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How a late-night message on a language app can become the first time a young Muslim meets a follower of Jesus
By Aaron Myers
It was 1:30 am and Serdar was lying on his bed, scrolling through endless Tik Tok videos. The noise of another Istanbul night drifted in through his open window. He’d been at it for over an hour and like most nights, he was slowly beginning to feel empty. Finally, after one more swipe down and one more video that had no bearing on his life, he tossed the phone to the foot of his bed, threw his arm over his eyes and let out a long slow sigh. What was he doing?
He’d graduated six months ago with a degree in mechanical engineering and hadn’t yet found a job. The economy just didn’t have much hope for his generation. He had begun to think more seriously about going to grad school in Europe or maybe America. He was bored and discouraged and living with his parents gave him the freedom to do very little about it. But he needed to do something, to find some purpose in life, some opportunity to move forward with his life.
That’s when he remembered his friend’s advice about continuing to improve his English. All of his studies had been in English so it was actually pretty good. Free-flowing conversations with native speakers were a bit of a challenge though and so, sitting up to retrieve his phone, he logged into HelloTalk, a language exchange app where he could connect with native English speakers who were wanting to learn Turkish. It was a bit like a dating app – hundreds of thousands of people using it all create a profile sharing what languages they speak and what languages they want to learn and then, the algorithm leads to lists of those who fit their profile, in Serdar’s case, a long list of native English speakers who were wanting to connect with Turkish speakers. He had used the app on and off for the past few years.
As he was scrolling down the list of hundreds of native English speakers who were looking to connect with Turks, his phone suddenly pinged, and a message popped up on his screen. Tom, an American, had waved at him. Serdar clicked on Tom’s profile. He read it:
Hi, I’m Tom. I live in Kansas, right in the middle of the United States. I’m happily married with three kids and work as an engineer. I enjoy running, swimming and generally being outdoors. I read a book about Turkey a few years ago and wanted to learn more so here I am. I’d like to learn a little Turkish, but I’m more interested in just talking with Turkish guys about life in Turkey. I’m a Chritian and more than anything want to live a life of purpose and integrity and faith. I’m open for texting or setting up a time for a video call.
Serdar re-read the profile. Something about it intrigued him. Tom was probably 20 years older than him but seemed to have purpose and a good life, something he was hoping to have for himself. It might be a fun conversation. Serdar didn’t realize it, but Tom would be the first true follower of Jesus he had ever met. He started typing.
Hi Tom. I’m Serdar. How are you?
He hit send and waited. The little bubbles that indicate the other person is typing appeared on his screen. Suddenly Tom’s reply popped up.
Hey Serdar. I'm great. I was just scrolling through the profiles and saw you were online and so waved at you. I’m glad you reached out. Man, it must be late there. I don’t want to keep you up.
Serdar smiled. Tom obviously didn’t know what it was like to be a 22-year-old Turkish guy. He quickly typed out a reply.
No problem. I usually stay up until three or four in the morning. Most of my friends do. I was just bored and so thought I would look at Hello Talk. Your profile says you are from Kansas. Are you from Kansas City?
Tom replied pretty quickly.
No, not Kansas City. I’m from a small town about an hour from Kansas City. Where do you live in Turkey? I want to visit Turkey someday. And are you a student or working? Your profile says you are an engineer? What field of engineering?
Serdar typed out his reply.
I live in Istanbul. I’m a mechanical engineer but I don’t have a job yet. I graduated six months ago but the economy is not very good so I am still looking for a job. You are an engineer too? What kind?
Serdar was about to hit send but before doing so added one more question.
Do you have any advice for me as I look for a job?
Serdar didn’t have a lot of options these days and so thought he’d take whatever advice he could get. What Serdar didn’t know was that Tom had joined HelloTalk with his online outreach team at his local church. Together they were prayerfully working to build friendships with young men and women in Turkey. A few minutes later Tom’s reply came through.
I really don’t know what it’s like in Turkey to get a job or what the process is there. When I graduated, I sent a few dozen resumes out to different companies all around our region and some a bit further away. I graduated in 2008 and was looking for construction engineering jobs. 2008 was a bad year to be looking for an engineering job because of the financial crisis that hit that year, especially in construction. I suppose the main thing I did was to pray and to ask others to pray for me. I still had to wait a few months, but I got a job and I’ve been working here ever since. God answered my prayers. So I guess that would be my best piece of advice. Pray.
