With Whom Should You Spend Time? Part Four: TARGET UNBELIEVERS IN YOUR FOREIGN COUNTRY.

TARGET UNBELIEVERS IN YOUR FOREIGN COUNTRY

(Bottom Right Box)

This box represents your target people. I understand that there are all types of unbelievers in the host country, but for this illustration, I am addressing only the group you are called to reach.

My first target people in India were the Muslims of Lucknow, followed by the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh (the most populated state in India), and finally, the Muslims of central Uttar Pradesh. Each one of these changes came from various supervisors who did not discuss the changes with me in advance. Quite frankly, my impression was that they did not care about my experience or the adjustments required to address the new target group. And just as quickly as I point a finger of blame at them, the four fingers pointing back at me are reminders that I continued to do the same work I always did, regardless of where the boundary lines were drawn. 

Two Pieces of Advice

My first supervisor gave me two pieces of advice that contradicted each other. Initially, this frustrated me, but the more I learned about serving in Southern Asia, the more the advice made sense. So many things in India worked well in the local context but were counterintuitive in the Western world. First, he told me that it takes a long time for Muslims to come to faith, so you have to invest time with them, build up trust, and work accordingly. Then, in the same breath, he said that there are so many Muslims to reach that we cannot waste time with the ones who are not interested. If someone shows interest, work with that person, but move on immediately if there is no interest. Over the years, I thought and prayed about this very thing. Perhaps the issue is even more difficult because we do not have God's perspective on the whole situation. But this is our life. The Bible says that Job was unaware of Satan’s accusations and God’s permission for Satan to tempt Job in such extreme ways. Job knew only that his life had taken a dramatic turn for the worse. Finally, when God did address Job, He never told him why all this happened. God said, “I am in charge, and you are not.” Allow me to share a piece of my life in Lucknow which illustrates this scenario perfectly.

Example of Following the Spirit

Qaiserbagh was a Mogal castle in Lucknow built around 1850. One of the features of the castle was a series of two-story matching buildings built around a grassy stage used for theater performances. The king would sit on the balcony and watch the performance, and once a year, he would play the hero in a popular play of the time. That was many years ago, and today, that same area is a busy traffic circle, which sometimes gets completely jammed with traffic. One particular day, I was stuck in a jam on my scooter. I could not move forward or back, so I parked my bike and began to walk. I had nowhere to go (by foot), but walking seemed like the right thing to do. I walked a short distance when a shoe salesman waved me to his shop. His shop was only eight feet by twelve feet, and he did not speak English. Through my limited Hindi, we had chai, and I learned that he was a former Mr. Lucknow bodybuilder. 

Our friendship grew as I visited his shop time and time again. At some point, I met his brother next door, who owned a glasses shop and spoke English. The friendship continued for many years. I met his family, ate at his house (once), drove his parents occasionally, and attended a family wedding or two. Because his shop was in a central location, I wondered if he would become a person of influence (Luke 10). I also took the opportunity to pray for the people passing by the shop while I sat there.

I shared my faith, offered gospel material, and argued about points of religion from time to time in both shops. One of the brothers (there were four in all) wanted me to become a Muslim as much as I wanted them to become Christians. However, for all my time with them, no one was interested in the gospel. During my last visit to his shop (right before I moved to Bangladesh), he told me he always thought I worked for the CIA—a claim I had denied a hundred times before.

Exercising Wisdom and Faith in Ministry 

So, did I follow the right advice? According to the advice I was given initially, I was either supposed to build our relationship toward salvation and discipleship, or I was to walk away and find another shopkeeper. In other words, were the countless hours and years I spent with this family worthwhile or not? There is no easy answer, especially when discussing daily life. I remember praying for a breakthrough with my friend. However, to date, that breakthrough has never happened. So, in hindsight, I learned that life must be directed by the Holy Spirit through prayer. I believe the Holy Spirit guided me during our first meeting, but as the weeks, months, and years passed by without a result, I wondered if I should move on. On the one hand, I hope you experience this same situation, because it means you are close enough to the local people to make a difference.

On the other hand, I pray that God directs you as you make hard decisions each day. And then, when He does direct you, pray that Satan will not come along to distract or discourage you from God's leading. A spiritual battle happens on the mission field, and the crux of the issue in this case is sharing His message.

What I can say for sure is that the gospel needs to be shared among the people of this box. You may do it directly or indirectly, but you must do it. Show these people that you love them through acts of service and by sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. God has called you overseas and led you to your people group or area. Therefore, do not let Satan distract you from God’s calling.

Conclusion

Be careful how and with whom you spend your time. None of us will ever get this balance exactly right, and there is no one formula that fits every person. However, evaluating how you spend your time periodically is good. In the comments below, share your percentage goals for each box and your plan to make those percentages a reality.