1After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.2Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
And, you know, each of us has been sent, as well - we have a mission, as His ambassadors, given the ministry of reconciliation, to present the good news that God has sent His Son to reconcile fallen humanity to Himself. It's the best news of all - that Jesus can change a life and set a person free. So, we can take our calling seriously and seek the Spirit's direction regarding where and to whom we will go. And, we walk daily with a sensitivity to speak and to do the will of God.
The love of Christ shared with other people or even injected into a group or a city can have a profound effect, and we are called to share His love wherever we go. 2nd Corinthians 5 says:
14For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died;15and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.18Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation...
In Genesis 10, we read that Magog is one of the grandsons of Noah, a son of Japheth. In Ezekiel 38, that name is used again in association with an alignment of nations who will come against Israel in the last days.
There's also a city in Canada about an hour east of Montreal with the same name, and up until now, has not been particularly known for its spirituality. Baptist Press has a profile about a minister, a church planter named Dominic Chaussé, who came to the city to start a church called Axe21, sent by a church also named Axe21 in the neighboring town of Sherbrooke.
Magog is actually a Canadian resort, with 53,000 people in most months and an additional 20,000 vacationing there in the summer. It is described as Quebec's premiere destination for the province's vacationers. Magog's name is First Nations in origin, an abbreviation for nearby Lake Memphremagog meaning "lake of low water" or "lake between two mountains."
Chaussé says that even though the city has "a huge lake that goes all the way to Vermont, four ski hills less than an hour away, miles of cycling paths, lots of outdoor sports -- fishing [and] hunting -- and so many restaurants, it has only one evangelical church."
Many of the younger adults in Magog, as with most Quebecois, have parents who parted from the Catholic Church, leaving their children disinterested and without any knowledge of Jesus.
He says, "We have one of the highest rates of suicide and divorce, and it's because people are so directionless and lack meaning or contentment in their lives." But he's observing a movement of the Spirit, adding, "People are praying for the lost...and we're seeing those same lost people come to Christ." And, he says that living for Christ has already had a great impact on residents of the area.
Axe21 plans to launch later this year in a Magog theater that once had been the city's most notorious bar. Chaussé sees it as an opportunity to redeem a dark part of the city -- but a city that is surprisingly receptive. He said, "I thought it was going to be super hard to start because the faith was so not present...They're not opposed -- just unaware. What's going to happen when you die? Many couldn't care less. They don't really believe there's something after death. Talk to them about hell and they laugh and say 'that's something for kids.' If you talk to them about going to church, they just think it's something weird."
He adds, "But they're excited to speak about Jesus."
Axe21's core group spent 400 hours last summer serving on The Green Brigade, which meant picking up trash after the city's many festivals.
"The city was actually excited about us launching," Chaussé said.
There are some wonderful and practical principles that we can take away from the story of Magog. First of all, no person or group of people is beyond the redemptive hand of God. The power of Christ can change people, and when we do ministry, I think we can confidently expect the Holy Spirit to have His way. God calls us to be faithful and leave the results to Him.
Dominic Chaussé realizes that living the life makes for a compelling testimony. People living as Christians and serving their community can make a powerful statement for the glory of God, becoming a visible manifestation of the presence of the Lord.
And, people in Magog are praying for the lost. It is important that we coat people to whom we minister with prayer. Prayer provides the fuel and foundation for the work of God to go forward. We can pray for hearts to be sensitized, as as Jesus taught, for laborers to go into the harvest to minister God's love - and each of us can fulfill that role. You may even be someone who has been prayed for as a laborer to share God's truth. So, proceed with hope!
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