Work Faithfully
I recently read of a Christian leader in missions who was asked, “Does anybody even do evangelism anymore?” This man was surprised because this came from a leader of a mission organization. I thought to myself – well they don’t know about BBFI missionaries. We still do evangelism, discipleship and church planting. For some, this may be going by the wayside.
In communicating with some of our people in restricted areas or those working in areas where it seems there are minimal results, my mind has gone to think of the many places where the Gospel is growing and what the difference is. Usually, where the ministry is expanding, we see the foundation laid years ago before this time of growth. However, it seems that in this day and time we like to measure results and see those as giving credibility to a ministry. Let’s not forget that faithfulness is very important in our evaluations.
In some places it can take years to see a convert, or a Bible study started, let alone a church planted. It is hard to report to our churches with seemingly insignificant results. Many are confronted with antagonism, betrayal, persecution, government and religion pressures, along with heartaches and isolation.
With today’s mindset, some might ask if the missionary with few results is cut out for this kind of work. What if they tried doing something different than their current strategy and ways? What if they went to a ripe harvest field? What if that is not what God called them to do? I think this reasoning implies that the problem is not the hard, rocky soil but the sharpness or calling of the worker.
The Bible always gives us the best examples for all areas of life. Wasn’t Isaiah a good prophet? Yet, he saw little to no obvious results – at least by our measurements today. Yes, he was faithful. He obeyed the Lord despite the little response by the people. But he remained faithful to his Lord.
BBFI missionaries are out on the front lines — standing faithfully — shining the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Everywhere in the harvest is a tough place. Results may come quicker and in more abundance in some places than others. The results are up to God. What God requires of us is faithfulness. Let’s remember to pray for each of our missionaries as they work the field of souls – faithfully.
