Deeper Reflection
JOHN CALVIN ONCE SAID, “WHERE THE WORD IS NOT preached and heard, there is no church”²⁸. One of the goals in missions is planting churches in places with little Christian presence. According to estimates, almost one third of the world has no access or opportunity to hear the Gospel.²⁹ That is almost one billion individuals who have not heard about the love of Jesus Christ!What distinguishes Christian missions from secular NGOs and nonprofits is the goal of preaching the Word of God to the unreached. Although God does indeed reveal himself through creation (Rom 1:18-32), we should not neglect the importance of preaching and teaching the Word of God in our missions activities. Even in the most hostile circumstances, the apostles did not neglect the reading and preaching of the Holy Scriptures. After people believed the Good News of Jesus, the apostles and church leaders faithfully taught the Word to establish the believers’ faith, equip them for ministry, strengthen them with hope in the midst of persecution and protect them from false teachings.³⁰During the COVID-19 pandemic, one of Covenant EFC’s missionaries began planting churches in West Sumba Island – one of the poorest places in Indonesia. During her early outreach efforts, she discovered that many of the villagers could not read. How then could they learn and respond to the Word of God? She therefore constructed a radio station in her office, distributed radio receivers, and started to broadcast the reading of the Bible every day. May God multiply the fruit of people who hear, understand, believe and obey the Word of God (Matt 13:23)!

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²⁸ https://www.wscal.edu/resource-center/the-importance-of-preaching ²⁹ https://www.call2all.org/finish-lines/proclamation-everyone/ ³⁰ See, for example, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.