Missions & Martyrdom

Original article was posted on PIONEERS website on August 27, 2007

Missions & Martyrdom
How do we balance risk and responsibility in world missions?
by Steve Richardson

Steve Richardson is President of PIONEERS-USA For more information on PIONEERS, visit http://www.pioneers.org/.

A Korean short-term mission group of 23 were taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan recently. At the time of this writing two members of the group have been killed, and the lives of the others remain in jeopardy. Our hearts go out to these hostages and to their families. We pray with them for a speedy release.

This tragedy is yet another vivid reminder of the cost of doing mission in today’s world. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” Do we really believe this? Are we willing to pay the price?

Growing up in the jungles of New Guinea in the 1960s, I witnessed first hand the great cost of the mission advance in hundreds of tribal cultures. It was a cost paid in sickness, sweat and tears. I knew martyrs like Stan Dale and Phil Masters, killed by the Yali tribe, and others who lost their lives in airplane crashes in the unforgiving New Guinea highlands.

What can we learn from the experience of our Korean brothers and sisters?

1. There is still a high price to be paid for the advance of the gospel in unreached areas. This has not changed in 2,000 years, and it never will.

2. There are many places in the world, especially in Muslim regions, that do not enjoy the freedoms we take for granted. The lack of liberties and suffering of Christians in these countries should be a major concern to all of us.

3. Churches should pray for much wisdom when planning to send short-term teams to volatile places. I’ve traveled in Afghanistan and sped across the desert into Baghdad, Iraq in 2003. I have felt the dangers first hand. While risks will never be eliminated entirely, there is value in association with an experienced mission organization that has knowledgeable personnel on the ground to advise and protect.

4. Prayer is absolutely essential. Any major advance of the gospel comes only through victories won in the heavenly realms.

5. The “fear factor” must never prevail. We must serve courageously and boldly, joining the ranks of those who by faith “conquered kingdoms, administered justice and gained what was promised ... ” (Hebrews 11:33).

May God give His people wisdom and courage to stay faithful in a dangerous era.

Steve Richardson is President of PIONEERS-USA For more information on PIONEERS, visit http://www.pioneers.org/.