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I just read these words over at Take Your Vitamin Z. The quote is from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor who was executed 65 years ago today at a concentration camp.
It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us, that the time that still separates us from utter loneliness may be brief indeed. Therefore let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God's grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with other Christian brethren (Life Together, p. 20).
I certainly take my Christian fellowship for granted, and yet I am surrounded by the most extraordinary Christian friends. I am so thankful for all of you who love me, encourage and pray for me, and for those who hold me accountable. I am thankful that God has placed each of you in my life for a reason, and I pray that I never forget that I am truly blessed to be in such a company of believers.
J.D. Greear just finished reading a book by Mark Noll called The New Shape of World Christianity. He shares some interesting and thought-provoking statistics that he gleaned from the book:
In 1900 over 80% of the world Christian population was Caucasian and over 70% resided in Europe; today, 2009 (when he wrote the book) there are more practicing Christians in Africa than in all European countries combined.
On any given Sunday, more Christians attend church in Kenya than in Canada, and more believers worship together in Nagaland than in Norway.
Uganda has more Anglicans than Britain, Canada and the United States combined. The same is true for Kenya, Tanzania, and Nigeria.
This past Sunday there were more Presbyterians in church in Ghana than in Scotland.
In 1970 there were no legally functioning churches in all of China. But it is estimated that today the number of practicing Christians in China is equal to the number in the United States.
The largest church in Korea has more people present for a single worship service than are at Canada’s ten largest churches combined.
Brazil now sends more overseas missionaries than does Britain or Canada.
The looming explosion of Christians is in the Muslim world, where 2/3 of all the unreached peoples now live.
Christianity is not a Western thing; it never has been a Western thing. I love how Bob Roberts says it: “Christianity began as a Jewish movement to God; it will conclude as a Muslim movement to Jesus.” The Gospel is for all peoples of all times in all places in the world.
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