What they don’t tell you about internships

WHAT THEY DON’T TELL YOU ABOUT INTERNSHIPS

Our culture heavily promotes utilizing summer internships. What are the truths and benefits behind internships? Are internships worth your summer?

Summer was formerly a magical time. As children, we dreamed of summer days filled with sleeping in, homework-less nights, and family vacations. I remember the anticipation that filled my soul as my classmates and I anxiously awaited that final bell to sound. Yet, now in young adulthood, we have quickly replaced these juvenile summer dreams with time-consuming ventures called internships. As a college student, your time is valuable and during your college years, there is no more strategic of a time than your summer breaks. We have taken this valuable asset (that could be well spent on fun, family, or missions) and we have swiftly given it over to furthering our careers with internships. I am not saying that all internships are bad, but if we have forfeited other great possibilities, then what we gain from an internship instead must be worth it, right? In these following paragraphs we will attempt to look at a culture that heavily promotes utilizing summer internships and discover the truth and benefits behind its actual value.

Are Internships Beneficial?

Studies show that 70% of employers offer former interns full-time positions following their time spent with the company [1]. Graduates with internship experience are paid on average 9 to 13% more than their peers who had no experience [2]. This means that with internship experience, you will likely get paid more and will find it easier to land a full-time position. However beneficial an internship is, choosing to refrain from getting one doesn’t mean that you will be jobless and living in your parent's basement post-graduation. There’s only a 16% increase in job offers for those who had internships over those who didn’t [3]. Summer internships are without a doubt extremely beneficial in career development, but having a successful career (or even a comfortable one) is not solely dependent on having an internship. 

In our generation, there is an obvious expectation for young adults to climb the ladder of career achievements. Recently, I was chatting with a college student and I asked him a simple question, "How many voices do you have in your life encouraging you to take an internship this summer?” He quickly responded with a laundry list of people, "My friends, my mom, multiple of my professors..." Influential people in his life!

After his list seemed to arrive at the finish line, I asked him a follow-up question, "How many voices in your life are encouraging you to pursue an opportunity that will mainly focus on your faith this summer?" This question was met with a long pause. This student definitely had people in his life pushing him to be faithful in his relationship with Jesus; however, it's clear where he felt led to go.

He could point out obvious indicators that those around him valued internships yet, indicators promoting missions or ministry were scarce. I'm afraid that many young Christians are feeling this same pressure.

Since 2013, at least 60% of each graduating class did an internship or a co-op [4]. However, a recent study that analyzed 360,000 college graduates found that there's a 38% chance that you will have a career that is outside of your degree [5]. That’s a 73% chance that your career path will not relate to your college major at all [5]!

Overall, this means that an internship may not be as helpful as we thought. Combining this reality with the fact that 53% of college graduates leave their job within the first year makes me fearful [6]. Fearful that our future leaders in the church and our society are quickly climbing a ladder that we will soon abandon altogether.

 Ministry vs Internships

When deciding how to spend our summer break, it can be far too easy to view ministry and our future career as standing in opposition to each other. The truth is, God’s will for your life is likely not at war with your career. On the contrary, God may be aligning your skills and his desires to walk hand-in-hand in order to leverage your career path to make God famous.

The sovereign God of the universe could use your career to strategically place you in positions to proclaim his name and share his unmatched love with the lost world! Honorable and God-glorifying work often earns you a platform to speak, and with that platform, we can proclaim Christ. While an internship could be the most strategic option, we must also be willing to admit that maybe it isn’t. Sometimes, God may want us to lay down building up our future career altogether to do something different for his Kingdom.

Maybe instead of an internship, you need to give your summer to focus on your relationship with Jesus; that could be exactly what you need to grow. The natural disposition for most college students is to analyze what they might lose if they were to refrain from doing an internship. Yet, we can’t forget about the incredible opportunities we may forfeit by participating in one. The cost of following Christ is that you will lose things:

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself?’” (Luke 9:24-25).

What we do with our summers or lives may not receive approval from others or gain “the whole world,” but gaining Christ is worth it, no matter the cost. So, we must be strategic with our summers. Your time in college has the power to set you on a specific trajectory for the rest of your life. Many options could be very strategic for you to consider doing over the summer.

 Go for a Summer!

One avenue is that most college ministries have excellent summer projects that are designed to equip and send you out on a lifetime of mission. Now, a summer project isn’t guaranteed to radically change your life, but spending multiple weeks with Jesus as your sole focus with a community that is doing the same typically has radical effects.

Another avenue to join God this summer is to go overseas on a short-term mission trip. There are 3.28 billion people in the world today that will likely never meet a Christian, read a bible, or hear the true gospel [7]. Whether it would be one week, one month, or the entire summer—join God in revealing his amazing grace to those who have yet to hear it.

At the end of the day, when all the research is finished and both perspectives have been considered, the question we must ask ourselves is not: will an internship be the most beneficial option for me? Instead, the question we must pose to ourselves is: will an internship be the most faithful thing to God?

We all would love a holy equation that could magically calculate our next step or that God would send a divine being who would descend from the heavens to direct us on our way. Luckily God, in his divine nature, often chooses not to intervene in such a way. I say luckily because amid these massive life decisions, we don't always find an answer. Instead, we find something (or someone) much better: Jesus. If God answered our most crucial life decisions in a magic eight-ball fashion, he would rob us of experiencing the wonderful dependency that we often find as we navigate the treacherous roads of life with him as our guide. 

I cannot confidently say that taking an internship is the right or wrong path for you; however, I can speak with the utmost confidence in Matthew 28:19: 

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

God has called each of us as believers to join him in making disciples among all nations. There are many marvelous ways in which we can do this. That summer internship shouldn’t solely be about your career, it should be about your heart and God’s mission. We must wrestle with our hearts and seek our Lord as we make all decisions—including how we invest our summers.

Reflect

If you’ve made it to this point of the article, take some more time to reflect. There’s a high chance that you have already processed how an internship could benefit your career, but your life is much more than your career. I would like to give you a few practical questions to walk through as you process how to utilize your summer:

1. If I do an internship, who am I doing it for: myself, my family, peers, or God (Galatians 1:10)?

2. If I do an internship, how will it benefit me spiritually?

3. What will I miss out on (or lose) if I do an internship? Is that worth it?

4. What alternatives are there to do this summer instead of an internship?

By Gunnar B.

Gunnar has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Fall 2020. He is a graduate from the University of Central Arkansas where the Lord captivated his heart for the nations. His heart is to see college students mobilized towards taking the story of Jesus all over the globe. 

[1] “70% of employers offer former interns full-time positions following their time spent with the company”

https://career.ufl.edu/gain-experience/internships/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/education/edlife/former-interns-tell-how-they-landed-a-first-job.html

https://career.ucsd.edu/employers-recruiters/policies/

 [2] “Graduates with internship experience are paid on average 9 to 13% more than their peers who had no experience." 

https://comparecamp.com/internship-statistics/

https://www.zippia.com/advice/internship-statistics/

 [3] There’s only a 16% increase in job offers for those who had internships over those who didn’t.

https://comparecamp.com/internship-statistics/#:~:text=Completing%20internships%20increases%20job%20offers,only%200.98%20jobs%20on%20average.

