{"id":6281,"date":"2022-06-14T14:01:23","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T20:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodseed.com\/blog\/?p=6281"},"modified":"2022-07-12T15:44:26","modified_gmt":"2022-07-12T21:44:26","slug":"25-years-of-the-stranger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodseed.com\/blog\/2022\/06\/14\/25-years-of-the-stranger\/","title":{"rendered":"25 Years of “The Stranger”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It\u2019s amazing the impact one book can have.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus<\/a><\/strong><\/em> was published in 1997, author John R. Cross could not foresee it would be the catalyst for a global ministry. It’s clear in hindsight the birth of The Stranger<\/em> was guided by God years before it appeared on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John didn\u2019t plan to be an author\u2014he didn\u2019t even like paperwork! So God led John into a position where he gained unique knowledge of the gospel being taught in a wide range of circumstances, all through observation. In the 1980s, John\u2019s role in New Tribes Mission (now Ethnos360) took him to some of the remotest places on earth. He saw firsthand the Bible taught to isolated tribes previously ignorant of the Bible\u2019s message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He saw that success wasn\u2019t about numbers, but about understanding<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In some locations, he observed whole villages putting their faith in Christ. In others, he saw that only a handful became believers. In some situations, tribal people came to Christ without the age-old problems of syncretism and being \u201crice Christians*.” In others, new believers struggled with those very issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As John visited these locations, he asked the local missionaries and national Bible teachers questions\u2014many questions. Without really seeking it, John received a God-engineered education in cross-culture communication\u2014what worked well and not so well. He learned what it meant to cross worldview barriers. He observed that when the Bible was carefully presented from creation to Christ, it made profound sense; God would be at work and lives would be transformed. He saw that success wasn\u2019t about numbers, but about understanding. He witnessed how the Holy Spirit always worked through his Word. When the Word was taught with clarity, the Holy Spirit would bring conviction and enlightenment to the heart. It became clear that an understood gospel is a powerful gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the Word was taught with clarity<\/strong>, the Holy Spirit brought conviction<\/strong> and enlightenment<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Then, as John interacted with people in North America and other areas of the developed world, he realized that often those he rubbed shoulders with differed little from remote tribal people. Here too, people knew little or nothing about the God of the Bible. They didn\u2019t understand who Jesus was or why he came to earth. The western world had become a post-Christian culture.
Building on the experience gained overseas, John began sharing the Bible in North America using many of the same methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was in this environment The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus<\/a> <\/em>was birthed. John incorporated into the book four principles of learning that proved so effective with tribal groups. He designed The Stranger<\/em> as a stand-alone book, to be given away on its own. It could also be used in small groups as a guide for teaching a clear gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An understood<\/strong> gospel is a powerful<\/strong> gospel.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Within weeks of The Stranger<\/em>\u2019s release, requests came pouring in. \u201cCan we have a German translation? Do you have an audiobook? Can you adapt this for a Muslim reader?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, GoodSeed International was formed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than just one book<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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GoodSeed\u2019s mandate is to partner with churches and ministries around the world, creating tools for different:<\/p>\n\n\n\n