SOWING&REAPING
WORTH IT?
ISRISK
THE NECESSITY
OF RISK
BY TIMOTHY BERREY PAGE 05
SHEEP IN THE
MIDST OF WOLVES
BY BILL KNIPE PAGE 07
RISKS FOR
HIS KINGDOM
GFAMISSIONS.ORG
BY WALTER LOESCHER PAGE 03
BY MICHAEL BERBIN PAGE 09
PRAYING FOR GREATER
MISSIONARY SAFETY
FALL / WINTER 2024 ISSUE 257
BY TIMOTHY BERREY
BY WALTER LOESCHER 03
05
07
09
SHEEP IN THE
MIDST OF WOLVES
BY BILL KNIPE
RISKS FOR HIS
KINGDOM
THE NECESSITY
OF RISK
BY MICHAEL BERBIN
PRAYING FOR GREATER
MISSIONARY SAFETY
EDITORS: INGE CANNON AND SARAH HARTWIG
DESIGNER: YOUR CREATIVE PEOPLE
PUBLICATION ADVISORS:
JON CROCKER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DALE CRAWFORD, ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR
FORREST MCPHAIL, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR ASIA, AUSTRALIA, AND OCEANIA
ALAN PATTERSON, REGIONAL DIRECTOR FOR EUROPE, AFRICA, AND THE MIDDLE EAST
TIMOTHY BERREY, DIRECTOR OF MISSIONARY RECRUITMENT
MARSH FANT, DIRECTOR OF CHURCH PLANTING AND REVITALIZATION
JON
CROCKER
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
I recently stood next to the metal
frame of the Piper PA-14 Family
Cruiser in which Nate Saint once
ferried Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming,
Ed McCully, and Roger Youderian
around the jungles of Ecuador.
Parts appeared in the sands along
the Curaray River in the early 1990s,
and by 1994 a team from Mission-
ary Aviation Fellowship (MAF)
had returned the structure to the
United States. It was sobering and stirring to
imagine the martyrs boarding that tiny aircraft
in January of 1956, longing to preach Christ
to the Waodani. I stood silently before Saint’s
partially crushed megaphone and a wing piece
dented by dozens of machete marks. It almost
felt irreverent to talk. These men and their
families believed and accepted the words of
Jesus in Mark 8:34 (NASB 1995): “If anyone
wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself,
and take up his cross and follow Me.” That rusty
metal shell of a plane serves as a testimony to
that kind of deep consecration to Christ. Their
answer to the question posed in this issue of
Sowing & Reaping—“Is Risk Worth It?”—would
be a resounding yes!
It was worth it that very day as they passed into
the presence of our Savior. It was worth it in the
years that followed as relatives of the martyrs
returned with the Gospel and reaped a glorious
harvest among the Waodani, a reaping that
continues until today. It will be worth it when
Jesus descends from heaven with a shout and
raises incorruptible those bodies once pierced
by savage spears. And it has been worth it
throughout the nations, as Christians young
and old have heard and read the story of the
Ecuadorian Five and have offered themselves
wholeheartedly to Christ to take the Gospel
to the world.
The authors of the articles in this issue examine
various aspects of the topic of risk from biblical
and practical perspectives. There is no one-
size-fits-all answer to the question of how to
evaluate and process danger for the sake of
the Gospel. But we must have no doubt about
the answer to the question, is risk worth it?
Far too many professing
Christians today idolize
safety (which in reality is
but the illusion of safety).
May the Lord raise up a
new generation of humble,
courageous, dependent,
Spirit-empowered servants
to charge into the darkness
with the light of the Gospel!
DIRECTOR
A W O R D F R O M T H E
Scriptures encouraging risk
Even with a compelling call and prayerful confirma-
tion, 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 inno-
cent 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 provi-
dentially 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.”
WALTER
LOESCHER
BY
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).
NECESSITY
NECESSITY
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 advanc-
ing 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.
THE OF RISK
“ALL AUTHORITY HAS BEEN GIVEN
TO ME IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH. GO
THEREFORE AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF
ALL THE NATIONS…” 1
Matthew 28:18–19 says
“FOR A DISCIPLE OF CHRIST,
THE GOSPEL IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN ONE’S LIFE.”
TIMOTHY
BERREY
BY
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?
1. 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.
2. 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. Johan-
nesburg 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).
SHEEP IN THE
MIDST OF WOLVES
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.
3. Know when to escape or change
locations (Matthew 10:23ff).
