The greatest mission field in the world is not Africa, India, or China, but the modern church. —Elton Trueblood

It is an amazing statement, but what the late Elton Trueblood said many years ago still deserves thoughtful attention. If the greatest mission field is our own congregations and the church at large, then we may need to reexamine our concept of missions.

There are 1.6 billion professed Christians in the world today, but how many of these are truly followers of Christ? How many millions are hardly more than "cultural Christians?" It is fair to ask if a nominal Christian is not as much a subject for evangelism as a pagan in a Moslem country.

There are some frightening facts about the modern church. The behavior of many members of our churches is often indistinguishable from that of the unregenerate world. Their values, the way they spend their time and money, the way they think, the divorce rate, are not all that different. Shocking forms of immorality are often as prevalent in the church as in the world, and the leaders are not excepted.

The church has become so materialistic that it competes with the world in fashionable edifices, professionalism, fundraising, PR, and even gimmickry. A baffled onlooker may rightly wonder, "Is this really about Jesus of Nazareth?"

But the most serious part of the problem is not the hypocrites as much as the righteous, which is where most of us are:

Good, decent church folk who take our religion seriously, but who are caught up in the System (doing church!) more than in humble commitment to Jesus Christ. It is amazing how religious we can be without really being Christian. And how busy we can be without really being spiritual.

A large part of the problem is a confusion of means and ends. What should be but the means—personnel, buildings, programs, budgets, numbers—often become the end. People are viewed not unlike a business views customers in terms of what they can contribute to the programs in place. The pastor or pulpit minister, however spiritual and dedicated he may be. is at job risk if he can't keep the numbers up. The money has to come in, the budget has to be met. Being human, he is compel led to think in those terms, not unlike a business man keeping his eye on the bottom line of the profit and loss ledger.

We have ends and goals to be sure, noble ones such as education and evangelism, but we are trapped by what is so tragically more American and Western than it is Christian—the success syndrome. The "successful" church is not necessarily the Body of Christ at work. It may only be an institution at work, one that is good in what it does.

But if it spends most of its money and effort on itself rather than upon ministering to the deprived in body and soul, it is more of an institution than the Body of Christ. To be the Body of Christ in this world is to be and to do what Christ did when he was in the body on this earth.

If indeed the modern church is a great mission field, it does not follow that we are to be less concerned about the lost of the world. It only means that we should be more concerned for the church—saving the church too! We must think about the unthinkable, that the church too is lost and needs redemption. Reformation, we call it. Semper Reformata! Always reforming the church! There is not a single congregation that should not be renewal conscious.

Our problem is basically theological or biblical. We do not really believe Jesus Christ when he calls us to discipleship—self-denial, sacrifice, commitment—the call to enter the narrow gate and walk the difficult way. We have been sold a bill of goods of cheap grace and easy believism. We are "white collar" Judases. We betray the Lord in a nice way, by not taking him seriously.

The answer is that the church too must repent. We must no longer believe that it is all right for us to be rich and live extravagantly while most of the world suffers want. We must come to see that the church is not simply a believing community, but a cruciform community, one shaped by the Cross. A people crucified with Christ—and crucified to the world. We are to be a people within whom Christ lives, a people who save themselves by losing themselves.

There is always the remnant, the remnant church. That is our mission, to call our sisters and brothers to be part of the remnant, to be missionaries to the world's greatest mission field. We have a super helper at our side, the Holy Spirit, who is the great missionary to the church. His mission is to conform us more and more into the image of Christ (2 Cor. 3: 1 8).

Christlikeness! That is the frontispiece as we invade the world's greatest mission field. The testimony of a changed life is irresistible. Our Lord assures us that if we love one another even as he loves us the world will know that we are his disciples (Jo. 13:33-34). A church united by love can win our lost world. A church divided cannot. — Leroy

Some wise man has advised that we are to live in but one world at a time. Re is saying that we have our hands full with the responsibilities of this world without being concerned about another. One world at a time! is his motto.

This may have merit, for we are certainly to be at work improving our world. If any transcendent views we may have, even of heaven, cause us to be other than the "light of the world" and "the salt of the earth" we are misdirected.

But I would put it another way: By living in two worlds at a time we better prepare for them both.

"One world at a time" is really a pagan concept. Those who talk that way believe in only one world. There is no belief in a world to come, no hope beyond the grave. This world is all there is, so we must make the best of it. It breeds our consumerism. Get! Consume! Live it up!, for this life is all there is.

Ours is a secularistic world, one with little or no consciousness of God. God is irrelevant. Belief in a world beyond this one is superstition. Our society may not openly espouse these negatives, but that is the way it lives.

What a difference it would make in our values and our manner of life if we really believed in a world to come! A world in which we will have to give an account for how we lived in this one. A world in which all the cruel injustices will somehow be made right and evil deeds recompensed. A world of rewards and punishment. A world that will transcend time and space and that will be eternity itself.

