The unreached people groups of the world are vast and need people to go tell them about the gospel. So why are there mission fields in places that are technically “reached” with Christianity? Should we be going to places that Joshua Project has reported which have high percentages of the main religion being Christian?

Or maybe a better question is this:

Why would we send missionaries to a “reached” people group?

I had the opportunity to talk to an older Christian who had recently come home from serving as a missionary for many years in Ireland with Mission to the World. Ireland? That doesn’t seem like some place that doesn’t have the gospel. They have Bibles, access to the internet, and sermon audio, right? Well, technically yes. . .but also no. Inland Ireland is still heavily influenced by the Irish Catholic church. When people joined Bible studies to actually be able to read and learn about the Scriptures for the first time, their children were kicked out of the schools, since the schools required the parents to attend mass. Only about 1.7% of the population is evangelical (whatever that means). My fellow believer and I were talking about this struggle, and he used the term “misreached people groups.” I hadn’t heard that term before, but I really liked it and have adopted it into my vocabulary as well.

Many places are “reached” by those who collect the data. However, are they actually reached with the gospel or have they been sold a false gospel? There are many organizations that call themselves Christian or claim to believe in God, but what they share is not actually the love of Christ. Some “churches” are really good at evangelizing, but it is the wrong gospel! Some are good at sharing really good lists of do’s and don’ts—but it isn’t the gospel. How our hearts should long to be on fire for sharing the true gospel and the true love that has been shown us by our Savior and Redeemer.

What about closer to home? How about your neighbors or those who are new to the country or neighborhood? Have they heard and seen the true gospel? How about those who have been hurt by professing believers who aren’t living out the true gospel? Often these groups of misreached people groups can be very difficult to reach with the gospel, but they are the lost and unreached (or misreached) as well. They need the gospel; they need the church; they need love and compassion as well.

Let’s live passionately for the gospel to go forth to the nations and to all those misreached people groups as well, even near and in our own homes.

I have been in seasons where grief and sorrow seem to linger, but a prominent one in my life has been losing my father this past year within immense chaos surrounding his death. The sorrow of losing someone close, along with the grief that follows afterwards, has been real, and many days it has felt too heavy to bear. However, it has taught me to revert internally, quietly through prayer and deep meditation on the Psalms. Grief is real and heavy—yet at the same time holy. But in the midst of the grief, I am reminded that in Christ it is never the end of the story.

One day recently, as I was reading through 2 Kings, I was reminded of the story of the Shunammite woman’s journey with Elisha (2 Kings 4:8–37). This story taught me a few things about this role model of a woman who lived in an obscure village. She is generous, hospitable, organized, and faithful. Her quiet strength reveals to me that in her moments of grief and heaviness, she carries herself calmly within the chaos. She comes across as someone who is settled within herself, demonstrating her faithfulness in the hope of God’s promises. The story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman is encouraging because it shows a quiet, steady faith in God through long seasons of waiting, sudden loss, and practical everyday life. And God proves himself attentive and faithful at every point.

In 2 Kings 4, this wealthy woman from Shunem shows hospitality to Elisha, even building him a room in her home. Elisha, moved by her kindness, promises that she will have a son, though her husband is old and she herself had laid this hope to rest. She protests by saying, “Do not lie to your servant,” revealing how dangerous it feels to hope again. Yet in due time she bears a son, just as promised (2 Kings 4:16–17).

Some years later, the child suddenly collapses in the field crying, “My head, my head!” and dies on his mother’s lap. She lays him in Elisha’s room and goes straight to the man of God, carrying her grief like a burden she refuses to drop anywhere else. Before Elisha she pours out the deep ache of her heart: “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’ ” (2 Kings 4:28). This is grief mingled with confusion: “God, why give me this gift only to take it away?”

This story gives us permission to acknowledge that some grief is layered and that it is not only loss, but the loss of something you had finally dared to hope for. Also, in times of despair and chaos, we are to bring the raw, unedited questions of our heart to God without pretending. The Shunammite woman’s faith is not sentimental; it seems adamant, persistent, and yet stubborn. It is grief that is honest—faith filled with lament but incredibly restrained. On the way to Elisha, she tells those who ask that “it is well,” not because the situation is fine, but because she clings to the God who can act beyond what she sees. She refuses to leave Elisha, holding onto the one through whom God’s promise came.

Biblical lament is just like this, in that it tells the truth about pain—it feels unjust, makes no sense. Also, it allows for you and me to hold onto God through hope. “I will not let go.” She neither denies her pain nor lets it drive her away from God. How often we fall under pain, grief, or sorrow and find ourselves feeling distant from God or sensing that God is distant from us, as if he is not there, when in fact he is nearest to us.

Several Scripture passages point us to God’s assuring promises in moments of deep sorrow, pain, or heartbreak. I especially think and ponder on Psalm 34:18, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” The Shunammite woman carries the full weight of her grief into God’s presence, represented by Elisha.

It is as if she brings her heart full of grief and confusion to God. “Lord, I did not ask for this hope, but you gave it. Why does it feel taken from me? I am not okay, but I come to you. I lay what is dead in your room, in your hands. I will not run from you; I will cling to you until you speak.”

In that moment, God enters into her grief as Elisha goes with her. He shuts the door, prays, stretches himself over the boy, and he remains in the pain until life returns and God restores the child to life. Then the woman falls at Elisha’s feet and receives her son back with a gleaming ray of hope as a small bright sign in history of the God who will not let death have the last word.

In the fullness of time, God gives a greater Son than the Shunammite’s son, his own beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Where Elisha stretches himself over one dead boy, Jesus stretches his arms over the entire world on the cross. Where the boy is raised back into mortal life, Jesus rises into an unbreakable resurrection life as the first fruits of a new creation. The miracle in Shunem becomes a signpost pointing ahead to a Savior who knows grief from the inside. This resurrection is not temporary restoration but an eternal renewal, a promise that those who trust in him will share in his risen life, beyond death’s reach.

In our grief, we are not dealing with a distant deity but a crucified and risen Lord who has carried our sorrows and broken the power of death.

The story of the Shunammite woman is a relatively obscure figure in an out-of-the-way town, yet God sees her, hears her, and moves heaven and earth to meet her in her grief. This anticipates the global expanse of God’s heart in the gospel. In Christ, God’s comfort and resurrection hope are not limited to one family, one tribe, or one nation, but are held out to every people group under heaven.

Jesus sends his disciples to “all nations,” proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name. The story of one woman’s restored son becomes, in Jesus, the promise of restored sons and daughters from every language and tribe, gathered into a family where death is not final and tears will be wiped away. Specific stories like the Shunammite woman’s symbolize countless unnamed mothers, fathers, children, and communities who grieve around the world, but we remember that the cross and resurrection are God’s answer, not just to my personal sorrow, but to the sorrow of the nations. We pray that the comfort we receive in Christ would overflow in us toward others, near and far, as a witness to his hope.

