USA (MNN) — The new year is off to a tumultuous start in the United States. Last week’s Capitol Hill riot resulted in five deaths and at least 70 arrests. Now, authorities in state capitals are preparing for possible violence next week. An FBI memo warns of plans for armed protests around Inauguration Day.
“I’ve been wrapped around the political issues – I think we all have – and we have different thoughts and convictions on how we feel things need to go. However, it’s a good reminder that our citizenship is in heaven,” Ethnos360 President Larry Brown says.
Headquartered in Florida, Ethnos360 is the U.S. branch of an international alliance of church planting organizations. It’s also a member of the Alliance for the Unreached.
While being aware and informed of current events is useful, some topics and issues can create separation in the Church. “Division [is] something that the enemy has used for centuries [because] it’s very effective. The enemy wants to do anything he can [to] distract our combined efforts as the body of Christ in reaching unreached people groups,” Brown explains.
Using Hebrews 3:1 as an example, he suggests believers keep their ultimate focus on Christ.
“There’s a much, much higher calling that God has invited us to participate in; let’s focus our energies there.”
The Great Commission: a “much higher calling”
Shortly before He ascended to heaven, Christ instructed His followers to “go and make disciples of all nations.” Despite all the modern advances in our world today, one in three people have no access to the Gospel or a church community.
You can help change that on May 23, 2021: the International Day for the Unreached, or IDU Sunday. The Alliance for the Unreached uses IDU Sunday to catalyze a movement, uniting churches, organizations, and individuals around the cause of reaching every unreached people group on earth with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“There’s a lot of excellent organizations that are having very good ministry with the unreached,” Brown says. See a list of groups here.
(Photo by Edwin Andrade on Unsplash)
“You can’t look at God’s Word too long before you realize His passion is to reach and give an opportunity to these [unreached] people, so they also have access to the Gospel.”
Above all else, pray; prayer fuels the work of missions. Use the prompts listed alongside this article to guide your intercession.
“[Pray for] wisdom and discernment; the world is not becoming a friendlier place,” Brown requests.
“We know where the (unreached) people groups are, but we find that our ability to [access them] is becoming more difficult.”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Ben White via Unsplash.