Serdar read the reply with interest but was also confused. He’d left Islam before college—he couldn’t stand the thought of being a part of the religious system of the ruling autocrats in the government—so he left. He supposed he was an atheist or perhaps a Deist now though he wasn’t sure what he believed or didn’t believe. He just knew he was no longer Muslim. And as he thought about Tom’s advice, he also knew that he didn’t know how to pray or even who he would pray to. He wondered if Christians had a different way of praying. Serdar was deep in thought, reflecting on all of this when another message from Tom appeared.
Hey Serdar. I hope I didn’t say something wrong there. I’m not wanting to offend. I do have to go now – my wife and kids are waiting for me to eat dinner. I really would like to continue to talk with you. Maybe next time we can talk about soccer - or should I say futbol? I decided to be a fan of a Turkish team called Galatasaray. I found them in a Google search.Do you know about them? Anyway, talk to you soon.
Serdar looked up from the phone to the red and yellow lion on the poster adorning the back of his bedroom door. Serdar smiled. Did he know about Galatasaray? He was a huge fan and despite his confusion about prayer and what he thought about that, he looked forward to chatting again with Tom. He quickly typed out one last message.
I wasn’t offended. Galatasaray is the best team in Turkey so you picked a good team. They are my team too. Thanks for talking with me. I’d like to chat again. Maybe next time we can have a call. Do you use WhatsApp? It’s a calling app I use and we could even have a video call if you want. Just let me know.
He set his phone on the table beside his bed and sat staring at the poster on his door. He liked Tom and he wondered how prayer had helped him find a job nearly 20 years ago. And how crazy that Tom picked Galatasaray, his team, to follow in Turkish futbol. It all seemed crazy but Serdar was certain of one thing – he was looking forward to talking with Tom again. He had never met an American who was a Galatasaray fan. He’d never met an American who was a Chritian or one who prayed. As he thought about it he realized that Tom was the first Christian he had ever met.
What you just read isn't unusual. Every evening hundreds of thousands of young adults from unreached nations open apps looking for friendship. One wave. One conversation. One friendship. That's how God often begins His work.
Notice what Tom did. He didn’t push a message or a tract. He shared his life, asked about Serdar’s, and answered an honest question honestly. His team’s prayer and patience put him in the right place at time.
You may be wondering whether your church could do something like this. It can.
Take the Next Step
1. Let Speak Truth Cafe help you.
If you’re ready to start conversations with spiritual seekers online but don’t know where to begin, Speak Truth Cafe is ready to help you.
2. Get coaching to form a church-based online outreach team.
Tom wasn’t doing this alone. He was part of a team from his local church, praying and building friendships together. E2E offers coaching and training to help churches in North America form online outreach team and reach people like Serdar.
Somewhere tonight, another Serdar is scrolling and wondering what he’s doing. Will a Christ-follower be there to connect with him?
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Why the forgotten saints of the past can sharpen our mission vision for today
by Aaron Myers
In 1527, a group of Anabaptist leaders gathered for what would become known as the Martyrs Synod, a meeting of men and women so committed to the Great Commission that many of them would not live to see the next few years. I read about it last week, and I was stunned that I had never heard the story. That discovery is the seed of this new feature, “Cloud of Witnesses,” in which I hope to highlight the lesser-known stories of faith and mission in the history of the church.
There are two ditches we moderns can fall into. The first is discouragement. We look at our own culture, the one we long to see transformed by the gospel, and feel that it has never been this bad, this hopeless. The second is what C.S. Lewis called chronological snobbery: the quiet assumption that our generation has finally figured out theology and mission, and that those before us had little to teach.
Looking back corrects both. We find that our ideas are rarely new and our challenges are rarely unique. We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, brothers and sisters who, in their own time and place, threw themselves into the harvest among those far from God. They may be unknown to us, but they were never unknown to the One who sent them. Historian John Lewis Gaddis says that studying the past doesn’t predict the future, but it prepares us for it “by expanding experience, so that you can increase your skills, your stamina—and, if all goes well—your wisdom.”