 [4] Since 2013, at least 60% of each graduating class had an internship or co-op. 

https://www.internships.com/career-advice/basics/internships-by-the-numbers

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/when-to-apply-for-internships 

[5] 360,000 college graduates found that there's a 38% chance that you will land in a career that is outside of your degree and a 73% chance that your career path will not relate to your college major at all. 

https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/staff_reports/sr587.pdf 

[6] 53% of college graduates leave their job within the first year

https://www.ozy.com/news-and-politics/if-you-think-youll-stick-with-that-first-job-a-while-think-again/87071/

[7] 3.28 B unreached www.thetravelingteam.org/stats 

 All verse translations are CSB

Acknowledging Apathy

ACKNOWLEDGING APATHY

when you don’t desire God’s global mission

A Not So Relaxing Day in the Park 

It was a beautiful day in a sunny little beach town on the east coast. Birds were chirping and a cool breeze set the temperature to just about perfect. A group of my friends and I were walking past a park when something shining caught my eye—a metallic object in a man’s hand. I began to analyze the object and while my brain processed what I saw, it hit me. I realized that the shiny object was a knife and all of a sudden, the beautiful day felt a little less bright. Now that I had seen the knife, I could not rip my eyes away. My group of friends and I started following the man. No doubt everyone was planning in their heads how we should stop him. While we were thinking, we saw where the man was headed. He walked straight towards a picnic blanket with two college-aged girls having dinner.  

The sense of urgency in the park went up a thousand-fold as the situation went from bad to worse... there was no one in between the girls and the imminent danger. We moved faster towards the situation when one of the girls finally saw the man for the first time and she shouted. He hesitated because of her shouts and he turned around only to realize that our group of friends were closing in on him. At this sight, he hustled away and it allowed us time to get to the girls and make sure everything was okay. After this, our group split; some of us went after him and called the police, while the others stayed with the girls and waited until law enforcement arrived. 
 
This was a real event that happened to me and my friends. Yet, it dawned on me since this event that it was just a small-scale example of how we can view the missional world today. We can identify ourselves and others in the story if we look long enough. 

 The Bigger Picture 

Not too different from the girls in the park, there are groups of people in the world who are in impending danger. Some see that danger coming while others will be blindsided by it if there is no alarm sounded. However, this danger is much worse—this is an eternal danger—a separation from God for those who don’t believe in Jesus. Those amidst the danger? The three billion unreached peoples located in the 10/40 Window; those who have little to no access to the gospel to believe it. Believing in Jesus is our only hope, including those who are facing this danger; therefore, someone has to share the gospel with the unreached. Otherwise, they may never have the opportunity to experience a relationship with Christ and have eternal life in him. 

In the park, there actually was someone who never made it into the story. Someone who stood by while everything unfolded. Someone who saw the situation but did not jump in to help: a cadet from a local military college. He watched the entire situation go down, but instead of intervening; he was content playing with the drone that he had brought to the park that day.  

In the situation itself, this was concerning, but the terrifying reality is that there are people who are in a similar situation when it comes to the unreached. The danger is urgent, but why are there so few Christians intervening? We have heard the need, we know the mission, and while we may look the part, many of us haven’t taken action. Many of us choose to be a bystander. The bystander Christian: an apathetic Christian. Only now, the consequences are eternal. Following Christ was not meant to be a uniform we just throw on in the morning for appearances, but a real calling to reach the lost world. We were not meant to be the bystander. God has invited us to be part of the story; to be those who are not content standing by and watching the situation unfold, but to take action and intervene. 

I’m going to ask you a question that’s hard to answer: are you the cadet? Have you seen the need but you have a hard time desiring to take action? Perhaps you have even been hit by “The Bystander Effect,” and believe someone else will intervene instead. I hate to say it, but the truth is there may not be anyone else. Only three percent of the world’s long-term missionaries go to the 10/40 window, and for every $100,000 that Christians earn, only about a dollar and seventy-five cents is given to reaching the unreached. Do not choose to be out of the story. 

This is not a time of condemnation but a moment of evaluation. It’s okay if you have a hard time caring about the world, but it’s not okay to never try to care. If you are tired of struggling to care for the things that God says he cares about or you feel like you are missing some part of the greater picture, then I have good news. You can begin fighting that apathy today! While there is no outright cure for apathy, there are things you can do right now to see God change your heart for his global mission. 

Step 1: Pray for God to Change Your Heart 

No number of actions, steps, or challenges will matter if the Holy Spirit does not intervene in changing your heart for the world. Ask Christ to help you fight against apathy and see what happens! He has a pretty good track record of changing hearts. He changed Saul’s heart about being king (1 Samuel 10:9). He changed Paul from someone who killed Christians to someone who preached in Jesus’ name (Acts 9:1-31). He made you a new creation if you found salvation in his name (2 Corinthians 5:17). Don’t try to muster up affection on your own, because you can’t. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can your heart be changed (Psalm 51:10). 

 Step 2: Understand “The Calling” 

“I’m just not called.” This is probably the number one thing heard when someone is looking to escape the invitation into God’s heart for the nations. Truthfully, while not all of us are “called” to cross an ocean with the gospel, we are all called to care about the nations. God loves the world so much that he sent his own son to save it (John 3:16). God loves the world, but then we see that we are commanded to love the world too. Jesus clearly invites us to love and care in The Great Commission texts (aka: The Great Commands) to see his name carried all over the world. Understand that caring about the nations is not a matter of being some “super-spiritual" follower of Christ but being an obedient one. Once this is understood, it can take the pressure off of us; no longer do we have to figure out if the world is something we should care about. Now, we get to joyously say, “God, would you teach me to care like you do?” 

Step 3: Cultivating A Heart 

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Most things do not happen all at once but are slowly built over time, including cultivating your heart for something. Usually, the things we care about the most are those that we consistently place in front of ourselves. When you don’t often see or interact with something, it’s easy to lose heart for it. Whether it's a book, a hobby, a friend, or anything else, the number one way to multiply your affection for something is to spend time with it.  

So, spend time thinking about or looking towards the nations: 

1. Sit in the scriptures and passages that reference the way God cares about the rest of the world. There are thousands of verses to start with. Here is a list of a couple. 

2. Pray for the world and specifically for the unreached. Use the Unreached of the Day app by Joshua Project. Every day, they post an unreached people group and give specific ways to pray.  

 Step 4: Take Action 

Caring about the nations is not just about the end goal but about the process. God will finish the Great Commission and he wants to use his followers to do it! None of us will ever love the nations as much as God, because he is God. Yet, he still invites us to care and get involved. So, while we may never be perfect, that does not excuse us from trying. Begin to cultivate your heart and then take action. For more practical next steps on how to get involved and be a World Christian click here. 

Lastly, I want to ask you: where do you want to be now? All nations will be reached one day and I don’t want you to miss out on being a part of that. Joining God’s global plan simply requires a series of small steps and asking God to make a big impact. Begin to care about the nations and take the first small step today.  

By Mason Willett

Mason has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Fall 2020. He is a graduate from the University of Central Arkansas. Mason has a passion to see God’s heart for the nations spread to college students and the church.

Making gains for gospel influence

MAKING GAINS FOR GOSPEL INFLUENCE

How exercise and eating habits can either hinder or help your global witness for Christ

I want to start off by saying that though I have been walking with Christ for six years, I have only been a physically healthy person for the last year and a half. I’ve used eating as a form of escapism; running from responsibility and into the arms of a donut. I have struggled with and lost to the sin of gluttony. I’ve stuffed my emotions by stuffing my face.  

