I really like elephants. I have spent hours riding on the backs of elephants in different countries, and I am always amazed by their sheer strength and mass. Riding atop an elephant makes many people feel like a king. Other riders are too distracted by the sheer terror of the experience to spend much time reflecting at all!
Elephants are noteworthy animals. It is difficult for an elephant to sneak up on a human. It also takes a significant amount of time for an elephant to reproduce. They are strong, but slow.
A worker serving in Afghanistan recently shared a comparison which is worthy of reflection. As his children raised rabbits in Afghanistan, they noted several characteristics of rabbits that apply to churches in many of the countries we serve.
1. Rabbits move fast. Rabbits are able to get into places that elephants can’t reach. Their small size enables them to congregate in areas that are difficult to find, and to quickly run away when threatened. Many of our brothers and sisters have been forced to quickly relocate and to establish new meeting places.
2. Rabbits spend much of their lives in hiding. Rabbits are vulnerable to larger prey. They have to be alert and responsive to emerging threats. Their “footprint” is small, but effective. Many of our persecuted family members are also vulnerable.
3. Rabbits reproduce quickly. The exponential growth of a rabbit family is staggering! Rabbits are able to quickly extend their reach because of their aggressive birth rates. In fact, sometimes, the sudden growth of a rabbit population presents a real challenge to other systems. In similar fashion, entire systems, like Communism, have been altered by the growth of house church networks within a given country.
I thank God for the beautiful diversity of his Bride. He calls each one of us to faithfully live out our calling—no matter where we have been sent. Different contexts demand different strategies.
Many American churches are large, strong and able to deeply penetrate their communities. Like elephants, people take notice when they are in the area. These churches have a remarkable ability to reach and disciple people of all ages. Their capacity to enable effective proclamation around the world, and in their own back yard, is noteworthy and commendable.
In other contexts, rabbit-like churches are able to flourish, even in the midst of persecution.
In both cases, churches should share the characteristics of rabbits as they reproduce disciples, who are…
Reproducing disciples, who are…
Reproducing disciples, who are…
Reproducing disciples, who are…
Reproducing disciples, who…you get the idea.
As you pray for our Front-line workers, remember that these leaders are often able to reach places and people where we are unable to go, to thrive in the midst of their vulnerability, and to quickly reproduce disciples.
Ultimately, my friend who serves in Afghanistan asked us all to pray this Scripture-based prayer:
“Lord, you are worthy because you were slain and with your blood you purchased your Bride from every tribe, nation, language and people group. May the Lamb who was slain receive the reward of his suffering among the Pashtuns and every tribe, nation, language and people group. Amen.”
Dr. Jason Peters serves as Associate Vice President of Connection for The Voice of the Martyrs and travels frequently to meet with our persecuted sisters and brothers. He has ministered in 40 countries, as diverse as Cuba, India, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Burma, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria. Jason ministered as a military chaplain for more than 18 years, with assignments at the Pentagon, the US Air Force Academy and as a faculty member of the Air Force Chaplain Corps College, where he directed Crisis and Trauma training. Jason and his wife Kimberly lived overseas for several years, where two of their five children were born.
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