Outbreak

Moody Publishers

Chapter One

"The single biggest threat to man's continued dominance of the planet is the virus." Joshua Lederberg, Ph.D., Nobel Laureate

What does the word outbreak make you think of? Probably nothing good. You may think about the Black Plague, the AIDS virus, pandemics, or perhaps just a bad case of the flu spreading around the office.

Maybe the word conjures up memories of the now decade old movie with Rene Russo and Dustin Hoffman in virus-proof suits doing the dangerous work of seeking to contain the deadly Ebola virus. In this movie, appropriately titled Outbreak, African monkeys are captured and taken to America to be sold as pets. Unbeknownst to the monkey trappers, one animal is a carrier of the lethal Ebola virus.

The plot of the movie is pretty simple from there: Monkey goes to America. Monkey scratches man. Man kisses girlfriend. And so on, and so on, and so on until an entire community is infected. The rest of the movie is a battle between viral scientists (epidemiologists) and military strategists over whether or not the contaminated community should be simply contained or completely destroyed. Bad monkey!

There are two key scenes in the movie that show the velocity of the virus once an outbreak begins. One scene involves a military strategist explaining to his superiors the dangers of the virus's being unleashed upon the general populace. A computer-generated map of the United States stands behind him with a single red dot on one location. The red dot represents the point of infection. Showing how much more of the map will be engulfed with each passing hour, the military man says, "In twelve hours it will spread this far (the red dot gets bigger). In twenty-four hours it will spread this far (bigger). In thirty-six hours this far (bigger). In seventy two hours this far." By that point the map has turned completely red. The virus has become a nation killer and is well on its way to becoming a world killer. In that one short, cinematic scene, the exponential power of the virus becomes clear. It can be an unstoppable epidemic.

The next key scene depicts a man in a movie theater sneezing. The camera follows the virus out of his nose across rows and rows of packed theater seats into the open, laughing mouth of an unsuspecting movie watcher. It's kind of gross, but it makes the point. All it takes is close contact with the right person at the right time and bam! You're infected.

Throughout this book when you read the words red dot and sneezers, you will know I am referring to those two scenes.

EVANGELISM EPIDEMIC?

The word epidemic is usually used in a negative sense. It is associated with words like death, plague, sickness, catastrophe, germ warfare, and pestilence. But what if epidemic were used in a totally different context? What if the context were not death but life? What if the context were spiritual revival, not physical illness?

When you hear the word outbreak you probably don't think of a great, student-led, evangelistic revival spreading throughout your youth group into your adult congregation, the surrounding campuses, and the community. But that is about to change.

My premise is simple. Early Christianity was viral. It spread like an epidemic. It infected the general populace so quickly that no one was safe. In just a few years, the known world was infected by the epidemic of evangelism. It hasn't been the same since.

Today the virus has been trapped within the walls of our quarantined churches. According to George Barna, "of the 77 million American adults who are churched, born-again Christians:

The typical churched believer will die without leading a single person to a lifesaving knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ.

At any given time, a majority of believers do not have a specific person in mind for whom they are praying in the hope that the person will be saved.

Most churched Christians believe that since they are not gifted in evangelism, such outreach is not a significant responsibility of theirs."

WHY A VIRUS ANALOGY?

A virus is probably one of the most efficient forces under heaven. It is a powerful infection machine. Medical researchers are constantly studying viruses in hopes that we will soon be able to understand them better. "But fighting viruses is like fighting an enemy who keeps up with every new advancement in weapons technology; the more time they have, the more precocious and powerful they become."

A virus analogy of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not meant to be disrespectful or even come close to teetering on the brink of sacrilege. In this book I am highlighting not the destructive force of a virus but its power, efficiency, and velocity. In that respect, the gospel is viral. The only thing that this virus seeks to destroy is the power of darkness. In every other aspect it is a constructive, even transformational force. It has power to change, not only individual lives but entire societies also.

THE GOSPEL AS AN IDEAVIRUS

Great ideas, under the right circumstances, with the right carriers, spread like an epidemic. These ideaviruses will transform the way we do business, according to many marketing experts. Seth Godin, author of Unleashing the Ideavirus and highly esteemed marketing guru, nails the power of an ideavirus when it comes to making money in the secular world in the twenty-first century:

The first 100 years of our country's history were about who could build the biggest, most efficient farms. And the second century focused on the race to build factories. Welcome to the third century, folks. The third century is about ideas. Alas, nobody has a clue how to build a farm for ideas, or even a factory for ideas. Ideas are driving the economy, ideas are making people rich and, most important, ideas are changing the world.... An idea that just sits there is worthless. But an idea that moves, grows, and infects everyone it touches ... that's an ideavirus.

As I read that, I couldn't help but ask several questions. What better "carriers" than youth pastors? What better "sneezers" than students? What better "red dots" than our youth group meetings? But more than any other question, I asked what better ideavirus to infect our culture than the gospel of Jesus Christ?

The "idea" of the gospel came straight from the mind of God Himself. It is awesome, unimaginable, and amazing. After contemplating the idea of the gospel of Jesus Christ for several chapters in the book of Romans, the apostle Paul takes a break to sing with his pen in a moment of sheer worship, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 'Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?' 'Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen" (Romans 11:33-36).

In the hidden councils of the Trinity in eternity past, a conspiracy of love was born. A people would be the object of God's infinite affection. They would rebel. Instead of sending them straight to hell, He...