But not only eating, I have also lost to the sin of laziness. I’ve had periods of weeks and months where I refused to wake up to my first alarm (or even my fourth snooze). I’ve abused gifts and blessings that God has given me to celebrate and turned them into an unhealthy lifestyle. Cakes, coffees, coffee stouts; if you can name it, I’ve had one too many. What I mean to say is this: don’t think you’re reading an article from a guy who has always prioritized his health to the glory of God. 

But two years ago, right around the time, I began working for The Traveling Team, one of my closest friends was home on Christmas break from a missionary training program in Mexico. I asked him about his day-to-day experience, and I was shocked to learn that he and all his classmates were doing CrossFit in the wee hours of the morning on a daily basis. His training program has this crazy notion that to be a missionary, you need to be in decent shape. 

As I read the New Testament, I’ve been struck by Paul’s commands to believers in how we are to treat our bodies. For instance, in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul says: 

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.  

He then goes on to make this point in 1 Corinthians 10:31: 

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

Unfortunately, there was a time in my Christian walk when I believed that how I treated my body (diet, exercise, sleep, etc.) had no relationship to my spiritual health. I was seriously misguided. In fact, Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 4:8: 

...for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way. 

For years, I would come to this verse and I would read it correctly but interpret it incorrectly. In my mind, this verse meant: bodily training is of no value, but godliness is of value in every way. But that’s not what the verse says. It actually says that bodily training is of some value. This is not a comprehensive call to vanity. I hope and pray that we repent and abstain from self-discipline for the sake of worship among our peers for how attractive we are.  

What I hope to show is that Paul’s exhortations about how we treat and live in our bodies can have serious implications for our lives and ministries today. Especially if our aim is as lofty as going overseas long-term for the sake of the gospel being preached to all nations. I don’t believe this list is comprehensive, but I hope you see the importance of being physically healthy to the glory of God. Here are three major reasons that bodily training is of “some value:” 

First: Your Body is Different Than, But Not Disconnected from Your Soul 

Bodily training (including healthy eating and getting adequate rest) is of some value because your body is different than but not disconnected from your soul. Ponder this: you have never done anything outside your body. It sounds obvious, right? But we have never: prayed, read our Bible, meditated on promises, sang praise to God, shared the gospel, preached a sermon, led a bible study, or partook in communion or baptism without our bodies and minds being engaged.  

Exercise can even strengthen the power of our minds; therefore, aiding our Bible study, memorization, and meditation. In a study done at the University of British Columbia, researchers found that “regular aerobic exercise, the kind that gets your heart and your sweat glands pumping, appears to boost the size of the hippocampus, the brain area involved in verbal memory and learning” [1]. Having good eating, exercise, and sleep habits is no guarantee of spiritual health, but it can certainly aid in your pursuit of knowing and treasuring Jesus Christ. 

Second: God Sees the Soul, But Man Sees the Body 

In John 7:24, Jesus tells his followers: 

Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. 

Jesus is saying that it is problematic and wrong to judge by appearances. It’s not good; in fact, it’s bad. But the fact that Jesus is saying this should alert us that Jesus is assuming his followers have been judging others by their fitness, clothes, and beauty. This is the way the world (twisted in sin) works because man judges by the body.  

Therefore, if your intention is to take the good news of the gospel to those who are lost, we need to consider that they are lost and will judge us according to what they see (our body), not according to what God sees (our soul). Even as followers of Jesus, we often are quick to judge and show partiality based solely upon looks. I am by no means endorsing, excusing, or justifying this corruption. As I stated earlier, this is not a call to vanity. This is not a call to waste one’s life pursuing a perfect beach body for the sake of building a following of people who could lust after and envy our looks. The goal is to remove any barriers that a person might have when hearing the gospel coming out of our mouths. 

These reflections changed my outlook significantly. Are signs of gluttony the first thing someone sees when he or she looks at me? Is laziness or sloppiness obvious in my personal hygiene? Is it clear to anyone who looks at me that I do not try to take care of myself?  

How does this change your outlook? Do you look like someone who honors this temple of the Holy Spirit that God has blessed you with? Do you look like someone who believes that they were made in the image of God? Do you appear as someone who knows that you were bought with a price? 

Third: God’s Mission is Physically Tough 

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus turns to his disciples and says: 

 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me…  

He is making a tough point. In this life, there will be many hardships—physical and spiritual—if we would be followers of Jesus. Are we prepared to take those burdens on? 

During college, I got to take a six-week mission trip to the 10/40 window with my campus ministry. I was excited to go but I was wildly unprepared for the physical toll that a foreign context would exact on me. It was 100+ degrees and a minimum of 60 percent humidity. I was walking roughly 7.5 miles per day. I had no access to hot water for showering and only during sleeping hours could we run our rooms’ air-conditioner. I lost 22 pounds without trying. My body was adjusting but I think if I’d been better prepared beforehand, I could have focused more on the gospel opportunities instead of finding ways to get comfortable. Physical preparation is equally as important as spiritual preparation.  

Before an astronaut is launched into space, they must undergo an extreme amount of physical conditioning. Their discipline in diet and exercise must be perfect. They do so in the hope that they will be launched off this earth and out of the atmosphere into a radically different environment: space. They must train radically because their bodies are accustomed to the atmosphere on earth. Their body was perfectly adapted to the conditions they lived in before. In order to prepare for a wildly different environment, they must put their body through serious strain and work so they don’t completely fall apart when they get into space. 

In a less dramatic but similar fashion, a person taking the gospel to a different place will need to prepare for a new environment, challenges (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) that they’ll meet. In fact, this has real implications if we wish to go overseas to be a witness of Jesus Christ to peoples who have never heard of him. I got a small glimpse of the implications when I was in the unreached world and I wasn’t even there for two months. Think of the wonderful comforts and blessings that many of us have grown accustomed to living in our home country. Many of us are blessed with cars, air-conditioning, smart phones, overnight shipping, streaming services with every show imaginable, one million food genres and options, electrical power, internet access available everywhere, and more. 

But to go overseas to a vastly different environment to reach an unreached people group, you might be sacrificing several or most of those comforts. Have you stretched yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually to be able to endure such a feat? Making a Spirit empowered effort to live a healthy life is honoring and pleasing to our God. It can positively impact our pursuit of knowing him, remove stumbling blocks for unbelievers coming to faith, and make us resilient to stand firm for the gospel in this nation and among all nations. 

1 Corinthians 10:31:

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 

By Will Watson

Will has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Spring 2020. He is a graduate of the University of Arkansas. His passion is to see the next generation of World-Christian goers and senders raised up to finish the Great Commission.

[1] Godman, Heidi. “Regular Exercise Changes the Brain to Improve Memory, Thinking Skills.” Harvard Health, April 10, 2014.

All Scripture comes from the English Standard Version, published by Crossway. 

