Making disciples of every nation is risky business, and Jesus knew that it would be. I remember feeling the stark reality of missionary risk in 2003, when in the midst of preparations to take my family to Cambodia for the summer, I learned that SARS was lethally spreading its tentacles throughout Asia.
When our Lord addressed risk, however, His focus was not on potential illnesses. As Jesus sent His twelve disciples on a mission, He sent them as “sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16).1 The greatest part of His instructions focused on preparing them for persecution.
How might these same principles help us in our day?
Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16).
To be wise suggests being shrewd, insightful, careful, and discerning; to be harmless means to be pure or innocent. As sheep in the midst of wolves, we must be savvy but not sinful.
My wife and I once met some missionary translators who lived in a dangerous part of the Philippines. Navigating their lives wisely meant they varied their schedules and routes when running errands. But every Sunday they went to church deliberately, fully aware their church and service times were publicly known. They were savvy but not sinful.
Lean on the Holy Spirit to guide you (Matthew 10:20).
As the Lord prepared His disciples to be sheep in the midst of wolves, He specifically warned them to beware of men (see Matthew 10:17) who would deliver them up out of hostility to the Gospel. In those times, they were not to worry about what to say but rely on the Spirit to help them.
My family spent the summer of 2004 ministering in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa. Johannesburg was reportedly one of the most dangerous cities in the world because of rampant crime, car theft, and murder. One of the missionaries told us that while helping with the injured at a car accident scene, she was accosted by a man with a gun who demanded her car keys. Without thinking, she turned to him and replied furiously, “Can’t you see this is not the time for that? People have been injured!” To her surprise, the man slunk away into the crowd. In the midst of danger, the Lord had provided on-the-spot wisdom: “It is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:20).
Know when to escape or change locations (Matthew 10:23ff).
Although missionaries cannot avoid all persecution, they need wisdom to know when to flee. Peter did not hang around Jerusalem after his miraculous release in Acts 12; “he departed, and went into another place” (Acts 12:17). Missionaries do not seek martyrdom. They seek the Lord’s mind as to whether they should stay or leave.
At times, Paul relied on local believers to give him counsel. Believers in Damascus realized the time had come for Paul to leave town, and they helped him out of the city in a basket (Acts 9:25). During the riot in the coliseum at Ephesus, Paul wanted to enter the melee, but “the disciples would not allow him” (Acts 19:30).
Several years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference in an area of the Philippines known for heavy terrorist activity. Although believers in Manila cautioned me against going, the local pastor had told me that they would take reasonable precautions. And they did. I had a four-man escort to and from the airport. I was kept inside and out of sight. People even slept around me at night for protection. Although the situation had the potential for danger, I entrusted myself to God’s care and the counsel of the believers.
Do not value your life more than Jesus and His mission for you.
Jesus does not promise that His disciples will always come back alive. In Matthew 23:34, Jesus speaks of some He will send who will be killed. His cause is larger than your life and may even demand it.
When loyalty to Christ bumps up against risk, we must trust Him for the consequences of our obedience. The five missionaries martyred by the Auca Indians on January 8, 1956, understood this. Pete Fleming said, “I am longing now to reach the Aucas if God gives me the honor of proclaiming the Name among them….I would gladly give my life for that tribe if only to see an assembly of those proud, clever, smart people gathering around the table to honor the Son—gladly, gladly, gladly! What more could be given to a life?”2
Is fear holding you back from what you believe God wants you to do? What risks might Christ be asking you to take for Him? Do you love your life more than you love Christ and His will for you?
Let Christ’s promise reassure you of the reward for suffering for His name’s sake: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39).
1 Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
2 Elisabeth Elliot, Through Gates of Splendor (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1957), 26.