As Deborah and I prepare to travel to Tanzania, I am reminded of Romans 10:15: "How beautiful are the feet of them that bring good news."Crossfire is sending us to another nation to bring good news. People have occasionally asked me, "Why do you go over there? Don't they have people to preach the gospel?" My answer is twofold: We go because (1) going to other nations is part of our Crossfire vision (as it is part of the Great Commission), and (2) we desire to bring them good news of grace, faith and peace.
You see, there are some who bring bad news of condemnation, legalism and judgment. Believe it or not, when we leave the Great Commission to others, we risk the chance that what people are getting is not the good news, but in fact bad news. Crossfire is a church whose feet are fitted with a readiness that comes from the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15). We have good news shoes!!! We declare Jesus as the mediator of a new relationship between God and mankind. . . a relationship of peace with God for those who are in Christ. We're wearing shoes that help us run a race to declare that Jesus did it all on the cross. We declare that He was powerfully resurrected, that He lives in us, that He has made peace between God and mankind, that He took God's judgment upon Himself, and that we are equipped with all God's gifts and blessings to reveal the glory of God on earth. Whether by preaching, prophecy, word of wisdom, gifts of healing or the miraculous, we are a church wearing good news shoes. This good news is not something to be kept secret, or hoarded. It is for sharing with all peoples of every nation.
During our first trip to Tanzania, we ministered to the leadership of an entire denomination. In the midst of a week of ministering three and four times a day, we discovered that many of the leaders did not have the good news. Many believed that upon their physical death they would go to hell and await God’s judgment of their works. Their works would determine if they were worthy of eternal life.
Wow, that was bad news! This group of leaders, responsible for ministering to tens of thousands of people, somehow missed the foundational message of the new covenant. They missed the foundation of grace and faith. They did not understand that it is by faith we are saved through grace-- not by works so no one can boast (Eph. 2:8). They missed the good news of eternal life at the moment of believing in Jesus!
Many of the leaders of this denomination did not know God. I vividly recall praying personally with the vice-bishop of this denomination. He looked into my eyes and said "I want to know my God." That week, the vice-bishop and the rest of the leadership experienced God’s peace through faith in Jesus for the first time. They were so excited!
At the end of the week, we ministered in a local church to over 600 people and also told them of the gospel of peace. Why? Because wherever we went we were wearing good news shoes. Romans 10:14 says, "How can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent?" In this case, we were the ones preaching. Crossfire people were the ones who sent us out. Crossfire sent us then, and is sending us out again, to run a race. We are a people who wear some really powerful shoes as we run. After seeing the things I have seen take place when the good news is preached, I can truly say: What an exciting time to wear good news shoes!
Crossfire is a church without walls, built on the foundation of grace and love; serving God, building people, and reaching beyond the walls within us to the world around us.