Making Muslim Friends

MAKING MUSLIM FRIENDS

From Ghuraba’ to Aishab (From strangers to friends) 

As a young adult, you could be in one of the most strategic times and places in the world. There are people coming to the United States for education, jobs, and opportunities. This is why there are over one million international students studying in the U.S. each year and over half of them are from the 10/40 Window [1]. God loves the nations so much that he is bringing the nations to us and they could be sitting across from you in class. Now, not every one of them will be a nonbeliever or from the 10/40 Window, but your chances of being someone’s access to the gospel for the very first time are pretty high. What a privilege this is! What a gift it is to live in a place where we can freely practice and share the good news of Jesus with those who may have had no access to the gospel before. This means that you are in one of the most strategic times and places to share the glorious gift of the gospel!  

Making an international friend is just like making friends with anyone else; it’s as simple as that. Befriend them, invite them into your life, and share the gospel with them because that is what you do with your friends and others that you care about. No matter where they are from or their religious background, just become friends with them! For this article, I want to speak specifically to anyone who desires to do ministry with Muslim international students. I want to give you five starting points when it comes to cultivating a relationship with people of a Muslim background and how to navigate spiritual conversations with them. Remember, there is no magic equation or process to developing a relationship with a Muslim international student. Each person is unique and individualistic; therefore, your relationship with them will be unique. They are people that are also created in the image of God and who he cares deeply for. Be sincere, humble, patient, and honest. 

1. Go to God before you go to Man. 

Before we jump in, our hearts need to be in the right place, so we need to start with prayer. Our goals and intentions should be to show Christ’s love for them and to share the saving grace of the gospel. We have the Lord’s ear and we can pray and ask him to do inconceivable things (1 Peter 3:12). Pray that God would give you eyes to see Muslim students on your campus or in your town; that you would see them how he sees them. Pray that God would give you opportunities to befriend them. Pray that you would have the opportunity to have spiritual conversations with them and that you would be able to share the gospel with them. Pray that they would trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sins. We pray for things that we care about and we care about things that we pray for. Allow God to shape your heart for Muslims through prayer. We cannot do anything apart from Christ, so ask him to go before you and to use you powerfully through the work of the Holy Spirit.  

2. Be in it for the long haul.

Often, discipleship is not quick with Muslims. With most Muslims, it is a long process of introducing them to Jesus and Christianity. Most have deeply rooted beliefs, so expect that it will take more than just a few gospel conversations for them to put their trust in Jesus. This is not a matter of a head problem, but a heart one. It can be a long process from knowing something to believing something, so be patient and persistent as they are in the process. It is not light decision to turn away from Islam to Christianity. There is much freedom that comes with the gospel, but it also comes with many ramifications for our lives. In Islamic culture, they are ruled by honor and shame. They strive to bring honor to their family and avoid shame at all cost. Turning away from Islam means that they are bringing great shame on their family and risk losing relationships with family members. It is no small task for them to uproot their lives, beliefs, family, and culture. Although what they are uprooting it for is worthy and is life itself, it is difficult nonetheless. Remember, no matter how eloquently we speak or how many times that we present the gospel, it is ultimately a work of the Spirit and of God softening and shaping their hearts. We need to be committed to loving them to the extent that they need it.  

3. Be hospitable.

Follow the example of welcoming that a lot of Muslims in the Arab culture have mastered. Arab culture is known for their impeccable hospitality. It is the kind of hospitality where they drop everything to welcome you into their home. The guest always comes first. This is an aspect of Arab culture and the Islamic faith that are deeply intertwined. Not only is their hospitality and generosity admirable, but they consider it a part of their sacred duty as a Muslim. When you are seeking to befriend someone from this culture, return the hospitality. Welcome them into your home and life with open arms. Create the atmosphere of inclusion through embracing their culture. You can cook a warm halal meal (food that is acceptable according to Islamic law) with them, have them teach you to make a traditional meal, invite them over for holidays, and make your home a comfortable place for them. As you are inviting your Muslim friends into your life, bring your Christian friends along with you. There are countless stories of how many Muslim’s eyes have been opened to see how the love of Christ is different than Allah simply through interacting with believers and watching them interact with others. Just as it says in Romans 15:7, “therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Welcome without hesitation and out of abundance!  

4. Be a learner and good listener.

Seek to learn about their life, spiritual upbringing, what they believe, and what they put their hope in. Asking a Muslim questions is one of the best ways to start a spiritual conversation. The more you ask, the more you learn, and the wider the door is for introducing them to Jesus and showing them the beauty of the gospel. As you are asking questions, it is important to do so in a way that is gracious, loving, and gentle when challenging them, rather than in an aggressive and prideful manner. Walk with confidence and with the hope that the Spirit will move in their heart and open their eyes to truth. In the midst of asking them questions, share what you believe. Many Muslims will have a deep devotion to their Islamic faith and Allah, so it is important to show your deep devotion to Jesus and the Christian faith and how it is different. Be bold, yet humble in learning and sharing. Being a good listener is a way to honor them as friends and fellow image-bearers. It will show that you are invested in your friendship with them and that you care about them even when their beliefs do not align with yours. 

To learn more about what Muslims believe, read Understanding Islam by Todd Ahrend.

5. Read Scripture with them.

The Bible is one of the strongest and sharpest tools in our belt (Hebrews 4:12). Scripture is God-breathed and it holds the ultimate authority, is without error, and is unchanged over time (2 Timothy 3:16). It details a whole and clear picture of who Jesus is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do. There is so much power in reading, sharing and reciting Scripture because God promises that his word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). Just as Christians place a high value on reading and knowing the Bible, Muslims place a high value on knowing and reading their holy text: the Qur’an. Interestingly enough, many Muslims are encouraged to read the Bible alongside the Qur’an. Although they believe that the Qur’an is more important and accurate, the Qur’an shows a great deal of respect to the Bible and the teachings of Jesus (Surah 32:23). You might be surprised at how little resistance there will be for you to read the Bible with them and compare it with what the Qur’an says. Use Scripture to communicate the truth about the depravity of man and why we need to believe in Jesus. Let Scripture speak for itself and allow the Holy Spirit to work through it and them in understanding and believing the gospel.  

My hope is that these five tips will give you a good starting point when it comes to engaging and reaching Muslim international students. My final piece of advice is to be sensitive and interruptible to the Spirit. Lean on and ask him to guide you, empower you, and speak through you (Acts 1:8). Let your life and the way you live be a testament to what God has done in you; showcase the gospel and Jesus’ character (Ephesians 5:1-2; 1 Thessalonians 2:8). We can approach each conversation with confidence and boldness because God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love (2 Timothy 1:7). We can look forward with assurance to the day when we can look to our right and our left—worshipping before the throne of God—and see former devout Muslims who have been brought from death to life in Jesus (Revelation 7:9)! 

By Molly J

Molly has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Fall 2020. She studied at the University of Arkansas where she gained a vision for the world and a heart for the unreached peoples of the world.

[1] “Internationals in the USA.” Mission Statistics, The Traveling Team, http://www.thetravelingteam.org/stats. 

The Simple Gospel

THE SIMPLE GOSPEL

The gospel saves, sustains, and sends us. How do we not overcomplicate it for ourselves and others? 

“You want me to go tell others the gospel? I don't think I can do that. I don’t know enough yet! Sometimes, I even struggle to understand and believe it myself...” These were the thoughts that ran through my head the first time I was challenged by a campus minister to go out on my college campus and evangelize for the first time. Maybe you can relate.  

As believers, we often can overcomplicate the gospel for ourselves and others. The gospel is so crucial to everything, yet it’s so simple. We need it to be saved, grow up into our salvation (1 Peter 2:2), and proclaim salvation to others. The gospel saves, sustains, and sends us. How do we not overcomplicate it for ourselves and others? We need to start with the simple question: what is the gospel? 

