“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

— Matthew 24:14

Sometimes I get discouraged when I hear about so much evil in our world—there’s so much injustice, godlessness, suffering, immorality, corruption, and more. When doubts start to rise in my mind, I want to cry out, “Lord, where are you? It doesn’t seem like you’re doing much about it, and it’s getting worse by the day.”

But then I recall what Jesus told his disciples when they asked about the future, and I realize that this is exactly what we should expect—wars, calamities, and opposition toward God’s people. And Jesus points out that the main thing that needs to happen before the end is that the gospel needs to be proclaimed everywhere. Later Jesus commissioned his followers, saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations . . .” (Matthew 28:19). And this task is for every generation of Jesus’ followers, including you and me.

The best way to deal with our doubts and worries about what’s happening in the world is to get busy with the work Jesus has given us to do until he comes again. That means proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom—that we are saved through God’s grace in Christ—and backing that up with the consistent, credible witness of showing God’s love in our everyday lives.

Come, Lord Jesus, to bring the fullness of your kingdom here on earth. And empower us to be faithful and effective in spreading your love and good news everywhere. Amen.

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.

— Ephesians 6:19

In today’s passage we see that Paul—one of the great missionaries of the early church—needed prayer partners, and he probably had many. Today’s text gives us a helpful start on how to pray for missionaries and other gospel workers.

We can pray that God will give them the right words (relevant and effective messages); that they will make known the true gospel (free of false teachings); and that they will proclaim it courageously (knowing when to challenge false ideas and practices, and when to leave it to the Holy Spirit to convict people of the truth).

In the film Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler was able to prevent many Jews from going to the gas chambers in World War II. But toward the end of the film, he sobs, saying, “I didn’t do enough. . . . I could have saved more.” Missionaries can have similar guilt feelings about people they haven’t reached or work left undone. Ask God to give them peace and to leave the unfinished work in his hands, guiding them to see the right priorities. May God show them bridges that will overcome barriers; provide healthy family relationships, friendships, and connections with fellow workers; and supply guidance for training local leaders to continue the ministries.

Let’s stay connected with our missionaries, receive their prayer concerns, and pray faithfully for them.

Lord, strengthen and encourage all your gospel workers. Bless them with joy in serving you. In Christ’s name, Amen.

[Jesus] said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

— Matthew 9:37-38

We were living in Beijing to learn Mandarin, the official language of China. We weren’t planning to do anything else, but the English fellowship in the church we were attending asked us to start a new small group Bible study. It grew rapidly, and soon people were coming to faith in Christ.

They needed to be baptized, so we also led a class for preparation for baptism. Then they needed to be discipled, so we led a discipleship class. The church also asked us to train others to lead small groups. The work was beginning to pile up, becoming more than we could do. It was a happy kind of problem, but still a problem.

The responsiveness to the gospel made it obvious that many people were ready—or nearly ready—to be harvested into God’s family. But there were not enough harvest workers—just as Jesus said 2,000 years ago.

Research has shown that in general, people in unreached people groups (where there is little or no opportunity to receive the gospel) are more responsive than other nonbelieving populations when the gospel is presented. Cross-cultural mission workers need to be trained and mobilized to meet this great need.

Pray faithfully and diligently that God—the Lord of the harvest—will raise up harvest workers.

Lord, as you prepare people to open their hearts to you, show each of us how you want to use us as harvesters. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

— Isaiah 52:7

One day in 1987 the rain poured down as we made our way to a church workers meeting in a little chapel on Panay Island in the Philippines. The chapel was separated from the nearest road by a kilometer of rice fields. We took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our pantlegs, and walked across the fields on little dikes between the rice paddies. I was not skilled at this, and my foot slipped into a muddy paddy several times.

The meeting was a monthly gathering for fellowship and mutual encouragement—and sometimes problem solving— for leaders from 10 churches on the island. It was a warm time of worship, sharing, and prayer. I won’t forget the tasty sinuk mani (a sweet rice treat) served on banana leaves by the host church that day.

Then we walked back across the rice fields. Soaked again with rain, I took a picture of my muddy feet. Later I sent copies, with Isaiah 52:7 written on them, to the churches that were supporting me.

When we get involved in God’s mission, muddy feet and rain-soaked clothes may be among the least of the challenges we face. But they won’t measure up to the joys of sharing the good news and gathering for fellowship with believers in remote places.

Where is God leading you to bring the good news?

Thank you, Lord, for the joys of cross-cultural fellowship. Be with mission workers who may be struggling with cultural-adjustment challenges today. In Jesus, Amen.

“Take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel.”

— Ezekiel 4:3

God told the prophet Ezekiel to act out various scenes as signs of punishment that the people would face because of their unfaithfulness. Each scene gave a nonverbal demonstration that the people could understand as it was acted out. And the dramatic effect was often powerful.

One highlight of our ministry in the Philippines was to work with young adults in discipleship. A group on Negros Island developed an evangelistic team that they called Halieus (“Fishermen”). They practiced pantomime presentations (sometimes in our home) portraying the gospel story. Then they worked with churches to hold rallies in local neighborhoods where they presented the pantomimes. A shiver would go up and down my spine when I watched them. God used them to open the hearts of people for whom words alone were inadequate.

One reason why some people groups have not been reached, or have not responded to the gospel, is that typical strategies are not effective with them. To bridge those barriers, we need to understand the people and their culture more deeply, and to find creative strategies that can reach their hearts. That can also be true close to home, with people who live with us and around us.

Lord, guide us in developing effective strategies to reach people who need to know you. Help us to understand how to share the good news in creative ways. Amen.

“Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

— Luke 11:52

Jesus spoke pointedly and critically against the leaders of God’s people in that day. Instead of helping people draw near to God and enjoy his blessings, those leaders put up barriers through their legalistic, self-serving practices.

