Difference-Makers in a Crowded World
Dave Faust
Sin is a devastating problem even if you live alone in the wilderness. But what happens when millions of sinners crowd together in one ugly space?
King David saw what could happen. He said, "Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets" (Psalm 55:11). Maybe that's why many Christians have simply abandoned the cities, concluding that urban problems are unsolvable and urban people unreachable.
The apostle Paul wasn't so pessimistic. He was eager to preach the gospel in the big cities of his day. His missionary journeys took him strategically to the great urban centers of the first-century world: Jerusalem, Antioch, Athens, Rome. When Paul set up an outpost for the gospel in corrupt, crowded Corinth, the Lord told him, "I am with you, and . . . I have many people in this city" (Acts 18:9, 10).
Like bright streetlights in dark alleys, today Christians are making a positive difference in cities all over the world. They gather for home Bible studies in Beijing, Calcutta, and Buenos Aires. They sing God's praises in London and Bangkok. They meet for early-morning prayer in Seoul. They feed the hungry in Port au Prince, lead youth programs in Los Angeles, and visit the sick in New York.
You and I can make a difference in the cities, too. Is God leading you to move to an urban neighborhood, or to support an urban ministry or a church-planting venture in a nearby city? Could your rural or suburban church partner with an urban congregation to build God's kingdom? We need to keep praying for the cities, for the best kind of urban renewal is the kind that renews the heart.
This column first appeared in The Lookout on Oct 29, 2000.
Defying Gravity
When my children were small, I loved to wrestle with them on the family room floor. Eventually the three of them would pile on top of me, hold my shoulders down, and count to three while I lay there looking exhausted. They felt pretty proud of themselves when they won! Only as they grew older did they realize they only won the wrestling matches because I let them win! When it was time to get up, there was no way some preschoolers could hold a grown man down.
Do You See This Woman?
During a trip to Haiti, I rode in the back of a Jeep driven by some missionary friends. As we lurched through the dusty streets, I noticed a man pushing a heavy cartload of wood. Perspiring in the afternoon heat, grunting as he lifted the heavy cart, the fellow wore nothing but a tattered pair of shorts and a pained expression on his face.