That is my aim here: to help us grow in skill, stamina, and wisdom for the work ahead. In the coming months, I’ll write about the Martyrs Synod and the men and women who went out from it to carry the gospel forth. I’ll also tell the stories of Rose Lambert, Lillias Trotter, George Lele, Samson Occom and many more. I plan to write four to six of these articles each year, each highlighting one lesser-known missionary and the lessons we can learn from their life.
Do you have a missionary whose story deserves to be told? I’d love to hear who you would add to the list.
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The Importunate Neighbour (1895)— William Holman Hunt
What would change if we prayed for the unreached the way Jesus taught us to ask?
by Aaron Myers
I have been reading through the book of Luke with my high school Sunday school class these past few weeks. The focus of the class is on learning to read and apply the word of God to our lives and ultimately, to help them develop the daily habit of reading the Bible. We’ve been working through a plan which, by reading five chapters a week, will take us through the entirety of the New Testament in a year. In my last article I wrote about the Father’s heart for the nations and my journey with these students has only served to strengthen this idea.
While I am the teacher and working to help my students learn to read their Bibles, as usually happens when I read the living and active word of God, I’ve been challenged as well. God is challenging me to continue to deepen my prayer life. Last week it was Luke six and Jesus’ ‘night of prayer’. There is something about the Son of God finding it necessary to spend an entire night ‘praying to God’ (vs. 12) that caused a question to bubble up in my mind: if the Creator of the universe chose to spend an entire night in prayer, might it be reasonable to consider that I might need to spend a few hours in prayer on a more regular basis? That I don’t more naturally default to prayer in my everyday life belies some deeper reality about where I place my faith. Lord help me!
This week it was Luke 11. In this passage, Jesus has been asked by his disciples to teach them to pray. It seems he has modeled a life of prayer and now, in their own aha moment, they’ve decided to ask for deeper instruction. They too want to learn to live lives that default to prayer. In verses 2-4 Jesus gives them the outline for a basic structure of prayer we know as the ‘Lord’s Prayer.’ In Luke we find a pared down version of the prayer we find also in Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew 6. In Luke 11 however, Jesus goes on to share a deeper teaching on prayer with his disciples using first a story, then an exhortation and then ending with an example. Jesus wants them to get it. He wants them to understand deep-down the heart attitude they should carry into prayer.
This brings us to ‘shameless audacity’. Luke 11:5-8 is a story of a man who has a friend suddenly show up at his door. He has no food to offer the customary hospitality required by his culture and so he heads out to another, nearby friend, to ask for three loaves of bread. It’s late. The friend has already put his children to bed and locked down the house for the night. He doesn’t want to get out of bed to help and says as much. In verse 8 Jesus says, “I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.” That is the NIV but it is translated similarly in the NASB (shamelessness), the ESV (impudence), the CSB (shameless boldness) and the NLT (persistence and boldness). Eugene Peterson spells it out a bit more in The Message—’if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors’.
This story is followed by Jesus’ exhortation to ask . . . seek . . . knock. . . “Everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (vs. 10). Jesus draws the teaching to a close with the example of an earthly father giving good gifts to his kids compared to our Heavenly Father. Jesus seems focused on teaching his disciples, and us, to pray with confidence, to pray with urgency, and to pray with shameless audacity.
And this of course challenged me—do I pray like that?
The Bible is filled to the brim with examples of people who prayed with the kind of shameless audacity Jesus is pointing to in Luke 11. Here are just a few:
- Abraham bargaining over Sodom (Genesis 18:22-33). Abraham stands before God and negotiates down from fifty righteous people to ten, saying things like "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" He essentially holds God to His own character, and he keeps pushing six times.
- Moses talking God out of destroying Israel (Exodus 32:9-14; Numbers 14). After the golden calf, Moses argues with God about His own reputation among the Egyptians and reminds Him of His promises to the patriarchs. The text says God "relented." Moses even says, "blot me out of your book" if God won't forgive the people (Exodus 32:32).
- Hannah's desperate prayer (1 Samuel 1). She prays so intensely, lips moving with no sound, that Eli the priest assumes she's drunk. She makes a bargain with God for a son and doesn't apologize for the intensity.
- Jesus' parables on persistence. Besides the teaching above, Jesus also shares about the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) who badgers an unjust judge until she gets justice, and Jesus holds her up as a model of prayer.
