In the summer of 2014, disciples from the Clemson Foothills Church dispersed throughout the world: to China, the Bahamas, India, Guatemala, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and throughout the United States. Campus disciples used the three months off from our university course schedule to experience growth, spiritual nourishment, and learn indispensable ministry skills that we’ll bring back to strengthen the Clemson Foothills Church this year and glorify God.
I can speak for us all in Clemson when I express our gratitude for the church leadership. We are not only taught in Clemson how to dream for the Kingdom, but are also encouraged to see the world and to broaden our vision for spreading the gospel to all nations. I believe this atmosphere at Clemson creates a freedom for the disciples to aspire to international service in many capacities. Moreover, our dedication to advancing the gospel in Clemson upon returning from many nations increases when we see how valuable each human soul is to God. In China, I traveled thousands of miles alone, from province to province, usually for 15-30 hours at a time by train, always in areas I had never been before. There were language barriers and culture shock; I sometimes felt helpless to spreading the gospel. However, in my three months in Southeast Asia, I passed millions of people, and from the start I began praying that God would give me the same heart and compassion for people that he had. God's response to this prayer was overwhelming.
There were many moments that I was alone, 1,000 miles from my apartment near Hong Kong, and 8,500 miles from my home in America. I prayed for God's heart. I looked people in the face as I passed them by, and created a story in my head for their lives. Were they a parent to a child? Why were they on the train? What was their job? Perhaps they were a student, or maybe they worked on a farm. Did they enjoy their life, or did they feel empty or broken? The longer I asked myself these questions for each person, the more real that person became, and the more tangible their soul was in my heart. It was in those moments that I began to feel an ounce of what God must feel for the billions of lost souls in the world. I often cried for lack of understanding, and usually felt helpless to fixing so much brokenness. I don't know the answer to any of these questions for these people's lives, but God knows the answer to all of these questions and more. God aches for the souls that have such developed lives not involving him. God longs for each person to seek him in their lives, but the amount of people doing the opposite breaks his heart. I can't begin to imagine the pain God feels for each lost soul.
However, God also shared his joy with me. Like the parable of the lost son, God's joy is immeasurable for the soul that seeks him and finds him. God is waiting for each of us to turn to him, and he is ecstatic when we do. Though he hurts for a world in pain, a world that is lost, he shouts for joy when someone changes course from the broad road to the one less travelled. Just as I felt his hurt for people, I also experienced his gladness. God's heart is complex, and I'm glad to be able to share even a small part of it-- to feel as he feels for those throughout the earth.
Much like my experience, many disciples in Clemson visited other countries and become more aware of the countless souls, all empty in their own unique ways, all lost with no knowledge of the truth. Upon returning to Clemson, our focus to reach people is stronger, and our drive to share the gift of the gospel with everyone is even greater. Once we begin to understand the world around us, and how large of a role we each play in saving souls, each day in our own lives no longer acts as a "practice run" for the mission field; it becomes the very mission field we're battling on. Everyone in Clemson, in America, in the world who is lost needs to be saved, and we all play such a pivotal role in God's plan. Paul illustrates this to the church in Rome when describing their roles in saving the lost: "How, then, can [the lost] call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” -- Romans 10:14-15.My hope for this current generation of campus students is not only to aspire to greatness for the gospel, but to go and do for God. The culture in Clemson has never been to stay stagnant spiritually. Even the many disciples who stayed in Clemson for the summer used their spare time to love those in Clemson, grow in their knowledge of the Word, and fall in love with God more deeply each day. I'm grateful for the Biblical culture in Clemson and I'm hopeful to continue seeing more and more churches sending students internationally. When we open our eyes and our hearts to the needs of all the nations, our focus in our own communities on each lost soul is honed in and purified. It's then that we can more accurately feel for people how God feels for them, and it's then that we can begin to more powerfully experience God's joy for each saved soul.
God is moving powerfully in the world. His plan to save the nations starts in each individual ministry. Once our hearts are right, he can begin to work through his Spirit in us just as he's always intended to. Then we will see the truth spread rapidly and uncontrollably throughout the earth.