Sadly, throughout history, some churches and church leaders have blocked access to spiritual life for people and have even abused people. We often hear of such cases in the news today. Corrupt leaders put barriers instead of bridges in front of people. As God’s people who make up the church today, we must repent of these sins, be sure we have measures in place to prevent them from happening again, and be agents of healing to people who have been hurt.

Have you been hurt by the church or its leaders? If so, you may be hesitant to participate in the life of a church. That’s understandable.

What can you do? Here are some suggestions: (1) Keep your focus on Jesus himself, especially through prayer and Bible reading. (2) Ask God to provide a few caring Christians with whom you can fellowship and grow spiritually; they can be a helpful bridge. (3) Through a Christian counselor, seek healing and strength to forgive. (4) Remain open to a time when you can fully participate in a healthy church again.

Forgive us, Lord, if we have acted as barriers instead of bridges. Bring healing to all who have been hurt by the church. Infuse us all with your love and grace. Amen.

“You will be my witnesses . . . to the ends of the earth.”

— Acts 1:8

After removing the barrier between us and God, Jesus commissioned his followers to bring this good news everywhere. The book of Acts tells about the early years of this mission. By the power of God’s Spirit, Jesus’ followers overcame barriers and discovered bridges to bring the good news and make disciples far and wide. And they, in turn, spread the message to make more disciples.

You would think that by now the mission would be complete, that the good news would have reached everywhere. Today there are Christians in every country of the world, but there are still about 2 billion people—a quarter of the world’s population—who have virtually no opportunity to receive the gospel. They are in various people groups (like ethnic groups) that haven’t been exposed to the gospel because of ongoing barriers.

Some of those barriers are in the groups themselves—like devotion to false religions, and misconceptions about Jesus. Some other barriers are more common—such as language and cultural barriers, and laws against preaching the gospel.

In addition, we can have barriers that stop us from reaching out to other groups (including people around us who don’t know Christ)—apathy, fear, racism, and preoccupations with our personal lives.

Let’s pray for God’s help in overcoming these barriers.

Lord, please break down the many barriers that prevent people from receiving the gospel, and free us from barriers in ourselves that can hold us back. Amen.

“Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals. . . .”

— Matthew 10:9-10

Did Jesus really mean this—to bring nothing extra when we travel for mission work? Do those instructions still apply to us today? When I travel for mission work, I usually pack to the limit (sometimes more).

Roger Greenway, a missionary to Sri Lanka many years ago, recounted how his family had tried to ship their belongings from the United States in 18 barrels and two big crates—but the shipment was delayed by four months. In the meantime, they landed in Sri Lanka and learned that they could get along quite well without most of that stuff. Their dependence on local resources also helped them develop friendships with local people.

When their baggage finally arrived, they were suddenly viewed by their neighbors as very wealthy people whose standard of living was much higher than the locals’. All that stuff actually created barriers between them and the people they had come to serve. Greenway later advised missionaries to be careful about what kind of message their belongings would send to others.

Considering this, it’s not surprising that for many centuries Christian missionaries made a vow of poverty. But this lesson applies to us all—what does our stuff and our lifestyle tell others about our priorities? Are we seeking first the kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33)?

Lord, thank you for your gifts to us. Help us to be generous and to let go of our stuff if it could become a barrier to serving you and others. Amen.

When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

— Acts 18:26

Aquila and Priscilla were an amazing couple. They were not missionaries or ministers. They were tentmakers (or leather workers) by trade—laypeople who were used mightily by the Lord. They moved from Rome to Corinth, where Paul met them. He was also a tentmaker, so he lived and worked with them.

After some time, Paul moved on to Ephesus, and Priscilla and Aquila went with him. Paul didn’t stay long, but they remained and served the church there. When Apollos, a highly educated new believer, came, he was quite effective in ministry, but his teaching about Jesus needed some correction. So Priscilla and Aquila invited him to their home and helped him get on track. Apollos later proved to be a helpful teacher of the good news.

From the greetings in Paul’s letters, we know that a church in Ephesus met in Priscilla and Aquila’s home (1 Corinthians 16:19). They returned to Rome, and a church also met in their home there. Paul adds that they were his coworkers and had risked their lives for him (Romans 16:3-5). Later they were back in Ephesus again (2 Timothy 4:19).

Aquila and Priscilla moved a lot, and wherever they went, they opened their home so that people could worship together. They mentored other leaders while working behind the scenes. God needs people like them in his mission today too. Could you be one?

Lord, use my gifts and resources in whatever way you please to share the good news. Amen.

“Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”

— Luke 10:9

As a missionary, I sometimes traveled with health-care workers from the Luke Society, a medical mission organization, to remote villages in the Philippines. There we met people who usually didn’t have access to healthcare. The Luke Society workers were able to diagnose and treat illnesses and provide dental care, and we all shared the love and good news of salvation in Christ. Sometimes this work resulted in the planting of new churches as well.

Through the centuries, many new believers have cited physical healing as a significant factor in coming to faith in Christ, especially in frontier mission locations where there were few Christians and few doctors. Such healing—whether through miraculous gifts or through professional health care—aligns with Jesus’ instructions to heal the sick. This is an essential part of bringing the gospel. The good news of God’s kingdom is about wholeness in all aspects of life, now and forever.

In mission work today we use the term “kingdom professionals” for people who are called to reach people for Christ through their profession. They are trained not only in the Bible and missions, but also in professional skills that can give them access to unreached people whom traditional missionaries might not be able to reach. Perhaps you are one, or you may become one.

Lord, guide us to use our gifts, training, and experience to be your mission agents wherever we are and wherever you may lead us. Amen.