What is the Gospel? 

Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

Here, Paul says that the gospel is “most important” and that he wants to make its content “clear.” Before we can believe the gospel for ourselves, we need to hear it and hear it clearly. And before we can proclaim it to others, we need to know how to do so clearly. So, what is the gospel? The Greek word for gospel is euangelion, and it simply means “good news.” Before something is news though, events need to happen, be witnessed by some, and then told to others so they can believe. But that whole process starts with the events. 

What were the events that started this whole process with the good news of Jesus? In simple terms, he lived, died, and was raised. Those were historical events that happened, were witnessed by some, and those that witnessed started telling them to others so that they could believe. If those are the events that started the whole process with the good news of Jesus, what exactly is the message itself? What’s the content of the gospel?  

The Content of the Gospel 

Christ perfectly lived, died, and rose to save sinners. That’s the best news in the world and the world needs to hear it and believe. Good news first and foremost is announced, not explained. So, when it comes to the gospel, first announce that Christ perfectly lived, died, and rose to save sinners. Once that is announced, an explanation will need to happen. How do we simply explain this good news? Let’s break down some of the words and phrases that Paul uses:  

Christ – Who is he? Jesus Christ, fully-God and fully-man. He wasn’t half-God and half-man. Jesus, without any change in his eternal deity became a man. 

Died – What did he do? He lived a perfect, sinless life and then he physically died on a cross. 

For our sins – Why did he die? He died for our sins. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Because of our sin, we all deserve death: an eternal separation from God which is hell; “for the wages of sin is death...” (Romans 6:23). In order for our sins to be forgiven, blood must be shed; “...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). God is just and he must righteously punish sin. Instead of punishing us for our sins, he punished Christ. 

He was raised - What did he do after he died? He physically rose from the dead, proving that he truly was God in the flesh, defeated sin and death, and has the power to forgive sinners. 

Believe – What am I and others supposed to do about all of this? Believe it, receive it, take your stand on it, hold to it, and not in vain. Believe in him and what he's done, not in yourself and what you’ve done. We don’t need perfect faith; our faith just needs to be in the perfect Savior.  

Saved – What will happen to me and others if we believe? We will be saved from God’s righteous judgment against us and our sin. We will be forgiven for our sins. We will have eternal life with God. 

The gospel started with events: Christ lived, died, and was raised. The content of the gospel is simple: Christ perfectly lived, died, and rose to save sinners. The appropriate response: believe. The gospel is simple. How can a simple message like this have power? 

 The Power of the Gospel 

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ will not be emptied of its effect. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is the power of God to us who are being saved... For since, in God’s wisdom, the world did not know God through wisdom, God was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of what is preached (1 Corinthians 1:17-18, 21). 

Here, Paul says that the simple gospel was powerful enough to save him and it’s powerful enough to save others. His responsibility is not to trust in his “eloquent wisdom,” knowledge, or skill; rather, in the power of the gospel and the proclamation of its simple content to others. This means that it doesn’t matter how wise or foolish we are; the power is in the gospel message. It doesn’t matter how wise or foolish my listeners are; the power is in the gospel message. 

This should give us great confidence! We don’t need to have a seminary degree to be able to tell others the good news. And this is also great news for sinners who need the gospel! They don’t need deep spiritual wisdom in and of themselves to be able to understand and believe this good news. They need to hear it and then they need the power of the Holy Spirit to help them understand it. The gospel is simple in its content and powerful to save those who hear it and believe. Who is it for though? 

The Scope of the Gospel 

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16). 

The gospel isn’t only good news for one people group. It isn’t only good news for the Jews. It isn’t only good news for the Greeks. It transcends all human barriers. It’s good news for everyone, regardless of their language, tribe, or nation! But it’s only good news if you’ve heard it and believed. Today, there are 3.28 billion people in the world who have never heard the gospel; therefore, they can’t believe. All people have the same need for the gospel, but not all people have the same access to the gospel. God’s job is to meet their need; our job is to meet their access. Will you fulfill your responsibility in helping proclaim this simple gospel that saved you to those who have never heard it and; therefore, can’t be saved unless they hear (Romans 10:13-15)? 

The gospel is simple, that even a child can understand and believe. Yet it’s so complex that a lifetime of study will only scratch the surface of its wonder. Believe, treasure, and preach it to yourself daily. Proclaim, explain, and plead with others—from your neighbors to the nations—to believe. The gospel is simple, powerful, and for all peoples! 

By David

David has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Fall 2021. He studied at Florida State University. After graduating, he served with Cru on his campus and then with Jesus Film Project.

The Secret Sauce of Raising Support

THE SECRET SAUCE OF RAISING SUPPORT 

Raising support is often one of the biggest obstacles that dissuades people from doing short or long-term missions. What biblical principles can we learn from someone who has raised support? 

After graduating from college, I accepted a job in full-time ministry. Only this job had a pretty big string attached to it that I would have cut in a matter of seconds if I had the right scissors: I’d have to raise monthly support for my salary.  I laughed when I first learned it was a support-raising position. “Yea, no thanks,” was my first thought. This aspect of the job loomed eerily over my head for the four months that I spent processing whether or not I should take the job. Over time, God progressively moved my heart from being in a place of utter refusal to joyful acceptance. God taught me so much through my season of raising support. It was full of ups and downs but through it all, God showed me the “secret sauce” of raising support. The lessons I learned are some of the ingredients that make up this secret sauce:  

Ingredients  

1 c. humility  

3 Tbsp. consistent prayer   

2 tsp. submission  

A pinch of rest    

Disclaimer: You might get into your own support-raising kitchen and realize that the outcome is different from what I experienced. That’s okay! Everyone’s journey in raising support looks different, so the sauce will probably taste a little different too. These are just some tried and true biblical principles. If God doesn’t provide your support, that doesn’t mean that He’s not good or not a provider. It just means that He has a different and better plan for you.  

1 c. Humility   

When I began raising monthly support, I started with all the wrong ingredients. A spirit of pride slipped unnoticed into everything I did. I falsely believed that since God had given me this job so quickly, then of course He’d provide all of my support quickly too. I thought I was naturally equipped to raise thousands of dollars in a couple months. Except my desire wasn’t for Him to receive the glory from my support journey, it was so that I could have an awesome story of God providing for me.    

When I didn’t meet my first support goal, I was absolutely devastated, but God graciously showed me the reality that I was not doing things for him. I wanted my needs to be met and I wanted to impress people with my accomplishments. It was all for my glory.   

This realization absolutely crushed me. I’m so grateful that the Lord is “merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love,” (Exodus 34:6).   

After asking God for help to make my motives purely for His glory and others’ good, my support doubled! It brought so much more meaning to every part of my work when I was working for His glory. A heaping cup of humility was an absolutely necessary and foundational ingredient to begin crafting my support sauce.  

3 Tbsp. Consistent Prayer   

Though my support doubled, I was still very far from my financial goal. In the beginning, I carelessly set support goals without spending any time asking God how quickly he would want me to walk through the support-raising process. In my pride and eagerness, I made the earliest possible date my end goal.   