Living in two worlds at a time is the only thing that even begins to explain life's imponderables. There is such gross injustice and inequality, with a few having so much and the vast majority having so little, and I answer, yes, but there is another world that will make it all right. A cruel man steals, abuses, and murders a little girl, and he gets by with it—but only in this world. And the little girl still finds her fulfillment in another world. Two worlds provide balance.

I recall writing a judge in Alabama who exonerated those who had murdered three civil rights workers, who were years later convicted. I reminded him that he would one day stand before the Judge of the universe and give an account for his miscarriage of justice.

A world beyond this one is the only answer we have to all the suffering in this one. It led Paul to exclaim, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is yet to be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). If there is another world in which the scales are balanced, then we have some answer for all the suffering in the world.

Our Lord teaches us to live in two worlds in such promises as "who shall receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and land, with persecution—and in the age (world) to come ,eternal life" (Mk. 10:30). And he spoke of those "who are accounted worthy to attain that age" (Lk. 20:35). The apostles also spoke of the things of "this present world" (2 Tim. 4:10) in contrast to "an inheritance reserved in heaven for you" (1 Pet. 1:4).

We are urged to "Set your mind on things that are above, not on things on the earth" (Col. 3:2). He must mean "not on things of the earth only," for we are to be concerned for this world and to be busy making it better. Re is telling us to live in two worlds at the same time. We are a heavenly community on planet earth.

If we can see "this present world" as "a vale of soul making," as one poet puts it, we have an answer to what life is about, even with all its suffering and injustice. This world prepares us for the one to come. In this world's brief moment we are getting ready for the main event, which has no end.

And what of all the tragedy, heartache, oppression? An apostle gives us the answer as he spoke of the glory of the world to come: "In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials" (1 Pet. 1:6). — Leroy

I resolved that I would say nothing about Y2K. Too much has been said already. Or is it that too many wrong things have been said? But the Millennium Bug has bit me. I have to get in my not-quite-the-last word.

But I must first concede that I have no wise word about what is likely to happen or not happen when this millennium runs down. Banks dysfunctional? A food shortage? Riots? Planes fall from the sky? No social security checks? Businesses closed? Government shutdown?

The language used in all the warnings, including entire books, is enough to scare the wits out of one: the millennium meltdown, economic doomsday, the Y2K tidal wave, Y2K=666. One blurb says, "The only cure is time—and there's not enough." Another says it is the most serious threat to ever hit the entire world. Still another; we face universal judgment.

What I want to say has not been said insofar as I know:

Let's face it, we are one of the most spoiled, pampered, proud, self-serving, self-centered people in the history of the world. We need something to wake us up. If the millennium bug bites with deadly venom, it will be no more than we deserve. It may be the only call for repentance that we will heed.

It is appropriate to recall the nuclear bomb scare of the early 1960s. The warnings were similar. People were urged to store up food and water, and even to build bomb shelters. One was among the elite if he had a bomb shelter with an ample storage of supplies. Even Christians debated whether neighbors, caught unprepared, should be allowed into their shelter once the bombs started falling. One view was to protect your shelter from intrusion with firearms if need be.

The bombs, of course, never fell. The shelters became an embarrassment. What was feared to the point of paranoia never came. Not a single Christian had to shoot his intruding sister in the Lord and her children! We needlessly put our trust in shelters.

The Y2K scare is testing our view of life as believers. Do we expect life to be without risk? Do we suppose we can live unscathed in a troubled world like ours? Are we to create our own security system against all the evils of this naughty world? Where is our faith—in caches of money, in stockpiles of food, in a secluded hideaway?

I am willing to accept what Jesus said about life: "In this world you will have troubles; but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33). I do not expect life to be without difficulties. There might even be tragedy. We might have to suffer serious deprivation, if not for our faith then simply as part of the human family. That is life.

But it is because of our faith that we will take the days one at a time and live them victoriously, in good cheer, whatever comes.

It is OK for us to make reasonable preparation for any ''rainy day'' that may come, but we are less than faithful when we allow some presumed crisis to overwhelm us. This is our Father's world, and He is in charge. If it is His will that we should suffer hardship, so be it. He will use it for our good.

There was once a boll weevil crisis in the South. The little bug almost destroyed an economy built on cotton. Millions feared all would be lost, but the bug turned out to be a blessing in that it forced the economy to depend less on cotton. One town built a monument in honor of the boll weevil!

We may not build altars to Y2K, but we can indeed "Be of good cheer" in our Father's world. We do not have to panic or run and hide. Whatever the crisis, the Lord will still be there for us.

"Fear not" is more than a command. It is good news and worthy of all acceptation. We don't have to be afraid! Not of bombs, not of bugs, not even of one another. Whatever may happen, the victory is already there for those who believe. —Leroy

Ouida was with me recently for a 4-day study with the Town West Church of Christ in Taylor, Tx., a new church to us. We were guests in the home of Jim and Jeanie Yates. Jim is minister to the congregation and Jeanie a schoolteacher. We had a great time together in the Lord. We were with several families and got more than casually acquainted. It is always a foretaste of heaven to be with dear sisters and brothers whose hearts are set upon serving Christ. Turned on as it is to the grace of God, this congregation has a great future.

On our return from Taylor we visited relatives in Sun City, near Austin, and took a tour of this magic city we had heard so much about. You have to be older to live there and no children allowed. We were walked through several model homes, all elegant and very expensive. While it is destined to be a sizable city, a retirement paradise with lots of golf and security, it will apparently have no churches.

On this same trip we visited Irvine and Mary Waters in Temple, dear friends of many years, and found them in good health. Irvine, now an octogenarian, is one of my heroes in that he joined Carl Ketcherside and me in unity meetings 40 years ago when it wasn't the popular thing to do. Being our orator, we could always count on Irvine to help us out when we got in trouble, which was often.

We joined a number of others from Churches of Christ in hearing John R.W. Stott, the renowned British evangelical, at an Episcopal church in Dallas. He was, as always, eminently biblical, and after he emphasized the relationship between grace/faith and obedience, I told some of my friends that it was a good "Campbellite" sermon.

The Rochelle Rd. Church of Christ in Irving, Tx. had a Holy Week leading up to Easter. I spoke one evening on hope. This congregation (non-Sunday school tradition) is in merger talks with the Central Church of Christ (Sunday school) in the same city. Ouida and I know both churches, and if great souls make for a great merger this would be it. But it might not happen.

A "Summit" is on between leaders of Disciples of Christ, Independent Christian Churches, and Churches of Christ. Three from each group will have a get-acquainted, exploratory meeting in Cincinnati in June, with a view of larger meetings in years to come. Richard Hamm, president and general minister of the Disciples, and Robert Welsh, president of their Council on Christian Unity, two of the participants, have said that they think the meeting should include a confession of sins over the way we have treated each other. John Mills, Henry Webb, and James North will represent the Christian Churches. Mike Armour, Douglas Foster, and another yet to be confirmed will be there for Churches of Christ. This might well he the most significant event in our recent history. An answer to prayer and lots of effort! We will keep you informed.

Ouida and I are making plans for a trip to Scotland and Ireland this summer, though the details are not completed. We hope to visit some of our oldest congregations, and call on brethren who have for many years been among our readers. We'll tell you more in our next.

Quida will be with me for a series with the Louisburg Christian Church in Louisburg, Mo., May 7-9. We invite those in that area to join us. Call Guy Dunning at 417-752-333 for further information.

James S. Woodroof's The Church In Transition is still in print, and we highly recommend it to those interested in the changes taking place in Churches of Christ. That this hard-hitting, eminently biblical analysis of what is going on among us could be published is testimony to the fact that we are indeed a church in transition. $9 postpaid.

Roy Key's Fire And Sword is another title that looks at the underbelly of Churches of Christ. While Roy left us long years ago for the Disciples of Christ, he says that if it had happened today he would not have had to leave. A gripping, heartbreaking testimony. His "Letter to Mom and Dad," who never understood why he had to leave, will wring your heart. $10 postpaid.

Tom Olbricht's Hearing God's Word: My Life with Scripture in Churches of Christ also deals with what is going on among us, but in a different way. It is both history and autobiography, the story of a preacher/professor and his Bible in the life of the church. It is also hermeneutical in that it deals with interpretation in story form. Surely one of our best books so far. $13 postpaid.

Other ACU Press titles: Discovering Our Roots (Allen/Hughes), $13, Distant Voices (Allen), $13 Will The Cycle Be Broken? (Foster), $12, The Cruciform Church (Allen), $14. Prices include postage.

The late Norvel Young's Living Lights, Shining Stars reveals the author's 10 secrets for becoming a shining star, and they are impressive. Norvel takes the reader into his confidence and lays bare his soul, revealing the tragedies and triumphs of his eventful life as minister and educator in Churches of Christ. $17 postpaid.

We once had hundreds, but now we have only 16 bound volumes of Restoration Review, four of the 1989-90 volume, with the theme "The Hope of the Believer," and 12 of the 1991-92 volume on "What the Old Testament Means to Us." $15 each while they last.

We are also pleased to dispose of our loose copies of Restoration Review by offering 25 different issues, selected at random, for $5. We have as many as 75 back numbers available, $15, postpaid.

We can still supply copies of Philip Yancey's Disappointment With God at only $7 in paperback, postpaid. F. F. Bruce's Hard Sayings of Jesus is available at $14, postpaid.

Brian Altmiller, 2104 Cedar, LaGrande, OR. 97850 has old copies of Mission Messenger for many years. If you are interested in some of these, contact him.