The World Is Smaller Than You Think

Jasper Speaks:

Each time I go to Ghana, God speaks to me in a new way. This past trip was no different. I must say that God has given me a heart for the people of this beautiful country. This was my third trip and as a result even people in the marketplace where we buy our souvenirs proclaimed me to be “Ghanaian”. It is amazing that God can interlace souls together in such a way. I challenge you to speak to anyone who has given their time to go and they will tell you that you leave a part of your heart in Africa when you come home from a mission trip there.

One of the ways God has spoken to me is through his reminder that the church is really one family. Sunday mornings at Trinity Baptist are very different from Sunday mornings at Parkway. The worship is louder. There are languages spoken from the pulpit that I do not understand.  There is a bodily movement (some would call this dancing) that would not be a regular occurrence on a Sunday here. Still, I cannot impress upon you enough how all the differences melt away and the Holy Spirit speaks to your heart in this far off land. There is a sense of unity. You know that you are praising the same savior. There is no doubt that the Lord of St. Louis is the Lord of Accra and that those around you are not strangers but family.

I believe moments like these are a foreshadowing of Heaven. These moments are a glimpse into eternity. We get a chance to experience what forever will be like. My favorite chapter of the Bible is Revelation 5. It speaks of a time in Heaven that looks like this. It says:

 And they sang a new song:

“You are worthy to take the scroll  and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.
You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.”

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.  In a loud voice they sang:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

The world is smaller than we think. The Bride of Christ is being prepared in every nation. The glory that our teams experience worshiping with believers in other countries is a glory that will echo in eternity. I am praying that more men and women in our congregation will answer the call to leave the comforts of this land to experience God in another.