A Lesson From a Cow!

Take a look at that cow in the picture above. In a very real sense it represents what missions is all about.
We were at the Upfold farm. Luke and Sharon Upfold were members of our church in Richards Bay, South Africa. They were a lovely couple who loved the Lord and wanted to please him in all that they did. They have now moved to New Zealand because they were concerned for the safety of their wonderful family.
When I drove around the farm with Luke and noticed all of the different animals they had, I was impressed. They had a great variety of wild animals that roamed freely on their property, but they also had a large number of cows and cattle. If you look carefully at the picture above, you will notice that the coloring is different from any cow that you have ever seen. The reason for that is that it is a South African breed.
As we looked at their herd, Luke proudly stated that they were all African breeds. There were no Jerseys, Holsteins, etc. They would buy animals from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and other countries that had African breeds. They did not want any foreign cattle on their farm.
As I have thought about that, it occurred to me that thie is where the church in South Africa should be. It should be a South African breed of church. We should be able to leave every non-biblical cutrural idea at home and allow the local church to grow within its own culture. It is great to look out on that crowd of Afrikaans, Indian, Zulu, colored, English, and whatever else and see it grow as a vital unit one in Christ.
It is not easy for us to leave our culture at home. It means that there will be times when someone in the church will chat with you and speak strongly about the sanctions that my country imposed on his people. That person is delighted that apartheid is over, but does not appreciate the fact that it was the sanctions that had a large part in its being ended. That is alright. History will record what was good for the country and what was not.
We had tea after every service. I had never done that before. I have been in American churches where you cannot eat a cookie in the church. The fellowship drinking a cup of tea was wonderful and the ladies who prepared the special items had a great part in helping to develop that fellowship. There is something Biblical about oneness.
Yes, that South African cow says something good. I think I will make a picture of it and put it on the wall as a reminder of the importance of the South African church being South African in every way possible without losing what the Bible says a church should be. Let us never allow our religious tradition keep that from happening.