“Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!”
–Psalm 96:2-3
At the beginning of this month, I went with a team to visit some workers that live amongst unreached people groups. It was a unique experience where the Lord allowed me to see things He has been teaching me in a tangible way. One example being: unpacking what God’s glory means (i.e. what it is, the weight it carries, etc.). Another being: the importance of the body of Christ working together to glorify God.
The majority of the world’s unreached people groups live within the 10/40 window. This is a geographical region spanning from North Africa to the Middle East and into Asia. These areas can be restrictive of Christians, have harsh climates and living conditions, and be hostile towards the gospel and those that share. However, unreached people groups live there and do not live in areas where the gospel is well known; nor are there many believers within their population to tell them. So, we pray, go, and send.
There are no “earthly” reasons or comforts that would draw someone to go there. The only sustaining motivation for moving to these areas in order to share the gospel to a people that do not know Him is: the glory of God. When it is revealed to us how worthy God is of praise, we can’t help but worship Him, and it compels us to share with others about who He is, so that they can then worship Him with us. He desires to save and be praised by peoples all over the world (Psalm 67:2). He has graced us with a part in this, to be used by Him simply as vessels for His gospel to be shared and His name to be glorified.
This reality was made clear to me during my time in Asia. The workers I met reiterated this to me as well. If we were to listen to the desires of the flesh or personal comforts, there would be little reason to live a life surrendered sharing the gospel among those that do not know Him. Yet, that’s the beauty of it. If everything in our flesh and this world do not agree, then it must be God and God alone who is at work within us (Ephesians 2:8-10). It’s only by His power alone that we do anything good. His character alone deserves rejoicing. Simply because of who God is, He is deserving of all worship and praise and glory. The glory of God is the sustaining motivator for life as a Christ follower (1 Corinthians 10:31). It is the sustaining motivator for worship, the sustaining motivator for the mission of God.
In the time we spent in Asia, the Lord also allowed me to be reminded of the importance of biblical community and how the body of Christ can work together to glorify God. As Christ followers, we must first be dependent upon the Lord for strength, but in his kindness, he often gives us other believers to work with and to do life together in our pursuit of living for Christ. It was a unique experience to see how the workers I met in Asia had different personalities and gifts, but they worked well together as they depended upon the Spirit.
It was also neat to see the body of Christ in action through prayer and encouragement. We spent a lot of our time there in conversation, encouraging one another, speaking truth from God’s word to one another, and lifting one another in prayer. It was a precious time to just talk about what God is doing, and it was a reminder to me that God is at work across the globe. In the area where we visited, biblical community has to be proactive because there aren’t churches on every corner. Therefore, they have to be intentional about consistently encouraging one another and pointing each other to Christ and His truth when times are trying. Although we may not physically be there with the workers all the time, we too can encourage them here through continual prayer and be active in participating in the Great Commission wherever we are.
An experience such as this is often hard to articulate, but those are a few of the things that the Lord reminded me of. I think they are important in the walk of all Christ followers: to glorify God with our lives, share the gospel with those who do not know Him, depend on the Spirit when doing so, and encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ here and around the globe.
May the reality of the gospel in our own lives not grow dim. May we live with open hands, surrendering to where He leads. May our hearts break for the lost to know Jesus. And may the motivation of our worship, actions, and life be to glorify our God who is worthy.