“Lord Jesus, Man of Sorrows and risen King, you saw the tears of one woman in Shunem and raised her son.” The God who met one woman in her bitter distress is the same God who, in Christ, walks alongside you and me. He is the same Lord whose gospel message is going forth to all nations until the day when grief itself is finally no more.

In Isaiah 30:18 we read: Therefore, the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you.

What does he wait for? Sometimes it is for us to ask (James 4:2).

I asked God for something a few years ago and the Lord has shown his grace and mercy in abundance in answering my request. I was sitting in my living room in Beaver Falls, thinking about life. I had had yet another birthday, my seventy-fourth or seventy-fifth birthday, an age I was astonished to think of as my age—not my grandmother’s! I was also astonished at how quickly this birthday had come around. Psalm 144:4 felt so true: Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

I come from a family where many live well into their nineties. The Lord has also blessed me with good health. My financial advisor told me once that according to the actuary tables, I would live to ninety-six. Amused at the certainty insurers seemed to have about the future, I began to use that number, tongue-in-cheek, in my own plans. So, I had less than a quarter of a century left!

That afternoon, as I thought about my life in that light and about how quickly the previous twenty years had passed, I prayed that the Lord would make the last years of my life the best yet.

I knew the joy that comes from walking with Christ, and that in him even seemingly mundane things can count for eternity. In the Beaver Falls church community, I saw so many examples of older people, my peers, whose lives were beautiful models of purposeful living. They served others cheerfully and generously, they gardened, exercised, enjoyed cultural events, read books, joined book clubs, enjoyed eating out, and much more. They showed their love for the Lord and how to glorify and enjoy him in wonderfully practical ways.

In contrast to the way those friends seemed to live so purposefully in such a natural way, I felt that I was just drifting along. I had retired from teaching in the spring of 2020. For the first six months, I was undeniably mildly depressed. I recognized that, despite my stated belief that my identity was found in Christ and not in anything I did, I had been relying on my profession for much of my sense of identity and worth. The Lord showed me my need to repent of that and to enjoy my identity—in Christ.

Asking the Lord to make the last years of my life the best ones was helpful. It shifted my focus toward seeing what the Lord could and would do in my life. It gave me a purposeful attitude. A specific request I made was for my traveling days not to be over yet. As an MK, a career teacher of English as a Foreign Language, and a worker under the RPGM, living in different countries was an important part of life, something I loved to do.

I could not have imagined how the Lord would answer my prayer and allow me to do some more traveling as well.

It started with the B family, the first people to serve in the Central Asian field. I had met the family and was praying for them. I admired their courage in taking their young family to a place that seemed so dangerous. In the autumn of 2023, the RPGM put out a special appeal for people to join the B Family in Central Asia, as they had finished their intensive language learning phase and were ready to begin building a team. I waited to see who would step up to the challenge.

At the time, my pastor, Rev. Matt Filbert, was preaching through the Gospel of Luke and had come to Chapter 10. That is a key chapter relating to taking the Good News into the whole needy world. Pastor Matt took several weeks to cover the chapter, and over those weeks the Spirit did a quiet work in my heart.

As I thought about Jesus’s words, “I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves,” I sensed the security that the B family must feel in knowing that it was the Lord Jesus who had placed them where they were and would be their faithful and strong Shepherd. I thought about how intentional the Lord Jesus was: I am sending you. He sends his servants right into the midst of wolves.

I also wondered, “Is no one going to offer to go help them?” One Lord’s Day evening, as I thought about the morning message and the appeal from RPGM, I suddenly thought, “I could volunteer.” I had no responsibilities holding me back. I was experienced at overseas living. My background as a language teacher might even prove useful.

I told the Lord that I was willing to go and would wait on him to open the path ahead if it was what he wanted. I experienced a wonderful feeling of God’s approval. My decisions on life choices have usually followed Biblical principles and circumstances, with feelings playing a minor role. It was a sweet experience that evening to feel such a strong sense of God’s pleasure, as though he were smiling at me.

About three months later, I boarded a plane in Boston to fly over to this country where I have been part of the Central Asia team for the past two years. I am amazed at the way the Lord has been answering my prayer that the last years of my life would be the best yet.

What is making this time such memorable years for me is not simply that I enjoy being here. It’s a country of diversity, history, rich culture, delicious food, natural beauty, friendly people, and more. I do enjoy those things, but the most amazing thing is the way the Lord is taking me deeper into my relationship with him. It’s as though he needed to get me out of my familiar, comfortable setting to get my attention so he could show me things that needed to change if I want to experience the best years of my life. Because we are so aware of the spiritual warfare we are engaged in, we lean more into the Word and prayer. The fellowship times with other believers are deep and intentional. And, on top of all that, the Lord has graciously allowed me to be a witness for him to people who are without the hope of the Gospel.

It has been humbling to see that the Lord can and does make use of someone well past the “use by” date stamped on us by our culture. I retired at sixty-nine from serving in the church in Japan. It seemed like a proper time to retire. However, now in my seventy-ninth year, I am just waiting for the Lord’s direction. I know that wherever he takes me, I am enjoying the best years of my life!

A few months ago, a small team of us had the opportunity to go south to explore one of Paraguay’s major cities. After expressing some interest to RPGM regarding South American mission opportunities, Heather and Vince encouraged me and my wife, Emily, to consider visiting a family in Paraguay who has been involved with RPGM for the past several years. So, we quickly started planning a trip to visit, encourage, and learn about life and ministry in Encarnción. We were excited when Audrey M, a young woman from our local church, expressed a similar interest and was able to take some time off school to join us on the trip. After traveling from Toronto to Panama City, and then on to Asunción, we were met at the airport by Mario and his family and we began the five-hour drive back to their home city. During this drive we were able to learn a lot from Mario about the daily life, culture, and food in Paraguay, as well as the current ministry opportunities that Mario was involved in.

Each day Emily, Audrey, and I traveled around Encarnación with Mario and often with his family as well. We visited different historical sites, learned about Paraguay’s rich culture, and for ten days lived the life of Mario and his wife, Liza. Our trip was full of surprises. One of these surprises was that as foreigners we did not stick out very much due to the large number of German immigrants who had originally come to Paraguay after WW2 to settle. It was not uncommon to see a tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed Paraguayan speaking Spanish. We also were surprised to see how receptive people were to Christianity because of the past positive influence of the Jesuit Missionaries back in the 1800s. I would encourage anyone to read about the history of the Jesuits in Paraguay, as we found it fascinating and inspiring to learn about.

