For the Cause of Christ: Among the Nations

“Salam alaikum,” say my friends, shaking my hand and kissing me on both cheeks. They continue in their language: “How are you? How’s your health? How’s your family? Are you good? Are you steady? Are you in peace? Are you secure?”

I smile and respond, “Praise God, all is fine,” then ask them the same series of questions.

If this is the first time I am meeting them, they offer the usual interrogation: “Where are you from? How do you know our language? Where do you work? Are you married? No? Would you like to marry my nephew? … You say no, because you’re a Christian? Well, why aren’t you Muslim?!?”

Later they ask me, “What did you study in university?”

My response is always reserved: “I studied something like global anthropology…. Different cultures, religions, even languages. I’ve always known that I wanted to travel.”

The subject moves along flawlessly. It is best that they do not know I graduated with a global studies degree from Judson College, the place with a Great Commission heartbeat that prepared me to be in this very room with these friends, sipping tea with them and ready to explain to them why I am, in fact, a Christian and not a Muslim.

The truth is, God used my time at and around Judson College to equip me for life beyond college – specifically, among the nations.

The truth is, God used my time at and around Judson College to equip me for life beyond college – specifically, among the nations.

When I think about how Judson prepared me for missions, several memories come to mind. I think of the first time I went to the Center for Great Commission Studies and saw the World Missions Clock, that painful reminder of how many people still need to hear about Jesus. I think of the many chapel services that emphasized evangelism and missions, including one on the life of Adoniram Judson.

I think of Dr. Akin’s leadership, his emphasis and love for making King Jesus known everywhere. I think of the knowledge I learned from so many fascinating books and challenging papers. I think of the college mission trip I took, the House System’s outreach events, and the prayer rooms above Binkley Chapel where I would pray for the nations on the map.

And, of course, I think of the professors who poured themselves into us and taught us how to engage the world for Christ. I think of my hermeneutics course, of global theology with Dr. Strickland, and of Dr. James’s class on anthropology. And I think of Dr. Miles’s linguistics course and how language learning has played such a huge role in my life. Her legacy lives on.

Above all, however, I think of my international practicum, a requirement for all global studies majors. Because of this requirement, I travelled to (quite literally) the other side of the world and lived in a Muslim country for several months. It was while I was there that God gave me a deep love for Muslim people. It was also through the joys and sorrows of this experience that he engraved into my heart what has become my life mantra: Jesus is worthy. When I came back from my time overseas, I was a different person. Without a doubt, my practicum was the most significant part of my journey to missions, and I was able to experience it because of my degree at Judson.

It was also through the joys and sorrows of this experience that he engraved into my heart what has become my life mantra: Jesus is worthy.

Rather than pulling us deeper into the seminary bubble, my professors and leaders were preparing me and pushing me to go and fulfill the Great Commission in and around the RDU area. After all, Jesus is worthy of being known among the nations both across the ocean and across the street.

It has been several years since I graduated from Judson College. These days, rather than hearing Binkley Chapel ring on the hour, I hear the mosque’s call to prayer five times a day. Rather than sitting in a theology class discussing the wonders of the Trinity, I sit in a living room with friends who declare that the Trinity is foolishness. In chapel, we used to sing the Southeastern hymn with all our hearts: “The Name above every name, for all creation, every nation, God’s salvation through the Son!” Now, my friends shake their heads at me. “God has no son,” they say. “Jesus was just a prophet.”

Over here, hearts are extremely hard. The soil is often rocky, and I am a weak vessel, unfit for this task. But the Spirit is at work despite my weakness, and he has been preparing me to be here. I can point to the many ways he has been preparing me throughout my life, but above all I point to my time at Judson when the Lord molded me into the woman I am today and gave me the tools, theology, and experience needed for taking the gospel to the nations. And it was during my time at Judson that the Lord taught me that no matter what, and no matter where, King Jesus is always worthy.

So the next time my friends ask me, “What did you study in university?” I will still give the same answer: “I studied global anthropology and learned about different cultures.”

Indeed, it is a true statement. But oh, I learned so much more than that.

Please join us in praying for Joy and the work that she and other believers are doing in their country. Ask that God would give her strength when she feels weak and that her lost friends would know and experience the boundless love of Christ and his gift of salvation.

 

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