Written by Kumar Abraham - Coordinator of Melbourne Conferences for Ethnic Evangelism Jesus, the disciples and the saints invaded the darkness around them. Jesus spent more time in Galilee than in Judea or Samaria, perhaps because He and most of His disciples came from there. The Samaritan woman and several other Samaritans encountered Jesus. A few years later Philip and others “saw Samaria had accepted the word of God” (Ac. 8:14). Jesus reached Matthew and he in turn reached out to his fellow tax-collectors (Mt.9:10). Barnabas was from Cyprus, and that was his first stop as he and Paul travelled establishing the new faith (Ac. 13:4; see also 11:19-20, 15:39, 21:16 to see how the church grew there). Paul was from Tarsus, Turkey and he spent much time spreading the gospel there. The seven churches of Revelation were all in Turkey. Jesus and his followers followed new believers to their homes and workplaces, to “their world”, instead of isolating and insulating them from their world.
The gospel is subversive in the positive sense of praying, planning, preparing for the downfall of Satan and his kingdom and setting his captives free. By the third century AD it had penetrated North Africa, Asia Minor and Europe, and had seen the downfall of the pagan Roman empire and the rise of a “Christian” one in its stead, in the midst of much opposition.
Instead of only inviting “sinners” to join the “saints” and growing the bases of light (“church”) on Sundays, the church should be helping set-up new bases in uncharted territory (presently Satan's territory) – in neighbourhoods, schools, universities, offices, sporting places, hospitals, prisons etc. These then become places where people can worship, study the Word, share in common and serve their community of atheists, secularists, Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. It is imperative that we encourage, equip and support the saints towards seeing this happen within their circles of influence.
Therefore, if there are 300,000 in our churches on Sunday, we could say there could be potentially 60,000 bases or beachheads (1 base per family unit of five) to share “the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ“ (2 Co. 4:4). Pray then! Share the light!! Make disciples!!!
At present we have about 1,800 to 2000 churches in Melbourne. Can you imagine having 60,000? Jesus says, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” (Jn. 4:35b). Can we see this happening? What can you do? Size does not matter…it is even “where two or three come together in (His) name…." May the gospel blossom and bloom in Melbourne through you and me.
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