I am in the missions section of the library inventory (saved for volunteers and I know it is tedious). There was a lot going on with school being out. An entire new family in the neighborhood made their first visit, all females with head scarves. I lost track of each story but stumbled on some interesting books. The most detailed was one about letters that missionaries never send. There were mentions of situations that might be difficult for the people back home to understand at a distance. One example was a guy mentioning, in his newsletter, that they had strawberries. One of his supporters was a small rural church which was sending him $25 each month. He found a patch of strawberries and had started caring for it. He did not give that detail and the church wrote back that if he could afford strawberries, he did not need their support. How sad. The letters just showed that boots on the ground are very difficult to translate to the people back home. I know my little musings are not always informative but there is a lot I leave out. The book I ‘borrowed’ from the library today is by Don W Willis with the title, I Don’t Feel Called (Thank the Lord!). It cannot be recent because the price on this small book is $1.25. What I’d like to share are his Biblical examples; Noah, Joseph, Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, the disciples, Paul, and you and me. Noah was not a volunteer yet labored 120 years. He had never seen a flood nor needed a boat but he had faith in God and was obedient. Joseph was also a draftee. He had not gone to Egypt because of some missions board promotional program. Gen 45:5, “Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life”. Moses had compassion on his people at about age 40 but did not hear a call from God until age 80 (oh good – someone older than me). He tried not to get involved but God overruled all of his excuses. Jonah only had specific ideas of what he wanted to do and ran from God and God’s ideas. Also not a volunteer. The prophet Jeremiah knew that God had chosen him and not the other way around. Jer 1:5, “Before I formed thee in the belly, I knew thee and before you were born I sanctified thee; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations”. Christ’s invitation to the disciples was, “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men”. Sounds like a recruiting officer. Paul was a belligerent Pharisee who was drafted on the road to Damascus. At one moment Paul thought he was doing what was right and then the next moment he was a missionary. No one was more surprised than he. So what about us? John 15:16 reads, “You didn’t choose me! I chose you! I appointed you to go and produce lovely fruit always, so that no matter what you ask for from the Father, using my name, he will give it to you”. Willis summarizes this book with a statement of the obvious need for more believers to take deliberate steps to move into our world’s unmanned spiritual battlefields and a reminder of Rom 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is God’s powerful method of bringing all who believe it to heaven. This message was preached first to the Jews alone, but now everyone is invited to come to God in this same way.” God makes plans for us and only by faith can we sign up for service, be it across the street or across the globe. I have one more week in Berlin then back to Prague to keep this evangelism effort under 90 days on my passport. Looking forward to seeing what is going on ‘across the street’ when I return.
Today’s photos are from the courtyard/patio/center of the building where the library is located in Berlin.
