The Necessity of Risk :: Gospel Fellowship Association Missions

The Necessity of Risk

Walter Loescher
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Matthew 28:18–19 say “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…”1

The Gospel goes where believers go and believers go where God sends them. The Great Commission is clear. Jesus sends believers to all the nations, not just to some of them. Conscious of His command and emboldened by His promises, Christ’s disciples overcome formidable obstacles to bring the Gospel to every nation, tribe, people, and tongue.

A daunting barrier to the proclamation of the Gospel is the risk of danger or harm. Assessing risk before hazarding a mission into the unknown is a wise precaution. But how does one measure peril against the worth of advancing the Gospel? Is risking life and limb vital to missions?

Considering the call

“Come over to Macedonia and help us” (Acts 16:9b). After hearing the appeal in a vision, Paul and his missionary team concluded that “God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (Acts 16:10). Paul went to Philippi in Macedonia. There he was dragged into a market, stripped of his robes, beaten with rods, and put into stocks. In subsequent visits to Thessalonica, Paul’s friends had to spirit him out of the city at night. Although there was a warmer reception to the Gospel in Berea, his visit was cut short by opponents.

Later while in Corinth, Paul faced danger again. The Lord reassured Paul in another vision and offered words of encouragement: “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city” (Acts 18:9–10). The assurance of God’s presence and His protection fortified Paul. He firmly believed that Jesus had all authority in heaven and on earth. Many people in that city would ultimately belong to Jesus. Paul “settled there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:11). 

While it would be nice to receive a vision explaining where to go and what to do, the point of these texts is not to wait for a vision. Rather, a missionary should trust in God’s providential guidance and the conclusions of godly coworkers. God’s call is His providential leading.

Scriptures encouraging risk

Even with a compelling call and prayerful confirmation, mission work requires commitment. Jesus sent his disciples out “as sheep in the midst of wolves” and told them to “be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). He also admonished them, “Beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you” (Matthew 10:17). Believers should be courageous, but they should also be shrewd, blameless, aware of danger, and prepared to face hardship.

Jesus told His disciples, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). He also said, “Take up [your] cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

For a disciple of Christ, the Gospel is more important than one's life.

Paul exemplified this attitude in Acts 20:24: “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the Gospel of the grace of God.”

Upon hearing Paul’s resolve, residents begged him not to go. Paul countered: “I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). Persuaded by Paul’s resolve, his friends entrusted Paul to God’s providence: “And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, ‘The will of the Lord be done!’” (Acts 21:14).

In Acts 15, the council of Jerusalem praised Paul and Barnabas as “men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26). Other texts show the reality of danger in service for Christ (see 1 Corinthians 15:30; 2 Corinthians 11:23 [9 times!]).

Other passages honor those who bravely risked their lives. Prisca and Aquila “risked their own necks” (Romans 16:4). Epaphroditus “came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life….” (Philippians 2:30).

Paul, near the end of his life, admonishes others to “Suffer hardship with me” (2 Timothy 2:3), and to “endure hardship” (2 Timothy 4:5).

Our willingness to serve in difficult or dangerous places is related to our estimation of the Gospel’s worth and the importance of sharing it. God providentially leads some who follow Him into dangerous lands. He encourages everyone with His promises and confronts us all with the need to leave our comfort zones for His sake. Before she traveled to South Sudan on a missionary trip, I asked a young lady, “Aren’t you concerned about possible problems with security?” She replied, “To me, it’s worth it so that they can hear the Gospel.”

 


1 All Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the NASB® New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update (La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995).