- The Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28). Jesus tests her with what sounds like a harsh refusal, and she turns his own metaphor back on him: even the dogs eat the crumbs under the table. She is audacious and He commends her faith and grants her request.
- Blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). The crowd tells him to be quiet, and he just keeps shouting louder and louder. Jesus stops for him and asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”
If Jesus tells us to ask, seek and knock and to do so with shameless audacity, and with so many examples in the Scriptures of the people of God doing just that, why do my prayers often seem so feeble? It may be that in personal requests we lack the confidence to ask audaciously for our own needs and desires. But we know God’s will is for the nations to worship Him, to see disciples made and churches established among every nation, tribe, people and language.
The man in Luke 11 wasn’t hungry. He was pounding on a neighbor’s door at midnight for the sake of a guest. That is the posture I want when I pray for the nations: not asking for my own comfort, but refusing to stay quiet while others go unfed or remain unreached.
And we aren’t twisting God’s arm. We’re asking for what he has already said he wants.
So this week, pick one unreached people group and pray for them by name each day. Ask for workers. Ask for churches. Ask until it feels almost embarrassing, and then keep asking.
Father, you promised that people from every nation, tribe and tongue would worship before your throne. We believe you. So we ask, boldly and without apology: send out workers, open hearts, and plant churches among the unreached. Do not let another generation pass without hearing your name. Amen.
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by Aaron Myers
Matthew 28:18-20
There are a whole host of wonderful and good things that we are called to do as followers of Jesus, but making disciples is the one thing that we can only do now. Once we get to heaven we will still worship – only our worship will be better. We will still pray – only our prayers will be purer. We will still fellowship – only our fellowship will be free from the bonds of sin and shame. Making disciples is a special assignment for this life. It will not continue in heaven. And it is the way that Jesus intends to see his Kingdom come. Through his church. Through people like you and me, broken vessels in the hands of an all powerful God.
But we need to understand that the Great Commission is not a beginning point, but rather a continuation of what has always been the heart of God, the mission of God, the grand narrative of the Bible. In the Abrahamic covenant as found in Genesis 12, God promises to bless Abraham and that through Abraham “all the families of the earth will be blessed.” And of course we understand this to be looking forward to the coming of Christ, the only one in whom salvation is found.
The book of Jonah tells of God’s relentless pursuit of the lost in Nineveh. David reflects God’s heart for all nations when in Psalm 67 he says, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations” (v. 1-2). Isaiah continues the theme in chapter 49:6 saying of the promised Messiah, “It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” Malachi 1:11 says, “My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to me, because my name will be great among the nations,” says the Lord Almighty. “
Even before giving the Great Commission, Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 24:14 that "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." This isn't necessarily an end-times trigger. It's a window into what God intends: that every nation would hear. And John's vision in Revelation 7:9 shows where it leads: “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.”
God’s heart across time and from the very beginning has been to bring all nations into his family, to reconcile all people to himself, to set all free, to redeem all who are lost, to break the bonds of sin and shame. His heart is that all nations would worship him. That is the will of God. As you immerse yourself in the Bible you cannot miss the missional heartbeat of God. And that is why the great commission is so important to Him.
Jesus taught us to pray for the Father’s “kingdom to come and will to be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Knowing that the Father’s heart is set on the nations, how can we do anything less than work to discover our role in seeing his will done, in seeing disciples made and churches established among every nation, tribe, people and language?
How will you respond? What steps can you take to discover your role in the completion of the Great Commission? Can you pray? Give? Send? Welcome? Can you go?
Action Step: Find thirty minutes to work through the Father’s Heart Study. For best results, pray about a few friends whom you could invite to go through the study with you over a cup of coffee. Spend time praying through the reflection questions.
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By Aaron Myers
Tom and Jane had been serving in Central Asia for over ten years when suddenly they ran into a major obstacle—they lost a major donor who had been giving $1,000 every month. This was a church that had supported them for a long time—a church they had attended as young adults and visited every furlough but a leadership change had led to a change in focus. With no warning, the monthly gift just disappeared. They didn’t realize it had happened until three months after the checks had stopped showing up and by that time they were headed toward a major deficit that was going to create major problems. They had worked hard to be good stewards, to live responsibly within their means with a focus on ministry and to communicate well with their ministry partnership team. While this story is fictional you can imagine that this kind of financial hit might take anyone into a tailspin.
