Today’s guest blogger is a missionary who serves in Asia. I want you to hear from her and be challenged to invite others to know Christ. You’ll see my concluding comments at the end of this post.
Many days of the missionary life are filled with ordinary tasks, while others are downright challenging. What motivates a missionary to remain distant from the familiarity of our home country and fellowship of extended families year after year? We have the amazing privilege of a front-row seat to God’s mission around the world.
- Sharing the gospel with someone who has never heard the good news. Most people in the country I serve only know Jesus as a person associated with Christianity. They have no idea how much Jesus loves them. When I get to share about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, I have the opportunity to share the greatest news ever. When these friends hear the gospel for the very first time, they often respond with disbelief. They cannot understand a God so merciful. Other friends find the gospel intriguing and want to continue the conversation in the future. Best of all, sometimes I see God immediately open their eyes to his truth. Praying with someone walking in darkness and death to enter the kingdom of light and life is an amazing privilege!
- Seeing new believers who follow Christ completely. When new Christians come to faith and leave their former belief systems behind, they must count the cost. These believers understand following Jesus will change their lives. They’re hungry for the word of God. For example, in a weekly meeting with a new believer with a lot of questions, I recommended she read the book of Romans. She read the entire book before our next weekly meeting and presented me with a 3-page list of questions based on her reading! Another new believer fretted how frightened she was to share the gospel to those of other religions. In her next breath, though, she told me she had already shared with a struggling friend because she couldn’t keep the good news of Jesus silent. The joy and commitment of new believers are a great encouragement to missionaries like us to press on.
- Experiencing the beauty of the global church. God’s church is a beautiful mosaic of people around the world. Missionary partnerships often involve joining with people with whom you have little common ground except Christ. Some of my dearest Christian friends are decades apart from me in age, and they grew up in different countries practicing different religions and speaking a different heart language. The sweet fellowship we have in the Lord and the joy of being on mission together as His people, though, make these differences seem minor. The multi-cultural, multi-national body of believers I am a part of on the mission field is a sneak peek into God’s eternal plan in heaven. One day people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will worship him; now, one of my greatest joys is seeing a glimpse of that promise each week as I worship with my church family on the mission field.
Here’s my prayer for us as we prepare for worship this weekend: that we will see God open the blinded eyes of a non-believer, that we and others will follow Him completely, and that we will see the beauty of God’s church even in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic. Blessings to you and your church!