We were blessed to be a part of several outreach opportunities during our trip. The main opportunity was to join Mario and Liza for a weekly Bible study with a group of local women. The majority of the group did not come from a Christian background, but they were very open and receptive to the gospel. During one these studies, we were discussing how Jesus desires to have a personal relationship with his people. One of the ways Jesus proved this desire was by caring for the physical needs of his people and working a miracle by feeding the five thousand who gathered to listen to him. One of the women at the study, upon hearing this story of Jesus’s love for people, exclaimed, “I don’t agree and there is no way Jesus wants that type of a relationship with us.” This gave us a wonderful opportunity to explain this wonderful work of Christ and his desire to know and love his people. Another evening, we were able to do some evangelism on the local pier with Mario. In a “warm culture” context, people are much more receptive to a stranger walking up and talking with them, so this led to some good conversations and the ability to share Mario’s contact information for further follow-up.

Mario and Liza were wonderful hosts and reflected Christ’s love in their care for us on this trip. If you are reading this post, please pray for them consistently and fervently. They need our prayers as they seek to further the gospel in Paraguay, and they greatly desire to see a church formed in their city. Thank you for praying with us!

If you were in a small plane flying low over South Sudan, you would ask yourself, “Where are the people of South Sudan?” South Sudan was established in 2011, is (still) the youngest country in the world, and contains a relatively small population of 12 million people. While families are getting larger, their buying power is shrinking. South Sudan is at the bottom of the list in terms of GDP per capita, with 80% of the population living below the extreme poverty line. South Sudan is at the top of the list as the most corrupt country in the world.

Given all these overwhelming needs, why would RP Global Missions (Cush4Christ team) continue planning their exit strategy? An exit strategy was in place from the start when Cush4Christ’s work began in 2006, and exiting continues to be the plan.

As we look back on Cush4Christ’s history, we can see that the work has gone through two phases thus far. During Phase One (2006 - 2015), a national church was established, along with ministries to strengthen the church (officer training, radio, school, health training, agriculture, literacy, school clubs, etc). During Phase Two (2015 - 2025), the work was focused on deepening the theological education of the pastors, reforming worship, and strengthening the indigenous leadership of Cush Christian School. Phase Three, the final phase, will focus on bringing the church to its goal: establishing a national RP church that relies on Christ to govern, train, propagate, and support itself. RPGM workers will mentor national leaders who fully oversee both the Reformed Presbyterian Church of South Sudan (RPCSS) and the agencies that support it.

This final phase, which we are calling “Cush4Christ 3.0,” RP Global Missions will work in close cooperation with the national church leaders, their churches, and denominational agencies. RPCSS has seven teaching elders and six ruling elders who shepherd three organized churches and fourteen unorganized churches. There are also denominational agencies, such as Cush Christian School and Crossroads Training Center.

We look to the national leaders to show us how we can come alongside to help them reach their goal of a Christ-reliant church. We see ourselves as scaffolding in their building project. We laid the foundation, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:10-11) and helped build the structural walls. Now it is time to assist the RPCSS in putting on their roof and finishing the work. We pray that, in the next few years, the RPCSS will truly be ready for us to take down the scaffolding and exit, celebrating what the Lord has built through the work of our hands. From that day onward, we would continue our partnership in the gospel through prayer, visiting, and helping in times of need, just as we do with other Reformed Presbyterian denominations.

In all these things we continually pray, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” (Psalm 90:17, ESV).

Pray with us that Cush4Christ would reach this goal. We long to see the Reformed Presbyterian Church of South Sudan growing even more in depth and breadth, and bringing kingdom influence that leads to increased gospel-centered prosperity and integrity in South Sudan to the glory of God.

Would you consider going to South Sudan or do you know someone who could help in this final stage? We need spiritually mature, hardworking, and flexible people who have experience in entrepreneurial endeavors, truck/motorcycle/tractor mechanics, and farming. A range of time commitments would be from 1 month to 3 years.

Horror struck us as the massive peal of thunder rattled and shook our house. “Which tree did it hit?” I wondered in suspense. The lightning and thunder hit at the exact same time; surely it was one of ours. After a fitful night’s rest, the morning light revealed a neighbor’s massive tree, burnt and broken, lying on their roof. That was a harrowing experience, but it was a momentary fright compared to God’s dreadful power over evil.

In Psalm 18, David tells of his great need and God’s rescue. Psalm 18:6–9 (ESV) describes God’s terrifying rescue following his cry for help.

In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. . .

In David’s battle, God pulled out his heavy artillery: David’s shield and the horn of his salvation (v. 2); earthquakes (v. 6); smoke, devouring fire, and glowing coals (vv. 7–8); and hailstones and coals of fire (vs 13). Don’t forget his powerful voice!

We too are in a battle, but ours is against the powers of darkness that want to destroy Christ’s church. As he was in David’s time, God is clearly up to the battle. These formidable images from Psalm 18 bring to mind that now, in the face of the enemy’s might in the spiritual realm, our call is to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. [To] put on the whole armor of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:10–12).

Our spiritual enemies are terrifying! But God is even more terrifying in the battle against the enemy, and he is our shield and strength. So, as we send out our field workers deep into the powers of darkness, we are called to storm the very gates of hell, armed with the full armor of God: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God). We are to be “praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication” (Ephesians 6:18). We must never underestimate the power of our prayers when they are directed to the God of all power and might—the God who came to David’s rescue in Psalm 18!

David’s rescue was complete. Toward the end of this psalm, David speaks of God’s rescue: “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who rescued me from my enemies; yes, [he] exalted me above those who rose against me. [God] rescued me from the man of violence” (Psalm 18:46–48, ESV).

There’s so much more, but does this sound familiar? This psalm is about David, but it also looks forward to Christ, who underwent trials way beyond David’s (and certainly ours), who paid the price for our sin, and who was exalted above all. And now we who were once Christ’s enemies, are conquered—convicted of sin and called to repentance and new life, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We are strengthened and equipped by God the Holy Spirit to engage in Christ’s continuing battle against the forces of evil in this dark age, a victory that is secured in Christ. And we are called to be Christ’s ambassadors in this world as he gathers people out of bondage to sin into his kingdom of life.

Some of the thoughts in this blog have been inspired by Christopher Ash in The Psalms: A Christ-Centered Commentary, vol 2. In it he proclaims that “properly understood, the powerful victories of Christ (18:31–45, followed by 18:49) should stir us to a fresh commitment to the worldwide gospel mission of the church, declaring among the nations that God the Father has vindicated Christ as King, Messiah, and Lord, and calling men and women to bow the knee to him in the obedience of faith” (Ash, page 210).

In the coming months, we are sending off workers to Thailand to engage in spiritual battle there. Likely it will be a fierce battle, and we need to walk with them in deep prayer to our all-powerful God. As David prayed when faced with the “cords of death” and the “torrents of destruction,” and as Moses prayed as Israel faced the Red Sea with the Egyptians on their heels, we go to work in prayer with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit that the spiritual walls of idolatry will be brought down one day. Indeed, we pray for our field workers around the globe, looking toward that day when all nations, tribes, and tongues will praise and exalt Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords!

