On the one hand, we are filled with a desire to spread the gospel and convey true news of happiness to the people of the world. Therefore, we will be filled with a passion which enables us to effectively share the gospel and plant Jesus Christ, the source of life, in their hearts. However, countless obstacles stand in our way. Religious, racial, ethnic, and ideological conflicts arising around the world are blocking our progress.

Thanks to advanced science and technology, we have access to information about events happening around the world. Some of these are touching, but many things also darken our hearts. Indeed, we live in a crisis of unprecedented turmoil in international politics, economics, and the church. Wars, famines, and diseases are rampant everywhere, and extreme droughts and floods caused by climate change are devastating human lives. We are experiencing a crisis that feels as if the end of the world is near, just as Jesus warned in the Synoptic Gospels.

What attitude should Christ’s servants adopt in such times? We can find the answer in the case of Paul. In an era when transportation was inconvenient, Paul traveled across Europe, preaching the gospel by land or by ship. When food was scarce, he made a living by building tents. When wicked Jews pursued him, harassing and interfering with him, he sometimes boldly confronted them with biblical truth, and at other times, he wisely avoided the wicked and preached the gospel. As a result, he conquered the Roman Empire with the gospel. Even when his ship was wrecked and drifted in the sea, or when he was repeatedly beaten with 39 lashes, Paul never once complained to God, instead he lived his life believing that preaching was his calling. Ordinary people would have given up, but he never did.

How could he do so? Because he was a truly free person, as the Bible teaches. A truly free person, according to the Bible is someone who once understands their role through the Bible, takes the initiative to carry out their assigned tasks. Such people, no matter what obstacles they face, seek and find solutions with the God- given wisdom and carry them out without complaint. In this way, a servant of Christ must be truly free, more than anyone else, like a special forces soldier who carries out operations for his country in the midst of the territory of their enemy. I pray that all servants of the LifeRoad Mission International (LMI) will continue to do their best in their assigned tasks as true free people.