“Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and she said to Salaam…” “Numbers 22:28”
One of the privileges of serving Christ in Sydney today is the opportunity to share the great news of Jesus with people from all over the world.
It is a daunting task. But whenever we are overwhelmed we need to remember the sovereignty of God and that he can talk even through donkeys.
It places our work in context and gives some realistic ground for optimism.
One of the greatest evangelistic and missionary opportunities for Australian christians is the ministry to overseas students. Several groups on campuses around Sydney are seeking to reach these sojourners with the great news of Jesus.
One such group introduced me to a man the other day whom I will call Fred. His name is hard to pronounce in English, but the reason I will call him Fred is that I do not want to indicate the country he comes from.
Fred comes from one of those countries where news and media are censored. Where people live in fear of open communication. Where Christians are persecuted.
Fred came to study at one of our universities. It was a huge step in life for him. He already had a degree from a university at home. But by diligence and ability he had been selected to do post graduate study overseas in Australia.
One of the first things he did in Australia was to find a christian meeting. He met one of the groups on campus that ministers especially to overseas students. They provided a Bible for him and talked to him about Jesus.
“Have you ever heard of Jesus?” the leader of the group asked Fred.
“Yes. In a movie,” he replied.
Knowing that it had been translated into Fred’s language the leader asked: “Was it The Jesus Film?”
“No. Not a full length movie,” was Fred’s reply. “It was only a small part of a show. Actually it was a cartoon.”
“Which cartoon?”
“The Simpsons.”
“What did you learn about Jesus from the Simpsons?”
“Jesus died for our sin on the cross,” came Fred’s reply.
Remember the sovereignty of God and that he can talk even through donkeys!