Although missionaries cannot avoid all persecu-
tion, 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 reason-
able 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.
4. 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).
BILL
KNIPE
BY
Evangelism and discipleship can
get downright messy at times.
Church history is full of examples.
Ministry can be painful, danger-
ous, and even deadly. Just like
that kitten, the people we try to
rescue can harm us. Our very lives
may be at risk.
Is it worth it? Let the Bible answer that question.
“He is not willing that any should perish.”
To God, the risk is worth it. Jesus’ sacrificial, life-giving
example shows that the human soul is valuable to Him.
Do these Scriptures apply only to safe places? “How
shall they hear without a preacher,” “go ye into all the
world,” and “preach the Gospel to every creature.”
In the Apostle Paul’s words, “God forbid.” I need to
be willing to take risks for the Lord. Yet, the risks
must be carefully assessed.
Confirmation of the Lord’s call to
a place is extremely important.
Nonetheless, the risks also come
with great reward. In the vernac-
ular of fitness gurus, “no pain, no
gain.” Let me give you an example
of the reward that comes from
persevering in a God–given call
to take risks for the sake of His
kingdom.
We are seeing fruit even from a very dangerous
apartment complex, Beverly Court. There are often
shootings there. Two of our church ladies shared an
emotional testimony with our church family on a
Sunday after having witnessed the shooting death
of a young man in the courtyard of Beverly Court
the night before. Their hearts were distraught to see
the young people go right back to their gambling
and dancing while they waited for the ambulance
and police to remove their friend’s lifeless body after
gangsters fatally shot him. “There is no value of a
human soul,” said our church ladies.
Yet, our church family held a Live Nativity in that
same courtyard at Christmas time. Now these people
who need Jesus are hearing of Him. They need
risk-taking believers to show them by example “the
value of the human soul.”
How will they ever hear without a
preacher? How will the believers in
Ravensmead ever gain courage and a
desire to reach their neighbors without
someone being a living example to them?
The Gospel is spreading. People are get-
ting saved and experiencing Christ-like
change. Praise Him!
I corrected one zealous young Christian
man I was discipling for his “Jesus” graffiti
on the wall of Beverly Court. Yet, his
misguided zeal to tell people about Jesus stands
as a testimony that the risks must be taken.
These were the first words I heard from my first
evangelistic efforts in Ravensmead, South Africa.
Earlier that day I had convinced the two young men
who had committed to start a church plant with me
to go on door-to-door evangelism. They lived in the
area but were too afraid to evangelize because of the
dangers. I told them that for safety they could stick
together, and I would evangelize on the opposite
side of the road. But when I met that gang of young
men and heard the one tell me about this injury, I
changed my mind about walking by myself.
Fast forward eight years, and Grace Baptist Church
stands as a lighthouse with around 40 people
in attendance.
It was so tempting
to make that first
encounter in Raven-
smead a reason to
avoid the area alto-
gether in hopes that
someone more coura-
geous and streetwise
than I would be called
there. I soon learned
that my first encounter
was not unusual. Since
then I have witnessed
many violent crimes,
been
caught
in
crossfire, had threats
on my life, and had
my van pounced on
and shaken by an angry mob while I was trying to
minister. The list of known “close calls” continues.
So, why stay in the midst of such dangers? Am I
being foolish? Am I being a foolish husband and
father? Are the risks worth it? Let me answer with
an illustration.
A kitten maneuvered its way through the foundation
into the wall of a home we were visiting. It had been
crying for days and was about to starve to death.
In a last-ditch effort to save its life, we pulled back
the trim by the ceiling, and my wife reached for it.
Every time my wife tried to rescue it, the kitten would
scratch and bite her hand. With a bit of pain and
injury, she persevered and saved the little kitten’s
life. If she had not, the kitten would have died.
RISKS FOR HIS KINGDOM
“SOME WANT TO LIVE WITHIN THE
SOUND OF CHURCH OR CHAPEL BELL;
I WANT TO RUN A RESCUE SHOP
WITHIN A YARD OF HELL.”
C.T. Studd
“WHY IS YOUR HEAD BANDAGED?”
I ASKED.
“YESTERDAY A GANGSTER COLD-
COCKED MY HEAD WITH HIS GUN
RIGHT WHERE YOU’RE STANDING.”
Let us provide a pastor
during the interim.
Without
a Pastor?
