ABWE - Association of Baptists for World Evangelism

Deep in the heart of Papua New Guinea sits a mountain that used to strike fear in the hearts of people for miles around.  

Arguably this mountain is at the end of the civilized world.  It had a name—“The Throne of Satan.”  Then something remarkable happened—the gospel of Jesus Christ penetrated the jungle through unknown missionaries and the hearts of the people were freed from their chains of fear and slavery to the dark powers of the occult.  The mountain is still there—but “the Throne of Satan” is gone.   In its place stands a church where people now gather to pray and spread the gospel to those yet unreached.

Jesus Christ meant what He said, “. . . and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it”  (Matthew 16:18).

Most people have never heard of our missionaries and would not recognize them in a crowd.  But that’s okay with them—such servants are not in it for money or fame.  As we follow the footsteps of our missionary family to the ends of the earth, we discover some remarkable scenes.  It seems mankind’s bent for self-destruction through power, pleasure, greed, lust, and status is not limited merely to the streets of Boston, Berlin or Bangkok, but slithers along mountain trails and jungle paths as well, until every human being on the planet is damaged.
At the ends of the earth, our missionaries see the ugly face of man’s inhumanity to man in its most virile and repugnant forms.  Here is where human trafficking lives.  A young girl’s will has been destroyed by drugs, her body ravaged for money.  She believes what her slavers tell her to believe—that she is nothing but garbage to be discarded at their whim.  She has no hope.  Here is where shame dwells and fear reigns.  Does anyone care?

At the ends of the earth, futures are destroyed by war.  Here is where a young man with Olympic potential has a leg blown off by a mine.  Here a respected family has watched all the men in three generations murdered and buried in a mass grave of genocide.  Here is where hope dies.  Does anyone care?

At the ends of the earth, people often come to the end of themselves.  No one can come here without facing the crushing truth that the bad news is about as bad as it can be—mankind has a cancer of the soul that is incurable and eternally fatal.  Fortunately, understanding that fact is also what makes the Good News so good.

At the ends of the earth, ABWE missionaries surgically repair damaged bodies, fit prosthetic limbs, provide job training, and offer hope of a new life in Christ.  They also share the good news of the gospel—that God loves mankind so much that he sent his Son Jesus to live among us and suffer as we suffer.  Then Jesus lovingly gave his own life that we might be forgiven and go free from the slavery and penalty of sin.  Jesus really cares.

In Mark chapter 2, Jesus is presented with the case of a man who was paralyzed, but who was desperate for help.  His friends were so desperate that they broke a hole in a roof to let him down in front of Jesus in the hope that he would be healed.  Because he knew that the deepest source of the man’s pain was in his soul, Jesus stunned the crowd by forgiving the man’s sins before restoring his body.  Jesus knew the eternal truth—that this paralyzed man’s spiritual condition was far worse than his physical plight.  So Jesus handled this man’s needs according to the priorities of eternal reality.   Our missionaries have also been transformed through the same experience with Jesus—so they have followed Him to the ends of the earth—not merely to follow Jesus’ example, but because they are living Jesus’ life.

“Jesus said . . . and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:20)

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