been non-stop in telling us about the awful situation in Japan. Every day the news seems to be a little bleaker and the potential danger to Japan, and the rest of the world in some ways, is significant.

While I would never say “God caused the earthquake to give us an opportunity,” I do wonder if the response to the earthquake, in addition to compassionate investment as we see among the Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8, shouldn’t be to think “Here’s an opportunity.” The vast majority of Japanese people are not Christians. Missionaries I know have served there for decades, sowing the seed of the gospel, with very little to show in terms of harvest. But maybe this is an opportunity to model the Christian faith in ways that garner the attention of people in that part of the world who aren’t Christians. Perhaps, like the Macedonians, we should give out of our poverty, beyond our ability.

Who knows what can happen when believers serve in the name of Christ! In 2 Corinthians 9, as Paul is wrapping up his comments about these offerings, he says, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:11, NIV)

This is an opportunity. May believers all over the world respond like the Macedonians!