Just before Jesus was taken up into heaven, He addressed His disciples saying, "You shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth" (Acts 1:8, NASB). I wonder if Christ's disciples ever dreamed that the kingdom-building campaign He set in motion through His death and resurrection would continue far beyond their own lifetimes to our own, nearly 2,000 years later.
The life-long journey of faith that the first disciples embarked upon was filled with both pain and triumph. Thousands of people heard the Good News and were born again, but discipleship came at a cost. The apostle Paul gives a quick list of the perils he endured that included imprisonment, beatings, whippings, shipwreck, thirst, and hunger as he followed in Christ's footsteps (2 Corinthians 11:23-27).
And yet, after all Paul went through, he endured it gladly, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed" (Romans 8:18, NASB).
Christ gave us the ultimate example of what commitment and sacrifice really mean. His entire life was devoted to doing the will of God. Jesus once said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work" (John 4:34, NASB). He lived his life for God and gave His life as a sacrifice to take away the sins of the world.
The example that Christ and His first followers set was not wasted on future generations. For centuries, believers have endured persecution and martyrdom for the privilege of sharing the Good News with a lost world.
So what about our own generation? As we move forward in 2012, where are today's valiant warriors who are battling forces of darkness, enduring persecution, spreading the Gospel, and longing for the day of Christ's return? As fellow believers who take the Great Commission seriously, we are bound to a worldwide family of committed men and women who are risking their lives to help take the Gospel to the "remotest part of the earth."
Persecution is still the reality for believers who are working with Every Home for Christ in what we call Creative Access nations. In several regions, Christians are marked for death. But there are tens of thousands of courageous believers who are working hand in hand with EHC, willing to die for the sake of Christ.
Our network of underground and persecuted saints spans the Middle East, Asia and nations under the control of brutal dictators who want to wipe out the Christian faith. Our pioneer missionaries in Creative Access nations have quietly distributed more than 925 million gospel booklets, leading to more than 66 million responses. More than 67,000 Christ Group fellowships have also been planted in Creative Access nations as a living testimony to the life-changing power of the Gospel. No matter what barriers to the Gospel the enemy tries to put up in Creative Access nations, Jesus can always break through.
We have also launched a campaign this year to take the Gospel to the island nation of Trinidad & Tobago. Thousands of families who will be touched with the Gospel as a result of this new project. We know you will be blessed as you read about EHC's new home-to-home evangelistic campaign in this Caribbean nation, one of several to be launched in the upcoming months.
Working in partnership with thousands of local churches and dedicated pioneer missionaries worldwide, EHC is also coordinating dynamic gospel outreaches across Africa, Latin America, and island nations of the Pacific, carrying the Great Commission forward through another new year. More than 106 million people have responded to EHC gospel outreaches, but our work will continue as long as the Lord tarries.
The African kingdom Swaziland is governed by one of the last remaining monarchs in the world today. But the sovereign rule of the king serves as a reminder that one day Christ will return and rule as King of Kings over every nation! I pray that day will come soon, and if it does I know He will be pleased to find us building His kingdom through the proclamation of the Gospel to every home in every nation of the world!