I’m reading through a book that will soon be released.  Written by Ryan Chappalear (founder of Africa For Jesus), it is being published right now.  In the book, Ryan is comparing the spread of Coca Cola with the spread of the Gospel.  I’ll put a full review together for my blog later, but wanted to share this extended quote with you.  I hope that it begins to change the way you think about effectively spreading the Gospel to the ends of the world.

When Coca-Cola expands, they understand that in order for their brand to be embraced, it must be looked upon as a local product.  That is why most bottling plants are operated by local businessmen and jobs are filled by locals.  One or two Coke reps from the USA may visit now and again, but in order for Coca-Cola to have the greatest impact in the local market, it must appear indigenous.

I first realized this when I was in Bible school.  My plans were to live in an African village, learn the language, learn the culture, and then preach the Gospel.  I thought that in my lifetime, I could reach five villages with the Gospel.  But God showed me a new way.  A better idea. I learned that for 100 years, God had sent Western missionaries to Africa to train them.  There are now literally thousands of Bible training schools across Africa, effectively preparing their own people to spread the Gospel.

After discovering this, it no longer made sense for me to go myself.  I could only reach five villages.  But if I helped locals become missionaries, I could literally help reach thousands of villages with the Gospel.  Almost immediately, I knew my purpose in life:  To empower the African Church to reach their own people. (chapter 2, pages 1-2)

Like to read the whole book?  It’s coming out soon.  Check HERE for updates.  In the meantime, why not sponsor a native missionary?

Why can a person read 2,444 pages of the Twilight Saga but barely find 10 minutes to read their Bible?

I ask difficult questions.  Not difficult in that you couldn’t follow along because they’re intellectually difficult, but difficult in the sense that they’re not surface-level, “easy” questions.

I was talking with a person recently, asking them about how they’re doing spending time reading their Bible (because I’m convinced that if a person’s not reading their Bible consistently, they’re not growing consistently).

Them: I’m just not a reader.

Me: I don’t buy that.

Them: I just don’t like to read.

Me: How many pages are in Twilight?

Them: I don’t know…probably over 1,000.

Me: How long did it take you to read that?

Them: Less than a week.

Me: …

You make time for what matters most to you.  Not sure where to start with the Bible?  Here’s a reading plan for you.

…you can walk into church without anybody knowing you

…you leave church without anybody knowing you

…you’ve backslidden

…you want to grow in your faith

…you want to help others grow in their faith

…you need a place to serve

…you need a place to grow

…you need a place to belong

…you’re curious about God

…you don’t even know where to start

…you are a new believer

…you are a mature believer

…you are divorced

…you have children

…you cannot have children

…you “have it together”

…everybody else knows you don’t “have it together”

…you have a great family

…your family is rotten

…you don’t have any family

…you have lots of friends, but none that share your values

…you don’t have any friends who encourage you

…you don’t have any friends who hold you accountable

…you don’t have any friends, period

…life has fallen apart

…you know life will soon fall apart

…you have lots of free time

…you don’t have any free time

…you don’t have parenthood figured out yet

…you don’t have marriage figured out yet

…you don’t have singleness figured out yet

…life is tough right now

…you find that living the Christian life is difficult

…you erroneously think living the Christian life is easy

…you can never seem to think of things to pray for

…you have a house (or apartment) that can seat more than 2 people

…your story is still in progress

What would you add to this list?