A 'KAIROS' OPPORTUNITY...for the Church not to miss this time!
"Then [Jesus] also said to the multitudes, 'Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming', and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is...You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this [KAIROS] time?" (Luke 12:54-56)
In 1266AD, Marco Polo, the great explorer and adventurer, met with Kublai Khan, ruler of the largest empire the world has ever seen. This fierce warrior's heart was touched by the news of Christ's death for the sins of the world. He sent Marco Polo back to Europe with a request for the leaders of Christianity. 'SEND ME 100 men skilled in your religion...and so I will be baptised, and then all my barons and great men, and then their subjects. And so there will be more Christians here than there are in your parts.'
God had prepared one of the most extraordinary KAIROS moments of harvest for the largest empire the world had ever known, and then hand delivered it to the Church! How could the Church help but jumb at this amazing opportunity? Two missionaries who had previously begun the journey, turned back halfway. After Kublai Khan's clear requeset, only ONE person finally reached Peking and had a measure of success. But it was far from what it could have been! They left behind the legacy of the greatest missed opportunity in Christian history.
How did Kublai Khan respond to this silence from the West? He turned to Tibetan Buddhists, inviting them to spread their religion throughout his empire. At one point, more than half the men in the nation were Buddhist monks. Today, this area has the highest concentration of Buddhism in the world with over 300 million adherents spanning 12 countries. How different the situation could have been had the Church not turned away Kublai Khan's invitation all those years ago.
The Greek word KAIROS means an opportune or seasonable time; a special season of harvest. It's the word used by God in the New Testament whenever He wanted us to know that a particular event was an important moment in spiritual history.
Here in the UK, the Church has been entrusted with the good news of Jesus Christ and has been given a KAIROS time of opportunity to impact the nation of CHINA, home to almost a quarter of the world's population. This God-given opportunity doesn't even require going to China as each year thousands of young Chinese students arrive in our country to further their education. Many of them also come with open hearts and minds at last free from the controlling Communist indoctrinations they have grown up with. They have the chance to discover for themselves whether there really is a God, and to seek for the true meaning of life.
No-one knows how long this tremendous window of opportunity will last. The majority of overseas students in our towns and cities are Chinese. Most of them are looking for English friends and the chance to improve their conversational English. Many of them, disillusioned with Communisim, are also searching for the truth. They have come to our doorsteps. Never has there been such a great opportunity to reach out to the future leaders, key influencers and mind-shapers of a country which many predict will be the next great superpower. Who knows what positions of influence those currently studying in the UK will have in the future? We don't want any more legacies of missed opportunities. Let us do our part to make this opportunity count for the Kingdom of God! SMS
SOME STRIKING PARALLELS
Mongolian Empire - world's largest superpower China - world's largest population, probably world's next great superpower
God-given opportunity presented by empire's leader to Church God-given opportunity presented by Chinese communist government to Church
Church's response: SILENCE AND INACTION! Church's response: YET TO BE DETERMINED! (and history will record)
Consequence: Buddhism established throughout empire and now stands at >300 million adherents in same region today! The Christian gospel is no longer welcome in this part of the world. Consequence: depending on Church's response now, could make significant impact for Kingdom of God on future leaders and nation of world's next great superpower, which in turn will have a major impact on the world at large.
