Beloved in the Lord,

Christmas and New Year Wishes for 2025

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests! (Lk 2:14)

For some time, a question has been preoccupying me that is to do with the culture of mission that developed over the course of centuries, and that contrasts strongly with the profound lethargy and casual attitude that we see nowadays,

when it comes to God’s own interests. This essential question being, how was it that Christians living barely two hundred years ago carried a burden for lost souls that was so intense, that they were prepared to make a venture into the unknown that meant sacrificing everything?

Those journeys they undertook were all too often one-way ones with no going back, taking place in exceedingly difficult conditions, and with travelling trunks serving as coffins if necessary. Missionaries worked among sometimes hostile populations, with efforts to bring the light of the gospel interspersed with tragic incidents and episodes. A number of these people never even reached their destination.

As I work on our last quarterly newsletter for 2024, I feel a need to share this burden that I have. Certainly, the times have changed. These days, not only is travel infinitely quicker and easier, but you do not even have to go any long distance to encounter pagans. And yet this in no way guarantees that we feel any real concern for the salvation of our next door neighbours or others who cross our path.

Concerning this, we state our conclusion here that the work of mission rests on three fundamental principles that we must be active in pursuing :

1. Intercessory prayer
Mission starts with intercession. In Psalm 2:8, the Lord promises to answer prayer made for the nations. Jesus himself told his disciples to intercede for the raising up of workers to care for his lost sheep (Matthew 9:37-38). The harvest of souls depends on the prayers of God’s people, for salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit.
Without support in prayer, there is a real risk that workers may abandon the mission field, while others may even lose their lives. In these times of challenge, do God’s children understand that prayer truly makes all the difference, causing fruit to multiply and speeding up the rate of divine interventions?

2. Workers in the field
With the passage of time, missionary engagement appears to have become ever more of a diminishing asset. The situation is particularly critical in the case of Unreached Peoples, where both the spiritual and socio-economic needs remain immense.
Not only is the number of missionaries diminishing, but contributions in support of the work in these regions are insufficient. Yet Jesus declared : « This good news 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). God is still looking for workers. May his children be alert to the Spirit’s call : « Whom shall I send ? »

3. Support of all kinds
God has always provided for the needs of his work. He called on the Israelites to give freely and gladly to the construction of the Tabernacle and later the Temple. In the same way, the earthly ministry of Jesus was supported by committed women.
The members of the Body of Christ are called to work for the the advancing of God’s Kingdom, using the blessings that he has given them. Let us invest in God’s business and interests: the work of mission needs prayers, it needs hands to do the work, but it also needs the material and financial means. If we truly and sincerely seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, he will care for us (Matthew 6:33). Let us get past our natural anxieties and projections of what the future may bring, and serve the Lord with the resources that he has given us.

In conclusion
May the culture of mission develop and be at the heart of our churches, to enable God’s children to hasten Jesus’ return. May the salvation of souls become a priority in our personal schedules and community programmes. God’s Spirit is at work. Let us arise to do his work with him, leaving the Lord himself to take care of our legitimate concerns.

Missionarily yours, A.B.