Commission: “To send out with a charge”

There are two distinct commissions or mandates in the Bible which we must be careful not to confuse. The first is the cultural or creation commission or mandate when God charged Adam and Eve to populate, nurture, subdue, and rule over creations.

“God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Genesis 1:28)

The Great Commission is the missionary mandate where Jesus charged the Apostles to disciple the nations as they were going, baptizing, and teaching.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19)

Both commissions are from the same source: God, who commanded them for the blessing of mankind. Both commissions are charges to go and multiply.

The cultural commission is distinct from the missionary commission. The main mandate of the missionary commission is the proclamation of the gospel, and the central goal is the extension of God’s kingdom through the establishing of churches.

Missionary church planting is not in opposition to works of mercy (ie. cultural mandate), but there is an order of priority. The ministry of evangelism ordinarily precedes and produces ministries of mercy.

God has not called us [in the missionary mandate] to go into all the world and improve agriculture, relieve medical distress or build schools. He has called us to go and plant [disciple-making] churches, which in turn become centers of improved agriculture, health and education. Educational, relief and medical work must take their place behind church planting in order of priority… We must never again allow social action to usurp the place of evangelistic ministry. Ambivalence here spawned the social gospel of a previous generation... Let’s remove all ambivalence by looking carefully at what Jesus declared in the Great Commission.”

The church is sent with one central co-mission with Christ—to make disciples of all nations. Keeping this priority of the gospel mandate is key to blessing the nations in the fulfillment of the cultural mandate.

At the start of the year, I wrote a blog post encouraging you to consider setting Kingdom Resolutions. How did you do? In that blog, I shared my own Kingdom Resolution: “I resolve to pray for the nations daily using RPGM’s prayer emails and Joshua Project’s Unreached of the Day app.” I can’t say that I met this perfectly, but I found it helpful to have set this goal to improve upon my prayer life for the nations. I’m thinking even now what my kingdom resolution(s) will be for 2026.

But before we get to our 2026 Kingdom Resolutions, let’s spend some time together recounting God’s great deeds in 2025. Too often when we pray for things God answers, we forget to circle back to thank him.

Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17–18, ESV)

Are we not just like the nine?

So, today, please join me in turning back and “praising God with a loud voice” (Luke 17:15b, ESV) for all that he has done this year!

• Thank the Lord for bringing the Blakston family to South Sudan.

• Rejoice that there has been growing openness to the Word by many in Central Asia.

• Praise the Lord that he is expanding his church in Pakistan through the establishing of a new mission church this year.

• Thank the Lord for the new members, marriages, and children that God is using to grow his church in South Asia.

• Rejoice in the Lord for 75 years of gospel work in Japan.

• Praise our Savior for opening an opportunity to start a new work in Thailand.

• Thank the Lord that we met our “May Match” matching grant.

• Thank the Lord for the provision of funds for our all-field-worker retreat in August.

• Praise God that he provided trip participants for all our short-term trips.

• Thank the Lord of the Harvest for those in the RPGM funnel who are being directed toward long-term service abroad and for those who are learning to be more effective senders.

• Rejoice in the name of Jesus for his hand of protection upon his servants who safely traveled many miles on the land, on the sea, and in the air.

• Thank the Lord for the redeeming work he has done in the lives of many brothers and sisters across the globe in RPGM’s fields and beyond!

There is much more that could be added to that list. Let me know in the comments below the great deeds of God you are thankful for from 2025. Maybe in 2026 one of my kingdom resolutions will be to remember to thank God for his great deeds more often.

Heather is Executive Director of RP Global Missions. When she's not traversing the globe, she can be found at her home in Colorado taking pictures of the sky and hiking with her dog, Pepita.

Throughout church history, Psalms One and Two have been recognized as the preface to the entire Psalter. Both are untitled and anonymous. Psalm One opens with the word blessed, and Psalm Two concludes with the same word. This inclusion invites us to interpret the whole book of Psalms through the lens of these two foundational psalms.

Psalm Two clearly proclaims the mediatorial kingship of Christ and reveals the administration of the covenant of grace to the nations. How then does Psalm One relate to this same covenantal theme?

The opening word blessed indicates that Psalm One concerns the administration of the covenant of grace within God’s covenant people—the Church. This term consistently appears in the Old Testament in connection with covenantal blessings. In the Greek Septuagint (LXX), blessed is the same word used by our Lord in the Beatitudes. Spurgeon even called Psalm One “the Beatitude of the Old Testament.” Therefore, the blessedness described here is not mere emotional happiness but the profound, covenantal blessedness of life lived under the gracious rule of God.

Just as the Beatitudes introduce the ethics of the Kingdom in the New Covenant, Psalm One introduces the worship and wisdom of Israel’s covenant life. It serves as the gateway to the Psalter, presenting it as the Torah of the heart. Ultimately, it points to the work of Christ, the faithful servant who administers the covenant of grace to his people—people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

Psalm One divides into two main parts: verses 1–3 describe the way of blessedness for the righteous, and verses 4–5 describe the way of destruction for the wicked. Verse 6 concludes with a covenantal affirmation of God’s knowledge and judgment.

The Way of Blessedness (vv. 1–3)

Verse 1 reveals the foundation of covenantal blessedness—a total transformation that begins with the renewal of the mind and leads to complete moral and spiritual regeneration:

“Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers.”

In Hebrew, the order reads slightly differently: “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or in the way of sinners he does not stand, or in the seat of mockers he does not sit.” The shifted word order places emphasis on the first phrase, distinguishing it from a simple progression and highlighting the decisive break from the mindset of the wicked. This grammatical nuance underscores a transformation of understanding—a renewal of the mind consistent with the New Testament doctrine of conversion.

The word counsel here can also mean “thoughts” or “way of thinking” (cf. Deut. 32:28–29; Prov. 8:14). Calvin and other commentators note that this points to an inward change of mind. Thus, the verse may be paraphrased: Blessed is the man whose understanding has been renewed.

Psalm One’s imagery connects closely with Jeremiah 17:7–8 and Ezekiel 47:12. In that prophetic era, Israel’s prophets had a dual role: they brought covenantal lawsuits against the nation according to the Mosaic covenant, and they proclaimed the gospel promises of the Abrahamic covenant. Psalm One, therefore, joins this prophetic call to repentance—literally, a “change of mind” (Micah 6:16; Jeremiah 10:1–3; Ezekiel 33:9, 11).

The New Testament continues this same theme. The Greek word metanoeō—translated repent—means “to change one’s mind.” In Matthew 4:17, Jesus proclaimed: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” That is, turn back your mind, be transformed in your understanding, for the kingdom has come near.

