[column width=”1/6″ title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]

[/column]

[column width=”2/3″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”]

Have you heard the expression “Boots on the Ground?” Well our Live Dead Missionaries are the boots on the Silk Road. Here we’d like to take a moment and allow one of them to share a snapshot of their life with you. Some names and details have been changed, but this is a true story from this colorful, vibrant, and sometimes surprising region.

Recall stories of ancient kings. Their business was heavy and dangerous, full of noble obligations and high expectations. Whether expanding their territory or protecting their people, a king had to calculate his advantages in war. If his army of ten thousand was not capable of defeating the opposing army of twenty thousand, he would send a delegation asking for peace rather than going to war. He must make a risk assessment. Is the cost worth the risk?

The same is true of a person who is going to build a great building. She must sit down at her desk, calculator and bank books in hand, and estimate the cost of building versus the amount of money she has to pay for those costs. If she fails in her assessment then she has a half built, useless building, and nothing but the derision of those around her. She must make a cost assessment. Does she have what it takes?

Total Loyalty

Jesus uses these two examples in Luke 14. Crowds of people are surrounding him, seeking his healing and teaching, and it is as if Jesus wants to make sure that that they know that really truly following him is not an easy road, not a magic golden ticket to a happy life. “Whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple…Those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciple.” There is a cost to pay, there is much to give up, there are risks involved.

Our first calling to follow Jesus is simply accepting his salvation, accepting that we cannot be good enough to mend our relationship with God—only Jesus can, through his sacrifice on the cross and victory over death through resurrection. For our friends in the Muslim world this involves a huge price to pay. Rejection from family and friends. Difficulty getting a job. Being mistreated and misunderstood. Being imprisoned on false charges. Being beaten or tortured in a manner than creates permanent psychological damage. Being killed.

Though most of us have not had to face these traumas when accepting Christ, there is a second and subsequent calling to carry the cross to the Muslim world. We each have our part to play and we will each take a different level of risk in doing so.

But each of us must be just as convinced as our brothers and sisters in Christ who come from a Muslim background that Jesus is worth the costs involved.

When Christ Calls

My husband and I responded to the call to take Christ to the Muslim world a little less than a decade ago. We had never been to the Silk Road before, had a small pocket full of ministry experience, a lot of encouragement, and an unquenchable conviction that we had to go somewhere where people have the least access to the Gospel. When we landed on the ground we were uncertain exactly how to represent Christ to the people around us. Could we even tell people we were Christians? What would people assume about us if we told them we studied Bible in University? How open was too dangerous? Our years here have been a journey, exhibiting a number of feelings—fear, nonchalance, a desire to be bolder.

‘Counting the cost’ did not stop when we accepted Jesus into our hearts, neither did it stop when we landed on the Silk Road. We are continually assessing the risks, continually letting go, freeing our hands to handle the cumbersomeness of the cross, and making the conscious effort to count Christ worthy of the challenges– or the potential challenges– we may face.

If God is drawing you to join Live Dead, you may be wondering “what are the costs?” Here is a break-down of a few potential risks:

Inevitable:

Leaving the blessed proximity of family and friends.

Struggling to learn a new language.

Feeling the growing pains of adapting to a new culture.

Likely:

Clashes with team members.

Personal crises of faith.

Grappling with fear.

Possible:

Being rejected.

Being evicted.

Being beaten.

Becoming a martyr.

Of course, pure “risk assessment” always begs the question, “will it be worth it?” Usually we answer that question in regards to our personal comfort and happiness. But when it comes to calling, we also must look at where God is in all of this. After all, obedience, dying to self, and rejoicing in and throughout trials are part of His economy.

Take a moment to read through Hebrews 11:1-12:3. From Genesis forward, obedience to God has never been safe and easy, and we have a “great cloud of witnesses,” as Hebrews 12:1 calls them, to prove that.

But this “great cloud of witnesses” also spurs us on to do what it takes to follow Jesus, our greatest example and greatest advocate in suffering.

Just as he was asking two thousand years ago, Jesus is still asking, “Will you give up everything to follow me?” If you have already said, “yes,” it is time to ask yourself what your role is in carrying the cross to the Muslim world. Is the cost worth the risk? Do you have what it takes?

[/column]