A Journey Of Faith

God has a timetable when He deals with humanity. Solomon tells us that there is "a time to be born" (Ecclesiastes 3:2). That's true not only for all of God's creation but also for the work He wants to do in each generation.

The Journey Begins

During the last year of my pastorate, I received a burden and call from God to give the rest of my life to reach the millions of unreached people in the nations of Asia with the Gospel. The year was 1979.

I prayed and fasted for God's specific leading and timing, and as a result, our Tuesday evening prayer meeting was born. The main purpose for this prayer meeting was to seek God's guidance for every new step on this journey of faith we had just begun. Our Tuesday evening prayer meeting still continues today in all the nations where we work, both in the East and West.

Back then, it was my wife, Gisela, our little boy, Daniel, and a handful of God's people. Today, tens of thousands around the world join us as a family and as a community of Christ called to impact this generation.

Three Decades into the Journey

Our journey of faith took us beyond anything we could have imagined. I am astonished and grateful at what God has allowed us to do over these past 30 years. Today, thousands of Christian workers serve the Lord in 10 Asian nations. Several thousand students are training for the Lord's work in 58 Gospel for Asia-supported Bible colleges. At least a dozen churches are born every day. Gospel radio broadcasts in 113 languages are heard by millions, and over 30 million pieces of Gospel literature are produced and distributed each year. 70,000 of the poorest children are cared for in Bridge of Hope centers. And our dedicated workers bring hope and social development to slums, leprosy colonies and other desperately needy communities.

Space will not allow me to share about the dozens of other outreaches that are making new strides.

Often I ask myself with amazement, "How did it all happen?" From God's side, it was His presence, mercy and grace that went before us and sustained us. And from our side, it was following Him by faith, one step at a time.

God Has a Blueprint for Our Journey—and for Yours!

Today, people around the globe are shaken by the economy and politics. They live in fear of the future and with uncertainty about their private lives. Fear also seems to be the reason why so many of God's people hesitate to embark on their own journey of faith, especially when He asks them to trust Him for each step they take. They would gladly be willing to invest their lives in winning the lost world for Christ, if only they could see—before they start—how this journey unfolds and ends. In other words, God's promise, "I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5), looks far too vague of a guarantee to risk all and follow Him by faith.

Let me encourage you from Abraham's life.

The Lord told Abraham to leave his home and fulfill a specific purpose. God did not spell out the details of his journey or show him a blueprint of the future. Yet Abraham had the God of the future as His friend and guide.

And so it has been for us at Gospel for Asia in our journey of faith.

God has a blueprint for our journey and for yours! Even if He doesn't show it to us ahead of time, we can trust Him completely. Jesus, who purchased us with His own blood and made us His sons and daughters, will also take care of us—for we are His own.

The Journey Continues

Looking at the Great Commission, there is still so much left to be done. Until Jesus returns, these are the dreams I will live for: First, I want to see thousands of workers trained and sent out among the unreached. Especially in light of the recent elections in India, sharing the love of Christ with the nearly 300 million Dalits has become an extremely significant opportunity.

And secondly, I want to help at least 500,000 children from the slums and the Dalit and backward castes receive hope for this life and the life to come. The movie Slumdog Millionaire accurately described the plight of child laborers in India who come almost exclusively from these communities. (With India having the majority of about 250 million child laborers worldwide, that comes to millions of these children!)

It is worth it to continue this journey of faith and give our all to reach those who are lost, for whom Jesus died.

Come with me. Let us continue with Him who gave His life for us. Don't stop. Let nothing hinder you from running the race and completing your journey of faith.

This battle will not be very long. He will wait for us at the finish line. We will see Him, and He will embrace us, and then we will be with Him forever.