Fear of Missions
“‘On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.’”
Today’s Text: Matthew 10:16-33 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
It’s estimated that about 315,000,000 Christians suffer very high or extreme levels of persecution in the world today!
In our prayer meeting last night, we prayed for the persecuted church. Of course, we prayed first and foremost that God would protect the Christians in persecuted areas. But we also prayed that the Holy Spirit would give courage to Christians in those areas to bear witness to Christ should they ever have to face persecution. The passage today is a reminder that the Father will answer that prayer because it is in line with His revealed will.
Paradoxically, even in persecuted areas, the church continues to grow. That paradox has been manifested ever since the church was born in Acts 2. Open Doors shared the following testimonies:
Aweis Ali, a believer from Somalia, who has experienced firsthand the devastating effects of violent persecution, said, "People thought that the Somali church growing was impossible because of all the killings. But what was impossible is, in fact, now possible, because the growth of the church is huge in Somalia."
North Korean believers, Eun-Yeong* and Cheol-Ho* met Jesus on the border of North Korea and were discipled in an Open Doors safehouse there. They felt called to return, took the good news back into North Korea and despite the grave dangers, sent a simple message back across the border, "Our (church) family has grown to five."
Christ has always built His church and will continue to build His church (Matthew 16:18), and God will continue to fulfill His great plan of salvation for the world—to fill the earth with His glory in Jesus’s name through God-fearing, God-honoring, God-worshiping, God-loving communities and families, the church.
Praise God that we here in Torrance, CA, don’t have to experience such persecution in our lives! PRAISE GOD that we are able to freely worship God and to call on the name of Jesus Christ whenever we want!
But just because we are more comfortable than maybe 90% of the world, does that mean we have no part in God’s great plan for the salvation of the world?
God does not call us to be persecuted (verse 23)! He calls us to partner with Him in fulfilling the great commission!
Before I ever went out on a short term mission trip, I absolutely feared the idea of going on any kind of mission trip—even to places like Australia, New Zealand, and Japan! Even now, I will admit that I feel a little trepidation about going out to Zambia, Malaysia, Japan, and Korea this year. None of those destinations are difficult by any means. I can only conclude that this fear and timidity I feel must come from the devil.
And the devil tries to make me feel ashamed for my fear and timidity.
NO! I will overcome that fear and timidity by stepping out and going in obedience to Christ!
And the devil tries to make me feel like the work that we do there is not important and not impactful.
NO! I will go forth in faith and obedience, knowing that God doesn’t need me to go, but that I go because I need Christ! And God will use me because I am stepping out in faith and obedience!
Father, the world belongs to You. The church belongs to You. I belong to You. Send me forth in the power of the gospel and use me for Your great commission however you will, but just use me! Inspire and mobilize this Canvas family to together in the power of the gospel, as well. And fill our hearts with the joy of our salvation and our desperate need for You. Let that be our witness. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