Louis Berkhof explains that when the nous (mind) is renewed, a person not only receives new knowledge but also experiences a change in moral direction and purpose. Thus, “do not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers” portrays total life transformation—spiritual, intellectual, emotional, and moral. This transformation is also mentioned in the New Testament as instructions to Jews and Gentiles alike; thus, the poetic imagery and commands are for all the recipients of God’s grace, people from all the nations.

The blessing of the covenant of grace, then, is manifested in a mind transformed by divine grace.

Delighting in God’s Word (v. 2)

Verse 2 teaches that this transformed life is sustained and shaped by love for and meditation upon God’s Word. True meditation is far more than memorization.

Matthew Henry writes: “To meditate in God’s Word is to discourse with ourselves concerning the great things contained in it, with a close application of mind, a fixedness of thought, until we are suitably affected with those things and experience the savour and power of them in our hearts. This we must do day and night…”

In other words, meditation renews our inner life and governs our outward actions. The righteous person lives according to a mind enlightened and ordered by God’s Word.

The Tree of Life (v. 3)

The passive verb in verse 3 indicates that the tree “has been planted”—intentionally and purposefully. It is not a wild tree growing by chance but one set by streams of water for fruitfulness. The imagery portrays divine care and placement. The righteous, likewise, are planted by the Lord within his covenant community—the Church. The “streams of water” symbolize the Word and Spirit of Christ.

Matthew Henry interprets these streams as the means of grace through which believers receive continual nourishment. Berkhof similarly notes that the Word and sacraments are the only appointed means of grace—objective channels through which Christ ordinarily communicates his life to his people.

The tree’s fruit and leaves thus symbolize faith and its visible evidence. Though it experiences seasons of trial, it continues to bear fruit through divine preservation. The tree represents the regenerate life—rooted, nourished, and sustained by the grace of God through his Word and Spirit.

Ultimately, this tree points to Christ himself—the true “Blessed Man.” He is the perfect Righteous One who fulfilled God’s law without sin and who now administers the covenant of grace to his body, the Church, creating “one new man” from Jew and Gentile alike (Ephesians 2:15).

The Way of the Wicked (vv. 4–6)

Verses 4–5 contrast the righteous with the wicked, echoing Christ’s teaching in Matthew 3, where the wheat is separated from the chaff. This contrast is both warning and comfort: warning the elect to walk humbly in sanctification, and comforting them with the assurance that Christ reigns over his covenant people.

Verse 6 concludes: “For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.”

The word perish stands in deliberate contrast to blessed in verse 1. The psalm thus begins and ends with the two great outcomes of covenant life: life or death, blessing or destruction. The Lord’s knowledge of the righteous is his covenantal faithfulness—the promise that the Mediatorial King will bring his people (all his people!) to final transformation in the eternal kingdom of God.

The Psalter as the Fruit of the Righteous

The entire Psalter should be read through the lens of Psalm One. It reflects the renewed minds of those who live under the blessings of the covenant of grace. The Psalms are the spiritual fruit of those whose hearts delight in God’s law—fruits produced by the Holy Spirit in due season. Psalm 119, especially, reveals this inner world of meditation, delight, and devotion to the Word of God.

May we seek to bring the Covenant of Grace to the nations, that Christ’s kingdom around the globe may take delight in the law of the Lord to the praise of his glory!

Buddhism searches to solve the problem that the God of the Bible has solved for us.

Siddhartha, the historical figure that Buddhists consider to be “the Buddha,” reminds me of Solomon in the Bible. But while the two have their similarities, their conclusions were starkly different.

Siddhartha and Solomon were both royalty who lived in the lap of luxury and had everything they wanted or needed—or if they didn't already have it, they had the means to attain it. They both wondered if there was more to life than “stuff.” They also both pondered the meaning of suffering.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon states that many things are vanity, a chasing after the wind, and that there is nothing new under the sun. He had grown tired of his luxury. Siddhartha thought that maybe if he owned nothing, he would find the meaning of life. He walked away from his luxury. Solomon and Siddhartha both saw that “stuff” is not the answer—things cannot give life its meaning.

Siddhartha saw suffering as evidence that our desires and attachments are getting away from us. He taught that if we desire less (lower our standards), we'll never be disappointed. Nirvana, a state where we desire nothing and do not suffer, becomes the ultimate goal, though it may take several lifetimes to achieve it. Ultimately, Siddhartha (and Buddhists) seek a way to escape suffering.

Christians, too, look forward to the end of suffering. However, the Bible teaches that suffering is God's way of sanctifying us to make us more like him. The Bible also teaches us that we will never achieve perfection, even if we had many lifetimes. We need perfection in order to live forever in heaven with God, where suffering ceases. Blessedly, God sent his one and only Son, Jesus, to live a perfect life for us and die an agonizing death (the ultimate act of suffering) as the final sacrifice for our sins.

Siddhartha was right: our desires and attachments get away from us. We are all proved to be sinners, and we are all in need of a Savior. The answer is not to try harder, to think and act the right way, to earn enough merit, and to reach Nirvana after one failed lifetime after another.

The answer is to admit we cannot reach perfection, and to repent of our sins, and to believe that Jesus died for our sins.

Solomon had a similar psychological crisis to Siddhartha. But he found a different answer, one that was outside of himself. Ecclesiastes ends with his conclusion: “The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). What does fearing God entail? It means bowing to his Son and accepting him as savior.

Siddhartha needed to realize, as Solomon did, that he can never achieve Nirvana. The most amazing thing is that the God that demands perfection is the same God that sent his Son to die for us because we can’t achieve perfection. Once we believe this, we will want to live a better life out of gratitude to God for our salvation rather than as an attempt to earn His favor. We need Jesus for that.

Tara W. is a recent RPGM Explore participant and member at Westminster RPC near Denver, Colorado.

We are encouraged to welcome the unreached in our midst—neighbors and international students and refugees—into our homes. That can be intimidating! “I don’t have a big house or nice things, and I don’t know how to be a good host or hostess.” All that might be true. But what might they, or any guests, really expect or desire?

I saw a “how-to” headline recently that said something about perfecting our hosting. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I rarely actually read articles—the summary notes are good enough for me—but I saw this as an interesting article. The night before, I had received a phone call from a friend who said she was passing though my city and would like to drop by. When she called, I was actually driving home from dropping off nieces and nephews at their homes after a very busy VBS day. The theme that day had been dressing up as if a bear had gone through our campsite and we were just wearing what tattered clothing we had left (yes, I entered into the theme and was dressed accordingly). Of course I said to my friend, “Sure! Come on over! And I’ll make us some dinner.”

When I arrived home, I realized that my third-trimester pregnancy brain had neglected to remember that grocery shopping was important and my house was a complete mess. The dining room table only had open spots for my husband and me. I barely had time to meet my husband at the door at our house and briefly explain that my friend was almost at our home. Oh, and we needed to serve her dinner with a few ghost cans of food in the pantry.