After missing a few of my deadlines, I realized I hadn’t listened to God’s voice first. I began to seek him earnestly and cover every step of the support raising process in prayer. I needed to hear God’s input and have the blessing of his presence and guidance every step of the way. So, I invited Him into every moment: setting goals, brainstorming my list of potential supporters, making calls to schedule meetings, driving to a meeting, navigating conversations with a potential supporter, and following up with people.   

There was a clear difference between the times I didn’t pray and the times that I prayed for God’s help to connect with people on a heart level rather than merely seeking what their hand could offer me. Jesus encourages us to “ask using [his] name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy” (John 16:24). I had continual peace and joy knowing that since my goal was his glory, he would bring the right people on my support team at the right time. Every “no” or “not yet” was nowhere near as devastating as it was beforehand when I was walking in fear of not having enough money to make ends meet. Incorporating prayer into my support-raising journey helped me take my eyes off of my own needs, fears, and concerns, and place them on my Provider, my Peace, and my Counselor.    

2 tsp. Submission  

After inviting God to speak into every part of my process of raising support, he showed me that he had plans that were better than my own. I had expectations for which of my friends and family were going to join my support team and for how much. Most of the time, my expectations were pretty far off from what actually happened. I thought I was wise enough to know the hearts of the people I was asking for support. God is the only one who truly sees the depths of each of our hearts: “man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). I had to let go of my expectations, ideas, and plans for what my support team would look like. When I put my faith in God’s plans instead of my own, it was easier to go into every meeting with gratitude for whatever the outcome was.  

Graciously, God reminds us that “just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts,” (Isaiah 55:9). His plans are so much better than our own! Holding my plans with open hands allowed me to encourage and be encouraged by people I never would have thought of. Submitting to God’s plans helped me to trust that He is sovereign over my support and that he could use me to build others up in ways I never expected.   

A Pinch of Rest   

The first three ingredients are vitally important, but if you want a truly savory sauce, I’d recommend topping it off with a pinch of rest.    

Towards the end of my support journey, I was tired and burnt out. Four months had passed since I started raising support and the holidays were approaching, but I’d only made it to 84% of my total support goal. I felt the pressure to continue to work through the holidays because I was asking God to provide 100% by the end of the year.    

After seeking guidance from God, my support coach, and trusted friends, I decided to rest from raising support for the end of the year as a sign of faith in God’s provision instead of my own work. Jesus implores us to find rest in him. He says, “Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest,” (Matthew 11:28).  

Even though I wasn’t actively raising support, it kept coming in all the way up until New Year’s Eve. God provided 12% of my support when I was intentionally not working! This was the clearest reminder of where my provision truly comes from. I didn’t reach 100% of support, but I was still overwhelmed with gratitude for how God provided for me. I was eager to take on my few weeks of raising support after having a refreshing time off.   

When I checked my support software to catch up on things in January, I noticed that some of my numbers were incorrect. I resolved the issue and re-checked my overall progress and my total support jumped from 96% to 103%! Not only was I fully funded, but God showed that he is the God of abundance by surpassing my goal. In his grace, he gives us what we need and more. Resting as a sign of faith in God would be an extra ingredient to add to your sauce if you really wanted to spice things up.      

Blending together all of these ingredients can greatly enhance your support sauce. Many of the fears and obstacles of raising support can be overcome by humbling yourself, praying consistently, submitting to God’s plans, and ultimately resting in the Lord. I encourage you to get a taste of each one and see how God shows up in your season of raising support.  

 Bon appétit! 

By Sarah Morgan Parsons

Sarah Morgan has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Spring 2022. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas. She hopes to see the truth of the gospel proclaimed in all the earth.

World Christian to Mobilizer

WORLD CHRISTIAN TO MOBILIZER

How to mobilize others to accept God’s invitation and command to become World Christians

One time in college, I made a big batch of chili. I love chili. It was wintertime and it was the perfect weather to whip up a big warm pot of something yummy, but there was so much chili. I’m not exaggerating when I say that I ate it twice a day for a week. Then, I had to freeze the rest because my stomach couldn’t handle one more bowl of meat soup! 

The crazy part of this story is that I had roommates. Three perfectly hungry, beef-eating roommates who would have eaten the chili if I’d offered it to them. It’s not that I didn’t want them to have it, I just didn’t think about giving them any.  

If I had shared the chili with my roommates, the goal of finishing it would have been accomplished much faster and it would have been fun to share the experience with them. The problem was that I assumed that they saw what I had and if they wanted some, they would have asked for it. What I didn’t realize is that instead, they were waiting for me to share it with them.  

As World Christians, we should think about sharing our passion for missions with those who don’t have it. It’s not that we don’t want our friends to be a part of God’s mission for the world, but we don’t always think about including them in it. We assume that if they want to join in, they will ask about it. It would be amazing if you went overseas as a missionary or were a sacrificial sender from wherever you are. Instead of just going and sending as a World Christian, get others to join you in God’s global mission!

Don’t let them wait or be ignorant of the needs of the world. Invite them in and share with them; be a “Mobilizer.” 

The simplest way to define a Mobilizer is: a person who takes something that they are excited about and gets other people excited about it as well. We do this naturally every day. Maybe you’ve mobilized others towards your favorite movie, sports team, or restaurant. Whatever you mobilize others towards, it’s generally something you enjoy and want others to enjoy too.  

We can be mobilizers for something that is eternally impacting: God’s global mission. Mobilizers in this sense are World Christians who take it one step further by telling others how to get involved as well. All Christians are commanded to play a part in taking the gospel to the ends of the earth; not just those who seem to naturally get excited about it. We need to help other Christians become World Christians so they can then be Mobilizers too! 

There is often a misconception that there are “normal” Christians and then there are some Christians who receive a special “call” to be international missionaries. Many believe (maybe subconsciously) that if you don’t experience a special call or are passionate about missions, then you are not supposed to be a part of God’s mission for the world. This is false.  

All are commanded to join God in his mission to all nations because all of us are sent (Matthew 28:18-20; John 20:21). Maybe you already know this information, but you struggle to know how to share this with your friends and family. Here are 5 simple steps you can take to go from a World Christian to a Mobilizer: 

5 STEPS TO BECOMING A MOBILIZER: 

1. Pray Before Sharing 

   This is a critical step! Before sharing and inviting others into God’s global mission, pray for God to work in their hearts and prepare them to respond in saying “yes” to his command and invitation. Also, pray for your own heart to be in a place of humility and excitement, not pride for their lack of vision or understanding. 

2. Share the World Vision Illustration 

   The World Vision Illustration is a reproducible tool to help give you the language to explain God’s global mission and equip others to take steps toward being a World Christian. You can simply share with someone in just 10 minutes to help mobilize them. Watch a video on how to share it here! 

3. Do an Xplore Study 

   The Center for Missions Mobilization (CMM) has created a seven-part study that takes a deeper dive into the biblical basis for missions, the spiritual state of our world, and different ways to be a part of God’s work to fulfill His mission. Download the PDF version of this study for free here! 

4. Invite Others In 

   If you’re already taking steps to be a part of God’s global mission, bring your friends with you. Invite them to go with you while befriending international students. Recruit them to go on a short-term trip with you this summer. If you’re support raising, take the opportunity to share about God’s global mission when you ask others for support. Take people with you to those early morning world prayer meetings (maybe bring them some coffee too). Whatever you’re doing, bring them with you. This is a part of discipleship and a way to naturally mobilize others. 

