ABIDING: EXTRAVAGANT TIME WITH JESUS

Jesus is our priceless treasure. Because Jesus is worthy, because Jesus is worth it, “the whole church must take the whole gospel to the whole world” (1974 Lausanne Covenant). As we fall deeper in love with Jesus, we become like Him. To be like Jesus is to love the nations of the world. To love the nations is to proclaim to them the gospel. The gospel is what God has done for us in Christ.

I am not the gospel. You are not the gospel. What you and I do is not the gospel. The gospel applies to all people everywhere, across all ages and cultures. The gospel is what God has done, is doing, and will do in Christ. A Christ-centered gospel demands, therefore, a Christ-centered missionary. If we are to be faithful in proclaiming Christ, we must know Him intimately.

We can only know Jesus intimately if we spend extravagant daily time with Him. Extravagant time with Jesus daily is the foundation of all fruitfulness. This is true biblically, historically, and experientially. Jesus spent close to ninety percent of his life in a village of twelve families, and even His three years of ministry were marked by time alone with the Father. Moses spent 40 years in Midian and had multiple trips to the mountain with God. Paul spent 13 years in preparation, some or much of it in the Arabian Desert, and prayed constantly. Adam, Joseph, David, Elijah, Daniel, Mary, John, and others gave God extravagant time.

God has all resources. As we abide in Jesus, He pours Himself into us. When we are full of Jesus—His Spirit, His love—this fullness affects our spirits; it “lifes” us and keeps us sweet and simple. We bless others near us; from there, we bless the world. The abiding value simply means we take extravagant time with Jesus daily. While we will all do this differently, the essentials are time in God’s Word, the Bible, and in God’s presence, prayer. The specifics are up to you. There will be many variables. There will be seasons of life. But together, we declare that above all else, we value Jesus. His person, His presence, is everything to us, and we will demonstrate this by giving Him extravagant time daily.

LIVE DEAD CHALLENGE

If we tithe back to Jesus 10 percent of the time He has given us, He will take what remains of the day and bless it, making it more fruitful than we can believe possible. A tithe of a day is roughly two and a half hours. The Live Dead challenge is to tithe your time to Jesus every day for these fourteen days. Give Jesus two and a half hours a day—or as close to it as possible.

UNREACHED PEOPLE GROUP: RASHAIDA

The Rashaida are known as a fierce warrior people group. However, if you show up at their tent uninvited, they will ask you in for a cup of tea and coffee. They are a desert people group of more than 100,000 people. Every time you see a Toyota today, pray for the Rashaida people. The Bedouin Rashaida cherish their Toyotas almost as much as their camels—they are often used for smuggling goods across the desert.