Back to Jerusalem

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My church held it’s annual mid-winter retreat over the weekend. The speakers were a missionary couple who serve in that big country in east Asia that’s not supposed to have any missionaries or unofficial Christians in it. They minister to the people in remote areas of this country by helping them dig wells, build latrines for schools and villages, build rainwater collection systems, and by developing disease prevention plans with the villagers.

These missionaries shared with us a wonderful vision of the thriving church in this closed country. Millions of Christians who pray not that their persecution would end but that they would be strong enough to endure and bear witness for Christ. Even more stunning is that these Christians who regularly face imprisonment, torture, and death at the hands of their own government have a vision to send missionaries into other closed countries to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. They call their movement Back to Jerusalem, the idea being that they would travel to all of the countries along ancient trade routes that lead all the way back to the middle east.

As the missionaries shared this vision with our congregation I got chills and started to get teary eyed. It is an amazing thing that these Christians want to do. At that moment all I could think was, “Oh God please let it happen!” I find it remarkable that it is the Christians in a closed country who have come up with such a bold plan to fulfill the great commission. Their compassion for the lost peoples of the world even as they face persecution for their faith is inspiring and humbling. The missionaries told us that these bold Christians do not fear persecution in other closed countries because anything that could be done to them has already been done to them by their own government.

Take a look at the website and please remember them in your prayers.

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