Thanksgiving and Gospel Advancement
This week in the United States we plan to celebrate Thanksgiving. As always, my family and I plan to remain in Kentucky, making a trip to Appalachia and then to the central part of the state. As always, we are thankful for this time... and for the food... and for family... and for the food.
Of course, life in the Kingdom is a life lived with gratitude. Everyday for us is Thanksgiving, not just one day a year. From God's character to His grace to us, we are a grateful people. True thanksgiving only begins and continues with divine relationship.
In this post, I want to challenge you to look at thanksgiving from a perspective other than the typical Thanksgiving-holiday-way.
On several occasions, the Apostle Paul revealed a thankful heart for those who recently had come into the Kingdom (Remember, Paul's writings were written to new believers and recently planted churches.). For example, we read:
"First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world" (Rom 1:8, ESV).
"I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus" (1 Cor 1:4, ESV).
"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you" (Phil 1:3, ESV).
Part of his gratitude came from the fact that the Kingdom had grown through the dissemination of the gospel to those now Kingdom citizens and that same gospel was sounding forth from them to others.
As we think missiologically about the world around us, let's remember to be thankful for those who have come out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of light. Let's remember to be thankful for our new brothers and sisters who are sharing the hope they have discovered.
Of course, let's be thankful this week for God's other blessings to us, such as family, friends, food, days off work, etc.
But, it is my hope and prayer that if we are blessed to experience Thanksgiving 2011, we will be able to give thanks for the many who have come to know Jesus through our love and sharing.
Let's not separate thanksgiving from gospel advancement.
For my U. S. readers, I pray that you have a great Thanksgiving holiday. And for the rest of you, I pray that you will have a great Thursday, even without the chicken and dumplings. :)