WE COME ALONGSIDE TO
SHEPHERD THE FLOCK
PREACH THE WORD
ASSIST THE PULPIT COMMITTEE
Churches without pastors are vulnerable. GFA can point you to
seasoned pastors who are willing to help your church in transition.
Want to learn more about GFA’s Interim Pastor Ministry? LET’S TALK
Marshall Fant • (864) 609-5500 • gfamissions.org
LEGACY GIVING
1. BEQUESTS MADE THROUGH YOUR
WILL OR YOUR ESTATE CAN INCLUDE:
• Gifts of Real Estate
• Gifts of Stocks and Bonds
• Gifts of Retirement Assets
• Gifts of Cash
2. IRA CHARITABLE ROLLOVER
• If you are over 70 1/2, you can make
a gift directly to GFA from your IRA
and reduce your taxable income.
You can create a lasting legacy in missions through
planned giving to GFA’s Missionary Care Endowment.
Make an Impact for Eternity
Please contact GFA if you have questions
about legacy giving. We will be glad to
assist you as you seek to steward the
resources the Lord has given to you.
864.609.5500
BY MICHAEL BERBIN
Have you ever prayed for the safety of
a missionary? If so, from what did you
ask the Lord to protect him? Possibly,
you asked God to keep him from acci-
dents or illnesses that would harm
him bodily. Or perhaps missionaries
in countries politically and religiously
opposed to the Gospel were blessed
by your request to deliver them from
“unreasonable men” as Paul requested
in 2 Thessalonians 3:2.1
We have all been created with an
instinct to protect our lives, and
certainly Scriptures indicate care for
the temple of Christ to be a righteous
action. This instinct was highlighted
during one of the armed robberies
I experienced in Papua New Guinea
(PNG). During this holdup, in which
my entire family and several cowork-
ers were involved, a young man put a
knife to my throat demanding money.
After we were robbed and left the
scene, my coworker reflected that
when she heard my voice rise in pitch,
she knew this was serious. I was cer-
tainly afraid of having my throat cut.
So yes, praying for physical safety is
a legitimate and much appreciated
ministry for men and women pro-
claiming Christ throughout the world.
However, is bodily injury or death
really the greatest threat? Or is there
a more sinister danger to which those
in gospel ministry are exposed? Christ
relegated bodily death to a lesser
danger when he taught His disciples
in Luke 12:4, “Be not afraid of them
that kill the body, and after that have
no more that they can do.” It is a lesser
consideration because these people
were limited to killing the body and
could do no more. So He gave the
command, don’t fear these people
who can kill only the body, but do
fear this One who has eternal power
to destroy body and soul in hell (see
Matthew 10:28).
Why did the Lord need to warn His
disciples about fear regarding danger
to the physical body? This was partly
due to the sense of preservation
ingrained in every life which is prone
to produce an instinctive, fearful
reaction. However, if we consider the
true source of fear, we can get at the
greater danger to which both our mis-
sionaries and every true believer are
exposed many, many times—unbelief!
Hebrews describes amazing deliver-
ances through faith. “Who through
faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained prom-
ises, stopped the mouths of lions,
quenched the violence of fire, escaped
the edge of the sword, out of weak-
ness were made strong, waxed valiant
in fight, turned to flight the armies
of the aliens” (Hebrews 11:33–34).
But also through faith “had trial of
cruel mockings and scourgings, yea,
moreover of bonds and imprison-
ment: They were stoned, they were
sawn asunder, were tempted, were
slain with the sword: they wandered
about in sheepskins and goatskins;
being destitute, afflicted, tormented”
(Hebrews 11:36–37). These believers
exalted God and had victory in spite
of being “slain by the sword.”
What I as a missionary in the crime-
plagued country of PNG need, what
your missionary friend in the elegant
city of Vienna needs, what you as a
believer need is protection from our
absolute faith in God being eroded or
“failing” as Christ phrased it. Unbelief
produces paralyzing fear. Unbelief
closes the mouth of the gospel herald.
Unbelief displaces peace and joy in
the midst of physical danger and
ordeal. Do pray for protection from
accident and illness. Do implore God
to spare and protect the physical lives
of missionaries around the world. But
above all, pray that God will build and
protect our complete and unwaver-
ing faith in Himself. In faith we are
eternally safe as well as joyful and
at peace.
PRAYING
FOR GREATER
MISSIONARY SAFETY
1. All Scripture quotations in this article are taken from the KJV, The King James Version of The Holy Bible, public domain.
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864-609-5500 • gfamissions.org
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