I just returned from twelve days abroad with God%u219s people. There is nothing that is quite like the refreshment of being with the body of Christ all over the globe. There is unique encouragement in the experience. This trip was no exception.

Leaving US soil is good for making you appreciate the greatness of our country, but even that evident conviction is nothing in comparison to the immediate affinity with brothers and sisters who are a part of God%u219s family in all pockets of this globe. They are a delight to be with and can teach American Christians much about what it means to authentically follow Christ.

South Africa is a diverse world with many different ethnic sectors making up the varied fabric of South African culture. The Zulus are the dominant native African tribe and the largest of the three major tribal groups indigenous to South Africa. The Afrikaners are the English and European settlers who have been here for a long time. They are primarily of German and Dutch descent. Throw in the Indians who were brought here as slave labor a while back and you add another rich layer of culture and diversity. Many Indians have done quite well in South Africa. Of course, there are Chinese, who are every where in the world these days with brilliant people cutting deals with money and brain power to harvest resources for China%u219s developing culture and life. They are joined by a few Japanese here to make for quite a mix of Asians here in South Africa. Now that is a mix. I think I was told that there are eleven dominant languages in South Africa. And how on earth could all of those peoples ever get on given this history, sordid as it is with Apartheid and ell else?

Enter the genius of God in forming this new humanity through the second Adam in the body of Christ. Yes, the church in South Africa shows the only hope for this fragmented culture. What a thrill to be with God%u219s people there and to experience the fabric of the culture of the church%u226where all of those cultures are coming together under the commonness of faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the hope for our globe to move the fragmented and estranged of the world on to the New Jerusalem.

Then onto Jordan in the Middle East and to the story of a different kind of church altogether. Ninety seven percent of the country is Muslim. Three percent of the country is loosely defined as Christian, that would include the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. But the rich luster to the evangelical church in Jordan sticks out like a single rose. The joy they have and share is fascinating. Spending time with them reminds me of what true hope is and they have much to teach us about how to live in the midst of pressure and repression. Their sense is that they are on the verge of God doing something very special in their day. Such faith was an insult to my own.

All over this globe God has an amazing family. They have much to teach American followers of Jesus about joy, perseverance and pressure. There is nothing like a trip abroad to clean out your categories and get your vision out of the routine and the mundane. What a great experience to share company with those whom the world is not worthy. Maybe they are just shy of such a Hebrews 11 standard, but certainly unworthy of our unbelieving and skeptical world. God%u219s people stir my faith, enlarge my heart and call me to stretch myself out on God%u219s promise and keep digging for his glory in all of my pursuits. Surrounded by this cloud of global witnesses%u226let%u219s keep going!