Globalization and You

Globalization has come to India. The economic policy of the nation is aimed at the development of a progressively integrated global system marked by free trade and free flow of capital. Our lives are becoming increasingly mixed up with those in other nations. It has become fashionable to look up to foreign nations – particularly western nations -- and copy their lifestyle in fields like sports, music, entertainment, clothes, food, and even language. A number of our possessions are imported or manufactured in India by multinational companies. We are more ‘connected’ than we realize.

Our God is a global God.  He had always cared about the entire world and has made this clear in His numerous declarations found in the Bible. He had always wanted for His family, members from every nation he created. Acts 17:26-27 (ISV) says “From one man God made every nation of humanity to live all over the earth, fixing the seasons of the year and the national boundaries within which they live so that they might look for God, somehow reach for him, and find him. Of course, he is never far from any one of us”. He promised Abraham that through him all the nations of the world will be blessed.

Jesus was ‘global’ to the core. He had this to say:  ‘’I have other sheep that don't belong to this fold. I must lead these also, and they will listen to my voice. So, there will be one flock and one Shepherd’’ (John 10:16 ISV). Jesus gave the disciples the pattern for involvement: “…. you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)

These are exciting days we live in. There are more people on the globe than ever before. Paul was prophetical when he wrote "The same good news that came to you is going out all over the world. It is changing lives everywhere just it changed yours" [Colos. 1:6]. When Paul and Silas went to Thessalonica, his enemies described them as the people who upset the whole world. Are we prepared to make that kind of difference? How do we globalize our ministry?

1.      Begin praying for specific countries. Know your countries and what is going on there. Get a globe or map and start studying it. Thanks to the electronic media dissemination of news are so fast these days that one does not have to go far to find out what is happening around us and where the greatest needs lie. "Ask of me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your possession’’. (Psalms .2:8) Prayer is the most important tool in your mission in the world. People may refuse your love or reject our message, they may even hurt you, but they are defenseless against prayer. You can safely aim your prayer at a person's heart or hearts of a group of people, whether they are ten feet away or 10000 km away!

2.      Pray for opportunities to witness, for the courage to speak up, for those who will believe, for the rapid spread of the message, for more workers. Pray for cooperation from governments and people in power -- that they create a conducive environment for the gospel to spread. Pray that opposition to gospel will be dissolved by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer makes partners with other prayer warriors around the globe.

3.      Pray for all the missionaries everywhere who are involved in the global harvest. Their life work is not just difficult but is becoming increasingly dangerous. Pray for their safety and health, for their families, for people who work for them, who uphold them in prayers and support them through material contributions. St. Paul gives instances in 2Corinth 10-11 how the prayers of his colleagues rescued them in dangerous situations. Support the efforts of international evangelical organizations; Indian evangelists abroad and foreigners working in our country. Believers today are linked to others across cultural, linguistic, economic and social barriers. Because all of us are brothers and sisters in Christ, let us live like God’s true family. Pray for the families of the missionaries who had died as martyrs.

4.    Pray for world countries that have firmly shut their doors on the Good News.  These will include Muslim countries, Buddhist countries, communist countries, etc. Have a thought for the minority Christians who live there. Remember the many western nations that once pioneered the Gospel, but are now rapidly turning towards apostasy, false gods and cults. Pray for Israel and Jews everywhere. Whoever blesses them will be blessed, the Bible says.

5.      Keep the ‘great commission’ in mind whenever you read the newspaper or watch television. Wherever there is change or conflict, God will use them to bring people to Him. People are more receptive to God's words when they are stressed or in transition or are being displaced. As the rate of change is accelerating across the globe, more people are open to hearing of the Good News.

6.        Pray for persecuted Christians in this country and abroad. According to one report, about 1 lakh Christians die every year globally, at the hands of enemies of Christianity.  Remember the people across the globe in the grip of over 4000 religions, and belief systems that they be set free from their corrupting bondage and  share the glorious freedom of God's children (Romans 8:21).

7.       The best way to switch to global thinking is just to get up and go on a short term mission project to another country! It is understood not everyone will be able to do this, but there is simply no substitute for direct, real-life experience in another culture. Quit studying and discussing your mission, and just do it. It will enlarge your heart, expand your vision, stretch your faith, deepen your compassion and fill you with a kind of joy you would have never experienced.

If you want to be like Jesus, you must have a heart like Him -- a heart for the whole world. He wants all His lost children found. Remember the parable of the lost sheep. He doesn’t want anyone to be lost. As the Good Shepherd, He wants to lead the whole world into the saving knowledge.  “I have other sheep that don’t belong to this flock,” He said. “My sheep recognize my voice; they follow me,” He said. In Palestine, a shepherd went before the flock. Be world leaders. The great commission is your commission, and doing your part is the secret to living a life of service.

><><><><><><><><>< 

Oinally published in the  "Light of Life" magazine, Mumbai.