Perspective
Enthusiasm for our Faith
One of the things I have most enjoyed as Executive Director of the Luke Society is experiencing the enthusiastic faith of our ministry directors. It is expressed in their passion for carrying out the ministry to which they have been called and in imitating the love of Christ when ministering to the needs of their people.
It is a crucial characteristic that I look for when interviewing a potential ministry partner. It indicates someone who will be motivated not by my requests or ideas, but by his or her desire to serve Christ. The Luke Society headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, is not staffed by “managers” of our ministries. Our directors work hard in their duties because they know God has led them to this point in their lives.
I have been struck by the way their spiritual enthusiasm influences everyday occurrences and all aspects of their lives. It is not expressed solely in their calling or through their ministry. It is not just part of their job. It is their life.
All the directors of the Luke Society ministries in Latin America met together a few years ago in Honduras for a conference on community health. While there, Dr. Felix Aldave shared his faith early each morning with a different hotel receptionist, and many accepted Christ! Recently, I witnessed Dr. John Boateng share his faith while he was checking in with the airline agent in Sioux Falls airport! I have also watched him engage taxi drivers and other people we meet during our travels. I could continue telling many other stories of how Luke Society directors and their staff share their faith with enthusiasm.
I like to believe that I am open to any opportunity that the Lord provides to share my faith. But how often are those opportunities present? Are my eyes, my mind and my heart open to all those opportunities?
Two weeks ago, my wife and I became grandparents for the first time. Joseph Wrede was born 5 weeks early, filling our lives with a new excitement. We went to visit him the day he was born and later that evening went out for dinner. By the end of our meal, the waiter knew I was a new grandparent, my grandson’s name and even his weight! I am sure many of you can identify with my enthusiasm as a new grandparent! Later that night, I thought about how I did not need to wait for the right opportunity to share my good news. I talked about Joseph because he was center stage in my mind. I can say with assurance that when I accepted Christ, He became center of my life. But in my human weakness, I confess that He is not always center stage in my mind.
There is nothing wrong with being excited about a new baby in the family, or about any of the many blessings God has given us. But we need to strive to have that same excitement express itself in our enthusiasm for our faith.
How many more opportunities could we have to share the Good News of the Gospel if it occupies center stage in our minds!?
Dr. Wrede Vogel