From the Coordinator: Facing Spiritual Attack

God has richly blessed MTW’s kingdom-building work across the globe, and we rejoice and thank God for the great works He has done and is doing.

At the same time—I don’t think it is coincidental—we are experiencing what I believe is spiritual attack. We have had an unusual number of emergency medical evacuations, surgeries, and trips to the ER among our missionaries, staff, and even CMTW members in just the past few months. Painfully, too, we have also had missionaries expelled from their countries of service in the past few years.

Sometimes our missionaries have been forced to leave by a repressive or hostile government refusing to grant or renew their visas. Other times, they have been evacuated due to political unrest, war, or other active dangers. These expulsions have accelerated, corresponding with a rising tide of nationalism across the globe. I consider this, too, a spiritual attack.

What then must we do—as MTW, as the Church, and as individual Christians?

1. We must be creative.
Even when a foreign government makes it illegal or difficult to openly serve as a missionary, the Great Commission remains and we are still called to go. There is a growing need for businessmen, artists, and professionals of all sorts to take jobs or set up businesses in “closed countries.” Integrated into a country’s economy and workforce, they have a legitimate means of getting and staying in, and an incredible platform from which to minister and share the love of Christ.

2. We must be flexible.
When missionaries with years of hard-won language skills and cultural experience are forced to leave their country of service, they often return to the United States unsure of how to use these skills and questioning what has become of their calling. Can the church and PCA ministries stand ready to continue supporting these missionaries and help place them in new positions where their skill sets and passions can be put to work? For example, a missionary with a decade of experience in South Asia could be wonderfully effective serving in an American church plant located in a diverse neighborhood heavily populated by South Asian immigrants.

3. We must honor their sacrifice.
A number of our missionaries who had been expelled from their countries of service described the process as “a death.” As is related in “Kicked Out,” the cover story for the Fall/Winter issue of Network magazine, this process of being torn away from friends and calling can be devastating. We cannot downplay or gloss over this trauma. These missionaries have faithfully followed the Great Commission to the ends of the earth, and returned with honorable wounds, earned in service to the King. Honor them. Listen to them. Serve and empower them.

4. We must have courage.
In the face of persecution, trials, and tribulations, our call remains clear. Challenged, we must rise—not from our own strength, cunning, or works, but through Christ for Christ alone.

In all of this, we can still trust God’s sovereignty—and rejoice. His kingdom is coming. I trust you’ll see that in all of the stories we tell.