5. Pray After Sharing 

   This may seem redundant but despite everything we do, God is ultimately the one who changes hearts. Each of these ideas should be book-ended on either side with earnest prayer (Matthew 9:37).  

After you have gotten your friends, family, and other Christians involved—celebrate! Remember, if the goal is to take the gospel to all nations, then it can’t stop here. If your newly World Christian friend began sharing with their Christian friends about God’s global mission, they could become a Mobilizer themselves; therefore, the mission could be accomplished much faster! 

This type of Mobilization has a multiplication effect and it will make a huge impact for God’s international kingdom. Similar to how we can make disciples who make disciples, we can make Mobilizers who make Mobilizers. This diagram illustrates this idea of multiplication visually:  

Just as enormous pots of chili are eaten more efficiently with many roommates, so Jesus’ commission to make the gospel known amongst all peoples is more quickly and easily accomplished with many Mobilizers. So don’t just go—go and tell! Bring others with you into God’s amazing task that he has given all believers to help him accomplish. 

By Kate Sego

Kate has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Fall 2021. She graduated from the University of Arkansas. She has a is to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations.

Christian to World Christian

CHRISTIAN TO WORLD CHRISTIAN

HOW TO ACCEPT GOD’S INVITATION AND COMMAND TO BECOME A WORLD CHRISTIAN  

We’ve all been there. The moment you reread the fine print on an invitation and realized... you messed up. Maybe you went to the wrong location or you got the dates mixed up; things didn’t go as planned. Sometimes, it’s because you misread the details on the invitation. Sometimes, it’s because you never thoroughly read it at all! 

Missing a party isn’t entirely devastating, but for Christians, there’s an invitation that is worth your utmost attention: God invites and commands every follower of Christ to be a part of his mission to reach the world! He invites us to become “World Christians.” This is our purpose as believers: to make disciples of Jesus from all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). 

A World Christian is a Christian who has closely read God’s invitation into his global mission and has taken active steps to “attend” by obeying his commands. World Christians have a different perspective than your average Christian on three things: God’s word, God’s world, and God’s work. We will dive into each of these perspectives.    

GOD’S WORD:  

When striving to align your heart with God’s, we should start with God’s word. The Bible is filled with verses displaying that God’s heart is for his glory to be known in all the earth. (Psalm 67:1-2; Psalm 46:10; Habakkuk 2:14; Romans 15:20-21; etc.). Read more about the mission theme of the bible here.   

There are three key verses that highlight God's heart for the world all throughout scripture: 

• Genesis 12:1-3 

• Matthew 28:18-20 

• Revelation 7:9-10 

Memorize these verses and meditate on them because they reveal God’s heart for the world and will help shape your heart to look more like his. As we grow as World Christians, we also need to grow in our knowledge about the current state of the world and global missions. 

GOD’S WORLD:  

A term that is helpful to know as you grow in your understanding of the world is the term: 10/40 window. The 10/40 window is a term Christians have created to identify where the greatest need for the gospel is in the world. The 10/40 window gets its name because it runs from 10 degrees north latitude to 40 degrees north latitude. It runs from the northwest of Africa to the far-east of Asia to Japan. If you cannot visualize latitudes very well—do not worry—you are normal. It looks like this:  

In this area of the world lives a total of about five billion people (two-thirds of the world's total population). Out of those five billion people, about three billion would be considered unreached. 

The world is not just made up of people who are saved and unsaved because the unsaved can be divided into two subcategories: reached and unreached.  

Someone who is reached has access to a bible in their own language, a church (or multiple) that they can visit, and there are Christians who they can meet. Those who are reached have access to the good news of the gospel. Many places in the world would be considered reached (including the U.S.).  

Someone who is unreached will live their entire life without access to a bible in their own language (since a translation may not even exist), a church that they can visit (since a church may not exist), and there are no Christians who they can meet—birth to death—with no access to the hearing the gospel. Not one opportunity to hear and believe in Jesus because no one has been sent to tell them (Romans 10:13-15).  

Unreached is very different than reached.  

Those three billion people represent about 96% of the worlds unreached population. That doesn’t mean that there are not unreached people in other parts of the world (like South America or the U.S.), but 96% of the world’s unreached live in the 10/40 window. 

Out of all the world’s cross-cultural missionaries, only 3% are sent to 96% of the world’s unreached.  

These statistics seem disproportionate and there are several reasons why there are so few missionaries in the 10/40 window. Some countries have made Christianity illegal, there are often language and cultural barriers, it can be more expensive to reach new people groups, and there are many other obstacles.  

But there are also reasons why 3% of missionaries decided to go to the 10/40 window and why there is hope for the unreached who live there. They saw God’s heart for the world, that he is worthy of all nations’ praise, and that there is a strategic need for the Gospel in this area of the world. Jesus will redeem people from every nation, language, and tribe (Revelation 7:9). This is not only a great hope, this is a promise: the unreached won’t be unreached forever! 

We are all called and commanded to play a part in God’s work of reaching the unreached because we are all sent (John 20:21). Let’s dive a little deeper into ways that you can join his mission today.  

ACCEPT GOD’S INVITATION 

GOD’S WORK:

We can get involved in God’s global mission by joining in God’s work. This is where our heart responds by taking action. We can actively be involved in God’s work through going and sending. This is how we respond to the invitation from God’s word to go to God’s world. 

Being a part of this mission means changing our lives and often our plans. This does not mean everyone is supposed to go into vocational ministry or drop out of college and move overseas as a missionary. You can join God’s mission in going and sending right where you are in 101 different ways! These are the categories of roles that we can play in getting involved in God’s global mission, no matter where we are located: 

• GO HERE: Befriend and share the gospel with unsaved reached and unreached peoples where you live. There are many international students, immigrants, and refugees from the 10/40 window who come into the U.S. every year. Many come from unreached places, but they can now be reached because they know you! Read more about how to befriend them here. 
   

• GO THERE: Get on a plane and go overseas. If you are in college, take a short-term overseas mission trip during your breaks; invest them well while you still have breaks! This is a great opportunity to engage face-to-face with the unreached, work alongside long-term missionaries, and get vision cast for going long-term yourself. The unreached are not going to be reached by short-term missions. We need many people to change their addresses long-term. We can connect you here with opportunities to go short-term and long-term involving your specific major, career, or passion. 
   

• SEND through GIVING: Support a missionary friend or missions organization through prayer and financial partnership. Giving is a practical and literal way to invest in those who are taking the gospel to the ends of the earth. If people are going to go sacrificially, we need people to send sacrificially. Ask God how you can start giving specifically, sacrificially, and cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7). If you don’t know someone who you can support, The Go Fund is an organization that specifically aids long-term qualified missionaries who are going to the unreached by eliminating the barrier of student debt for them. Check them out and start giving here.  
   

• SEND through PRAYING: Pray for those who are unreached in the world and for those who are taking the gospel to them. Prayer is the most important step towards becoming a World Christian because it involves all of the other roles in going and sending! If you are not asking God where he wants you to go or what he wants you to do and taking the time to listen, you probably won’t receive much direction. Take the time to pray. This can be as simple as praying for an unreached people group or asking God to grow and soften your own heart for the world. A great website to help you start praying every day is The Joshua Project: Unreached of the Day. Prayerfully ponder what God has taught you about his global mission and ask him what specific roles he wants you to join him in. May we pray earnestly for the plentiful harvest and for more laborers to go into the harvest (Luke 10:2). May we also pray the bold prayer of Luther Wishard: “I am willing to go anywhere, at any time, to do anything for Jesus.”  

