Where the Sheep Are
Phillippians chapter 2 tells us that one day "every knee will bow of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Psalm 2 tells us that God will surely give his son the nations for the asking. Matthew 18 tells us that the church is to "make disciples of all nations."
Those are pretty bold thoughts, when you think about it. But do we really think about it? What does all that mean? Who are the nations, and how could we possibly reach all of them? The answer is easier today than ever, and the day is coming closer.
Do you realize that the typical 21 year-old in America today has spent 10,000 hours on the telephone and has sent 250,000 emails, texts and instant messages?
And that's just here in the U.S. The U.S. will graduate 1.3 million students from colleges and universities this year. India will graduate 3.1 million, and China 3.3 million. Do you know what percentage of college graduates in India speak English? 100%. In ten years it is estimated that the largest population of English-speakers in the world will be China.
It took 38 years for radio to reach 50 million people. It took a mere 13 years for television to accomplish the same feet.
It took the World Wide Web four.
There are six hundred million internet-connected devices in the world today, and that number is growing exponentially. Today (today, today, not a philosophical today.) the world will send more text messages than there are people. This month there will be 2.7 billion searches on Google. Where did all those questions get asked ten years ago?
Seventy percent of four-year-olds in the US have used a computer. Fifty percent of high-school students have created web content. Imagine what tomorrow will be like.
To quote a good friend, I said all that to say this: The world is not what we were taught to believe it was. Today, each of us has a reach and scope that is beyond what was imaginable ten years ago. And it's not just about evangelism, though that is a part of it. There is certainly a place for web-evangelism, no doubt.
But it's also about witnessing. Being a light. Showing who you are. Each of us has a larger footprint today then ever before. I type a couple of words in a Blogger editor, and people can read it, and do, around the world. You comment, and people read that, and form opinions based on it. But, also you indentify yourself as a Christian in your Myspace or Facebook page, yet have nasty pictures and nastier music... what does that say to the world? Take a look at you page-views count next time you log on. Who are you witnessing to, and what does that say about you?
The sheep are everywhere. "Feed my sheep." Jesus said. Just be careful what you feed them.
Those are pretty bold thoughts, when you think about it. But do we really think about it? What does all that mean? Who are the nations, and how could we possibly reach all of them? The answer is easier today than ever, and the day is coming closer.
Do you realize that the typical 21 year-old in America today has spent 10,000 hours on the telephone and has sent 250,000 emails, texts and instant messages?
And that's just here in the U.S. The U.S. will graduate 1.3 million students from colleges and universities this year. India will graduate 3.1 million, and China 3.3 million. Do you know what percentage of college graduates in India speak English? 100%. In ten years it is estimated that the largest population of English-speakers in the world will be China.
It took 38 years for radio to reach 50 million people. It took a mere 13 years for television to accomplish the same feet.
It took the World Wide Web four.
There are six hundred million internet-connected devices in the world today, and that number is growing exponentially. Today (today, today, not a philosophical today.) the world will send more text messages than there are people. This month there will be 2.7 billion searches on Google. Where did all those questions get asked ten years ago?
Seventy percent of four-year-olds in the US have used a computer. Fifty percent of high-school students have created web content. Imagine what tomorrow will be like.
To quote a good friend, I said all that to say this: The world is not what we were taught to believe it was. Today, each of us has a reach and scope that is beyond what was imaginable ten years ago. And it's not just about evangelism, though that is a part of it. There is certainly a place for web-evangelism, no doubt.
But it's also about witnessing. Being a light. Showing who you are. Each of us has a larger footprint today then ever before. I type a couple of words in a Blogger editor, and people can read it, and do, around the world. You comment, and people read that, and form opinions based on it. But, also you indentify yourself as a Christian in your Myspace or Facebook page, yet have nasty pictures and nastier music... what does that say to the world? Take a look at you page-views count next time you log on. Who are you witnessing to, and what does that say about you?
The sheep are everywhere. "Feed my sheep." Jesus said. Just be careful what you feed them.
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