December 05
As You Go, Make Disciples
You, then, are to go and make disciples….
Matthew 28:19a, J.B. Phillips Translation
Danny’s childhood hero was his Uncle John—a jungle explorer it would seem, and to many, a man’s man. Danny’s eyes would bulge at the sight of the huge tiger pelts his uncle lugged home on his occasional visits. Uncle John hauled other prizes back to the States for Danny and his family to marvel over—a fourteen-foot snake skin one of the most memorable. These visits—the stories, the jungle treasures—would impact little, blond-headed Danny for years to come.
In young Danny’s eyes, John was an adventurer. In reality, John Newman was a serious-minded missionary to a remote people group in the mountains of Vietnam. John spent years getting to know this mountain tribe—living with them, working beside them, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. By the time he was forced to leave in 1975, over 22,000 of these people had given their lives to Christ, but even more important, John left behind a self-sufficient, thriving body of believers. Recent reports indicate over 58,000 now follow Christ— testimony to John Newman’s twenty years of tireless work with this remote people group. But that’s not the end of the story. You see, John’s service inspired and motivated Danny to dedicate his life in a similar way.
Today, Danny Martin is the International Director for the Mission to Unreached Peoples, an outreach that oversees 170 full-time missionaries in over 20 countries. So one wonders, while John reached thousands for Christ in one harvest field, how many others has he impacted by influencing a little blond-headed kid?
Influencing others for Jesus Christ and His kingdom is what our Lord’s Great Commission is all about. While we may not influence thousands for Christ in remote jungle mountains, we can impact the people we see and meet every day. It means following Jesus’ example and loving them. It means trusting Him that they might find new life in Him. That’s all God asks of us.
So … who is in your sphere of influence? Why not pray for them today?
Father, open my eyes, help me to see the great need people all around me have for you. Open my heart that I may serve you and so touch the lives of others. Amen.
As You Go, Make Disciples
You, then, are to go and make disciples….
Matthew 28:19a, J.B. Phillips Translation
Danny’s childhood hero was his Uncle John—a jungle explorer it would seem, and to many, a man’s man. Danny’s eyes would bulge at the sight of the huge tiger pelts his uncle lugged home on his occasional visits. Uncle John hauled other prizes back to the States for Danny and his family to marvel over—a fourteen-foot snake skin one of the most memorable. These visits—the stories, the jungle treasures—would impact little, blond-headed Danny for years to come.
In young Danny’s eyes, John was an adventurer. In reality, John Newman was a serious-minded missionary to a remote people group in the mountains of Vietnam. John spent years getting to know this mountain tribe—living with them, working beside them, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. By the time he was forced to leave in 1975, over 22,000 of these people had given their lives to Christ, but even more important, John left behind a self-sufficient, thriving body of believers. Recent reports indicate over 58,000 now follow Christ— testimony to John Newman’s twenty years of tireless work with this remote people group. But that’s not the end of the story. You see, John’s service inspired and motivated Danny to dedicate his life in a similar way.
Today, Danny Martin is the International Director for the Mission to Unreached Peoples, an outreach that oversees 170 full-time missionaries in over 20 countries. So one wonders, while John reached thousands for Christ in one harvest field, how many others has he impacted by influencing a little blond-headed kid?
Influencing others for Jesus Christ and His kingdom is what our Lord’s Great Commission is all about. While we may not influence thousands for Christ in remote jungle mountains, we can impact the people we see and meet every day. It means following Jesus’ example and loving them. It means trusting Him that they might find new life in Him. That’s all God asks of us.
So … who is in your sphere of influence? Why not pray for them today?
Father, open my eyes, help me to see the great need people all around me have for you. Open my heart that I may serve you and so touch the lives of others. Amen.
posted by Craig Soderquist at 10:10 AM
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