Chris
Tyler Edwards is the author of a book called Zombie Church. He warns that too many churches are like zombies – undead; not truly alive; consuming everything and contributing nothing. The cure for zombie churches, he proposes, is love. You’ve got to restart the heart.
At one point he realized his own church was a zombie church. It was contributing nothing to the people and neighborhoods around it. It needed to restart its heart. It needed to rediscover how to love those nearby. Edwards wrote this helpful line:
“Bombs have kill-radiuses, churches should have love-radiuses—anyone living within twenty miles of a church should know it.” (Tyler Edwards, Zombie Church, 60)
Imagine the Highland Church of Christ on a map. At the center is a pin. Underneath the pin is the Highland Church building. Draw a circle around that pin—as wide as you’d like. Within that circle businesses, schools, and houses. That’s our love-radius. Everyone living within that circle should be impacted in some way by the love of the Highland church.
But the question is this: How wide should a church’s love-radius be? Is it enough to encircle the local neighborhood? Is it enough to encircle the city? How wide should a church’s love-radius be?
When we go to the book of Acts we find a surprising answer. In the early days, churches sought to create circles that were impossibly wide. Early Christians wanted love-radiuses that took in not just neighborhoods but nations.
We see this clearly in Acts 18. In Acts 18 we watch as Paul continues to stretch that love-radius which began in Jerusalem all the way to the city of Corinth:
1 After this Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. And he went to see them, 3 and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and tried to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was occupied with the word, testifying to the Jews that the Christ was Jesus. (Acts 18:1-5 ESV)
Corinth was a wealthy city that controlled two harbors. It had one of the largest and most handsome city centers in the ancient world. In addition, Corinth was the site of the Isthmian Games that would have brought large crowds while Paul was there.
Corinth was a large and influential city in the ancient world. And, it’s trade connections meant the gospel could spread rapidly from Corinth. In addition, pragmatically, it was a relatively easy to place to make a living as a tent-maker, which Paul was. The Isthmian games brought many tourists needing tents. The large marketplace would have required many awnings, which could be made by Paul. And it’s possible that Paul could have even made sails for the ships that came in and out of the harbors.
Thus, Corinth not only represented some place to which Paul wanted to stretch the love-radius of the church. He also saw it as a place from which that circle could grow.
But sadly, there was resistance to Paul’s mission in Corinth:
6 And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” (Act 18:6 ESV)
Not everyone in Corinth was excited about being encircled. Some were downright hostile about it. They opposed Paul and his efforts.
And this was no little opposition. It was so intense that it nearly stopped Paul. It made Paul afraid. And it nearly kept Paul from finishing the mission in Corinth:
7 And he left there and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. His house was next door to the synagogue. 8 Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, together with his entire household. And many of the Corinthians hearing Paul believed and were baptized. 9 And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, “Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent…” (Acts 18:7-9 ESV)
We know that Paul is afraid because Jesus has to appear to him and say to him, “Do not be afraid.” Paul is terrified due to this opposition. Later, when he writes a letter to the church in Corinth, he will confess, “I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3 ESV). This opposition scared Paul. And it seems to have almost stopped Paul from completing the mission in Corinth.
Just as Paul was compelled to expand that love-radius to include other nations and cities like Corinth, so Highland is now compelled to expand the love-radius of this church and of Jesus as far as possible. We continue to do a great deal to bring the neighbors and friends and families of Cordova, Memphis and the Mid-South into that circle. But we also see the need of expanding beyond that. In the past, that’s led us to encircle Ukraine and Papua New Guinea and the Philippines. We now believe Jesus is calling us to expand that love-radius all the way to the nation of China.
Eight of us from Highland recently travelled to China on a survey trip. That survey trip was the culmination of nearly two years of research, prayer, learning and listening. Our investigations led us to believe that God was calling us to widen the circle to include at least one of three cities: Beijing, Qingdao or Wuhan. For two weeks the eight of us traveled to those three cities, meeting with Christians, worshiping in house churches, and learning the culture.
And one of the things we learned is that there has been, is now, and will likely continue to be resistance to the mission in China. Just as Paul faced resistance in Corinth, so we can expect to face resistance in China.
- For example, in Wuhan we heard of three house churches that were persecuted by the government and had to seek the help of a government-sponsored Three-Self Patriotic church for refuge.
