The call of Christ is not an invitation to an easy life. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” But we know from Jesus that we actually find our lives when we lose them for his sake (Mark 8:35).
One of the ways Christ calls his people to die to themselves is to cross cultures for the sake of the gospel. Ask anyone who’s done this, and they will tell you that it is costly. We often don’t realize just how much we must die to ourselves until we are in a culture where no one else is like us. And if we want to reach those unlike us with the gospel, we will need to die to ourselves in more ways than we can imagine.
But the call of Christ to come and die—especially in the context of cross-cultural missions—is oh so worth it. Some cultures have spent thousands of years in the grips of idol worship, and we have the only message that can save. That’s what cross-cultural church planting is about: penetrating cultural strongholds with the good news of gospel grace.
So the cost is high—and those considering going to the nations should count the cost before they go. But if you should choose to join the thousands of gospel workers who have gone before you—the unnamed of whom the world is not worthy (Heb. 11:38)—you will be participating in the most glorious, lasting work in the world.
Today, we have the privilege of having Jay Bauman on the podcast. Jay is an American brother who has lived in Brazil for the last eight years. He’s planted a couple of churches in Brazil, and he’s involved in other work there as well.
You can listen to this episode here.
Free eBook by Tim Keller: ‘The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness’
Imagine a life where you don’t feel inadequate, easily offended, desperate to prove yourself, or endlessly preoccupied with how you look to others. Imagine relishing, not resenting, the success of others. Living this way isn’t far-fetched. It’s actually guaranteed to believers, as they learn to receive God’s approval, rather than striving to earn it.
In Tim Keller’s short ebook, The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness: The Path To True Christian Joy, he explains how to overcome the toxic tendencies of our age一not by diluting biblical truth or denying our differences一but by rooting our identity in Christ.
TGC is offering this Keller resource for free, so you can discover the “blessed rest” that only self-forgetfulness brings.