Imagine working for years for a company and suddenly realizing that your income had been cut by $1,000 a month. A missionary who raises their own support doesn't simply receive a paycheck from an employer. Their “income” is built from dozens—or sometimes hundreds—of individual relationships.It’s a problem that doesn’t happen in most vocations but for the self-supporting missionary, this is a very real vulnerability.
Churches sometimes have legitimate reasons for ending financial support. The problem isn't necessarily that support ends; it's how that decision is communicated and carried out.
If a church has decided that it can no longer financially support a missionary however, it should do so, as far as it is in their capacity, with integrity, honor and in a way that gives the missionary the greatest opportunity to not end up in a financial crisis. And this applies as well to individuals who find they need to stop giving. With today’s article I want to offer a few practical guidelines for ending missionary support.
Don't surprise them.
No missionary should “notice” that a gift is no longer coming into their account. If you anticipate that a change may be coming, be proactive in communicating to the missionary. You would not want to experience that kind of surprise and neither do they.
Talk before you make the change.
Don't let the missionary learn about the decision through a budget document, email, or another church member. Set up a time to call and have a conversation. Give them the opportunity to ask questions. If you’re ending the relationship because of perceived issues on their part, allow them a chance to share. Too often there is misunderstanding or misperception that can be cleared up with a face-to-face meeting.
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Whatever the reason for the change, communicate that openly and honestly with your missionary. Sometimes it involves changes in your church—a shrinking congregation or a crisis—that the missionary will want to pray for with you. Whatever the reason, tell it to them straight. Nobody likes to be strung along.
Consider a transition period.
There are many valid reasons for ending support for a missionary or mission organization. That said, regardless of the reason, it can be helpful to consider transitioning your giving away from the missionary rather than just cutting them off cold turkey. If your church has been giving $1,000 a month, and circumstances allow, consider a transition period, walking that back incrementally over several months or even a year or two. This gives the missionary an opportunity to build the partnerships necessary to replace your giving. For example you could give $750 a month this year, $500 a month the next and $250 in the third year. This gives them an opportunity to build up the partnerships necessary to replace your giving.
Consider the size of the loss, not just the dollar amount.
All missionaries recognize that there will be attrition in their donor list. People lose jobs, go through major life changes or die. Every donor matters to a missionary. But not every gift carries the same financial weight. Losing a $25, $50 or $100 per month gift is a hit but losing a major donor, usually a church, who is providing a substantial percentage of monthly support can be catastrophic. The greater the size of the gift the more important it is to consider these recommendations.
Help them replace the support.
If appropriate, help make introductions to other churches, individuals, or ministry partners who might be interested in supporting their work.
Protect the missionary's relationships within the congregation.
If you are parting from financial partnership with a missionary be careful to not unnecessarily create confusion, suspicion, or gossip. Be aware that cutting support may unintentionally cause members of the congregation to assume the worst.
A Final Word
Financial partnerships may have seasons. Ending one doesn't have to erase the relationship or diminish the years of ministry you've shared. Healthy missions cultures are built not only on generous giving but also on healthy relationships and good stewardship. When a church communicates honestly, gives reasonable notice, and helps a missionary navigate the transition, it can end a financial partnership with integrity while honoring the person and ministry it once supported.
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An easy-to-use framework for helping new believers develop a lifelong habit of engaging with God’s Word.
By Aaron Myers
A friend of mine once drew for me a simple diagram to highlight the importance of helping everyone who walks with Jesus develop a clear and consistent pattern of daily immersion in the word of God. He drew three columns and at the bottom of the first he wrote “No Word.” This column represented people who did not actively pursue reading, understanding and applying the word of God in their lives. Under this he wrote “Alone”. When a person says they are a Christian but is essentially alone in their faith and they are not invested in reading and applying the word of God to their lives, the inevitable outcome is a life of syncretism, the blending of different religious beliefs, cultures, or ideas to form a new, mixed system of faith. We often think of syncretism as something that happens "over there"—in places where animistic beliefs, ancestor worship, or traditional religions get mixed with Christianity. But syncretism is not a problem unique to other cultures. It is a temptation for every Christian in every culture.