The evening was great. No one cared that we had chicken and rice with vegetables and that everything came from a can. No one cared that I had to clear a space at the dining room table. No one cared that I was wearing a very old, large t-shirt and my gardening pants that have permanent stains on them. We had a wonderful and encouraging time. And it was imperfect hospitality.

These situations have happened to me time and time again, and I’m so thankful for that. Hospitality doesn’t have to be an Instagram-picture-perfect event. We can be welcoming to those in our churches and neighborhoods, and to those here temporarily or permanently, by just being kind and welcoming others into our lives. We can witness to those in our communities by opening our lives and our messy homes to them. We talk about this often when thinking about witnessing to refugees and international students, or to neighbors and family. Often people are searching for a community and come from cultures of great hospitality. What a huge opportunity we have to welcome them into our imperfect homes. Sometimes we don’t even have homes to welcome them to, so we practice hospitality at church!

Welcome the visitors, sit with people who are not talking to anyone else at church lunches and activities. Even if you are by nature more shy, sacrifice that to welcome others. And yes, I’m saying that as someone who is quite introverted by nature, but have been practicing being welcoming.

First Peter 4:9 says, “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” I wasn’t always good at that as a child when the day before or day of having people over it was a mad dash to have everything clean and perfect for people to come over. I grumbled a lot then, but I slowly learned the joy of hospitality, especially when it is imperfect.

The 1 Peter passage goes on to talk about everyone’s gifts. This is important when talking about “imperfect” hospitality. Everyone has their own skills and talents. I am not the best baker in the world, but that’s ok. I don’t have to make some fancy home-made dessert. That’s a limitation I have and that is great! I don’t have a huge house and yard that can hold tons of people, so we host small groups of people, or we just spill out over the yard and house and use camping chairs. There is a man at our church that faithfully picks up other church members who either don’t have rides or are struggling with personal things to make sure they all get to church on Sunday mornings. He shows wonderful hospitality to men who just need a friend, who just need someone to reach out to them and be hospitable. He isn’t showing up in a limo to pick them up. We use what we have, we work within our skills and talents, and we think about how we can sacrificially adjust our lives to be welcoming to those in our communities and lives, to show them the love of Christ.

Welcoming people doesn’t have to be a picture-perfect hospitality event. Don’t let perfection or the stress of perfection keep you from welcoming neighbors or internationals into your life. Welcome them into the imperfection. Welcome them into the need of grace.

Our family returned from Thailand just one month ago, and many friends have asked us how the trip went. If I had to choose a single word to describe our trip, that word would be confirming. Although we still face many uncertainties as we prepare for next year’s transition to Thailand, God has graciously given us one certainty we need most at this moment: Thailand is indeed the place where he is calling us to serve. That single certainty outweighs every uncertainty.

God confirmed his calling through this trip in three ways.

First, he showed us the spiritual emptiness of the Thai people. On our first visit to Thailand, we caught a glimpse of the country’s spiritual darkness in the countless idols that filled the streets and homes. This time, God deepened our awareness through personal encounters. We spoke with people on subways and university campuses, in malls and cafés. Despite limited English, many were eager to converse—some even admitted their disillusionment with Buddhism. One Buddhist man told me that although he faithfully visited temples and offered sacrifices, he knew that ultimately he had to rely on himself to gain salvation. The Buddhist teaching of emptiness can only lead to more emptiness of heart—a void that can be filled only with the fullness of Christ. God has opened our eyes to see Thailand as a harvest field, full of empty, lost souls. If it is not harvested, it will rot and die.

Second, God’s confirmation came through our children. When we first arrived in Thailand, they grumbled and complained a lot because of jet lag and the intense heat. We walked every day from subway station to destination, and a 30-minute walk under the blazing sun felt like a death march. One of our kids asked with exasperation, “Why did we come all the way to Thailand to suffer?” Yet as days passed and they tasted more of Thailand, their attitudes changed. By the end of the trip they were asking with excitement, “When are we going to move to Thailand?” What an encouragement to see God use this trip not only to prepare our hearts but also our children’s hearts for the work ahead.

Finally, God affirmed our calling through a teammate’s decision. She began the trip unsure whether to serve in Thailand or elsewhere, and we were careful not to pressure her as she was seeking to discern God’s guidance. Near the end she told us, “I’m not sure if this is good news or bad news for you, but I’ve decided to join your team.” Truly, it is God who works in us, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

So, this trip was profoundly confirming, yet we know doubts will return when sickness, conflict, hardship, or opposition arise, and we will start to wonder, “Did God really call us to Thailand?” But even in seasons of doubt, we can be sure that God will work in new ways to confirm his calling for us. He who calls us is faithful; he will surely do it.

Our lives are busy. Between work, chores, pets, church life, soccer practice, school, toddlers, you name it—distractions are everywhere. Adding another thing to think about to the never-ending list can seem overwhelming. So how do you include missions in your everyday life?

Well, I’m not an expert in the matter, but maybe some of these suggestions can give you ideas for including missions and missionaries in your everyday life.

For our Japan, South Sudan, South Asia, and Pakistan 1 fields, prayer cards are available. Just ask us for a set or a stack for your church. Hang them on a refrigerator or in a frame on a wall. Our mission field workers also have prayer cards that can be used in the same way. You could also make a flip book with the pictures of fields and missionaries. Use a hole punch in each card, add a ribbon or book ring, and there you have it. Flags, globes, or even art from fields can welcome missions into the home. Some have found that adding a clock that is set to a time zone found on a field can also be helpful for keeping the nations in front of you!

Why would someone add art or pictures of others on their walls? It can help remind you to pray for the nations, our fields, and missionaries. Often, when I’m opening my refrigerator to make dinner, I notice the faces of the RPGM missionaries and it reminds me to pray for them, even if it is brief.

Recently my three-year-old nephew was on a quest to earn money doing chores. He wanted to give that money to missionaries for the Kid2Kid campaign. He asked me in his little three-year-old way if he could help me with chores so that he could earn money. He was learning so much in that moment: how to give generously and how to work hard. What a brilliant idea my sister had. . .and my nephew loved filling his jar with coins to be able to give generously. We can make decisions around our budget so we can give more generously, and we can instill a spirit of generosity into our children.

Another way to include missions in your life and your family’s life is to make a point of attending missions talks at church and read updates aloud or at least talk about them as a family. This is a way to stay up to date and to encourage missionaries. When I was growing up, my mom read missionary stories out loud to my siblings and me which really instilled in us an interest, awareness, and love for missions. Another way to encourage missionaries is to respond to their update emails or send them emails occasionally—birthday messages and simple greetings. Feel free to share with them about what is going on in your own life, as well, as sometimes being on the field can be isolating. You may get a response, but don’t expect it. Perhaps they will receive your greeting on a hard or discouraging day.

