Where is the “ends of the earth”? - a time for everything *

NORSK 

“to the ends of the earth”
Acts 1:8

was part of yesterday's verse, and I promised to revert with some thoughts on the subject. ‘Ends of the earth’ can be interpreted geographically or eschatologically = in an end-time perspective. 

Today I will focus on the geography.

I live an exciting life together with Jesus, and following him has led to exciting encounters with people who also follow him. Brother Yun, known as 'The Heavenly Man', is one of them (1).

Yun has a simple and logical explanation on what ‘the ends of the earth’ means:

Since the earth is round, the ends of the earth is exactly where you begin. Since the Christian mission began in Jerusalem, taking the gospel to the ends of the earth means taking the gospel back to Jerusalem. For the Chinese Christians it is important to evangelize the area from China westward to Jerusalem. The movement ‘Back to Jerusalem’ is therefore their mission strategy.

What does this mean for me?

Since the earth is round, it means that wherever I am, I am at the ends of the earth. On Friday it was the Romanian border, on Saturday it was Bacau, yesterday it was Iasi and today it is Bucharest, and at 'the ends of the earth' I will witness because I am convinced that Jesus is with there too.

‘Manna’ for today:

I witness at the 'ends of the earth'

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(1) Yun's biography
* 'A time for everything' is connected with the Bible's teaching about a 'season for every activity' Eccl 3 This series is about the teaching in the time between Easter and Pentecost 

The bad days - a time for everything *

NORSK
It is good that Jesus announced both perfect joy and difficult times when he described the time after the Resurrection.

“In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33b

I have experienced bad days, I am facing big challenges and I know that I will continue to experience that it is tough to live in a world full of tribulation. Knowing this, I find an amazing comfort in Jesus' statement:

“I have overcome the world!”

It is exciting to notice that the statement is in a past tense - despite the fact it was a victory Jesus should win a few days later. Again Jesus gave an example of what speaking in faith is all about. Jesus had already confirmed the decision to complete the mission he had come to accomplish. It happened when some Greeks approached his disciples because they wanted to meet Jesus (1).

I share his faith, and by grace I have part in his victory - on the good and the bad days.

‘Manna’ for today:

I have part in his victory!

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(1) John 12:23-28
* 'A time for everything' is connected with the Bible's teaching about a 'season for every activity' Eccl 3 This series is about the teaching in the ime between Easter and Pentecost

It is about a three-legged stool

NORSK
It is interesting that the advantage of a stool with three legs, is the guarantee of stability. Even if the legs are not the same length, the stool will stand firm. It is good to bear in mind when we look at the ‘other’ trinity, because here the members are not ‘co-equal in power and glory’ (1).

Still – there will be no holiness unless the three are coming together (2).
 
One of the reasons why we chose to drive to the European Zonal Conference was an urge to see if The Salvation Army’s mission is needed in Bulgaria. The first night after we had received our appointment to Eastern Europe, I dreamt that The Salvation Army opened work in that country. 

I was surprised because the dream was so vivid, and also because I had never thought about that possibility. I shared it with Magna and some friends, but did not think much about it before I had an unexpected phone call with an invitation to a chat over a cup of coffee. This was last October and the chat led me back on track. I shared the dream with my leaders, and they were excited to explore the possibility. So - ten days ago we found ourselves in Sofia in a meeting with two representatives from the Evangelical Alliance.

We shared our stories, and the reply was: “What took you so long? We have been waiting for you for twenty years!” Then they shared their thoughts, and we felt we were on ‘holy ground’. It was confirmed when they said: “Please do come as a church and not only as a charity-organization. Yes, we need the humanitarian work, but it has to be in the context of the spiritual ministry!”

That was a strong confirmation: They want a holistic ministry - the core of our mission. We cannot go anywhere without God, but with him, we see opportunity for mission to ‘the world’ in Bulgaria.

Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”
Exodus 33:15

God’s presence makes the difference. Without him, there is no stability, and the ‘stool’ will fall.

Still, we believe that God is with us, but need a lot of prayer-support. Because there is “A river going through Europe” – more tomorrow.

‘Manna’ for today:

It takes the ‘other’ trinity to have a holy mission.

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(1) The third doctrine of The Salvation Army:
We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead – The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.
(2) God + disciple + the world = the ‘other’ trinity

It is about ‘holy ground’

NORSK 
During the night we returned from an exciting “journey”, and on several occasions we experienced being on ‘holy ground’. The photo is chosen by purpose. It is taken at Areopagus with Acropolis as the background. The place is far from being ‘holy ground’ by itself, but it symbolizes ‘holy ground’ because it was there Paul preached his famous sermon (1). In a good way it confirms what I shared yesterday: Holiness is also about the ‘other’ trinity = God + disciple + the world.

Where these three come together, the experience of ‘holy ground’ will occur. We felt it when the disciples Maria and Polis – the Salvation Army officers who lead the work in Greece, gave their testimony about what is happening in the country. We experienced it when we were in a meeting and saw the refugees who came from different countries and religions – they were there because they were included by a Jesus-motivated love.

When the Muslim TV channel Aljazeera made an interview with Maria, their first question was: “Why are you, as a Christian organization, helping Muslims?”
Maria responded spontaneously: “Oh, is that what they are? I can only see human beings in need of help and love!”

That is what makes The Victoria Square in Athens ‘holy ground’.

When Moses was told to take of his shoes because he stood on holy ground, it was not because it was a meeting between God and Moses – it was even more about the third party: God’s chosen people (2).

In Jesus, God has shown that he loves and chooses the whole world (3).

‘Manna’ for today:

Where the ‘other’ trinity comes together, the ground becomes holy.

NB – more reflections on the ‘other’ trinity linked to the experiences of last week will follow.
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* Magna and I together with our leaders, Rodney and Wendy Walters
(1) Acts 17:16-34
(2) Exodus 3
(3) John 3:16

It is about the 'other' trinity

NORSK
I will return to the image of the triune temple, but need to be reminded about the fact that holiness also belongs to another trinity:

The prayer of Jesus in John 17 is about my relationship with God and the world. Among many important things, his prayer tells me that I am not any longer “of” the world, but he wants me “in” the world. Further it tells me that it is God’s plan that I should be ‘Jesus’ in the world today.

“Our faith is a Trinitarian faith. It can only be understood in terms of our relationship with God and the world in which God has placed us. From Genesis to Revelation faith is never to be understood nor expressed in isolation to the world in which that faith is to be lived out. This raises a perspective that is important for us to consider. Our relationship with God is intrinsically linked to our relationship with the affairs and concerns of the community of this globe. The moment we isolate one aspect from the other we violate the holistic nature of our faith” Phil Wall writes (1).

I want to keep this holistic perspective in my mind all the time, because the function of holiness is to influence the world. This is important when I start to divide the different parts. I must never forget the big picture.

‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is about the big picture!

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(1) In “’I’ll Fight…’ Holiness at War” 1998 p. 49