I want to tell you about my friend, Yazdan. He was a student of mine at Torch Trinity Graduate University in Seoul, Korea. He was an excellent student and an even better servant of Christ.
Yazdan is from Iran. I think he subscribes to my posts, so Yazdan, if I don’t get this story exactly right, feel free to reply and set the record straight.
Anyway, Yazdan’s family was saved, and I’m pretty sure that Mom, Dad, and Sister all came to faith in Jesus through dreams over about a period of one year. This is actually quite common in places like Iran, and I’ve heard some incredible stories of salvation experiences in places like Iran and Iraq, Egypt, and other Middle Eastern countries where fundamentalist Muslim religion places as many barriers as possible to protect Islam. But there are no laws, no barriers, no threats that can keep God’s Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, from reaching people whenever and wherever.
Yazdan also came to faith when Jesus appeared to him in a dream. His life radically changed. He was bold as a March wind and refused to keep silent, even when there were “watchers” among the Islamic community. But the truth is Yazdan was still young in his faith. And while he certainly was ready and willing to die for the Lord, he failed to see how important it was that he exercise some restraint and seek more clearly God’s leadership in his life.
And so, it was his sister who confronted him about his overzealous, and reckless witness. “Yazdan,” she told him, “you are so ready and willing to die for Jesus, but have you stopped to consider that our Lord is calling you to live for him?”
Well, like I said, I don’t know if I’ve got all the facts exactly right, but what I do know is that Yazdan took his sister’s advice. In time, God led him to Torch Trinity Graduate University in Seoul. He remains in Korea to this day serving the Lord with his Korean wife.
I tell this story because it’s a lot harder than many may think it is to live for Jesus. When I returned to my Christian faith after two business degrees and several years working for a Fortune 500 company, I took a lot of heat from several colleagues at work. My friend who shared an apartment with me allowed me to share the gospel with him, but then said, “That’s it, Dan, I don’t want to hear any more of that.” A trip to the Bahamas, which I had planned before my recommitment to Christ, was especially difficult. My lifestyle had changed, and my traveling companions were none too happy about it.
Over the years, as I have sought to remain true to the ministry to which I believe God is calling me, I have experienced some rejection and persecution among other Christians. It’s no fun, and it’s not easy, but here’s the thing - God, through His Son, Jesus, is calling each one of us to “follow him.” And the truth is, while we are all headed to the same place in the end, we often are led along different paths on the way.
Church on the Edge is the path God is calling me to walk. I like to think of myself as a progressive evangelical, although, to be honest, I don’t really like any kind of label. I’m doing what I do because I believe there are people that need to hear what I have to say. People who might otherwise just write off the church and with it, Jesus.
I have had a lot of new subscribers recently. I’ve dealt with some thorny issues. Issues that we, as God’s people, must face head-on. Business-as-usual is no longer an option for the church in America. And I don’t believe for one second that the decline in church membership in this nation has anything to do with growing secularism. That doesn’t mean there hasn’t been clear moral decline in our country. You don’t have to look any further than church members, leaders, and pastors to know that!
But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and in the days to come. God’s love and grace, through his Son, is as real and vibrant, and attractive as it’s ever been. And as always, our gracious Lord is willing to meet each one of us where we are and to lead us to where, in his matchless grace, he is calling us to be. And for our part, as his people, we simply need to be willing to live, really live, for him.
In Christ,
Dan
Check out my podcasts from Church on the Edge and my books on Kindle.
You can listen to my weekly messages at Embrace Church, High Point.