THE PERFECT IMPERFECT PLACE
Asian Access (or A2), a Christian missions agency in South Asia, listed a series of questions that some church planters have been asking new believers who are considering baptism. The country is predominantly Hindu, but over the past few decades Christianity has grown in popularity—especially among poor and tribal peoples.
1. Are you willing to leave home and lose the blessing of your father?
2. Are you willing to lose your job?
3. Are you willing to go to the village and those who persecute you, forgive them, and share the love of Christ with them?
4. Are you willing to give an offering to the Lord?
5. Are you willing to be beaten rather than deny your faith?
6. Are you willing to go to prison?
7. Are you willing to die for Jesus?
JEREMIAH 20
There are times when God allows us to be where He wants us to be but it is not the place of our choosing. The perfect set in the imperfect. Are you willing?
The prophet (he was obedient, faithful, living for God, doing all he should have been doing)
At the Upper Gate of Benjamin at the temple (probably the most popular gate into the city, named after the best-loved son of Jacob at the sacred site of God’s presence)
Here we have Jeremiah centre stage, his whole world watching him at the entrance into the holy presence of his God: the ideal place and scenario for mission, except for the imperfect.
Beaten and put in the stocks (probably whipped 39 times and then the stocks, this was not a restraining implement but a torturous one. It was where the body was placed on a rack, clamping his wrists and painfully contorted his body).
The ideal place and scenario for mission was actually persecution.
We can forgive Jeremiah’s response to the dark night of his soul in blaming God and cursing his birth. Would we have done less? Do we do similar in lesser situations?
Jeremiah did this for God.
Jesus did this for us.
Perfect Imperfect.
Missions Paul 