Our Scotland team received a comment on this web site while in Edinburgh that was inappropriate, and I waited until returning to the states to address it. I did so because my focus was on Christ, and how I could serve the students in Scotland. You may or may not have read this comment, but here it is in it’s entirety:
“You would think that spending money of others
you would use it and your talent to spread the
word of God to people locally and in the USA”
I would like to share with you the Biblical response and my personal response as to why to this comment stands against Scripture and is absolutely ignorant. I will start simply and most effectively with the Bible’s response to the ideas within this comment. To whoever wrote this comment, should you read my response, please feel free to contact me personally to discuss it further. Before we look at Scripture, let’s break down the parts of this uninformed comment:
1-Stewardship of money and gifts, 2-The idea that we should not be sharing the Gospel in a foreign land, and 3-The assumption that we are not sharing the Gospel of Christ while at home in the US and specifically North Carolina. Let’s now look at the Scriptural response to each of these:
1. Stewardship of money and gifts. What is in question here is how we spent the money of those who financially supported us. We spent it exactly as our supporters were told we would, to go to Scotland with the purpose of sharing the Gospel. The Bible tells us that the Gospel is for everyone, and we used this money to do our part in making sure everyone could hear it. All of the money we raised was given freely to us and our mission. Exodus 25:2 says “You are to receive the offering for Me (God) from each man whose heart prompts him to give.” The people who generously supported our trip gave from the heart after feeling the need to do so. We never demanded funds, we always asked for funds, and in most of our efforts, worked very hard for what we earned. We did not spend months with our hands out begging for alms. In fact, we asked the church as a whole for one love offering very late in our trip preparation. The fact is that without the 50 people who raised support in the states, the tournament, servant evangelism on the street, and countless relationships built would not have been possible. Perry’s church could not have done this without us. I say that not in arrogance, but in humilty, because we were so very honored to have been a part of what God is doing in Scotland (see 1 Timothy 1:12-14). God doesn’t NEED us, but chose to USE us because we were willing to go. So, ask anybody who actually gave to support our trip, and they will not question how it was spent, and you will find nothing in the Word of God that auggests we were wrong in how the funds were used. Here is some more Scripture to look at: Matthew 23:23 (describes the heart of the one who made the comment) Luke 8:1-3 (describes Jesus being supported to do ministry) Acts 5:1-11 (a familiar passage about poor stewardship. God would not have honored our mission had we acted improperly) and maybe my favorite is 1 Corinthians 4:2, “Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” This team proved itself faithful by working very hard, sacrificing much time and energy, and kneeling down as a servant in order to share the amazing story of Jesus.
2. The idea that we should not be sharing the Gospel in a foreign land. To agree with this is to say that the teachings of Jesus, and the lives of Paul and the other Apostles were wrong. Jesus taught consistently to GO and share the truth. Paul’s entire ministry was based abroad in foreign lands. One need only to open God’s Word in order to see that we are very much responsible for taking the Gospel not just to those near home, but to those worldwide. For lack of space, I will only put scripture references, but click on the reference to see the Scriptures at http://www.biblegateway.com. I strongly recommend at least reading the first 4 lines of scripture below.
I will answer the 3rd part (The assumption that we are not sharing the Gospel of Christ while at home in the US) in the next post. I think the Bible speaks for Itself here. There is an endless supply of Scripture that shows us our duty to take the Gospel to the entire world. It is the duty of some to do so as full-time missionaries, and it is the duty of all to do so on a regular basis, in Scotland and in Stanly County; in Russia and in Richfield, NC; in Austria and in Albemarle. For some this may be done through financial support and prayer, and God is pleased with that and honors that. However, I know His heart is broken at the ignorant mindset of some, who write hateful comments like that above. Our team went across the ocean to share the Good News with those in no more and less need of it than Americans. We would and will do it again because we are obedient to God, and because we love those people and hurt for them. We want them to know the God we know, and I would be willing to forfeit my very life if it meant one person would experience the Salvation of Jesus (1 John 3:16).
I will continue to show why this statement was absolutely unbiblical and ignorant on a later date. Until then, let me reiterate just how proud I am of the handful that travelled to Scotland to represent this church, and more importantly to represent Christ. They did an amazing job, and those of you filled with hatred and bitterness concerning this trip could learn a great deal from these 2 teenage girls and 20 year old young man.