The American Christian may blend allegiance to a political party, the American Dream, consumerism, individualism, or the values of popular culture with their faith. They genuinely believe in Christ, but their understanding of what it means to follow Christ has been subtly reshaped by other authorities.
That is syncretism too.
When a person does not have a strong handle on God’s word and is without the guidance of solid biblical teaching, they inevitably begin to form their own system of belief based on pop culture and gut feeling.
Skipping over to the third column, my friend again wrote “No Word” but under this he wrote “Dynamic Personality” with an arrow pointing toward the word at the top of the column, “Cults”. When a dynamic personality gains influence over people who have little grounding in Scripture and little Christian community to help them test what they are hearing, those people become especially vulnerable to spiritual manipulation. The issue isn't simply that they don't know enough Bible verses. They have not learned to recognize Scripture as their authority or to test teaching in community.
My friend then shifted to the middle column and wrote “Immersed in the Word” under which he wrote, “In Community.” The arrow this time pointed toward the phrase “Healthy, Maturing, Faith”. Notice that the answer isn't simply "read your Bible."
The middle column contains two things: the Word and community.
Christianity was never intended to be a solitary exercise in private Bible interpretation. We need Scripture, but we also need brothers and sisters who help us understand it, obey it, question our assumptions, encourage us when we fail, and point us back to Jesus when we wander.
This is why the question, "Where do you see that in Scripture?" can be such a powerful discipleship question. It isn't a weapon for winning theological arguments. In a healthy community, it is an invitation to let Scripture speak.
Through Scripture and Christian community, the Holy Spirit continually exposes, corrects, encourages, and forms us into the likeness of Christ. In this way, we, like the Bereans in Acts 17:11 can examine the Scriptures every day to see if what is said is true.
As disciple makers, one of the first and most important things we can do with new believers is help them develop a lifelong pattern of listening to God through Scripture, responding in obedience, and processing what they are learning within Christian community. We cannot simply assume that a new believer will know how to do this. Intentional modeling and instruction are necessary. Intentional modeling and instruction are necessary. We must equip them to get started and then encourage them to keep at it long enough for it to become a much loved and longed for habit.
Here are a few resources that may be helpful.
New Testament in One Year Reading Plan: This is a simple starting point for someone who is new to consistent Bible reading. It covers the entire New Testament with five chapters per week, leaving two days for catching up. The plan begins with Luke and Acts before moving through the remainder of the New Testament in roughly chronological order. It gives a new believer a manageable goal rather than expecting them to immediately adopt an intensive reading schedule.
VOPS Bible Journaling: The goal isn't simply to get a new believer to read the Bible. We want to help them learn how to hear from Scripture, respond to what God is showing them, obey what they are learning, and share what God is teaching them with others. That's why I developed the VOPS framework. It stands for:
- VERSE - What verse is God drawing my attention to?
- OBSERVATION - What is God saying?
- PRACTICE - What is God calling me to do?
- SHARE - Who is God wanting me to encourage?
The goal of VOPS is not simply to help new disciples develop a habit of reading the Bible. It is to help them develop a life of listening to God through Scripture, responding in obedience, and sharing what they are learning with others. When Scripture becomes a regular part of our lives and we learn to engage it within the community of believers, we create space for the Holy Spirit to shape us more deeply into the likeness of Christ. The goal isn't simply Bible readers—it is disciples who are increasingly rooted in the Word, formed in community, and equipped to help others follow Jesus.
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By Aaron Myers
Since that conference, I’ve read many books that focus on the missional story of God; John Piper’s Let the Nations Be Glad and Christopher Wright’s The Mission of God’s People, to name just two. These are fantastic works that helped build a deep biblical foundation for missions and books I’d encourage everyone to read. However, the book I would encourage everyone to read first is Justin Schell’s, The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church. I valued Schell’s book first and foremost because of its accessibility. At just eight chapters and 109 pages, it is a highly readable book offering keen insight into the Scriptures without getting bogged down in overly theological language. It is, however, far more than simply a CliffsNotes version of other mission books. The language, examples, and teaching are clearly presented and easy to read.
For example, reflecting on the Great Commission, Schell writes:
In the Great Commission, God continues with his original plan in Eden, a world filled with men and women who would reflect and represent the good God in all the earth—that is, disciples of all nations.
