Closed Doors
During a recent trip to North Carolina, I was searching for a church to attend on a Sunday evening.
Being unfamiliar with the area, I opened my GPS and searched for “Independent Baptist Churches near me.” My smart phone exploded with names and locations of dozens of possibilities! Having an affinity to medium to small sized congregations, I clicked on one and set my course to a church that was 15-minutes away. Pulling into the parking lot, I found an abandoned, run-down building with no cars and locked doors. Since it was only 10 minutes before the hour, I switched to plan B and headed to another church a mile away—only to find it in the same condition: closed doors and no cars. Plans C and D yielded better results with both churches not being closed…but neither had evening services. I was disappointed with myself for not having done better research before venturing out to find a place to worship, fellowship, and sit under the Word of God.
On my way back to my guest room, I realized that there are dozens of unreached people groups spread throughout Africa, Asia, and the Middle East who will never have this problem. There are no churches who will have canceled services or closed their doors because there are no churches. Likewise, there are no Christians searching for a place to worship and fellowship with other believers because there are no believes. Even more sobering is the fact that there is no way to sit under the Word of God because there is no Bible translation for their language. While I had been disappointed in myself for not planning better, I also realized that thousands of people throughout the unreached world do not even have the possibility of accidently stumbling across the Gospel.
The Lord has not left any without witness of His glory or without wooing to His Gospel. Proverb 1 tells us that wisdom is crying out to make the simple wise…just as Paul says that Timothy was made wise unto salvation (2 Timothy 3:15). Pray with me that the Lord will continue to cry unto the simple as well as to call the saved to carry that Gospel to them.
Asking of him (Ps. 2:8)
Rodney Myers
GFF General Director