We have all been blessed by God for a reason—to be a blessing to others in big and small ways. Who can you bless today?

Growing up in another country as a missionary kid can bring a range of experiences. There are fun, special opportunities that a missionary kid gets to have, but there are also some unique challenges and hardships that go along with living that life. That’s why these kids need your prayers and your encouragement. I want to tell you about one specific way that you can pray for the missionary kids that are growing up in South Sudan, Central Asia, and the other countries where the RP Church has missions.

As I think back to my time living in South Sudan as one of those kids, I really wish that I had recognized and understood that God had placed me there for a reason. The Lord has a purpose for us, even as kids! He doesn’t just put kids on the mission field because their parents are there working with the church, but because he wants them specifically to be there. He wants them to be a part of the work, sharing the good news of Jesus!

While there are many different ways to be a part of the mission, directly engaging with local kids is important. I regret not doing a better job of this in my older years on the mission field, and now I recognize that it’s a special way that God can work. By befriending and witnessing to other kids, MKs can show them how the message of the gospel isn’t just for adults, but also for children. Like many things that are important, this can be difficult and intimidating, and thus it takes courage.

So please pray that God would open the eyes of those children he places on the mission field to understand why he has them there. Pray that he would give these kids a desire to help in the work and give their parents wisdom to know how to involve them.

Hello! My name is Jonah. I'm a missionary in South Sudan. We left Melbourne, Australia, on January 30th 2025. I’m 12 years old and turning 13 this year. I have four siblings: two brothers and two sisters who are still in Australia. I’m the youngest child. It’s disappointing to be away from family for so long but my friends here in South Sudan feel like family to me. I like travelling and I get to do a lot of that. We go to Uganda every three or four months and I've made some friends who also feel like family there.

I do school in the mornings, usually until twelve o’clock. It’s been raining recently, which is really good, but no rain is enough. On Sundays we go to the local church, which is not in English, so we have team church on our compound with our fellow missionaries, the Smiths. Saturday is usually the busiest day because so many people come to work and say hello. I play a lot of soccer with friends and every Friday I go to the Cush Christian school to play soccer with them.

I take pleasure in playing with and looking after the Smith kids. Isaiah is nine, Alexander is five, and Eva is three. When it rains we can get pretty dirty. My hobbies are listening to music, reading books, playing soccer, playing games, calling my friends in Australia and driving in the Land Cruiser with Dad.

• Please pray for more people to come and visit us.

• Please pray for my family in Australia.

• Please pray for new friends for me.

Feel more than welcome to come and visit. We would all appreciate it very much.

Children of immigrants in the United States have been stuck in an unusual paradox for generations. The story goes a little something like this: the parents of the children move to a new country to escape the hardships of their homeland, the children are either born or raised in their new homeland, and the children of these immigrants face many new social hardships. Is this sounding familiar?

Well, this just so happens to be my story of growing up Pakistani in the United States. My mother moved from Karachi, Pakistan to the United States 22 years ago with a dream for her future and her family. A few years later my father relocated to the U.S. from South Korea to be with my mother and me as our family continued to grow.

My father is a missionary to Pakistan, but he lives in the US and goes back twice a year. Being a missionary’s kid meant not only hearing A LOT about missions, but also getting to see the behind-the-scenes work that goes into training and preparing for missions. This experience gave me a deep appreciation for all the amazing work that missionaries do.

However, this also left me with an unanswerable question. I often get asked, “Abby, what would you consider to be your homeland? I mean, what do you like better, Pakistan or America?” First of all, when did so many people become The Riddler? Secondly, this question has haunted me for almost 20 years and the answer is a bit more complicated than just Pakistan-or-America.

While I was born and raised in the US, I have always been surrounded by Pakistani culture. Growing up among white Americans, I was ashamed of my culture. I hated bringing my cultural foods for lunch to school because they were apparently “smelly” and made people fake vomit. (I distinctly remember begging my mom to buy me Lunchables for field trips.) I hated my “ethnic looks” and longed for the straight, blond hair of my friends. I hated the fact that kids used to look at me weird whenever my family would speak Urdu. I really hated being Pakistani.

On the other hand, I was not Pakistani enough for my family. If I refused to eat the food my mother prepared for dinner after school, I was losing touch with my culture. If I asked for an allowance, I was being ungrateful for the work my family did to get here. I hated being American.

As you can see, it’s a win-win situation.

I dealt with this back and forth for many, many years. As I grew older, I became much more appreciative of my Pakistani heritage. I appreciated the time and effort my parents put in to keep our culture alive for my brother and me. I appreciated the love that my father had for Pakistan and his willingness to train pastors and deacons to make a change in their country. I appreciated the values of South Asian culture and applied them to my own life.

As I continue to grow in my walk with Christ, I appreciate the fact that I don’t have to choose my homeland here on this earth. I appreciate that no matter my citizenship or culture in this world, I will always be a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom. Philippians 3:20 states, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

I often tell people I grew up on a plane. I was born in a mission hospital in Kenya and two weeks later was on a plane bound for a little village in Sudan, the place that I would call home. We landed on a little dirt runway, and were driven to our hut which was just outside the Wonyjok market. I lived in the hut till I was two, before moving into a larger brick home that would be our home for the remainder of my childhood in South Sudan.

The hut came with its challenges, which included keeping the snakes out of our home. At one particular time my mother spotted a tree snake, which was not one of the venomous snakes, slithering through the grass thatching of our hut. She tried to snip the neck but was unsuccessful, and the snake made a quick getaway. A few days later, while doing homeschooling with my brothers, my mother spotted me, an unknowledgeable toddler, playing under the table while grasping a live snake in my hand. She quickly killed the snake and after closer inspection, found out that it was the very same one she had previously tried to kill. This is just one of the stories God has shown himself to be so gracious in the midst of dangers which surrounded us in the village.

People often ask me what it is like growing up on the mission field, and frequently I don’t know how to put it into words. It was the greatest blessing in life. A life growing up on the mission field is one that I would never trade, even when it comes with pain. Though I was young, leaving South Sudan permanently was one of the hardest days of my life. My family and I experienced reverse culture shock during the first few months in Canada.

There’s a very real pain that comes with being an MK. It’s the fact that I don’t know where my home is. Though I’ve become accustomed to having two “homes,” there is still the struggle of feeling out of place in both Canada and South Sudan. With this pain of feeling lost comes a reminder that the earth is not our home. Philippians 3:20 (ESV) speaks of this exact truth, which I often need to remind myself of: “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Through living on the mission field for the first few years of my life, I learned the deep reality that I am not made for this earth but for an eternal home with my Savior.