As part of the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series of books printed by Crossway, The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church is the first book I’d recommend to a mission committee working to gain a better understanding of why we do missions. It would be a helpful book for any pastor feeling the need to have a better understanding of missions in the church and could also be a book for small groups to utilize for study and discussion. I have created a simple chapter reflection guide, which I trust will be beneficial for individuals and small groups as they work through this book. This worksheet, as well as, links to the book can be found below.
- The Mission of God and the Witness of the Church by Justin Schell
- Chapter Reflection Guide Worksheet
- The Short Studies in Biblical Theology Series
- Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper
- The Mission of God's People by Christopher Wright
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Using literature to help the next generation see and love the nations.
by Aaron Myers
It has been said that changing the culture of an organization—or church—is difficult. Culture changes slowly. Like a lake formed drop by drop, it is shaped by countless small influences. However, if we are patient and willing to prayerfully work toward change, we can see any church, school or family develop a mission-minded culture that reflects the Father’s heart for the nations.
One aspect of any missions culture is understanding the many different, beautiful, broken, and God-destined cultures of our big, amazing God-created world. For those of us growing up in the church or sending our kids to Christian schools (or homeschooling), experiencing other cultures and interacting with people different than ourselves isn’t often a normal part of our daily experience. It’s not that we’re avoiding cross-cultural experiences; it's just that life is busy and if you live in more rural areas, opportunities may be sparse.
While there are myriad ideas and suggestions for helping build a missions culture—something I work to write about here at Everywhere to Everywhere—with today’s article I want to focus on the power of literature. In a 2024 New York Times opinion piece, author David Brooks reflected on the power of literature:
Deep reading, immersing yourself in novels with complex characters, engaging with stories that explore the complexity of this character’s motivations or that character’s wounds, is a training ground for understanding human variety. It empowers us to see the real people in our lives more accurately and more generously, to better understand their intentions, fears and needs, the hidden kingdoms of their unconscious drives. The resulting knowledge is not factual knowledge, but emotional knowledge.
If we can find good books that take our children into other cultures, and if we prepare them to be cultural detectives, looking for God's fingerprints throughout the journeys of the characters, then we can help them begin to develop eyes to see as the Father sees the many nations of our earth.
As a parent or teacher it is helpful if you prepare yourself to help young readers engage with stories from cultures that may seem strange and different. Two helpful resources are Shane Bennett's article, "Reveling in the Cultural Kaleidoscope," and my article from earlier this spring “Four Ways to See the Nations At Our Doorstep.” You can find links to these at the bottom of the article. Work with young readers to help them become cultural detectives, asking good questions when things that happen are different or unexpected. Help them identify the surface level, observable customs, habits of dress, differing food and language so that they can learn to take the bigger step of understanding cultural and worldview differences.
I have also created two worksheets to help readers reflect on the books they’ve read with cross-cultural exploration in mind. One is designed for elementary-aged students, while the second is more complex and intended for middle-grade readers. I have also created a reading list of books, categorized by reading level and written by or about people from other cultures. Most of these are fiction but there are also a few non-fiction that I think will be helpful.
- Reading List: Books to Help Kids Understand Other Cultures
- Book Reflection Worksheet (elementary): Cultural Detective Notebook
- Book Reflection Worksheet (middle grades): Reader’s Cultural Detective Notebook
Stories offer a powerful opportunity to help readers of all ages begin to interact with and learn from and about other cultures. Encourage your young readers to pick up a good book today and begin the journey. Prepare them for a globalized world. Prepare them to be Christ’s ambassadors among the nations both locally and globally. One story at a time, we can help the next generation develop eyes to see and ears to hear the Father's call to the nations. In this way, we can build a stronger missions culture for the future.
- Article: Reveling in the Cultural Kaleidoscope
- Article: Four Ways to See the Nations At Our Doorstep
- Reading List: Books to Help Kids Understand Other Cultures
- Book Reflection Worksheet (elementary): Cultural Detective Notebook
- Book Reflection Worksheet (middle grades): Reader’s Cultural Detective Notebook
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A practical and interactive resource to help churches use the World Cup to inspire prayer, learning, and gospel engagement among the nations.
By Aaron Myers
My hope is that this resource will increase awareness, fuel prayer, and deepen your congregation’s understanding of God’s heart for the nations.
