Good Friday Thoughts Part 1

Good Friday

Jesus, born as a Jew, was sent to the Crucifixion by His very own people ----- the Jews.

The compassion of Christ is flawless because it is unchanging in every location. He loved His own people, even His disciples (including Judas the betrayer) to the very end. His first message of Love was preached and demonstrated to His own race and local people.

Most of us would have avoided reaching our own people. We find it way easier to go into a different nation and culture to preach the Gospel. Suddenly, boldness and courage arise in a different land. We do things that we have never done before by faith. Being a stranger in a different country somehow empowers us to do things differently. We start to have scores of testimonies in a foreign land.

Very often, we hear of many stories from missionaries, etc. Those stuff are great, since the Bible always tells us to 'GO into all the world...' We do need to go into nations.

In fact, if God didn't tell you to go, it's because He already commanded in the Word to 'GO'. We don't need any prompting of the Holy Spirit if it's already pronounced in the Word. Sometimes, we can be so 'charismatic-ally led' by the Spirit that we don't even obey the Word. 

It actually takes a specific word to 'STAY' like Isaac had. Many of us will agree that it is actually harder to stay and preach the same Gospel to an audience we are so familiar with. Because familiarity breeds contempt.

Staying is a test of flawless compassion like Christ had for His own local people. If you are a Singaporean, will you have the same compassion for fellow Singaporeans as you have in the missions fields overseas? Will you have the same boldness and courage without fear to preach and reach out to fellow Singaporeans, as you have in the missions fields overseas? Will you pray for your own local people as much as you pray for the people overseas?

If we can handle rejections and criticisms from our very own people, we are stemming from the right place to go into all the world without the need for any praises of men. We are rooted in the right place of compassion which is unchanging in any location.

It is a test of the deep-seated identity on the inside of us. Since He is unchanging, our identity is unchanging. Identity must flow from inside out so that changing circumstances cannot change our responses and actions.

Jesus started from the right place and ended His life in the same place. May I grow in having the same compassion for our local people as I do whenever I travel for missions. It's the purest form of true compassion.