- When we returned from China and began posting things online about our trip, two of the American missionaries whom we met with in China emailed with urgent pleas for us to remove anything online that used their names or locations. They said the Chinese government scours the Internet for this type of information and that if they were discovered, the missionaries might not be able to get a renewal on their visas.
We will experience resistance to our efforts in China.
And, as with Paul, that challenge could frighten us. It could make us afraid and keep us from completing that mission.
Yet Jesus appeared to Paul and cast a vision for this mission of encircling Corinth. It was a vision capable of moving Paul and us beyond fear:
10 …for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.” (Acts 18:10 ESV)
Jesus says a great deal in this brief line. I want to focus on his final statement: “for I have many in this city who are my people.” What’s Jesus saying? He’s not necessarily saying that so many people are now baptized followers that Paul need not fear. Many have responded. But there’s still opposition. And there’s still an entire city to reach. Here’s what Jesus is saying: his love is so compelling that it will draw many in Corinth to become his followers, to become his people. And that’s such a guaranteed fact, that it’s as if it’s already happened. It’s as if the mission of expanding the love-radius of Jesus to Corinth has already been accomplished. Jesus isn’t pointing to how many are presently his people. He’s pointing to how many in the future will be his people. And it’s so guaranteed that so many in Corinth will be drawn to him by his love that it’s as if it’s already happened. Jesus can speak about future converts with such confidence that it’s as if they’ve already been baptized. All Paul has to do is tag along with Jesus. Despite the opposition, Jesus is saying that people will respond to the invitation of love. And eventually, the city of Corinth will lie deep within the love-radius of Jesus.
I believe Jesus has the same vision for China. I believe that it’s such a guaranteed fact that people will respond to the love-invitation of Jesus that it’s almost as if it’s already happened in China. I believe Jesus’ love will be so compelling to the people of China that it’s as if his mission’s already accomplished. There’s no need to fear. No need to be frightened about resistance or opposition in China. Because so many will respond to the love of Jesus that it’s like that mission’s already happened. All we have to do is tag along with Jesus.
In fact, we’ve already witnessed the truth of this. While we were in China we saw proof after proof of just how drawn people are to Jesus, just how appealing the gospel is, and just how many continue to fall into the love-radius of the one who died on the cross. There may be opposition in China. But what we saw has convinced us that nothing is going to stop that circle of love from eventually taking in the entire nation of China.
Lawana Maxwell made that trip with us. I’ve asked her to share some of her experiences with you today. I’ve asked her because she is the staff member at Highland with perhaps the greatest experience in mission work. She grew up on the mission field in France, has been a leading voice for missions at Highland for many years, and has personally and regularly been to our mission sites including Honduras, Timothy Hill, Paragould, the Philippines, Ukraine and now China. Let’s listen as Lawana shares what she saw in China.
Lawana
I want to tell you a story today. A story of a God who is alive and active and looking for his children in mainland China. A God who is bigger than a government who officially denies his existence. And a God who is using every means possible to bring people there to him – in story after story that we heard. Everything from technology to a party to a simple Christian song sung in a hospital. A God so great that nothing can stop his circle of love from expanding over the entire nation of China.
I was super excited about being a part of this mission team and going to a place I never dreamed I would go. Learning about the culture, the history and seeing wonders like the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. But more than that, I was hoping and praying God would show us, by the end of our 12 days there, a tiny glimpse of what he is doing in that part of the world where so little is known about the church. Never did I dream that he would show up in such a big way and that from Day 1 he would start to answer that prayer. It was very clear that he was saying: “I have many people here. I have many more who are searching. And I don’t want you to miss this. I don’t want you to miss their hearts. I don’t want you to miss the need. And I don’t want you to miss what I’m doing.” I’ve never before seen God display his work so obviously and openly.
There is a thirst among the people of China for spiritual answers, for purpose, for love, peace, joy, for a relationship with God and to know Christ. A thirst that we don’t often see here in America, where we are often comfortable in our spiritual lives. I want to tell you about 2 people we met on our journey who are perfect examples of this and who touched us deeply. Two people who are now standing inside that circle of Jesus’ love.