The World Cup Teams Prayer Guide is a free downloadable PDF. It includes a one-page overview for each of the 48 teams coming to Canada, the U.S., and Mexico this June.
Each team’s page includes:
- Country name and flag
- World map showing location
- Key demographic information
- Two fun facts
- Three prayer points (via Prayercast)
- QR code to the Prayercast video
- QR code to the Joshua Project page
- QR code to the FIFA team page
The guide also includes a handful of practical ideas for how to use these pages with your congregation. Think of these as starting points—you may find even more creative ways to engage your church. The goal is simple: create a fun, interactive connection to the nations that stirs prayer, generosity, and a willingness to go.
Download the guide today and begin planning how your church can engage the nations during the World Cup this June and July—through learning, prayer, and meaningful outreach.
Thank You.
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By Aaron Myers
If you are familiar with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings then you are familiar with Aragorn, the border stalking king who wanders in and out of the worlds of elves and dwarves and hobbits and man, inviting them to fight for the King and the kingdom rather than staying stubbornly at home.
The Apostle Paul was a border stalker who said, “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).
And of course Jesus was the ultimate border stalker. He is the one
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death--
even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:6-8)
While Fujimura uses this idea mainly to cast vision for artists, I think we can also find application of the term helpful in thinking about the vocation of the mission pastor and mission mobilizer.
Characteristics of an Effective Border Stalker
Fujimura describes the border stalker as someone who lives in the liminal spaces between worlds. But simply occupying those spaces does not make someone an effective guide. To faithfully serve as bridge-builders between the church and the nations, mission pastors and mobilizers need certain qualities. Without them, border stalkers will be ineffective at best—and antagonistic at worst.
Patience
Mission pastors, mobilizers, and missions champions have often been shaped by experiences that deeply formed their heart for the nations. We have seen the need. We feel the urgency. Many of us have been, as one mobilizer put it, “wrecked for the ordinary.”
But the people in our churches have not all had those same experiences. And even when they have, they may not respond as we did. That is why patience is essential.
A Turkish proverb says, damlaya damlaya göl olur—“Drop by drop, a lake is formed.” Building a missions culture requires steady, faithful, repeated investment over time. We must commit to small, consistent steps in the same direction, trusting that God will gradually deepen the vision and passion of a congregation.
Keep dripping the vision. Invest in those who respond.
Humility
Humility positions us to understand what God is already doing in a church and to join Him there. And humility begins with listening.
Rather than leading with our agenda, we should begin by hearing the stories of pastors, leaders, and church members. Ask thoughtful questions—not only about missions, but about their lives, ministries, burdens, and passions.
When we assume God is already at work in the people before us, we become better equipped to discern where their God-given passions intersect with the Great Commission. It is at that intersection that mobilization begins.
Hospitality
Hospitality means creating space for people to come as they are and meeting them there.
Yes, it includes hosting well. But more deeply, hospitality is an attitude of invitation—a willingness to meet people where they are, to create safe spaces for honest questions, and to patiently walk with them through their uncertainties.
Hospitality gives grace when others do not immediately share our urgency. It extends generosity to those still learning to see the nations through God’s eyes. Border stalkers must be hospitable people.
Beauty
Vision for the nations is often caught before it is taught.
One missions leader said, “The heart can rarely feel what the eyes have not seen.”
Scripture must remain foundational in helping people discover the Father’s heart for the nations. But beauty—through stories, testimony, art, poetry, and imagery—often awakens the imagination and stirs the affections in ways raw information cannot.
Stories of God’s work among the nations help people not merely understand the Great Commission, but feel its weight and wonder. A shared an example of this recently in my article Beauty and Beyond.
Beauty helps vision move from the mind to the heart.
A Final Word
As border stalkers, mission pastors are working to see their churches grow in their heart for the nations and the ability to partner with God in His kingdom expanding work. Mission mobilizers are focused on the church more broadly and their work, often for a particular mission agency, is focused on marshalling prayer, resources and people across the ocean and into service among people who do not yet know the hope of Christ.
Missions mobilizers and mission pastors—the church in North America needs you to guide them into the Father’s heart for the nations, into a growing desire to be a part of the great commission, and into the harvest among the unreached locally and globally.
Be border stalkers for the Lord. The church needs you.
- Culture Care by Mako Fujimura
Thank You.
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