If you've spent very much time in an evangelistic church, you have heard all the stats by now. You have heard that there are over 7.6 billion people in the world and almost all of them are lost. There are "X" amount of starving children and diseases are running rampant in "this" country or "that" country. You know about missionaries trying to help people recover from tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, and all sorts of other natural disasters. You know there are Christians around the world who are still dying for their faith. So why are we unaffected?
This thought has plagued me for some time now. I know that I sit in service after service and listen to the needs of the world. Brettnay and I go to a church that has a great burden for England. A country that once was an international hub for the spread of the gospel yet is now one of the most spiritually dark places in the world. England's fastest growing religion is Islam! But would it shock you to know that Islam is also America's fastest growing religion? Mosques pop up every day around our country while churches are closing. What's happening? Why isn't God blessing us anymore? I'll tell you why. The world has become a statistic to us.
When was the last time you had a conversation with someone who wasn't born in America about Jesus Christ? I work downtown; I see foreigners every day. They speak enough English to get by and try to make a better life for themselves. Most of us, including myself, view this as an inconvenience. "Learn English or go home", we mutter to ourselves. But they aren't here because they need a better life. They are here because God placed them here. We have an opportunity unlike any other country in the history of mankind. We have an "international hub" for the gospel right here at home! America is the second largest Hispanic country in the world, second only to Mexico. But there is another statistic. When will we decide that people aren't statistics?
Jesus said in his iconic "Great Commission" to "preach the gospel to every creature". He didn't say to preach to every country or to every people group. He brought it down to the individual. We all can't be a Billy Graham or D. L. Moody and preach to thousands of people. But one thing that all men God uses do is witness to individuals. Charles Spurgeon was well known for spending hours witnessing to single individuals as well as preaching to large crowds. What if I told you he wouldn't have been blessed with the crowds if he hadn't spent time with the individuals? People aren't statistics to men like Spurgeon, Moody, Graham, and many other men. They are individuals who need a Savior.
Keep thinking friends,
Simeon Brazzell
I Tim. 1:12
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