There is a death in this life, which, if experienced by every Christian would be the means of reaching millions more unsaved people with the gospel. It is, simply, death to our own reputation.
Perhaps I'm being unfair, but it seems the church in the West will do almost anything to reach unbelievers as long as we can keep our dignity and respectability, and not appear in any way 'uncool'. How far we have wandered from that bunch of nobodies we fondly call 'the early church'.
Speaking about the amazing growth and impact of that group of Spirit-filled, world-denying unknowns, James Montgomery Boice writes (in his commentary on Acts): 'Humanly speaking, it had nothing going for it. It had no money, no proven leaders, no technological tools for propagating the gospel. And it faced enormous obstacles.
