gospel

In 1945 God challenged a handful of ex-military airmen to overcome geographic barriers to the Gospel.  They answered the call with airplanes, forming a flight service known today as Mission Aviation Fellowship.  Suddenly, days on the trail changed to minutes in the air.  Missionary dreams of reaching people living in remote mountain valleys or impenetrable jungles gave way to the reality of doing it.  They rejoiced that the Lord finally enabled them to surmount such formidable obstacles.

But then He presented a new challenge.  By the end of WW II both military and airline operations routinely included 2-way radio communications.  So, our early pilots, fresh from those environments, automatically integrated radios into their flight service. When missionaries saw our base staff routinely speak with pilots a hundred miles into the bush, they quickly realized the potential for their own work.  “That’s amazing.  Is there any way we could do that too?” they asked.

“Sure.  Here’s how it works,” we answered and quickly found ourselves in communications ministry, installing radios in central offices and remote camps.  Runners bearing notes stained with many days sweat gave way to instant conversations with near telephone ease.  Today, setting up and maintaining a radio network comprises MAF’s entire ministry in some countries and an important part in others.

But, professional aviation’s demand for mastery of the growing body of information compelled us to adopt computers at the dawn of the digital era.  MAF began automating shop, reporting and flight planning tasks.  When missionaries saw the boon these strange machines provided to our record keeping, they asked, “That’s amazing.  Is there anyway we could do that too?”

Why is it that 90% of the Christians sent to Bible school DO NOT RETURN to live among their people after completing training? Some may be tempted from their call by the lure of an easier lifestyle in the city. But can this account for every one?…most of whom were sent because they demonstrated both talent and passion for preaching the Gospel? Is it possible that part of the problem is actually caused by the educational system?

To some folks, talk of the Gospel conjures up visions of tight ties on hot Sundays in stuffy churches with creaky floors. It’s the smell of worn hymnals filled with obscure music no one likes and long sermons thundered by angry people. It’s lists of what you shouldn’t ever do or what you should’ve already done. This kind of religion offers the illusion of control by life.

Technology, on the other hand, manipulates invisible ones and zeros. Bright screens mimic reality dumping us into a sea of information undrinkable in a dozen life-times. Hold palmed box to face and talk around the world or, sip coffee while seated in a chair that races through sub frozen air 6 miles high. Technology offers the illusion of control over life.

We know, of course, that neither religion nor technology defines real life. With Jesus, the author of life, ashes turn to flowers. Mourners rejoice. Captives go free. Where despair ruled, hope blossoms. Where death reigned, life flourishes. The truth is that the good news is so good that we dare not keep it to ourselves. We’re compelled to share. We’re commanded to tell everyone, everywhere.

Unfortunately, in some cases, “you can’t get there from here.” Obstacles block the way. Jungles swallow. Mountains hide. Desserts isolate. Human institutions sequester the very ones they’re charged to nurture. In those instances, God provides tools to bridge barriers and technology to tunnel firewalls. Airplanes turn days on trails into minutes in seats. Radios span distance. Computers train where teacher can’t go and student can’t reach.

Technology isn’t the only tool in the Church’s box. Speaking the truth on street corners and passing out paper tracts often fills the need. But, for those folks hidden in the planet’s forgotten corners, technology can be the perfect instrument in the Master’s hand.