Guiding the Nations into Abiding by Bryan Craig

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages   but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. Romans 16:25-27 ESV

Missy and I just got back from a trip to Europe to support our daughter Meredith who was performing in a touring orchestra group through the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. It was a wonderful trip, getting to see this beautiful part of the world, with all the quaint villages and turn of the century architecture. You truly felt like you were going back in time. Missy and I commented that it’s easy to see that Walt Disney was inspired by this region for the settings of many of his movies and his theme parks. And our family loves the movie, The Sound of Music, so it was fun to see the places in Salzburg where the movie was filmed.

One thing we noticed as we traveled by train from town to town was that each little village always had a church steeple towering above the town. We even toured a few beautiful cathedrals, including the one which was used for the wedding scene between Maria and Captain Von Trapp. One little German town, Oberammergau, is known for hosting the Passion Play, the story of Christ and His crucifixion, every 10 years. It was a vow made in 1633 that if God would spare their village from the Bubonic plague, they would honor Him by performing this play every decade. He did spare them and they have been honoring Him for 400 years.

One Sunday, while in Vienna, we looked for an English-speaking church service to attend and found one. It was a Methodist church and very multi-cultural with a temporary American minister from Alabama filling the pulpit. It was in a very non-descript location, unlike the churches with the towering steeples, going back to a time when Protestant churches in that area had to be discreet. There was a beautiful spirit there, and we really enjoyed worshiping with these brothers and sisters from around the world.

It won’t surprise you that the question that stirred in my spirit, as it always does, was this: Is anyone discipling these people? Do they understand the power of an abiding relationship with Christ?

The same goes for every village we encountered. There was an appearance of “religion” based on the church presence in each village, but do they understand the “relationship” that’s available to them? I left a couple of Journey books with the pastor to pass on to the person in charge of discipleship, though I don’t think that person existed.

The next morning, at breakfast in our hotel, a man next to us had an NBA shirt on which prompted a conversation. Most of the people we encountered, outside of hotel staff or train station staff, did not speak much English, but as I engaged this man, he did speak English. As it turns out, he and his wife are from the Philippines, but he is a pastor at a church plant in Finland. For years before that, he pastored in Saudi Arabia. He was in Vienna for an art competition, as he is a celebrated painter, as well. As we talked about faith, I could sense some reservations at first, as the pastor had questions about our theology and approach. But in a short amount of time, he and his wife could see that we were trustworthy and had kindred spirits and spiritual perspective. They, too, got a Journey book and we prayed together for God to guide this divine appointment to next steps.

Missy and I had some time to reflect upon all of these things one Saturday morning in our room in Andermatt, Switzerland, with the Swiss Alps towering over us. We both felt so thankful and privileged to have had the opportunity to see this beautiful region, but our hearts also ached for the people of this region. Throughout our journey, we sensed a lack of joy in most of the people and a humanistic, wordly approach to life. Despite the appearance of faith by the church steeples, we did not see much evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit, which comes from an abiding relationship with Christ. I had this similar feeling 20 years ago, when visiting Scotland.

We thanked God, however, that He has given Influencers a message (Abiding), a tool (The Journey) and a platform (Influencers Global Ministries) with which to reach the world. It’s interesting to me that I did not even own a passport until around the time I first did a Journey group at 40 years old. And in a short amount of time, I got to visit Zimbabwe (Africa), Pucallpa (Peru), Egypt, and Munich (Germany). And I do love the adventure of traveling, but I will say honestly that international travel is definitely out of my comfort zone. The language barriers, the food, the accommodations is all a stretch. But when I am helping people find an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ, it is all worth any struggles I experience. I think God has been preparing me and this ministry for international ministry.

As Influencers has talked about our growth and expansion among our leaders, there has always been a strong feeling that you “bloom where you are planted” and we “go where we are invited.” We take Jesus’ words to His disciples in Acts 1:8 to heart, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Many believe Jesus was emphasizing that you start your discipleship in your hometown, then go beyond into your state or region, then beyond. I agree with this, but I will tell you that I see God inviting us to the Nations, to the ends of the earth.

Please join us in praying for the places God might take Influencers. I pray one day that every one of these little villages all over Europe will one day have Journey groups, in their language, and strong Influencers communities impacting their marriages, their families, and their churches. Lord God, let it be so.