Go Beyond

Houston en route to Dubai

From the scattering of the early church after the stoning of Stephen (Acts 8:1) to today, Christ-followers continue to obey the last command of Christ (Acts 1:8) — a command to go beyond. This command is one that, by its nature, compels us to take the love of Christ from the fertile and safe center of our existence to the barren and ragged edges, to the people who live in places where His name and the transforming nature of His message are not known. His message spreads from person to person and heart to heart. But God uses those who go beyond to ensure that His message is spread from place to place. Those who have knowledge of Christ are responsible for taking His message across the room, across the street, and across the globe. Paul considered himself a debtor (Rom. 1:14) or as someone who owed Christ to those who did not know Christ. Christ-followers today owe the same debt and must continue to cross borders, oceans, and cultures in order to fulfill the last command of Christ.

This month, more than 450 Kingsland students and adult sponsors will travel across the globe in obedience to the last command of Christ. They will be among the hundreds of thousands of volunteers who venture annually from the comforts of their homes in order to share the life-transforming message of the gospel through word and deed. I am privileged to be with our graduating senior high school students. We are headed to Kolkata where we will serve the least of these at Mother Teresa’s homes, teach children in a slum school that we support, and serve young girls rescued from sex trafficking in an aftercare home that we fund. I have no doubt that our students will make a difference in the lives of those they serve. And, I am confident that this experience will make a difference in the lives of our students as well. Going beyond changes people, shifts paradigms, and sharpens perspective.

There are numerous benefits to going beyond. One good thing that happens to those who go beyond is that they pray differently. Being onsite somehow helps people to pray with deeper insight and greater urgency. Going beyond also takes the edge off of selfish living. It is convicting to see how little the rest of the world has by comparison and to witness the daily challenges others face in order to survive. Those who go beyond are also challenged to reevaluate their stewardship and personal consumption. We spend enormous amounts of money on ourselves while much of the world survives on little more than a dollar a day. I often wonder how God deals with the cacophony of prayers that ascend to heaven from the haves and the have-nots. While the haves ask for things like upgrades on the latest gadgets, the have-nots plead for daily bread lest they die. Going beyond can certainly help us to better understand that life is not all about us and our stuff.

I am proud of our students for all they have done to prepare for their respective missions initiatives this month and for all they will do in the coming weeks. And, I am in anticipation of all that God will do to help each of us to see the world a little more clearly, pray a little more effectively, act a bit more compassionately, and live much less selfishly. For many, obeying the last command of Christ may be the first step to a more balanced and Christ-like life. I am confident that God will do very good things in and through those who obey the last command of Christ this month — from our own community to the ends of the earth.