The Aroma of Christ Among the Nations

I stole this title from an article I recently read from a man by the name of John Piper. It challenged me and I would challenge you to read it, it is quite lengthy, but worth it in my humble opinion (The Aroma of Christ Among the Nations). Some of the things that personally challenged me as I read through it were the “Heart Breaking” and “Rejoicing Side” of Missions. Piper exegetes a passage from 2 Corinthians 2:12-17. In that he comes to these conclusions:

The Heart Breaking side of Missions:
...some people smell the sacrificial love of Christ in the life of a missionary and it only smells like death. They hear the gospel and all they hear is death. They look at the cross and all they see is death. They see no life. No hope. No future. No joy. And so they turn away. And if they turn away forever, they die. They are the perishing. The smell of death leads to death. That’s the heart-breaking side of missions. They are people who don’t believe. They don’t see Christ as precious. They don’t see his suffering as a treasure. They don’t smell his death for sinners as the sweetest fragrance in the universe. It’s not a satisfying fragrance. It’s simply the smell of death.

Verse 16: “. . . to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”

The Rejoicing side of Missions:
Those who are being saved smell the death of Christ as the aroma of life. They see in his death the substitute that they so desperately need before God. The Son of God dying in their place is the fragrance of life. So they don’t turn away. They believe him and receive him and embrace him and treasure him and they live—forever. Smelling Christ as the aroma of life gives life.

These are tough conclusions to come to! But it is my opinion that they are truth! Some may not choose the wonderful reality of Christ, and in that they are eternally condemned, some do, and so in that they recieve a wonderful inheritance. What a serious decision God has given us to make.

As I ponder these thoughts of Piper and of Paul, I think of our (Amanda and I) desire to not only make Christ known in an area of Western Canada, I think also of the life that God wants us to be living right now! For those who don't know, we are going to British Columbia to spread the good news of Christ with First Nations people.

We are trying to build a team to go do that! It's tough though. It feels as though it is a noble thing to do with one's life, (to reach people with the Gospel of Christ). There is a dying and hurting world out there, and sometimes we all (including Amanda and I), get caught up in our little corner of the world and don't think of making Christ known where He is not known. But with life there are so many struggles, and expectations that we face each day. There are the struggles and trials of raising a child in a way that brings glory to God, along with that the struggles of sin and our flesh that we battle, as we learn to live as one. Along with that, the struggles that all people face of finances, keeping a car running, what the next meal is going to be.

I am realizing the balance it takes to make Him known. Piper concludes his article with this thought of Paul:

Who is sufficient for These Things?
He said in 2 Corinthians 1:12 and Romans 1:5 that he carries out this very ministry by the grace of God. He is not sufficient—you and I are not sufficient—in ourselves. No missionary feels sufficient. But 2 Corinthians 3:5 says, “Our sufficiency is from God.”

So the utterly crucial question for many of you, as you have prayed and thought about giving your life, or a substantial part of it, to missions, is: Can I do this? Can I bear this weight of being the aroma of Christ in some new place? By God’s grace, you can.

With all the struggles of everyday life and, it can be done, yes it can but only by the grace of God. May His grace bring you to a place that you realize all you need is in Christ, and to a true understanding of the Cross and the wonderful sacrifice that was done there so that we may truly live.

Thanks for taking the time!!