I also was exposed to the spiritual battle that is so evident on the mission field. I saw my parents living by faith day by day, trusting in God during the hardest times. I witnessed the presence of the Holy Spirit giving wisdom to our team. And I watched the committed church members of our village who came every Sunday praising the Lord, even in the midst of poverty and suffering.

So, to sum up what it’s like being a missionary kid, it can be really challenging to have two lives in two different worlds, but God has used those years both here and there to greatly impact me and bless me—showing me a clear view of his mighty hand at work.

Amina W is a senior in high school who lives in Ottawa, Canada, and is a member of the Beckwith RP Church. Amina hopes to return to the mission field long-term.

I love listening to my husband read the Bible during family worship, but aside from reading my own Bible during my personal devotions, reading isn’t my thing. And I’m not compelled to pick apart a book doctrinally. But last summer, a book grabbed hold of me!

Along with sixteen high schoolers, my husband and I had the opportunity to lead the ECHO missions trip. For two weeks, the eighteen of us worked hard in the hot sun during the day, and then in our evening study time, together we read aloud Living Life Backward by David Gibson. I think the subtitle gives it a lot more definition: How Ecclesiastes Teaches Us to Live in Light of the End.

The whole point of the book is a call to stop playing pretend and to understand that we are all going to die. . .at least one day. So how should we live in that light? I will admit it: I like to have a to-do list that I can check off. Sometimes I look to the future and remain so focused there that I do not see the blessings God is giving me now or the ways he is calling me to serve him now. In doing so, we miss the life that God has given us to live here and now.

In a world of 401k’s and “when and if I get. . .” it is so easy to get too caught up looking ahead, or so focused on small things that they become too important in our lives. Quickly, idols can build up in our lives, even at a subconscious level. We idolize our own health, our own finances, our own family, our own friends, our own piety, and our own ability to provide for our families without realizing that one day we are going to die and leave nothing behind. Our health will be gone because we will be dead. Our finances will be paid in taxes and spent by others who may or may not make good decisions with them. Eventually our families will forget us. (Not trying to be critical here, but how well do you know your great-great-aunt Mabel? How much of your time do you spend talking about her?) Our friends will get other friends, and they will die soon, too. Our piety—well,  when we face judgement, we will find out if our hearts were in the right place or if we were just being pharisaical so we could look down on others. Whatever provision we are able to leave our families will be meaningless.

As bleak as this may sound, hopefully it propels us to see our lives as they really are—short times on earth with an opportunity to shake off the world’s perspective on how we should live our lives and use God’s perspective.

David Gibson ends his book quoting Paul’s words in Philippians 1:21:

“For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Paul knew that in Christ, living and dying mean a win-win. We can labor for Christ while we live, and we can live with Christ when we die. Your death and the judgment to follow—the great fixed points in your life—are the very things that can reach back from the future into today and transform the life God has given you to live. David Gibson, Living Life Backward

In an earlier blog, “Is Self-improvement Holy Work?”, I wrote about making resolutions and setting goals. What does it mean to do worldly “self-improvement” in a way that honors Christ? It left off on a cliff-hanger: How can we pick goals that are in line with God’s priorities?

The Bible is full of guidance on this topic.

First, there’s Christ’s command to the apostles, the Great Commission:

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)

We—every member of the Christian Church—inherited this command and its associated promise since we are members of the Body of Christ, the Church. Christ commissioned each one of us to this responsibility.

In Revelation, John was given a peek into heaven. What is waiting for God’s people after history is done?

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10 ESV)

That’s the Lord’s goal: People from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages! A great multitude! All of us, gathered together, proclaiming the glory of the Lamb who brought us there. God has determined that this will happen, and God will accomplish all his holy will.

Young sums it up like this:

. . .this is our calling, the task of Christ’s Church for this age. . .We are to bend every effort, expend every energy, and make every sacrifice for the spread of the gospel to every nation and tongue. (John M. L. Young, Missions: The Biblical Motive and Aim)

I myself am not a missionary living in a foreign land engaged in cross-cultural gospel work. Chances are you aren’t either. Are we disobeying God in the Great Commission simply because we’re “here,” not “there?” Not necessarily, because God gave us all different roles in the Body of Christ.

Remember the lesson in 1 Corinthians 12:14-20:

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

If everyone was called to go to foreign fields and labor as evangelists, pastors, and church planters, it would be as silly as lungs trying to be feet, shoulders trying to walk, ears trying to be legs. Not everyone in the Body of Christ gets to be the beautiful feet, the bringers of good news to the nations! If you’re not appointed to be a go-er, then you’re to be a supporter.

My fellow supporters, let’s “bend every effort, expend every energy, and make every sacrifice for the spread of the gospel to every nation and tongue.” Let’s commit ourselves (all in!) to the task of supporting missions. Let’s do our appointed work as skillfully and energetically as we can. Let’s mobilize fellow supporters, make plans to pass the work on to the next generation, imagine new fields and frontiers, and trust God to use our time, energy, focus as he ordains. Let’s work together in order to bring all God’s children home to heaven.

Krista lives in Colorado Springs with her godly husband and two teenage sons. She savors language and enjoys the many ways simple words can be crafted—from literature, to clever puns and silly dad jokes, to deep-diving discussions of grammar and linguistics. (Favorite poem: Prayers of Steel by Carl Sandburg; How can you tell when a joke is grown up? When it becomes apparent; Dependable small-talk topic: favorite part of speech.)

Suffering and discipleship are synonymous.

Simply resisting the devil with a firm stand in our faith—this is suffering (1 Peter 5:9). The summons to discipleship (Luke 9:23) is a call to suffer for, with, and in Jesus. The essence of discipleship is encapsulated in these words:

When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. —Dietrich Bonhoeffer*

● ● ● ●

As we look at the life of Jesus, we can only expect that the lives of his disciples will exhibit a cruciform shape. Jesus taught his disciples to anticipate the same kinds of suffering he did as they follow in his footsteps:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. . .A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me.” —John 15:18, 20–21

● ● ● ●

The apostle Peter suffered, and he wrote his first letter out of this experience of suffering for Christ’s sake.

You are blessed in suffering.

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled. . .” —1 Peter 3:14

You are being sanctified through suffering.

“Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin. . .” —1 Peter 4:1

You are being strengthened by suffering.

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.” —1 Peter 5:10

● ● ● ●

The apostle Paul, who was chosen to suffer for Christ (Acts 9:16, 2 Corinthians 16:16–33), writes in his letter this call to every faithful Christian who suffers.

You can expect suffering.

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” —2 Timothy 3:12

You can have eternal hope.

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” —2 Corinthians 4:17

● ● ● ●

Missionaries may face greater suffering than most, but the promise of comfort and glory awaits them—along with those they led to Christ.

You were made for this.

Suffer with Christ and for Christ that many would come to know Christ.

*Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, (New York: NY, The MacMillan Company, 1963).