To the Ends of the Earth: Reaching the Unreached — Tuesday
Ephesians 1:15-17
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (NIV)
While in Japan, I met a guy who went by the name of Creed. He was from America and had married a Japanese woman. He is currently the pastor of Mustard Seed Hiroshima. Creed was our first host in Japan, and after talking for a while, we found out that his wife came to Kentucky for college and came to Christ at CSF, the same place where I found the Lord six years ago. Creed and his wife are now boldly preaching the gospel in a city of almost 1.2 million people.
As I reflected on Creed’s story and my own as well, I was reminded of Romans 10:12, which says, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” Each and every salvation story starts with someone bringing the good news to you. If we want people to know Jesus, we must tell them about Jesus. Our partners in Japan have the same task that you and I have been given by Jesus Himself: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19).
The missionaries at Mustard Seed are equipped with the same Holy Spirit as us. They read the same Bible and pray to the same God. They are doing the same work that Americans in ministry do around us every single day, but it looks different. Some of them are working in a country they did not grow up in, and some of them are working in cities far away from their families. While they may be across the world from us, we should lift them up in prayer, just as Paul modeled for us: “...ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.” For all of us—the global body of Christ—are in this together, working to grow His kingdom and make His name known everywhere.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Today, I want us to pray for the missionaries in Japan. We will use Paul’s words in his letter to the church in Ephesus to start our prayer:
Father, today I ask for You—the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father—to give the people ministering to the country of Japan the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that they may know You better and be able to introduce the people of Japan to You.