Many countries, especially in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, are closed to traditional missionaries. Fifty-years ago, most American Christians had the attitude that “if God wants missionaries to enter, He will open the door.” By “open the door” they meant that the country would grant visas to missionaries.
But visas have only been in use for a couple hundred years. And where in the Bible does it say we should only go where missionaries are permitted? Did first-century ambassadors for Christ only go where they were welcome? Did Jesus really mean it when he commissioned us to “make disciples of all the nations”?
Thinking biblically eventually led missions strategists to the realization that there is no such thing as a closed door to the Sovereign Lord and His ambassadors.
Looking at Past Examples
Through the centuries, missionaries have found ways to go beyond “closed doors.” The typical American preoccupation with safety, comfort, and security did not deter these missionaries from obeying Christ. Like Paul and his missionary teams, they did not only go where it was safe. In fact, inconvenience and danger were their frequent and expected companions; this is a stark contrast to the priorities of many Western Christians today.
Twenty-first–century ambassadors for Christ, likewise, are willing to go where traditional missionaries are not permitted. Using nontraditional means that are biblically and culturally appropriate, foreign missionaries are gaining entrance into places where they dared not enter before.
Look for a Window
Doors may be closed to foreign preachers in restricted countries, but there are amazing windows of opportunity there for Christ’s ambassadors who enter through fields of education, medicine, development, business training, and humanitarian service. There are a multitude of Christ-honoring platforms that provide opportunities for one-on-one evangelism and discipleship, and also for house-church planting. The apostle Paul is our model of someone using his professional skills (i.e., tentmaking) where necessary to live and serve Christ in difficult contexts.
Additionally, some religio-political systems have demonized missionaries by portraying them as secret, political operatives seeking to destabilize the government. In such settings, Christ’s ambassadors forego using the M-word (“missionary”), which conveys the wrong meaning to the locals.
Most countries welcome foreigners to come in as experts in professional capacities and provide needed services and training. God’s “foreigners” thus go, motivated by Calvary love for those nations and citizens. When they are established in their new host country, they find opportunities to communicate Christ in a context of compassion by serving the felt needs of the people in order to awaken their unfelt spiritual needs. By establishing redemptive relationships first, they gain a hearing for the gospel that might not have occurred otherwise.
Understanding Why
“But isn’t it dishonest to pretend they’re not a missionary?”
No, these men and women are forthrightly Christian and professional in meeting the government requirements for the visa granted. Integrity is paramount; they are, and do, what is expected by the officials. Personally and prudently sharing their faith in culturally appropriate ways seldom causes problems. In some hostile environments where government agents monitor them, local officials themselves often come to respect our personnel, even to the point of protecting and helping them!
“But isn’t it dangerous sometimes?” Yes, sometimes. However, these specialists receive training and know how to function in hostile contexts. They do not take foolish risks. But they have taken up their cross to follow Jesus, and His cross was not a safe place.
Remember the two young ladies doing humanitarian work in Afghanistan who were kidnapped in 2007 and held by the Taliban? After they escaped and found their way back to their Baptist church in Texas, they expressed their desire to return to the field saying, “Let me go where it is hard to share Your name.”
God is raising up a new generation of servant-soldiers who are willing to go beyond closed doors for the cross. Will you join them?
Bill Commons spent 15 years as a church planter in Hong Kong. He has worked for 29 years in administration at the ABWE headquarters. He now serves as international vice president of Strategic Initiatives. Dr. Commons lives with his wife, Sharon, in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
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