Wang Chee is in his 60s and one of the church leaders in Beijing. Wang Chee hasn’t always been a Christian but he was always searching for purpose, love and mercy. For God. Chee is from a minority group in China with a Muslim background. Those are his family roots. But he didn’t find God there. His searching led him to try Buddhism for a while. In fact he spent time in Buddhist monasteries. But he didn’t find God there either. Then he gave up and since he worked for the communist government, he decided communism and atheism must be the answer after all. But his heart told him differently and he never totally gave up looking. It was through an invitation to a Christmas party that he met a group of Christians in Beijing who ultimately brought him to Christ.
It’s not often I’ve seen a grown man cry when talking about their conversion and their salvation. But that’s what happened the day that we sat around the apartment on the 18th floor of the high rise building in Beijing where the house church meets. When we asked him to share his faith story, he was overwhelmed with emotion because he had finally found the thing that was missing in his life. He had finally found his way into that great circle of Jesus’ love.
I also want to tell you about Helen. Helen is from a town 2 hours away from Wuhan. She left her little girl and her husband at home and rode the bus to get to Wuhan to meet us. During dinner and then at the house church, she shared her remarkable story. In the town where Helen grew up, there was no church. She was led to faith by her mother and grandmother. These godly women could teach her some of the very basics about Christianity but that was it. Helen kept asking her mother, “Where can we find a Bible teacher?” “Is there a teacher we can bring here?” Finally her mother told her that instead of waiting for a Bible teacher, she should go to a school somewhere – even if it meant far away – and learn everything she could about the Bible. Then she could come back and teach others what she had learned. Easier said than done. But that’s what she did. And just a few years ago Helen graduated with a degree in Bible from TN Bible College. China is a long way from TN but she left her family and everything she knew to learn more about God and the Bible. Once she returned to China, she began teaching in their house church. It began to grow and grow. Helen eventually led her high school sweetheart to faith in Christ. And now, she writes lessons and sermons that her husband, a young Christian, gets to preach to their house church of 60. Helen’s helping others find their way into Jesus’ circle of love.
Helen and all the Christians we met while in China are searching intently for God and a deeper knowledge of him. I was talking to one of the missionaries there and he was asking me about my experience so far. I told him that I was struck by this intense searching on the part of the Chinese people and their overflowing thankfulness and love for God. His eyes lit up and he said, “And now you know why I’m here. It’s like they have been searching for the pearl of great price and when they find it, it means everything to them.”
The Chinese people will continue to search for God and Christ. They are desperate to experience the new life that only comes by being within Jesus’ circle of love. I am so excited, awed and humbled that we get to be a part of this mission!
Chris
It’s clear that Jesus’ invitation of love is so compelling that people are streaming to him in China. That even now Jesus already has many people in China. And it’s guaranteed that he’s going to have more. Highland wants to be part of that mission.
And that’s what persuaded Paul to overcome his fears and remain in Corinth. In fact, Paul became so persuaded by Jesus’ guaranteed mission that he remained for a long time:
11 And he stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. (Acts 18:11 ESV)
Jesus’ vision for Corinth was so compelling and so confident that Paul stayed on for a year and a half expanding that circle of love.
It is our desire to do the same. Not to merely send a survey team to China. Not to do some flash in the pan. But to commit, long-term, to being a part of joining Jesus in expanding that circle to include all of China.
That’s why it is so critical for you to give to our May 3 Outreach Contribution. That contribution funds all of our efforts to draw neighbors, the needy and the nations into the circle of love. In the Go Brochure, available at the Welcome Center, you’ll find every ministry listed which is funded by this contribution. Next Sunday, you’ll have the chance to hear about one of those ministries, our work in the Philippines. Nathan Luther, our missionary in Bacolod, Philippines will preach all three services next Sunday. And Karen Luther, our missionary in Bacolod Philippines, will speak at the Women’s Ministry Mix and Mingle in the Chapel during Sunday School next Sunday. Our Outreach Contribution funds their work. But it also funds our new work to be started in China. Each year for the past two years we’ve been setting aside money to help begin a new work in China. In two weeks, Eric Gentry will share one specific way that money’s going to be used this summer. Giving toward the $125,000 goal on May 3 funds all of these ministries. And it’s part of what will make it possible for Highland to expand that circle, even to China. The circumference of Highland’s love radius depends greatly on your giving. Let’s give generously so that circle can be as wide as possible.
