Establishing the Church of Jesus, where there was No Church.
Jesus told us as His followers to make disciples of all nations (all people groups), but yet there are still nearly 7,000 UPG's (unreached people groups) in the world, and nearly 2.9 billion people in the world that live without access to the Gospel. Such is the case of a certain city in North Africa, this city has 250,000 inhabitants, and never has there been a follower of Christ in this city; that is until 3 and a half years ago. Connect Global was able to help send a Venezuelan family of 5 to this city. E. is a sports instructor, his wife M. is a beautician that teaches woman how to cut and style hair, and have opened a beauty salon. This has allowed them to form many relationships in their city.
It has not been an easy road for this Venezuelan family, there have been times that their monthly support has not arrived, and this have literally lived off of prayer for food, their children have been persecuted for their Christian faith, and having a special needs son has made it even more difficult. But their determination to obey the command of Jesus to make disciples of all peoples, to take the Gospel where the Gospel has not yet been preached is stronger than even all of the hardship they have suffered, and now God has rewarded their faithful obedience.
I had the opportunity to be with E. and M. in El Salvador last week. They have been in their home country of Venezuela for a little over a month now (their first visit back home in 3 and a half years) working on paper work for their special needs son. They have been able to speak at several churches we mentor in Venezuela, and in Colombia and were able to speak a Global Focus Youth Training event in Guanare, where they met pastor Josue Villanueva from El Salvador, and he invited them to participate in the Global Celebration of his church last week. It was there that they were able to share with me how God has been working in their city.
One of the lady's that we have visited on numerous occasions when we have taken teams to work with them, she and her sister have recently come to faith in Christ! Also, several months ago E. was in an internet cafe, sending some emails, when a 26 yr. old young man engaged him in conversation, and part of the conversation he told him how he almost became a Christian. Because of that conversation, E. started a relationship with this young man and 6 months later J. is now a Christ follower as well! So in a city where the Gospel had never arrived in 2,000 years of Christian history, now this year, for the first time there are now 3 Christ followers from this city. The church of Jesus Christ is being born in an area of the world, and in a people group where it has never been formed! Praise be the Name of Our Lord; Alleluia!
How does this happen? How does a city in a restricted access country, where it is illegal to convert to Christianity, does the church of Jesus Christ emerge? This tells us that the greatest power for good on the face of the planet is the power of the Gospel to transform the hearts of men everywhere. There is no power that is able to stop the Gospel of Christ.
There are 2 words that describe how this process takes place, it does not matter if it was in the times that the book of Acts was being written or if it is today with all of the difficulties in taking the Gospel to certain areas of the world. The 2 words are: Obedience and Sacrifice. Without these 2 words it is impossible for unreached people who have lives generations in darkness and without hope to hear the good news of salvation. These are the 2 fundamental words in fulfilling the Great Commission of our Lord Jesus Christ.