The World Around Us - Oregon State Fair

For someone who has lived less than an hour away from the Oregon State Fairgrounds, the past 18 years you'd think that I would have been to the state fair prior to this year. But NOPE! This year was my first year.

To be honest, fairs really aren't my thing. My parents have ingrained in me a wise fear of fair rides, and the food is always overpriced (and also incredibly fattening). On that note, I was able to get an elephant ear that was a solid 18 inches in diameter all the way around.

But anyway, fairs aren't my thing. The only reason why I went up this year was for KING & COUNTRY was playing and admission was only $2. That's a deal that you can't pass up.

Anyway, the concert was pretty great. They were awesome and I think most everyone there had a great time. However, during the entire concert part of my mind was thinking about everything outside the amphitheater. Everyone.

I think at least a solid 90% of the people who went were Christians. I think it's also safe to say that most people at the fair who were Christians probably went to that concert. So let's say that it was 90% saved inside, and 90% unsaved outside.

Now, it's nobody's fault. After all, it was everyone's free choice to go or not. But as we sung about being on God's shoulders, it hit me that there's a world out there who are not. There's a world just outside the walls who desperately need to hear the Gospel which we are so lucky to have already heard.

There's a time for everything. It's encouraging to go to Christian concerts and worship God with hundreds of others. We ARE called to do so, but how often do we stop there? How often do we stop and stay in our comfortable world of being with other Christians?

We interact with nonbelievers daily, but how often are we willing to bring God into the conversation? In Acts, the believers did a lot of both: they met together to pray and build each other up, but they evangelized as well.

Jesus didn't tell the disciples to hang out with each other and keep Him to themselves. He told them to "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all Creation." He has called us to be His ambassadors to the world.

So, remember, meet with other Christians. Encourage each other. Praise our Father and give glory for how awesome He is. But always be willing to go out and tell those who don't know Him how cool He is.

John 13:35 (ESV)
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another

Acts 1:8b (ESV)
You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth