No time like the present

The way I see it, the next decade is probably the most important decade for the great commission in Europe.

Why? Because the world has come to Europe. About a decade ago, my host country of Ireland was invaded by the Poles. Nearly half a million strong, they came while jobs and money were plentiful. But when the economy shifted, they moved back to their home country in droves. In fact, currently over half have returned and more are leaving daily.

But when they returned to Poland, they brought with them increased job experience, better skills, a second language under their belt and money in their pockets. They are the reason that the Polish economy is growing while other European countries are shrinking. (Reuters)

I don’t know what happened to the Poles spiritually while they lived among us, but there was for a period of time a real potential for the Irish church to impact the spiritual future of Poland if significant ministry had been accomplished in the lives of those living among us.

What I’ve explained is a microcosm of the opportunity the church in Europe has to reach the world with the Gospel. The world has come to Europe. The economists tell us that the global economic domination will to shift to Asia in the next couple of decades. (Here’s a TED talk on the subject.)

The challenge of the church in Europe is to reach the world while it lives in their midst. And the challenge of the church world-wide is to partner with them to succeed.