2 Corinthians 4:1-2 (King James Version)
1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have
received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things of
dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God
deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every
man's conscience in the sight of God.
Your mission: You are to parachute into the remotest of
areas in the Amazon jungles of Paraguay. You are to make your way to the
nearest tribe and convince them of the wonders of technical advancement. Should
you succeed in your mission, you will be awarded $10,000,000. Wow!
You know that the native people have never seen a white
man before, and this thought makes you self-confident. "Piece of
cake!" you mumble. "They'll be eating out of the palm of my hand by
sunset!"
With the help of your personal interpreter, you begin:
"Dear friends, I am here to share with you the wonders of modern
technology!"
That's as far as you get before you are interrupted. You
wait patiently for your interpreter to tell you what the old man said:
"Technology? What's technology?"
What? They don't know what technology is? It has never
occurred to you that these people wouldn't even know what technology is! You
swallow. You will just have to speak simply and to the point. How hard can that
be?
"Technology is the world outside of these
jungles!" you explain. "Do you know how I got here?"
As one, the natives shake their heads at the
interpreter's words.
"By airplane! An airplane is a kind of bird made by
humans in which people like you can fly! That's technology!"
You are encouraged. They look impressed! But then one of
them cries out incredulously: "Show us!"
"I-I can't!" you stammer. "I don't have
the plane with me!"
"Ridiculous!" exclaim the rest of the group.
"We also have cars, man-made devices that take us
from one place to another without the help of animals. This, by the way, is how
I get to work."
Your statement creates a frenzy of excitement. Yes! You
are getting somewhere! But then your interpreter explains what they are saying:
"They say that you talk nonsense. They ask why anyone would need such a
device when everything they need is so close by!"
Good point. Hum. You decide to stay away from modern
transportation, and instead you focus on technological home advancements.
"We have homes as high as your trees, where
thousands of people live."
"That must be quite a busy tree!" laughs a
woman in the crowd. "Does anyone fall out?"
"Not at all!" you assure her. "Our trees
are made of cement."
"Cement?" questions a curious one. "What
is cement?"
"It's a mixture of different materials, like mixing
dirt and water together."
"That's not practical at all!" shouts a child.
"If I mix dirt and water together, it breaks as soon as I touch it!"
"The materials we have are stronger!" you
insist, beginning to wish that you could have brought pictures with you.
"I wouldn't want to live in the top of a tree!"
exclaims an older woman. "I'd have to climb down a long way in order to
relieve myself!"
"Not at all!" you hurry to assure her. "We
have bathrooms in our cement trees. We use toilets to relieve ourselves!"
"Bathrooms?" mumbles one, as if trying to
figure out what that could be.
"Toilets?" echoes another. "What are
toilets?"
You try to stay calm, to keep your frustration under
control. "In a bathroom you can take a shower." But then you realize
they won't know what a shower is either and you hasten to add: "Its water
spraying over your whole body. Kind of like rain, only man made!"
"Fantasies!" yells the chief. "You're just
telling us fairy tales!"
"No," you insist through your interpreter.
"It's all true! A toilet is about this high!" You lower your hand to
about two feet off of the ground. "You sit on it to relieve yourself, and
then water appears to flush it all away."
"Where does it go?" asks the curious one.
"It goes into the sewer."
"A sewer?" interrupts a toothless woman.
"What's a sewer?"
This time you decide to ignore her. "We also have
radios. They are small boxes where you can hear people sing and talk. And we
have televisions, you know, flat, about this high!" You indicate about a
meter with your hand. "They permit us to see and hear people in
action…"
"You mean there are people that small?"
questions a child with a dirty face.
As time has gone by, the chief seems to be getting more
and more agitated. You decide to ignore it: "We also have stoves. They
permit us to cook food without having to start a fire…"
The chief stands up abruptly, and his very presence silences
the people. Then he begins to speak, and though you don't understand the words,
they hold the people in total silence.
"What's he saying?" you whisper to your
interpreter.
"He says that you are crazy," answers your
honest guide. "He says you are trying to confuse them with your fantasies.
He is telling the people to go back to their work and ignore your
ravings."
And just like that, the natives stand up and wander away.
"No!" you yell. "Stop! Everything I've
said is true. It really is! How can I make you believe what I am saying?"
But there are now only a few youngsters left, and these
are rolling in the dirt with laughter. An older one tries to imitate you, which
makes the younger ones laugh even harder.
You stamp your foot in frustration as you see your
millions of dollars evaporating into thin air. You have failed. But why? You
told them the truth, why can't anyone see it?
Each of us are on a mission, one that is far more
rewarding than millions of dollars. We are on a mission to tell the world about
Jesus glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
On our own, witnessing is as impossible as trying to
convince those Paraguayian natives of the wonders of modern technology. The
gospel is foolishness to those who do not believe. It is only by depending
solely upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit that people will see the truth. We
are God's messengers, the ones who drop the seed. It is the Holy Spirit who
must make that seed grow:
Remember, our reward awaits us in Heaven. It's even
better than 10,000,000$, so don't forget to follow His lead!
Dear Lord we pray that we would be ready for the mission
you have for us. We pray that we would be able to share Your love in a way that
the world can understand. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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