Now that you’ve read this article, you’ve heard about God’s global mission and how you can get involved in making disciples of all nations! That means that you are somewhere in-between a Christian and a World Christian. We say “in-between” because we all have room to grow in becoming a World Christian. We can all grow our hearts more for the world and take steps of obedience in his mission. This growth spectrum can be represented in the picture below.    

Regardless of where we put ourselves on this growth spectrum, we are commanded and invited to be a part of God’s mission to reach the world. Take a second and pray about how God would have you be a part of his global mission. And, don’t forget the last part of the invitation:  the Holy Spirit empowers us and is with us, “...and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). 

By Kate Sego

Kate has served The Traveling Team as one of our travelers since Fall 2021. She graduated from the University of Arkansas. She has a is to bring about the obedience of faith among all the nations.

Student Debt: Dismissing Your Second Master

STUDENT DEBT: DISMISSING YOUR SECOND MASTER

The pulpits of America and the pioneer regions of the unreached world deserve our most qualified workers, but many potential workers are running elsewhere in search of higher-paying jobs. Is it because of ego or personal preference? No. It’s because of student debt.  

Student debt is the new normal—but how normal is it really?  

Consider that 55% of bachelor’s degree recipients graduate with an average of $28,400 in student debt.1 These numbers are staggering, but they only become worse for those who attend a private university, pursue a graduate degree, or marry someone with student debt of their own. With an issue this pervasive, we must be sober and honest with ourselves. Something needs to change. Let us examine three strategies for getting out of student debt. 

START WITH COMMUNITY COLLEGE

No, it isn’t the school you always dreamed of, but recognize the cost differential. The average published tuition price of a four-year private institution in the United States is $38,070 per year (2020-21).1 By contrast, the cost is only $3,800 at a public two-year institution.1 By simply fulfilling your general education requirements at the local community college, you will be saving an average of $68,540.2 What might you do with $68,540 less in student debt? Answer: Whatever God directs for you to do with your life, without seeking the approval of your second master (Matthew 6:24). 

WORK WHILE IN COLLEGE

Did you know that students who work 20 hours or less while in college have a higher GPA than those who don’t work at all?3 Not only does work have a net positive effect on studies, but it also allows students to cash flow a portion of their tuition, reducing their borrowing need. Ponder the wisdom found in Acts 24:16: “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” Choose the short-term pain of working part-time while in school to clear your conscience and reduce your student debt load upon graduation. 

PURSUE OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE

Perhaps you have already graduated, and your student debt is keeping you in bondage (Proverbs 22:7). Fortunately for you, there are options. Should God lead you to pursue long-term missions to an unreached people group, there is an organization called The Go Fund who will take over the student debt payments of those approved for their program (thegofund.com). Another organization called MedSend awards four-year grants to repay the student debt of healthcare professionals working in underserved areas (medsend.org). Perhaps your church or a family member would consider paying off a portion of your student debt, should you have a captivating vision of what you believe God is directing you to do with your life. 

We must remember that a college degree is a wonderful thing. 60% of unreached people live in countries that are closed to missionaries, but open to college-educated teachers, nurses, engineers, and others who can bring some sort of economic value.4 However, the great mobilization paradox is that higher education is strategic, but student debt inhibits ministry work of many kinds. Make war on your student debt and submit yourself into unbridled service to King Jesus. 

By Luke Womack

Luke is the founder of The Go Fund

An Impossible Task

AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK

A pastor once asked me, “What kind of person should I look for to do the job of pioneer church planting among unreached people groups?” 

I hesitated; I knew if I told him the whole truth it was going to sound crazy: “They are going to need to speak the language of an unreached people group if they’re going to do that job.” 

“Sure, obviously,” came the response. 

“And most unreached people groups are in countries where you can’t get a missionary visa, so they’ll have to operate a business or have a job in the country just to get in.” 

“Yeah, I follow,” he replied, looking more skeptical now. 

I took a deep breath.  

“So, ideally, what you’re looking for are people between the ages of 18 and 40 who are ready to give up at least 15 years of their lives, leave their jobs and families and homes, travel across the world to a country that doesn’t want them there, learn the national language, then move out to where an unreached people group lives. Once they are with the unreached group, they will need to learn a second language, then clearly proclaim the Gospel in a way that is faithful to the Bible and communicates it in a way they can understand. On top of that, there will most likely be resistance to what they share. 

“And, while they do all of that, they will need to run a business to maintain their legitimacy in the community. Oh, and they still need to remain faithful in their walks with God under immense pressure while all of that is happening.”   

By now, I wondered if I had maybe gone over the top. “We … I’m not sure we have any people like that in our church,” lamented the pastor, a crestfallen look on his face.  

I could tell he finally understood what I was trying to say. 

You see, the truth is, when we look at the task given to us in the Great Commission, specifically the incredibly challenging task of planting churches among the unreached people groups of this world, no one can accomplish it in human strength. All the easily accessible people groups were reached generations ago. The ones that are left, the languages and peoples still languishing without the Gospel in 2022, are still unreached because they are hard. 

From one perspective, I suppose, that can be a discouraging thing to hear. Who wants to hear the task they’ve been assigned to do is practically impossible? 

But from a biblical perspective, I think it’s a huge relief. Once you realize, “Oh, I can’t do this – no one can,” we realize God is the only one who can accomplish the task! 

The truth is, we are seeing this happen. As you read this, missionaries from GSI and other like-minded agencies are in the field, learning two languages, translating the Bible, and planting churches among unreached people groups. Limited, broken, sinful men and women are being used by God to accomplish His holy and eternal purpose. 

 How does it happen? The same way we see over and over in Scripture! God used a barren couple named Abraham and Sarah to father a nation. God used an arrogant boy named Joseph to save His people from a famine. God used a stuttering Moses to speak to a king to save His people from slavery. God used a cowardly Gideon to defeat His people’s enemies. God used a Christ-denying Peter to proclaim His name and lead many to faith. God also used a persecutor named Paul to spread the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. The list goes on and on. 

And today, God is still using flawed, limited men and women to accomplish impossible tasks so that He might be seen to be great and get all the glory! 

To be honest, as a missionary mobilizer, nothing scares me more than a person who thinks they can do this job. So, if you’re reading this and think, “Yeah, there is no way I could ever do what he’s talking about – that sounds way too hard!” Then I’d encourage you to pray and honestly seek the Lord regarding what He might do in and through you rather than what you can do on your own. 

If you think that the Christian life is about us doing what we are capable of, then consider the list of biblical heroes who accomplished great things for God not in their own strength, but in their weakness. It is in our weakness that we can say together with the apostle Paul, “He said to me ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (II Cor. 12:9) 

Whenever I am blessed to share how God used my family to plant a church among a previously unreached people group in Central Asia, and about the struggles, we went through and how difficult it was, the number one response I get is, “Wow! I could never have done that!”  

My response is always the same: “Neither could I; but thankfully, God could!” 

By Jay Decker

Jay is the Director of Mobilization for Global Serve International, jayd@globalserveint.org