Imagine the most beautiful revelation of love heaven could give. It happened. God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for a broken and sinful world in order to heal the relationship between heaven and earth caused by sin. God, present in Jesus, reconciled the world unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). God was the first missionary — imagine that! And because He invites you, me and others to join Him in reaching those desperate for hope, AFM missionaries are working in the field as living examples of the life of Jesus.
Jesus became one with humanity to reach humanity. Cross-cultural missionaries identify themselves with the unreached, investing their lives to reach the unreached with biblical truths in the context of the local culture and language.
When imagination turns reality, miracles occur. Missionaries actively love people, inviting them into their time and space — in work, worship and play — and people feel recognized, accepted and valued. Bridges are built, and walls are knocked down (Lincoln p 35). Opportunities arise for missionaries to get to know the people, introduce them to Jesus, and disciple them along the way. People feel safe enough to ask their most perplexing questions while searching for meaning and God (Coal p 40).
Jesus worked that way, and there is no age, gender or social class immune to entering a loving relationship in that manner. Imagine His example becoming our guide. It works. When missionaries mirror Jesus, others begin to mirror Him, too (River p 18).
Becoming friends with others — the unreached and reached alike — allows the missionary to act and speak for Jesus through His word, transforming lives (Taylor p 12, Martinson p 41).
Because of your sacrificial support in 2023, missionaries have baptized new Seventh-day Adventist believers, such as a former evangelical pastor and his family in Gogodala (Sliger p 06), a Christian language helper and his wife in Mali (Miller p 36), and a former Muslim whom Jesus first visited in a dream when the boy was four years old (Ivisan p 48).
Imagine bringing hope and wholeness to a single life or a people group in 2024. Imagine becoming a missionary. Imagine reaching the unreached. Pray. Give. Go!
